the Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Seventeen - D Sep 22, 2019 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T002_20190922.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 12:1 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, Today we will continue to look at running the race. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday September 22nd 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 17D ‘What More Shall I Say?’ 1). Heb 12:1 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, 2 looking [from] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our [the] 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. We had seen last time that the ‘so great a cloud of witnesses’, is the faithful OT saints that we have seen from Hebrews Chapter 11. A group of people that not only comprise those from the seed of Abraham, but also those all the way back in the history of Man to Abel. a). And that which all of these OT saints have in common is faith to the saving of the soul. Faith which will culminate in a heavenly inheritance and a position of rulership with Christ from the heavens over the earth. b). And this great cloud of faithful saints is witness, not only to having run a successful race themselves, but also a witness to how the race is to be run in order to be successful. c). Let us be in no doubt that all of the OT saints listed in Hebrews 11, along with innumerable others who are not listed there, are guaranteed of receiving the reward of the inheritance. Their position of rulership and the salvation of their soul is absolutely assured, and nothing can take that from them, because they lived ‘by faith’. d). And according to the Scripture – Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Again, let’s be clear that these individuals didn’t just go through the motions to make sure they had all the bases covered, just in case. Rather, their lives were focused to one end and they all lived and died knowing that the promises were never going to be realized during their lifetime. Nonetheless, they died in faith because they had seen the promises ‘afar off’ and were assured of them, knowing that God is faithful. e). And we should keep in mind that these were ordinary people like us who had families, had children to raise, had jobs to do, had personal struggles and had the pressure of living from day to day in a world diametrically opposed to their faith – Jas 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours……… Ro 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? And all this being said and knowing the certainty of what awaits us in the very near future we should heed the admonishment to ‘lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us’ and ‘run with endurance the race that is set before us.’ f). This, as we also saw last time, is the race of the faith, the race that every Christian has entered through their eternal salvation. The question is not whether we are in the race or not, because we are, but rather how we run the race during the course of our Christian life. g). And from the example of the OT saints, the race can only be run ‘by faith.’ Our race cannot be run any other way. h). And this is a race of patient endurance. We may liken it to a marathon rather than a sprint, although there may be times when we need to get a move on. 2). Paul told Timothy – 1 Ti 6:12 Fight [Lit. strain every muscle in] the good fight [the contest] of faith, lay hold on eternal life [age lasting life], to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. The Greek word translated ‘fight’ at the beginning of v12 is the Greek word ‘agonizomai’, from which we derive our English word ‘agonize’. a). It is the same word we find used in – Lk 13:24 “Strive [agonizomai] to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. And in – 1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes [agonizomai] for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. What we will realize then is that we are in a contest, a contest that may be won or lost and that we will have to strive earnestly if we are to have the victory. b). There is then no place for the casual, the careless or the complacent as we run our race and in the verses from 1 Corinthians Chapter 9 Paul tells us that in order to obtain the imperishable crown he ran ‘not with uncertainty’, he fought ‘not as one who beats the air’ and he disciplined his body to bring it into subjection. c). Crowns are to be worn by those who will rule with Christ during the Millennial Kingdom and none other than crowned rulers will have that privilege. Therefore, we understand exactly what Paul desires to attain and how that desire determined the way in which he ran his race of the faith. d). And his determination shows us why he run ‘not with uncertainty’ – he knew exactly what was on offer to him. He knew the enormity of this offer and so he set his focus in only one direction – Php 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. If we use the analogy of the runner in a race, Paul stayed in his lane. He did not drift into the lane next him to see what was happening there – Heb 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. Nor did he turn around and start running in the opposite direction. – Heb 10:39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Rather, he saw the finish line out ahead of him and ran single-mindedly straight toward it. e). As well as the imperishable crown seen in 1 Corinthians Chapter 9, there are other crowns on offer to us. There is a ‘crown of rejoicing’ seen in – Php 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. 