Sermons

You have not come to a physical mountain…But you have come to Mount Zion [Hebrews 12:18, 22].

Last week I spoke about the author using the metaphor of two mountains, Mt.Sinairepresenting Jewish life under the law and Mt. Zion, whichis the destination and dwelling place of God and His people.

Notice when speaking about these two mountains the writer uses the same wording ‘you have come to’ twice…In the Greek the wording you have come to is all one word (προσέρχομαι (pros-er’-khom-ahee)) …in verse 18 he uses it in the negative (oὐ) …You have not come to…and in verse 22 he again uses the same verb…but in a more positive manner…You have come to.

This Greek word and the English translation of it is important for two reasons:

FIRST. it means to approach, to draw near…to come to visit or associate with… in the Septuagint the verb is used to describe the priests approaching God to perform their Levitical functions.

But…it was something they were only permitted to do once a year on the Day of Atonement…approaching God or being in God’s presence required the utmost reverence and only a few people ever experienced that…the analogy of Mt. Zion is referring to believers possessing the privilege of accessing God through Christ the Great High Priest any time we want.

Something about approaching God…some say that since God is a God of grace, we can approach Him “just as we are” …that’s the reason we can be casual and lackadaisical in our worship and come as we want because God is interested only in our hearts so our physical appearance before God is unimportant.

Others who emphasize the holiness of God take approaching God in a more serious manner…fearing God’s judgement if they fail to meet His requirements

 …hence the need to have daily devotions
…going to church
…giving their offerings regularly
…contributing to the missions work of the church
…listening to sermons attentively

doing all the ‘things’ that puts them in a position to approach God because of what I have done.

Both of these approaches to God…even though they are well-intentioned…both fall short of understanding who God is and how we are to approach Him.

First…it’s important to think about why it’s even possible for us to come before God.

Ever since the Fall in the Garden mankind cannot approach God on his own because we all have fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23) …our sin means we are not worthy to relate…or to approach God even from a distance.

But…because of His grace God made the ultimate provision for sinful people to come near him…Christ’s death on the cross means we have access to God because Jesus is the perfect sacrifice that enables us to approach God…so… instead of earning God’s favor by our performance by doing things…we can delight in God’s favor because of the finished work of Christ at Calvary.

However…that does not mean we can approach God casually and carelessly like He’s our fishing buddy… He does not stop being holy and just…Christ’s sacrifice has given us a right standing before God but that does not give us a license to approach God in a casual and irresponsible manner.

Approaching God requires Consecration

Exodus 19 is the example of how we are to approach God…there were two things God told them to do.

Approaching God requires Reverence

God told Moses to keep their distance from the mountain…Moses was to set limits all around so that the people would not go up and touch the mountain… two things which can be said about God setting boundaries around the mountain:

Some argue that as Christians we’re not bound by those standards…that we’re free to be expressive…and even undignified in our worship…that we’re free to bring our…uninspired…lackadaisical…attempts of worship before God and not be afraid because God sees our worship through the eyes of His perfect Son.

That’s the reason people use to justify how they approach God…because we can now approach God different in the New Testament.

And if you’re preaching God’s Word…it’s OK to wear jeans…a T-shirt…or a shirt with the tail out…hey…we’re just identifying with the people even though God told His priests to appear before Him in presentable attire.

As New Testament Christians we are called “priests” (I Pet. 2:5, 9) …God established some strict clothing requirements for priests…passages that reference the manner in how they were to approach God should cause us to reflect on how we approach God…how we dress, and how we carry ourselves before others.

Our approach towards God should reflect gratitude…humility…love… reverence…and a repentant heart…in fact in every area of our life we should evaluate the attitude with which we approach God because approaching God whether in a casual lackadaisical manner or on the basis of performance shows that we have not understood Christ’s sacrifice and God’s holiness.

Approaching God requires being Serious

1. Be wretched, mourn and weep – This speaks to taking sin seriously, of understanding that it was our sin that nailed Jesus on the cross and that to save us from our sins was the reason He died on the cross.
2. Humble yourselves – this brings us to the heart of the matter. To be right with God demands humility.

Approaching God requires consecration…being set aside for the purpose God created you for…it requires reverence…being respectful of who God is…and it requires hating sin and taking sinning seriously.

SECONDLY…“you have come to” in the Greek is a perfect tense verb Here’s the importance in that…HEAR THIS…it’s referring to something that far too many people are confused about because the person in the pulpit is confused…or  uninformed…or has insufficient intelligence leading to a misinterpretation regarding the phrase: You have come to.

Here’s the result…people go through their entire Christian lives worried about something that Scripture is specific on…something that has plagued the Church for 2000 years…the inability to correctly understand and interpret the wording You have come to.  No one ever explained it…came to church on the right Sunday.

The wording “you have come to” in the Greek is a perfect tense verb…it’s stating action that has been completed at some specific point or time in the past with continuing results into the present.

At some time in the past you made a decision to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior…that decision has continuing result into the present…you don’t need to continue to ask God to save you…you’re saved…what that means for Christians is…the future is already present.

It’s important to note that the author is speaking of a salvation already achieved … those who belong to Christ are already citizens of Mount Zion and have entered into a permanent place of eternal relationship with God.

For the Jews Mt. Sinai was a physical mountain…a piece of rock…BUT…for us Mt. Zion is something we have already attained…we possess it…our heavenly possession of Mt Zion has been achieved because of our belief in Jesus …we are already in possession of things that will one day be ours in the future.

All of that is contained in the single word in the Greek “you have come to”. It defines our permanent status…our position before God is secure.

Beginning in [12:22], the writer of Hebrews describes five groups of people who occupy Mount Zion.

The first group of occupants are the “myriads of angels.”

The term ‘myriads’ means innumerable…an indefinitely great number which cannot be counted…they are introduced here because they are the usual accompaniment of angels that serve God.  

Second group is “the general assembly and church of the firstborn“

In Hebrews 12:23, the entire church comprised of both Jewish and non-Jewish believers is called the “church of the firstborn.” …Paul in [Romans 8:29] uses “firstborn” in the same manner…not indicating a literal birth, as in human families but being in God’s Family by virtue of Him being our Redeemer.

We collectively are the Church of the Firstborn…it is through our faith in Christ’s sacrificial work on the Cross and His Resurrection that our names are “enrolled in heaven” …and because of that we are privileged to be called the “Church of the Firstborn.”

We enjoy all the rights and privileges of a firstborn child of God…we are registered citizens of heaven who have been made perfect [23] because of Jesus.

This makes for a nice sermon topic…makes people feel good and secure…it’s supposed to…people like to know that God has included them to be eternally a part of His heavenly family…but the writers of the New Testament…led by the Holy Spirit, always include a part of God’s character that seems less than loving…it’s to make people think regarding their fellowship with God.

For people today who think they’ve been doing fine all their live without Jesus …might want to reevaluate that…for Christians who believe they are enrolled in Heaven and live a lifestyle of disobedience…might want to reevaluate your standing in Christ especially with regards to eternity.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we are enrolled in heaven…that’s good…but…what is notable about this verse is how the twin themes of salvation and judgment are constantly intertwined.

In verse 23 He mentions that God is the Judge of all…this is not the side of God people in America want to hear about…and I’m not here this morning to preach Hell and damnation…because that’s not what God has inspired me to preach.

BUT…God knows all things…He knows all our thoughts…our motives…our arrogance…our humility…and our faith…He is the Judge of all…Psalm 94 reflects His omniscience of knowing everything about everybody.

Lord, ² You are the judge of us all;
  ³ How much longer will the wicked be glad?
  ⁴ How much longer will criminals be proud
    and boast about their crimes?

⁵ They crush your people, 
    they oppress those who belong to you.
⁶ They kill widows and orphans,
    and murder the strangers who live in our land.
⁷ They say, “The Lord does not see us;
    the God of Israel does not notice.”

⁸ take notice you senseless ones
    When will you ever learn?

 ²³ He will punish them for their wickedness
    and destroy them for their sins;

The third occupant in Mount Zion is “God, the Judge of all.” 

God the Father, in His role as Judge actively judges people to determine their eternal abode…thus His title, “Judge of All.”

The immediate reaction is God can’t hold me accountable for something I don’t know anything about…and you’re right…He doesn’t.

No one will be judged for knowledge they don’t have…for instance God is not going to ask you to explain the Hypostatic Union theory of how Jesus is both divine and human…God’s fair.

However, we will be judged according to what knowledge we do have…let me expand on that.

For those who attend church…even rarely but maybe for years and have never made a commitment to Jesus…here’s how this works.

For the person who for years comes to church to please his wife…and for years sits patiently in the pew waiting for church to end…all the while hearing what is being preached…but still refuses to believe in Christ…they will be held accountable for everything they heard…for all those years.

There are very few people especially in America…who don’t have the opportunity of hearing the Gospel preached…people will be judged on that.   

The fourth group of occupants are “the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” 

These are the Old Testament faithful, who the writer of Hebrews so beautifully describes in Hebrews 11…these believers are called “spirits” because they have not yet received their resurrected bodies.

The fifth occupant is “Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.“

It is not our works that saves us…it is God and God alone…the only works that justify us are the works of Christ…His death on the Cross.

So how is it that the Old Testament saints are justified without ever knowing Jesus? …because old covenant believers placed their faith in Yahweh alone to save them, and He did so by applying the work of Christ on them without them ever knowing who Jesus was.

God could do this because from an eternal perspective, the work was already done…believers who lived before the time of Christ benefited from His work just as we do even though they did not clearly understand how the promised Messiah would bring salvation as we understand it today.

From a timeless, heavenly perspective, the eternal blessings of the new covenant were guaranteed to God’s people because the final sacrifice was foreordained… something God beforehand decreed (Acts 2:23; 3:18; 1 Peter 1:20) would happen.

Do you see all that encompasses the statement…you have come to…see the complexity in what the author is attempting to convey regarding the person and work of Jesus’s ministry?

God has made an eternal promise to us…one that includes spending eternity with Him without fear of having it taken away…but at the same time emphasizing the importance of accountability…that our enrollment in heaven gives us the freedom to live on this earth does not come without restraints and limitation.

You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.   Hebrews 12:18, 22.

Starting in Hebrews 12:18 the writer goes back to a topic every Jew was familiar with…Moses and the people at Mount Sinai who arrived three months after leaving Egypt… God told Moses to prepare for His appearance [Ex. 19:11].

Exodus 19:11 …be ready for…on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You are to set boundaries for the people all around: ‘Be careful that you don’t go up on the mountain or touch it. Anyone who touches the mountain…whether animal or person, is to be put to death.

Mt. Sanai was the place where Moses would receive the 10 commandments and where he would catch a glimpse of God’s presence…Moses ascended Mt Sinai a total of eight times to meet with God…it was on his sixth trip up the mountain that God gave him the 10 Commandments.  

What was the purpose of recanting this scene…why the need to share with them an event they were all familiar with? …under the threat of persecution, they were tempted to abandon Christ to return to their Jewish faith.

Beginning in verse 18, the writer once again goes back to the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant…the author uses the metaphor of two mountains, Mt. Sinai representing Jewish life under the law and Mt. Zion, which is the destination and dwelling place of God and His people, to point out the difference in relationship to God under the Old and New Covenants.

If you’re familiar with that story you know the scene on the mountain when the people arrive…Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the LORD had come down personally with fire…lightning flashes…storms…and earthquakes… because God’s holy presence had come to rest there.

It was so frightening that the people said we don’t want to hear God speak any more…Moses we’ll trust you to tell us what He said…in fact…even Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling [Heb. 12:21].

This is one of the passages in the book of Hebrews that we classify as a warning passage…the major thrust of Hebrews…really the whole Bible…is written to believers…but periodically there is a recurrent warning to unbelievers.

The true meaning was for those Jewish believers who were being tempted to return to trusting in the Torah…but this story has an application to every person in this sanctuary…the application for us is to run our race to completion…don’t look back…stay focused…finish strong in our efforts to enter into God’s rest.

There are a number of warning passages in the book of Hebrews…they are specifically addressed to the Jewish person who understands the gospel but for one reason or another did not accept Jesus as Savior.

These warnings have an application to us today…for the people:   
 …who do understand the claims of Christ but blatantly refuse to accept them.  
…who do understand enough of the Bible to be responsible for their decisions
…but for some reason hold back from really committing themselves to Jesus.

The problem for these Jewish listeners was because under the old covenant there was no public instruction…no such thing as ‘Sunday school’… synagogues were used principally for the reading of the law and the prophets…hardly anything was offered for the continual instruction for the common people.

Few people ever spoke to God or were taught by Him…in fact between the last chapter in Malachi and the first chapter in Matthew is over 400 years of silence …God speaking to no one…hence the importance that every person instructs his neighbor.

But under the Gospel dispensation no longer do we need someone to teach us the elementary things about God because they will all know me from the least to the greatest…What’s that mean? TWO THINGS:

FIRST…primarily speaking of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a guide and teacher for those who are saved (John 16:7–11) …every Christian has direct access to God Himself…God teaches us through the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us… (1 Cor. 2:10;16, 1 John 2:20,27)

BUT to think that by just reading the Bible I’ve now become some kind of Biblical scholar…or He’ll equip you by giving you some supernatural automatic understanding of the Bible is foolishness.

SECONDLY…because I accept John Wesley’s definition of Prevenient Grace, I believe the grace of God is active and present in every person’s life…it’s a gift…a gift that stirs up within every person a desire to know God and empowers them to respond to God’s invitation to be in a relationship with Him…a gift that is always available, but that can be refused.

Exactly what Paul says in Romans…no person who has ever lived can honestly say…I don’t know who God is…because the knowledge of the Lord is engraved on the minds of everyone because God has revealed Himself to everyone.  

For unbelievers God speaks through what is called general revelation …every human being has enough knowledge of God to be held accountable before God.

That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood by what has been made, so they are without excuse [Rom. 1:19-20].

So literally all people from the least to the greatest have a knowledge about God.

