Fixing Our Eyes On Jesus, Our Finisher, Part 2

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Hebrews 12 to calls Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. What a joy to know that he carries out the work from start to finish as we entrust ourselves to the savior. He does a mighty and beautiful work in his children, one that could only be accomplished by our mighty trailblazer. Let's listen to this message titled, Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus, the Finisher.

This is the second part of the sermon, which was first preached on December 16, 2012. All faith of all time looks to Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, it looked to Christ prophetically. In the New Testament, we look to Christ historically. It is a finished work, and that is the importance of that text right there.

So, let's look at this then. How is Christ the perfecter of our faith? Three things I want to present this morning that help us understand the meaning and the richness of that word that Jesus is the perfecter, the finisher of our faith. And that is the why as to why we should fix our gaze upon him. Because your focus is your aim, and he is the perfecter, the finisher of our faith in three ways. Number one, he is the ideal standard.

The ideal standard. There is no other man that will appear in our world equal to him as a specimen of faith. Jesus was a man, and he had to trust his father. He was here with a mission.

He had a very clear purpose, a very clear directive from his father. And as he was carrying that out, think for a moment, consider the opposition against him and what he had to endure. As it says in verse two, the cross, he endured the cross, despising the shame, but he did it for you and me. In the course of that, throughout his public ministry, all the forces of hell were unleashed on him.

We sang about that in our song this morning. If you look down in verse four, it says you have not yet resisted the bloodshed striving against sin, but who did? Jesus did. He resisted to bloodshed striving against sin.

Why is that? Because Hebrews also told us earlier that he came, what was his mission? To destroy the works of the devil. And what is the work of the devil? Your adversary, the adversary of your soul, what is his work? It is to separate you from God and to keep you separated from God.

It started back in the Garden of Eden and continues to this day. He wanted Adam and Eve to question the character of God, to minimize the word of God, to cast a shadow on the character of God. And to do so, to go their own way. And that is the problem of humanity today. And that is the work of the devil and has been throughout all of history and is so today. That his desire is for us to see ourselves as big and God as small. That we know better than God.

And that is what separates us from God. It was for that that Jesus died and he came to destroy the works of the devil. In his opposition during his lifetime, Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, carrying out the purpose that God had for him, he had repeated opportunities to choose another way. He had repeated opportunities to just give up altogether.

He was granted those opportunities verbally. Remember his temptation in the wilderness. The adversary was offering him a shortcut to get his kingdom, to choose another way other than the hard way that the Father had purposed for him, which was the only way that provided any hope for you and me. And Jesus had opportunity to take an easy route.

He didn't take it. Consider him in Gethsemane, the night that he was betrayed. And as he prayed before the Father and he knew what was coming, he knew that in a matter of hours, he would have to be separated from his father, something that had never happened before in the history of the cosmos, in the history of God. He would have to be separated from his father. The anguish of that, that broken perfect relationship. He did not want to experience that, but he did.

Aren't you glad? Because he is the finisher of our faith. He had the opportunity to give up.

He had the opportunity to choose an easier way. Remember in the garden after he prayed that, the soldiers came and Judas betrayed him. What does Peter do? He draws his sword and he chops off Malchus' ear and Jesus said, Peter, put your sword away. Don't you understand that at this very moment, I could call 72,000 angels, that's 12 legions by the way, 72,000 angels and these guys would be wiped out and I would be okay.

I would be safe. Peter, don't you realize that I could do that right now? But did he? He did not.

Because he was the finisher of our faith. He didn't give up. He didn't quit. He didn't choose an easier way. It has been said that the measure of a man is what it takes to make him quit.

It's a good statement. I've had to remind myself of that often. The measure of a man is what it takes to make him quit. And we, as we look to Jesus and we recognize the frustrating characteristics of our fallen created order here, when we feel like the walls are closing in, whether it be a sense of depression, our faith is weak, our spirit sinks. The example of Jesus' trust and perseverance will brace your heart with courage. Which is why the writer says, fix your gaze on Jesus, the author and finisher.

In times of exhaustion and weariness, and it is sometimes exhausting, whether it's physical labor, whether it's people work, it can be exhausting and weary, wearisome. In those times, still pursue Jesus and his spirit will empower you when you choose to pursue the person of Jesus Christ as you have your gaze fixed upon him. In an instance of temptation, and we all face that every day, numerous times in the course of a day, in that instance of temptation, keep your gaze, keep your focus on Jesus Christ.

And as he gave no place to the devil, then neither will you as you keep your gaze fixed upon him. It is the power of this pursuit, it is the power of this relationship that you have with him in Christ. In seasons of suffering, many among us are suffering, many of us have loved ones that are suffering.

In seasons of suffering, look to Jesus' patient perseverance in his season of suffering. He persevered, he is the finisher of our faith. Measure of a man is what it takes to make him quit. We have in the headlines of the news this weekend, a prime example of a man quitting.

Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut forced his way in, killed 26 people, 20 of them are children. What a cowardly act. He quit.

Sometimes men quit with hostility, sometimes men quit with passivity. Jesus didn't. He had lots of opportunity to though, but he didn't. He was the author and finisher of our faith. And as we follow him, then the apostle Paul who also gives us an example as one who is a mere man like you and me. As he said in 2 Timothy 4-7, he says, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Why? Because there was one opinion that counts to him. He wants to hear that well done, good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your master. That's the opinion that counts. That's what he wants to hear. Jesus provides us that measure of a man. He didn't quit.

He didn't choose an easier route. He was the author and finisher of our faith. And so even in our seasons of suffering, as the pulpit commentary says, in the presence of Gethsemane and Calvary, your suffering will appear slight in the calm face of the supreme sufferer will impart patience and power unto you. You see, that is practically what it looks like to have your gaze fixed on the author and finisher of your faith, the one who finished. The point is this, in all of Jesus' ministry with his mission that he had from the Father, in all the opposition with the forces of hell, all the forces of hell unleashed against him, and the very hard things that he had to do, start to finish, he carried it through. And as you pursue him, so can you.

That's the message of this text this morning. So in that way, Jesus is the finisher of our faith as the ideal standard, the perfecter of our faith as the ideal standard. Secondly, he is the perfecter of our faith, not just as the ideal standard, but also in the sense that he satisfied all the requirements of faith. As I said in the Old Testament, all faith of all time, Old Testament, New Testament, all of Earth history, all faith looks to Jesus Christ. The Old Testament looks to him prophetically. The New Testament looks to him historically.

And Jesus, the perfecter of our faith, satisfied all the requirements of that faith. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.