<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Christian race begins when an individual accepts Jesus as Lord, Master and Savior of their life.\u00a0 The new believer begins to learn the things of God and how to grow in the grace of God.\u00a0 To make a success of this new life, he or she must depend on and trust on Jesus Christ totally in all things and at all times.\u00a0 He must be dependent on Christ who is the true Vine from whom he draws both nutrient and strength to run this Christian race. Therefore he must focus on Jesus continuously because Christ is the author of this race and He is the only one who can see him through to the end.\u00a0 The devil, the enemy of our soul, is always fighting by trying to put obstacles on our way in the form of opposition, discouragement, temptations, etc., but we must remain resolute and not be ashamed of all we may suffer knowing whom we have believed.\u00a0 We should be persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day, 2 Timothy 1:12.\u00a0 We must therefore continually \u201clook unto Him who is the author and finisher of our faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u2018Looking unto Jesus\u2019 simply means focusing on Christ as the source of our being and to be fully dependent on Him for all things that pertain to life and godliness. \u00a0This implies that Jesus is the one that brought the Christian faith and perfected it.\u00a0 We must steadfastly look unto Him for direction, guidance and instruction, by trusting Him absolutely and following in His steps if we must run this Christian race successfully.\u00a0 When we remove our focus from Christ we stumble.\u00a0 As we look unto Him, we must learn to believe and trust Him in everything while yielding our lives totally to Him.\u00a0 This is the only way we can run the Christian race successfully and finish it victoriously.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are many alternatives people resort to when they refuse to look unto Jesus.\u00a0 Such people have come under the devil\u2019s captivity.\u00a0 Some of the alternatives include: soothsayers, native doctors, false prophets, palm readers, horoscope, astrology, necromancy, consultation of mediums and many others.\u00a0 The devil, being a liar from the beginning and the father of it, gives such people false confidence that all is well with them.\u00a0 Their eyes are blinded and their minds are seared so that they cannot perceive the truth and not focus on Him who is the only true and living God, the Creator of the universe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Weight that slows down the believer in the Christian race can take any form or shape. This includes excessive cares (inordinate affection) and concern for the things of this world.\u00a0 When we get entangled in these, we get easily distracted and remove our focus from Christ and this may lead to a gradual fall out of the race which ultimately ends in separation from Christ. That is why it is imperative that we lay such weights aside and make sure we put them under check at all times.<\/p>\n The only way a believer can overcome such weights and sins that easily ensnare him is by consciously doing away with them through the power of the Holy Spirit and thereafter living a new life in Christ.\u00a0 Apostle Paul admonishes the believers to mortify their members by not yielding their bodies to sin. He continued by saying, \u201cBut now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.\u00a0 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed after the knowledge of Him that created him\u201d, Colossians 3:8-10.\u00a0 There must first be a putting off of the old man and then the putting on of the new man.\u00a0 It is only when this is effectively done that we can run the race and be able to look unto Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The race that is set before us simply refers to our life here on earth after we have accepted Jesus into our lives as our Lord and personal Savior.\u00a0 In other words, it talks about the life style of the born again Christian as he journeys through this earth on his way to heaven.\u00a0 We all have a destination, which is to be with Christ in heaven and to receive a warm welcome, and reward from the Master.\u00a0\u00a0 This demands therefore that we must run with patience this race that is set before us by looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.\u00a0 In addition, God expects us to be holy, and present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto Him, which is our reasonable service.\u00a0 We should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Christ is both the author and the finisher of the faith of the believers.\u00a0 This is explained briefly below:<\/p>\n As the author of our faith, Christ died on the cross and shed His blood so as to reconcile us back to God, so that we who were no people can now be called the people of God.\u00a0 It is only after we have accepted this that we begin our life\u2019s journey as believers.\u00a0 \u201cBut as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name\u201d, John 1:12.\u00a0 It is at the point of receiving Him and His giving us the power to become the sons of God that we start this journey of our faith.\u00a0 Christ is the one that begins this in us.<\/p>\n We know that by our own power we are not able to run this Christian race to the end successfully.\u00a0 Christ has promised that He will be with us always, even to the end of the age.\u00a0 As the finisher of our faith, Christ is always there with us to see to it that what He started in us is not terminated mid-way.\u00a0 So we are assured in Philippians 1:6, \u201cBeing confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.\u201d\u00a0 We have no reason to fail because He that started this race in us is still going along with us to ensure that we get to the end victoriously.\u00a0 The onus lies on us therefore to steadfastly look unto Jesus at all times because He is able to finish what He started in our lives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This teaches us that it is only by the grace of God we can live the Christian life.