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Hebrews 12:4-13 Part 1 God is Treating You As Sons

Hebrews 12:4-13 is one of those passages we must read over and over. The more we do so, the more profound and life-altering it becomes. Initially, I intended to preach through the entire section in one sermon, but I just can’t. There is so much here that we must allow to saturate our souls. This Sunday, we will read the whole text but only examine v. 4-8 in depth. Technically, the whole text will be a single sermon, but we will look at two points this Sunday and two next Sunday. Having just exhorted us to run the race set before us with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author shows us that our perspective about trials and suffering in this life needs to change. The author tells his readers they have forgotten what God said about those whom He calls His children. Quoting Proverbs 3:11-12, he shows that all the believer’s sufferings in this life are the discipline of God. Even the persecutions the Hebrew Christians were enduring are to be seen as God’s discipline. When we think of discipline, our minds often jump to "punishment" or "justice." But discipline in this context is not punitive. God’s discipline of His children is redemptive and corrective for our good, to conform us to the image of Jesus and grow us into maturity. Discipline (which is used repeatedly in this section) is what we would call training. It includes instruction and correction as God forces His children to use the muscles of faith in order to grow them. His discipline of His children is never done in wrath, but a loving care for His children’s growth in holiness and faith. Of course, discipline is often painful and difficult, but this kind of discipline doesn’t show God’s abandonment, but rather His love for us. Although every phrase in this text is earth-shakingly profound, verse 7 is the thematic point being driven home. "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" The NIV actually captures the first sentence more accurately. It is a command. The NIV says, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children." Last week (as we examined v. 1-3), we talked about "training, not trying." But I purposefully didn’t go into any depth about what this training entails, because the author highlights this training in v. 4-13 and it isn’t the training that we do (there is a place for that), but here, it is how God trains (disciplines) us through the trials of this life. The overall exhortation in this section is not for us to do better or train harder - it is for us to change our perspective about the hardships and sufferings of this life. For the Christian, all of them - ALL OF THEM - should be seen as God growing us, conforming us to the image of His Son. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11.

I. Remember God’s Promise of Discipline (v. 4-6)

II. Recognize The Necessity of God’s Discipline (v. 7-8)

(Points 3 & 4 - will be Sunday Aug. 11)

III. Respond Rightly To God’s Discipline (v. 9-10)

IV. Remember The Benefit of God’s Discipline (v. 11-13)

Hebrews 12:1-3 Run With Endurance

The Hebrews had become tired of the struggle and striving. In Hebrews 10:32-33, the author told them to recall the former days when they had endured affliction and trial, even doing so with joy. Yet, now they were tempted to turn from Christ because of the continuing struggle. The endless hardship and suffering had worn them down. So much so that the author told them they needed endurance in Hebrews 10:36. After the long list of saints who endured in faith, chapter 12 begins with the reason those Old Testament believers were given as examples. They are a cloud of witnesses testifying to the faithfulness of God, the surety of His promises, and the faith that looks to what it cannot see. Now, the writer calls us to run the race set before us with endurance. Running with endurance is training ourselves to fix our eyes on Jesus as we cast off the weights and sins that hinder us in the race that God has set before us. These hindrances come in many forms and many ways. Yet, as we keep our eyes fixed on the goal (Jesus) rather than the track, the difficulties, or past failures, we can run with endurance and finish well. Just like athletic running, spiritually running with endurance requires training, not trying hard. Sunday we will explore what it means to follow Jesus by faith with endurance.

I. The Encouragements To Run With Endurance (v. 1)

II. The Practice of Running With Endurance (v. 1)

III. The Power To Run With Endurance (v. 2-3)

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Hebrews 11:32-40 The Outcome Of Faith

