The Author And Finisher

Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. If you would, I'd like to follow along. I'm gonna be in Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. I'm just gonna read the first two verses. Hebrews chapter 12, verse one.

Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which not 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. I like those two verses. If you read this book, and as you read this book, you will notice, hopefully, some people don't notice anything, I know, but most of us try to, but you will notice that Christ has more titles than anyone you've ever heard of. I'm not gonna go all into them now, but you know, I just used one right now, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

He's Lord. That's a title. And that title has a meaning. There's a reason for it. There's a reason why he's called Lord. He told his disciples one time, you call me Master and Lord, you do well. Why? Because I'm both. But here, this is, One of these, I've been actually looking at these, what they call the double titles, right? I've told you in some previous sermons that he is both the shepherd and the sovereign of your souls, the shepherd and bishop of your souls is the way it reads. And not too long ago, I talked about the apostle and high priest of our profession. Well, right here is another double title. He's the author and finisher of faith. And I'm gonna leave out the word our there because it's interpolated. And it's true, it is our faith. But it's only our faith because he give it to us. And he doesn't give it to everyone. That's why I said our, we. Paul is being, or whoever wrote the book of Hebrews, is being very specific here. But this is the whole thing. He's the author and the finisher of faith, period. Period. And that's my title, the author and finisher, Paul.

But beginning in verse one, it says, wherefore seeing we also are compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin, and here it is, which doth so easily beset us. That's our nature still. Even as believers, this is our nature. And we can't lay it aside. How do you do that? Well, one way, he tells us, is to mortify therefore your members, which are on this earth.

And in my flesh still dwells no good thing. Do your best to set it aside. You're not gonna be perfect. I'm not gonna, Draw down the great sentence of the law down upon you, because you don't have to. That sentence has already been passed. And we're free from the law. But we're not free from the sin which so easily doth beset us. But, do what you can. Mortify therefore your members. But here, at the very end of this verse, he says this, and. Why would we wanna mortify our members? Why would we wanna set aside the weight?

Let us run. Let us run. Oh, I like that. Now it does say with patience, the race. I'm gonna tell you something, folks. There's more to a believer's life than the flesh that we have. And thank God for it. Our flesh is always with us. until we awaken his likeness, or until we die, this flesh is gonna be with us. But we're told to run the race with patience, but run the race which is what? Set before us. Folks, believers have a goal, and that goal is Christ himself. seated at the right hand of the Father. We are to run our race with patience.

Now, I already answered the question, but some people ask, where's the end of the race? Well, it's the wrong question. Who's the end of the race? Who's the end of the race? Because what does he say in the very next verse? Run with patience the race that is set before us. How? Where? Looking unto Jesus. That's where we're going. That's where I wanna go, is to him. Wherever he is, that doesn't matter. I wanna go to him. Looking unto Jesus. Looking unto Jesus, what's it say?

That great cloud of witnesses. Well that great cloud of witnesses, which actually is in chapter 11, the direct reference here in the first verse of chapter 12, is 11, is what they call the heroes of faith. And what do we learn in there? Faith. Faith. Oh, and we're gonna get into the author and the finisher of what? of their faith. Now these are all in the Old Testament, but they all had faith. These all died in faith. Guess what, folks? It's the same faith. There's only one faith. He's the author and the finisher of faith. Period. Period.

All this Bible, we've been told one message by Faith Abel. It's what it says in chapter 11. By faith Enoch, by faith Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and right after Moses, not Joshua, Rahab to Harlot. By faith Rahab. Oh my. These all by faith did some things. They did different things. but they did them all by faith. Wow.

Looking unto Jesus. Looking unto Jesus by faith because there's no one else to look to. There's no one else to look for. And there's no one else that's gonna have you look. Oh, all of these heroes of faith, died in faith looking unto Jesus Christ. And who is this Jesus that we're looking unto?

Well, here the author tells us, the author of Hebrews tells us, he's the author and the finisher of faith. Now, the author, that's a word used for a writer. If you write a book, they call you an author. You know what that means? That means you're the creator of that book you wrote. And that's what this means. He's the creator. If you look it up, the definition of this word is the power, the creator, the chief, the captain. He's the captain of faith. He's the creator of faith. And he is the power of faith.

