Intro: We are working with a longer passage today, so we’ll jump right in

The writer of Hebrews is finished with his athletic analogies
– in a letter that has alternated between revelation and warning
• we come to the last big warning
• but we are also brought back to Jesus–dramatically
◦ the entire letter has been an adventure in knowing Jesus in a new way
Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer (2 Cor. 5:16)
◦ through the gospels we’ve met Jesus according to the flesh
◦ in Hebrews we’ve met him according to spirit
– there’s a lot of action and depth in these verses,
• but we can discern easily four simple divisions:
◦ You have not come to this (earthly) place
◦ You have come to this (heavenly) place
◦ Do not respond in this (negative) way
◦ Instead, respond in this (positive) way

“You have not come to what may be touched”
For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” Hebrews 12:18-21

Immediately the text bombard us with a spectacle of sight and sound
– the scene comes rushing at us using the word “and” to connect a string of short phrases
Daniel Treier, “While retaining the primacy of hearing, Hebrews broadens the sensory experience of Scripture beyond ethical training and taste to embrace sight, other sounds such as a trumpet blast, touch in feeling the earth shake, and Israel’s palpable fear. . . . Our senses engage with God as we hear, to imagine the grandeur of the divine promise . . . . Ultimately, our senses literally factor into hearing Scripture’s various senses. For the imagination operates as the spiritual and synthetic faculty by which we perceive our place and time in the story of God’s covenant people.”
– the writer takes us to Mt. Sinai to remind us of Israel’s encounter with God
• blazing fire and darkness seems like a paradox
◦ but the darkness was in the cloud
◦ so at once God’s presence was revealed, yet he himself was concealed
• the sound was deafening – trumpet and voice
And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder (Ex. 19:19)
◦ speech is a key theme in this passage

This incredible display did not bring the people of Israel close to God
– it had the opposite effect – it kept them at a distance
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us lest we die” (Ex. 20:18-19)
– the tone of this scene is experiential, but it is not our experience
• this is the writer’s point, and it’s important for us to grasp it
◦ he has helped us sense the sheer physicality of the event
◦ but its physicality is its limitation
• our 4-dimensional universe is not bad
◦ but it isn’t everything – it is not the sum total of all reality
◦ our “experience” consists of a larger reality — another dimension

“But you have come to Mount Zion”
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24

Luke T. Johnson, “The contrast is spelled out on the one side by a set of terms that describe all the physical phenomena accompanying the giving of the law, and on the other side by a set of terms describing the spiritual realities experienced through Christ. No matter how great and fear-inspiring the events accompanying the covenant under Moses, the realities of the new covenant mediated by the blood of Jesus are greater, for they have to do with the actual experience of the living God.”

We are shown the place to which we have come
– Mount Zion was at first a fortified city that King David conquered
– it soon became known as “the city of David”
• but in time, God gave Zion a larger significance
◦ the period of David’s reign was a golden age,
◦ because of his dependence on, and devotion to God
• Zion became idealized – a vision of God’s “dream city”
◦ with all the perfections of prophetic visions of peace, joy, abundance, etc.
◦ Zion was often associated with Jerusalem, but it was always more
(Jerusalem could be destroyed, but Zion was eternal)
The Mighty One, God the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth (Ps. 50:1-2)
He chose Mt Zion, which he loves (Ps. 78:68)
Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mt Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy (Isa. 4:5)
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD (Zech. 2:10)
– we have come to the spiritual reality of Zion
• it is also the city of the living God
(this is the fourth time the writer refers to him as the living God)
◦ and the heavenly Jerusalem
◦ I have been impressed recently by how solid heaven is

We have been shown the place, now we are shown its populace
– heaven is vibrant with life
• angels in festal gathering – assembly of the firstborn
• notice the togetherness that characterizes heaven’s citizens:
◦ it’s a gathering, an assembly
◦ enrolled in heaven — registered in the book of life (Php 4:3; Rev. 20:12)
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Lk. 10:20)
– from place, to populace, to a Person – God, the judge of all
• the thought of God as the ultimate judge no longer scares me
• the state of our world makes me long for justice
◦ even though I won’t be excluded from being on trial
◦ the ultimate cease and desist order to the guilty and vindication of the innocent
– again we’re shown more of the populace
and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect
• “spirits” – this is a fuller existence than our four dimensions
• “righteous” – these have passed through judgment
◦ being righteous, God has accepted and now perfected them
◦ brought them to completeness – wholeness
(the total healing of our fractured, fragmented lives)

