After supper this past Monday
night, just as we were finishing, our grandson Will called to ask
me a question, to ask about passage here in Hebrews chapter 12, the
second verse. Specifically, he was wanting
some instruction concerning the statement here whereby the Holy
Spirit describes our Savior as the author and finisher of our
faith. Now, I don't know about you,
but I have a much greater difficulty answering the questions of a
nine-year-old boy than I do of a brainy old man with a string
of degrees behind his name. I figured the brainy old man
not going to pay any attention to me. The nine-year-old boy
just might. And I answered Will as clearly
as I could knowing that what I said was correct. But afterwards,
I knew immediately that I wasn't satisfied with the answer I'd
given him. I hadn't been as full as I'd like to have been, and
yet I'd been brief and I hoped clear. So the next morning, I
wrote him a note. It got to be a pretty good-sized
note, but I gave him a fuller explanation. And by the time
I got done with that, I knew what direction I'd be going for
tonight's message. Let's look here at Hebrews chapter
12. Paul has just finished describing
for us in the 11th chapter the great heroes of faith, the great
examples of faith that are given to us in the Old Testament scriptures. Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. In the
ancient Olympic games, which is what Paul uses for his illustration
here, that didn't line up along the streets and cheer folks in
different sections as they went by, but rather the folks at the
games would wait at the end, at the end of the course, and
they would cheer those running in a race as they approached
the finish line. And that's the picture that Paul
has here. And he's referring to those saints of God in heaven
already. I don't know about you, but that
does me some good. I have no question that God's
saints in glory. Now, don't misunderstand me.
Don't misunderstand me. We don't pray to the saints.
We don't pray to the dead. And we don't pray for the saints
or pray for the dead. These silly politicians who have
moments of silence for those who have perished are just reiterating
papal foolishness. But God's saints in glory, I'm
convinced, are keenly aware of that which takes place on this
earth, keenly aware of the struggles we face. And they are held before
us here as a great cloud of witnesses urging us on in the faith. All
right, read on. Seeing we 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, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us. He's urging us to
endure whatever hardness, whatever grief, whatever trial, whatever
obstacle, whatever pain, whatever heartache God sets in our ways,
is urging us to endure these things with patience to the end. running this race, finishing
our course in this world. God almighty, our heavenly father
has set a course for you and for me. He orders our steps in the way
he has ordained and guides us in the way. Yet we are responsible
by faith to run the race Until at last we can say with Paul.
I fought a good fight. I've kept the faith. I finished
my course Finished my course Soon, I'll be finished Paul is
urging us here. The Spirit of God is urging us
by him to persevere in faith Now listen to how he does it
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
ran his race, who fought his fight, who finished his course,
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. In a word, the Lord God here
calls every believing sinner to make whatever sacrifice is
necessary, to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, and
follow Christ. You see, the claims of grace
are universal. Christ our Lord claims rightfully
dominion over our lives in the totality of our lives. If we would follow Christ, nothing
can be held in reserve. Either he is Lord of all or he
is not Lord at all. Either you surrender everything
to Christ or nothing is surrendered to Christ. Salvation is not choosing to
let Jesus save you. Salvation is not choosing to
go to heaven. Salvation is not choosing eternal
life rather than everlasting hell. Salvation Faith in Jesus
Christ is nothing less than bowing to Christ the Lord. The surrender
of myself to him. Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, the
Lord of glory, demands that we give ourselves to him in the
totality of our beings, that we surrender everything to him. He's Lord. Upon what basis can
any reasonable human being be expected to so surrender his
life to the rule of Jesus Christ the Lord? Upon what basis can
you be expected to give up everything to Christ? To willingly put everything
in his hands? So, Brother Don, we believe everything's
in his hands because he's God, he's the Lord. That's right.
That's right. You're exactly right. Everything's in his hands.
