Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin
which doth so easily beset us, and let
us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
Hebrews 11 is referred to as the faith chapter. We turn to that chapter when we need our
faith increased and need His help. He is
always faithful to answer prayer. This
12th chapter talks of being compassed about with this great cloud of
witnesses. We praise God for the
testimony of those in the Old Testament and how God answered their prayer.
Those that are a new creature in Christ Jesus, have
confessed and repented; all their transgressions are removed and cast into the
depths of the sea. Their name is written
down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. This is
the reason that we don’t believe in joining church. No man can add you or take you from God’s
church.
As we walk this journey we find that there are things that
are hindering us. Sometimes it is habits
other times it is things in our mind that we battle. Sometimes there are things in our past that
are a weight. This is a marvelous
thought: “Let us lay aside every weight.”
Lay aside the sin which does so easily beset you: when we were born we were born with a carnal
nature. Through His blood we can be
cleansed from this nature of sin and be filled with His divine nature.
Patience: it is wonderful that we can have patience with one
another. We all know that experience is
not built over night. A relationship or
a marriage is not built over night. “I am going to have patience with God and
with myself and know that He will help me to grow.”
It is easy to become distracted. If you have started walking with God it is
important that you realize, “We must ever keep Christ before us.”
He is the author of our faith. It is wonderful to know that someone of an
eternal power had a plan for our life.
Perhaps you might say, “I wish I had gotten saved when I was younger and
stayed saved.” For all the children that
are in this audience that are in their single digits or headed to 21. You are in a wonderful position that you can
start out serving God and serve Him all the days of your life.
If you didn’t start serving God as a teenager. We have a God that is the author and the finisher
of our faith. He has a wonderful plan
for you. Eye has not seen neither has
ear heard the things that God has prepared for them that love Him.
The issue is not how old or young you are. The issue is: Get your eyes on Jesus.
We are compassed with a great cloud of witnesses. There are wonderful examples to follow and
other examples to not follow. The most
wonderful example is Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
To every man is given a measure of faith.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
I have been challenged with the thought of our conscience. The conscience of children and adults: when
did our conscience begin to tell us what was right and what was wrong? I used to ask my mother where I came from and
where I was going. There is something
within us from childhood that causes us to hunger after God.
Our conscience can be developed. God, our parents, and others have a great
bearing on our conscience.
Jesus is that faithful witness. I believe that witness witnesses to children,
“This is right.” I believe that children
at a young age know, “I need to obey my parents, I need to be kind to my
siblings and to my classmates, I need to be sharing.”
We are born with a seed of faith to want to know about
God. Many wonder, “Who is God, where is
God, and is there any way that I can get to God?”
He is the finisher.
For every spiritual desire that you have: Maybe it is, “I want to be
saved, I am tired of feeling this conviction and guilt of sins that I have not
been cleared or forgiven of.”
You may wonder, “When I get saved do I have to remember all my
sins?” When I got saved I didn’t
remember all my sins. I had to say, “I
bring my sin as a lump to you. They are
all recorded in the books. Would be so
kind to forgive me as I repent?”
Without repentance there can be no forgiveness. Repent means to confess and turn from our
sin. We confess to God. Repent and ask God to forgive you. The bible is clear in 1st John
chapter one, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Being forgiven is the thought: I have confessed my sin to
God and I don’t want to ever go back to my sin.
I want to stay away from sin. I
am confessing that to God and He has promised that He will forgive.
Jesus is the faithful witness. When you confess and repent then a miracle
takes place. In heaven they prepare for
a celebration. There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that gets
saved. They go to the books of records
and tear the record out. God forgives
you and your sin is blotted out forever.
A transaction takes place in your soul, and you are left forgiven and
without regret. That thought, “I
sinned.” Is gone.
You become a new creature in Christ Jesus; old things pass
away and all things become new. That
idol that you couldn’t give up no longer will mean anything to you
anymore. You will feel, “There is one
thing that matters to me. That is
knowing that I am a child of God.”
Looking to Jesus. He
is the beginner and the finisher. He is
a marvelous teacher. God knows how to
teach every one of us within the learning capacity that we have. Isn’t that wonderful? You might feel that you are a slow learner or
have a learning disability. You might think,
“I am a visual learner.” Others think, “If
I hear it I can grasp it.” You might
think, “I have to read it.”