The highlight of the list comes last – and to Jesus
– we have all sorts of questions about heaven
• just this week I was asked if we’ll recognize others we have known as short while on earth
• I’m as curious as anyone, but none of that really interests me
– what I want most of all is to see Jesus – he is my heaven
Luke Johnson, “The description of Jesus is a brilliant summation of the author’s argument concerning him. He is a mediator (see 8:6; 9:15) of a covenant between God and humans that is both new (see 8:8; 9:15) and better (7:22; 8:6), because it is not temporary but eternal (13:20). His mediation is accomplished through his death, which is here, as earlier, expressed in terms of a ritual ‘sprinkling’ of his own blood. The description of Jesus is rounded off impressively by the statement that his blood ‘is speaking’ better than Abel.”
(regarding Abel, see Gen. 4:10; Hebrews 11:4)
• the essential contrast, however, is not with Abel,
◦ but with the Law revealed at Sinai and God’s word in Jesus
◦ regarding speech, it is Jesus whose voice that now shapes our lives
• we are taken back to the very first verse of Hebrews
Long ago, at many times and in many places, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (Heb. 1:1-2)

Do not respond in this way
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake no only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Hebrews 12:25-27

Refuse – not just the word spoken, but the person who speaks
– note the contrast is between earth and heaven
• the writer uses his familiar lesser/greater contrast
◦ “if that, how much more is this“
• and it is twofold:
◦ first, between those at Mount Sinai and those of us, with Jesus
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more (Lk. 12:48)
◦ second, between what will be shaken and what is unshakeable
– a couple of weeks ago, by grandson Calum was explaining to me what can happen in an earthquake
• we can run from fires (evacuate) and shelter our selves from storms
◦ but there is no way to escape an earthquake
◦ and simply the presence of God in our world can shake it up (Isa. 64:1)
And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell (Rev. 16:18-19)
• the contrast is marked by the words remove and remain
◦ our whole world today is on a scaffold that is wiggling
◦ the word of Jesus is unshakable (Mt. 24:35)

Instead, respond in this way
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29

1. Be grateful
2. let us offer to God acceptable worship
   • this is one of the first things we need to know about worship
   • we have examples from:
   ◦ the Law – Lev. 1:4 (and many, many others)
   the Prophets – Jer. 14:12; Eze. 20:40-41; Amos 5:22; Malachi 1:18
   the New Testament – Rom. 12:1; Php 4:18; Heb. 13:21

with reverence and awe
I am planning on addressing these attitudes in a few weeks, so we’ll simply note them for now

for our God is a consuming fire
– fire can reduce to ashes or it can purify
• it depends on what goes into it
• how we come out of it depends on what we’re made of

Conclusion: Worship refers to every interaction humans have with God

It is prayer and it is praise, confession and forgiveness,
it is asking and receiving, hearing and responding
– and when do we hear God speaking to us through Jesus?
• most of all, when we read and meditate on the Scriptures

Dietrich Bonhoeffer asks, “What do I expect from meditation?”
“In any case, we want to rise from meditation different from what we were when we sat down to it. We want to meet Christ in his Word. We go to the text curious to hear what he wants to let us know and give us through his word. . . . His fellowship, his help and his direction for the day through his Word, that is the aim. In this way you will begin the day strengthened and afresh in faith.”

This is the way to develop a closer relationship with Jesus
He reveals himself to us, gives himself to us in his word
Mount Zion, the angels, the unshakable kingdom,
it is all right here
given to us in the life and words of Jesus
I hope you will determine this week
to cut out time to spend listening to your best Friend

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Hebrews 12:12-13

Intro: Once again – what is our writer up to?

