Turn in your Bibles, please, to Hebrews 11. Hebrews chapter 11. I planned on preaching something else midweek, but then a brother brought up one of my favorite verses and on Wednesday night, so I thought I'd shift gears and preach, preach from that you will be getting from the pulpits of this morning, another sermon from Pastor Cam about Jesus Christ. So I hope everybody will be OK with that.
But there's much to discuss in this verse that we'll get to. It's a verse in Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12, verse two and three. We're going to look at this morning and Lord willing, this evening also. But we're going to start reading in Hebrews 11, chapter 30 or sorry, Hebrews chapter 11, verse 30.
As we move to the text of focus this morning, just to set something of the context, the close context for the verse we're going to be looking at. So this is 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 mouths 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. Well, let us pray. God, we thank you now that we can engage in this act of worship the preaching of the word. We do pray that you would help preacher to expound and to speak rightly by your spirit.
And also, Lord God, that that same spirit would work by and with your word to affect change in this in this congregation, that saints again would be girded up that they would be encouraged by the word, all the more strengthened and instructed. And Lord God, by that self-same spirit, sinners would be saved to the praise of your glorious grace. And it's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.
Introduction: Theme of Hebrews
Well, just again, so that you can hear it again, because it's good to understand what books are about, what the theme of a book is. One man has described the theme of Hebrews This way, the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, the passing away of the old covenant order and the establishment of the new covenant order. Now, that is a fine and simple and general definition or explanation of the theme of the book of Hebrews. But a more a better one, I find, that brings out the aspect of Hebrews being crystal centric in its thrust and in its force is this quote from A.W.
Pink on the theme of the book of Hebrews. Again, just to set the stage and to understand what the book is about. Hebrews is about to introduce the quote, the super abounding excellence of Christianity over Judaism, the sum and substance, the center and circumference, the light and life of Christianity is Christ. Therefore, the method, the method followed by the Holy Spirit in this epistle in developing its dominant theme is to show the immeasurable superiority of Christ over all that had gone before.
One by one, the various objects in which the Jews boasted are taken up, and in the presence of the superlative glory of the Son of God, they fail into utter insignificance. We are shown first his superiority over the angels, second, his superiority over Moses, fourth, his superiority over Joshua, Fifth, his superiority over Aaron. Sixth, his superiority over the whole ritual of Judaism, which is developed by showing the surpassing excellency of the new covenant over the old. And seventh, his superiority over each and all of the Old Testament saints in chapter 11, 1 to 12, 3.
In the Lord Jesus, Christians have the substance and reality of which Judaism contained but the shadows and figures." And I think this sentence, brethren, brings out Hebrews greatly. One by one, the various objects in which the Jews boasted are taken up, and in the presence of the superlative glory of the Son of God, they pale into utter insignificance. And this meaning of the book of Hebrews will come up when we focus on what it means to look unto Jesus. Some of the details in the immediate context contemporary to the audience will come out.
And that quote by Pink ought to be in the back of our minds, the superlative glory of the Son of God over the articles of Old Covenant religion. Well, we're going to look at Hebrews 12, 2 and 3 again, morning and evening. Hebrews 12 to we find this language looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. And we need to note here in the context what's going on in Hebrews 11.
The author is setting forth these great heroes of faith. He's setting them forth, I think, in a way that Pink identified here, setting them forth to then bring out the superlative glory of Jesus Christ. He's better than the angels. He's better than the old than the Old Covenant implements of religion, and he's better than the Old Testament saints.
He's not setting them, the author isn't setting them against Old Covenant religion, the articles of it and the saints as if they are bad and worthless, but rather that all of these pointed to the superior Christ. All of these were of a designed inferiority pointing forward to the superior one who would come in the fullness of the times born of a woman born under the law to perfectly redeem guilty sinners. But these examples of Old Testament saints are also brought forth in order to show the recipients of the letter of Hebrews examples of endurance. Those who look to Jesus Christ before he had even come.
These were looking forward in an anticipatory manner. Jesus had not yet come. The gospel promises had not yet arrived in time in history, and yet these marched along in their Christian faith. Now, the point being is, is that if these Old Testament states looking afar off could march with strength of faith.
How much more ought you, Jesus, now having come, accomplished, revealed, and borne witness to the glories of his sacrificial work? How much more ought not you to endure in the faith? And that is the exhortation that's given in Hebrews 12 at verse 1. Notice.
