Turn in your Bibles again to the book of Hebrews chapter 11. Going to look at the remainder of Hebrews 12, 2 and Hebrews 12, verse 3, but we'll read the portion of Scripture again that we read this morning just to set the immediate context. Hebrews 11, beginning at verse 30. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.
By faith, the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the malice of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword.
They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Amen.
Opening Prayer
Well, let us pray. God, we thank you that we can again consider this passage of Holy Scripture. And we thank you for the one to whom it calls us to look. And we do pray again that you'd help us as we engage in this act of worship.
We do pray for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We pray for attentive ears, attentive hearts. And we would ask, Lord God, that your word would find its mark, would find its end destination in each and every one of our hearts tonight. And we pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, we looked this morning at Hebrews 12. The portion of verse 2 that reads, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We noted the context this morning, what the book of Hebrews is about generally. It is Paul, or it is the author, setting forth the superlative glory of Jesus Christ over and against the articles of old covenant religion, arguing for the superiority of Jesus Christ and the Christian religion.
And in exhorting the recipients of the letter unto steadfastness in the faith, the author is in Hebrews 11, setting forth various examples of enduring faith, various examples of steadfast faith, faith in Jesus Christ. And it all comes to a point where the author sets forth Jesus Christ as the supreme and chief exemplar of steadfastness in faith, he being the one, as we'll look at, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down. at the right hand of the throne of God. We notice that Paul in writing, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, is in a sense saying that that is the disposition or the means by which these recipients are to be steadfast, are to set aside every weight and are to set aside the sin which so easily ensnares them. They are to do that by looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of their faith.
We noted this morning the object or we finished looking at the object of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the author and the finisher of our faith. We're going to look then at or now at the further description of the Lord Jesus Christ. We looked at the object of faith. Now we're going to look at the disposition of that object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Disposition of Christ
So the disposition of Christ, we're going to look at the steadfastness of Christ, the reward of Christ. And then the remedying example of Christ. First off, the disposition of Christ.
Christ's Anticipatory Joy
Notice here who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame. Now, this probably has more in view that ultimate joy, which would come on the other side of the cross. But I think it is safe to say and it isn't taking liberties with the text to say that Jesus Christ was marked by a steadfast, resilient, anticipatory joy, that he was marching forth doing the will of the father, which was to glorify him by the salvation of his elect. We see this, and I think in Hebrews 10, if you want to go back there in Hebrews 10, the author in verse five saying, therefore, speaking of Christ, when he came into the world, he said, sacrifice an offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me, invert offerings and sacrifices for sin.
You had no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come. In the volume of the book, it is written of me to do your will, O God. In Psalm 40, that this text cites, it says, I delight to do your will, O God.
The Lord Jesus Christ no doubt had a joy that was set before Him, but we can, I believe, safely say that as Jesus Christ said Himself,
Joy Rooted in the Father's Will
it was His meat to do the will of the Father. Jesus Christ delighted to carry out the work that the Father had given to Him. I think we've already let the cat out of the bag in a sense, but there's two interpretations of this verse, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. One school of thought sees that as being Christ setting aside the joy of his pre-incarnate glory and his divine prerogatives to come and instead endure the shame of the cross.
That would that would jive in a sense with Philippians, not in a sense, but jive with Philippians 2, 6 to 11 that we read that Jesus Christ, even though he had that equality with God being verily and truly God, he nevertheless came and humbled himself in the incarnation and took up the obedience of the cross and the death of it. But I think it is preferable to see this who for the joy that was set before him as what we have already noted Christ having that joy that was set before him the salvation of his people on the other side of the cross. And I think this view is supported by what we find in Hebrews chapter 11. In a number of places, but specifically here, beginning at verse 13, speaking of the of some of the Old Testament saints, saints, these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them. embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
For those who say such things declare plainly, they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
They had an anticipatory joy. They look forward to that reward, the promise, of the Lord their God. Also, Moses, in 1124, by faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. So just as Moses rejoiced in the reward of Christ Jesus, setting aside those treasures of Egypt for and looking forward with great joy that reward.
