Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)
Message Eight
Looking Away Unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of Our Faith
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture Reading:
Heb. 12:1-2 Therefore let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us, Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.
I. “Looking away unto Jesus“—Heb. 12:2a, 1:3: (Monday)
A The Hebrew believers must look away from all things in their environment, look away from their old religion—Judaism, look away from the persecution of Judaism, and look away from all earthly things—Heb. 1:3.
B We are attracted by His charming beauty to look away from all things other than Him, so that we may run with endurance the race set before us—Heb. 12:1b.
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II. The Christian life is a race; every saved Christian must run this race to win the prize—1 Cor. 9:24: (Tuesday)
A This prize does not refer to general salvation but to a special reward—1 Cor. 9:24.
B The unique, entangling sin in Hebrews chapter 12 is the willful sin of forsaking the assembling of the saints and giving up the New Testament economy way in God’s economy—Heb. 10:25-26.
C We need to run with endurance, praying that the Lord would direct our hearts into the love of God to love God, and into the endurance of Christ to endure—2 Thes. 3:5.
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III. Jesus is the Author, Initiator, Originator, Source, and Cause of faith—Heb. 12:2a: (Wednesday)
A The believers’ faith is actually not their own faith, but Christ entering into them as their faith—Rom. 3:22.
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B Faith is a substantive capacity, a “sixth sense,” by which we substantiate things unseen or things hoped for—Heb. 11:1. (Thursday)
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C Without faith it is impossible to please God and to make God happy; he who comes to God must believe that He is—Heb. 11:6. (Friday)
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VI. Jesus is the Perfecter, Finisher, and Completer of our faith—Heb. 12:2a: (Saturday)
A As we continually look away unto Him, He will perfect and complete the faith needed for us to run the heavenly race—Heb. 12:1b-2a.
B When we look away unto Him, He will supply us with heaven, life, and strength, imparting and infusing His being into us—2 Cor. 3:18.
C Our regenerated spirit, our spirit of faith, is the victory that has overcome the world organized and occupied by Satan.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Therefore let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us, Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.—Heb. 12:1-2.
But without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him—Heb. 11:6.
Word of Appetizer
Why is the believers’ faith not actually their own faith, but Christ entering into them to be their faith?
Jesus is the Author, initiator, originator, source, and cause of faith; our faith is our appreciation of Christ as our reaction to His attraction.
The faith that saves us is the precious faith we have received from the Lord, the faith allotted by God; when we look away unto Jesus, He as the life-giving Spirit infuses Himself, the element of His faith, into us.
Spiritual Burden
If we want to enjoy the heavenly Christ, we need to look away from all earthly things unto Him; it is by being attracted by His charming beauty that we look away from all things other than Him, enabling us to run with endurance the race set before us.
Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of our faith; as we constantly look away unto Him, He will complete and perfect the faith we need to run the heavenly race; when we look away unto Him, He will supply us with heaven, life, and power, transmitting and infusing what He is into us, enabling us to run the heavenly race and live a heavenly life on earth.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
“Looking away unto Jesus.”
A Christian’s entire life is a race; every saved Christian must run this race to win the prize.
Jesus is the Author, initiator, originator, source, and cause of faith.
Jesus is the Perfecter, completer, and finisher of our faith.
The Experience of Life
Our faith is our appreciation of Christ as our reaction to His attraction; when we look away unto Jesus, He as the life-giving Spirit infuses Himself, the element of His faith, into us; this faith is not out of ourselves but out of the One who dispenses Himself as the element of faith into us for us believers.
When we look away unto Him, He will supply us with heaven, life, and power, transmitting and infusing what He is into us, enabling us to run the heavenly race and live a heavenly life on earth.
Practice and Application
If we want to enjoy the heavenly Christ, we need to look away from all earthly things unto Him.
A Christian’s entire life is a race; every saved Christian must run this race to win the prize; we need to run with endurance, asking the Lord to guide our hearts into the love of God to love God and into the endurance of Christ to endure.
Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of our faith; the way to receive such faith is by calling on the Lord, praying to the Lord, and pray-reading the Lord’s word to contact the source of this faith, who is the Lord, the processed and ultimate consummation God.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Looking away” in the original text refers to turning away from all other goals to fix one’s attention exclusively (Heb. 12:2).
(Please illustrate that what is the secret to running the race?)
T2 It is by being captivated by His charming beauty that we look away from all things apart from Him (Heb. 12:2, 1:3).
(Please illustrate that what is the difference between what Paul primarily presents to us in the book of Hebrews and in his other Epistles?)
Day 2
T1 The Christian life is a race (1 Cor. 9:24, Heb. 12:1).
(Please illustrate that every saved Christian must run this race to win the prize.)
T2 We believers in Christ have received His salvation through faith (Phil. 3:14).
(Please illustrate that whether we will receive the Lord’s reward in the future depends on how we run the race.)
Day 3
T1 All the victorious saints in the Old Testament were witnesses of faith, but Jesus is the Author of faith (Heb. 12:2).
(Please illustrate that Jesus is the initiator, originator, source, and cause of faith.)
T2 In ourselves, we have no faith (2 Pet. 1:1, Rom. 10:17).
(Please illustrate that the more we turn to God and contact Him, the more faith we will have.)
Day 4
T1 Faith is a substantiating capacity, like our “sixth sense” (Heb. 11:1).
(Please illustrate that how do we know that through the preaching of the gospel, we have received this substantiating faculty?)
T2 Once faith is produced within us, it can never be removed from us (2 Cor. 4:13).
(Please illustrate that even if we want to deny the Lord, we will eventually find that we cannot, because Christ as faith has been infused into us.)
Day 5
T1 Is” is the divine name of our Triune God (Heb. 11:5-6).
(Please illustrate that our God’s name is the verb “is”; He is “I AM WHO I AM,” He is the unique One.)
T2 Faith is stopping ourselves and doing nothing (Gal. 2:20).
(Please illustrate that “Faith” is stopping ourselves, doing nothing, and allowing God to be everything to us.)
Day 6
T1 Because of faith, as soon as we touch Christ, everything in Him comes into us (Heb. 4:2).
(Please illustrate that faith brings us into organic union with Christ.)
T2 We must contact God to receive faith (2 Cor. 4:13, 2 Tim. 2:22).
(Please illustrate that the way to receive such faith is by calling on the Lord, praying to the Lord, and pray-reading the Lord’s word, to contact the source of this faith.)
