Hebrews 12
We are MADE to Endure
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1
Read Hebrews 12
You’re in a Race
If you see me running, you better run too because there must be something after me. An athlete, I am not! Even if we have never set foot on a track, most of us can relate to the analogy given by the author in Hebrews 12. He compares our life of faith to a race and gives us some pointers on how to finish well. First, he warns us to get of rid of the weight that slows us down. If you are like me and a little on the heavy side, you probably relate to this. It’s hard to move at all (let alone fast) when you are a big gal. It would be a lot easier if I shed some pounds. In the same way that my physical weight prevents me from moving quickly, there are things in our life that prevent us from living out our faith well. What kinds of things is he talking about? Ephesians 4:31 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” Colossians 3:8 says, “But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.” 1 Peter 2:1 says, “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.” Like added weight around our mid-section, these are the types of sin that weigh us down, exhaust us, and cause us to trip and fall. We have to rid ourselves of them, and verse 2 explains how—by keeping our eyes on Jesus! Those who have gone before us in the faith witness our lives. Like a crowd of spectators watching an athletic event, they are cheering us on. We are encouraged to strip off that which slows us down. We must throw off the things that hold us back in our spiritual lives and run this race to win.
Accept Discipline
Growing up, my sister, Marsha, was a firecracker. She got in trouble a lot, but she was wiry and fast. Mom had to catch her before she could discipline her. When Marsha outran Mom, Mom would make me catch her—or take Marsha’s punishment! God is like any good parent. He disciplines his children. If you want to know a sure-fire way of testing your salvation, ask yourself this: What happens when you sin? Maybe you feel a guilty burning in your soul, but if you don’t repent, it shouldn’t end there. The Bible tells us a lot about God’s discipline. Sometimes it’s losing out on a reward, like the children of Israel not being allowed into the Promised Land. Sometimes it’s the removal of something or someone we love. David lost a child as a result of his sin with Bathsheba. It often involves less than desirable circumstances, like all the times the Jewish people were taken into captivity by foreign rulers. Sometimes, it even means illness or an early death like Ananias and Saphira when they lied about their gift to the church. For those who follow Christ, discipline is a direct consequence of our own sinful actions. God takes sin seriously! The Bible says that if God doesn’t discipline you, then you aren’t really a child of God. While discipline may involve punishment, it can also involve difficult tasks. A coach who asks his players to do fifty up and downs or 100 sit-ups is disciplining his team so that they can perform better. In the same way, God’s discipline has a purpose. Discipline is meant to make us stronger, more like Christ, better capable of completing our journey of faith. Hebrews tells us that those who are trained by God will receive the reward of right living. We think right living leads to a reward, but here the author says that right living is a reward in itself. God doesn’t discipline us out of meanness or some sense of getting back at us for disobeying him. He isn’t inconsistent or quick to anger the way we often are. God disciplines us out of love. In Revelation 3:19 He says, “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.” When our Father disciplines us, we can be certain that He has the best intentions because He knows what’s best for us.
Tips to Endure
Have you ever walked on gravel or ran on sand? I’ve been told it’s a great way to burn calories. As the ground shifts beneath your every step, your body works harder to keep its balance, and your muscles work harder to propel you forward. Therefore, walking on gravel is much harder than walking at the mall. There are paths in life that are more difficult than others. Sometimes, we make decisions that put us on a difficult path. For example, if I choose to take drugs or smoke cigarettes, it’s likely that my body will pay a price. Sometimes, however, we aren’t given a choice. We aren’t presented with options as to what family we will be born into. We don’t decide whether we are born with a disability or whether we want to be diagnosed with cancer. Regardless of how we got there, the author of Hebrews gives us some tips on what to do when the going gets rough. First, he says that we should take a new grip. What are we holding onto? 2 Thessalonians 2:15 says, “With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.” As Christians, we should cling to the teachings of God’s word. When our paths get difficult, we should hold on even tighter. Hebrews 12:11 also says to strengthen your weak knees. Isaiah 35:3 reminds us that the hope of God’s restoration can strengthen and encourage “those who have weak knees.” Finally, the author says to mark out a straight path so that even when we are weak, even when we are injured, we won’t fall. How do we make a straight path in a world that is full of mountains and valleys and sharp twists and turns? Proverbs 4:26-27 says, “Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” 1. Hold onto Biblical teaching 2. Remember God’s in control 3. Don’t get sidetracked by evil. 4. Trust the Lord and not your own understanding. The goal is to complete the race, to finish this life of faith. These are four tips to help us succeed.
