The Joy Set Before Him
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross,
scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:2)
I was totally touched at the March 16 sermon at Mt. Paran. If Dr. Cooper gets any better at preaching, I think I'm going to explode! Here are some of the notes and my thoughts.
"Great is the art of beginning, but greater still is the art of ending." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
How are you at staying focused? Probably not that good in this short-attention-span, live-it-in-the-minute world. However, God calls us to live a focused life. But we are prone to distractions and disappointments.
Jesus was the most focused person who ever walked this earth. His focus was the Cross. In Luke 9:51, the Word says that He resolutely set out to go to Jerusalem, even though He knew the Cross was before Him. Resolutely=set his face like a flint, filed down to a single point.
Mark 10:46 To serve; gave His life as a ransom
John 3:14; John 12:32 lifted up
The Christian life is not about following principles; rather it is about following a Living Person, Jesus Christ. He taught principles.
What is the prize of my life? What is it that NOTHING will deter me from doing? It doesn't matter what trials, tribulations, or temptations come my way, I will do this thing.
How did Jesus Receive the Joy Set Before Him?
1. Focus on the prize. John 15:11. Jesus was full of joy. Set=lay before Him. Joy and Cross are in the same sentence. He could look beyond the pain of the moment because He could see--
a) glory / ascension / hope of heaven
b) the salvation of humanity / new covenant
If we lose our focus, we lose the race. Focus on the things that really matter and you'll be able to pass through the hard times, pain, etc.
Don't get caught up in the moment. Look past it, like Jesus did. (Isaiah 53)
2. Push through the pain. Jesus endured the cross. Guard your faith. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life. Keep your focus on Him. STAND. Deny yourself. 2 Tim. 3:12, Acts 14:22.
Patience, endurance, perseverance.
People are getting caught up in secularism, pluralism, atheism, and the like. People are renouncing the faith. There are so many people out in the world who are quick to say why they aren't a Jesus-follower, but why don't you take a stand and tell people WHY YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN? Don't lose your focus. Guard your faith. We need an enduring faith. Sometimes we need to deny ourselves to follow Christ. We might be persecuted for our faith. Acts 5:41, 2 Tim 3:12, Acts 14:22
3. Jesus scorned the shame of the cross. Phil 2:8, Gal. 3:10-13, Rom. 8:1, 1 Cor 6:11 -- BUT NOW. Now is what matters. Life starts over when you meet Jesus. Let Jesus take the same off your life!
ABCs of Christ at Calvary--
He took our anxiety and gave us His annointing
He took our brokenness and gave us His blessing
He took our chastisement and gave us His cleansing
He took our debt and gave us His deliverance
He took our emptiness and gave us His empowerment
He took our frailty and gave us His faithfulness
He took our guilt and gave us His grace
He took away our hopelessness and gave us His holiness
He took away our iniquity and gave us His intercession
He took our judgment and gave us justification
He took us out of the Kingdom of darkness and gave us the Kingdom of Light
He took our loneliness and gave us His love
He took our mistakes and gave us His masterpiece
He took our negative outlook on life and He gave us a noble calling
He took our oppression and gave us His overcoming power
He took our penalty and gave us His peace
He took our questions about God in life and He gave us the quickening power of the Holy Spirit
He took our rejection and gave us His redemption
He took away our shame and gave us His sanctification
He took our tradgedies and gave us His triumph
He took our unworthiness and gave us His unmerited favor
He took our vices and gave us His victory
He took our waywardness and gave us His wisdom
He took off of us a yoke of bondage and gave us a yoke that was easy
He took the zeal we had for selfish living and gave us a zeal for God that we may seek Him first
He endured all of that for me, for the joy set before Him. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin and shame of the world. What do we need to endure to walk in His footsteps to live the life He ordained for us?
4. He sat down. It was finished.
We all have a calling on our life and we need to finish what it is He gave us to do.
What other high priest do you know of who "sat down"? None.They didn't have a chair in the tabernacle because their work wasn't permanent. It was pointing to the later redemption of Christ.
Right hand=power of God
There are many Christians who think they can add to their salvation. They make "serving God" a burden. They want to make sure they "get in".
Serve not because of obligation, but because you love Him! Matt. 11:28-30
Religion=big burden, fear, guilt.
Jesus sat down--why don't you sit down with Him--and enjoy the goodness and the grace of God?
Jesus Christ is Lord! This confession=salvation.
1 Pet. 2:21
On the other side of the Cross is the Resurrection.
