Good morning, brethren. Let's turn in our Bibles to Hebrews chapter 12. Chapter 11 is full of the works that Christ did. But isn't it about faith? Isn't that what chapter 11 is about? Faith relies entirely upon the Lord Jesus. And chapter 11 is showing us how the Lord Jesus called his people and preserved his people and kept them walking by faith all their life. Chapter 11 is all about the Lord Jesus. Faith looks only to the Lord Jesus.

So having given us that chapter full of the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus to keep his people, encouraging us to believe on him, to walk by faith in him. Then chapter 12 opens with this, Hebrews 12, one, wherefore, seeing we also are passed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds."

The subject of this is what the main point of this is. Run looking to Christ. Run looking to the Lord Jesus. First thing we're taught here is lay aside anything and everything that is of us. Lay it aside. He says, wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us.

Our body, our body conceived in our mother's womb from Adam all the way down to your father, our body is a dead weight. It's a dead weight. You hear sometimes people talking about trying to lift up a man that's unconscious or even has died and they call it dead weight. Our body of sin is dead weight. It is dead weight. Never look to self. Never look to self. Only look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Never lean to your own understanding. Proverbs 3, 5 says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Never trust in your works. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No man can justify himself. No man can sanctify himself. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ.

When he's called us and given us faith to trust him and put us in this race, run the same way you began, looking only to the Lord Jesus Christ, only to him. Never consider yourself to have more than you had when he first called you to him. He showed us our sin, He showed us our complete ruin when He called us. And we came to Him with nothing in my hand, no price I bring. We came with nothing. Run this race with nothing more than what you came to Him with. Run this race looking only to Christ, trusting only in Him.

Lay aside any and all confidence in self, Lay aside all unbelief, that is the sin that so easily besets us, is unbelief. Pride, self-righteousness, and all sin, it all comes from our body of sin, every bit of it. Paul said, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The Lord Jesus. He delivered us at the cross, he delivered us when he called us, and he's gonna keep delivering us through every step of this race and one day deliver us into his glorious presence. Look to him only. Run this race looking to Christ.

Now notice this first. He set the path. He set the path. Verse one says, let us run with patience the race that is set before us. He said it. He said it. We're only in the race because the Lord Jesus created us anew, and the Lord Jesus put us in the race. He was sovereign to send the gospel, sovereign to quicken, sovereign to convert, sovereign to put you in this race, and he has set the path. He has set every hill, every valley, every curve, every straight way. It's all set by our Lord. He is sovereign God, our Savior, is the sovereign God of glory. That's who He is. And so every trial is set by Him. Every good time is set by Him. Every up, every down, it's all set by the Lord. All the affliction that we suffer is set by our Lord, ruled by our Lord, and it is only for our good. We need to know that. We need to know that, especially when We are the one afflicted.

When we come into suffering, we need to be constantly reminded, and rather than remind each other, our Lord set this path, our Savior set this path, and he's done it to keep you looking to Christ. You know, when we're in affliction, that's when we most see our utter helplessness That's when we most see our sovereign savior, that he's all, that he's ruling all, that he is all our salvation. That's when we see it most in affliction. That's why David said, it's been good for me that I've been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. This is his commandment, that you believe on him whom he has sent. That's the statute he's teaching us in every affliction. Believe on him, continue trusting him. Look down there at verse six, Hebrews 12, six. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. We have a very strong tendency to think that if things go badly for us and we're afflicted, that the Lord is against us. We also have a bad tendency of thinking when things go good, the Lord is for us. But our Lord teaches us to walk by faith, not by sight. And here's the truth concerning his children. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Not one of the Lord's people are gonna be without affliction.

If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons. Furthermore, we've had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit. He for our profit. That's always the case with his children concerning affliction. He's doing it for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness.

He sanctified us in him and divine election, He sanctified us into Christ when he called us, and the affliction is to keep us separated into Christ, sanctified in Christ, partaking of his holiness, his holiness. He's the holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. The Lord Jesus is.