So Christ looked forward with anticipatory joy for that reward that would come on the other side of the cross. So Jesus was marked. by a disposition of joy and delight to do his father's will. And that's ultimately what is at the crux of the Savior's joy. You can turn to actually turn back to Isaiah 53 for a moment, because we get some of that same language in that well-known passage of Scripture that sets forth the substitutionary sacrificial work of the suffering servant.
Isaiah 53, keeping in mind this language Now, this language of joy, delight that the Savior had to carry out the work of his father, Isaiah 53, beginning in verse 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed.
He shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Now notice verse 11. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge. My righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
The Lord Christ counted it a joy to carry out the will of the father in justifying many. And then, of course, we know that the joy that Christ had yet that anticipatory joy is the carrying out of the will of the father specifically linked to. and marked by salvation. In John 6, we see that this is exactly what Jesus came into the world to do, and He will most certainly carry it out. John 6, verse 38, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day. Isn't that glorious? The Jesus Christ had that joy set before him that he would, yes, endure the cross and despise the shame. But it was for this that he would lose nothing of the father, nothing of what the father had given to him.
But he would most certainly raise them up at the last day. It was the Lord Christ's need to do the will of the father, his delight to do the will of the father. And this is seen. This is used by the author of the Hebrews. as we'll look to in a few moments time, to stir up the audience unto a like joy in that reward that would come on the other side of suffering.
Now, we've looked at the disposition of Christ.
The Steadfastness of Christ
Secondly, the steadfastness of Christ. Again, the author is setting this forth as the ultimate example of steadfastness. As we read through Hebrews 11, as the reader reads through Hebrews 11, There is a lot of enduring faith. There is a lot of steadfastness.
There is a lot of overcoming, trial, and tribulation. We only have to look at, for example, verse 37 of Hebrews 11. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy.
Jesus Christ, though, is set forth as a super abounding exemplar over and above even these examples of enduring faith, because he endured the cross. He endured the cross, the shame of the cross, the curse of the cross, the wrath of the cross, all of those high and heavy things of the cross, but the steadfastness of Jesus Christ. What is it? about Jesus that the authors of Holy Scripture always bring forth as the jewel, the gem of his work. But it is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We might even say the death, the crosswork of Jesus Christ, because what does Paul say? It assumes and it has its anticipation, the victorious resurrection. But what does Paul say? We preach what?
The Cross as the Gospel's Jewel
We preach Christ crucified. That's what we preach. That's what Christianity is about. Christianity is about our precious and perfect bleeding Messiah nailed upon a Roman cross for the perfect salvation of his people.
And that is the ultimate example of steadfastness marked by the Lord Jesus Christ, that he came into this world and he always had before him that mission. He knew that he was to go to the cross. He announced that to his disciples. They didn't really believe him, or at least they didn't want to.
They didn't fully understand. They understood at his resurrection, when he came victoriously, opened their eyes to understand the scriptures. But Jesus always told them, the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem. He must be delivered into the hands of wicked men.
He must be crucified. But on the third day, he will rise again. Jesus Christ, each and every inch of his earthly ministry, marched with resilience, with a resolute joy towards that great end, that he would die upon a cross for his elect, for his people, and that he would rise again the third day. And if it is the jewel that the apostles always set forth, the jewel of the work of Christ, it ought to be that jewel that we hold very dear. and that we hold as the highest thing of our Christian religion, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is primary. That is the gospel. It's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15. The gospel that I delivered to you, the one that I received, I also delivered it to you.
And what is it? That Christ died according to the scriptures, that he was buried. And that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures, that is the glorious gospel gem that we have, that we are to propagate, that we are to protect and that we are to proclaim to all who will give us an ear. You can always tell.
You can always tell what is vital to Christianity by by the fact or by those things being attacked or taken away from the Christian religion. In other words, what's vital to Christianity is always the things that are attacked, always the things that are opposed, always the things that are sought to be reduced, taken away or destroyed. The death and there was certainly the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's right up there.
The death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why? Because that is the good news of Christianity. We can think of Muslims and those who oppose the dying of Jesus Christ upon Calvary Street.
They deny and they seek to attack and strip away the historical veracity, the certain truthfulness that Jesus Christ died upon that Roman cross. And again, with the resurrection, they'll argue with great venomous and horrible apologetic vigor that Jesus Christ did not die and that he did not rise again. Even perversions of Christianity and those who seek to call themselves Christian will denigrate, will strip away the efficacy of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. No, it was it was for all people and some were covered under it's covered under the breadth of that dying of the Savior upon the cross will actually and ultimately end up in hell or that Jesus Christ, yes, died.