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. So the exhortation comes, let us endure, just like these Old Testament saints looking far off at Christ. Those of us now near, having come out this side of the accomplished work of Jesus, let us run the race, let us endure, let us march steadfast. for the cause of God and truth. And then we come to verse two, and this is the means by which or the disposition by which the saints are to run, by which the saints are to endure, by which the saints are to cast off weights and the sin which ensnares.
They are to do this by looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith. You see, they don't engage or they don't engage in the battle against sin by looking unto anything else, save for the living, dying, rising again, savior of man. That is what they are to look unto as they fight the worldly battles that surround them, as they seek to endure. marching in the Christian faith.
Three Aspects of Our Gaze
Now, I want to look at three things under this particular portion of the text, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. And the first thing that I want to look at is the means of our gazing, the second, the direction of our gazing, and thirdly, the object of our gazing.
The Means of Our Gazing
So firstly, the means of our gazing. What does it mean to look unto Jesus? Well, this is a simple explanation of looking is what we're probably familiar with, looking with physical and literal eyes upon a physical and literal object. The preacher looked up at the balcony and saw people looking back at him.
There is that definition of looking unto someone or something. And with this meaning, we have this in our Bibles. People who looked unto Jesus in this manner, Joshua and Joshua five cast his eyes upon that sword wielding son of God, that captain of the host of the Lord. And he took off his sandals because of his holiness.
Isaiah six, you're well familiar with Isaiah cast his eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts. And he saw the train of his rope filling the temple, the Lord Christ high and lifted up. We see John using those words in his gospel that regarding he and his fellow disciples, that we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father. full of grace and truth. Peter uses similar language in his epistle that we we did not declare to you or we did not believe cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and the majesty or the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But we're eyewitnesses of his majesty. And of course, we could look at Thomas. We could look at Stephen. Stephen saw the heavens open and the son of God standing at his right hand.
People physically laid their eyes upon Jesus Christ and beheld his glory. That's not what the author here is wanting us to understand, or that's not the looking that the author here is trying to engage us in.
Faith as the Eyes of Understanding
Our looking is a different type of looking. The looking that we engage in is looking with eyes of faith. We engage our minds. We think, we contemplate, we meditate, we consider.
We're not this side of the resurrected and ascended Lord to march into a papist temple or a Christian bookstore to buy figurines and images of the Lord Jesus Christ to cast our eyes upon. We're not to to engage in vain imaginings of what Jesus Christ looked like. We're not to cast our eyes upon symbolic representations or pictures that we make of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to look with eyes of faith upon the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world and contemplate his riches, his excellencies and his majesty.
Just to see this definition in the Bible of what faith is, you can turn to Ephesians for a moment. that this looking that the author of Hebrews is talking about is not a physical gazing, but a faith looking, a faith gazing, a by faith meditation dwelling upon contemplation. Ephesians 1 and verse 15. Ephesians 1 and verse 15. Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
Now notice verse 18, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling. What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe that or that the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened. That is, that looking that Paul is calling us unto. Jesus Christ has this in mind, or the thrust of Christ's words to Nicodemus bear out this meaning in John chapter 3.
In John, chapter three, there is an analogous comparison between physical looking and spiritual looking or faith looking. John, chapter three, says Jesus dealing with Nicodemus, verse 13. No one has ascended. This is John 3, 13.
No one has ascended to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the son of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. You see this comparison, the physical to the spiritual. In the wilderness, the Israelites physically gazed upon the raised serpent and received healing.
Spiritually, with regards to Jesus Christ and saving faith, we don't physically look upon Jesus with eyes of faith and eyes of understanding open. We look upon Jesus Christ in belief and we are saved. So looking unto Jesus Christ and again, this brings to the fore the understanding of what faith is, is that faith is the using of our minds. Faith demands the using of our minds.
When we ask you to exercise your faith, we're not calling upon you to come in and to check your brain at the door. The Bible everywhere argues for the functional and proper use of the mind. Come, let us reason together. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
No longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind. So faith demands the right exercise, the right use of the faculties of thinking and reason, the right use of the mind in order to contemplate the glories and the riches of Jesus Christ.