Everything's in his hands. You may as well surrender to
it. But upon what basis can it be
expected that Larry Criss and Don Fortner yield everything
to his rule, to his will, willingly? The title of my message tonight
is looking to Jesus. Follow me through the text, and
I believe that you'll find good reason to surrender everything
to him. Oh, may God, the Holy Spirit,
give us grace that we may be ever found looking to Christ. And I want you to see just this
one thing, just this one thing. If we would persevere in faith,
If we would continue in the grace of God, if we would keep our
hearts in the love of God, we must ever be found looking to
Christ. I want to show you this in five
points. Looking to Christ as the object
of our faith. Looking to Christ as the author
of our faith. Looking to Christ as the pioneer
of our faith. Looking to Christ as the finisher
of our faith, looking to Christ as the goal of our faith. All
right, here's the first thing. Looking unto Jesus. The Lord
Jesus alone is the object of our faith. Quite literally, this statement
might be read this way, looking away unto. and into Jesus. Looking away unto and into Jesus. What is this thing called Christianity? What is true Christianity? What is this faith in Jesus Christ? What is this believing on the
Son of God? It's looking to Christ. Looking
to Him. Looking to Him as our Master,
our Lord, our God. Looking to Him as a child looks
to its father. Looking to Him for everything
always. Looking to Him. Salvation is
described this way in its totality. It begins looking to Christ. Isaiah 45, 22, the Lord Jesus
says, look unto me. and be ye saved, all the ends
of the earth for I am God, and beside me there is none else.
In the experience of it, that's where salvation begins. Oh, would
to God you might this very hour be turned to look to him. It was in January, cold winter
day, a young man by the name of Charles Spurgeon making his
way to worship services and he couldn't get there. January the
9th, if I remember correctly. Bad, bad snows. And so he turned
aside down an alley and found a primitive Methodist chapel.
And he went in there and just a few people, two or three, maybe
a half a dozen. The preacher couldn't get there.
An old deacon stood up in the pulpit and Read Isaiah 45 22
and made a few comments and just crude Man with very little learning
and he said what he could but just kept quoting the text Look
good to me and be you saved all the ends of the earth for I'm
God beside me There is none else and he spotted that young man
sitting back in the back of the auditorium. He said young man
Looks to me like you need to look And Spurgeon heard the gospel
all his life. His father was a preacher and
his grandfather a preacher. But he had never heard the gospel
until that day. And he looked. He looked. Looked. He said, I could have
looked until my eyes fell out. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. And that's how salvation continues.
Looking to Him. Looking to Him. What do you do? Look to Him. Just look to Him. When the way's rough, you look
to Him. When things are difficult, look
to Him. When your heart's empty, you
look to Him. When your soul's troubled, you
look to Him. When you're hungry, when you're
thirsty, when you're weary, you look to Him. Looking anywhere
else will hinder you. Look away from this great cloud
of witnesses. Look away from yourself. That'll
only hinder you. Look away from your experiences.
Look away from your knowledge. Look away from the church. Look
away from men and look to Christ. Look to Him. I deliberately, I deliberately,
Try, whenever God saves someone in this congregation, bring someone
new in to spend extra time with them. I presume they need extra
attention. And spend little time with you
who have been around for a while. Not because I don't enjoy it.
I enjoy it. I love your company. I enjoy
being with you. But the little time that I have
for those things, I try to spend with those who need it. You see,
my object in preaching, my object in ministering to you, my object
as your pastor is to get you not to need me. To get you not to need me. Now,
I'm there for you. Please understand that you call
me for anything, anytime. I'm here for you. And I want
to carry your burdens with you. But I don't want you to need
me. Don't want you to need me. My doors are not open as a counselor.
I'm not one. Don't pretend to be one. And
I'm telling every other preacher they ought not be one. I hear
fellows talk about pastoring, folks. Well, I stayed right up
with them till their brother died. And I was with them every
day, all the time. That's not pastoring. That's
not pastoring. Pastoring is feeding God's sheep
and teaching them to look to Christ. Do you understand what I'm saying?