But you must do X, Y and Z in order to make that death and that act efficacious, to make it powerful, to really save yourself. No, Jesus Christ, the crux of Christianity is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we must grip that with great and true and right apologetic vigor, the death and resurrection of our Jesus Christ. And that is the steadfastness that's in view here, specifically the cross, that Jesus Christ had a joy set before him.
And by virtue or in the midst of of manifesting that joyful, delightful disposition and carrying out the will of the father, he endured the shame and the horror of the cross. One of the things that we see, though, one of the glorious things that follows upon the heels of the perfect work of the cross is
The Reward of Christ
the third point, the reward of Christ, not the reward that Christ gives, but the reward that Christ receives. See, Jesus Christ in going to the cross comes out the other end of that perfect work and he is risen again the third day and he sits down at the right hand of the glory of God. We read that at the outset of worship in Philippians 2, 6 to 11. When Jesus Christ is obedient and when he is obedient unto the death of the cross, what happens?
The Lord, his God, highly exalts him and gives him the name which is above every name. When we look back at the exhortation to look unto Jesus, it is a glorious thing to cast those eyes upon Jesus in all of his offices. Jesus Christ is glorious. He is beauteous.
He is absolutely majestic in all of his offices, isn't he? We look at him in his pre-incarnate office before he came into the world in the incarnation. And we see what we don't see like Isaiah, but we read of that one whom Isaiah looked upon and whom the angels hid from. We look at him in the incarnation, and I love what Spurgeon does in his sermon on the Song of Solomon.
Speaking of that, speaking of Jesus Christ, preaching on the text, he is altogether lovely. And as Spurgeon recounts, from babe to cross, the glorious, beauteous aspect of Jesus Christ. You see, we like we touched on this morning are sort of natively predisposed to liking the golden, to liking the sparkly, to liking the heroes, to liking those who are shiny and glorious in armor and in their pomp and circumstance and glory. And certainly we'll get there in a moment with regards to Jesus Christ.
But before we do, we have to cast our eyes upon Jesus in his lowliest state. God manifested in the flesh a baby lying in a manger. wrapped in swaddling clothes. Amazing. A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger.
God manifested in the flesh. Spurgeon called the robes, the stuff that Jesus was wrapped in, the swaddling clothes that Christ was wrapped in, the white flag of peace. The white flag of peace, because this one would be peace to his people. It's what the angels proclaim.
But we see Jesus, God, manifested in the flesh as a babe lying in a manger. We see him carrying out his earthly ministry. And we see nothing but trial and tribulation, Jesus opposed at every single point. And Spurgeon says, we see that, and we see one who's altogether lovely.
We see one in the garden, bleeding, sweating blood. We see one in the garden crying out to the father, and we don't turn our faces away as believers, but we see one who is altogether lovely. When he's before the authorities, both Pilate and Herod and the high priest, what do we see? We see one who is spit upon and beaten, given the crown of thorns, and we don't look away.
We cast our eyes of faith upon him, and we find one who is altogether lovely. And when we see him on the cross with Roman nails, blood coming, from his wounds. We don't turn away. We don't run away.
But with eyes of faith, we say, yeah, he is altogether lovely. But isn't it great when we get to that cross, we move past that and we find one who has been exalted by the father. We find one who marches now as that hero victorious out of the tomb, who marches with that full and glorious pomp and power from out of that tomb and in great victory. And 40 days later, ascends to the right hand of the majesty on high.
It is a glorious thing to cast our eyes upon Christ and to see him now at the point of his reward, his current session, where he reigns in heaven. He reigns at the right hand of God, no longer riding upon a colt the foal of a donkey, but riding that white horse, where he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, marching valiantly for his people and for the glory of his Father. We have the reward of Christ after the steadfastness of Christ and the disposition of Christ.
The Remedying Example of Christ
And some of these elements will come out now as we look at the remedying example of Christ. What do we mean by that? Verse three, for consider him who endured such hostility, hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary. and discouraged in your souls. He is a remedying example in that he brings correction to those who are beset by weariness and by discouragement.