The Direction of Our Gazing
Now, going back to the book of Hebrews again, the direction now, the direction of our gazing, the direction of our faith is Christ's word. And it is Christ's word only. We're going to consider, though, the context that the audience of Hebrews found themselves in and why this this. command or this exhortation to look unto Jesus has more of a meaning than simply looking unto Jesus. Not to say that simply looking unto Jesus is a way to describe it.
But the context of Hebrews is that they found themselves as Jewish Christians being persecuted by those who were Jewish unbelievers. There were great pressure or there was great pressure and there were great temptations to return back to temple worship, to return back to the temple, the priests, with all of the multitudinous sacrifices and ceremonies. In fact, historically, we know that these Christians were pressured to the point. In fact, we looked at that in the book of Luke.
And when we read from Luke 21, you will be hated by your families and your brothers. and you'll be hated by your family because you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and your Jewish compatriots are not believers, you will be dead to them. They will hate you. They will despise you. They will think of you as dead and cast you off from community, from synagogue and from temple religion.
And so the exhortation of Paul here gains so much strength. Look unto Jesus. The temple is still standing in all of its so-called splendor and its glory. It is still there.
The priests. And their vestments are there. The glorious various accoutrements and instruments of the temple are there, shiny and fresh. But you're not to look at that.
You're to look at Jesus Christ. And we see this in here, and we need to understand this, that Paul, in the back of his mind here, is seeking to set aside all of those articles of old covenant religion. He holds them up one by one and he shoots them down one by one, not in their inherent evil or anything like that, but because Christ has now fulfilled that. Christ has now come and put all those things aside in his fulfillment, in his completion and in his perfection.
But we see the temple is beautiful according to the account of the Bible. We read that in Luke chapter 21. There was great temptation in the temple because of its history, because of its splendor, because of its physical glory. We read this in Luke 21 at verse five.
Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations. The temple was not just it was not just this fabrication, this ugly monstrosity of architecture. It was a marvel of architecture. In fact, this is Josephus speaking simply of the temple gates, Josephus speaking just of the temple gates.
Now, nine of these gates were on every side covered over with gold and silver, as were the jams of the doors and their lintels. But there was one gate that was without the inward court of the Holy House, which was of Corinthian brass and greatly excelled those that were only covered over with silver and gold. Each gate had two doors whose height was severally 30 cubits and their breadth 15. However, they had large spaces with within of 30 cubits and had on each side rooms, and those both in breadth and length, built like towers, and their height was above 40 cubits.
Two pillars did also support these rooms and were in circumference 12 cubits. Now the magnitudes of the other gates were equal one to another. But that over the Corinthian gate, which opened on the east over against the gate of the Holy House itself was much larger for its height was 50 cubits and its doors were 40 cubits. And it was adorned after a most costly manner as having much richer and thicker plates of silver and gold upon them than the other.
And you're telling us Christians that were to look away from that and look upon a bloody Jesus. Yes, that's what we're saying. You see, the marvel of the temple to eyes unbelieving was much greater than this bloodied Messiah who died upon a Roman cross. Paul is exhorting them as Christians saved by grace through faith that they are to look away from those old compliments, old implements of old covenant religion over those things that are now worthless.
And they're to cast their eyes upon Jesus Christ. The true completion, the true perfection, the true finisher of that old covenant religion. And, you know, we need to we can't traffic and I really believe that we can't understand, of course, since we're not Jewish Christians, we're not in the first century prior to the destruction of the temple. What the pressure was like for these who had mother, father, brother, sister, uncle and cousin.
Counting them as dead and saying, putting them under pressure to return to temple religion. Paul is saying, no, steadfast, remain steadfast, endure, run the race, because the prize of Jesus Christ, to which all these pointed, are so much greater. Look unto Jesus, look away from these earthly and now retired implements and look upon the one who came to redeem you. If we look at, turn to Exodus 28 for a moment.
Exodus 28. When we think about who they are to look on to and what and who they are to look away from. Exodus 28, beginning at verse one, now take Aaron, your brother and his sons with him from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me as priest Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron, your brother, for glory and for beauty.
So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to me as a priest. And these are the garments which they shall make, a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron, your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me as priest." Okay, so not only do we have to look away from this temple in all of its glory and all of its implements of jewels and various items of silver and gold and Corinthian brass, But we have to look away from this priest designed and decked out in these wonderful garments of splendor that the text calls made for glory and for beauty.
