12, Hebrews chapter 12, reading the first two verses
in this chapter. 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, 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. My message this morning concerns
mostly one statement in these two verses, and that statement
is found in verse two, who for the joy set before him endured
the cross. I want us to think about that.
That's my main thought, but I must say a few words about the context
The writer, who I believe was the Apostle Paul, uses the Grecian
games again and speaks of the Christian life as a race. He
speaks of the Christian life as a race. And in a race, there
would be observers to encourage and cheer the runners on to victory. In the chapter before this, he
had named many of the Old Testament saints who by faith had run their
race and had entered into heaven. They might be the great cloud
of witnesses he speaks of here in which we are compassed. And you notice he exhorts us,
that is, believers, to lay aside anything and everything that
might hinder us in running this race. Now, he had used this same
imagery in 1 Corinthians 9, because there he wrote, that is, the
apostle Paul did, know you not that they which run in a race
run all? Everyone that lines up at the
starting line. They that run in the race run
all. But, he said, one receiveth the
prize. One receiveth the prize. So run
that you may obtain. Well, the analogy, of course,
breaks down here. Because in a foot race, we know
there's only one winner. There's only one who wins the
race. That's why I say the analogy
here of a Christian life compared to a race breaks down because
it's not just one who wins this race, but it is everyone who
begins and perseveres and crosses the finish line. Everyone. receives a crown of righteousness. Everyone who begins the race,
everyone who perseveres in the race, and everyone who finishes
the race. Every child of God we see here
must run with patience the race that is set before us. I like
to think of this as we think of of a race, the runners, there's
various lanes, maybe there's 10 lanes across, and each one
of the runners is placed in his lane. He can't start over in
this lane. And I believe I'm right about
this, until they have run so far, they have to stay in their
lane. Now, It is God who has set the
race before you, if you are a child of God, who has set the race
before me. We don't all experience the same
thing. We know that God's providence
is above our comprehension, let me put it like that. What God
has planned, what God has purposed, The lane in which God has placed
you to run if you're one of his children is different from the
lane in which he's placed another believer or child of God. Some
believers are rich and some are poor. It's God who maketh a person
rich and it is God who maketh a person poor. Some are very
intelligent. and some are not so intelligent.
Some are blessed with many gifts, personality gifts, and others
are not. It's God's providence. God made
you what you are. God created you as he created
the first man in his own image. So men and women, we are created
in the image of God. He made you. what he determined
for you to be. That doesn't take away from diligence,
from working and improving yourself. I'm not saying that at all. But
God sets us in the race that he would have us to run. Some
people experience great sorrows in their life. And other people,
other believers, it seems, seem to sail through life with not
nearly as many problems and difficulties. But we must run with patience,
patience, the race that God has set before us. How are we to
run this race? We're to run it with patience,
but how are we to run this race the same way that we began it?
How did we begin the race? Looking unto Jesus. The same way that we begin the
race, we are to continue to run the race, looking unto Jesus. I want you to turn back just
a few pages to Colossians chapter two. Colossians chapter two,
where the apostle Paul writing to the believers here at Colossae,
and therefore to you and I, Verse six, he said, for which things
sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience
and to which you also walks, I'm in chapter three. Chapter
two, as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk
you in him. Now how did you receive Christ
Jesus the Lord? By faith. But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
How did we receive Christ? By faith. That's the only way
to receive Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. How are we to run this race?
As Paul tells the Colossians, we are to walk, as he says here,
as you have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk
you in him. Looking unto Jesus by faith,
we are to walk, we are to run this race. How did we receive
him? Not only by faith, but we receive
him as our Lord, as our Lord. And we all know what that means.
That means he's ruler. He's the king. He's in control
of our life. That's the way we receive him
as Lord and savior, not just as savior. There are many people
who would like to say that, but that's not biblical. That's not
what the Bible says. In the Bible, we receive Him
as Lord and Savior, both. He cannot be divided. He's one
person. As you have received Him, how
did we receive Him? By faith. So walk in Him. How
did we receive Him? As our Lord. So walk in Him. Continue. Turn back, if you will,
now to Hebrews 12. The word which is translated
looking, here in verse two, looking, it actually means looking away. Looking away, turning our eyes
from all others and look on Christ alone. Look on Christ alone. And that's when I mentioned the
different lanes, the different race that God calls you to run
and calls me to run. We get in trouble when we start
looking, well, what about this man? What about him? What about
her? No, you don't need to worry about
him or her. Our situation is that we run
the race and the race that he has set before us. Remember when
the Lord appeared His disciples, after his resurrection, he appeared
to Peter and John, and Peter said, well, what about him? And
the Lord told Peter how he was going to glorify God in his death. And Peter said, well, what about
him? That is John. What about John? What did the Lord say? Don't
you worry about John. I'm paraphrasing that. Follow
me. Follow me. We are to follow Christ,
looking unto Jesus, the author. Now that word author, the word
which is translated author here, is used four times in the New
Testament. Two times in the book of Acts
and two times here in Hebrews. In the book of Acts, it is translated
in both places by the word prince. Prince. He's exalted a prince. and a savior for to give repentance
unto Israel. Here in Hebrews, it's translated
in our text here as author, but in chapter two, the same word
is translated as captain, the captain of our salvation. And I like to think of this,
the apostle had mentioned many Old Testament saints in chapter
11, men and women. Many of them, he mentioned, and
what they were able to accomplish through faith by believing and
trusting God. But we're not to look to them.