It takes work
Have you ever been around a fellow employee who seems to think that it is the employer’s responsibility to hand out checks, but they have no responsibility to work? Unfortunately, that’s the way we treat God sometimes. We like to remind him of all the promises that he’s made to us. We like to reap all the rewards of being a child of the King, but we fail to acknowledge our own responsibilities. We cannot earn our salvation any more than my boys can earn a place in the Brown family. They are Browns because they are the sons of Ian and Tricia Brown. They were born into this relationship. In the same we are spiritually born into our relationship with God. Just like Ian and I did the “work” to get the boys into the family; Jesus did the work to get us into the family of God. However, Ian and I still have certain expectations, and our boys have certain responsibilities. We tell them all the time that their behavior reflects upon us and each other. There are responsibilities and privileges that come with being a Brown. Why is it so hard for us to understand, then, that this is how it works with God’s family too? The author of Hebrews has pointed this out again and again. There is work to be done. Can we ever be completely sinless? Nope, not in this lifetime, but we should avoid all known sin and pray to grow in our knowing. We should work at living in peace, looking out for one another, and avoiding bitterness, immorality and godlessness. The spiritual race of faith requires endurance, persevering through hardship and stress. We endure by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion of our faith.
A Tale of Two Mountains
Do you remember learning to read? If you were like most young readers, you enjoyed books with illustrations more than pages and pages of print. The author of Hebrews is nearing his conclusion, and he wants to leave readers with a picture of all that he’s been talking about. Again, the point of Hebrews has been to convince readers that Jesus Christ and Christianity are better than the law because it is the fulfillment of all that was promised. As such, the author draws a word picture using mountains. The first mountain was Mount Sinai, the place where Moses met with God at the burning bush and where he received the ten commandments. This was a place that the Jews would have known about. Mt. Sinai was a fearsome place. When Moses and the Israelites camped out there, it frightened the Israelites so much so that they didn’t want God to speak to them personally (Exodus 20:19). Moses had to mediate on their behalf. Mt. Zion, on the other hand, is a hill in Jerusalem, sometimes used for the City of David itself or interchangeably with Mt. Moriah, otherwise known as Calvary. Its description contrasts sharply with the dark images of Mt. Sinai. It is the place where Jesus is the mediator between God and man. Mt. Sinai was a place of judgment and punishment. Mount Zion is a place of celebration and grace. When we come to Christ, we are coming in the freedom of the cross. We no longer live under the fear of the laws which we know we cannot obey. We live in celebration with the angels, in assembly with other believers, with a God who is our Father, surrounded by those who have gone before us. We live with Jesus, the One who makes it all possible because through his death he paid for the price for our sins. God has not changed from the Old Testament to now. He is still fearful; however, because of Christ we can run to him instead of from him.
Shake it Up
Some people have pet subjects. No matter the topic of conversation, they always manage to insert their thoughts about their favorite hobby or political rant. In the same way, the author of Hebrews can’t help himself. He just made a comparison that pointed to the joyful relationship between Jesus and His followers, about the forgiveness and grace extended to believers and how much better it is than the judgment and law. But, once again, he comes back to another warning. Remember, the primary reason he is writing this book is because there are people who may be on the verge of going AWOL on the Christian faith. They are thinking about returning to the Jewish practices of temple worship and the law. Even though all the things he said are true, he wants to remind them that just because God loves us and sent His son, Jesus, just because He forgives us and shows us mercy and grace, it doesn’t mean that He is a pushover. God is holy and powerful, and He deserves our respect. We can come to God in freedom now, without fear, but if we don’t, then the time is coming when we will be afraid. God loves us, accepts us, and wants us to follow Him, but if we reject him there may come a time that we no longer feel His conviction, discipline, or call. As long as we are on earth and are receptive to His voice, there is hope for repentance. But like Esau, when it comes time for the Father’s blessing, if we have rejected Him, He too will reject us. One day everything we know will be changed and recreated. The world will be shaken and sifted and only that which is of God will remain. Because Jesus is God’s Son, our high priest, and the perfect sacrifice, we are MADE to endure.