If you want to watch/hear this sermon online, go here: http://www.mountparan.com/sermonlist.asp
endured the cross,
scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:2)
I was totally touched at the March 16 sermon at Mt. Paran. If Dr. Cooper gets any better at preaching, I think I'm going to explode! Here are some of the notes and my thoughts.
"Great is the art of beginning, but greater still is the art of ending." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
How are you at staying focused? Probably not that good in this short-attention-span, live-it-in-the-minute world. However, God calls us to live a focused life. But we are prone to distractions and disappointments.
Jesus was the most focused person who ever walked this earth. His focus was the Cross. In Luke 9:51, the Word says that He resolutely set out to go to Jerusalem, even though He knew the Cross was before Him. Resolutely=set his face like a flint, filed down to a single point.
Mark 10:46 To serve; gave His life as a ransom
John 3:14; John 12:32 lifted up
The Christian life is not about following principles; rather it is about following a Living Person, Jesus Christ. He taught principles.
What is the prize of my life? What is it that NOTHING will deter me from doing? It doesn't matter what trials, tribulations, or temptations come my way, I will do this thing.
How did Jesus Receive the Joy Set Before Him?
1. Focus on the prize. John 15:11. Jesus was full of joy. Set=lay before Him. Joy and Cross are in the same sentence. He could look beyond the pain of the moment because He could see--
a) glory / ascension / hope of heaven
b) the salvation of humanity / new covenant
If we lose our focus, we lose the race. Focus on the things that really matter and you'll be able to pass through the hard times, pain, etc.
Don't get caught up in the moment. Look past it, like Jesus did. (Isaiah 53)
2. Push through the pain. Jesus endured the cross. Guard your faith. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life. Keep your focus on Him. STAND. Deny yourself. 2 Tim. 3:12, Acts 14:22.
Patience, endurance, perseverance.
People are getting caught up in secularism, pluralism, atheism, and the like. People are renouncing the faith. There are so many people out in the world who are quick to say why they aren't a Jesus-follower, but why don't you take a stand and tell people WHY YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN? Don't lose your focus. Guard your faith. We need an enduring faith. Sometimes we need to deny ourselves to follow Christ. We might be persecuted for our faith. Acts 5:41, 2 Tim 3:12, Acts 14:22
3. Jesus scorned the shame of the cross. Phil 2:8, Gal. 3:10-13, Rom. 8:1, 1 Cor 6:11 -- BUT NOW. Now is what matters. Life starts over when you meet Jesus. Let Jesus take the same off your life!
ABCs of Christ at Calvary--
He took our anxiety and gave us His annointing
He took our brokenness and gave us His blessing
He took our chastisement and gave us His cleansing
He took our debt and gave us His deliverance
He took our emptiness and gave us His empowerment
He took our frailty and gave us His faithfulness
He took our guilt and gave us His grace
He took away our hopelessness and gave us His holiness
He took away our iniquity and gave us His intercession
He took our judgment and gave us justification
He took us out of the Kingdom of darkness and gave us the Kingdom of Light
He took our loneliness and gave us His love
He took our mistakes and gave us His masterpiece
He took our negative outlook on life and He gave us a noble calling
He took our oppression and gave us His overcoming power
He took our penalty and gave us His peace
He took our questions about God in life and He gave us the quickening power of the Holy Spirit
He took our rejection and gave us His redemption
He took away our shame and gave us His sanctification
He took our tradgedies and gave us His triumph
He took our unworthiness and gave us His unmerited favor
He took our vices and gave us His victory
He took our waywardness and gave us His wisdom
He took off of us a yoke of bondage and gave us a yoke that was easy
He took the zeal we had for selfish living and gave us a zeal for God that we may seek Him first
He endured all of that for me, for the joy set before Him. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin and shame of the world. What do we need to endure to walk in His footsteps to live the life He ordained for us?
4. He sat down. It was finished.
We all have a calling on our life and we need to finish what it is He gave us to do.
What other high priest do you know of who "sat down"? None.They didn't have a chair in the tabernacle because their work wasn't permanent. It was pointing to the later redemption of Christ.
Right hand=power of God
There are many Christians who think they can add to their salvation. They make "serving God" a burden. They want to make sure they "get in".
Serve not because of obligation, but because you love Him! Matt. 11:28-30
Religion=big burden, fear, guilt.
Jesus sat down--why don't you sit down with Him--and enjoy the goodness and the grace of God?
Jesus Christ is Lord! This confession=salvation.
1 Pet. 2:21
On the other side of the Cross is the Resurrection.
If you want to watch/hear this sermon online, go here: http://www.mountparan.com/sermonlist.asp
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