Jesus said, “I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
HEBREWS 12:2 – Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
DEFINITION:
FOUNDER – ONE THAT FOUNDS OR ESTABLISHES
HEBREWS 2:10 – For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
FOUNDER in GREEK CAN DESIGNATE EITHER AN ORIGINATOR OR A LEADER
- ORIGINATOR: One who creates or introduces something new
- EXAMPLE: (THOMAS A EDISON – Was the originator of the light bulb.)
- SYNONYMS: Designer, formulator, inventor, author.
Who is the founder of salvation?
HEBREWS 5:9 – And being made perfect, He became the AUTHOR of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
AUTHOR – One that originates or creates something; Source
JESUS IS THE FOUNDER OF THE SALVATION
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THIS FOUNDER or ORIGINATOR OF SALVATION?
HEBREWS 1:5 – For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, ’’today I have begotten you” Or again “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
PSALM 2:7 – I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
DECREE – is the divine word spoken when the King took His throne. “THE LORD SAID”, the past tense indicates that the king recalls the divine word at a time of trouble after his coronation.
2 SAMUEL 7:14 – God says that He will take the heir of David as a “son”. The people of Israel as a whole are called the “Son of God”
Exodus 4:22-23; s. 80:15; Hosea 11:1 And the king is called the “Son of God” because he represents the people (Psalms. 89:27)
Hebrews 1:5; Psalms 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14 – identify JESUS as the messianic heir of David.
Acts 13:33; Romans 1:4 – Paul portrays the resurrection of Jesus as his coronation as David king.
Perfecter OF OUR FAITH
Hebrews 2:10 – …perfect through suffering.
- Christ’s perfection leads to the perfection of His people. This will be realized fully on the last day.
HEBREWS 11:39-40 – For the Joy that was set before Him endured.
- The promise of future reward and joy gave Jesus the strength to suffer on the CROSS DESPISING THE SHAME. The crucifixion was performed in public, and it caused hours of suffering. The whole event was intended to cause shame, not just death (Matthew 27:35). After He suffered, He is seated at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12).
HEBREWS 12:3 – Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Jesus is better than every other thing believers are tempted to fall back into, such as their former ways of sin, culturally comfortable patterns of thinking or living, or non-Christian ethical codes. In the midst of adversity, believers are to fix their eyes on Jesus, live by faith, and run the race that is marked out for them. (https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/global-message-of-hebrews/)
HEBREWS 11:1 & 6 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him
CONCLUSION
- As twenty-first-century Christians, it can be difficult to look to JESUS (Hebrews12:2). And yet beneath every reason for discouragement or distraction, our great High Priest lives and stands interceding for his brothers and sisters from every tribe and nation.
- He has experienced all our suffering and more. He knows our weaknesses. Let us run the race of faith. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)
LOOKING UNTO JESUS (with focus)
OUR SOURCE
OUR EXAMPLE
PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 – 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have [a]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