1 Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. There is a ‘crown of life’ seen in – Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man who [patiently] endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Re 2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. There is a ‘crown of glory’ – 1 Pe 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. And finally, a ‘crown of righteousness’ seen in – 2 Ti 4:7 I have fought [agonizomai] the good fight [contest], I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. And here at the end of Paul’s life he has the certainty that he will experience the out-resurrection from the dead to receive the crown of righteousness to which the course of his life was set. And how could he have had this certainty? Because he had done exactly what he had told Timothy, he had strained every muscle in the contest of the faith. He had run his race to the finish line, and he had guarded and protected the faith through the course of his daily life. f). And if Paul could have this certainty concerning the outcome for him, it is possible for us to have it also. But how desperate would it be for us to come to the end of our life and find ourselves 100 yards short of the finish line? You see, Paul finishing his race is not about him coming to the end of his life per se, but about his race having been brought to its concluding point – 1 Pe 1:9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 3). Now, if we return to Hebrews Chapter 12 for a moment, we will remember that we are to run our race with patient endurance, and we have seen a specific crown associated with this in James 1:12. We are then to patiently endure through the trials and testing of life for a specific purpose – Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience [patient endurance]. 4 But let patience [patient endurance] have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. I cannot recall ever going through a trial that has filled me with joy at the time. So, how is it possible to count various trials as joy? Well, let’s move beyond thinking of joy simply as an expression of happiness – Heb 12:2 looking [from] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our [the] 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. In Hebrews Chapter 12 we are told that as we run our race with patient endurance, we are to look away from anything that would distract us, unto Jesus, the One who is the originator and completer of the faith. The One who is the Alpha and Omega. a). To look unto Jesus is not to stare into the sky, but to look to Him as our example. And the example that He has given is that He patiently endured the cross and despised the shame that came with it ‘for the joy that was set before Him.’ b). And that which was set before Him we already know – Ps 2: 7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.’ ” Ps 110:1 The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” 2 The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! The joy set before the Lord is the Day when He will receive the nations for His inheritance and the ends of the earth for His possession. When He will rule in the midst of His enemies. The Day for which He was begotten. It is then the Kingdom Age. c). But there is another element we need to add to this. Something we have already seen in Hebrews – Heb 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Christ went to the cross in order that ‘many sons’ could be brought to glory and this gives us the full extent of the joy that was set before Him – It is Christ and His joint heirs together ruling from the heavens over the earth; those who are like minded with Him, patterning their lives after His, in fulfillment of God’s purpose. d). And it is to this end that He patiently endured the cross and despised the shame. e). This is the same joy set before us and this is the joy seen in James 1:2, ‘count it all joy when you fall into various trials’ – Mt 25:23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ We don’t need to re-visit in detail the horror surrounding our Lord’s death at Calvary. And even though He is God’s Son He was not anesthetized to the suffering and the anguish of it, but patiently endured through every tormenting second because of the joy that awaited Him beyond it. f). In comparison with what will take place in the 7th Day His sufferings were to Him as nothing. How incredible must rulership with Christ in the 7th Day be that God in the person of Son would embrace such suffering and count it as nothing by comparison? g). And the thing we must especially grasp from this as we look from unto Jesus is that He was not distracted by His circumstances, but remained focused on what lay ahead, not allowing anything to divert Him from His course – Lk 9:51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, And this same attitude is found in Paul – Acts 20:22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Paul went to Jerusalem ‘not knowing the things that will happen to me there’ – he did not know the detail but knew that chains and tribulation awaited him. We can only imagine the pressure that would come along with this. Here would have been a time when he would have to ‘discipline’ his body and bring it ‘into subjection.’ When he would have to strive with every muscle in the contest so as not to be moved away from the joy that would await him at the end of his race. h). Needless to say, this should be our attitude also – Ro 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And let’s note this overcomers’ promise in – Re 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. The Lord then also describes Himself as an overcomer, and as we have seen, He overcame through patient endurance as He looked to the joy that was set before Him. 4). Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Given the finite nature of our being we can only see things as they are at the present, but God sees both our present and our future at the same time. Because of this He knows how the circumstances we face in life are to bring us to the place He wants us to be. But we don’t. We know what the end result is supposed to be, but rarely can we see how our present situation is the means to get us there. a). Let’s take Joseph as an example – We know that he had a dream – Ge 37:9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” From this he could have had an expectation of what awaited him in the future. Then he was sold into Egypt – Ge 39:11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.” 16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. When Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into the prison it would have been impossible for him to see how this would lead to that promised in his dream. But God did. And all through this challenging experience, the seeming disconnect between the dream and his circumstances, Joseph trusted God. b). And it is through these circumstances that the Lord worked to bring Joseph to the throne of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh – all things worked together for good. c). The point of the example should be very obvious. We don’t know how the trial we find ourselves in is to move us towards being seated with Christ on His throne in the age to come. But God does. d). We have the promise in Romans 8:28, so none of these things are to move us. We are to patiently endure as we focus on the joy that is set before us, secure in the knowledge of the One who is the author and finisher of the faith who has left us the example to follow – 1 Pe 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 5). Beyond the good news of our eternal salvation we are to hear and receive the gospel of the glory of Christ, the Word of the Kingdom, which we have done and continue to do. But knowing about Christ’s coming Kingdom is not enough of itself. We are to desire the position offered to us in the Kingdom after the same fashion as the OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11, after the same fashion as Paul and after the same fashion as Christ. a). And this can only happen ‘by faith’ and faith is only possible through our diligent and correct interaction with the Word. Allowing the Word of God to teach us and train us, to work in us the metamorphosis. There is no other way – Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand, let’s make sure we finish our race well and not step off of the track now the finishing straight is in sight – Heb 10:36 For you have need of [patient]endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Php 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. More next time – if the Lord is willing. the Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Seventeen - D Sep 22, 2019 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T002_20190922.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 12:1 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, Today we will continue to look at running the race. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday September 22nd 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 17D ‘What More Shall I Say?’ 1). Heb 12:1 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, 2 looking [from] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our [the] 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. We had seen last time that the ‘so great a cloud of witnesses’, is the faithful OT saints that we have seen from Hebrews Chapter 11. A group of people that not only comprise those from the seed of Abraham, but also those all the way back in the history of Man to Abel. a). And that which all of these OT saints have in common is faith to the saving of the soul. Faith which will culminate in a heavenly inheritance and a position of rulership with Christ from the heavens over the earth. b). And this great cloud of faithful saints is witness, not only to having run a successful race themselves, but also a witness to how the race is to be run in order to be successful. c). Let us be in no doubt that all of the OT saints listed in Hebrews 11, along with innumerable others who are not listed there, are guaranteed of receiving the reward of the inheritance. Their position of rulership and the salvation of their soul is absolutely assured, and nothing can take that from them, because they lived ‘by faith’. d). And according to the Scripture – Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Again, let’s be clear that these individuals didn’t just go through the motions to make sure they had all the bases covered, just in case. Rather, their lives were focused to one end and they all lived and died knowing that the promises were never going to be realized during their lifetime. Nonetheless, they died in faith because they had seen the promises ‘afar off’ and were assured of them, knowing that God is faithful. e). And we should keep in mind that these were ordinary people like us who had families, had children to raise, had jobs to do, had personal struggles and had the pressure of living from day to day in a world diametrically opposed to their faith – Jas 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours……… Ro 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? And all this being said and knowing the certainty of what awaits us in the very near future we should heed the admonishment to ‘lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us’ and ‘run with endurance the race that is set before us.’ f). This, as we also saw last time, is the race of the faith, the race that every Christian has entered through their eternal salvation. The question is not whether we are in the race or not, because we are, but rather how we run the race during the course of our Christian life. g). And from the example of the OT saints, the race can only be run ‘by faith.’ Our race cannot be run any other way. h). And this is a race of patient endurance. We may liken it to a marathon rather than a sprint, although there may be times when we need to get a move on. 2). Paul told Timothy – 1 Ti 6:12 Fight [Lit. strain every muscle in] the good fight [the contest] of faith, lay hold on eternal life [age lasting life], to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. The Greek word translated ‘fight’ at the beginning of v12 is the Greek word ‘agonizomai’, from which we derive our English word ‘agonize’. a). It is the same word we find used in – Lk 13:24 “Strive [agonizomai] to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. And in – 1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes [agonizomai] for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. What we will realize then is that we are in a contest, a contest that may be won or lost and that we will have to strive earnestly if we are to have the victory. b). There is then no place for the casual, the careless or the complacent as we run our race and in the verses from 1 Corinthians Chapter 9 Paul tells us that in order to obtain the imperishable crown he ran ‘not with uncertainty’, he fought ‘not as one who beats the air’ and he disciplined his body to bring it into subjection. c). Crowns are to be worn by those who will rule with Christ during the Millennial Kingdom and none other than crowned rulers will have that privilege. Therefore, we understand exactly what Paul desires to attain and how that desire determined the way in which he ran his race of the faith. d). And his determination shows us why he run ‘not with uncertainty’ – he knew exactly what was on offer to him. He knew the enormity of this offer and so he set his focus in only one direction – Php 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. If we use the analogy of the runner in a race, Paul stayed in his lane. He did not drift into the lane next him to see what was happening there – Heb 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. Nor did he turn around and start running in the opposite direction. – Heb 10:39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Rather, he saw the finish line out ahead of him and ran single-mindedly straight toward it. e). As well as the imperishable crown seen in 1 Corinthians Chapter 9, there are other crowns on offer to us. There is a ‘crown of rejoicing’ seen in – Php 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. 1 Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. There is a ‘crown of life’ seen in – Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man who [patiently] endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Re 2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. There is a ‘crown of glory’ – 1 Pe 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. And finally, a ‘crown of righteousness’ seen in – 2 Ti 4:7 I have fought [agonizomai] the good fight [contest], I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. And here at the end of Paul’s life he has the certainty that he will experience the out-resurrection from the dead to receive the crown of righteousness to which the course of his life was set. And how could he have had this certainty? Because he had done exactly what he had told Timothy, he had strained every muscle in the contest of the faith. He had run his race to the finish line, and he had guarded and protected the faith through the course of his daily life. f). And if Paul could have this certainty concerning the outcome for him, it is possible for us to have it also. But how desperate would it be for us to come to the end of our life and find ourselves 100 yards short of the finish line? You see, Paul finishing his race is not about him coming to the end of his life per se, but about his race having been brought to its concluding point – 1 Pe 1:9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 3). Now, if we return to Hebrews Chapter 12 for a moment, we will remember that we are to run our race with patient endurance, and we have seen a specific crown associated with this in James 1:12. We are then to patiently endure through the trials and testing of life for a specific purpose – Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience [patient endurance]. 4 But let patience [patient endurance] have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. I cannot recall ever going through a trial that has filled me with joy at the time. So, how is it possible to count various trials as joy? Well, let’s move beyond thinking of joy simply as an expression of happiness – Heb 12:2 looking [from] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our [the] 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. In Hebrews Chapter 12 we are told that as we run our race with patient endurance, we are to look away from anything that would distract us, unto Jesus, the One who is the originator and completer of the faith. The One who is the Alpha and Omega. a). To look unto Jesus is not to stare into the sky, but to look to Him as our example. And the example that He has given is that He patiently endured the cross and despised the shame that came with it ‘for the joy that was set before Him.’ b). And that which was set before Him we already know – Ps 2: 7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.’ ” Ps 110:1 The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” 2 The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! The joy set before the Lord is the Day when He will receive the nations for His inheritance and the ends of the earth for His possession. When He will rule in the midst of His enemies. The Day for which He was begotten. It is then the Kingdom Age. c). But there is another element we need to add to this. Something we have already seen in Hebrews – Heb 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Christ went to the cross in order that ‘many sons’ could be brought to glory and this gives us the full extent of the joy that was set before Him – It is Christ and His joint heirs together ruling from the heavens over the earth; those who are like minded with Him, patterning their lives after His, in fulfillment of God’s purpose. d). And it is to this end that He patiently endured the cross and despised the shame. e). This is the same joy set before us and this is the joy seen in James 1:2, ‘count it all joy when you fall into various trials’ – Mt 25:23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ We don’t need to re-visit in detail the horror surrounding our Lord’s death at Calvary. And even though He is God’s Son He was not anesthetized to the suffering and the anguish of it, but patiently endured through every tormenting second because of the joy that awaited Him beyond it. f). In comparison with what will take place in the 7th Day His sufferings were to Him as nothing. How incredible must rulership with Christ in the 7th Day be that God in the person of Son would embrace such suffering and count it as nothing by comparison? g). And the thing we must especially grasp from this as we look from unto Jesus is that He was not distracted by His circumstances, but remained focused on what lay ahead, not allowing anything to divert Him from His course – Lk 9:51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, And this same attitude is found in Paul – Acts 20:22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Paul went to Jerusalem ‘not knowing the things that will happen to me there’ – he did not know the detail but knew that chains and tribulation awaited him. We can only imagine the pressure that would come along with this. Here would have been a time when he would have to ‘discipline’ his body and bring it ‘into subjection.’ When he would have to strive with every muscle in the contest so as not to be moved away from the joy that would await him at the end of his race. h). Needless to say, this should be our attitude also – Ro 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And let’s note this overcomers’ promise in – Re 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. The Lord then also describes Himself as an overcomer, and as we have seen, He overcame through patient endurance as He looked to the joy that was set before Him. 4). Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Given the finite nature of our being we can only see things as they are at the present, but God sees both our present and our future at the same time. Because of this He knows how the circumstances we face in life are to bring us to the place He wants us to be. But we don’t. We know what the end result is supposed to be, but rarely can we see how our present situation is the means to get us there. a). Let’s take Joseph as an example – We know that he had a dream – Ge 37:9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” From this he could have had an expectation of what awaited him in the future. Then he was sold into Egypt – Ge 39:11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.” 16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.” 19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. When Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into the prison it would have been impossible for him to see how this would lead to that promised in his dream. But God did. And all through this challenging experience, the seeming disconnect between the dream and his circumstances, Joseph trusted God. b). And it is through these circumstances that the Lord worked to bring Joseph to the throne of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh – all things worked together for good. c). The point of the example should be very obvious. We don’t know how the trial we find ourselves in is to move us towards being seated with Christ on His throne in the age to come. But God does. d). We have the promise in Romans 8:28, so none of these things are to move us. We are to patiently endure as we focus on the joy that is set before us, secure in the knowledge of the One who is the author and finisher of the faith who has left us the example to follow – 1 Pe 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 5). Beyond the good news of our eternal salvation we are to hear and receive the gospel of the glory of Christ, the Word of the Kingdom, which we have done and continue to do. But knowing about Christ’s coming Kingdom is not enough of itself. We are to desire the position offered to us in the Kingdom after the same fashion as the OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11, after the same fashion as Paul and after the same fashion as Christ. a). And this can only happen ‘by faith’ and faith is only possible through our diligent and correct interaction with the Word. Allowing the Word of God to teach us and train us, to work in us the metamorphosis. There is no other way – Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand, let’s make sure we finish our race well and not step off of the track now the finishing straight is in sight – Heb 10:36 For you have need of [patient]endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Php 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. More next time – if the Lord is willing.