Looking Away from Temple and Priest
And we're to cast our eyes and keep our eyes fixed upon this Jesus bloodied upon a Roman cross. Yes. You see, that was the stumbling block. That was the rock of offense.
That was the thing that was of the utmost offense to these Jews. Spurgeon said, Jews could not endure a crucified Messiah. All of these washings and all of these ceremonies and all of these glorious and beauteous things were all of these to be set aside and nothing remain but a bleeding Savior. Yes.
And Paul says, look unto him. Look unto him. The eyes of the direction of our gazing is to be priced word. They are not and they were not not only temple and priest and all the implements of that old covenant religion, but they certainly were not to look to themselves.
They were certainly not to look to pedigree. They were not to look to family. They were not to look to blood, to ethnicity. They were not to look certainly to their own works.
They were to look to the Lord Jesus Christ. We looked at this on Wednesday night. Paul, Paul rehearses his pre-conversion self, his pre-conversion boasting self. He says that he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews.
He was circumcised the eighth day. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was, you know, according to zeal, he persecuted the church. And as for the righteousness, which is in the law, he called himself blameless.
You see, they had a boasting. The Jews had a boasting in themselves and in their accomplishments. And don't all unbelievers of every variety have that same boasting? It's all about me and what I've done.
The Pharisee is standing beside the tax collector. Thank God I'm not like this man. They were to look away from self. They were to look away from pedigree.
They were to look only at the Lord Jesus Christ. And this certainly, brethren, is not only something that's limited to the first century audience before the destruction of the temple, to believing Jews, but this is extended to us. The eyes of our faith We are to fix the eyes of our faith upon nothing else save for Jesus Christ.
Fixing Eyes on Christ Alone Today
Now, you might be saying, well, of course, preacher, could we move on to something else that I don't know? Well, we need to very often and very often and very often return on to this first principle that we look on to Jesus Christ with our eyes of faith. You see, because it's very easy to say, oh, I look at Jesus with my eyes of faith and him alone. But sometimes you are fixing your eyes of faith upon your faith and your faithfulness.
You look away from that, you look away from that, because the grounds of your assurance, the grounds of your security, the grounds of your salvation are fixed solely and alone upon that one who died on Calvary's tree. You look away from faith and your faithfulness. Very often you can say, oh, yes, I fix my eyes solely and alone upon Jesus. But you're really fixing your eyes upon the lack of faithfulness in a brother or a sister and finding your assurance and your strength in that finding self-validation and self-vindication in the fact that you're faithful and more faithful than a brother or a sister.
You look away from that. And you fix your eyes upon Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. You very often the eyes of our faith can be fixed upon the ratio between pews filled and pews empty. You see, we fix our eyes of faith upon the pragmatic, what works.
Oh, churches, churches empty. I'm going to pack it in. Maybe we fix our eyes of faith in a similar way like these Jewish first century Jewish Christians or the unbelieving Jews. We are fixed upon the physical, the splendor of a church and what the church engages in as far as worship goes.
Do they have this program? Do they have that program? Do they have this screen? Do they have this computer generated image or video?
Do they have this music? Do they have this? Do they have that? Do they have this?
Do they have that? Fix your eyes upon Jesus. Fix the eyes of the faith of your faith upon Jesus Christ, not to the splendor or non splendor of the place of worship yourself or your brothers and your sisters. And it's very important for for your own spiritual walk and for the certainty and the strength and the integrity of your spiritual walk. for you to fix your eyes solely and alone upon Jesus and to fix your eyes away from anyone in the congregation.
Very often we can get discouraged or if so-and-so brother falls, if so-and-so brother apostatizes. Let's say for a horrible example that Pastor Butler and I apostatize. May it never be. But if that happens, Free Grace Baptist Church is here and the congregation of the believers of Free Grace Baptist Church fix their eyes upon Jesus the author and the finisher of their faith.
The end of the world has not come, if one of your like-minded brothers and sisters that you like to spend a lot of time with disappoints you or sins against you. Why? Because the eyes of faith are fixed upon Jesus. the author and the finisher of our faith. We don't hinge the trains of our faith to anyone sitting in the pew.
We hinge the trains of our faith to the one seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. Brethren, often return to this principle, to this first principle of biblical Christianity, that Christians look unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.