To look to Christ. I'm not your priest. I'm not
your savior. I'm not your comforter. I'm not
your mediator. Christ is! Looking to Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith. And bless God soon, this
thing called salvation will come to its end, its consummation,
looking to Him. It is written, and they shall
see his face. And they shall see his face. Turn over to John, 1 John chapter
3. Look to Jesus, look to Jesus,
look away to Christ the Lord. None but Jesus, none but Jesus
can do helpless sinners good. First John chapter three. Verse
two. Verse one, he said, behold, what
manner of love the father hath bestowed on us that we should
be called the sons of God. Verse two. Beloved, now are we
the sons of God. This is what we are. We've been
made the sons of God by the experience of his grace. God, the Holy Spirit,
giving us to be partakers of the divine nature, causing us
now to lift our hearts to heaven and call God our father. Now
are we the sons of God? And it does not yet appear what
we shall be. We're heirs of God and joint
heirs with Christ, and it doesn't appear what we shall be. We're
the sons and daughters of the Almighty. Brother Merle read
back in the office Isaiah 54, no weapon formed against you
shall prosper. No tongue speaking against you
shall prosper. God will bring it to nothing.
We're the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be, but we know We know that when He shall appear, we shall
be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is. We'll see Him in all the fullness
of His great glory as the God-man, our Savior. We'll see Him as
He is. We'll see him in all the glory
of his accomplished redemption. But there's more. When we see
him, we will see him as he is. That means, Larry Brown, you're
gonna look on him and see yourself exactly as he is. In him, one with him. Salvation is consummated in looking
to Christ. Well, that's awfully simple,
isn't it, though? Isn't it, though? That's what
Christianity is. It's looking to Christ. Let us
ever be looking to him. The more you look to him, the
clearer you see him. The clearer you see him, the
more fully you see into him. and have reason to look to Him,
beholding Him as He is. Look away to Christ. He is a
willing Savior, even for such things as we are. As Ruth just
sang, so willing is He, He loves us even when we fall. He's a willing Savior and He's
able, able to save unto the uttermost all who come to God by Him. This
man, this God-man, our Redeemer, is an able, willing Savior. He
is the sufficient Savior for our souls, altogether suitable
to our needs, for He is God and man in one glorious person. God of infinite worth and infinite
power. Man of indescribable sympathy
with our souls. One like us. touched with the
feeling of our infirmities, moved by what moves us, so that he's
able to succor, to help with passion, them that are tempted.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, our willing, suitable Savior, is our complete
Savior. What is it you want? Oh, my heart's so hard. Look to him to melt it. My soul
so empty, look to him to fill it. My heart so hungry, look
to him to feed you. I'm so thirsty, look to him to
refresh you. I'm so lethargic and dead, look
to him to awaken you and give you life. Looking to Jesus, he
is alone our savior and he is our complete savior. All right,
read on. Looking unto Jesus, the author
of our faith. This word author is another of
those words that are so full of meaning. The Greek word itself
has no exact equivalent in English. This is the word that in Hebrews
2.10 describes him as the captain of our salvation. It comes from
a root word that means commence. The Holy Spirit here holds forth
the Lord Jesus as that one who is the author of faith. The one who commences faith. Commences faith. So that if you
believe it is he who commenced faith in you. Faith is not something
that men muster from within. Faith is not something communicated
from father to child. Faith is not something the preacher
can give to those who hear him. Faith is not something found
at the end of saying the sinner's prayer. Faith is commenced in
the heart by the power of Jesus Christ himself, who sends his
spirit in the power of his grace, calling out his own. When I was a boy, I had a neighbor
lived half a block from me on the other side of the, behind
us on the next street over, Tommy Bailiff. I've not heard, seen,
know anything about Tommy since I was 17 years old. Until I was
16 years old, almost 17, Tommy and I were together all the time,
all the time. One of us got in trouble, we
both got in trouble, and we've stayed in trouble most of the
time. When I started attending church, going to church because
there's a girl there I wanted to date, Tommy would go with
me. We sat in the same services, listened to the same preaching,
heard the same teaching. One day God Almighty calls me
to here. Calls me to see his son. Calls me to believe on the Lord
Jesus. As far as I know, Tommy Bailiff's
never seen and never heard and never believed. What's the difference? God's the difference. That's
all. You believe and your sister doesn't
because God gave you faith. You believe in your son doesn't
cause God gave you faith. You believe in your mama doesn't
cause God gave you faith. That's all the difference. Who
make a theater different from another? I'm believing is the
gift of God. He's the commensurate of our
faith by nature. All men are without faith and
no man can bring faith to his own heart. No man can believe
for himself. But brother Don, aren't we responsible
too? Absolutely. Absolutely. But you can't do
what you're responsible to do. Dave Byrd, you're required to
keep God's law perfectly. God requires it. God requires
it. God says, love me with all your
heart, soul, mind, and being in your neighbor as yourself.