Concerning affliction, John Newton wrote this. I love this hymn. I ask the Lord that I might grow in faith and love and every grace. Might more of his salvation know, and more earnestly seek his face. T'was he who prayed, and he I trust has answered prayer. But it has been in such a way as almost drove me to despair. I hoped that in some favored hour at once he'd answer my request. And by his love's constraining power, subdue my sins and give me rest. Instead of this, he made me feel the hidden evils of my heart. And let the angry powers of hell assault my soul in every part. Yea, more with his own hand he seemed in. Crossed all the fair designs I schemed. blasted my gourds and laid me low. Lord, why is this? I trembled to cry. Will thou pursue thou worm to death? Tears in this way, the Lord replied. I answer prayer for grace and faith. These inward trials I employ from self and pride to set thee free. and break thy schemes of earthly joy, that thou mayest seek thy all in me.

That is a good hymn. That's how the Lord operates. He's gonna teach his child and grow us in faith and in every grace, but he does it through affliction. He said, I've chosen you in the furnace of affliction, but he's the one who brings us through the fire. and it's so that your faith is purified. It's not for fleshly things, it's that your faith is purified. Faith being more precious than gold, though it be tried with fire, it will never cease in the Lord's people. Faith will never run out in the Lord's people, because he's going to keep you looking to him. He does it through the furnace of affliction.

So our sovereign Savior set the path that we're running, and so we run it with patience. What is that? Let us run with patience the race set before. What is patience? It's endurance. This is an endurance race. It's not a sprint. It's an endurance race. We patiently endure the affliction only by the grace and power of God.

Back in Hebrews 6, Speaking of Abraham, this was the Lord's word to Abraham in verse 14. He said, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after Abraham had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. He patiently endured. That's what faith is doing. Faith is patiently enduring whatever our Lord has set before us.

Now listen to the Savior speaking to you and to me. Listen to him speaking to you who believe. This is his word to you who he bought with his blood. In Matthew 10, 22, he said, you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. The world knows us not because the world didn't know our Savior. He said, you'll be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Persevered, looking only to Christ.

Go to Hebrews 10. And look at verse 35. Cast not away, therefore, your confidence. Where's your confidence? Only in the Lord Jesus. Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. It's going to be far greater to suffer and endure the suffering because he's given you an eternal, lasting, enduring substance, Christ himself. He says, for you've need of patience that after you've done the will of God, this is the will of God, that you believe on him whom he hath sent. After you've done the will of God, you might receive the promise for yet a little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." How do we do that? by God's keeping grace, by God's preserving grace, by our Savior keeping us every hour. He makes you run this race, now look at this part, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. The author and finisher of our faith.

At all times, in every affliction, in good times and bad times, at all times, Look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ. What does that mean? Believe on him, casting all your care on him. Let's look at 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5. We're gonna only do this by his grace, but he's gonna preserve his child. He's gonna keep you doing this right here.

1 Peter 5, in verse 6, he's telling everyone in the congregation to submit to one another. And then he says, most of all, submitting to Christ. Look here, in verse 6, humble yourselves, therefore, let's read verse 5. Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud. He resisted the proud and giveth grace to the humble.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Casting all of it, all of it, all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast, one way, trusting Christ, looking to Christ to deal with the devil, looking to him to save you at all time.

Resist steadfast in the faith, knowing, don't forget this, the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. It's a prideful thought when we start thinking nobody suffered like I've suffered. Nobody's going through what I'm going through. We have pride even in our suffering. But for the Lord's children, he's not trying. It says he is accomplishing the same affliction in your brethren. He's working in each of his saints for our good

Look, but the God of all grace, verse 10, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. That's so in every trial we go through. After you've suffered a little while, he will accomplish the purpose of it, bringing you to cast all your care on Christ, and then by that, he'll settle you, and he will bring you to give him all the glory for his dominion and his authority.

Now, the reason we're sure that he'll keep us, what we just saw there, he's sovereign. He's the sovereign savior, but even more assuring than his mere power is the fact that he justified his people. He made us righteous. God's holy character guarantees he will keep his people. And he says, here's why, because the Lord Jesus is the author and finisher of faith. Faith began, it originated with Christ. God the Father looked to him. God the Father trusted him with his chosen people.