In other words, if you are weary and if you are discouraged, what you need to do is to consider him. Consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself. A.W. Pink entitles it this way, the divine antidote against weariness.
That's what verse three is, the divine antidote against weariness. Consider him, engage the mind. This is somewhat similar, though different in a sense. We'll look at this by looking unto Jesus.
We are to look with eyes of faith. We're to engage our minds. We're to contemplate, consider. We are to bring and engage our minds and consider Jesus Christ, dwell upon, meditate upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we're going to look at this under four things.
Model Your Life After His Pattern
First off, they are the recipients of the letter and by extension us. They are to model their realities or their Christian lives or the pattern and order of their Christian lives after his perfect example. And what is that perfect example? But it is joy. looking forward to the reward and in the midst of that, enduring the trials until we get there.
We're to model our lives after that. If the Lord Jesus Christ could delight to carry out his work until looking forward to the other side of that work, the other side of that suffering, how much more are we not to manifest joy? We're never going to be Christ. We're never going to endure his hardships, his sufferings, his trials.
So we are most certainly to be marked by joy. What A.W. Pink says, to paraphrase him, is that when we look upon the small cup, we look upon the small cup of our trials and afflictions, upon the small cup of our frowning providences, or to quickly look away and cast our eyes upon the large cup of the wrath of God that Christ drank. You see, this is a divine remedy to us being bound up and carried away by our weariness and the discouragement of our souls.
Look to Jesus. Consider this one who endured much. But our pattern is to be one of joy, looking forward to the reward. And until we receive that reward by virtue of Christ's work, we are to endure.
We are to endure in this lower world. Come what may upon us. And this is something that the recipients of the book of Hebrews once knew they were to draw from previous experience. It's not like this is new information.
By the way, you're to be marked by joy in your enduring unto the reward. In fact, they already manifested this disposition. Look at Hebrews 10. at verse thirty two. But recall the former days in which after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings, partly while you were made a spectacle, both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated.
For you had compassion on me in my chains and note joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. So they had already right after they were illuminated, after they were saved, after they were brought into the religion of the Lord Jesus by sovereign grace, they already joyfully accepted the plundering of their goods. They already did so knowing that they had a better and enduring possession for themselves in heaven. So what happened?
Of course, the pressures that were around them, their Jewish family, the unbelieving Jewish family coming and saying, no, you need to come back to the temple. You need to come back to the priests in their vestments. You need to come back to the multitudinous instruments of old covenant religion. And so the further they came distance from that day of illumination, the more of the trials came and they need to be reminded.
You need to consider this one whom you once knew and whom you once considered. being manifesting the result of that, the joyful acceptance of the plundering of your goods. Come back to that point. Consider him. Consider this.
Jesus, who underwent so much, who underwent horror of horrors in his march to the cross, including the cross. Think upon this one who at every point in his ministry received the opposition of the enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So they are to model their lives after the pattern. joy, looking forward to the reward and endurance in the midst until they reach that point.
Suffering Put in Perspective
Secondly, they are to put into perspective. We are. They were to put into perspective our suffering in light of his. They were to come to to come to considering the Lord Jesus Christ and then, OK, put their problems in perspective of it.
We do this as parents noted this before. We do this with our children. You know, sometimes children find it a really hard thing to walk from the kitchen to the garage to carry out garbage. It's like we ask them to run a marathon carrying a 100-pound bag.
No, I'm just asking you to go from the kitchen to the garage to carry garbage out. We put things in perspective. I used to always use one with my children. OK, I'm going to call some children in Africa and make them feel better because of your hardships.
So you put things in perspective. With our hardships, with our weariness, with our discouragement of soul, we cannot begin to approach what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, underwent in the hostility that came upon himself from his enemies unto that death upon the cross. Let alone that, but consider the wrath that was poured out upon him by his father in crushing, bruising the son of his love. And so we need to we should put things in perspective when we are weary, when we have discouragement of soul, when we're ready to give up, when we're ready to take off, when we're ready to run to the hills.
Consider Jesus Christ. Just come on, put those problems aside and look at the one who saved you. Look at the one who came into this world to die for you and to rise again. And let's start to think with a little more perspective.