Oh, I like that. Because there is only one singular source of the faith of God's elect. And that's what it's called. That's one of the things it's called. I've heard these songs and I know some of them. One's called Faith of Our Fathers. It could be a good song if your father's had his faith. Some of the people who sing it don't know what they're singing. But that's true of any song. But here's the thing. He is the author. The author. Singular author. This is not a comprehensive, it's not a collaborative work. He does it personally. There's not even input from man.

I know a lot of people like to say, you've got a little bit of faith down inside you and you wanna fan that spark, that divine spark. Where'd a divine spark come in a dead man? Understand it says you're dead in trespasses and sins without him. There's nothing, no. He's the creator of faith, creator. There's only one creator, and God is that only creator, and what does the writer in Hebrews say? Looking unto Jesus. Looking unto Jesus. Because Jesus Christ is God.

He is God manifest in the flesh, he's God made in the flesh, he came down to this world and took upon the form of a servant. Though he was Lord of all. Oh my, he humbled himself. But guess what? He's still the author of faith, the creator of faith. And I'm gonna tell you something. This is something the world won't tell you. Faith is his. It's his, he's the creator of it. Faith is his. If he gives it to you, then, and only then, is it yours. Oh, he's the author, the creator. Matter of fact, part of that word means the controller. That's what it means.

The controller of faith. A man or a woman who has his faith has that faith because of a divine operation. Faith is not natural to man. I don't care what anybody says. Faith is not natural to a man. The natural man, I'm gonna say it again, cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God. Because they're spiritually discerned. And how are they spiritually discerned? By faith. by faith, not by my eyes, not by my ears, not by my heart, not by my mind. They are discerned by faith.

And Jesus Christ is the author of faith. The author is singular, the author, the creator. And he is the one we are to be looking to. But then it says, and the finisher, the finisher of faith. And I said, it says it in our Bible, it is our faith, but that's in italics, they've added that in. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I like saying it without. Because I'm gonna tell you, it makes it more precise. Because I'm gonna tell you something, folks, there is no true faith without him being the author and finisher of it.

Now you may have faith that the sun's gonna rise tomorrow, and maybe it will. There's a lot of people having faith that there's gonna be an eclipse tomorrow or the next day, tomorrow I think. And they're going, millions are going out of their way to see it. They're gonna be looking unto an eclipse. It ain't gonna do them no good. And it might not happen. You never know. I know who's in charge of eclipses too.

But you understand, we know the author and finisher of faith. Oh, I like that. Because I'm gonna tell you something, folks. His faith is complete. That's what it means. Complete. He's the author, he's the creator of it, he's the finisher of it. We don't add anything to God's faith. He gives it to us. He gives it to us. He's the perfecter of his, it's called a like precious faith. You know why? Because there's only one. There's only one. There's only one faith. All true faith is his faith. Excuse me. All of the faith for all of the elect. Ephesians two and verse eight. For by grace are ye saved through faith. What's it say? That not of yourself. It's not. It's not of yourself. It's of the author and the finisher of faith. It is the gift of God. Saved by grace through faith and that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God and it's not of works.

Why? lest any man should boast. And we would. If any part of it was part of us, we would. You wanna know why I say that? Because there's people out there right now boasting about how they believed God and how they came to God and how they did that and now God owes them.

Now they may not say it exactly that way, but that's the way they talk. And that's what they, you're right Walt, that's what they believe. They believe God owes them, because they came somewhere and kneeled down and prayed a prayer. They said, I believe Jesus. No. That's not the way it works.

Paul calls it, I said it, the faith of God's elect, that he gives it to his elect, and here it is in 1 John 5 and 1, whosoever believeth. Now they like that whosoever stuff too. but they don't like this next part. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. If you're not born of God, you're not gonna believe that Jesus is the Christ.

That's what that scripture says. That's exactly what it said, and that's exactly what it means. And everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him that is also begotten of him. Like I said, Peter called it like precious faith. Because there's only one true faith, and that faith is his faith. He's the author of it, he's the finisher of it, and he's the giver of it.