He has given us an athletic metaphor,
– and reminded us of the importance of training
• the serious athlete must learn discipline
• learning discipline requires athletes to endure their training
◦ endure those cravings to eat something they know should not
◦ endure getting out of bed in the morning or off the couch to workout
– the beauty of discipline is that once you learn it,
• you can use it to give structure to your whole life
◦ not a rigid structure, imposed on you by someone else,
◦ but you can structure the life you desire to live
• the writer’s main idea: we use discipline to structure our spiritual lives

Until this point, the athletic analogy has been theoretical
– but now the writer gets to the practical
• what do our “workouts” look like?

We concentrate on training our hands and knees

Try to imagine this person with drooping hands and weak knees
– better yet, let your hands hang limp at your side and imagine your knees buckling
• think about how that posture feels emotionally
◦ picture the posture of a defiant child (spine straight, shoulders back, etc.)
◦ do limp hands and weak knees look like defiance? or like giving up?

Pat Ogden is a leading researcher in “somatic psychology”; that is, how the body expresses past experience and current moods. She writes, “The body speaks clearly to those who know how to listen. Nonverbal expressions visibly reveal what words cannot describe . . . . The multifaceted language of the body depicts a lifetime of joys, sorrows, and challenges, revealed in patterns of tension, movement, gesture, posture [and so on]. . . . Postures, facial expressions, and gestures outwardly express internal emotional states, communicating these states to others.”

– hands that droop indicate a slacking off, fatigue, quitting
• weak knees impede progress, risk slowing, stumbling, stopping, or falling

As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes. And when they say to you, “Why do you groan?” you shall say, “Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands sill be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,” declares the Lord GOD (Eze. 21:6-7)

◦ our bodies reveal and support our determination
◦ active, skilled hands speak of progress; strong knees speak of stability
• do you see? this is not about preparing for one big race
◦ it’s about a lifestyle that defines us
Hannah Arendt argued that our words and actions tell who we are
“The moment we want to say who somebody is, our very vocabulary leads us astray into saying what he is; we get entangled in a description of qualities [that person] necessarily shares with others like him. . . . In acting and speaking, [people] show who they are, reveal actively their unique personal identities and thus make their appearance in the human world . . . . This disclosure of ‘who’ in contradistinction to ‘what’ somebody is . . . is implicit in everything somebody says and does.”
◦ who are we? People who make steady, stable spiritual progress

Straight paths may refer to making road improvements
– but more likely, has to do with moving on a straight course to our goal
• if a path has a lot of quick twists and turns,
◦ a person who is partially crippled or lame won’t be able to manage it
• we don’t want to be waylaid by a sprained ankle or dislocated knee
– implied here is our responsibility to clear a straight path for others
• who is helping you?
• who are you helping?

What is the goal line? What are we trying to accomplish?
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the LORD. Hebrews 12:14

“Strive” as it’s used in New Testament is an aggressive pursuit
– it would be like one of us running to catch a bus
• first, we are to chase after peace with everyone
◦ we know what it’s like to enjoy peaceful relationship with a friend
◦ we’re relaxed, feel safe and comfortable, we can be “ourselves”
• but peace is not our nervous system’s default setting
◦ around others we’re guarded, defensive, suspicious
◦ and there are many ways to ruin a relationship or end a friendship
◦ and peace with an enemy seems like an impossibility
– in verse 11 we learned about the peaceful fruit of righteousness
. . . peace and righteousness kiss each other (Ps. 85:10)
• why do the Scriptures combine peace and righteousness?
◦ because righteous has to do with the way we treat each other
◦ Jesus raised the bar for what this looks like
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Mt. 12:7)
• it’s not about always being “right”
◦ do you want to be right if it’s going to cost you a close relationship?
◦ righteous is about doing what is right–i.e., what is most loving, what is best
Luke T. Johnson, “There is no reason to think that this pursuit of peace should include only members of the community. Indeed, pursuing peace ‘with all people’ seems particularly important—and particularly difficult—in conditions of oppression. The author asks them both to remain constant to their confession and to seek peace even with those who mock them and do them harm.”

