Right doctrine is a good friend and faithful companion to the Christian. Confirming and convicting; enlightening and edifying; reminding and renewing, doctrine is essential for establishing and elevating a Believer in the things of God. Therefore, we thought we would provide an opportunity for you to get better acquainted with this good friend.
In this initial declaration of doctrine, we will consider three key verses in the Book of Hebrews:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in heart (Heb 12:1-3).
"The cloud of witnesses" is a lovely poetic reference to the previous chapter, where the author recounted the faith and exploits of those who have gone before us, encouraging us to follow their examples and press in and on with God as they did. They are witnesses to the fact that God is worth it all. They are a "cloud" because they are now on high in heavenly places with God and His holy angels.
Notice the word "endure" is in each of these verses. We are called to endure. And to help us endure, we are to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ's example of endurance, and to consider why He did so.
The Greek word "hupomone", translated in this passage as endure and endurance, is a compound word that means "remain under". Jesus used the word "mone" by itself when He told us to abide in His love. Paul used it when he said faith, hope, and love remain. The prefix "hupo" literally means "under". So, we are to remain under the burden that has been placed upon us by the Lord. Don't flinch; don't bail; hold on!
We are called to run our race with endurance, pressing on and up in God. No wonder we are told to lay aside every other weight and the sin which so easily entangles! We have enough to do, running the race laid out for us, without making it harder on ourselves with unnecessary things, let alone sinful things.
We're also told to consider His enduring. Why did He endure hardship and trials? It says for the joy set before Him! We are certainly part of that joy. It did His heart good to see others blessed. It kept Him in the fight of His life, seeing the fruit it would produce. He also saw the joy of blessing His Father. Original sin drove a terrible wedge between God and His people. But Jesus has bridged the great divide that separated the Holy One from unholy humanity. It cost Jesus everything, but He firmly decided it was worth it - and then saw it through to completion. Now it's our turn to decide for ourselves what God and His calling are worth to us - and show it by our conduct.
Our passage mentions the phrase "set before" twice: a race has been set before us and joy was set before Christ. The Greek word literally means "preset". Think of a camera: A quality camera is likely to come with presets for different lighting and layouts. Such presets make all the difference between great pictures and disappointments, between the camera being a prized possession or tossed into a closet and forgotten.
Well, our race was PREpared for us - a customized plan mapped out just for us. Not only is our race one in which we can excel, it is also a race laid out to do us the most good. Our personalized path will help us to mature, growing up into all that God envisioned for us from the foundation of the world.
God knows what we need and how to come by it. Life isn't ad hoc for the Christian! God isn't merely reacting to the foolish and sinful things we do, trying His best to pick up the pieces. No, ALL things work together for good for those that love the Lord!
Joseph told his scoundrel brothers - the gang that had sold him into slavery out of hateful jealousy - that it wasn't really them that sent him to Egypt. It was God. The Lord always had a plan in mind for Joseph (and his entire family). He had given hints of that plan, in the prophetic dreams he had given Joseph as a boy. God accomplished that plan. He will work through good and obedient people when He can, but also through bad men and fallen angels, too. NO ONE outsmarts God. NO ONE gets a jump on Him. He sees all. He knows all. He is All in All through it all!
This is implied in our passage, where it calls Christ the Author and Perfector of faith. That is very similar to a famous title for Christ: Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Jesus is the Cornerstone of the living Temple God is building – and He will be its Capstone when it is completed!
The word "author" has been translated as "pioneer" in other translations, like the NIV. Pioneers make it much easier for those following behind them. Jesus has pioneered the way back to the heart of God. He cut through the thicket to make a way where there wasn't one.
That reminds me of the Alaska Highway. Early in WWII, the USA had an urgent need to defend and resupply Alaska. So a plan was mapped out to build a highway between the Lower 48 and "The Last Frontier". It had to be constructed in a matter of months, in the short window between harsh winters. It was an astounding accomplishment against the elements, which ranged from brutal cold to malaria. On several occasions, the wilderness of forest, swamp, and tundra swallowed up massive construction vehicles. The work crews simply abandoned them and pressed on.
It took hardy people to carve out that 1,700 miles of daunting terrain and lay down the Alaska Highway. Today, of course, we can cruise along that road in creature comfort at over a mile per minute, while listening to pleasant music and sipping on a favorite beverage. Jesus Christ tackled a much more daunting task, and He accomplished it alone. He has done the (impossibly) hard work, making our task so much easier:
But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way: "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL GO UP INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or 'WHO WILL GO DOWN INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." 8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART" - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:6-9).
I will close by paraphrasing our passage from Hebrews: The high calling of God in Christ Jesus is worth it, so let's press on and not give up. Let's let go of anything that hinders our walk with God, because we can't afford to waste time on side issues. Think of the heroes of the faith, like Abraham and Moses. Consider how they gave all for God and are now richly rewarded in heaven. And think about the example of Jesus Himself, who lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death, all because He knew the fruit of it was well worth it. Something doesn't have to be cheap to be a bargain. Yes, the Lord is asking a lot from us, but He is offering much, much more to us in return! So don't give up, don't draw back or turn aside. By the grace of God, we can do this. And, if we do, we will be very glad we did!
Amen!
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