No one needs to be taught about God…no one really believes creation just happened.

So why is it that people do that…have the evidence of God and refuse to believe? …Hebrews gives five warnings which are actually reasons why people don’t respond to Christ in a positive way.  

Reason number one is neglect…the warning in chapter 2:3–How shall we escape having neglected so great a salvation…that is the way it reads in the Greek… ‘having neglected’ …that word is an aorist participle…meaning something that’s been occurring in the past…it introduces the circumstances under which an action occurs.

The circumstance is you missing out on salvation…the action causing you to miss out on salvation is you neglecting who Jesus is.

For these people who are neglecting Jesus…it’s because He has never been a part of their life…been living just fine without Him all these years…why should I make such a dramatic change now.

For people today who think they’ve been doing fine all their lives without Jesus …might want to reevaluate that…especially with regards to eternity.

That’s the first reason people don’t come to Christ when they know the truth… they just never get around to it…too busy…doesn’t seem important…maybe later…here’s the warning:

…after the age of 14 there is only a 15% chance of becoming a Christian

…after the age of 30 it decreases to just a 10% chance of becoming a Christian. http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/ages.htm

When Timothy writes that God desires…or His ‘will’ is that all men to be saved …that word in the Greek means a wishfulness that can be rejected.

Second reason is unbelief…some people believe but they don’t believe…they believe in an historical Jesus but don’t believe in Him as their Savior … “I sort of believe and I guess it’s true but I haven’t really settled it in my mind”.

That’s the warning in chapter 3:12 … take care that none of you from an unbelieving heart falls away from the living God.

So you have some people who don’t make a real commitment to Christ because they neglect to do so…and some people because of unbelief.

The third thing…all of these are interrelated…people who never come to Christ because of what you might call tradition…it’s a matter of the way they’ve always done things.

He discusses this in chapter 5:11 through chapter 6:6 …with Church tradition being the most prominent…with respect to the Jews he says you better not hang on to those old traditions…all those elements of Judaism you better let go of.

Nothing wrong with tradition…there is beauty in tradition…BUT…when years and centuries of tradition and church doctrine are believed over scripture… you’re choking out the working of the Holy Spirit.

The Supreme Court regularly reviews court cases to determine if they are in line with what they believe the founding fathers would have intended…laws are often changed because they become outdated…BUT…when the church decides it needs to review the meaning and application of the Bible to make it more relevant to today’s lifestyles…there are serious consequences.

God is very adamant about adding or removing anything from the Bible [Rev. 22:18-19].

So, there’s the possibility of not coming to Christ through neglect…not coming to Christ through unbelief…and not coming to Christ because you’re hung up with some of your old ways and traditions

Example…at the care home we observed the Lord’s Supper…one lady refused because she was Lutheran…have no idea what that had to do with anything.

The fourth warning comes in chapter 10…another reason why some people withhold from committing themselves to Christ is what you could call impatience.

What do you mean by that? …the best way to say it is they never see all the promises that Christianity offers coming to pass and so they question the legitimacy of the promises in the Bible.

If God is so good…why is there sin…wars…abuse…why is everything the way it is? …he discusses that in chapter 10:25 through the end of the chapter.

Some people draw back because when they look at Christianity it doesn’t solve all their problems…they get impatient with the claims of Christianity and so they fail to commit to it.

Or…since I’ve become a Christian, things haven’t gotten any easier for me…if anything…they’ve gotten more difficult.  

If you’ve been with us in our study of Hebrews you know that life can be more difficult being a Christian…if your decision to become a Christian is based on the idea of living problem free…it’s not going to happen.

So far there’s been neglect…unbelief…tradition…and impatience…then there’s number five…the one we’re talking about in our text today…the fifth thing that keeps people from coming to Christ…fear.

When these Jews looked at Christianity what they saw was persecution…under the threat of persecution they were tempted to abandon Christ to return to their Jewish faith… anybody living in the first century who took a good look at Christianity saw persecution.

When a Jew became a Christian, they immediately got ostracized from their family…they suffered…in addition to the difficulties they experienced because of the Jews and the Romans…some figured I don’t need this frustration in my life.

Then…you have people telling you that now that you’re a Christian…there will be times when God’s going to discipline you through trials and testing…now that you’re a Christian God’s going to work on you to mold you and refine you …again…why do I need to add additional frustration in my life?

There’s more to being a Christian that just being one by name only…living a Christian life is not easy…many figure the price is too high…too demanding …too restrictive…in addition… “I don’t want to become a Christian and then have God dogging my every step” …not realizing He does it because He loves you… because you’re His child.

Now having said that, he goes on in verse 22…here’s the whole thrust of the passage in one sentence…there are two kinds of religions in the world: the religion of works…represented by Mt. Sinai and the religion of grace represented by Mt. Zion.

When people fail to come to Jesus, they’re on Mt. Sinai

Sinai is the mountain of fire…smoke and thunder.

Sinai confronts us with commandments, judgment and condemnation. 

Sinai was unapproachable. 

Sinai reminds us of death,

Sinai is Divine punishment

Sinai represents trying to earn God’s favor through doing things…never knowing if God is truly happy with them…as a result…living their life being fearful…frightened…and uncertain of the future.

But when people trust Jesus as their Savior, they’re on Mt. Zion.

We have not come to a place of flaming fire…darkness…and gloom…we’re not to be fearful…being on Mt. Zion allows us to be in God’s presence.

Zion presents us with forgiveness, atonement and salvation. 

Zion is Divine love.

Zion is life eternal.  

Zion is accepting Jesus and God’s grace.

Question is…where are you living…on Mt. Sinai trying to earn acceptance of God by keeping laws and doing things…or on Mt. Zion…free from the demands of the law…where obedience is done out of love…not out of fear.

^12:12 Therefore, lift the drooping hands and weak knees,¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. ¹⁴ Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:12–14

In verse 12 the word ‘therefore’ is reminding us to think about all that has been written in chapter 11 up to verse 12 of chapter 12…the word therefore is a reminder to reflect on prior passages…specifically:

…we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses [12:1] who have gone on before us in faith…therefore:

…we ought to run after them with endurance laying aside every encumbrance and sin…looking to the founder and perfecter of our faith [2]

…while running with perseverance the race that is set before us [1]

…fixing our eyes on Jesus [2] who strengthens us every inch of the way.

All the while…resisting the intrusions in life that distract and destroy our fellowship with God…but at the same time considering it joy when God chastens and disciplines us.

Remembering that as sons and daughters God’s disciplining of us is for the purpose of molding us for the completion of the purpose for which we were created…a purpose He has for us…out of love.

So in this section of Hebrews the author’s emphasis is more on the practical application of the Christian’s life…telling us how to live for Christ.

We’ll see three applications of these truths that follow on the other side of the ‘therefore’ in verse 12 and the way we are to apply those teachings:

1. Therefore, don’t stray from the straight path we’ve been put on.
2. Therefore, strive for peace with one another and holiness.
3. Therefore, walk intent on the pleasure of God’s blessing, not intent on the pleasures of sin’s false promises.

Just a cursory look at these three applications reveals a highly practical applicational kind of message…one that is instructional and corrective.

First is… don’t stray from the straight path we’ve been put on…as we run the race of life, we must run with our eyes opened and focused on Christ…as we run the race of faith, we must resist those intrusions in life that distract and destroy our fellowship with God.

The exhortation here to the reader is to encourage all who are exhausted…to assist each other daily…to strengthen those who are feeble…to make straight paths for your feet [12:13].

The writer continues to use the analogy of an athlete running a race…I ran track in high school and college…since then I’ve run 20 marathons and over 100 half-marathons…one thing about road races…the shortest distance between two points is a straight line…you don’t want to be adding any unnecessary distance.   

When you round corners you don’t run on the outside…you run through the middle of the curve to reduce the amount of distance…making it more of a straight line… serious runners make use of their energy and the space around them by being smart in how they run.  

Since our lives are like running a race, we need to be running on a straight path …not wandering from side to side using up energy and getting off the straight line to the finish…we need to be deliberate with how we move and in how we run all the way to the finish line.

lift the drooping hands and weak knees so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

In long distance races the closer you get to the finish line the worse you feel… after about mile 22 things start to get real bad really quick…legs hurt…feet hurt back hurts…danger of dehydration…the experience of “hitting the wall” …the last mile of a Marathon is a picture of weak hands and feeble knees.

Something that is implied in this verse is that the writer is calling for his readers to “deal first with yourselves” …to not be despondent because of your tribulations which may include trials and disciplining from God…it’s easy to want to quit when the pain of the race starts to affect you.

When we’re going through difficult times the temptation is to just throw in the towel…this Christianity thing is too restrictive…too demanding…it’s too difficult…here’s what we need to remember:

God is aware of everything you’re going through…in many cases He’s the one causing or allowing it to happen.

Many times when we turn our backs on God’s teaching moments in our life and walk away…growing faint and losing heart because the…trial…conflict or affliction you’re experiencing is too hard…you’re thinking I don’t want any of this…I didn’t sign up for this…this is just too unpleasant…I’m done with this… BUT …God’s not finished.

If you’re truly serious about your Christian commitment…He will take you back into the same situation again…possibly a new one…because He has something to teach you…something He wants you to learn…so you might think you’re done…but you’re not done until God’s done.

Knowing the nature of your conflict is from God…we should receive it…and endure it because it originates from God’s love…this truth should cause us to exert more effort in the race as we move towards the finish line.

lift the drooping hands and strengthen the weak knees because you’re in a race with eternal rewards.

Here’s the important part…in a foot race you’re in competition with each other …we are not in competition with each other as Christians.

Earlier I said something that is implied in the verse lift the drooping hands and weak knees…it is brought out in a subtle way…the ESV, NIV, NLT and others insert “YOUR” in verse 12…problem is…the word ‘YOUR’ is not in the original text…some well-meaning translator added it to emphasize individuality.

The addition of the word ‘YOUR’ was for the purpose of making it personal… the NAS, KJV and NKJV translate it more correctly…without the word “YOUR.”

Probably asking “So what?” …the addition of the word ‘your’ makes the application for us to individually lift our drooping hands and weak knees in our Christian run through life…kinda every man for himself thinking.

But when you translate it like the NAS, KJV, NKJV, without the word ‘YOUR’ it indicates that this is a general exhortation to the readers to strengthen not just your drooping hands and weak knees…but anyone who is struggling.   

Need to remember who this book was written to and the burden these people were under.

The affliction they were experiencing was causing these Christians to become dejected…depressed…the author describes their response as causing their hands to hang down…and their knees to grow feeble…but despite their discouragement he is urging them to run their spiritual race to completion.

We are not told so much to strengthen our hands or our weak knees, but to strengthen the hands and the knees regardless of whose they are…not to concentrate so much on our own weaknesses but to help strengthen other Christians in their spiritual walk.  

One of the surest ways to be encouraged is to give encouragement to someone else, “encouraging one another” (Heb. 10:25).

This whole discipline thing comes down to this… ‘when I’m suffering did I do something wrong?’ …if God is going to send me trials and discipline me…I’d really like to know why and what it is I’m supposed to learn…too often we end up confusing God’s discipline and trials with everyday problems.

Heard an example of this…a woman who experienced a miscarriage wondered if God was punishing her…how terrible…the miscarriage was painful enough without having to also wonder if it was her fault.

It’s tragic when people blame themselves for the everyday trials and disappointments that come as a result of life…it’s even more tragic when friends try to get you to blame yourself!

Job’s friends come to mind…in the midst of all his distress…loss of family…his house…his livestock…his health…Job’s friends’ consolation was to convince him that since he had suffered so terribly, he must have sinned terribly.

One of the key lessons of Job…and it’s a warning to us…of what not to do when people suffer…don’t lecture…council…preach…or say things like, “This is happening because”… as if you somehow know…or worse, “God would not be doing this if you…”  

The warning to us comes at the end of the book…when it’s God’s turn to do the lecturing…speaking to Job’s friends God says:

My wrath is against you for you have not spoken of Me what is right [Job 42:7].

If you’re going to speak for God…better make sure you know what you’re talking about…be careful not to confuse the everyday annoyances and problems in life with God’s testing and disciplining.

The Lord disciplines us—not so that we might lay down and mope and whine and let everyone know just how unpleasant the discipline is…or how unfair God has been to us.

He disciplines us to strengthen us for the work He has purposed for us…He disciplines us so that we might walk the straight path…and not lay down on the side of the path feeling sorry for ourselves.

This is shown by the call for us to help others who are struggling or who are slow in their faith…to encourage the exhausted and strengthen the feeble.

We are to help them by showing them how to run…how to live…we are in essence…like the cloud of witnesses…that our life would be an example to

how others should want to live their lives of faith.

The second application is to: ¹⁴ Pursue peace with everyone.

It’s important to remember to whom and why this book was written…it is written to those who were experiencing the trials that resulted from persecution.

And despite their circumstances…he is exhorting them to manifest a spirit of kindness toward all – even to those who were engaged in persecuting them…this is the nature of the gospel…we are to make war with sin, not with people… make war with bad passions and corrupt desires, but not with our fellow man.

As we look at the tension in America today…it seems Americans are more divided than ever…division is the buzzword in our society today.

Divisions that manifest themselves in the movements of the political spectrum… division by race…by gender…by sexuality…by political views…by class…by nepotism… cronyism…between business and ethics…social justice…church and state…divisions that are spilling over into the church and dividing churches …everything is highlighted as splitting the country into pieces.

All these shattering the once strong fortress known as America and turning it into one that is divided against itself.

And in the midst of all this turmoil Scripture says…pursue peace with everyone and holiness.

Peace and holiness are to be our spiritual condition as well as our spiritual position.

Those who pursue peace seek to be kind…thoughtful…able to help others and pray for their enemies…I’m not talking about compromising your beliefs…we are to remain firm in our Christian ideals…but without prejudice.

Holiness…at times translated sanctification…it is the state of being set apart from sin and the world and becoming more dedicated to God.