The Transfiguration: Jesus Only
Turn to the text for a moment, because I think I've done this before, but in Matthew chapter in Matthew 17, turn there for a moment. The design focus of biblical religion historically and always is unto Jesus Christ. A.W. Pink, in his commentary on the book of Hebrews, brings this out from Matthew chapter 17, verses verse one and following.
Now, after six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John, his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here.
If you wish, let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Hear him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise and do not be afraid. When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. You might say, well, yeah, that's just a historical narrative of what happened. They saw Jesus only.
But keep in mind, first off, what we noted first in casting our gaze upon Jesus Christ is that the unbelieving Jews had the temptation to look at those articles of Old Covenant religion. Two major figures of Old Covenant religion are in this scene, Moses and Elijah. But who remains at the end? When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one.
But Jesus only when our eyes are lifted up, we are to see Jesus Christ, because from first to last, our assurance, our security, our salvation is rooted in his doing his dying and his glorious rising again. And brethren, you know, it's the one thing which is a means by which we can ensure that we look upon Jesus only is when we consider God's holiness in our sin. You see, God's holiness or God looks upon us and he cannot look upon us and find find undealt with sin and transgression. He has dealt with that not through our performance, not through our repentance, not through our faith.
He has dealt with that not through us exercising righteous acts, falling away, but then doing them again. He has dealt with that through punishing and crushing and bruising the son of his love on Calvary's tree. He has dealt with that by commissioning the Lord Jesus Christ to live a life of perfection unto his holy statutes and law. And he has accomplished that by rising this victorious Jesus who fulfilled the law victoriously, who died victoriously, rising him again. as that as that divine validation of his messianic perfection.
Jesus Christ, we look upon sin, not in some sick and horrible and twisted way to relish and revel in it, but so that our gaze can very, very quickly turn to Jesus Christ, who came to die for sin. Wonderful, wonderful picture and imagery in the Pilgrim's Progress. where Christian realizes his sin and realizes that the burden that he's carrying upon his back and it terminates the scene ends with him casting his eyes upon Jesus. He says something to the effect of how far have I come loaded up with sin and nothing could ease the grief that I was in till I came here to the cross and to the tomb that he looked upon till I came here. What a place is this must here be the beginning of my bliss must hear this burden. fall from off my back, must hear the chains that tied it to me crack.
Blessed cross, blessed tomb, blessed rather be the one who there was put to shame for me. You see, even a cross beam of horizontal and vertical wood, we're not to cast our eyes upon that, not the physical cross, but the one who died there on. We're not to look at the darkness of an empty tomb and a stone rolled past as just those physical representations. We're to look at the man who, in great power and great victory, walked from out of that tomb.
The victor, our Lord Jesus Christ. Fix your eyes upon Jesus and he alone.
The Object of Our Gazing
And thirdly, the object. of our gaze. Now, it's very clear from the direction of our gaze that this is Jesus Christ, the object. You see, faith, and this is very important, faith always has an object. It's in the modern realm of spiritual ambiguity, even within the realm of professing Christianity, Jesus Christ has been sort of ripped from the equation.
And we have this spiritual, ambiguous notion of just faith, hope and love. This generic theism that's out there because, oh, Christ and the cross, that's too offensive. We need to pull that out and we just need to have faith. God promises God with no definition of who he is, what his character is, his his triunity, his unity and his triunity.
Nothing to do with sovereignty, holiness, all of these things. Just this general idea, notion of a deity and faith, hope and love with no object. Faith, hope, and love with no object are damnable. You see, faith has as its object the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have faith in him. Hope has as its object the Lord Jesus Christ. Hope is that certain expectation that all the promises of the victorious Christ of the gospel will come to pass. And love, we have love because Christ first loved us.
And so it's very important we understand that we always have an object to our faith. We don't just exercise faith, ambiguously speaking. We exercise faith by looking, by gazing upon with eyes of understanding the Lord of glory and all of his truths and in all of his promises.
Christ as Object: Folly to the World
But first off, generally, the object of our gaze is Jesus Christ, and this is contrary to the unbelieving world. It's contrary to their so-called wisdom, and it is to them foolishness. To the Jews, it was madness, again, that they should not look upon the temple, the priest in his vestments, the various instruments of old covenant religion, and look to this one who just 30 years ago was crucified upon a Roman cross. Madness.