And our Lord Jesus Christ walked this earth the only faithful one, the only faithful one. He said, I must be about my father's business. We're saved by the faith of Christ, by his faithfulness. And that same one who loved his people and laid down his life for his people and justified all his people and made us the righteousness of God in him, that same one is in each of his born again children And He's leading us by His Spirit. He said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. We saw it last week. Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. The life I now live in this flesh, I live only one way. by the faith of Christ, by Christ leading me, Christ protecting me, Christ holding me and carrying me, Christ preserving me, that same one who loved me and gave himself for me, he's doing this.

He's the author of faith. We usually say, you know, of the author, he wrote the book. Christ wrote the book. He did. He is the author and he's the finisher of our faith. He began saying, I must be about my father's business. And he ended saying, it is finished. He did what the father sent him to do. And by that same perfect faithfulness, he's going to keep his people. He is our perfect savior, the captain of our salvation. He said in Hebrew too, he behooved God. This was very becoming to who God is that in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of our salvation perfect through suffering. And our Savior went through this world suffering. Why, why, how did He continue? How did He walk through this life? Look at Hebrews 12 verse two. Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. That's the perfect faith of our Savior. He walked looking to the joy set before him, the joy of glorifying God his Father. That was his joy. He said, now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. That's what we pray usually right away. Lord, save me from this. He said, shall I pray that? He said, but for this cause came I unto this hour. Here was his prayer. Father, glorify thy name. Mm, glorify thy name. That was his joy, to glorify his name, to glorify his father.

And our Lord had the joy of redeeming his elect to himself. That was the joy set before him. He finished faith by looking only to His Father in perfect faith, trusting the Father, casting all His care upon the Father, and He did so to the death of the cross, and by that, He redeemed all His people. He glorified His Father and saved His people. That was the joy set before Him.

Despising the shame, what was the shame? Our Lord Jesus bore our sin. He bore it. He bore it. and he put it away. He finished. He's the author and finisher of faith. It's by his faith we're saved, brethren. The faith of Christ. We saw this last week. Knowing no man's justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Christ. So we've believed in Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. And he finished it. He did. He finished it, brethren.

The next time we're down, The next time you're suffering, you're down, or if you're going through a good time, don't forget, we're so prone to forgetting in the good times. At any point, whatever it is, let this be your strength right here. Every chosen, redeemed, regenerated child is who I'm speaking to. He says, remember this, he said, I laid down my life for the sheep. You can say to yourself, Christ died for me. He justified me. I'm his. He will save me through this because he died for me. He bought me. I'm his. He must bring me to glory. Remember that. Let that be your constant comfort. He's ruling this trial for me. He's ruling all time, my times are in his hand. He's ruling it all for me.

No one ever and no one will ever, no one ever has, no one ever will completely yield themselves to God's will and serve God in the obedience that our Lord Jesus Christ did. The perfect faith of our Lord Jesus. He said, I live by the Father. And that's what He's teaching me, to look to Him and know, I live by Christ, by what He did for me at Calvary and what He's done for me in my heart, what He's doing for me every day, by His grace, by His power. We look only to Christ, we believe Him because nobody ever obeyed our Savior like He did. And He is our obedience to God. That's what He is.

The cup which my Father giveth me, shall I not drink it? That's what he said. He said, I've set the Lord always before me. He said, he that sent me is with me. And as he bore that cross and he came to the end of that cross, you know what he said at the very end? This shows you how perfectly our Lord trusted the Father. He said, Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit. He trusted the Father perfectly. That's what it means, the author and finisher of our faith.

Brethren, he gives you faith. And he said, if it's just as a grain of mustard seed, you'll do things impossible. That's what he's saying, impossible. Why is it just a grain of mustard seed? Because it's not your faith itself. It's Christ who is the faithful one. It is him, it is him, it is him. And he now, brethren, to show us he finished it, he sat down. He sat down. Verse two says, he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There was no chair in the holiest of holies in the tabernacle or the temple. Why? Because no sacrifice they offered ever put away sin. None purged sin. Every year they were reminded again and again. Look at Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10 in verse one. Hebrews 10 verse one. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers therein too perfect, for then would they not have ceased to be offered. Now listen to this. Because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sin.

