“LOOKING STEDFASTLY ON JESUS”
Rob Gardiner
Hebrews 12: 1-6
I was thinking, dear brethren, about verse 2 of this scripture when we sang our hymn (No 298): “looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith: who, in view of the joy lying before him” - especially this part - “endured the cross, having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. I was thinking of what we sang, and we see true love divine set out in Him who was despised of men and forsaken of God but who continued “in view of the joy lying before him”. Think of the perfect and balanced mind and judgment of the Lord Jesus, and all the awfulness of what was before Him, but it was “in view of the joy lying before him”, including what has been secured. Think of what has been secured in the assembly, what is precious to Him, “who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured the cross, having despised the shame”. Think of the perfect mind and judgment of the Lord Jesus, and it is recorded here, “having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. Think of His present, exalted position. “For consider well him who endured so great contradiction from sinners against himself”.
This would be a word for us, “that ye be not weary, fainting in your minds”. There are many things that would come in to try us and test us, and perhaps we can get weary, but the exhortation is “that ye be not weary, fainting in your minds”. The previous chapter speaks of those who moved in faith, and it is always a test to move in faith; we are tested as we walk and sojourn here on our pathway. We are tested in faith in many ways, but a chapter like the previous one would be a great encouragement to us, and indeed where we have read too. Think of the joy that indeed lies before us, and what we can indeed experience now. Think of the Lord Jesus, the One who “in view of the joy lying before him, endured the cross”. I was particularly thinking of the perfect balance of the Lord Jesus, and all these things that were before Him and how He endured that, “endured the cross, having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. I feel very weak in anything I can say regarding this, but was encouraged by these verses, dear brethren, and may we be able to take something from them. It is a great matter here, but again for ourselves, “For consider well him who endured so great contradiction from sinners against himself, that ye be not weary, fainting in your minds”. It goes on to speak about chastening. Perhaps we can be slow to benefit from chastening, and chastening might seem a hard thing, but perhaps if we are slow to benefit from chastening we might have to bear some of that too. It says, “Ye endure for chastening, God conducts himself towards you as towards sons; for who is the son that the father chastens not?”. It goes on to say, “But no chastening at the time seems to be matter of joy, but of grief; but afterwards yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those exercised by it”. I feel that is a word for myself at any rate, dear brethren. These things are written for our help and for our encouragement. There is no chastening - Scripture is quite clear about it - that “at the time seems to be matter of joy, but of grief; but afterwards yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those exercised by it”. There are matters we have to bear and go through which would be chastening, but it speaks about “afterwards”. The Lord Himself indeed suffered; “looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith”: what an example we have in Him. It says, “Let us also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us”; there are those who have gone on in faith, those who have died in faith. It would encourage us, “Let us also therefore, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us, looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith”. That would be looking stedfastly on the perfect Example. How encouraging that is, dear brethren, that we can be sustained. It says, “run with endurance the race”. It would be clear that we are in this but, as we look stedfastly on Jesus, that would be where we would find our resource and find our strength so that we have the ability to be found running “with endurance the race that lies before us, looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith”. That would involve faith; “run with endurance the race” would involve faith. “Run with endurance the race that lies before us”: how can we be sustained in that? It seems to me that it is quite clear here, “looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith”, looking on Him “who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured the cross, having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.
I feel tested and feeble in speaking of these things, dear brethren, but may we be encouraged and may we be helped in them and think of what has been secured for the Lord Jesus; and of the joy that was lying before Him, what is secured in the assembly, what is precious to Him. And what is precious to Him is to be precious to us; the delight He has in the assembly, that holy vessel that is entirely pleasing to Him. May we be encouraged to hold these things in our hearts.
May it be so for His Name's sake.
Aberdeen
3rd June 2014