The Author & Perfecter

Throughout this series we’ve been hearing that same invitation — Come and See. Come and see Jesus for who He really is. Because the truth is, not everyone who saw Him, saw Him rightly. Some saw the miracles and thought He came to make life easier — but not holier. Some wanted miracles, some wanted the king to conquer — many have fallen in love with “the wrong Jesus”.

(PPT) If we don’t see Jesus rightly, we won’t follow Him faithfully. If we start with the wrong picture of who He is, we’ll end up in the wrong place — spiritually drained, distracted, and disappointed. That’s what happened to the Christians in Hebrews. They believed, but they were growing weary. They were looking at the pain, the persecution, the pressure — and their eyes started to drift from the Person.

So the Hebrew writer says, “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” He’s saying: Come and see Him properly. See not just the miracles, but the mission. Not just the blessings, but His endurance. Not just what He gives, but who He is — the One who began your faith, and the One who will finish it.

He helps you start and finish the race —— but ask yourself, what keeps you running? There’s a point in every marathon runners call “the wall.” It’s where your legs go numb, your chest burns, and every voice in your head screams, “Just stop.”

That’s where a lot of Christians live — not faithless, just exhausted. The race feels long, the finish line feels far, and the joy that once carried you feels faint.

That’s exactly where the Hebrew Christians were. And into that moment, God speaks through this letter and asks: What keeps you running?

Maybe you realize you don’t have another option, this is the best there is but it certainly isn’t bad and there is something so good at the finish line!

The Church and Christians that this is written to are being urged to stay in the Faith, not to forsake the assembly and give up meeting together to worship and study together (Heb.10:25), to as Hebrews 12:12 says “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,” ——— These Christians were going through it! They were looking around at the world and looking at themselves and the life that they were facing wasn’t matching up to what they they expected life to be! It’s as if their thought was “If God’s Kingdom is here, If Christ is victorious, IF I am really saved and His child then why am I facing these things and why is life so hard?” What they could see didn’t match up with expectations.

So, God told us through the writer in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” They looked too hard at other things, and not enough at Jesus. And for the question of “why are things so hard sometimes” he answers in chapter 11 saying “it’s always been that way, that’s the story of faith!” And we see all the great men and women who triumphed! But get this - they had tragedy, they had turmoil, they had to make major life sacrifices - but they knew it was worth it Because ultimately they fixed their gaze where they should have.

He will urge us to do the same in Hebrews 12:2, to fix our eyes on Jesus…why? Because we’re easily distracted, and it’s a long race we need to run. NOT an impossible race. Not a too hard to do race. But one that demands dedication.

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”

“Great cloud of witnesses” — we are encircled by the champions of the past! How do you become good at a sport? You study the sport itself, knowing the ins and outs. AND you study champions of the sport.

We might have a mindset that says “everywhere I look someone is giving up, someone is jumping ship, someone is quitting Christianity, and I’m tempted too because I feel so alone!” — but God says you’re not, you’re surrounded by faithful ones cheering you on!

These men and women of faith testify to the goodness and faithfulness of God by their faith! They put aside the world and said “I’m going to do things God’s way!”…what do you say to that?

Can you look away from things that detract you from faithfulness? Can you lay aside the things that way you down from running faithfully? A faithful person says “I’m going to do things God’s way”, not someone that try’s to work God into my own plans. I’m not going to tell God how I’m going to be a faithful person, I’m gonna let God direct that.

What is it that is distracting you or holding you back? When you’re running a race, that’s the only thing that can matter to you!

(PPT) He doesn't say here every sin first, he does right after, but first he says here anything that is weighing you down and holding you back from faithfulness. And so you might say “well this isn’t sinful!” — yea…but is it weighing you down? Your desire to get ahead in life, your weekend plans, your daily routines alone or with family…is it distracting you? Draining you? Derailing you? Consuming you?

Whatever it is that’s taking your eyes off Jesus — whether it’s sinful or just too much weight — you’ve got to lay it aside. If it doesn't fuel faith it’ll force you to ruin.

And this is why over and over again things like 1 Timothy 6:9 “But those who desire to be rich …. plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Sometimes you have to decide and make the hard choice knowing that it’s keeping me from who God tells me I need to be and it’s not worth my eternity.

That’s what Moses did, the last chapter, Hebrews 11:24–25 “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”

So many of us are carrying so much “stuff” — literally and metaphorically, and whatever is derailing me and distracting me I’ve got to lay it aside and say “Jesus is worth more, He is more to me”.

Here is the reminder from God saying “you’re carrying around some weights that just aren’t necessary!”

And yes, every sin too. We can’t indulge every appetite and still be followers of Jesus.

God is concerned with where you end up, where you go from here - He’s trying to get you to work with Him on making the finish a faithful finish!

People are remembered for how they finish. They’re not remembered for how much they started with, or how fast they took off at the beginning. Don’t let your end be a disappointment, but an occasion for rejoicing.

Hebrews 12:2 “looking to (fixing our eyes on) Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

But where am I looking? Heb.12:2 said I’ve got to FIX MY EYES ON Jesus! Looking also means NOT looking. Not looking to the side or what’s behind.