In the second part of that statement it mentions our spiritual condition and our spiritual position…the Bible refers to three spiritual conditions:

1) The Natural Man

Each of us were born physically alive, but spiritually dead [Eph. 2:1]…those who are spiritually dead are not able to understand spiritual things (I Cor. 2:14]  nor do they have the power to respond to God [Rom. 3:11 / 5:6].

2) The Spiritual Man

In contrast to the natural man (I Cor. 2:14) …the spiritual person is born again …he is a born again believer who is living like it…as opposed to:

3) The Carnal Man

These are Christians who are not living like it…living according to the values of the world…yielding to the desires of their old sin nature, rather than walking in the Spirit.

These are the three spiritual conditions the Bible describes…it’s like throwing a pass in football…three things can happen and two of them are bad…an incompletion or an interception…it’s the same thing here.

Everyone has the option of being in one of three spiritual conditions…as Christians we need to walk in the Spirit and avoid anything that would cause our spiritual position to wither…because there’s a warning:

This brings us to the third application…the warning:

without which no one will see the Lord.

Talking with some of the men at our Friday morning breakfast we agreed that the church is starting to preach a different gospel message today than it did in the 50’s…60’s…and 70’s. Have to be old enough to be around then…and in Church.

The popular idea was that if you profess John 3:16 you’re good to go…used to do door-to-door evangelism sharing the Four Spiritual Laws that explained in a very simplistic way how to be saved.

There was a prayer at the back of the pamphlet…if they prayed it, we congratulated them on being saved…that was all you had to do because the Bible says so…well, kinda.

How naive…people are suffering today because of that mind set…how lame was that…no one ever followed up with them regarding baptism…never encouraged them to get into church…never went back to see how they were progressing in their spiritual growth…just…if you accepted Jesus you’re saved.

These people may have gone the rest of their lives…maybe living the same life style as before…believing they were saved because well-meaning Christians wanting to fulfill the Great Commission told them so.

Goes back to what I just mentioned regarding the spiritual man…the person who is born again is a believer who is living like it.

Here’s the danger for the person that fails to pursue peace and Jesus’ call to holiness…we cannot have peace with God unless we are walking in His Spirit and in truth…without that…you will never know the peace of God.

This reinforces the third application for us…walk intent on the pleasure of God’s blessing, not intent on the pleasures of sin’s false promises.

When we choose to walk in fleshly disobedience and carnal disbelief…when we fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, we are like the carnal person

who is ‘saved – yet as by fire’ but missing out on God’s blessings and rewards.

BUT…when we are His children by faith we are permanently positioned in Christ which gives us…peace with God…the forgiveness of sins…the promise of blessing, rewards, and life everlasting.

^12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, My son do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you,

⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as his son.

Last week we looked at a key verse with respect to Christian living…

Let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us [12:1]

As Christians there are things we need to stay away from: things that distract, things that destroy our fellowship with God.

Instead….² look to the founder and perfecter of our faith.

As we run the race of life, we must run with our eyes opened and focused on Christ…as we run the race of faith, we must resist those intrusions in life that distract and destroy our fellowship with God.

What we can control is how we cross the finish line…the author is encouraging us to think about the importance of run(ning) with perseverance the race that is set before us.

Everyone who lives in this world endures some measure of trouble—that is the consequence of the fall…we live in a world and a society corrupted by iniquity—the result of sinful human nature.

What is the source of that evil nature? …Bible does not say that God punished the human race for man’s sin [Rom 5:12] – but the nature of sin.

WHAT WAS THAT “SIN” …my claim to my right to control myself…the nature of self-sufficiency which leads me to say—I am my own god—I’ll control my life how I want…sin is deliberate and determined independence from God.

Scripture makes note of the three ways God helps us in our Christian walk… through trials…temptations and discipline…all designed to help us mature spiritually…that helps us to overcome the desire to control my life.

On the surface that doesn’t sound like help…the Bible speaks extensively regarding the issues of trials and temptations…in Scripture trials and temptations are sometimes used interchangeably but there is a difference.

Temptations are internal…we can only be tempted by that which is individually tempting to each person…the book of James clarifies temptations:

each person is tempted when he is enticed by his own desire [1:14]

It’s important to note that temptations do not come from God…that is something we need to resist…but it’s not something that God has left us to do on our own …Scripture makes it clear God is at work in us so we can resist temptations.

Trials…testing…and discipline on the other hand do come from God…they are used by God for our growth and to draw us closer to Him…they come in many forms but typically come in the form of an outside force beyond our control.

This is where we are in today’s message…notice what he says regarding the testing of their faith…you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

The examples of faith that the writer gives in chapter 11 were to be an encouragement to the Jewish Christians who were facing difficulties with persecution…and even though these Hebrew Christians may have suffered for their faith they had not yet suffered to the extent that it had cost them their lives.  

Possibly suggesting, they had not resisted hard enough…that they haven’t done enough…most people would probably be hesitant to accept the idea that I need to resist harder so I can endure more suffering…not what you want to hear.

But in fact, they had resisted…sin…Satan…the world …the lusts of it…false teachers…BUT…as yet they hadn’t resisted to the point of shedding their blood as some of the Old Testament saints had done.

The general sense of this passage is:

you have not yet been called in your Christian struggles to the highest kind of sufferings and sacrifices…as great as your trials may seem to be yet your faith has not yet been put to the severest test.

Couple things about the statement… “you have not yet been called in your Christian struggles to the highest kind of sufferings and sacrifices:”

FIRST…the kind of suffering and sacrifices he’s alluding to…the kind of suffering that puts us to the severest test…is a special calling from God…not everyone is called to suffer and sacrifice to that extent…that’s why it’s called…the highest kind of suffering.

To suggest that people need to suffer to the extent that they are physically hurt is not Biblical…the inclusion of the word “yet” appears twice…referring to the kind of persecution that may be waiting for them.

SECONDLY…God uses trials…testing…and discipline to help us mature in our Christian walk…all designed to help us mature spiritually.

If we are to live the life of faith like the Old Testament heroes of faith did…if we are to run the race of faith like they did…it means life at times may become difficult.

In fact I can assure you that will be the case if you’re sincere about your Christian commitment…Christianity does not mean health and wealth…I’m sorry Joel Osteen is wrong …Daystar…INSP…and The Word network are wrong.

When you confess Jesus as Lord…you enter the Kingdom of heaven…when you believe Jesus died for you and arose for you…you are living in the Kingdom of Heaven.

HOLD IT…been saying for the past few weeks no one ever goes to Heaven… now you say that we are living in the Kingdom of Heaven…here’s why…the kingdom of heaven is both now and not yet…it is present and it is future.

Jesus’ first coming was the inauguration of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth… over 25 times Jesus uses the phrase ‘the kingdom of heaven is like’ …these parables refer to His preparatory work through His disciples and Church…it is in the here and now in the present.

BUT…the Kingdom of Heaven is also spoken of in the future tense that will finally culminate with His second coming.

Getting back to the promise…it is a promise…if we live a life of faith like the Old Testament heroes did…if we run the race of faith like they did…it means life at times will become difficult…just living life is difficult…but God says living a life of faith will at times be extremely difficult.

Herein lies the problem…why do we blame God?…people think when things go wrong in life it’s God’s fault…seldom hear people blame the devil.

When suffering people ask…why are we going through this? …why are we suffering? …why have we lost our property…our home…our business…our friends? …Why has this happened to us? …Why is life so hard? …they blame God…even if they’re not Christians…they blame God.

Here’s the real answer…if you’re a Christian and you’re wondering why life at times is difficult…it is God.

When you have difficulties…challenges…problems…trials that come into your life…the challenges we face are often put there to require us to have courage and to call us to have a stronger faith in God.

For those who think it’s Satan causing you problems you need to remember: Satan is not sovereign…he is not omnipotent…he is not in control of himself; Satan is not omniscient…he can’t do as he pleases…only what God allows; Satan is not omnipresent…he cannot be in all places at the same time.

God has put limitations on Satan…as a result, he has no control over us or over our lives…we need to remember…we have been delivered from his power.

There is a difference between punishment and discipline… discipline speaks of training for a good outcome. Punishment speaks of retribution, vengeance, wrath.

That is what Jesus experienced on the Cross…divine punishment…divine wrath …the doctrinal word is propitiation…propitiation is a two-part act…

ONE that involves appeasing the anger of the offended person and TWO…being reconciled back to the person you offended…in both cases it’s God.

He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world [1 John 2:2].

On the Cross Jesus experienced God’s divine punishment…Jesus experienced God’s wrath…He sustained in body and soul the very anger of God against the sin of the whole human race…He shouldered the curse of God…that is what the word propitiation means.

BUT…the second part…the part of being reconciled back to God was the important part of Jesus’s work in delivering us from God’s wrath…Jesus’ propitiation on the cross is the only thing that could turn away God’s divine condemnation of sin.

This is the single reason why those who reject Jesus as their Savior…who refuse to believe in Him, have no hope of salvation…because they have refused the only means whereby they can be reconciled back to God.

They can only look forward to facing the wrath of God…because aside from Jesus there is no other propitiation or sacrifice that can be made for their sins.

God does not punish His sons and daughters…rather He disciplines His sons and daughters…that’s why life sometimes is so hard for us as Christians…God is disciplining us. Correcting us. Training us.

This means you need to look differently at the difficulties in your life…don’t look at them as negatives; instead, see them as the training of God in your life.

That’s the reason that these verses as well as the entire book of James are valuable for both unbelievers as well as believers.

For those who are unbelievers but consider themselves to be Christians…faith that is reliable only when things are going well in not faith at all…it is worth nothing…that type of faith will fail when help is needed the most…but worse… it will lead people to think they are Christian when in reality they are not.

The writer has been careful to point out that hardships are not a sign of God abandoning us…the opposite…it’s important to know when we are tested and tried through the many difficult times in life that we recognize it for what it is: it’s not punishment for some sin or mistake…God does not punish Christians.

It’s important to remember that Scripture speaks about the ‘various trials’ that happen in our life…adversity can take on many forms…1) Chastisement… 2) Character development… 3) Suffer for Christ… 4) Common to man.

God uses those trials and difficulties in our lives to accomplish His purpose of maturing us… regardless of the trials that come…if they are God sent…or God ordained…or God allowed…God knows the reason and the purpose.

When we are tested and tried through the many difficulties and disappointments in life we need to recognize them for what they are…and even though it may be an adversity that is common to man…God intends to use it as evidence of His love for us that is designed to perfect us.

The third area that God uses to mature us is through discipline…in these verses the author is referring to discipline…not referring to the trials and temptations that occur in life…but is using the word ‘discipline’ in the context of training as you would train a child in their development.

The Hebrew word for discipline means to instruct…which means instruction that trains someone to reach full development (maturity)…not alluding to punishment, which is an incorrect rendering.

God disciplines us…in fact the author uses the word ‘discipline’ 9 times in 9 verses to make a point regarding why He disciplines…why He sends…or allows trials in our lives…to emphasize that there is no reason for us to become discouraged…such discipline is proof of His love.

God disciplining us is the evidence that God is working to ‘train’ us to be more Christ like.

How can I know whether the adversity I’m going through is God’s hand of discipline, or something else because sometimes things do just happen…with the “something else” being the result of living in a fallen world or an attack from Satan that God has permitted.

I believe it’s a mistake to attribute every pain and affliction directly to God’s chastisement of a particular sin in our lives…Job is the evidence of that…he did nothing wrong…but it would be a mistake to ignore the possibility that our affliction may in fact be God’s chastening.

The Lord’s discipline is a response of His love for us and His desire for each of us to be holy.

My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves. (Proverbs 3:11)

Looking at Scripture we can react wrongly to God’s discipline in one of two ways.

We may either “regard lightly the discipline of the Lord” or we may “faint when [we] are reproved by Him” (Heb. 12:5).

To “regard lightly” God’s discipline means that we don’t recognize it, or we’re ignoring its warning… ‘to faint’ from God’s discipline is to give up trying to please Him because we think His discipline is too severe…either reaction is wrong.

We should recognize that God loves us, and that He disciplines us for our good.

For Christians…trials…testing…and discipline are the evidence of God’s love as He seeks for us to grow in holiness…for the unbeliever they shrug it off as bad luck and grow bitter turning further away from God.

When we recognize that God’s disciplining us is an extension of His love our response should be to ask two questions: What is God wanting to do in me through this? …and…How can God get the glory in this?

We should then ask the Holy Spirit to examine us to determine if it is the result of how we are living our lives…that’s the conviction part…and if necessary repent and receive His forgiveness.

Then comes the convincing part…here’s the blessing that results…to those who have been trained by it afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. [v. 11]

^{12 1} Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.

We’re continuing with our study of the book of Hebrews…(17 wks) a book that brings out the theme of Christ’s supremacy over all things…in the opening chapters of the book the author sets out to prove that Jesus is superior to:

the prophets (Heb. 1:1–2),

the angels (1:5–14),

Moses (3:1–19),

the priests (4:14–5:10; 7:23–28),

and all previous sacrifices (9:11–14; 10:19).

Thus far much of what we have been dealing with in these messages is doctrine concerning prophecy and fulfillment…Bible history…along with concepts like the priesthood…the atonement…and the Covenant.

As we come to the last two chapters of the book the emphasis is now less on doctrine and more on practical applications…telling us how to live for Christ and obey Him…Up to now we have looked at some rather troubling verses that reveal the harsh reality of living a lackadaisical Christian life.

Hear people say…I know John 3:16…or Ephesians 2:8…that’s all I need to know…if you’re banking on those verses alone for your salvation…you might be disappointed…I’m not suggesting a salvation that relies on human works…but because we have Americanized the Bible so much we overlook the importance of obedience…this goes clear back to Hebrews 2:1…we talked about weeks if not months ago:

we must listen very carefully (must pay the most careful attention NIV) to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

Sometimes there’s the temptation to coast in our Christian walk…to backslide or to just not take Scripture seriously…it’s not to deliberately commit sin but to just step back for a while and take it easy.

