Looking to Jesus

(Hebrews 12:2)  “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith …”

Looking to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith is the instruction, for we have not been instructed to look to men or organisations, or even Christian communities, which can at times be our mistake. Why the instruction? Well I suppose there are many differing factors we should consider, so here goes; Men a fallible, even when they may think that they are exempt. There is something in us all that loves to value our opinions and views above those around us and it can be at times fuelled by pride and arrogance. There is not one amongst us who hasn’t originated from fallen flesh. Our minds have been tainted by sin, through our own thoughts and not the views of another. It’s all what our eyes and ears have been exposed to along life’s journey. Our God given senses are rather phenomenal but can be twisted and misused, exploring forbidden pleasures that are sinful and an abomination before a holy God.

SIN is the cause of it all; therefore we have been instructed to look to the ONE who has no sin, our great Saviour the LORD JESUS CHRIST! For He is the founder of our faith, the One who knew no sin and the One who died for sinners like you and I. Not only did He live a life that was sin free through the trial of it all, but He learnt obedience through suffering; perfecting the path to righteousness and the conduits we as Christians have been instructed to follow. Following men could set us up for a fall, we could be caught up by one of their “hobby horses” believing it to be gospel and the outcome of that journey could bring with it great despair with lots of repair work needed to mend certain truths. Thankfully our God is long- suffering and He is patient with us all. Christianity is a marathon and not a sprint. Our eyes need to be fixed on Christ; He is the start, finish and everything in-between.    

Men and women who fly the Christian flag are not without the blemishes of sin and therefore at times have chinks in their minds eye when it comes to their “pastimes”. The Lord Jesus had one “hobby horse” and that was to do the will of His Father and nothing else, regardless of the cost to His flesh, praise His name. Without His singleness of eye we would all be heading for a Christ-less eternity and the Lake of Fire. He has given us a hope that will eventually be achieved, heaven with all its glory.

The Apostle Paul had this to say; He commanded those whom he taught to follow his example, but only as much as he himself followed Christ.

The Lord Jesus is not only the “founder” but the “perfecter” of our faith and no one else can claim that position. He alone walked that road, and this was one of His summations concerning His journey; “Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head”. He has been given the right to free us up to serve God and there is no one else who can complete that miracle. It is the sole purpose of mankind to have their gaze fixed upon the finished work of the cross. The rest of our lives are filled with so much clutter that we will lose sight of this at times when we shift our gaze. Satan’s objective is for that to happen and so he lures us with all kinds of counterfeit traps; fear, doubt, sin and hopelessness are just some of the fuel use to feed the fire. It’s the Word of God that rights our wrongs, and our great Saviour is that Word. Hence the instruction; “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith …” The Lord is faithful and His tribute which has been penned for all who would dare to seriously explore between the covers of the Bible will understand. He will not turn one away who is thoughtful with that endeavour, of this I am convinced.     

Having established our necessity to follow Christ and His example under the direction of His Spirit’s guidance we are also instructed to observe like minded individuals and to learn from them so long as they are truly grounded upon the Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ; “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.” (Hebrews 13:7-9)

Many of our loved ones have crossed over the river Jordan and into the Promised Land where we will once against meet up with them, if we hold onto the finished work of the cross with all we have, looking unto Jesus the founder and the finisher of our faith. Have nothing to do with the waves of uncertainty they will only ever fuel doubt which in turn will lead to unbelief.

Signing off

Tyrone