The Ecuador mission team is leaving on Monday, so this Sunday, in the second service, we will take the opportunity to pray for the team and those with whom they will share the gospel. We will also finish Hebrews 11:32-40. In this section, the author brings his list of faith-filled Old Testament saints to its conclusion. After telling us "the righteous will live by faith," the text began with Abel and systematically walked through the eras of biblical history. As verse 32 continues, the author gives rapid-fire references to the faithful during the time of the Judges, through the Davidic Monarchy, and speaks of the many unnamed believers leading up to the time of Christ. Several issues arise in this final section of chapter 11. The judges listed (Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah) accomplished great victories in the Lord’s name, but much of their stories also included acts of doubt and sin. How could the author include such men in the "hall of fame" of faith? As the author summarizes the great accomplishments, victories, and miracles that God did in the lives of His faithful, delivering them from every conceivable suffering, our hearts rise with the text’s proclamation of God’s power and promises. Yet, in the middle of verse 35, the list turns and speaks of many unnamed saints who were not delivered - they were tortured to death. They lived lives of destitution and lack. These saints (who are just as faithful as those who accomplished victories) endured the worst the world had to offer - by faith. And God commended them for their faith with the same commendation as those who put foreign armies to flight. Yet, in the end, none of these faith-filled people of God received the promise in this life. They did not see God’s salvation in Christ fulfilled while they lived on the earth. By faith, they trusted it from far off. Chapter 12:1-4 gives us the application of this list of the faithful. Since we have such a cloud of witnesses (those who testify to a life of faith) let us lay aside the weight and sin that besets us and run the race with endurance. How? By looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

I. What Faith Accomplishes (v. 32-35a)

II. What Faith Endures (v. 35b-38)

III. What Faith Receives (v. 39-40)

Hebrews 11:29-31 An Imperfect Faith

This Sunday, I intended to finish chapter 11 in Hebrews. However, as I studied the Old Testament backgrounds of the three examples of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11:29-31, the faith mentioned in these verses took me by surprise. As we have walked through chapter 11, studied these great examples of faith, and reminded ourselves of the author’s call to hold fast to our faith, some might very well begin to think "faith" is synonymous with "strength." As if Hebrews is saying faith is being strong, capable, and unfaltering in devotion. These are, of course, attributes we should strive for, but "faith" is not strength. In fact, faith often grows "strong" out of weakness. In Hebrews 11:29-31, we find three examples of faith commended by God that are surprising. The text of Hebrews is quite simple and to the point, not going into detail about the events it records because the Hebrew readers knew these accounts like the back of their hands. Yet we may need to remind ourselves of these events. So, this Sunday, we will approach the text a little differently. We will examine not only the text of Hebrews 11:29-31 but also the Old Testament events these verses describe. In doing so, we find that the faith commended here was weak, simple, and sometimes so lacking it had to be stirred up by others. Yet, here they are, commended by God in this list. A "mustard seed" sized faith is still faith, and though God surely grows our faith, it is its presence, not its amount, that the righteous live by.

I. God Commends A Weak Imperfect Faith (Hebrews 11:29; Exodus 14:1-16)

II. God Demonstrates His Power Through Imperfect Faith (Hebrews 11:30; Joshua 6:1-17)

III. God Receives Sinners Through Simple Faith (Hebrews 11:31; Joshua 2:1-24)

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Hebrews 11:23-28 As Seeing Him Who Is Invisible

The righteous will live by faith. That quote from Habakkuk chapter 2 is quoted three times in the New Testament. (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). As fallen people following Jesus in a fallen world, there is no end to temptation, trial, and suffering in this life. The Hebrew Christians were indeed experiencing this as they suffered persecution for following Christ. At the end of Hebrews 10, we were told how we endure, "the righteous will live by faith." Then chapter 11 begins a description of "living by faith" by reminding the readers of how the Old Testament saints endured by faith. This Sunday, our study focuses on Moses, the mediator of God’s law. To the Hebrews, Abraham and Moses were the most important figures in history. As the Hebrew Christians weighed the possibility of returning to the law and sacrifices, they may have thought they were returning to Moses’ faith. Hebrews 11:23-28 demonstrates that to be untrue. Moses endured temptation and, by faith, chose to follow God despite the hardship. The writer says, "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" (11:24-25). Then in a statement that would grab the attention of these Hebrews, he says, "He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward" (11:26). Yes, you read that right! Moses bore the reproach of Christ and he himself, knew that Jesus is better. Moses looked to the reward of following God as more valuable than all the wealth, power, and glory of the Egyptian royal family. In this example, the author shows his readers that faith (without which it is impossible to please God - v.6) trusts that Jesus is better than a life without persecution and suffering. Jesus is better than all the wealth and comfort of this world. 