I sit on a bar stool smoking a cigar and watch people around me who are completely detached from the reality that awaits them…people who no more think about eternity than they do about tomorrow…lacking any conscious  awareness regarding their eternal future…it’s heart breaking.

The book of Hebrews repeatedly warns us of the danger of such thinking.

^2:3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?

^3:11 they will never enter into My rest.

^3:19 they could not enter in because of unbelief.

^5:11 you have become dull of hearing

^6:4   to have fallen away it is impossible to renew again to repentance

^11:39   none of them received what had been promised

^8:8   but God found fault with the people

All these verses share the unpleasantness of what might happen…that despite what everyone would like to think…there is the real possibility that many people who think they are secure in the Lord are really not.

Chapter 12 [1 & 2] are actually a continuation of chapter 11 [39 & 40] …again the chapter break implies a new thought but it’s actually a continuation of what he has been referring to throughout the eleventh chapter…providing an application of the points made in those verses.

The first word in chapter 12 ‘therefore’ should be the indication that what he is about to share is a culmination of all he said in chapter 11.

In the opening verse of chapter 12 is a very confusing phrase…he makes an unusual statement that is really found nowhere else in the New Testament…he seems to indicate we are being watched.

^{12 1} Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

Who is the great cloud of witnesses…the author seems to be implying that those previously mentioned champions of faith from chapter 11 are now spectators…that the possibility exists they are cheering us on as if we were in some kind of athletic competition.

TWO words that need defining:

Does their ‘witnessing’ refer to their watching us from heaven…or does it refer to their witnessing to us by the way they lived their lives?

The word ‘witnesses’ can mean the act of seeing something as a result of someone’s actions…or a testimony which is the result of someone’s actions.  

Based on Hebrews 11 it seems as though the word ‘witnesses’ is used as a testimony…the result of those Old Testament saints who were examples of faith while on earth and are in essence saying… “By faith I finished, you can too!” so the meaning is they are giving us a testimony by how they lived their lives that should be an encouragement for us rather than actually watching us.  

However, the second word ‘cloud’ sheds a different light on what appears to be more than a simple reference to clouds in the sky.  

The world ‘cloud’ (νέφος) used here is a neuter noun that is only used one time in the entire N. T. …and it means a dense crowd…a multitude …a great company, which would seem to agree with the idea that we are being watched.

So, it is possible the ‘witnesses’ of Hebrews 11 is referring to those who have run the race…and who have now gathered, as it were, along the race route to encourage us…watching us as we live out our lives.

Now the common objection to that thinking is why…why would you want to continue to see the ugly disgusting things of this world after you die…you lived your whole life in it…why would you want to continue to see it?

It’s hard to think that those who are in Paradise who are happy and untroubled would want to see what’s happening on the earth…can we with confidence say that people in Paradise are actually observing us?

Everyone on this planet has a worldview that influences—how we interpret our circumstances / surroundings …it impacts the way we value other people…the way we choose to make use of the time we’ve been blessed with.

At one time in our lives, we all lived in ignorance…the ignorance that is the result of not knowing who God is…we were ignorant of some of the deepest realities that we’re surrounded with all the time…living in ignorance to who we were created to be…we lived in ignorance about the purpose of our existence… we lived in ignorance regarding everything relating to God’s divine plan.

But God was gracious and kind enough to offer us the privilege to begin to see things in a new light…through faith in Jesus our eyes were opened to understand …the mark of a Christian… having an understanding of the deepest realities that we’re surrounded with…regarding things that we didn’t have the capacity to gain a full understanding of through natural means.

Jesus enables us to see things differently, and as He does so, the manner in which we choose to live our lives will be impacted as well.

Through faith in Jesus we have been enabled to see things differently…we can view the time we’ve been given on earth from a new perspective…said it earlier I am amazed how people live their daily lives with absolutely no thought as to what will occur after their earthly life is over.

Through faith in Jesus we can adopt His manner of seeing things as our manner of living.

Let me say this…in the next life if it is possible to ‘see’ things on earth… we will see them different than we do now and have seen them in this life.

If it is possible…that God grants saints to see the suffering and misery as well as the good on the earth:

…they will not see it with their old imperfect eyes

…they will not understand it with their old imperfect minds

…and they will not assess it with their old imperfect hearts.

…even the relationship between a husband and wife will be completely different than what it has been on earth.

Rather they will see…understand…and assess all things in a perfectly spiritual way that takes into account the goodness and wisdom of God in what they see.  

Probable the best way to illustrate this is in Hebrews 11:4…where the writer says Abel “Through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” …so is Abel in the cloud of witnesses who is encouraging us on…or is he speaking to us by the witness of his life through Scriptures?

To tie the possibility of us being watched as we venture through life, the author depicts us as an athlete about to compete in a race…he compares our time on earth as a runner preparing to race…like an athlete he emphasizes the importance of persevering to the end.

The point the author is making is that these men and women did accomplish great things despite the fact that they were at times less than people of faith… Moses was a murderer…Paul was a murderer…David was a murderer and an adulterer…Abraham a liar…Rahab a prostitute…Sarah a doubter.

BUT…because of their faith God took normal people and did much through them …this is not a list of perfect people…it’s not a list of heroes…Hebrews 11 is a list of fallen sinners who put their trust in God and watched God do amazing things through them.

The idea is not so much that this great cloud of witnesses is in the stands cheering us on, but rather that their lives testify to us…we walk down the same path…live in the same fallen world…share the same sinful tendencies…run the same race that they ran.

The reality is that men and women have been running this same race for thousands of years…we can look back to the Old Testament or we only need to look back as far as friends and family who have finished their race in life… and look to them for encouragement.

I’m not really sure I want thousands of people who have gone before me seeing me as I struggle though this life…but I’m not prepared to say it’s not possible because this Scripture suggests differently…the argument goes both ways.

This brings us to the second half of verse 1…the writer turns his attention to those who are now running the race…giving us instruction regarding our participation…the second half of verse 1:

Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us

As in most races…participants are called to the line to start the race…most lay aside the things not needed to run the race…or they will shed them during the race because they need to rid things that prevent them from running well…as Christians there are things we need to shed:

Things that distract

 Lay aside every encumbrance…The word we translate as encumbrance (περίκειμαι) means anything I am in submission to…not necessarily referring to sins but things that distract.             

In the Christian life there are things that we are in submission to…that distract us…while not being necessarily sinful in themselves there are things that can slow us down if not kept in their proper place.

Family…friends…hobbies…social media…our phones…sports…working overtime…whatever it is that distracts you…that takes up your time…not wrong in themselves…but can tend to weigh you down.

These are the things that we can get so easily absorbed in…sometimes you look around a room and everyone is on their device…you wake up in the morning and instead of going to Scripture or prayer, you do the morning routine of… news…emails…answering work texts from the night before…or social media.  

Encumbrances that are not sinful in themselves, but they slow you down and keep you from running all out for Christ.

The challenge is to consider what are the things in your life that easily distract you…that slow you down in the race to finish strong.

But then he also gets a little more personal…he includes the sin which so easily entangles us.

Now he’s making me feel a little more uncomfortable than I like…the word we translate as ‘easily entangles’ (εὐπερίστατος) is one word and is closely connected to the word encumbrance.

It’s referring to something that easily surrounds us…encircles us…or causes us to be easily distracted…again…anything that hinders.

But in this case…it’s a little more involved than that…more serious and far more complex…he’s referring to:

Things that destroy

Too often the things that distract us are the gateway to things that will destroy us.

The author not only warns us about encumbrances…but also the sin which so easily entangles us.

According to this text sin entangles us–that is to say, it exerts tight control over us and can easily trip us up…encircles us…traps us…and causes us to forget that we are even in a race.

That’s how much of an influence sin can have on our lives.

In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us to pray for God not to ‘Lead us not into temptation but todeliver us from evil’ …a very confusing verse… asking God to not lead me into temptation…doesn’t that go against everything we understand about God…in fact…James says just the opposite: [Jas. 1:13].

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God.” For God cannot be tempted by evils, and He Himself tempts no one.                                           

So why am I praying that God doesn’t lead me into temptation? …don’t know about you all…but I don’t need anyone to lead me into temptation… I can find it just fine on my own.

Jesus tells us to pray to the Father to not lead us into temptation…Scripture clearly tells us that God will not tempt us to sin …so why do we need to ask God to refrain from doing something He wouldn’t do anyway?

If Jesus knows sin destroys our fellowship with God why do we need to pray that God will not lead us into situations that will damage that fellowship?

Look at it this way…the Lord sees situations in our future where we can fall into temptation…Jesus gave His disciples the same advice regarding temptations “pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41).

Jesus is addressing the idea that everyone has different tolerance levels regarding temptation and sin…some are stronger in overcoming certain temptations…others are weak and are more easily overcome by sin.

Praying for God to “lead us not into temptation” means asking Him to guide our steps in such a way where we avoid the people and places that can tempt us to sin…it is then left up to our free will to continue on or not.

It’s asking God to keep us out of situations where we might become weak and vulnerable…and fall into sin.

We have a responsibility to not allow ourselves to be in a situation where we can be tempted to sin… ‘Lord I’m just weak in that area and I just fall into sin when I’m exposed to that situation’ is not an excuse.

As Christians stay away from things that distract and destroy your fellowship with God.

While I’m on it…let me just say something about the sixth petition of the Lord’s Prayer…the request is that God would “deliver us from evil” [Matt. 6:13]

Again…that really makes no sense…what is evil…that is why this phrase is translated differently in different versions…KJV, ESV, and NASB translate it as “evil,” while the NIV and NKJV translate it “the evil one.”

In the Greek there is a definite article before the word evil indicating the term is specific… ‘the evil one’ it is a reference to the devil…that is the more correct translation… ‘the evil one’ also makes more sense.  

The author concludes by telling us to:

² look to the founder and perfecter of our faith

Two important words in this phrase

…First is the word ‘looking’ (ἀφοράω) …some translations use the word ‘fix’ in order to give a more definite meaning to the phrase…this word is only used twice in the entire New Testament.

The Greek word for ‘looking’ is a much fuller word than we can find in English …it’s a compound word that has a preposition (ἀφο) that means ‘away from’ or to look away from everything else except Jesus.

…Second word is the word perfecter (τελειωτής) …a word that is used only one time in the entire New Testament.

It is specifically referring to Jesus…the one who brings the life of faith to its completed conclusion…as Christians this is who we should be fixing our eyes on…not looking away to anything or anyone else.

Hebrews 12:1-2 is one of the most descriptive verses regarding living a Christian life.

As we run the race of life, we must run with our eyes focused on Christ…as we run the race of faith, we must resist those intrusions in life that distract and destroy our fellowship with God.

Researchers in the departments of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona developed a mathematical model of cellular competition in humans and have one simple conclusion: You can’t beat death.

Have you driven by a cemetery…went to a funeral…that’s your conclusion… obviously a research that was funded by American taxpayers.

All of us are going to cross the finish line of death…death is inevitable…if you don’t believe me just ask the folks in the departments of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona…we have no control over death.

I guess that’s the part that is most depressing to me…not death…it’s the completely detached reality of people who are lacking any conscious awareness regarding their eternal future.

The finish line for the Christian is Christlikeness…that should be our ultimate goal… growing and maturing on the racecourse of life to look and act like Jesus …then ultimately to cross the finish line of eternity.

What we can control is how we cross the finish line…as we leave here this morning let us think about the importance of run(ning) with perseverance the race that is set before us. 

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

In these verses the author is giving us some eternal principles that are timeless and can be applied directly to us today.

In Hebrews 11 the author describes the lives of some of the people of faith from the Old Testament…listing the names of some of those while detailing the various trials and tribulations they faced.

Most of these heroes of faith remain unidentified but all were commended for their faith despite the…mocking…scourging…imprisonments…trials… tribulations…and death they faced…their focus was on God.

Each one believing God rewards those that diligently seek Him…BUT also noting they did not receive what had been promised them.  

With respect to Christianity and our commitment to God we need to remember:

Faith trusts and obeys God, leaving the results to His sovereignty…

Charles Stanley puts it…  “Obey God and leave all the consequences to him”.

That is easier said than done…this is a very intense commentary on how God deals with us on a personal level…FIRST…consider three reasons why obedience is critical to successful Christian life:

1. Obeying God in small matters results in receiving greater responsibilities.

Often, God’s greatest blessings come as a result of our willingness to do something that appears insignificant…unimportant…or irrelevant…the issue is are we going to be obedient to what God is asking us and to follow through.

As Christians we are stewards of what God has loaned us…God owns everything…we are simple managers or administrators acting on His behalf.

As we prove ourselves worthy of being good managers in small things God then entrusts us with greater responsibilities as stewards over larger areas of His holdings.

2. Obedience always benefits others.

God often rewards others as a result of our obedience…for example, when parents obey the Lord, the entire family reaps the reward of God’s blessings… when we live obedient lives around those who know us they will sense the contentment God gives us as a result of our obedience.

3. When we obey God, we will never be disappointed.

Obeying God is always the wisest course of action…perhaps you’ve been hesitant to obey God because you fear the consequences of your decision

but when he tells you to do something, and you choose to obey Him He will bless you because obedience always leads to blessing.

When we obey God…even when we don’t understand why God is asking us to do a certain thing…when we obey…Two Things…1) He will reward us…2) watch how He works in your life.

With regards to the possible consequences that may result from obedience…this is the ‘down’ side of obeying God:

…FIRST…when we obey God there is no guarantee that the outcome will be pleasant…BUT HOLD IT…didn’t I just say…when we obey God, we will never be disappointed? …that’s what leaving the results to His sovereignty means.

There’s a long list of names in Hebrews 11 whose outcome of obedience proved unpleasant…there are people all over the world today suffering ‘consequences’ of their decision to follow Jesus.  

They willingly gave their life to Christ realizing the hardships that accompanies becoming a Christian…but did so leaving the consequences of that decision in God’s hands…trusting that whatever the outcome…it would glorify God.