The goal of peace is an outward pursuit – but there’s also an inward pursuit
pursue the holiness without which no one will see the Lord
– there is a reason for putting peace and holiness together
• not only because both require an aggressive pursuit,
◦ but both of these words are relational terms
◦ we tend to make holiness moral, but at heart it is relational
• holiness means we belong to God
◦ anything given to God becomes his exclusively, and is made holy
◦ think, for instance, of the Sabbath
– holiness qualifies us for a life with God
without which no one will see the Lord
• as we’ll see further on in the chapter, seeing the Lord Jesus is everything

Four more rules for spiritual training
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. Hebrews 11:15-16

1. See that no one fails to obtain the grace of God
   • “obtain” means “fail to reach,” “come short,” “fall behind”
     • if we think of a relay-race, we all depend on each other
   • the only way to reach the finish-line is by God’s grace
     • we fail to obtain grace if we don’t trust God all the way
2. That no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble
   • look at the contrast between
     “fruit of righteousness” (v. 11)
     and “root of bitterness”
     • you’re not going to get righteous fruit from a bitter root
     Leonard Sweet says we have to dig deep to plant healthy relationships– “Plants can’t grow heavenward without first growing downward. Colorful blossoms are the by-product of bland, down-and-dirty roots.”
     • in other words, to grow strong relationships,
     ◦ we have to get down on our knees and get our hands dirty
   • a root of bitterness is like indigenous weeds, they’re easy to grow
     • even toward someone you have loved and respected
     ◦ just take offense at one thing – and brood over it
     ◦ the seed has been planted, and will eventually bear fruit
     • and by it many become defiled (or contaminated)
     ◦ there are high-conflict people who work at creating chaos rather than peace
     ◦ what is growing in the garden of your heart?
     ◦ we cannot grow the peaceful fruit of righteousness in toxic soil
3. That no one is sexually immoral
   • the writer has a real concern for the sexual purity of his readers (Heb. 13:4)
     • however, here he may have an additional thought in mind
     ◦ he is going to offer Esau as a negative example
     ◦ in scripture, Esau is depicted as “a man of the world,”
     ◦ someone who did not have a high regard for spiritual values
     • frequently in the prophets, Israel’s reach for the world was viewed as an unfaithful wife (see especially Ezekiel 16)
     ◦ Israel’s idolatry was spiritual adultery
4. Or unholy – a place or object can be neutral, holy, or unholy
   • if it was once dedicated to God, it is holy
     • but if later it is treated as neutral, it does not return to neutrality
     ◦ rather, it becomes unholy, defiled, profane
     • we cannot go back to what we were before

An example of an unholy (or profane) person
(like Esau) For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. Hebrews 11:17

This was a story of twin boys – Esau and Jacob
– Esau’s values were twisted
• he could not see the importance of his actions and family traditions,
◦ until they cut into his inheritance
– “repent” refers to a fundamental change of mind that changes a life
• it may not be that Esau was unable to repent,
◦ but that he found no place for repentance in Isaac (NASB)
◦ that is, he was unable to change his father’s mind
(about giving him a blessing, Gen. 27:30-40)
• the materialist lives with delusion he or she can have it all
◦ but a day comes when all they have dissolves in their hands

Conclusion: In Hebrews we’ve seen several examples of failure

The wilderness generation in chapter 4
Those who fall away in chapter 6
Those who go on sinning in chapter 10
Now Esau

Let’s return to the athletic analogy
– to enter a golf tournament, each player has to qualify
• then, to play the final holes, each player must maintain a previous score
• otherwise, they do not make the cut
◦ lots of athletes may “try out” for track and field,
◦ but not everyone makes the cut
– Paul expressed his concern over making the cut to the Corinthians
I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Co. 9:27)

But we won’t end on this negative note this morning
Grace is always more edifying (and energizing) than guilt
So let’s remember what we have going for us
God wants us to finish the race,
having giving it everything we’ve got
And to ensure that we do finish well,
he gives us everything we need

Reminiscing on his early relationship with Israel, God said,
I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride,
how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
Israel was holy to the LORD . . . (Jer. 2:2-3)
Israel was holy simply because Yahweh was their God
and they were his people
So here is what we can take away from today’s lesson:
God’s grace makes it possible for us to run this race
and God’s embrace makes us holy

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastens every son whom he receives Hebrews 12:5-6