Madness. To us today, or to the unbelieving world today, We're to believe these antiquated notions of blood atonement, blood redemption, a man who's crucified, who rises again three days later. And what's lovely about him? The refrain is similar to the Jewish refrain in Isaiah 53.
It's a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. We esteem him stricken by God, cursed of God, afflicted. And we're supposed to cast our eyes upon this one. You see, the world, the world, the worldling loves or wants their heroes sparkling, golden, heroic, strong.
Jesus crucified on Calvary's tree. You see, the the unbeliever, the worldling, he comes to that scene in first Samuel 17. They cast their eyes. He cast his eyes upon the Valley of Elah and the two men engaged in single combat.
And he sides with the giant of Gath. He looks upon him and says, oh, you see, he has sword and spear and javelin. That's my hero. But you see, the Christian comes to that valley of Elah, can look past that nine foot six giant, however high he was, some say even higher, taller.
We look past that and we see the little cheese delivery boy, the little shepherd with the sling and the stone. And we say, in that case, that's our hero. David's our hero in that example. Why?
Because he's there for the vindication of the name of Yahweh. All the world will know that there is a God in Israel. But you see, the unbeliever comes just like he comes to that valley of Elah and sides with the Philistine giant. He comes to Christ and Christianity, and he does not find a hero.
It's because he needs his eyes of his understanding opened up to behold the glories and the riches of Jesus Christ. We were there once, each and every one of us. There's not a one of us who can say that we always esteemed him. You see, that's Isaiah's declaration in Isaiah 53, and we esteemed him not.
But now we esteem him, and what's the difference maker? The difference maker is that in divine, free, sovereign, amazing and victorious grace, God opened up our eyes. He opened up the eyes of our understanding. He tore out that stony, wicked heart, replaced it with the fleshly heart that beats and beats and beats for Jesus Christ.
The object of our faith is this one who the worldling cast his eyes away from, laughing and mocking. And it's an amazing thing, again, going back to the immediate recipients of this particular letter. Or rather, the unbelieving audience that were persecuting them. They were only, let's say, about 30 years removed from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
And they're being asked to fix their eyes upon a Jewish carpenter who was full of his own blood, who was full of other people's spit. who was bloodied, dirtied and massacred upon a Roman implement of execution. And Paul says, that's the wisdom and the power of God. That is the wisdom and the power of God. And it is a blessed thing and it is an amazing thing that by his grace we can cast our eyes upon this Jesus and find that wisdom.
And not see foolishness, not laugh and mock like the worldling and the unbeliever, but glory in our King. We see Jesus, the crown of thorns embedded in his scalp. We don't mock and say, let God deliver him, let himself deliver him from this cross if he truly is who he is. We say there's our King.
My King bears a crown of thorns. And I'll bend in need to that Jesus. I'll bend in need. And brethren, it's very important for us to return often again to this principle.
We look to Jesus. How often, or why is it so easy for our eyes to, or rather for the eyes of our affections to latch on to so many other things? And to find ourselves by either self-rebuke, or maybe it's the rebuke of someone else, Are you looking at Jesus? You know, maybe for whatever reason, you enter into this time of, you know, where the rains and the clouds come, you know, a frowning providence comes, whatever happens, you miss some church, you miss some Bible reading, continues, continues.
So you need to fix your eyes upon Jesus. Very often, the way that we deal And this is a letter written against not against two people dealing with trial and tribulation and affliction. Very often we cast our eyes upon other things. We'll get a little bit to that tonight.
But instead of fixing our eyes upon Jesus, we fix our eyes upon ten thousand other physical implements to satisfy, to meet the need in order to in order to cause our pain to go away. Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. Our eyes can be carried off in languor and coldness to multitudinous things that in and of themselves are indifferent to the things of sin and repentance from it. But they can become idols.
They can become replacements for the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us always look unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. And that's what Paul says here, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.
Christ the Author and Finisher
That's what Jesus is. He's the author. He is the author first in the sense that it is Christ's divine prerogative to make known to us the riches and the glories of his truth and his gospel. Can you say that to a Jewish audience in John 8?