As interesting as their lives may be, Abraham, Isaac, David,
Moses, Deborah, some of these Old Testament saints that are
mentioned there, we're not to look to them. They ran their
race, we're to look to the captain of our salvation, to the author
and the finisher of our faith. Now, I want to come to the statement,
who for the joy set before him endured the cross. I want us
to think about those words, who for the joy set before him endured
the cross. I have two parts to the message.
First of all, Christ experienced joy in his earthly life. Let me say that again. Christ
experienced joy in his earthly life. I think, I speak for all
of us here, we most often think of him as a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. And we should, because it was
prophesied of him that he would be such. But I believe it's a
big mistake not to recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm
talking about the man, Jesus Christ, that he experienced great
joy. in this world, in his earthly
life. You see, the thing about joy,
you can be weeping and be filled with joy. We're not talking about
laughter. We're not talking about levity
when we talk about joy. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ
experienced great joy in his life in this world. You say,
what makes you say that? Three reasons. Three reasons. First of all, because he was
filled with the Holy Spirit. You remember at his baptism,
the scriptures tell us that there was a voice, the Father spoke
from heaven, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And God the Holy Spirit descended
upon him in the form of a dove. But John tells us it remained. He remained, rather, upon Christ. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, what is the fruit of the
Holy Spirit? Well, Paul names a few things,
doesn't he, in Galatians chapter five. And the second thing he
names is joy. Love, joy, peace, Long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Now,
we wouldn't think that the Lord did not experience love. We know
that he loved God with all his heart, all his soul, and all
his mind. And he loved his neighbor as
himself. In fact, the scripture says,
greater love hath no man. that he'd lay down his life for
his friends. The Lord Jesus Christ, we know,
we wouldn't ever think that he was not filled with love, nor
would we think that he was not filled with meekness. He said,
come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. So why would we think that he
was not also filled with joy. I do, don't you? He was filled
with the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. One thing
is joy. He was filled with joy. A second
reason that I believe that he was filled with joy, that he
experienced joy in this world, is because he wrought his first
miracle, not by chance, not by chance, He did everything on
purpose. As God had purposed in eternity,
he worked out God's purpose in this world. Where did he work
his first miracle? At a wedding feast. What is associated
with weddings? Joy. Joy. Can you imagine? Can you imagine that when he
was invited to that wedding there in Canaan? that he went in there
and he was just a sourpuss. Everybody else, it's a special
time. It's a great time, joy at a wedding. The Lord Jesus Christ, he brought
his first miracle there at that wedding. I know he was filled
with joy. And of course, his first miracle,
we all know what that was. It was turning water into wine. And I might say, as that man
said at that feast, you've saved the best wine for last. The water
he turned into wine was the best wine. God reserves his best for
his people last. A third reason I believe that
he was filled with joy is because the scriptures say so. That settles
it, doesn't it? Look back with me, if you will,
to Luke chapter 10. I believe he experienced joy
in this world because he was filled with his spirit, and joy
is a fruit of the spirit, because he brought his first miracle
at a wedding feast, and third, because the word of God here
tells us that he rejoiced. Here in chapter 10 of Luke, verse
21 and 22, we read, in that hour, Jesus rejoiced in spirit. and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things
are delivered to me of my father, and no man knoweth who the son
is, but the father. and who the Father is, but the
Son, and He to Whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." The Lord
rejoiced. What did He rejoice in? He rejoiced
in the Father's will. What was the Father's will? The
Father, He said, hid these things from the wise and the prudent.
Now, for God to hide something from a person, all he needs to
do is just leave him alone, just pass over it. Here we have some
know-it-alls. Their descendants are still here,
aren't they? They know everything. They know
everything. The Lord said he thanked the
Father that God had hid these things from the wise and the
prudent. Those who know, they know everything
about God. They're not teachable. They have
no need, really. They're fine. They're fine with
themselves and their own righteousness. But he has revealed these things
unto the babes. Babes, those who admit, we don't
know everything. We're here to learn, teach me,
show me. And do you see here that salvation
comes by revelation? It's not by decision. That's
a lie that's been taught for so long here in this country.