Intro: I’m going to tell you a secret

The most amazing commentary on this passage,
– is not a commentary at all, a but story written by G. MacDonald
• MacDonald was a 19th century Christian minister and storyteller
• his story is The Gift of the Child Christ – you can find it online
◦ if you read it, have a box of tissue nearby
– the protagonist is a five-year-old girl, Sophy
• her dad is cold towards her and her step-mother is distant
◦ the nanny is uncaring and easily annoyed with Sophy
• coming home from church one Sunday,
◦ Sophy took herself upstairs to her room and sat in her chair to read

MacDonald, “But she did not read far: her thoughts went back to a phrase which had haunted her ever since first she went to church: ‘Whom the Lord loves, he chastens.’ . . . ‘I wish he would chasten me,’ she thought for the hundredth time. . . .The small Christian had no suspicion that her whole life had been a period of chastening–that few children indeed had to live in such a sunless atmosphere as hers. . . . ‘If the Lord would but chasten me!’ said the child to herself, as she rose and laid down her book with a sigh.”

Sophy wanted to be chastised, because she wanted to be loved
– she saw a connection between the two that we are likely to miss
• and perhaps that is because we are not as desperate to be loved

The writer of Hebrews is working with an athletic analogy
– a key Greek word is paideia, discipline, education, the training of athletes
Patrick Gray, “Some form of the Greek word paideia appears in this passage eight times. It can denote the physical discipline of an errant child or, more generally, the process of education in Greek culture.”
• another relevant Greek word, gumnazo appears in verse 11
◦ from it we get our English word, gymnasium
• the place where boys received their education and physical training
– the Christian life is a marathon,
• and the key to running a marathon is endurance
◦ last week we were told to “look to Jesus” – not at, but to:
◦ we look to him for our example, for coaching, for help, for perfecting
• this week we learn that through endurance we develop discipline

This is the first of three questions writer will ask

Have you forgotten the exhortation. . .?
– exhortation is a spoken word to instruct, correct, encourage, or comfort
(the writer refers to entire letter as a word of exhortation, 13:22)
• forgetfulness can cripple our spiritual development
◦ God’s word doesn’t do anything for us if we do not remember it
– the worst case of forgetfulness is fugue state amnesia
• people forget who they are
◦ our identity is the combination of our history and destiny
◦ we are not only defined by our past, but also by the person God made us to be and therefore who we are becoming
• the quote is intended to remind us:
◦ who we are, and in light of that,
◦ the meaning and purpose of hardship in our spiritual formation

addresses you – as always, for the writer scripture is not an ancient relic written for someone else
– through it, God speaks to us in the present
• in this instance, God addresses us as sons
• I’m going to ask you to ignore the gender reference
◦ in the cultures of Greece and Rome, sons enjoyed a privileged status
◦ that privileged status is what the writer sees for all readers,
and for all God’s children

The quote in verses 5 and 6 comes from the Book of Proverbs
– these are presented as lessons from a father and sometimes the mother to a son
• each proverb provides instruction and training in wisdom
• the point the young person toward the best paths through life
– the Proverbs are structured like poems (it makes them easy to remember)
• Hebrew poetry is typically written in parallel lines
◦ the first line makes a statement or asks a question
◦ the second line repeats the first line, adds to it, expands, or intensifies it
• the topic of this proverb is discipline and there are three lessons:
the first two lines tell us how to respond to God’s discipline
the third line tells us why we want to respond in these ways
1. do not regard lightly – a negative way of saying “take seriously”
2. nor be weary – listening to lectures can be exhausting
◦ “reproof” is to show someone his or her fault, error, or mistake
3. the Lord disciplines the one he loves
– not everyone is comfortable with the image of God as Father
• I understand that
• if so, try to imagine the ideal father–the father you wish you had
◦ and then look to God in that role
◦ otherwise, see if Jesus provides you with a better representation of God

The second question
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are let without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Hebrews 12:7-8

The first sentence explains the purpose of God’s discipline
– it is to build endurance in us (the theme of this section)
Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you (De. 8:5)
• the value of enduring rigorous training is a disciplined life
• discipline benefits every important endeavor
◦ it’s what makes the right response our normal response
◦ discipline is how the brain’s neurons wire together to achieve proficiency
– have you heard of the “conscious competence” learning model?
• it identifies four stages of acquiring a new skill:
1. Unconscious incompetence (you’re not skilled but don’t know it)
2. Conscious incompetence (you know that you lack a skill)
3. Conscious competence (you acquire a skill, but must concentrate to perform it)
4. Unconscious competence (you perform a skill without having to think about it)
• discipline and training are the key to competence
◦ the key to becoming proficient, improving – in sports, music, art, etc.