God has a way of teaching us. You cannot have the attitude, “I am only
going to take things from God.” We need
the attitude, “God I want to be a good student.
If you want to use a member in the body of Christ then I want to learn.”
God knows how to finish the house.
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ:
There are times in building, if it is not built right, then
you need to get a pry bar out and tear some things out. We have to let God work with us. When I got saved some of my ways were very
displeasing to God. I needed a lot of
teaching and training.
God comes along and says, “Son I need to teach you
something.” Then if we don’t listen He has to come along with the pry bar and
the hammer. He is the finisher. He wants to bring you to the finished product,
to the individual that says, “I want the will of God in my life.”
God wants us to come to a finished product. He wants your love and joy to come to a
finished product. You might say, “I am
not patient.” God will work with you on
it. As you measure and walk, then He
will take that and give to you patience.
If you want to hold onto it, God will say, “Son you can, but
I will have to bring the crow bar and the hammer because I want a finished
job.”
Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him: Jesus counted it joy to go to the cross for
you and me. He was already the son of
GOD but He had a desire to make a way that you and I could be saved, be happy,
and have freedom.
Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him, endured. “He that endures to the end shall be saved.” We need to learn how to endure, as Jesus did,
with joy.
We all face uncharted roads in our life. I am pretty uncomfortable with uncharted
roads. If you know that in this week you
are going to face situations and things that you are not comfortable with you
can either take the thought, “I am going to be scared,” or take the thought, “If
Jesus goes with me then I can have joy.”
Sometimes you are well received and sometimes you are
rejected. For most of us rejection is
hard. Did anyone know more rejection
than Jesus?
He was rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with
grief. Yet for the joy that was set before
him He endured the shame; He despised the shame. He was mocked and ridiculed. He despised it.
He is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. He is sitting at the right hand of the throne
of the Father. He is interceding for
souls.
If you are here this morning and facing uncertain waters, if
you are at the age where you wonder what you should do with your life, you know
that there are a lot of people that will try to tell you what to do. Look unto Jesus.
He is interceding. He
is concerned for every soul. If you are
sick, it is comforting to know that we are praying, believing that He hears, is
concerned with every need, and is interceding with the Father.
He is concerned that not only do we make the journey but
that we come to the finished product. We
can reach the place where we measure to everything and do all He wants us to do
that day.
Truths concerning the cross:
The “Old Rugged Cross” was written by George Bennard. He got saved and began meditating on the
scripture that many of us learned as a child: “For God so loved the World that
He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish
but have everlasting life.”
As George meditated on this beautiful scripture he realized
that God already knew every detail of His son’s life on earth: that he would
face injustice and the cross on Golgotha or Calvary. He went to the cross not for himself. It was the just for the unjust.
The first part of the song that George received was the
chorus, “I’ll cherish the old rugged cross.”
I don’t want to let the time lapse of me not personally
realizing the wonder of the cross. It is
what Jesus did for you and for me and for every one of us.
I’ll cherish the old rugged cross ‘til my trophies at last I
lay down.” When you look back on the
things that God helped you to get the victory on and God helped you to come
through. When you thought, “Why Lord?” Then you said, “I am not going to have a bad
attitude but trust you to bring me through.”
I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it
someday for a crown.
That whosoever believeth on Him: This means you and me taking His word, “I
know this is the Word of God.”
Joh 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.
If you want to know about God the Father, then know the Son;
He is the expression of the Father.
God loved the world.
Isn’t that wonderful? Whosoever believeth
on Him: If you are here and need to be
saved then believe that He will save you.
If you are weighted down with the cares of life, then cast all your care
on him.
You say, “Can I do right and not feel this heavy weight of
care?” You will do best casting all your
care on him and then saying, “Give me my job and I will do my best.”
Not perish: God
doesn’t want any of us to perish. God
doesn’t only not want you to perish in eternity but he doesn’t want you to
perish in not using your usefulness to be the best for Him. He wants you to be your best, your finished
product, in whatever season of life that you are in.
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