And you can't do it. You're required to, but you can't.
But what God requires, God performs for his own. God commands us
to believe. And you can't believe unless
God performs faith in you. Who believe now according to
the power with which He raised Christ from the dead. Faith is
the gift of God. Faith is the operation of God.
Faith is God's work in you. Unto you it is given in the behalf
of Jesus Christ to believe on Him. That's what the book says
in Philippians 1.29. Christ is the author of our faith. But this word might be translated
pioneer. You'll notice the word hour is
in italics, indicating that it was added by the translators.
Now, without question, the scriptures universally teach that Christ
is the one by whom we have that faith that looks to him. But
the intent of the Holy Spirit here, it seems to me, is to teach
us that Christ is the one who is the great pioneer of faith,
the original believer, the example of faith. He's telling us that
we must look away to Christ as that pioneer and example to follow. You see, we who believe believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are saved by the faith of
Jesus Christ. There's a difference between
faith in Christ and the faith of Christ. The Lord Jesus lived
on this earth as our mediator, as our substitute, believing
God. He believed God. He showed us
how to believe God, what it is to believe God, how we are to
walk in this world as believers for the glory of God. He is the
pioneer who blazed the trail and says, follow me. Our blessed
Savior lived in this world, trusting God. We read in Hebrews chapter
two, The Lord Jesus said in verse 13, I will put my trust in him
We're told in he Ephesians 1 13 that God the father put his trust
in Christ Jesus our mediator And God the son put his trust
in the father as a man So the father lived on this earth He
lived always Looking to his father Trusting his father praying to
his father, depending on his father, always in utter dependence
on his father. By faith, he looked away from
all the discouragements, the difficulties, the oppositions,
committing himself to his father, committing his calls to his father,
that one who had sent him, his father, whose will he came to
perform by faith. He break bread and called on
his father to bless it. By faith, when he was about to
perform a notable miracle, raising Lazarus from the dead, he prayed
as a man. Well, he's God. He's a man, a
real man. And he's standing before the
tomb of a friend, a brother, whom he loved as you have never
loved anybody. And he is ministering to that
man's broken-hearted sisters whom he loved. as we have never
loved anybody." And before he did a thing, he prayed. He said, Father, I know you always
hear me. But I'm saying this because I want these folks to
know you hear me. And he prays. Let us thus live by faith, ever
trusting God in all circumstances. By faith, he resisted. and overcame Satan's temptations. By faith, he endured trials brought
upon him by his father's providence. When his kinsmen said he's lost
his mind, lock him up in an asylum. When his friends forsook him,
when his enemies blasphemed him, when his disciples denied him,
when Judas betrayed him, he stood steadfast, trusting God. Our Savior, by His example, taught
us then to have faith in God. That's His command. And out of
His fullness of His own experience, He gives it. Have faith in God. Have faith in God. I often say
to you, when you are enduring some heartache, some trial, some
difficulty. Believe God. Believe God. Believe God. And I feel helpless when I say
that. I feel utterly helpless. I can't exemplify what I'm telling
you. I know I can't, but the master did. And Merle Hart, I
know beyond any shadow of a doubt, the greatest strength and comfort
and peace and joy and solace you find for your soul is believing
God. Believe God. Believe it. Turn
to Proverbs chapter three. One evening just before dark,
Shelby and I had been dating a little while, went for a walk
in the park, sat down on a bench and reading together. We came
to this text of scripture. And it has sustained us in many
difficulties. Proverbs 3, verse 5. Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart. What does that mean? And lean
not unto thine own understanding. We want to figure things out,
don't we? We want to figure things out.