God is treating you as sons – and then the question,
For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
– another verse that is relevant at this point is one we read in chapter 2:
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 (Heb. 2:10)
– Jesus, God’s firstborn Son, received an education in the same way as we do
• the writer isn’t saying God acts as if he were our father
◦ rather, God is our Father, and so treats us as his children

Years ago I spoke at a men’s retreat for Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. Before I began speaking, I asked for men to share something about their dads, the kind of father he was or some special memory. A few men mentioned how their dad worked hard to provide for their family, came to all of their ball games, or took them fishing or camping.
There was one young man there who was in a wheelchair. If you had attended Calvary Chapel in the early seventies you would have recognized him, because he wheel chair was always between the first row and the stage. Cerebral Palsy had put him in the wheelchair. His brain was as intelligent as anyone else, but it could not control the motor functions of his body perfectly, so that his movements were jerky and exaggerated. For the same reason, his speech was not easy to understand.
But that night, everyone could hear clearly what he had to say. Slowly, and in a loud voice he said, “My dad taught me how to tie my shoes.” Immediately I imagined his dad, working with his son’s rebellious limbs, and the patience it would take to repeatedly rehearse tying his shoes until he was able to get the job done. “My dad taught me how to time my shoes,” and went on, “My dad taught me how to button my shirt. My dad taught me how to brush my teeth. My dad taught me everything! And now I can live on my own.”

We have only the vaguest of ideas of how patient a Father our God is
Blessed be the LORD my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle (Ps. 144:1, necessary skills at the time)

If you are never disciplined, then you’re not a child of God
– otherwise, discipline is something in which all have participated
• no believer is exempt – you are disciplined, and I am disciplined
◦ there is no growth in Jesus without it
Before I was afflicted, I went astray,
but now I keep your word (Ps. 119:67)
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin (1 Pet. 4:1)
– we are like orphans, praying every night,
• that someone nice will show up and want us, and take us home
• Jesus showed up to tell us God is our Abba, our Papa
◦ and he has sent his Spirit to us to adopt us

The third question
Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:9-11

So far, the comparison between God and earthly fathers has been implicit
– now the writer makes it explicit – and he points out the contrasts between them
• first, it makes sense that we have more respect for God our Father
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts (Mal. 1:6)
◦ the writer contrasts earthly fathers, from whom we received our bodies,
◦ to our heavenly Father from whom we received our spirits
• second, our earthly fathers disciplined us for a short time
◦ our heavenly disciplines us so we can share in his holiness,
without which no one will see the Lord (v. 14)
◦ God’s discipline prepares us to live in his presence forever
• third, earthly fathers disciplined us as it seemed best to them
William Barclay, “At the best there is an element of arbitrariness in an earthly father’s discipline.”
◦ we can trust God, that he knows what’s best for us
◦ his discipline is totally oriented toward our eternal good

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant
John Polkinghorne says the writer observes “the significance of the processes of life in this world for the formation of character in all human individuals. Not only is developmental growth recognized as present in the life of Jesus and his followers, but it is the painful process of suffering that is particularly significant.”
Luke T. Johnson, “the final elaboration of the analogy contrasts the pain of the experience with the joy of the result.”
– I don’t believe God purposely brings us suffering
• it comes to us naturally as a condition of living in this world
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (Mt. 6:34)
• God does not bring suffering into our lives, but he uses it
◦ he never allows our heartaches and miseries go to waste
– and in this life, we enjoy the peaceful fruit of righteousness
• when our relationships are healthy, functioning as they should,
◦ we are at peace — even with our enemies (Pr. 16:7)