When the Holy Spirit applies the blood of Christ to one of Christ's redeemed, He purges our conscience from the dead works of trying to accomplish salvation by our hand. And He makes it so you see you're purged and you don't have any more condemning conscience of sin. You know you're sinning, but you know you're not going to perish because of it. Look, but in those sacrifices, there was a remembrance again of sins every year, for it's not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin. And that's why when he came into the world, he said, a body has thou prepared me. Lord, you weren't pleased with any of those. Christ was pictured in all those, and he came and laid down his life and perfected his people forever. That's what he accomplished.

No sacrifice you and I make, No amount of good works, no amount of tears, no amount of suffering will ever purge our sin. Cease from dead works and trust the Lord Jesus. Cast all your care on the Lord Jesus. He sat down because he finished the work. Hebrews 1.3, he's the brightness of God's glory. He's the express image of his person. He upholds all things by the word of his power. And when he had by himself purged our sin, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.

Hebrews 6 says the forerunner is for us entered. For his people, he's entered. And he's our advocate there with the Father. He's our intercessor with the Father. He's our righteousness with the Father and our holiness with the Father. The Father's not looking to you and me for righteousness or holiness. He has it. It's in His Son, and He sees His people in His Son, perfectly righteous and perfectly holy.

The forerunner is for us entered. He finished making His people righteous in Him. He finished making His people holy in Him. He finished redeeming His people, and we're His.

Now, lastly, look only to Christ. That's what we're being taught here. Look only to Christ. He's gonna preserve us, and He's gonna keep us looking only to Him. We overcome one way, by Christ. We overcome by Christ. We overcome by the faith He gives us, trusting Him alone to do everything necessary for us.

Every day, every day, in the least trial or the least part of our day, we trust in Christ to bring us through everything. because we're trusting him for all our salvation. To him that overcometh, he said, we'll overcome one way, by faith, trust in Christ, only by Christ. To him that overcometh, he said, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am sat down with my father in his throne. That's his promise. That's gonna be fulfilled for every child that God saves. that chosen and redeemed, we're gonna overcome by his preserving hand.

Paul said, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind. What can you do about what's behind you? Nothing. Forgetting those things that are behind. Put no confidence in it. Don't let it encourage you in a positive way or a negative way. Forget those things that are behind.

He said, and reaching forth unto those things which are before me, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. Christ is the prize. Christ is the prize. He is our inheritance. He's what we want, who we want, what we want. We want him. I want to see him. I want to know him face to face like he knows me. Don't you, brethren?

Know ye not that they which run in a race, all run, they all run, but one receives the prize. Run that you may obtain. Run this race with patience that he set before you, looking not to yourself. Lay aside anything of you. Lay aside all sin, all self-righteousness, everything that's of you. Lay it aside and look only to Christ. Look only to Christ. He is the author and finisher of faith. He is the faithful one by which we're saved. Look only to him. Run that you may obtain him.

Let's go to him, brethren. Our heavenly father, we thank you for your grace and your mercy, choosing us in Christ, sending him forth to be our perfect savior. Lord, thank you for calling us and teaching us. Thank you for trusting this whole work into the hand of our King and our Savior. We thank you, Lord Jesus, for being our advocate with the Father. We thank you for being our perfection, for being the one perfect man in whom you view all your people as perfect.

Lord, thank you for teaching us giving us faith, preserving us, keeping us. Lord, we pray for each of our brethren. We pray for Davika, we pray for Jeff, pray for Cyril, pray for those sitting right here today, Lord. Each of us have our own individual trials and afflictions and weaknesses. And Lord, you know, you know what we need. You've set the race before us. Lord, we're looking to you, and by your grace, we're looking to you, and we ask you, Lord, keep us looking to you. Keep us remembering we have eternal life in Christ. Keep us remembering that whatever you do, Lord, it's gonna be good for us.

Make it our one prayer, our one heart to pray is, You did, Lord, when you walked this earth. Father, glorify thy name. That's what we ask, Lord, glorify thy name. Thank you, Lord, for all these mercies and grace. In Christ's name we pray, amen.