That's just the way we are. We want to figure things out.
Never acknowledging that we haven't the ability to figure anything
out. Don't lean to your own understanding in anything. Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart. Lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him. What's that mean? You're the
Lord. You rule. It's your right. Have your way. In all thy ways,
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. All right? This word, it comes
from the Spirit of God, says, looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. Look away to Christ, the finisher
of our faith. The finisher. What's that mean?
The completion, the consummation. He who commenced faith, continues
faith, and he will consummate faith. He who gave you faith
will complete your faith. He'll bring you to glory at last.
But in the context, it's got to mean more than that. 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 on
the right hand of the throne of God for the joy That word for may be accurately
and properly translated either instead of or because of. Instead of or because of. Instead of the joy set before
him. Our blessed savior endured the
cross. You know, the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. How that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might be made rich. Instead of the joy that he had
in his everlasting eternal Godhead. All the angels of God singing
his praise. Instead of the joy that he had
in all his glory as the everlasting son of the everlasting father.
Instead of that, He took on himself your nature, lived in this world
in human flesh, bore your sin on the cursed tree, died under
the wrath of God. Instead of all the joy that he
had, he endured the cross, despising the shame. Now read it the other
way. Because of the joy set before
him, he endured the cross. Read this way, the joy set before
him is what sustained him in all his soul's trouble, sorrow,
and agony. What was it? The joy of saving
his people. The joy of magnifying God's law
and making it honorable. The joy of glorifying his father. The joy of the glory he himself
would everlastingly possess as our mediator. The glory he had
with the father before the worlds were. The glory the father promised
him upon the reward of his obedience. The glory he now enjoys on the
throne of God. Turn back to what we read earlier
in Psalm 21. Psalm 21, the Psalm of David. If you've got room, make a note
to the chief musician of Psalm of Christ. It's all about him. The king, you know who he is,
don't you, Bob? That's our redeemer. The king
shall joy in thy strength. Lord and in thy salvation, how
greatly shall he rejoice? Thou has given him his heart's
desire What's his heart's desire read it in John 17? Father, I
will that they also whom thou has given me be with me where
I am that they may behold my glory Thou has given him his
heart's desire Brother Tommy He took home to glory Sunday
morning How come? That's his heart's
desire. It's his heart's desire to have
you with him. His heart's desire that you'd
be with him forever in his glory. Thou has given him his heart's
desire. Read on. And has not withholding
the request of his lips. For thou preventest him, thou
goest before him With the blessings of goodness, thou sentest a crown
of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee. Father,
the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son
also may glorify thee. And thou gavest to him even length
of days forever and ever. His glory is great in thy salvation. Honor and majesty hast thou laid
upon him, for thou hast made him most blessed forever. Thou
hast made Him exceeding glad with Thy countenance. Oh, how
shall we praise Him? Because of His great love for
us, the Lord Jesus endured the cross. He would not go back. He would not quit until He had
taken upon Himself all the wrath of God and endured all the justice
of God. He would not quit. He would not
go back. He would not stop until he had
suffered all the torments of hell in his body as he hung on
the tree until he suffered all the crushing of his heart and
the agony of his soul. Because of his love for us, he
endured the cross, despising the shame. Lindsay Campbell, that which
he most despised, he endured for you. Now, oh my soul, what will you withhold from Him? The shame and the spitting men
heaped upon Him. The shame, hanging naked, before a multitude
laughing and mocking him. The shame, the horrible shame
of being made a curse. The shame of our sin. The shame of all our guilt. The shame of being forsaken of God. Why is that? Because of the joy
at the prospect of having you and me with him in glory. Now watch this. The shame he endured is all gold. His work is finished. He's entered
into his rest. His glory is full. His soul is
satisfied. And whosoever believeth on him
shall never be ashamed. The shame is all gone. One more
thing. Let us ever be looking away to
Christ as the goal of our faith. Soon our race will be over. Our work will be finished. Our
rest will begin. Our glory will be full and our
souls shall be satisfied. And as it is written, they shall
see his And that's the motive for everything. That's the motive for everything. And that, James, is the blessed
end awaiting us. Amen.