Conclusion: This week with one of my grandsons,

The challenge of discipline became clear to me

To love him without spoiling him
To discipline him without punishing him

For us, the choice is not whether we will face hardships,
the choice is whether we will take advantage of them
and make good use of the opportunities they bring
Not all suffering is discipline
Not all discipline entails suffering
But all discipline requires endurance

We are not given a lesson in how to avoid discomfort
but how to take advantage of it – and see it through new eyes
Eternity changes our perspective on everything
So when discipline comes,
regardless of whatever form it takes,
dare to praise God,
and thank him for his patient and persistent fatherly love
for his steadfast love endures forever

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside ever weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us . . . . Hebrews 12:1

Intro: Do you know what I mean by “starting blocks”?

You would if you ran track in high school
– blocks are placed on a track provide stable brace for the runners’ feet
• Olympic athletes spend time at the blocks, testing and adjusting them
◦ because that first push-off is critical to a fast start
• part of their workout is practicing their starts
– the writer of Hebrews is not telling us to settle into the starting blocks
• instead, the race has already begun
• like a good coach, he is telling us how to run the race

What do we need to know going into this passage?
– first, everything we covered in chapter 11 culminates here
• the writer has shown us example after example of biblical characters,
◦ and the repeated slogan for each one of them was by faith
• now he brings us to the ultimate example: Jesus
– second, the big idea, that the writer practically shouts at us is,
• if we’re serious about following example of Jesus, we need:
◦ to streamline our lifestyle
◦ and increase our stamina

The chapter begins with the word Therefore

That tells us, the purpose of chapter 11 is brought to a point in chapter 12
– the next words, “we are” places him with us–we’re in this together
• in this chapter, he is going to explain to us our situation:
◦ our place in line behind the faith-heroes who came before us
◦ we are following Jesus
◦ we are learning the value of discipline
◦ and so on
• we have seen what others have done by faith
◦ now it’s our turn – we are next up at bat

we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
You’ve probably heard that these witnesses are sitting in the stands
– they have entered the stadium to watch us perform and to cheer us on
• meanwhile we are down in the arena, running the race
◦ but that is now how I read this
• it’s true that those people paraded before us in chapter 11 are witnesses,
◦ but that is because they have given their testimony
◦ they are witnesses and not mere spectators
– what we read of their lives, gives witness to their faith
• their witness has been recorded for our encouragement
• they have told us, faith works!
◦ and faith is rewarded
William Barclay, “. . . they are witnesses in a double sense, for they are those who have witnessed their confession to Christ and they are now those who witness our performance.”

The writer coaches us regarding the basics
– let us also — like the cloud of witnesses, whose number we now join
• lay aside every weight – runners wear little and light-weight clothing
◦ serious runners have conversations regarding the weight of shoes
◦ they won’t wear anything bulky, constricting, chafing, or likely to trip up
• notice that the writer does not say “the weight of sin,” but “and sin”
◦ not every weight we carry is a sin, yet some can still be a disadvantage
William Barclay, “If we travel far, we must travel light. There is in life an essential duty of discarding things. . . . Whatever holds us back must go; and often we will need the help of Christ to enable us to let it go.”
◦ if we’re walking with Jesus, we know the sins that cling closely
(this is not the writer’s last word regarding sin, because sin must be addressed)
– let us run with endurance – this is a primary concern in Hebrews
• the writer already told them they’re in serious need of endurance (Heb. 10:36)
◦ this is a marathon, not a spring – being fastest is not our goal
◦ we simply want to reach the finish line – complete the journey
• set before us – cross-country runners do not choose their course
◦ we don’t control every circumstance, we deal we deal it

What will help us endure?
. . . 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. Hebrews 12:2