Consider Jesus. In reality, we really don't have it so bad. We can amplify our problems to a point where it's ridiculous. We need to be realigned unto this Hebrews 12, 3 perspective.
We need to be realigned to what everything that preceded that. All the Old Testament saints, all of all of these ones who were who underwent trial and suffering on behalf of their savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. But we certainly have to look to the Lord Jesus Christ and find the chief exemplar of steadfastness and shut our mouths and be realigned onto proper. steadfastness in the faith. Now, this isn't to say that when someone is weeping, when someone is mourning, we run at them with Hebrews 12, 3 and say, suck it up.
No. But there can be this unbiblical or inconsistent with biblical truth and the reality of Christ and salvation, this inconsistency that we can find ourselves in. And Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians, writes, be anxious in nothing. Be anxious in nothing but what but with prayer and supplication mingled with thanksgiving.
Make your requests known to God and this weariness and discouragement will be washed away because that peace which surpasses all understanding will be found in you through Jesus Christ. And so we are to again put into perspective our suffering in light of the Lord Jesus Christ. I like what Calvin wrote, mind you, it's on pride and humility, but I think it relates here. He said, since then, the son of God descended from so great a height, how unreasonable that we who are nothing should be lifted up with pride.
We transfer that to this discussion, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I have this zany idea that if the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifested in the flesh, the recipient of eternal praise, the host of heaven can descend that glory into again this lower ignominy to take up the role of the suffering servant, to receive spittings, to receive beatings, to receive bruising, to receive death upon the cross, to ultimately receive the wrath of his father poured out upon him. Then we can be nice to each other. Can't we? Can't we?
We really don't have it. that bad. Our sufferings in our trials ought not to be such that they bring us to a point where it affects us negatively by weariness, discouragement of soul, and where we take it out on brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to put into perspective our suffering in light of his.
Consider the Excellency of His Person
Thirdly, consider him to quote A.W. Pink in the ineffable excellency of his person. You see, the first two have more to do, I think, with what the author is getting at here. We're to model our conduct, our reality, our Christian life after the perfect exemplar, Jesus Christ.
We are to put into perspective our suffering in light of his. But in considering him as a balm to our weariness and as a remedy for our discouragement of soul, we ought to think of Jesus Christ in the ineffable excellency of his person. He is divine and sovereign and holy creator. He is that one who is the divine and sovereign, holy sustainer of all things.
He upholds all things by the word of his power. How can you be discouraged when we have one like that on our side? He is redeemer. He is a wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.
He is on our side. If Christ is for us, who can be against us? We are to consider him in the excellency of his person. And
Consider the Perfection of His Work
fourthly, we are to consider him in the absolute perfection of his work. We are to consider him in the absolute perfection of his work. When we are weary, when we are discouraged in our souls, a good remedy, the remedy and the antidote to that, Jesus Christ died for us. You believe in Jesus Christ, isn't it?
Should be a balm to the soul that Jesus Christ died perfectly for you, rose again for you. And his work of intercession always works to ensure that you will reach that great day when you'll enter into Emmanuel's land. Very often, Tracy and I, if we're having bad days and we're weary and we're discouraged, we'll just message that to each other, Jesus died for you. You know, we can we can get down over, you know, sometimes big things.
Jesus is the remedy for the big things, these smaller things that can drag us down. OK, put that into perspective. Jesus Christ came into this world to die for you and to rise again. And that ought to be isn't that an antidote to weariness and discouragement of soul, whatever it is, maybe it is something to do with the church, maybe it's something to do with work, family, whatever it might be.
We're not to be downcast into to cast ourselves into into just just a frenzy of depression, filling the void with things that are not Christ and that are not contemplations of his riches and his excellency and excellencies in his person. We are to fly immediately to the Lord Jesus Christ. There, find our remedy there, find the antidote for weariness and for discouragement of soul. Consider the fact that he came into this world, performed the perfect work of salvation.
And in fact, in the context, Hebrews chapter 10, that's that's the argument. By virtue of this, do that. We look at Hebrews 10 verse 11. We won't read entirely, but we'll read this and then go to verse 23.
Notice Hebrews 10 at verse 11. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has perfected forever. those who are being sanctified.