IX. Faith Obeys When it Doesn’t Make Sense (v. 17-19)

X. Faith Submits Our Will To God’s (v. 20)

XI. Faith Endures To The Very End (v. 21-22)

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Hebrews 11:17-22 A Tested Enduring Faith

By now, you should be very familiar with the structure of Hebrews 11. "By Faith" begins each example showing the Hebrew Christians that God’s people have always lived by faith through trials, uncertainty, testing, and even death. The Hebrew Christians enduring persecution are no different. As we continue with verses 17-22, I feel a bit like we are beating a dead horse with the repetition. Repeating, by faith...by faith...by faith, God shows us the righteous who lived by faith, just as He called the Hebrew Christians (and us) to live. I don’t feel bad about beating this dead horse because the author of Hebrews beats it, over and over again. He bangs this drum until he reaches his conclusion in 12:1-2, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 11 shows us the examples of those who ran with endurance and have testified ("witnesses’) to God’s saving grace through faith. In Hebrews 11:17-22, we are shown how the patriarchs’ faith at the end of their lives. Right before Abraham died, he was tested as God called him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice (v. 17-19). Isaac blessed his sons (Jacob and Esau) at the end of his life (v. 20). Jacob and Joseph died away from the promised land, but looked forward to the promise with expectation (v. 21-22). We will continue the outline we began a few weeks ago. Sunday we will see that:

IX. Faith Obeys When it Doesn’t Make Sense (v. 17-19)

X. Faith Submits Our Will To God’s (v. 20)

XI. Faith Endures To The Very End (v. 21-22)

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Hebrews 11:8-16 Living As Exiles By Faith

Hebrews 11:8-16 continues describing faith by showing the example of Abraham and Sarah. Last week, as we began walking down this list, we saw Abel, Enoch, and Noah. From their lives, Hebrews taught us:

I. Faith Commends Us As Righteous (v. 4)

II. Faith Is Necessary To Please God (v. 5-6)

III. Faith Acts On God’s Word (v. 7)

As we continue the thread of this outline, Abraham’s call and life shows us:

IV. Faith Obeys Without Explanation (v. 8)

V. Faith Endures Seasons Of Waiting (v. 9-10)

VI. Faith Expects God’s Faithfulness (v. 11-12)

VII. Faith Looks Toward Future Reward (v. 13-16)

By emphasizing Abraham’s life of obedient, expectant, forward-looking faith, the author shows the suffering Hebrew Christians what living by faith looks like when trials and temptations abound. The life of faith is an expectant trust in the Lord, looking forward to a "better country." 


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Hebrews 11:4-7 Without Faith Impossible To Please God

Sunday, we begin walking down the list of faith-filled Old Testament saints in Hebrews 11. Having encouraged the professing Hebrew Christians to “live by faith” at the end of chapter 10, chapter 11:1-3 opened with a description of faith, saying, “1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.” In v. 4, the writer begins showing example after example of those who lived in the assurance of things hoped for and by the conviction of things not seen. This Sunday, we will examine the first three examples, Abel, Enoch, and Noah (v. 4-7). I originally planned on preaching through v. 13, but it quickly became apparent that there wouldn’t be time to deal with the text adequately. It is easy to get lost in the details of these Old Testament saint’s lives and miss the point Hebrews is making, so as we work through this chapter, we will emphasize the purpose of this list repeatedly. The writer shows the suffering Hebrews what “living by faith” looks like by giving examples of the righteous who have done so. In each example, we see godly individuals who endured hardship or trials as they lived “being assured of what they hoped for and convinced of what they could not see.” The writer calls the Hebrews to do the same as they face the pressures of persecution and temptation for Christ’s name. Just as they, we are called to hold fast to our profession that Jesus is better and trust that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, even when doing so in this world means denying our desires and facing a hostile world. The righteous are those who live by faith.

I. Faith Commends Us As Righteous (v. 4)

II. Faith Is Necessary To Please God (v. 5-6)

III. Faith Acts On God’s Word (v. 7)

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Hebrews 11:1-3 What Faith Is & Does

Having just exhorted the professing Hebrew Christians to “Live by faith” as they are suffering persecution, the author will give a varied list of Old Covenant saints who lived by faith, trusting the word of God even when trial resulted. The Hebrew Christians were tempted to return to the religious ways of Abraham, Moses, and David, but the author of Hebrews shows that it was by faith that these Old Covenant saints looked forward to the fulfillment of the promises. They looked forward to the fulfillment that the Hebrew Christians are being tempted to turn from! However, before launching into the list, the author of Hebrews explains what faith is and what faith does. Hebrews 11:1-3 is very short, but its depth is massive and relevant today.