…SECOND…God permits all sorts of awful things to happen – things that He does not approve of, but He allows them anyway…God allows things to happen in this world that He does not approve of…whether it’s in our private lives or in events around the world.

With respect to evil in the world…when wickedness is rampant, we wonder why God doesn’t stop it…looking around the world today… ‘Why would God allow terrorists to do what they did?’ / ‘Why does God permit these things to happen?’

God is fully aware of what is happening…some might say that’s not very loving …but it’s essential to understand that God did not create human suffering…

suffering came into the world through the sin / disobedience of Adam and Eve.

There was no suffering in the garden of Eden. It was only after the fall that suffering came upon humanity…and the introduction of man’s free will…so suffering originated from the actions of our free will…leaving ourselves…not God, to blame.   

…THIRD…go back to the first explanation…when we obey God there is no guarantee that the outcome will be pleasant…nothing says you’ll live a life free from…financial worries…sickness…loneliness…being destitute…or that God

will keep us free from accidents.  

I will never believe that God causes things to occur in people’s lives that causes them to be crippled or permanently maimed.

Read an article about a woman who believed God allowed her neck to be broken in a swimming accident because God saw a much bigger picture that she did…I refuse to believe that…accidents happen.

Romans 8:28 we know that in all things God works for the good is often misquoted to imply that if you’re a Christian whatever it is that you’re going through it’s all good…no it’s not…nothing good about being paralyzed.

The “good” that verse 28 mentions is not for your benefit…so you can lose the idea that God is obligated to make something good happen for you as a result of something bad happening to you…here’s how this works.  

The “good” Paul was referring to is God’s conforming work in us…the good is His molding of our character and lives…despite the tragedies that occur in our lives God’s ‘good’ is that He’s working for our betterment. 

Paul is trying to say that all that happens to us…not just the bad but also the good…is summed up in the last two words in verse 28: “His purpose.”

What is His purpose for us…that we might be conformed to the image of His Son …that is God’s purpose for us.

Does God allow or cause bad things to happen to people so He can use that to glorify Himself? …I don’t believe that…but God will take bad things and work them out to accomplish His purpose…what God did was take her situation and because she believed and allowed God to work in her life Rom 8:28 became a reality regarding how God wanted to use her.

… FOURTH…in His sovereignty people are given different talents and opportunities based on His purpose for their lives [Mat. 25:14-30] …that’s why we cannot compare ourselves with other people.

Some trust and obey God and He grants spectacular results…others trust and obey the same God but are subjected to endure trials…the difference is not in the people or in their faith but in God’s sovereign purpose in each situation.

In his sovereignty…God puts people in the right place at the right time to fulfill a give purpose…again that’s why we cannot compare ourselves with others.

…FIFTH…In His sovereignty God permits what He hates…the awful death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary proves that…He took something bad…what He hated…and worked it out to accomplish His will for our benefit.

Then there’s the troubling verse ‘none of them received what had been promised’ that introduces the sixth statement regarding God’s sovereignty.

The author makes a troubling statement concerning the Jews who were faithful …none of them received what had been promised’ …so, what was the promise that these heroes of faith did not receive? …these men and women who stood so firmly in their faith unto the point of death.

The sixth point shows the necessity of being completely dependent on God’s sovereign timeline…the importance of waiting on God’s appointed time.

1. Only God can see the total picture…it does not benefit us to lean on our own understanding of situations that are often distorted by self-serving reasons and tunnel vision.

We want what we want when we want it but God’s perspective and actions are always rooted in perfect vision of the total picture.

2. God’s appointed time is often a function of His purpose for our life. 

He has saved us and called us, according to his own purpose (2 Tim. 1:9) …there is an appointed time when His purpose for us will be manifested.

That’s the importance in waiting on the Lord…waiting on the Lord might seem tiresome and boring but God’s timing is crucial…if we delay…or…if we launch out to early we may miss His opportunity for our lives…He then may have to ask someone else to fulfill the purpose He had planned on you completing…the KEY is making sure we don’t lag behind or get ahead of God in implementing His purpose for our life.

God always has our best interest at heart…His responses to our prayers are always based on that reality. “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season [God’s appointed time] we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

Going back to the troubling verse that despite being commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised…at first glance one might think their faith was in vain and God failed them.

Here’s the KEY… Faith lives with a Godward focus, not with a focus on people or things…the promise to these Old Testament saints was a promise of things they never saw…but they believed it even when they did not fully see it…that’s faith.

The evidence of their faith was in the way they lived their lives…they believed the promises of God and acted upon them in the way they lived their lives… for them, the reward of faith was one day seeing what they had always

believed in while waiting patiently for it to happen…isn’t that what we’re doing every day as Christians…waiting patiently for the Lord to return?

Here’s how that’s explained…he uses Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the examples…who were all looking forward to the city…whose architect and builder is God [11:10].

In short, the message of chapter 11 is: “Can you not see? Do you not understand? Something I’ve mentioned during our look at Hebrews a number of times…the importance of seeing with spiritual eyes and the mark of a Christian is understanding.

At the very end of the most glorious chapter on ‘faith’ the writer explains to his readers why this long list of men and women of faith who found favor with God did not receive the promises God made them [39] …the reason is Jesus.

God has provided something better for us, so that apart from

us – they would not be made perfect [40].

Strangely worded verse…when Jesus came, a completely new time came over the earth…previously they needed to come to God and bring animal sacrifices to get forgiveness for their sins…needing to come back again and again…But when Jesus came, then that which was impossible became possible through Jesus’ one time sacrifice on the Cross [Rom 8:1-4].

…He came with the gospel and the promise that we can be transformed and conformed to the image of the Son [2 Cor. 3:18 / Rom 8:29].

… that we can be indwelt with God’s Spirit–something that never happened until Jesus’s death.

…that we can partake of the fruits of the Spirit which are the very virtues of Jesus Christ.

These Old Testament saints never had the opportunity to enjoy these blessings because it was all impossible before Christ.

The promise to which they looked for was the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah of God…He was the One Who was to come to save people from their sins and bring in a glorious kingdom of everlasting righteousness…and although they never saw Him personally, they were looking to the future…to see God’s earthly fulfillment of His promises.

Hebrews 11:39-40 states that Old Testament saints who gained approval from God who lived lives of courageous faith…all died without receiving what God had promised them…that they would not be made perfect.

What does that mean… they would not be made perfect… in other words… they will not receive their glorified bodies ahead of the believers from the New Covenant… the time we are living in now…they were going to have to wait.

In the future, all believers who lived faithfully will be brought into Jesus’ kingdom at the same time…they will not receive what had been promised apart from us…they will not be rewarded ahead of us which means that they must wait for the Church to be resurrected first.

Eventually we will be together with them throughout eternity…here’s the key with respect to the resurrection….no one will be resurrected individually…we will be resurrected as part of our respective groups.

No one within a given group (the Church, the Old Testament saints, the Tribulation saints) will receive their new bodies apart from the rest of their respective group.

Here’s how this works…there are two resurrections…the first resurrection has importance for us…it has four stages:

The first resurrection is Christ (1Cor. 15:20)

The second stage of the first resurrection is believers who have died during the Church Age who will all be resurrected at the Rapture (1 Th 4:13, 14, 15, 16,  17, 18, 1Co 15:50, 51, 52, 53, Jn 14:3)

The third stage of the first resurrection are the two witnesses who are killed in Revelation 11 who are raised (Rev. 11:11, 12).

The fourth stage of the first resurrection part ‘A’ is after the Great Tribulation… those believers who were martyred will be resurrected (Rev 7:9 Rev 20:5).

The fourth stage of the first resurrection part ‘B’ are the Old Testament saints (Daniel 12:1, 2, 13, Isaiah 26:19, Job 19:26).

It’s amazing when you think that every believer has the opportunity to gain the same rewards for faithfulness that Abraham…Joshua…Moses and David will receive along with these O. T. believers who also gained approval.

The promise remains of entering God’s rest…this rest is the inheritance believers will receive if they remain faithful during this life…we hold this in common with the Old Testament saints.

The greatest of rewards will be given to those who walk in faith…that is why their example is so relevant to us…each will be rewarded according to his faithfulness on earth.

In these two verses the author of Hebrews is telling those early Christians…and us…that the day of perfection has come…Jesus has come and inaugurated the age in which all the promises of God will finally find their ultimate fulfillment …this is the day the old covenant saints waited for.

If these saints had lived to see it, they would not be attempting to go back to the time before Jesus but would join with the new covenant saints in drawing near to God…again…the message of chapter 11 is: “Can you not see? Do you not understand? You are living in the age that these saints died waiting for.

If you really want to be faithful to God…if you really want to be true to the witness of those who have gone on before us…then press on…cling to Jesus even when it brings suffering.

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God MUST believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. [Heb. 11:6]

The writer is citing two critical tenets for the requirements of Christianity …the word ‘must’ indicates compulsion…it’s not a suggestion.

There are a number of Bible verses that instruct us on how to be saved…probably John 3:16 is the most well-known…but here the author gives two compulsory requirements…1) we must believe that He exists …2) and that He rewards those who seek Him.

This verse in many ways is a summary of this entire 11^th chapter of Hebrews…a chapter that revolves around faith…the faith of the people who walked with God and the rewards of their faith.

That’s something that is never talked about in the list of requirements in coming to God…we are all familiar with the basic steps necessary for salvation…the ABC’s of becoming a Christian:

Admit that you are a sinner
Believe that Jesus is God’s Son
Confess your sins

Last of all…accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

BUT…how many times have you ever heard a pastor ask someone as part of their profession of faith…do you believe that God rewards those who seek Him? …but here it is… for he that comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

This is the third time the author explicitly refers to rewards…goes back to the fundamental message of the book of Hebrews [10:35 / 36] the importance of:

(not throwing) away your confidence, which has a great reward…so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

The author continues to make mention of what the final outcome will be when we hold fast with confidence and maintain our endurance…it is the promise of a great reward.

The promise of rewards is given to Christians based on how we have conducted ourselves during our stay while on earth…which includes fulfilling the purpose God has predestined for every person who’s a Christian.

Notice something else in this verse…it’s the words ‘faith’ and ‘believe’ …in this verse the author uses faith and believe almost interchangeably.

Is there a difference? …certainly, having faith and believing in God is a requirement for salvation:

…believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved [Acts 16:31] …By grace are ye saved through faith [Eph. 2:8].

So both are essential ingredients in our relationship with God…but isn’t it a little redundant using both faith and believe in the same verse?

It’s been suggested that throughout Scripture there is no distinction between faith and believe…that’s why faith and believe are used interchangeably…but in its English usage believe and faith often do imply different meanings.

Difference Between Belief and Faith

Belief is the acceptance of something…faith is a strongly held conviction.

Belief is based on probability…faith is a commitment.

Belief depends on proof…Faith is based on unseen certainty.

Our modern concept of belief can lead to confusion…to some, belief means nothing more than mere hope or speculation…considering something to be true even though we are not 100% sure or able to prove it.

With respect to faith…it has a deeper meaning than belief …the English usage of belief says I have an intellectual acceptance of something…whereas faith says I have a wholehearted commitment to something.

The New Testament Greek word believe means to “be convinced of something” not to merely hope…we must be convinced that more than 2,000 years ago Jesus died on a cross and rose the third day.

Just for a few minutes I want to look at the difficulty in doing what Scripture is asking of us…without faith it is impossible to please him…then look at the absurdity of taking the Bible to an extreme that has nothing to do with faith.

First…there is a difficulty in doing what Scripture is asking us…that if we want to please God we must believe that He exists…now on the surface that sounds rather obvious…but there are times in the Bible when we’re asked to stretch our belief…a wholehearted commitment of something…even further.

First…is in asking me to believe in someone I’ve never seen…and then asking me to believe that the someone I’ve never seen created what I can see…but that is exactly what is faith is requiring.

By faith we understand the universe to have been formed by the word of God [3].

There are two scientific arguments here…only two possibilities for the existence of the universe…everything was created by a supernatural being OR everything was created by nothing…it just appeared on its own.

On the surface…the idea that everything was created by nothing is preposterous …so the most realistic explanation is there had to be something through which everything came…the question then is…who or what is that something.

When you analyze creation how can we know that the world was made?…we were not there when it happened, but, even if we had been there, we could only see the results of the act of creation because all you can see is the results of God’s Word. 

Scripture attributes the creation of the world to the word of God…that He literally spoke the world into existence…this directly relates to the definition of faith: the evidence of things not seen.

Atheists, skeptics, and non-believers, not willing to accept the idea of an intelligent designer, put their faith in the creative power of nothing…for them the possibility of a supreme being who created the universe flies in the face of logic and science.

Scripture is asking us to believe by faith…unseen certainty…that because of His great power God spoke the world into existence.

Changing the wording slightly verse 1 defines faith…the worlds were created by the word of God so that what is seen was made out of things that are not seen.

The second question reveals the absurdity of taking the Bible to an extreme that has nothing to do with faith…how old’s the earth? …that question has produced heated discussions on the…internet…TV…in classrooms…and in churches.

—Young-earth proponents using God’s Word as the source…state the age of the earth is about 6,000 years old…that’s assuming you believe the six days of creation were six twenty-four-hour days.

—Old-earth proponents…using science and the study of the earth’s most ancient rocks, determined Earth’s age is 4.5 billion years old.

So…are we to believe that the age of the earth is about 6,000 years old or 4.5 billion years old?…does picking one date over another make you less of a Christian?

Who’s right? …who cares? …again, a question that has produced heated discussions that only reveals the absurdity of taking the Bible to an extreme that has nothing to do with faith.

It’s like trying to answer such questions as, “What was God doing before He made the world?” … “Can God make a square circle?” … “If God is glorified by forgiving sins, shouldn’t we sin more?”

When people want to engage in such foolish discussion you need to ask yourself what has that got to do with the basic premises of religion?

—That Christians believe there is only one true God.

—That Christians believe in the Trinity, represented by the Father (God), Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.

–That Christians believe that Jesus was born of a virgin…sent to earth as a man and The Messiah to save people from their sins.