If you are to be free, the son will make you free. If there is any freedom to be had, it is Jesus Christ who in divine sovereignty and with all the divine prerogatives that the father has will reveal that truth unto you. He is the author of our faith. He's the author of our faith also in the sense that he came into this world in God manifested in the flesh and he died upon Calvary's tree and rose again in order that we might receive by the spirit that gift of faith.
You see, Jesus Christ is the divine author in that sovereign sense, and he is the divine author in that sacrificial and substitutionary sense, whereby his perfect atoning work we are given, his people are given the faith to embrace, the faith to contemplate, the faith to to consider, the faith, the faith to think. The faith to intellectually glory by faith in the in the promises of the gospel, in the riches and in the excellencies of Jesus Christ. He is the author. He is the first.
He is the alpha. He is the beginning of our faith. He is the finisher of our faith. And this is perfect.
This is great. You know, those of us and I've said it before and I'll say it again. Those of us who are very proud or who are very who rejoice in Calvinism and reformed theology, not because because, oh, that's the position that is just the way to be. No, we glory in it because this is what the Bible says when it speaks of divine sovereignty.
When it speaks of the fact that from first to last, midst and throughout, salvation is from the triune God who saves without a helper. We glory in those truths. We absolutely glory in those truths. And when we read this, the author and the finisher of our faith, we see that.
We see Jesus upon the cross and he doesn't cry out. It has been partially completed. His cry of victory isn't, OK, now you get to your responsibilities. His cry of victory isn't, OK, I've completed ninety nine percent.
Now you do the one. No, Jesus cried out, it is finished. And as there is so much wrapped up in that one word, it is finished. It's absolutely glorious.
We noticed some of it by noting the theme of the book of Hebrews. The author holds up all of these articles of old covenant religion, which are types and shadows. And then he brings Christ along and he casts them all away by the superior and superlative glory of the Son of God. Jesus Christ has come and all of those things that pointed forward are now finished.
What's been finished also, of course, is what Daniel brings out in the ninth chapter of his of his book. Righteousness is brought in. The forgiveness of sins is brought in. The promised Messiah has now come and he has perfectly completed the work of redemption.
And also Christ is the finisher in this sense, brethren, that he keeps us to the end. Don't you, doesn't your heart warm when you see, and this is, this is very important. Again, looking unto Jesus, looking only unto him, looking away from us, looking away from others as the assurance, as the, you know, the pinnacles, the monoliths of our faith and of our assurance and of our salvation, but looking wholly unto Jesus. When you come under trial, when you come under doubts, when you sin, when you whatever, doesn't it warm your heart to go to the John 10s of the Bible, where Jesus Christ keeps his sheep locked in his sovereign and divine grip?
Isn't that glorious? We have a Jesus who not only authors our faith, who not only begins it, who not only perfects it, But Sable, that is included in this, but keeps us on to the end. Keeps us on to the end, we very, very simply and very quickly in introductions to epistles, we have glorious theology. You see, the writers of the New Testament never just come to the pages, you know, never just start their epistle.
They're inspired by God. Remember, they never just come to the Jude, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, grace and mercy and peace. You know, it's not just this, you know, this machine like approach. OK, I got to get the salutation out of the way and we'll get on to the meat and potatoes of the letter.
Jude, a bond servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James to those who are called, sanctified by God, the father and preserved in Jesus Christ. See, the salutations in these epistles, the greetings are full of theology and full of encouragement to the audience. You're called. You're sanctified by God, the Father, and you're preserved in Jesus Christ.
He is the author and the finisher of your faith.
Application and Closing Exhortations
Brethren, just in closing, two quick things, and then we close in prayer. First off, looking. Never thumb your nose or ignore the use of the mind to understand and to know the Word of God. See, Christianity, shame upon those so-called defenders of Christianity who say that we need to pit faith against reason or faith against thinking.
Very often faith is seen as just this thing you do in the absence of evidence, in the absence of anything. You just have this faith in whatever, just have faith. No, faith is what John brings out in John in his in chapter 20 of his gospel. These things I have written to you revealed propositional truths that you may believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Christ, the son of the living God, the object of our faith, and that believing you may have life in his name.
You see, we are to use our minds. We are to read our Bibles. We are to read glorious propositional truth concerning Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into this world.