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Hebrews 10:32-39 Endure To The End

This Sunday, we will finishe Hebrews 10 as we examine verses 32-39. Beginning in 10:19, the author shows the suffering Hebrew Christians how they are to live in light of the profound theological truths of the first ten chapters. “Jesus is Better” is the central theme of this book, but what does that mean for those suffering because they follow Jesus? Hebrews 10:19-25 showed us what to do in the face of hardship and temptation. We are to draw near to God, hold fast to our confession, and consider how we can help one another as we do not neglect to assemble together as the church. This is how believers endure in faith to the end, despite the circumstances. Then, in verses 26-31, we are given another severe warning for those who “go on sinning deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth.” After that warning, the author returns to encouragement and instruction on how believers endure in faith, with three more exhortations. These are vital for living faithfully in the face of hardship, suffering, and persecution. The author admonishes us to:

I. Recall Your Former Faith & Endurance (32-34)

II. Remember Your Coming Reward (35-36)

III. Resolve To Live By Faith (37-39)

Endurance will be the major theme all the way through chapter 12’s beginning. After showing that we must live by faith (v. 37-39), chapter 11 defines and describes this faith through the examples of Old Testament saints. As chapter 12 begins, the author writes, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (12:1). Endurance by faith is the key theme throughout the next several sections, showing that the born again believer, eternally secure, will endure to the end in faith. 

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Proverbs 31:28-31 The Woman Who Fears The Lord

Happy Mother’s Day! This Sunday, we will take a break from Hebrews as we praise God for His gift of Mothers. We will also have baby dedication in the second service. Because of the occasion, we will examine several verses from Proverbs 31, the quintessential passage extolling the virtuous woman (or the excellent wife). This is a very well-known section that is often preached and taught on Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, I was often taught that Proverbs 31 is a checklist of virtuous actions the woman does to be excellent or worthy. If I were a woman or a mother (don’t laugh), Proverbs 31 wouldn’t encourage me or show me the virtue in my worth or calling. It would make me feel unworthy! The woman of Proverbs 31 is the epitome of honor, virtue, wisdom, and strength. Yet, when we look at ourselves, we are confronted with sin, mistakes, and inability. Sunday, we will look at Proverbs 31 a bit differently (“correctly” in my opinion). We will, of course, read Proverbs 31:10-31, but rather than run down the checklist of attributes and measure our worth and value by them, we will focus our attention on v. 28-31, finding that this “excellent wife” or “virtuous woman” is excellent and virtuous not because of all the things she does, but because she fears the Lord. Because she fears the Lord (which makes her “excellent”), she does all the wonderful things in this list. Her actions are not the source of her excellency but the fruit of her fear of the Lord. Proverbs is a book about wisdom, and this woman is presented as the model of wisdom. All her actions reflect previous teachings in Proverbs regarding what the wise do. The book begins by saying, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and Proverbs ends by showing us this woman’s fear of the Lord expressed in a life of wisdom. She is excellent and virtuous because she fears the Lord, and because of that, we all must take heed. “a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” (Prov. 31:30).

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Hebrews 10:26-31 The Danger Of Turning From Christ

The book of Hebrews contains five incredibly severe warnings that warn readers not to turn from Christ. We have already studied three of these warnings. Sunday, we come to the fourth. Although we must examine these texts in sections because of limited time, Hebrews 10:19-39 is a complete unit and must be read as such. Many spurious interpretations have come from isolating this warning from the surrounding text and ignoring the intent and context of the author. Last week, the author began this section by showing how the reader must apply the truths of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice and priesthood. V. 19-25 said since we who are born again have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, we must 1. Draw near to God with true hearts, 2. Hold Fast to the confession of our hope, and 3. Consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to assemble together. These commands are more than just our duty of obedience. They are the means by which God has given us to persevere in following Jesus to the end. After the “Let us” appeals, the author explains why he commands these things. V. 26-27 says, “26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” We will meticulously study v. 26-31 on Sunday to understand the warning. Yet, after this stern and frightening warning, the author returns to encouragement in v. 32-39, telling the readers that they need endurance, as they showed after first being converted. As with all the other warnings in Hebrews, we will see two ways this warning can be misunderstood. First, many use it to teach that true, born-again Christians may lose the gift of salvation. That is certainly untrue. Second, many misunderstand these warnings by dismissing them as if they do not apply to us because believers are eternally secure. Both of those are misapplications of this text. We cannot trust our own hearts and to do so is folly. We must draw near to God, hold fast to our confession that Jesus is better, and consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting assembling together. (v. 19-25)

I. The Content Of The Warning (v. 26-27)

(this is where we will spend most of our time)

II. The Reasoning For The Warning (v. 28-29)

III. The Certainty Of The Warning (v. 30-31)

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