Most people, when I say that, they're startled. Salvation doesn't
come by man's decision, by God's decision, amen. but not man's
decision. It comes by revelation. What
did he say here? All things are delivered to me
of my father and no man knoweth who the son is but the father
and who the father is but the son and he that is the father
God to whom the son will reveal him. Salvation comes by revelation. God reveals himself. He reveals
himself most often through the preaching of the gospel. He reveals
to a person our sin, first of all. Our sin. Aren't you thankful today that
the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners? If
he's revealed that to you, that you are a sinner, Not a make-believe
sinner, but a real sinner. I mean, from the crown of your
head to the sole of your feet, there's no soundness in you.
We come into this world with a heart that is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. God reveals. Salvation comes
by revelation. that we need a Savior, that He
didn't come to call the righteous. If He had come, if the Lord Jesus
Christ had came into this world, had come into this world to call
the righteous, He wouldn't have called any of us, would He? There's none righteous, no not
one, the Apostle Paul said. He came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. Those that are whole, those that
are healthy, I'm talking about spiritually healthy, well, have
no need of a physician. But the Lord Jesus Christ came
to call sinners to repentance. He is a physician of souls. It's only the sick that need
a physician. Those that are well, they don't
go to the doctor. It's the sick. He reveals, first
of all, salvation, I say, comes by revelation. He reveals our
need. I'll tell you why people do not
look to Christ, why people are not interested in the word of
God, in the preaching of the gospel. They don't have any need.
But when God the Holy Spirit begins to work in a person's
heart, that's number one. That person will come to realize,
I've got a need. I've got a problem here. God
Almighty, my creator, is a thrice holy God, and I'm going to stand
before Him. It's just a matter of time, not
a matter of when. I'm going to stand before Him
one day. And if something doesn't happen,
I'm going to appear there in all my sinfulness, and I'm going
to be rejected. I'm going to be cast out into
outer darkness. He reveals, first of all, we've
got a need, and then he reveals there's only one way to the Father,
and that's through His Son, Jesus Christ. There's only one fountain
in which Our sins may be washed away, and that's the fountain
which is filled with Jesus' blood. There's only one robe of righteousness
that will allow us to appear before God and be accepted, and
that's the righteousness of Christ. Has he revealed that to you?
Has he revealed Christ to you? To them that believe he's precious. Christ isn't precious to a man
or a woman who doesn't see their need. He's not precious. I can take it or leave it. I
don't need to hear the gospel. Doesn't matter to me one way
or the other. This church is as good as that
church. Doesn't make a difference. Oh,
when a person As Christ revealed unto him, he's precious. He's
precious. Our Lord rejoiced that the Father
had a chosen people in this world. That's who they are, a chosen
people. He didn't come on a fool's errand.
He came to save those that the Father had given unto him. Those
are the babes he's talking about here. God has revealed these
things, not unto the wise and to the prudent, but unto babes. Well, let me go on to my second
point. So I hope we're all in agreement
here. We're all on the same page here.
Christ, as a man, was filled with joy. He lived in this world,
he was a man filled with joy. But notice, he anticipated joy,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. He endured the greatest of agonies. You know, the word of God tells
us that he suffered in his soul, he suffered in his flesh. We think of the agonies of the
cross, the crown of thorns, the nails that pierced his hands
and his feet. We think of the excruciating
thirst that he experienced there hanging on that tree, those three
hours. We think of all the things that
physical suffering and the agony is so great we can't even begin
to understand and comprehend it. But that wasn't the soul
of his suffering. The soul of his sufferings was
his soul sufferings. That is, when he was made to
be sinned, when he had the sins of his people charged to his
account, and his father even forsook him there on the tree.
Yes, he endured great agony, physically and spiritually. I understand that. But he did
so, this verse tells us, he did so anticipating the joy that
was set before him. Now, what was this joy? Well,
I have three things. First of all, the prospect of
pleasing his father in finishing the work. That gave him great joy. the
prospect of pleasing his father and finishing the work which
the father had given him to do. You know in his prayer, in John
17, he said this, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished
the work which thou gavest me to do. The first man, the first
Adam, was created and placed in a beautiful garden, the Garden
of Eden. And we know that he failed on
the earth to glorify God. He disobeyed God. He ate that
forbidden fruit. We know that. But here is the
last Adam, the last man, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he came
into this world. It wasn't a beautiful garden
any longer, but a place that is scarred with sin, under the
curse of sin. But yet he pleased the Father.