Sinners to say we are to engage our minds. We are to latch latch our concentration in the eyes of our understanding upon the scriptures, which reveal a glorious price and be strengthened and be girded up in the things of our precious Redeemer. And remember, secondly, that the object of your gaze is Christ. This is going to help you with your self-gazing, and it's going to help you eliminate your self-gazing, and it's going to help you eliminate your others-gazing, because the eyes of your faith are fixed upon the Redeemer of men.
Upon the Redeemer of men. Albert Martin once said, A.N. Martin once said, that one of the problems that believers can have is that they can be focusing a little too much on themselves and not wholly on Jesus Christ. And he says, just as if the Israelites in the wilderness did not look with one eye upon the raised serpent and with the other upon their malady, So to the Christian is not to look with one eye upon the risen Christ and with one eye upon their own hearts.
You see, our assurance, our assurance is fixed to not our performance. Our assurance is fixed to not our sanctification. Our assurance is fixed to not our doing and not our and not what we don't do. Our assurance is fixed to the perfect and glorious work of Jesus Christ.
The perfect doing, the perfect dying, the glorious rising again of the Son of God. And in light of that, we live and we walk in a manner worthy of our calling and we glorify him in all that we do. If you're here this morning and you're not looking unto Jesus, why not? Why not?
Oh, we can traffic in the realm of, yeah, we esteemed him not. We esteemed him not. We've all been there. Those of us so far removed from the day of our conversion sometimes need to, with greater strength, return unto the Lord Jesus Christ, return unto that first principle.
But those of us who have come a long way from our conversion, we can remember back. We were there with you. We esteemed him not. The Scourge in one said that those whose hair is whitened by the sunlight of heaven need to remember, need to remember.
They once were sinners. They're now saved by grace and they cast their eyes upon the Redeemer. But if you're here with us this morning and you don't know Jesus, we were once in this position, but he's so glorious. Why would you not want to look upon Jesus Christ?
Why would you want to keep casting your eyes upon vainglorious things? Why are your eyes fixed to a certain bow or a certain lass? Why are your eyes fixed to a certain sports hero? Why are your eyes fixed to whoever else is out there on the screens or on the radio or wherever else?
Why are your eyes fixed to all of those things? Again, those things, relationships, things aren't evil in and of themselves, but why in unbelief do you want everything else save for Jesus Christ? Because this Christ is so glorious, he came into this world to save sinners. I don't know why.
I don't know why. I know why people are so anti Christ. But, you know, on the other side of that coin, why are people so anti Christ? He came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, because if you don't, The wrath of God abides on you, according to John chapter 3, verse 36. He who believes the Son has life. He who does not believe shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. But in Jesus Christ, you find your everything.
The author and the 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 God. Believe in him and you shall not be ashamed, but you will have everlasting life.
Closing Prayer
Let us pray. God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. God, we do just pray that we would be about him chiefly and mostly.
And Lord God, we just ask that we would not have a disposition that would be looking upon him and other things, certainly not looking away from him upon other things, but that our gaze of faith would be fixed upon our perfect Jesus Christ. And we do pray that you'd help us, Lord God, to do this each and every day. We do pray that we would not become detached that we would not become distanced from a gaze and casting our eyes of faith upon Jesus Christ. But daily, Lord God, you would cause us to be stirred up in the things of our Christianity, that we would walk in such a manner that daily we would wake up and remember Jesus Christ and his perfect sacrifice for sin.
And we pray that we would constantly remember that he is seated at your right hand where he ever lives to make intercession for his people. And we do pray, Lord God, that you would help us to speak to others concerning this blessed Jesus. We long to hear, Lord God, perhaps family members, friends or other acquaintances, people that we know that that, Lord God, they've been saved by the preaching of the word that they even, Lord God, have been saved by the use of earthly vessels such as ourselves, that you would, by your spirit and by your word, save many and that it would be to the rejoicing of your amazing grace. We pray, Lord God, that you would help us as a church to have our eyes fixed upon Jesus, that not only individually would we fix our eyes upon the Savior, but as a church, he would be the main thing that he would be chief in our affections, that he would be the Lord of our corporate and collective heart, and that we would march forward according to the beating of his gospel drums and that we would set aside all rabbit trails and trivialities and embrace the high things of gospel truth.
We pray that you go with us now help us to continue to own this day for your glory sake and that we would own each and every day giving praise to you and being laid humble before your amazing grace and your amazing eternal love. And it's in Christ Jesus name that we pray. Amen.