“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. 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.”
Verse one portrays the Christian life as a foot race. Like the racer, we are to rid ourselves of anything that will hinder us from running as effectively as possible. Verse two tells us Who the goal is. A race has a finish line, a goal for the runner to reach. As we endeavor to lead a Christian life, serving Jesus, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, for He is our goal. Why? The first reason is that Jesus is the “author…of our faith.” The fact is that without Jesus there would not be a race. He is the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” It was intrinsically woven into the fabric of the biblical narrative, and of the world, that Jesus would be the “author” of our faith. If we are to run the race of the Christian life effectively, we must keep our eyes of Jesus, knowing that He is with us every step of the way. Jesus will be there for us at the end of the race; then we will be with Him throughout the ages. The second reason is that Jesus is the “finisher of our faith.” At the moment just before His death, Jesus said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) “The lamb slain from the foundation of the world” had accomplished what was in the heart of God from the beginning, i.e., that people would be saved by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. What had been prophesied throughout Old Testament prophecy and typology, came to fruition in Christ. Our goal is the One who made salvation possible. When we lose sight of Jesus, we stumble and the race becomes meaningless to us. We become tired and irritable, doing “church work” for its own sake and not for Jesus’ sake. We are not effective in our service for Jesus when the ultimate reason for the race is blurred. The third reason is that Jesus is “at the right hand of the throne of God.” When Jesus “endured the cross,” He became the finisher of our faith. Crucifixion was the most painful form of capital punishment ever devised by man. In order to be our goal, Jesus had to endure the pain and anguish of the cross. We should never forget the price that was paid to get us into the race in the first place. Paul was right when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:20: “For ye are bought with a price…” Jesus also “despised the shame of the cross, because He knew that the outcome would be our salvation. He was willing to make Himself a public spectacle, and to endure the taunts of the hostile crowd, in order to do for us what needed to be done for our salvation. For this reason, we should never be ashamed of belonging to Jesus and serving Him. The drama ended in glory, however, for Jesus arose from the grave and ascended to “the right hand of the throne of God.” Our goal is not on this earth but in heaven. Our ultimate goal is to believe in Jesus and be saved, then to serve and please Him here and to finally be with Him in heaven. Whatever our spiritual gifts for Christian service are, our goal for using them is Jesus. What or who is your goal? Why do you continue to “run”? Why do you continue to serve? If the reason is not Jesus, you need to change your goal and look to Him. No one other than Jesus could be the “author and finisher of our faith.” No other goal could be “at the right hand of the throne of God.” No other goal is worthy of our effort. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Bro. Joe
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