by thewayofredeemers

Putting Faith Into Motion – Part 3

  1. Inspiration
  • I like the story of a man who walked into a gift shop that sold religious items. Near the cash register he saw a display of caps with “WWJD” printed on all of them. He was puzzled over what the letters could mean, so he asked the clerk. The clerk replied that the letters stood for “What Would Jesus Do”, and was meant to inspire people to not make rash decisions, but rather to imagine what Jesus would do in the same situation. The man thought a moment and then replied, “Well, I’m sure Jesus wouldn’t pay $17.95 for one of these caps.”
  • Keep Christ in Focus – Looking unto Jesus
  • One cannot look around and be distracted and expect to win
  • Keep your eyes on the prize

iii. When the dying Jews looked to the uplifted serpent, they were healed; and this is an illustration of our salvation through faith in Christ

Num. 21:4–9 – 4. Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6. So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

John 3:14–16 – 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15. that whoever believes in Him should not perish but[a] have eternal life. 16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

“Looking unto Jesus” describes an attitude of faith and not just a single act. Heb 12:1

  1. Consider what our hero did – 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.
  2. He ran the race first and set the course – the author and finisher of our faith;
  3. Author = means originator – Jesus “pioneered” the path of faith Christians should follow.
  4. Finisher = means perfecter – He also “perfected” the way of faith since He reached its end successfully.
  5. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
  6. He endured – endured the cross
  7. Through humility – Philippians 2:8 – 8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
  8. For humanity – Hebrews 2:9 – 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
  9. He took all the sin of the world on Him
  10. He died a horrible, agonizing death
  11. It was the worst humiliation known to man

iii. He suffered – despising the shame

  1. Not the shame of the cross but he shame of all of mankind’s sins on the perfect holy one
  2. He despised the shame, but never rejected it, for you and me
  3. He gained the ultimate prize – who for the joy that was set before him is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
  4. Psalms 110:1 – The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
  5. See also Heb. 1:3 – 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

see also Hebrews 1:13 – 13. But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”

Hebrews 8:1 -1. Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.

1 Peter 3:22 – 22. who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

  1. He sits as the ultimate judge and rewarder of each one in the race

Conclusion:

What weight is holding you back from faith?

What sin are you chained to so much that don’t feel you can break free?

Are you moving forward in your faith?

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