Practice, of course, build endurance
– but what about those times when you think you’ve hit the wall?
• the whole book has been about Jesus – now, look to him
◦ notice we are given only his name — not Christ, or Lord, or Son of God
◦ we identify with the Jesus’ human name more than with his titles
• founder and perfecter — combining two roles is typical of the writer
Jesus: apostle and high priest (Heb. 3:1)
God: designer and builder (Heb. 11:10)
◦ Jesus’ ministry isn’t limited to these roles – they are merely two of many
– founder – the person who is there from the start, a trail-blazer
• in the military a soldier who “takes point” goes ahead of the rest of the troop
◦ Jesus has taken point, going before us
– perfecter – the idea of perfection has come up repeatedly in Hebrews
• Jesus was made perfect through suffering (Heb. 2:10)
• And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9)
• the Son . . . has been made perfect forever (Heb. 7:28)
• by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Heb. 10:14)
(there is no “our” in this verse, but it is simply “faith” that Jesus perfects. Faith is the whole race)

When we look to Jesus, what do we see?
who for the joy that was set before him . . .

Jesus is our example of endurance
– there are the situations we despise, and there is pain and shame
• but we live through it all and endure with joy

A friend who knows about a physical trial I’m going through currently (and has experienced it herself) sent me a text this week to remind me, “Attitude is 90 percent of the battle.” She said that “the act of smiling works in your brain to help with attitude adjustment.”

◦ Mother Teresa suffered greatly over the distance she felt from God
However, she made “a conscious choice . . . to ‘keep on smiling in spite of everything’ and ‘to give Our Lord always all with a cheerful smile.” She also instructed those who those who worked with her, “Keep smiling. Smile at Jesus in your suffering—for to be a real [Missionary of Charity] you must be a cheerful victim.”
• Jesus endured the cross – that was the finish line of his race
– and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God
• we run, not only for the sake of the race, but for the reward
• we cannot forget the cross, or that Jesus tells us to take up our own
Luke Johnson wrote that the writer believes they “need a deeper understanding of the essential link between their experience of suffering and shame, and the very process by which Jesus himself was brought to full perfection as son.”

Now that Jesus has our attention, consider him
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3

We’ve been told before to consider Jesus, but here a different word is used
– from the Greek word used here, we get the English word analyze
• it is to break something down to its primary components
• think through something thoroughly, to ponder or contemplate
– who endured from sinners such hostility
• because hostility is what we can expect from sinners

This past week, a woman I know, who is sensitive, loving, and caring, described how she was heartsick over a hate-filled post she read on a social media site. The person who posted it was someone she has known and loved for years. She found it difficult to accept the fact that someone who follows Jesus could be so profane and hostile.
The human nervous system is designed to respond to hostility immediately. Depending on our experiences in life, the response may be an instant retaliation, exchanging hostility for hostility (cf. Rom. 12:17). Or we may cringe or try to escape. Or we may freeze and hold our breath so we won’t be seen or heard. The point is, we want to discipline ourselves so that when exposed to the hostility of sinners, we respond as Jesus taught us.

Consider Jesus – consider his response to hostility
– he prayed, Father, forgive them
• this will help us not to grow weary or fainthearted
◦ psychological states that make us want to give up – on people, on the race
◦ look at Jesus, so that if you forgive and he smiles, you feel that all is well

How bad has it been for us so far?
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:4

We have not yet spilled any of our own blood in our struggle to resist sin
Timothy Johnson says that the writer wrote this because the readers “need a sense of ‘proportion’ . . . .”
– sin in this verse may refer to all the failures we’ve read about
• unbelief, disobedience, hardened hearts, drifting away, etcetera
– the phrase, “struggle against sin” does not define our Christian experience!
• it is a necessary discipline, but our main concern is running the race
• what defines our Christian experience is drawing near to God

Conclusion: I think if the only thing a person ever knew of Bible was this instruction regarding looking to Jesus, that would be enough to to develop a fully formed Christian life

If they look, they will be led to the gospels
– the only place where we can actually look at him
• looking is important – looking affects our brain, changes the activity in it
◦ looking at a photograph can make you weep, laugh, upset
• you can look at something repulsive and your face will express disgust
◦ it happens automatically – you don’t have to try
– looking at Jesus is important, because looking changes us
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18)

We look to Jesus,
and we consider Jesus,
because the more we look
and the more we consider,
the more we discover
The more we discover,
the more we realize what he can do for us;
we just have to surrender and let him do his work
You are not alone
You are not lost–
Jesus knows where you are
But we do not know this
unless we make the time
to look and to consider