—That Christians believe that after three days Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven to be reunited with God.

—That Christians believe that there will be a second coming in which Jesus will return to Earth.

—That all those beliefs are grounded in the promises found in Old and New Testaments that together form the Holy Bible.

Let me ask a question…does it show a lack of faith in God’s Word if I believe the world is billions of years old as opposed to what Biblical scholars think that the world was created in six 24-hour days and is only around 6000 years old?

Here’s what IS important…that man as a creation of God with a soul has been on the earth for only approximately 6000 years…but the age of the earth itself could be far older. 

Here’s the danger…am I prepared to place my whole belief system regarding who God is…what He has done for me…His promises regarding rewards and eternity on the single concept that the world is only 6000 years old?

That if I don’t believe that…then I can’t believe anything in the Bible…if I don’t agree with that then I’m doubting God’s word based on the idea of creation being done in six 24-hour days?…if I don’t believe that will it damage my relationship with God…and cause my faith to teeter?

See the foolishness here?…am I willing to throw my entire faith in God out the window because some theologian demands that I must agree that the world was formed in six 24-hour days?

Am I denying the very words of God to be true?

I teach more than I preach and for some that may not be what you’re used to…I don’t intend for my sermons to be a seminary discourse…in addition…I try to allow myself  30-35 minutes for my sermons.

At the expense of wasting that time…and your time…I want to explain to you why the 6000-year date for the earth’s existence is uncertain and why it should not be an issue regarding your relationship with God…IT IS A NON ISSUE.

What has this got to do with faith?…people get off on tangents regarding what Scripture says…and because of their misinterpretation…their denominational doctrines…or personal beliefs they become critical of other people and their positions on what the Bible says about matters that have nothing to do with salvation or the basic premises of religion.

I want to show you one example of how at times the English translation can be at odds with good Biblical exegesis.

Biblical exegesis is the critical interpretation of biblical text to discover its intended meaning.

That’s why I preach what is known as expository preaching…it focuses primarily on one or more passages centering on a single subject using the biblical text as its source.

So…getting back to the question of how old is the earth…who cares…I am more aligned with what is known as the “framework hypothesis”.

‘Days’ as translated in Genesis One can mean many things depending on the context in how it’s used…can mean one day or extended periods of time [Gen 2:4 / Joel 1:15 / Zech. 12:3] …meaning creation could have taken thousands to millions of years between each of the seven days in Genesis.

I take this position based on the scientific data regarding the age of the world…

to believe that creation occurred in six twenty-four-hour days and has only around 6,000 years is to embarrassingly denying the scientific proof regarding the Cambrian rock that evolutionists believe is around 500 million years old.

Physical evidence all points to the conclusion that ‘day’ as used in Genesis one is referring to longer periods of time (Ps. 90:5-6 / Jer. 6:4) …the time needed to justify the age of the Cambrian rock and our galaxy’s expansion.

This is just one of hundreds of discrepancies…and mistakes in the Bible that cause people to question the reliability and accuracy of the Bible…something seminary says to never tell your church.

There are people in our church who are serious students of the Bible…they run across these discrepancies every day…so to make the statement that there are no errors or mistakes in the Bible is to stick you head in the sand.

I’m not discrediting the Bible because there are scientific errors…historical errors…and spelling errors…in it…there are people out there dedicated in finding and revealing these mismatches in order to discredit the Bible.

Probably one of the best known critical scholars of the Bible today is a man named Bart Ehrman…he is the James Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina…he is a leading authority on the New Testament and the history of early Christianity in the U.S.

His work has been featured in Time, the New Yorker, the Washington Post…he has appeared on NBC’s Dateline, CNN, The History Channel, National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, the BBC, NPR, …he speaks Greek and Hebrew like we speak English…he is no ordinary Bible scholar.

A man who once pastored a church…until he admittedly lost his faith:

The problem of suffering haunted me for a very long time. It was what made me begin to think about religion…it was what led me to question my faith…it was the reason I lost my faith.

So why am I taking up your time mentioning this guy and what has it to do with today’s text?…because as Christians Scripture tells us…without faith it is impossible to please him…that faith includes believing in the accuracy and the inspiration of the Bible to be the true Word of God.Here’s what I want you to know…there are those who dedicate their lives to discrediting the Bible…who go through Scripture to reveal errors in God’s word to flagrantly expose discrepancies…spelling changes…missing words or portions of texts that were added or removed…all of these are what is known as textual variants.

People point out these mistakes for the sole purpose of causing you to doubt the authenticity of Scripture…here’s what Bart Ehrman…a man who travels the world debating the Bible…the most critical of all critical scholars says about

the reliability of the Bible and these textual variants:

The essential Christian beliefs are not affected by textual variants in the manuscripts of the New Testament…page 252.

Know what that means?…these variants people find to cause you to doubt the Bible do not affect any essential Christian beliefs:

—That Jesus is the Son of God.

—That he died on the Cross in your place, bearing your punishment, and paying for your sins.

—That on Resurrection Sunday He literally, physically, bodily rose from the dead never to die again.

—That salvation is by faith alone.

—That Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.

Essential Christian beliefs are not affected by textual variants…meaningthe Bible is completely trustworthy without defect as a guide to salvation.

That validates the infallibility of the Bible regarding faith and God’s design for the salvation of mankind is true and without error.

Want to know what pleases God?…we must believe that He exists…and believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

If we want to continue to please God once we’re saved we are to continue to trust Him by believing His Word, living by faith, and diligently seeking His purpose for our lives daily…that’s why only a believer can please God.

HEBREWS 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. [Heb. 11:1]

Do you understand that verse…what it says?…if that is the definition of faith …just me?…I struggle with that definition.

What is the author of Hebrews getting at in this verse? …I think possibly he’s presenting more than a definition of what faith is…he’s also offering a summary of what faith does.

As you read through the book of Hebrews you must pass through Hebrews 10:19-39 where we are warned against shirking back in faith…because in doing so results in not obtaining the promises of God.

This is contrasted in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews…where faith is described as the guarantee that we will receive what God has promised.

Have you ever attempted to define faith for yourself…we all know what faith is…but can you roughly describe it…can you define it? …for the next few minutes I want to unpack this verse by defining what the words are referring to.

Faith is not a power you possess to create your own future–Norman Vincent Peal who prepared the way for Robert Schuller, Joel Osteen, Oprah Winfrey, and others who teach the deceptive notion that if you believe it…you can have it…or be it…or you can do it…all you have to do is believe it and it will happen.

His book The Power of Positive Thinking sold 5 million copies…the idea was that thoughts are causative, that our thoughts can change our lives…our health, our destiny…He taught the lie that people can change themselves from the inside without any need for God.

People were thrilled with the notion that if you can believe it, you can achieve it as long as you believe it or think hard enough about it…you can have it.

One of the great fallacies in the self-help-positive-thinking industry is the notion that you can change your life with “positive thinking.”

None of this would be all that remarkable, except as a Christian minister Peal denied the very heart of the Christian faith and replaced it with his own doctrine of positive thinking.

Plug “positive thinking” into Amazon.com, and you’ll find a never-ending supply of products designed to help you see life through rose-colored lenses. Positive thinking products account for more than a billion dollars a year in direct-mail and Internet sales.

There are those who have always been…accomplished…successful…who excelled in sports…or academics…or business…with minimal effort.  

Positive thinkers will tell you that is exactly the point…people who struggle without success are failing because they don’t really think they can succeed…if only they would change their thinking they would do better.

Now I can appreciate that…obviously how you think about something or yourself will have an effect on the outcome…and it’s not because I don’t think I can…it requires more than just positive thinking.

We do kids a great disservice when we tell them… ‘you can be anything you want’. NO you can’t…a lot of factors are involved.

Just concluded the Summer Olympic games…throughout the telecast they made reference to how with hard work you too can be an Olympian…that you can play in the NBA or the NFL…NO you can’t…what kind of foolishness is that?

The U. S. sent 613 athletics to Tokyo…wanna take a guess at what the odds are that you will make the Olympic team? 0.0013%…according to the NCAA…your odds of being drafted by an NBA team is 0.02% and going to the NFL is slightly higher at 0.03%.

For these people it’s having more than just a positive attitude that they can succeed…they have an athletic ability that surpasses over 99% of the people in the world.

Stand in front of the mirror in the morning and repeat 20 times: “I am a good person…I can do anything…I will be successful.” See how that works for you.

For those who are born with natural abilities they can excel with less effort… doesn’t matter if it’s athletics…academics or whatever…but what about the rest of the world? …what about the 80% of the population that bust their tails in school and get C’s…or who sat on the bench during ball games…who never received recognition awards.

Positive thinking doesn’t make you any smarter…any stronger…or any better suited for certain jobs.

So, what does this have to do with faith…a lot…because there is a marked difference between faith and positive thinking.

Verse 1 gives us a two-part definition of faith:

1) the assurance of things hoped for– having no doubt or uncertainty of what you’re hoping for.

2) the conviction of things not seen–being certain of what you do not see.

The word ‘faith’ appears 31 times in Hebrews…24 times in chapter 11 alone.

1) Faith is trusting in a future that God has prepared for you…I don’t want to lay out my own future…I did that for years… when I do what I want I can’t trust myself that it will be according to God’s plan…faith extends beyond what we learn from our senses…or what we learn from our own reasoning.

Faith is not just knowledge…it’s about confidence…of putting yourself…your life into someone else’s hands…faith is believing that God planned out your individual future…it’s not relying on our decision regarding our future.

When you read those people mentioned in Heb. 11 if they had the opportunity to write their own future, I’m sure it would have been different…certainly Abel wouldn’t have written that he would be killed by his own brother.

Our physical eyesight is what gives us evidence of the material world…in most cases if I can see it I can believe it…faith is the “sense” that gives us evidence of the invisible, spiritual world…faith is needed for what we can’t see and can’t touch.

Biblical faith is not a leap into the unknown…it is always based upon the firmest of foundations…the Word of God…the person who really walks in faith never needs to feel they’re just existing…having confidence that whatever occurs in their life God is able to use for His glory.

Let me share with you what faith is not…Faith is not a blank check…these name it and claim it preachers who tell you that if you want something from God then all you have to do is pray about it are liars and deceivers.

In the church today people are becoming disillusioned with their faith and disappointed with God because He doesn’t do like they were told He would…I prayed and nothing happened…God is larger than just waiting for me to come up with a new want in my life for Him to fulfill.

Faith is not a bad choice…there are those who say that it is foolish to walk in total and utter dependence upon the Lord…these people argue that God is an unknown…an unseen force which man cannot interact with…or have fellowship with…that Christians who live their lives in faith are fools.

As believers…we can either choose to please the Lord, or we can choose to please ourselves…if we are determined that we are going to please the Lord then we are going to have to walk by faith in Him and in His word and will.

Faith is not a feeling…there may be times when you don’t feel very loved by God…God’s love is unconditional…it doesn’t rely on feelings…it doesn’t require that I do or continue to do something…BUT if I sin He will discipline me…He doesn’t hate you…He still loves you…Biblical faith is not based on feeling but on God’s faithfulness.

2) The word ‘assurance’ (ὑπόστασις) …‘assurance’ and ‘conviction’ are unusual words and very difficult to translate into English…in this verse assurance means an underlying support…similar to support beams that hold up a bridge…it means literally “to stand under, to support” …faith is to a Christian what a foundation is to a house: gives confidence and assurance it will stand.

3) Hope (πίστις) is not just wishful thinking like when someone asks you, do you think things will get better? and you answer I hope so…it means to look forward with the confident expectation that what is promised will happen.

4) Conviction (ἔλεγχος) …a word that is used only two times in the entire New Testament…what does that mean…that by which invisible things are proved and we are convinced of their reality…an inner conviction that is not based on visibly seeing it…it’s what the believer is convinced of even when they are unable to see it.

Of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…is referring to that if you have something before you that you can see…that’s not faith…faith is needed for what we can’t see and can’t touch.

Based on the definition of all those words I prefer the better translation of Hebrews 11:1.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for—the confident expectation that it’s going to happen—and being certain of what we do not see.  

Faith is having the confidence that events that we cannot yet see will in fact happen.

As we go through the book of Hebrews it’s important to remember that the overall theme of the book is: God has given us a superior New Covenant in Jesus to replace the inferior Old Covenant of animal sacrifices.

Chapter 10 ends with both a word of warning and a word of encouragement… the warning is to those who ‘shirk back’ …who are these people…the author makes repeated reference to them throughout the book.

They are the people who made an outward profession of faith in Jesus…maybe were intellectually convinced of Jesus’ existence…but did not possess an inward belief that Jesus was God…and returned to their former way of life. 

These are the people referred to in the parable at the close of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is emphasizing that it is not enough to just “hear” the words of Jesus…but they must be believed and obeyed.

To the one who has an ear let him hear? …there’s a difference between having ears and having “ears to hear” …some hear the Word, yet they do not allow it to affect their decision regarding accepting Christ as their Savior…they have ears to hear…BUT…they lack the spiritual ears to hear…so they reject it.

John 5:24 – Jesus says: he that hears My word…having ears to hear…and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life…hence the importance of understanding…the mark of a Christian is understanding.

In Matthew 13 Jesus gave a series of parables…in these parables He’s explaining what will occur between the time He ascends into heaven and when He comes back…as well as in Matthew 24…the time period we commonly refer to as the church age…the time we’re living in today.

Here’s what is KEY in all these parables…Jesus uses the word ‘understand’ six times in Matt. 13 to emphasize the importance of understanding…even asking the disciples ‘have you understood all these things?’ [13:51].

Here’s what happens when we fail to understand the Bible…Jesus tells us Himself:

when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and takes away what has been sown in his heart. [13:19]

Without understanding …without spiritual ears to hear…we are like those who shirk back because there is no substance in their faith…we’re like the man who built his house on the sand.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. [matt. 7:27]

In [39] he uses the conjunction ‘but’ to make a contrast between those who shrink back…and those ‘who have faith.’   

