Hebrews Part 6 - Life is a Race

— Hebrews 12:1-13

sermons index at http://nlife.ca/audio

  • Andrew Fountain — May 11th, 2011

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So there are Two Principles

  1. Don’t wear unnecessary stuff
    • Get rid of it
  2. Don’t keep your eyes on what you don’t want to be
    • Keep your eyes on your hero

Hebrews 12:1-4

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely,

  • and run with endurance the race set out for us,
  • 2keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
    • For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
  • 3Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners,
  • so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

4You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin.

  1. The enemy is sin—like heavy clothing that is dragging you down
  2. Endure by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus

Hebrews 12:5-11 (KJV)

  1. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
  2. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
  3. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
  4. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Hebrews 12:5-11 (KJV)

  1. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
  2. For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
  3. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Proverbs 3

  1. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
                      or be weary of his reproof
  2. for the Lord reproves him whom he loves
                      as a father the son in whom he delights.

Hebrews 12:5-11

  1. And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?
          “My son, do not scorn the Lord’s training or give up when he corrects you.
                6For the Lord trains the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.”
  1. Endure your suffering as training; God is treating you as sons.
          For what son is there that a father does not train?
  2. But if you do not experience training, something all sons have shared in,
          then you are illegitimate and are not sons.
  3. Besides, we have experienced training from our earthly fathers and we respected them;
          shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life?
  4. For they trained us for a little while as seemed good to them,
          but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness.
  5. Now all training seems painful at the time, not joyful.
          But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those given excercise by it.

Compare with Hebrews 5:7-9

  1. During his earthly life Christ offered both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his devotion.
  2. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.
  3. And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

Heb 12:12-13

  1. Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees,
  2. and make straight running tracks for your feet,
    so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

Three points

  1. Don’t wear unnecessary stuff
    • Get rid of it
  2. Don’t keep your eyes on what you don’t want to be
    • Keep your eyes on your hero
  3. Embrace the problems—they are stretching you and perfecting you, even as with Jesus
    • Attitude changes everything

Updated on 2011-05-12 by Andrew Fountain