He finished the work which the Father gave him to do. The Lord Jesus Christ loved his
Father with all his heart, all his soul, and all his being.
If you look back a few pages, if you're open there to Hebrews
12, look back to Hebrews 10 just a minute. Hebrews 10, beginning in verse
5. Wherefore, wherefore, because,
listen, because it's not possible that the blood of bulls and goats
can take away sin. Wherefore, when he cometh into
the world, who? The Son of God, who came here
as the Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, when he cometh into
the world, he saith, Sacrifice an offering thou wouldest not.
He did not come here to offer a bull or a goat or a lamb like
all of those Old Testament sacrifices, no. But a body hast thou prepared
me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Think of all the animals all
the goats on the great day of atonement, all the lambs, every
day there were two lambs sacrificed, all the bullocks, but it was
not possible that the blood of animals could take away sin,
and it gave God no pleasure. It never satisfied God, in other
words, those animal sacrifices, even though God had ordained
them. But they were never ordained
to take away sin. They were ordained to picture
that one sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Then said I, Lo, I come in the
volume of the book. It is written of me to do thy
will, O God. Above, when he said sacrifice
and offering and burn offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldest
not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which are offered by the law. Then said he, lo, I come to do
thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that
he may establish the second. By the witch will, we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once more. When you love someone, it gives you great pleasure to
do something that pleases that person that you love, doesn't
it? It does. Husbands, you know that. Wives,
you know that. You love your husband, you love
your wife, you love your children. It gives you pleasure in doing
something, gives you joy in doing something that pleases them.
How much more, how much more joy did the Lord Jesus Christ
experience, anticipate in knowing that what He did, what He would
do and what He did by giving Himself as that one sacrifice
for sin, how that pleased, satisfied God Almighty. There's never to
be another sacrifice for sin. Why? because by that one sacrifice
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. A second
thing that caused him joy, anticipated joy, was the joy, the prospect
of crushing the head of Satan. The prospect of crushing the
head of Satan. Satan, that fallen angel, had
come into this world and tempted our father Adam and brought sin
into this race. And you know, there in the garden,
God made the first promise concerning the Savior. And he said this,
that he would be the seed of the woman and he would bruise
the head of the serpent. When the Lord Jesus Christ died
on the cross, when he offered himself, experience that agony
there. of death, he crushed the head
of Satan. He took away Satan's armor. Satan had kept people in bondage
through fear of death until this time. Now, those of us who trust
in Christ, we have no cause to fear death. Why? Because our
Savior, He conquered death for us. We have no cause to fear
the grave. Why? Because he came out of that
grave. And we know that he's the first
fruits of them that sleep. But there's going to be many
more that will come up also in the day of the resurrection.
I believe it caused him great joy in crushing the head of that
old serpent. That old serpent who had done
so much harm and still does in this world. The third, and I'll
finish with this, the third thing that caused him great joy, I
believe, the prospect of bringing many sons to glory. The prospect
of bringing many sons to glory. I don't know why. I think probably
at the most three, maybe four texts in the Word of God from
which people get the idea that there's only going to be a few
saved. Only going to be a few saved.
That's not what the scripture says. No, he's going to bring
many sons to glory. That's what the scripture says.
No, in Revelation, we read after this, I beheld and lo, a great
multitude. A great multitude, which no man
could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues,
stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne,
and to the Lamb. There's going to be many people
saved. In fact, the scripture says he's
going to have the preeminence in all things. You know, I said there are a
few scriptures that people use to teach. There's only going
to be a few people saved, but you could use the parable of
the 10 virgins. Five were wise, five were unwise,
and you could say it's going to be an equal number saved and
an equal number lost if you just base your understanding on that
one parable. No, in those places, listen,
in those places where it seems that only a few are going to
be saved, the emphasis, the emphasis is you, you be in earnest about
your salvation. That's the emphasis. It's not
on how many are going to be saved or how many are not going to
be saved, but it shows the importance the necessity of making your
calling and election sure. Don't go through life just thinking,
well, everything's going to be all right. Everything's going
to turn out OK in the end. I'm OK. You're OK. No. Be in earnest about your soul's
relation to God. Don't take it for granted. Just
because you're born in the U.S. and maybe a member of a Baptist
church or something like that, no. Are you in union? Do you know God? Do you know
Christ? That's the emphasis in those
texts. But he, look, turn back to Hebrews
2. And I'll close with this. Hebrews 2 and verse 10, the apostle
said, for it became him for whom are all things and by whom are
all things and bringing many sons unto glory. He said, this
is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. He didn't say for a few, did
he? He said for many. I believe that
was a joy that he anticipated, pleasing the Father, crushing
Satan's head, and bringing many sons to glory. May the Lord bless
His word to all of us here this morning.