Couple things…1) some translations read ‘to the saving of the soul’ or ‘whose souls will be saved’ …neither one is an accurate translation giving an incorrect meaning to the verse…in the Greek the word ‘saved’ is not even used …because the phrase, ‘the preserving of the soul’ is not referring to eternal salvation.

2) He’s referring to those who have received eternal life by using the personal pronoun ‘we.’

The preserving of the soul has to do with the normal day-by-day life that if not watched carefully can ruin our Christian life…I went to church on Sunday…I’m good for the week…no you’re not.

Here’s what the word ‘soul’ means in this context…as believers be careful to not lose your spiritual lifestyle…the wasted opportunities…and thus your rewards in heaven…nothing to do with your eternal destiny. That’s why the translation ‘the saving of the soul’ is a bad translation.

It’s safe to say that anything of lasting value requires a patient commitment even in the face of adversity…that includes the Christian life…first-century believers really didn’t need to be reminded of that…they were suffering persecution… imprisonment…the loss of personal property…and death.

In America we’re not suffering to that extent…But we need to be reminded of the need to hold fast to what we have heard.

Goes back to the fundamental message of the book of Hebrews [10:35 / 36] and the importance of:

³⁵ not throw(ing) away your confidence…³⁶For you have need of endurance.

As Christians I hope you’re all aware that in Christ you have a better and lasting possession than you will ever have on earth…that’s not positive thinking…it’s reality…as a result we should continue to focus on doing God’s will in the present, especially when trials tempt you to compromise.

Building on that theme the author moves into chapter 11…giving 40 verses as examples of faith to help the discouraged…he defines what faith is using Old Testament saints as the example.

Hebrews 11 gives just some of the names of those who were examples of faith:  

By faith Abel [11:4] …Enoch [11:5] …Noah [11:7] …Abraham [11:8] … Sarah [11:11] …Isaac [11:20] …Jacob [11:21] …Joseph [11:22] …

Moses [11:23] …Rahab [11:31] and many others who aren’t mentioned by name but by their deeds…they all had one other thing in common…they all died in faith. [11:13]

Old Testament saints were promised things they never saw…but they believed it even when they did not fully see it…that’s faith.

The evidence of their faith was in the way they lived their lives…they believed the promises of God and acted upon them…the way they lived their lives speaks of the reality of what they believed…and were commended for their faith.

For them, the reward of faith was one day seeing what they had always believed in while waiting patiently for it to happen.

All of what we have been looking at in Hebrews has been aimed at making us into this kind of people:

…people who are willing to risk their property and their lives in order to bring the love of God to others;

…People who do not look for comforts and ease and security as a necessary thing in life;

…people who are free from the American assumptions that life is built around safety…wealth…and leisure;

…people who put their trust in God to lead their lives instead of trusting in positive thinking that I can do it on my own;

…people who know there is one life to live and only what’s done in the name of Christ and for the eternal good of others will count in the end.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen

Makes it clear the way such a life comes about…by the unshakable faith in God beyond this life… having the confident expectation that what we hope for will happen…being certain that what we do not see will become a reality… having the assurance that you will receive what was promised.

Last week we looked at key passages in the book of Hebrews…chapter 10 verses 19-25…which started the third major division of the letter.

Wanting his readers to embrace everything he has said up to this point… wanting them to embrace all that Christ has accomplished for them…in these verses is the exhortation that the nine previous chapters have been building up to.

Showing how Jesus fulfilled all that had been symbolized of Him in the Old Covenant…encouraging them to continue to have confidence that God will do what He says He will do…to emphasize that importance he starts off verse 35 with ‘therefore’ …referring back to what had previously been stated.  

Now he states the fundamental message of the book of Hebrews in [v 35 and 36]

³⁵ Therefore—reflecting back on all I have said—do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Contained in these two verses are two guarantees of what awaits Christians…a ‘great reward’ and ‘you may receive what is promised’ …both are blessings that accompany not throwing away your confidence and of having endurance.  

Let me share with you the significance of this…in the Greek the wording ‘you may receive’ is in the subjunctive mood…what you receive and why you receive it is the result of having endurance…it’s a promise…it is the definite outcome that will happen as a result of doing something…it’s conditional… when you have confidence and endurance you’ll receive what God promised.

Notice the wording… do not throw away your confidence…it’s a negative command…it’s something only you can do…no one or nothing can take it from you if you trust in God…confidence in God and in Jesus as His Son can only be lost by our personal neglect…only you can throw it away.

It’s important to remember to whom this book was written…to those who were under persecution and were doubting that they made the right decision in becoming a Christian…some even thinking about returning to Judaism…hence the importance of having endurance.

Everything in this letter is meant to strengthen those early Christians by encouraging them to ‘hold fast’ to the unshakable confidence that Jesus is the fulfillment of what was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Do not throw away your confidence in your belief that Jesus did come down from Heaven…He did take on a human body…He did live a sinless life…He did die on the cross for sinners…and He is the ultimate source of our salvation.

For Christians, our confidence in God is our access to God…those who come to God must believe that He is [Heb. 11:6] …is a simple statement, yet it is the most basic thought to unlocking a relationship with God.

We cannot come to God in an acceptable manner if we doubt His existence…it is the very starting point of our spiritual journey…it is our confident hope in God that allows us the right to approach His throne.  

We should be like the early Christians and ‘hold fast’ to the truth of the Gospel …something we have previously talked about extensively [3:6/4:14/10:23].  

What does it mean to throw away your confidence? I made mention of it last week:

The four most common reasons people lose their faith…their confidence is: 1) hardships… 2) moral collapse… 3) life’s pressures… 4) false teachings.  https://www.oakleys.org.uk/sermons/hebrews_10_23

Those reasons might be the final result but it most often starts out on a much smaller scale…few people just up and quit on Christianity…it is usually a gradual process that occurs over time.

Sometimes it can be the little things that weaken our confidence…when we yield to temptations…by the little compromises we make in life…by things you do and don’t do…then little by little our confidence withers and shrivels to where it’s not what it was.

Holding fast includes being faithful in every circumstance of life so that God is honored through our testimony…in how you live…in how you are dying, to your will and your desire in seeking to do His will in your life.

As Christians we have a vertical confidence in God…that God loves us…that He has adopted us…that we are His children…having confidence that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

As Christians we are commanded to hold fast to the assurance you had when you first came to Jesus and trusted Him as your Savior.

But at times it is difficult to find the motivation to persevere when dealing with life’s problems…with just life in general…that’s why the author gives us this simple statement ‘you need endurance’ [36].

How are you going to persevere…talked about it last week…the importance of —not giving up meeting together—having a time where we’re all collectively gathered together so we can exhort and encourage each other to press on.

Something I’ve said before…the Bible was not written for unbelievers…the book of Hebrews is for those who are maturing in their Christian faith…that is why he extensively makes reference to Israel’s past failures…so the church…so we personally…can avoid their mistakes.

And at the same time providing us with spiritual truths to help us in our spiritual growth and Christian fellowship so we can persevere.

Last week we looked at five things in Hebrews 10:19-25 that promote Christian fellowship…that help us to persevere…that strengthens our confidence:

1. Drawing near to God

2. Holding fast to the confession of our hope

3. Considering how to spur one another on

4. Not giving up meeting together

5. Encouraging one another daily

Because there is a danger…the danger of abandoning our mission in life to pursue something else…how tempting it can be to rely on our own abilities and resources…not pressing on to maturity…developing an attitude of indifference …of drifting from our faith…of doubting God’s promises…of throwing away our trust in God which leads to spiritual negligence.

Each one of us needs endurance to fulfill our mission in life…because it has eternal significance.

God has a will concerning you…He has chosen something special for each one of us…but it is up to us to carry it out…to know what that is…to pursue it at all costs…to ‘hold’ fast’ to that ideal…to not become weary in well-doing or abandon the work that God has assigned you to do.

Twice the author makes mention of what the final outcome will be when we hold true with confidence and maintain our endurance…it’s the promise of a great reward…what is that?…I believe it’s referring to three distinct assurances.

In Scripture it mentions rewards…crowns…and promises…all of which are given to Christians based on how we have conducted ourselves during our stay while on earth, [Matthew 6:19-21] which includes fulfilling the purpose God has predestined for every person who is a Christian.

Something I’m sure you all know but to reiterate…what you do on earth has nothing to do with your entry intoheaven…BUT…what you do on earth has everything to do with your rewardsonce you get there.

In fact, Jesus exhorted His believers to “store up treasures in heaven,” not treasures on earth….Paul speaks of the harvest we will reap if we do not give up doing good [Galatians 6:9].

Here’s where the eternal significance comes in…at the Judgment Seat of Christ there will be a marked difference between Christians:

…some Christians will be called “least in the Kingdom of Heaven,” and some will be called “great” [Matthew 5:19]. It’s important to know that this verse is referring to our rewards in the kingdom…there is a difference:

…Between the Christian who lived his life clearly for the glory of God and the one who didn’t;

…Between the Christian who was a nominal Christian whose “faith” didn’t go beyond being identified with a church and the one who is identified as the church;

…Between the Christian who was saved on his deathbed after living a life of self-pride, self-righteousness, self-love, and self-sufficiency versus the one who for his entire life worked to fulfill God’s purpose.

All those will be in heaven…all will be eligible for eternal life…all will be happy in Heaven…but not all will experience Heaven in the same way in regard to the receiving of crowns…rewards…and promises.

With respect to the giving of crowns…there are five different crowns mentioned in the New Testament…each of these crowns is given as a distinct reward for those who faithfully fulfilled specific commitments in their lives.

CROWN 1 – CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS— LOVED THE LORD’S APPEARING – 2 Tim 4:8
CROWN 2 – VICTOR’S CROWN— DISCIPLINED BODIES / SELF-CONTROL – 1 Cor 9:25
CROWN 3 – CROWN OF LIFE— ENDURED PATIENTLY THRU TRIALS – James 1:12, Rev 2:10
CROWN 4 – CROWN OF GLORY— GIVEN TO GODLY LEADERS – 1 Pet 5:2-4

CROWN 5 – CROWN OF REJOICING— SOUL WINNERS CROWN – 1 Thess. 2:19, Dan 12:3

With respect to rewards…there are about forty separate references to rewards: Matthew 5:5, 12, 19; 6:4, 6, 18, 20; 10:41–42; 16:27; 18:4; 19:21, 

28, 30; 23:12; 25:21, 23; Mark 9:41; Luke 6:35; 12:8, 33; 19:17, 19; 22:30;

Revelation 2:7, 10–11, 26–27; 3:4–5, 11–12, 18, 21; 19:7–8; 20:4, 6; 22:5, 12.

Too many to mention…but are given to Christians for faithful service.  

With respect to promises…these are given to Christians who are overcomers…  who’s an overcomer?… [1 John 5:4-5] defines an overcomer…a title for all believers who overcome the world.

SO…in a sense all believers are overcomers in that they have become children of God…BUT…the book of Revelation describes seven promises for Christians who are overcomers in a specific way.

So, do the overcomer promises in Revelation apply to all believers because John says anyone who is a believer in Christ is an overcomer?…NO they don’t.

All believers are overcomers regarding conflicts and trials that come to each individual believer in a variety of different ways…in that respect…we’re all overcomers…BUT…no two Christian lives are the same in terms of their struggles…and it seems that God tailors His rewards accordingly.

In Revelation the overcomer concept is restrictive…specific promises are in keeping with specific problems.…the promises in Revelation are special rewards to believers who overcome specific conflicts in their Christian life…to some is the promise:

1. to eat from the tree of life Revelation 2:7.

2. to not be hurt by the second death.” Revelation 2:11.

3. given hidden manna to eat…a new name… Revelation 2:17.

4. given power over the nations  Revelation 2:26-28.

5. clothed in white garments, and have their name confessed before God and His angels.” Revelation 3:5.

6. be made a pillar in the temple of God  Revelation 3:12.

7.  granted to sit with Jesus on His throne  Revelation 3:21

https://activechristianity.org/7-extraordinary-promises-for-those-who-overcome

Here’s the KEY to all these rewards… “to the one who has an ear let him hear …a common saying in the Bible…but as with some things in the Bible there is a deeper meaning other than what it appears to mean.

There’s a difference between having ears and having “ears to hear” …Jesus described the different types of hears in the Parable of the Sower…those who have “ears to hear” heard the Word and it opened their minds to understanding …they accepted it and it transformed them…by making a difference in their lives.

Others hear the Word, yet they do not allow it to affect their decision regarding accepting Christ as their Savior…they have ears to hear…BUT…they lack the spiritual ears to hear…so they reject it.

John 5:24 – “he that hears My word…having ears to hear…and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life…” that’s being an overcomer…that is God’s desire for every person who has ever lived.

So, for believers, judgment will involve crowns…rewards…and promises… (or the lack thereof) …based on how we live after being saved…that is the promise of a great reward.

Notice the wording in verse [36] …when you have done the will of God…it’s referring to something in the past…but also to the present and to the future.

WITH RESPECT TO THE PAST…when you have done the will of God… the writer is recognizing their position that might be expressed as:

“We have done the will of God as far as it has been made known to us—i.e. that Jesus is the Christ…they had accepted Him…they had received His Holy Spirit …they had renounced their faith in Judaism—if there is anything more for us to do let us know, and we will do it.”

Now, the question for us…have we gone as far as these people? …they were standing on the fact that they had done what they knew was God’s will…which was: faith in Christ…confession of Christ…can we say the same thing of ourselves today?  

WITH RESPECT TO THE PRESENT…the second coming of Jesus seemed the only effective way of deliverance…we see it today…but on a far weaker scale… and in more of a selfish way…if Jesus would only come back I wouldn’t have to go to work…pay my bills…I’d be rid of this back ache.

WITH RESPECT TO THE FUTURE. Somewhat like the present…waiting involves the spirit of patiently waiting…we don’t know how long we may have to wait…maybe our entire lives …we have to wait for others, as others have had to wait on us.