Oh my. Mm, because I'm gonna tell you something, if he doesn't give it to you, you don't have it. But the reverse is also true. If he gives it to you, you have it. You have it. Oh, oh my. And I'm gonna tell you something else. He will show you, if he gives you his faith, he will show you that at one time, You know now that you did not have his faith. You did not know the Lord of glory. Even though he's the Lord of glory all along, you didn't know him, I didn't know him at one time. Oh my.

Oh, but now, The righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith, of, from Jesus Christ. Unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. We have the very righteousness of God by his faith.

I'm gonna tell you something, folks. That faith is finished. It's perfect. We're not perfect. We don't believe perfectly. But we do believe. And his faith that he gives in every one of his believers is perfect. Oh my. What is it? Righteousness imputed, but also righteousness imparted. And it's his righteousness given by his faith. And he's the author and the finisher of faith. Believers have the righteousness of God upon them by faith.

Isn't that a gracious thing? Isn't that a glorious thing? I remember reading it in the Old Testament. He gives us the garments of salvation and he gives us the robe of righteousness. And not only that, he puts that robe and those garments upon you. just like he did Adam and Eve with the coats of skin. What's it say? He clothed them. The prodigal son, when the father said, bring forth the best robe, he didn't say, here son, put this on. No, he said, put it on him. Put it on him. You don't clothe yourself in the robe of righteousness, he clothes you. because he's the author and the finisher of that. Oh my.

Grace, folks, that's what I'm talking about, grace. He gives faith and righteousness and forgiveness and salvation. Grace, grace, marvelous grace. Grace that is greater than what? All my sin, all my sin. Oh my, oh. And I'm gonna tell you something, salvation is all by the sovereign grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking unto Jesus. Looking unto Jesus.

The author and the finisher of faith. What's it say about faith in Hebrews chapter 11, verse six. But without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In verse one of chapter 11, now faith is the substance, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

See, people, I've talked about this before too, they like to use the words blind faith. Folks, that's the one thing faith is not. That's the absolute one thing it's not. And guess what? Men will fixate on that. Oh, you believe by blind faith? No. I believe because by faith I see. Now, you can't explain that to an unbeliever. You can't explain how I can read the scripture, you can read the scriptures, and you know in your heart that this is the true word of God. that he is the author and finisher of the faith, and he gave me that faith after he gave me life. Because a natural man cannot understand the things of the spirit of God. They're foolishness under them. They're spiritually discerned, and they don't get it, folks. They just don't get it. John Calvin wrote this.

Christ declares that the doctrine of the gospel, though it is preached to all without exception, cannot be embraced by all, but that a new understanding and a new perception are required, and therefore that faith does not depend upon the will of men, but that it is God who gives it.

And that's the truth. He's the author and the finisher of faith. He's the provider of faith. He gives it. Life and faith come from our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, can't leave this part out. He's the author and the finisher of faith, but he's also the object of our faith. How'd this verse start out? looking unto Jesus, looking unto Jesus. Why? He's the object of faith. He's the author of it, he's the finisher of it, and he's the subject of it. This book, from cover to cover, is a book of Jesus Christ.

Now in the Old Testament, he wasn't called Jesus Christ, but he's there. He's called, we go through some of them titles, you want to, he's called the Lord, he's called the Lord God, he's called the Redeemer, he's called the Holy One of Israel. But his name, as he came and was revealed in his incarnation, is Jesus Christ, and that's how we know him. And we can go back in that Old Testament and take a look, and you can see the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm gonna tell you something, folks. If he's the author and finisher of faith now, he was the author and finisher of faith then. You understand what it says.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it, he being dead, yet speaketh. The sacrifice that Abel made was what? Looking unto Jesus. Didn't know my name, but by faith, he offered it. Oh my. By faith, Abraham. By faith, Enoch, when he was translated. All of these Old Testament persons, by faith, served God. By faith, we're looking unto Jesus. John Newton said this, this is faith. A renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness, and intercession of Jesus. You know what that is? That's looking unto Jesus. What?

The author and finisher of faith, of faith. And it says this, for the joy set before him endured the cross, endured the cross, despising the shame. I'll tell you something, folks. There's joy in heaven with one sinner that repents. And how's that one sinner repent? By the faith of the author and finisher. That's it.

The Author And Finisher

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The Author And Finisher

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