Look at Jesus

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This is a sermon based on Hebrews 12:2 in which the author urges believers to look unto Jesus for encouragement in running the race that is set before them. The message includes four different qualities found in the life of Christ and urges hearers to seek to imitate Jesus in their lives.

Written Excerpts:

Hebrews 12:2 ^(NKJV) 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Introduction:

In this second verse, the readers are being admonished to “look unto Jesus.” Or, today we might say it like, “take a look at Jesus.” I want to use this phrase to introduce my message to you today about some of the qualities of Jesus’ life. Perhaps we will use the next few weeks to return to this passage and explore it in closer detail.

Have you ever been encouraged to really get to know someone? Maybe you already knew them in a casual way, but you were challenged to really get to know them more intimately. Have you ever been surprised, once you did get a more intimate knowledge of someone, to find out that they were much different than you previously thought?

In our Scripture passage today we have read in verse 1 that believers are urged to “run a race.” This race is obviously a spiritual race, not literal. But, it is a race that has many parallels to a literal race. The rigors of the race can be compared to the life of faith. For example, many people have compared our life of faith to be much more like a marathon than a sprint or dash. It has been described more like an endurance race than one that focuses on who’s in first place. Just being able to make it to the finish line is the primary goal.

In the admonition given here, the writer offers two different sources of inspiration to the runners. One source would include the saints of faith described in chapter 11 who have “witnessed” or testified by their actions that they have been overcomers, or should we say “winners.” The other source of inspiration to these “racers” is mentioned in verse 2 – Jesus. There are specific reasons they are urged to consider Him as a source of inspiration, which we will probably explore in future sermons, but none-the-less, they have been encouraged to use Jesus as a source of knowledge, strength and inspiration as they daily run the race of life in faith.

Today I would like to direct your thoughts toward Jesus and some specific qualities that the Bible tells us about Him. In doing this, I hope it will inspire and challenge us to be more like Him.

There are a number of different Bible passages that urge readers (or listeners) to strive to be like Jesus.

For example: 

1 Peter 2:21 ^(NKJV) For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

Philippians 2:5 ^(NKJV) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

John 13:34 ^(NKJV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

If we are admonished to look at Jesus and to imitate Jesus, then it is important to review some important qualities of His life. I want to express just four of those qualities for you today.

I.      In His birth, He demonstrated His humility.

There are at least two ways that Jesus demonstrated humility in His birth.

A.    Humility is demonstrated in His voluntary condescension from heaven to earth.

Philippians 2:7 ^(NKJV) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

“no reputation” – lit. to make empty or void (Thayer); does not selfishly exploit His divine form but lays it aside… (TDNT).

“form of bondservant” – took on the characteristics of a slave (A.T. Robertson).

B.     Humility is demonstrated in the humble circumstances surrounding His birth and life.

Poor virgin; stable; lowly carpenter’s home…

In a spiritual race, humility is an important characteristic to possess.

Benjamin Franklin – Pride is the hardest trait to erase from one’s life. If I should succeed in removing all pride from my life, I may then be strongly tempted to be proud of my humility. (Not an exact quote.)

Humility is a most strange thing. The moment that you think you have acquired it is just the moment you have lost it. – Bernard Meltzer (Draper’s Quotations)

I recently read this quip: A humble man never blows his "knows" in public!

Matthew 20:26-28 ^(NKJV) … whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

II.    In His life, He demonstrated His compassion.

As we read through the four gospels and review the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, it is very possible the one thing that would stand out the most about Him would be His consistent compassion for people.

While preaching, Peter summarizes the life of Jesus by saying, “He went about doing good.”

Acts 10:38 ^(NKJV) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

There are at least 10 different places in the gospels where it mentions “Jesus had compassion.” Sometimes the object of His compassion was described as multitude(s) and other times it was a single individual. Everywhere Jesus went, He was moved by the conditions of humanity, whether it was pain and suffering, poverty, or other conditions, He saw their deepest needs and was moved to the point of action.

May God help us to see that trait so clearly in Christ, that we seek to pattern our own lives after Him.

Jesus – “As the Father has sent me, so send I you.”

III.   In His passion, He demonstrated His obedience.

Philippians 2:8 ^(NKJV) 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.

Paul’s point here seems to be that once the Son humbled Himself and took the characteristics of humanity, even as a “slave/servant,” then in that status of humanity He continued being obedient to His Father to the very point of death.

(Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) – His obedience is a sure token of his deity and authority for, as Lohmeyer says in a brilliant insight, only a divine being can accept death as obedience; for ordinary people it is a necessity.

And, it wasn’t just a natural death, or a hero’s death on the battlefield, but it was the cursed death on a cross, as if He was a criminal.

Hebrews 5:8 ^(NKJV) though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Learning is related to the word knowledge, and the word know in Greek almost always included the idea of knowing by experience. Luke 2:52 tells us that Jesus as a child and youth “grew in wisdom and stature.” That is, as a human being, even one that was without sin, He continued to increase in wisdom. So, Jesus didn’t “learn obedience” as if He had not known what obedience was, but He learned it in the sense of experiencing more and more what obedience involved.

Last Sunday I spoke on the subject of obedience to God as it was emphasized by the prophet Samuel to King Saul. Ever since the Garden of Eden, the Devil has constantly lured people into disobedience against God. It will always be his scheme to defy God by convincing His creatures that they do not need to obey their Creator.

Look at Jesus and emulate His obedience to the Father!

IV.   In His resurrection, He demonstrated His Power.

You’ve heard me say this many times, but whenever the OT wants to express the great power of God, the writers often refer back to the Exodus from Egypt and the victory at the Red Sea.

The NT writers also referred to the Exodus, but whenever they wanted to express the epitome of power, they usually spoke of the resurrection of Christ.

Ephesians 1:18-20 ^(NKJV) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

Believers that are running an endurance race, trying to make it to the finish line in the midst of all kinds of opposition, trials, and suffering, need the reassurance that God’s power is able to carry them through to the end. It’s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. You and I can make it to the end of life, through all the trial, temptations and tribulations because Christ’s resurrection power is available to us.

Conclusion:

I mentioned at the beginning of the message today that the writer is encouraging his readers to faithfully and successfully run the spiritual race that we all must run. As we run the race, there are plenty of opportunities for us to become discouraged and to give up.

Knowing this, the author offered two different sources of encouragement: the people who have lived before us, and most of all, our Lord Jesus Christ. If we keep our eyes focused on Him, and not on those around us, then we can successfully finish the race and receive the “winner’s reward.”

We have taken a look at four different qualities in the life of Jesus. As we remember them, let us use His example as a model for our own lives of faith as we run this spiritual race.

As we do that, our greatest desire should be the desire to be like Jesus. So, let’s sing that as our prayer for the closing hymn this morning.

I Want to Be Like Jesus