Notice verse twenty three. Let us hold fast our confession of hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. You see, the foundation of the bounce of the remedy for and the antidote for overcoming weariness and overcoming discouragement of soul. is nothing else save for the Jesus Christ of perfect salvation. And brethren, that's where we immediately ought to fly when we are weary, when we are downcast and when we are discouraged.
Never, never drag on and hang on to the weariness and to the discouragement because it just doesn't work and it just doesn't help. That's what we tend to do. We tend to do. We tend to not do what the Bible says.
We tend to not listen to the apostle when he writes these things. That's just what we do. Let's it's just I find it amazing we can preach this. I can preach this.
Something may happen this week. And my first thing won't be if I'm weary or discouraged to fly immediately to Christ. I need to be prayerful that that is my first destination. But can we get dragged off into all weariness and discouragement? and to try and fill the void with everything else.
Maybe it's even just a simple us trying to overcome it ourselves. Trying to man it up, trying to tough it up, trying to do whatever in and of your own self in order to overcome the weariness and the discouragement or hoping that others will do it for us. Others are going to be a colossal disappointment, but Jesus Christ will never disappoint because he is the perfect remedy, the perfect antidote. The perfect bomb to correct weariness and discouragement of soul.
And so, brethren, to close a couple of things, we need to always consider Christ. It's very not interesting, but it's very simple. What wisdom from God is wisdom from God is Jesus Christ. That's the wisdom from God.
So why would we not fly to why would we not consider at all points and in all trials and and every time the Lord Jesus Christ. The ineffable perfection and excellency of his person and his absolute perfect work, the wisdom of God is found in Christ. And so when we are to seek out when we are to seek out remedy, when we are to seek out a resolution to a problem, We go to the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't go to Oprah.
We don't go to Dr. Phil. We don't go to a bottle. We don't go to a canister.
We don't go to a bowl. We go to the Lord Jesus Christ. We fly to the one who is truth incarnate. And brethren, it needs to be something that we always imbibe the ethic of putting things rightly into perspective.
Jesus Christ endured such hostility from sinners against himself. Jesus Christ came into this world, endured the cross, despising the shame. When trials come, when difficulties come, we need to think we need to cast our eyes away from that small cup of frowning providences and cast our eyes upon that large cup of the wrath of God that Christ drank to the last draw. And brethren, again, and I would repeat it, this considering Jesus and looking unto Jesus, we need to attend unto the means of what that means, the engagement of our minds to read our Bibles.
We need to love theology. This culture of repudiating and thumbing the nose at theology is thumbing the nose at the apostolic commission to consider Jesus, to look unto Jesus. We need to exercise our minds and glory in these truths that we have been given by great deposit by the prophets and the apostles, protected providentially by God. We can carry a full Bible in our hands.
Let's read it. Let's open it up and read of this Christ. Let's open it up and read of this one that we are to look unto and find everything that we need in him.
Closing Prayer
Well, let us pray. God, we thank you so much for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank you, Lord God, for his disposition, for the perfection of his character, for his steadfastness in his mission and his work. When he came into this world, we thank you, Lord God, that you have exalted him and given him the name which is above every name.
We would ask, Lord God, that we would each and every day profess with our tongues that he is Lord, that we would bend the knee. whether inwardly or outwardly, to our blessed Lord Jesus. And we do ask, Lord God, that you would help us in this lower world to consider him, to meditate upon him. When weariness and discouragement of soul come upon us, we pray that we would fly nowhere save for the Lord Jesus Christ and that we would cast those eyes of faith upon him, considering his example, considering the perfection of his being, the perfection of his person and the perfection of his work. And we pray, Lord God, that we would not be dragged down by weariness and by discouragement, but each and every time quickly fly to the divine antidote and quickly fly to that divine remedy, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray now that you'd go with us into this week. We would ask, Lord God, that you help us to think about Jesus Christ each and every day. And we would again each and every day glory and the spiritual blessings, all of which we have in him. And we pray that each and every day we would conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing glory to you and exalting him upon the work that we do in this lower world.
So go with us now, help each and every one of my brothers and sisters to be strengthened in body and to have the wounds of the inner man healed and strengthened by their triune God. And we pray that in all we do this week, we would bring glory to you and we pray in Christ's name. Amen.