(PPT) Look/Fix Eyes = (17 different words or variations in our NT) this one means “to look away from one thing so as to see another”

(PPT) I’m meant to COME & SEE Jesus and KEEP my eyes on Him!

To see that He is good and faithful.

To see that He is loving and just.

To see that He’s not only the best Teacher, but also the truest Friend — my correction when I’m wrong, my strength when I’m weak, my sacrifice when I had nothing to offer.

He is my Hope, my Healer, and my Guide — and when my eyes stay on Him, He’ll carry me across the finish line of faith.

But Satan loves to try to throw road blocks and surprises my way. He love to throw distractions about my circumstances.

If i start with looking at my circumstance, I won’t have the right fixed gaze on Jesus. But if I start with Jesus, then I can tackle the circumstances I’m faced with - and suddenly road blocks are no longer blocks, surprises don’t frighten me, and circumstances are now opportunities for faith to preach the goodness of Jesus.

You may feel way behind, you may feel way defeated and beat down, but it might be that you’re getting to the moment that God is doing something awesome with you and you didn’t realize it before — so keep running! Winners don’t quit, and quitters won’t finish. You can be tired! That’s fine! But don’t quit. Easy never improves us anyway. The struggle is where we grow, the ultimate joy is at the end but we get glimmers along the way!

AUTHOR - captain, founder, creator, prince, chief, leader, originator!

he is the leader of all others that go down this path to God. He is the pioneer, he blazes the trail, goes into undiscovered territory for us.

“Step where I step”

PERFECTER - to bring to an end by completing

same word in Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,”. He who is perfect will complete you!

We’re meant to read this and understand that that because of Jesus confidence and trust our faith will be rewarded.

When we place our lives in his hands we wont’ be disappointed because he will bring it to completion — it’s reassuring then when we realize this isn’t all that there is, it gets better….

So what does that mean for us?

When friends leave or marriage falls apart, you can remember the one that doesn’t leave or disappoint.

When your job disappears overnight, you remember that your identity was never in a paycheck but in a Person — and He still provides.

When you’re getting your next treatment wondering what this life will hold, you can fixate on Jesus and not that.

When you go to bed at night for the first time in years alone, it means that life isn't devoid of comfort or joy.

The same hands that carried the cross are carrying you — and He won’t drop what He died to save. WHERE ARE YOUR EYES FOCUSED???

Illustration: “Boat Rowers Focus - Captain, NOT the finish line”

I can be confident that what Jesus has started He will finish! That’s echoed by Paul in Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

But I do have a part to play in this perfecting process, faith isn’t a passive thing in my life — I must be in persistent pursuit of faith in Christ! (Heb.12:1, lay aside and endurance)

Romans 12:11 “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

No Christian wakes up unfaithful, they slowly cool off spiritually one day at a time. Keep close to the warmth of Christ and the Church!

Hebrews 12:3–4 “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

Consider what Jesus has done to make it possible! His race was against people who were bitter, who were ignorant of God’s will, it was against cruelty and pain...and he won. And we’re running because of Him, we’re running for Him and to Him!

For the joy set before YOU endure your suffering, endure your shame — don’t cave to it! We cave way too much to shame. Because we’re embarrassed to do something we do things the way people would rather us do things instead of God. Jesus’ attitude was “you can kill me, torture me, belittle me, mock me, think I’m wrong and weak, whatever you want but I’m going to do my Fathers will.” He despised the shame, He didn’t cave to it.

Again, adjust your focus…

Every Christian you know gets tired and weary and needs courage. and the way we give courage is “EN-COURAGE” them. We give courage, we instill courage in them. That’s more than just saying nice things to them, I’m not going to gain courage when I’m having a terrible day by you telling my my hair looks good...

So for one another we must think deeper “what does this person need to gain faithful courage, to be reminded of that?”

But the Hebrew writer’s first encouragement is “CONSIDER JESUS”. That’s for you and I as well. In the weary times look to Jesus, that’s not preacher talk. Jesus was tempted just as we are, Jesus was beat and mocked far more than we are, and Jesus endured far more than we ever will - and He did for you!

Sometimes I need the reassurance from someone. Sometimes I need the right foot of fellowship where someone says to me “You got your feelings hurt so you’re going to quit? Stop living so weak! Jesus suffered far more than that, so that you wouldn’t just throw in the towel when things don’t go your way.”

At the end of this long race are the witnesses, and best of all Jesus as one of those witnessing and cheering you on as you enter the coliseum at the end of the race!

You need to make the hard decisions of faithfulness. It will leave some around you to say “I don’t understand…I don’t understand why you’d do something so foolish…I don’t understand why you’d throw so much away or do things that way”…but you’re in good company because they treated Jesus and all the men and women of faith that way, that great cloud of witnesses that are watching saying “I’ve been there, it’s hard, but it’s worth it, this is what faith looks like, doing the good and right things when it cost you at times — DO IT AND DON’T LOOK BACK! FIX YOUR EYES FORWARD ON JESUS!”

Like Jesus, YOU endure.. and Jesus says we’ll be seated with God and Him one day. Revelation 3:21 “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

Is there anything you need to throw off? Can we help strengthen your hands and feet?