\u00a0 The scripture tells us \u201cfor by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; not of works lest any man should boast.\u00a0 For we are the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God ordained that we should walk in them\u201d, Ephesians 2:8-10. Grace is an unmerited favor which God in Christ Jesus gave to as many as come to Him.\u00a0 We must therefore depend on Christ in order not to make a shipwreck of our faith.\u00a0 \u201cWherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he falls\u201d, 1 Corinthians 10:12.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus lived a life of absolute obedience to God.\u00a0 He understood the Father\u2019s purpose for sending Him into the earth, so He lived by the demands of God\u2019s mandate for Him, Christ, here on earth.\u00a0 Jesus remained focused even in the face of many contradictions against Him.\u00a0 Even in the case of opposition and insult, from the very people Christ came to die for (their sin), He was still full of compassion for them and prayed to His Father, and said \u201cFather forgive them; for they know not what they do\u201d, Luke 23:34.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus understood that the purpose of God in sending Him into the world was for the redemption of man from sin and death.\u00a0 He knew He had a mission and also knew what was awaiting Him at the end.\u00a0 Christ was determined to go through all these for our sakes, \u201cwho for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God\u201d, Hebrews 12:2.<\/span><\/p>\n There is a wise saying, \u201cno cross, no crown\u201d.\u00a0 Christ underwent the suffering because of the glory ahead. He was obedient to His Father unto death, even the death of the cross.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As we run the Christian race, there are bound to be distractions, hindrances and discouragements along the way.\u00a0 However, we must be encouraged by the fact that Jesus Christ, our perfect example also encountered these unpleasant situations, yet He \u2018\u201dendured such contradictions of sinners against Himself\u201d.\u00a0 This should motivate us to hold on and persist to the end.\u00a0 We should be rest assured that Christ is there to help us and see us through all difficulties.\u00a0 \u201cWherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He liveth to make intercession for them\u201d, Hebrews 7:25.<\/p>\n Some of the ingredients that will help us to run this race to the end, in addition to the realization mentioned above included among others is dwelling in God\u2019s presence constantly by spending quality time in prayers.\u00a0 The regular study, meditation and doing the word of God is very important.\u00a0 Attending fellowship with other brethren and involvement in evangelism will be very helpful.\u00a0 In all these, we must be determined to shun all forms of discouragement in order to receive the commendation of the Master.\u00a0 \u201cFor we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end\u201d, Hebrews 3:14.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every believer in Christ Jesus is involved in a race. The one who begins this race in us and sees to it that we finish it victoriously is Christ.\u00a0 This is why He is known as the author and the finisher of our faith.\u00a0 For us to finish this race successfully therefore, we must focus steadfastly on Christ.\u00a0 He has passed through whatever we may encounter now and He overcame in all.\u00a0 Since He knows the way, we are confident that if we focus on Him and trust Him for direction and guidance, we can be assured of running this race victoriously and successfully and ultimately making it to heaven.<\/p>\n We must resist the devil and his cohorts, by fleeing from all appearances of evil.\u00a0 Constant and regular prayer, study and meditation on the word of God are very imperative in keeping our focus on Christ.\u00a0 Regular attendance to fellowship with brethren must never be forsaken.\u00a0 This helps the believer through the encouragement received from other brethren.\u00a0 We must occupy ourselves effectively in the work of the master through evangelism and all other activities that pertain to the kingdom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hebrews 12:2 \u2013 \u201cLooking 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 is set down at the right of the throne of God.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Looking Unto Jesus, April 6, 2014 Central thought: Looking unto Jesus guarantees a successful Christian race. Text: Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Peter 2:21-25 The Christian race begins when an individual accepts Jesus as Lord, Master and Savior of their life.\u00a0 The new believer begins to learn the things of God and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sundayschool"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427\/revisions\/428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. What alternatives do people resort to when they refuse to look unto Jesus?<\/h5>\n
3. What do you understand by the weight that slows down the believer and how can it be overcome?<\/h5>\n
4. What is the race set before us and how are we to run it? Hebrews 12:1-2, 6:11-12, 10:36; Romans 12:1-2<\/span><\/h5>\n
5. How is Christ the author and finisher of our faith?<\/h5>\n
A. the Author of our faith, Hebrews 5:9.<\/h6>\n
B. the Finisher of our faith, Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 12:2.<\/h6>\n
6. What does the previous question teach us about the Christian faith?\u00a0 Ephesians 2:8-10<\/span><\/h5>\n
7. How did Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, live? Hebrews 12:2-3; Luke 23:34<\/h5>\n
8. Why did he endure such a life? Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 3:13-15; Romans 14:9; Hebrews 12:2<\/h5>\n
9. What are some of the ingredients that will help us to run the Christian race successfully? Hebrews 12:13<\/h5>\n
Daily living application:<\/h3>\n
Memory verse<\/h3>\n