Consider Him Who Endured (9-28-11)

Hebrews 12:3 - "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

As I mentioned a couple days ago, considering the person and work of Christ is something we can spend the rest of our lives doing and barely even scratch the surface. In Hebrews 3:1 we're told to consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. That verse focuses on the person of Christ. Here in Hebrews 12 we're instructed to consider Him who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself. This focuses on the work of Christ.
Just for the context Hebrews 12:1-3 says - "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." We're told consider Him who endured in order that we may not grow weary and lose heart. Jesus endured so much hostility by sinners against Himself. When I think of the hostility against Him I think mainly of the cross and the hours leading up to it, but there's so much more than that. Throughout His whole life sinners were hostile to Him and treated Him with contempt. If you read through the gospel accounts you'll see people, usually religious people, criticizing and questioning Him, doubting Him, lying about Him and wanting to put Him to death. Jesus didn't live a very comfortable life, and He wants us to follow His example. 1 Peter 2:21-25 says - "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."
Christ endured more than any human being will ever have to. Life isn't easy and it's not comfortable and that's why we have need of endurance. Opposition will come and we'll be tempted just to give up because living by faith is too hard. But when we feel this way, when we feel like giving up we need to consider Jesus. Consider what He endured by sinners against Himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. He endured so much for us, why can we not endure so little for Him?
1 Peter says we've been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example to follow in His steps. We've been called to suffer and endure it just as He did before us. While He was being reviled, He didn't revile in return, while suffering He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. We need to understand that God sees and knows everything that is going on in our lives. When we get hurt or offended by something we need to endure it knowing that God, the Righteous Judge will judge righteously. We're to consider Him so that we do not grow weary and lose heart. When we consider the endurance of Christ, rather than becoming weary in our trials we gain new strength, and we can say with the apostle Paul - "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."

I encourage you to read through the gospels and consider the hostility that our Lord endured by sinners against Himself all throughout His life, and let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Hebrews 12:2-3 - "and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."