How selfish it is to pray for Jesus’ return when there are countless numbers of people still being witnessed to…that is why verse 37, an Old Testament quote, is applicable to us today:

For yet a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

In [John 16:16] Jesus Himself makes a similar statement regarding His return:

A little while, and you will no longer see me; and again, a little while and you see me;”.

God is thinking of all individuals and all generations yet to come.

Two statements in the Bible…“the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” [Luke 21:24] … and “when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” [Rom. 11:25]

That means there is that ONE person out there somewhere…might not even be born yet…who will be the final Gentile to be saved before the rapture occurs …until then we are told to patiently wait.

Here’s the importance in that…and why it’s selfish to want Jesus to return…and why the phrase ‘Lord Jesus, come quickly’ is a little self-centered.  

There’s a gospel song: ‘Wait a Little Longer Sweet Jesus’.

‘But wait a little longer please Jesus there are so many wandering out in sin
Just a little longer please Jesus a few more days to get our loved ones in’

It’s asking the Lord to wait a little longer before He comes back because loved ones aren’t yet saved…there are countless numbers of people receiving Jesus as the Savior everyday.

For Jesus to return before the ‘fullness of the Gentiles has come’…would deny them the opportunity to receive Jesus as Savior and sentence them to the horrors of the tribulation.

Israel waited in Egyptian bondage for 400 years…but freedom came at last. Israel wandered in a desert for 40 years but settlement in Canaan came at last.

Many generations in the Old Testament saints lived and died with nothing more than prophecies to comfort them while they waited…but Jesus did come at last …and so He will come again.

We have already received the promise of eternal life…BUT the possession of the promised inheritance has not yet been attained…there are times when the promise of rewards seems long delayed…we need to patiently wait…the second coming was and is a thing to be waited for…it is worth the wait.

Probably some of the most encouraging words in the entire New Testament:

do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. so that when you have done the will of God you (will) receive what is promised.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain that is, his body,  ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  ²³ Let us hold fast to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

We now come to the key passage in the Book of Hebrews…it contains the exhortation that the nine previous chapters have been building up to…Hebrews 10:19-25 is the third major division of the letter… [1:1-4:13 / 4:14-10:18 / 10:19-13:25].

Wanting his readers to embrace everything he has said up to this point… wanting them to embrace all that Christ has accomplished for them…in this passage he shows how Jesus has now fulfilled for us all that had been symbolized of Him in the Old Covenant…and how we can now embrace the New Covenant realities with full confidence.

In these verses and in what follow we are told the five things that promote Christian fellowship.

1. Drawing near to God

2. Holding fast to the confession of our hope

3. Considering how to spur one another on

4. Not giving up meeting together

5. Encouraging one another daily

The first three ideas in the Greek are what is known as hortatory subjunctives functioning as imperatives…what that means is…these three statements are commanding us to join in on some type of action.

FIRST has to do with our relationship to God: “Let us draw near”. [22]

SECOND has to do with Jesus’ promise of salvation: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope” [23] (confident expectation of what God has promised He will do).

THIRD has to do with our relationship with each other: “Let us consider one another.”

He begins [v. 19] with a present participle ‘having’ …commonly translated as ‘since we have’ …that is looking back to verse 17 signifying the reason why Christians have the confidence to boldly access God [10:17]:

          their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more

Since having our sins and lawless deeds remembered no more…is key in understanding our position in Christ…the wording ‘since we have’ used in [19] and [21] are in the present tense.

This signifies that it is currently present and ongoing…we now have and will continue to have bold access to enter into the holy place of God today / forever.

This verse completes the writer’s long explanation on the superiority of the new covenant …when sin is truly forgiven, there “is no longer any offering” needed…once a truly saving sacrifice has been offered, there is no need to offer any further sacrifices for sin.

That is the reason why as Christians we are a ‘royal priesthood’ [1 Pet. 2:9] …ever considered yourself to be royalty?…this necessitates a little history.

In the Old Covenant tabernacle there was a veil…a curtain… that separated the sinner from God…the Ark of the Covenant was located inside the Holy of Holies…it is where God resided and only the High Priest was permitted to enter the holy place and only once a year on the Day of Atonement.

For anyone else to dare to enter…or even for the High Priest to enter on any other occasion, would have meant death.

The veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple and was a constant reminder that sin renders humanity unfit to be in the presence of God.

People carelessly live their lives without realizing the damage sin does to our fellowship with God…ever wonder why maybe God doesn’t hear your prayers? … We know that God does not listen to sinners [John 9:31].

To clarify…there are two kinds of sinners…unsaved sinners and saved sinners.

We’re all sinners…what this verse is referring to is the Christian who has…  willful…deliberate…intentional…sometimes unintentional sin…we all have sin in our lives…without confession we break that fellowship with God whereby He does not hear our prayers…the importance of confessing sin.  

The second kind of sinner is the unsaved person…the only prayer God will ever hear from them is the initial prayer of professing Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Getting back to the importance of the veil…under the Old Covenant it required that once a year the priest would pass through the veil in order to enter the Holy Place to make the sacrifice for the sins of the people.

When Jesus was crucified, that veil was mysteriously torn from top to bottom [Matthew 27:50-51] signifying that Jesus has taken that veil away through having borne our sins upon Himself.

As a result, in the New Covenant we have the right to enter in “boldly”— there is no longer a veil…we draw near with confident assurance being certain of our absolute acceptance by God without any fear of punishment or judgment… …ONLY made possible by the blood of Jesus [20].

No longer does it require someone to pray for us…or to be an intercessor for us …the way into the Holy of Holies is now open for all people…there remains no barrier to keep us out of full fellowship with God.

As Baptists we reject the idea that only those who exercise authority in the church have access to God.

BUT…drawing near to God is conditional…99% of all promises in the Bible are conditional…I’ve already shared one with you: God does not hear the prayer of sinners [John: 9:31] …in [22] he identifies what is further required:

²² a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings

—without faith it is impossible to please Him [Heb 11:16]—having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

As Christians…that is the only way we can approach God…those are the conditions…the reasons why we can draw near to God…because of…having a sincere heart…cleansed from a guilty conscience…and having our bodies washed.

The verbiage…having our hearts sprinkled and having our bodies washed are perfect tense participles…something you don’t see in the English.

This is what happens at the moment of conversion…it’s completed action…that is still ongoing today…the forgiveness of sins and the delivery from a guilty conscience…this amplifies what was said in [9:12].

“I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

I just want to encourage you to meditate on this verse…to soak it in…this is God speaking from the Old Testament in a way that validates the fulfillment of God’s promises through Jesus.

When you are constantly reminding yourself of past sins, you’ll not experience peace or have the confidence to approach God…you feel less than adequate… Satan wants you to.

When we fail to mature spiritually the enemy takes advantage of us…to keep us depressed and prevent us from realizing God’s promises…we don’t need to come to God with nervousness or an element of doubt…we approach Him with the steadfast, positive assurance that what God has said, He will perform.

God can’t have the personal relationship with us that He desires when we fail to realize that our sins have been forgiven…it implies we’re doubting God’s promises.

Don’t beat yourselves up for something that God no longer remembers…stop harboring old sins.

The SECOND statement commanding us to join in on some type of action is… [23] “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope” (the confident expectation of what God has promised He will do) …knowing without a doubt.

Previously we saw in 3:6 and 4:14 the words “hold fast” …that could really be a motto or a guiding principle regarding life or anything we do in life.

BUT…focusing on Christianity…holding fast is essential when becoming a Christian…the person who’s considering becoming a Christian…especially if at an early age… doesn’t have a real grasp of what that involves…actually…I’m not sure many people have a true grasp of what it involves.

Without knowing what’s involved in becoming a Christian people impulsively make a commitment without assessing if it’s worth sticking it out.

As Christians we are to hold fast to the assurance we had when we first came to Jesus and trusted Him as our Savior.

When we ‘hold fast’ to the word of God, He shapes our lives. We are like a field bringing forth useful vegetation …being a blessing to others…which means if you are a follower of Jesus, you need to hold fast.  

The question is why so many don’t…on the surface it seems like a no-brainer… why wouldn’t you?…most of us could name sports figures…or others in the public eye who were once known as Christians but now are nowhere to be heard of …maybe you have friends who have given up on Christianity.

Here’s what’s interesting…hundreds of Christian ministers abandon their faith… in fact, there are so many religious professionals who have lost their faith there’s a public page – The Clergy Project http://clergyproject.org/ …to help them.

These are pastors and other religious people who are either still active in the ministry…or who have left the ministry because they lost their faith…who didn’t hold fast to their hope…membership is around 1000.

Ever thought about the idea that the pastor you may be listening to has lost his faith?…so why don’t they quit?…some do…some can’t…they’re trained to do nothing else.

Finding another comparable job isn’t easy…you’re not trained for another job… if you have a family your kids need a place to live, clothes, food, literally how are you going to survive if you’re a pastor and you quit your job? So you don’t.

Here are the four most common reasons people lose their faith: 1) hardships… 2) moral collapse… 3) life’s pressures… 4) false teachings.  

With so many casualties…how do I make sure that I don’t fall by the wayside? [23] by holding fast to the confession we made at our public declaration of faith when we were baptized.

1. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

2. Do you believe that when He died on the Cross, He died in your place, bearing your punishment, and paying for your sins?

3. Do you believe that on Resurrection Sunday He literally, physically, bodily rose from the dead never to die again?

4. Do you believe that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father?

The THIRD statement actually has three commands that are closely interwoven that are dictating we join in on some type of action that has to do with our relationship with each other:

²⁴ consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together…(and) encouraging one another.

Verse 24 seems to be suggesting the kind of meeting we should be attending…one way church should be conducted …to stimulate one another to love and good deeds…not referring to merely sneaking into church service and sneaking out again.

It’s talking about the kind of stimulation that promotes mutual encouragement and the stirring up of one another…that can happen in a lot of ways…when you say something to someone that encourages them…maybe just listening to what they have to say…and where someone can reply something to you that will help you to have the strength for your earthly challenges.

This is why some churches…especially larger ones, have a ministry of small groups… giving people the opportunity to have personal interaction with one another…we don’t have small groups…we are a small group.

Before COVID we used to have a time of fellowship before service…a time of just visiting and sharing…I see this happening now more after church…that’s good…people staying around to visit…that’s why I enjoy our fellowship dinners so much.

The second directive is the encouragement to worship…he encourages us to:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as some are in the habit of doing, [25]

In the Greek the actual wording is ‘not forsaking’ (ἐγκαταλείπω) or to abandon meeting together.

Problem is this statement is a bit annoying…it’s one of those statements that asks us to point a finger at ourselves…to hold ourselves accountable.

Let me say this…this is not to make anyone feel inadequate…or bad…or guilty because they occasionally miss church…people have to work…people get sick …the weather gets bad…people are on vacation.

The emphasis is to focus on the benefits that accompany attending church with other believers…here’s one…Satan is like a pack of wolves who pick off stragglers in the back of the herd…Satan will go after the Christian believer who isolates himself from the body of Christ.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the trend in America the past few years…church in America is not a priority…more than 40% of Americans “say” they go to church weekly…the reality is…less than 20% are actually in church.

In other words, more than 80% of Americans aren’t in church on any given Sunday…somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 churches close their doors every year…but we do sing ‘God bless America’ at the 7^th inning of ball games so I guess we’re good to go.

The purpose of not giving up meeting together…is so we can exhort and encourage each other to press on…having a face to face encounter during Sunday service where we’re all collectively gathered together aids in the motivation. He’s saying don’t deny yourselves that blessing…it’s not necessary to put a guilt trip on people.

Notice the author uses the word ‘habit’ which is one of the definitions of the Greek word ἔθος more commonly translated in the Greek as ‘is the custom.’

I often tell people coming to church is a habit…it’s good to see that Scripture agrees with me…it seems to stress a warning that comes when not meeting with other Christians…relationships with other believers is one way to encourage… and to be encouraged to live out the faith we proclaim.

At the end of [25] he makes an interesting statement regarding the importance of assembling together:

All the more as you see the day drawing near.

What ‘day’ is ‘the day which is approaching’…again?…would it have hurt the writers of the New Testament to elaborate a little more?

Is it the day of Christ’s coming at the end of the age?…is it Judgment Day?…is it referring to the day of Jerusalem’s destruction?…or is it the Lord’s Day?… because they all could be applicable.

I could elaborate in lengthy detail on each one of these possibilities…you’re probable thinking…please don’t, because they all do involve a lengthy explanation…so I’m going to share with you what is meant because it is the only explanation that’s in agreement with what he’s been talking about.

One of the first principles of sound biblical interpretation is that scripture is its own interpreter…therefore…Scripture must be interpreted in a way that is consistent with its context…context determines meaning.

Goes back to the word used for ‘assembling’ which is significant…in the Greek

when pronounced sounds like synagogue (ἐπισυναγωγή) (ep-ee-soon-ag-o-gay’) this would have had a meaning for both the Jewish worshippers and the Christian worshippers but particularly for the Christian worshippers.

It is alluding to the day each set aside for the assembly of worship…for the Jews it would have been Saturday…for the Christians it would be Sunday…but… because the letter is addressed to Christians, he’s tying this into their neglecting to assemble together because of their depressed state regarding their persecution.

He’s saying don’t do that…believers should be encouraged, in all circumstances, do not neglect the regular assembling of yourselves for that purpose and for worship.

Ignatius…an early church father wrote regarding assembling…that by the ‘assembling of yourselves together the powers of Satan are overthrown, and his mischief neutralized by your like-mindedness in the Faith!’

Earlier I gave five things that promote Christian fellowship…one thing they all have in common is…one of the greatest spiritual blessings we can enjoy in Christ in this life is the fellowship we share with one another in our public assemblies.

When we do those five things I mentioned in the opening…Two Things…we assemble ourselves together for the purpose of worship…and when we assemble together it gives us one of the greatest spiritual blessings we can enjoy in this life then we become a blessing to each other.

Hence for the Christian the importance of assembling ourselves regularly with other Christians.