Up next in 10
Welcome back to our study of the book of Hebrews, today we'll be looking at Hebrews 12:1-4 part 1-Do not grow weary. Last week we talked about the triumph of faith and chapter 11 was entirely dedicated to explain what faith is in the life of the believer. According to the word of God, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. We saw that faith was a gift of God and is a pre requisite to pleasing God. We also saw that being pleasing to God doesn't prevent us from going through struggles. For some of us, God is glorified through our suffering and death ( Abel) while for others He is glorified through their deliverance. in Chapter 12, the writer will tell us how God works in us so that we exude the type of trust that pleases Him, so gird up your loins
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
hello good morning and uh welcome back
0:02
to our study of the book of hebrews
0:05
today we're going to begin chapter 12
0:07
and we're only going to look at verses 1
0:09
through 4. last week we ended ended
0:11
chapter 11 and we talked about the
0:13
triumph of faith and in the whole
0:16
chapter 11 the writer painted a picture
0:18
of what faith was like so we begin by
0:21
saying that faith comes by hearing and
0:23
hearing by the word of god basically god
0:26
is the one that birthed faith in our
0:28
lives
0:29
and then we did the writer also gave us
0:31
many examples of the sense of old we
0:34
talked about abraham we talked about
0:36
jacob we talked about isaac we talked
0:38
about moses we talked about his mom we
0:39
talked about sarah and then we talked
0:42
about abel and we talked about enoch we
0:44
talked about several uh saints of old we
0:46
even talked about rahab the prostitutes
0:49
and basically the reason why the writer
0:51
mentions all these elements and all
0:54
these people are faith is because if you
0:55
look at their lives they all exuded the
0:58
type of faith that pleases god in a
1:00
sense that each of them did not live
1:02
according to their own word they lived
1:05
according to the word of god and the
1:07
word of god bore fruit in their lives so
1:09
we also saw that just because we have
1:11
faith doesn't mean that we are not going
1:13
to struggle because if you look at abel
1:15
abel died as a result of his faith in
1:18
god but god said that abel was pleasing
1:21
to him enoch on the other hand did not
1:23
die so that strain of tough is that
1:25
strain of thought is completely
1:28
reminisce is completely um followed
1:30
through in chapter 11 where the writer
1:32
wants to make sure his listeners
1:34
understand that just because you have
1:36
faith doesn't mean that you're not going
1:37
to struggle you're not going to be
1:39
persecuted because god chooses to
1:42
to work in his children in different
1:44
ways for some of us we are going to be
1:46
glorifying god through our suffering
1:49
through our death and for other people
1:51
that are going to be glorifying god
1:54
through their deliverance so it is
1:55
different for each one of us and god
1:57
reserves the right to do that so in
2:00
chapter 12 he is going to be talking
2:02
about how
2:03
faith is established in the life of the
2:05
saints so today we're gonna look at
2:08
verses one through four and i entitled
2:10
uh today's study do not grow weary so
2:13
we're gonna be looking at hebrews
2:15
chapter 12 verses one through four
2:18
so let me get to the passage now so
2:21
basically i'm going to read it and then
2:23
we are going to be
2:24
understanding what the lord is trying to
2:26
tell us
2:27
so the scripture says in hebrews 12
2:30
verses 1 through 4
2:32
therefore
2:33
since we are surrounded by so great a
2:35
cloud of witnesses
2:37
let us lay aside every weight and sin
2:40
which clings so closely
2:42
and let us run with endurance the race
2:45
that is set before us
2:47
looking to jesus the founder and
2:49
perfecter of our faith
2:51
who for the joy that was set before him
2:54
endured the cross despising the shame
2:57
and is seated at the right hand of the
2:59
throne of god
3:02
consider him who endured from sinners
3:04
such hostility against himself so that
3:08
you may not grow weary or faint-hearted
3:11
in your struggle against sin you have
3:14
not yet resisted to the point of
3:16
shedding your
3:18
blood and we are going to stop here and
3:21
then see what the author is trying to
3:23
tell us
3:24
in his original readers
3:26
now in verse 1
3:28
we read the following again
3:30
therefore
3:31
since we are surrounded by so great a
3:33
cloud of witnesses let us lay aside
3:36
every weight and sin which clings so
3:38
closely and
3:40
let us run with endurance
3:42
the race that is set before us
3:45
again we need to remember that when the
3:47
writer of the hebrews
3:49
was spending down this letter there was
3:51
no chapter division and last week when
3:54
we ended chapter 11
3:56
we saw that it was ended but that
3:57
doesn't mean that the authors chain of
3:59
thought completely seized and now he
4:01
begins with something new now he
4:03
continues with his strain of thought
4:05
there is like a certain continuation and
4:07
that doesn't just stop because we are in
4:09
chapter 12.
4:10
so basically chapter 12 is a
4:13
continuation of chapter 11. and that's
4:15
how that's how we ought to read the
4:17
entire letter to the hebrews and the
4:19
bible in general we have to read it not
4:21
a chapter divisions but it is a is a
4:24
continuation of whatever thoughts are
4:26
being conveyed by the holy spirit
4:28
through the writers so we have to say
4:30
that way the chapter division can
4:32
sometimes
4:33
cause us to forget and to
4:35
to not really follow what is going on so
4:38
in this case we are not going to do that
4:39
we are going to understand that there is
4:41
a response that that is needed as a
4:43
result of chapter 11. this is why the
4:45
verse 1 begins with therefore
4:48
so in the last verses of chapter 11 we
4:51
talked about the triumph of faith and
4:53
then chapter 12 begins with the word
4:56
therefore which basically means that
4:59
in light of everything that has been
5:01
said about faith
5:03
a decision has to be made that's the
5:06
question and if you go to romans 15
5:08
verse 4 that will help us to understand
5:10
this verse better in romans 15 4 the
5:13
scripture says for whatever was written
5:16
in the former days was written for our
5:19
instruction
5:21
that through endurance and through the
5:23
the encouragement of the scriptures we
5:26
might have hope
5:28
basically the account of the men and
5:30
women of faith mentioned in chapter 11
5:33
was recorded for us so that we can learn
5:36
from them they serve as what a great
5:40
cloud of witnesses the scripture says
5:43
because by the testimony of their lives
5:45
the writer says that his readers and us
5:48
can learn how to live to please god this
5:52
is the whole reason chapter 11 was given
5:54
and god himself as we saw when we were
5:57
studying chapter 11 brought witness that
5:59
they were pleasing to him for they lived
6:02
by what they lived by faith so for me i
6:06
absolutely love the old testament
6:08
because it tells us about the changed
6:11
lives of like regular people like you
6:13
and i
6:14
with the same um nature like ours
6:17
folks that we can relate to if you go to
6:20
james 5 17-18 the scripture says
6:23
elijah
6:25
was a man within nature like ours
6:28
and he prayed fervently that he might
6:30
not reign and for three years and six
6:33
months it did not rain on the earth
6:36
then he prayed again and heaven gave
6:38
rain and the earth bore its fruit
6:41
and this is exactly the point of the
6:44
writer when he uses the phrase so great
6:46
a cloud of witnesses
6:48
he's using the sense of old as a model
6:51
of faith
6:52
a faith-filled life that his readers and
6:54
us today can learn from and this is why
6:57
the scripture says that they are a great
6:59
cloud of witnesses
7:02
because the right the writer is saying
7:04
for all these reasons for everything
7:06
that i told you before
7:08
something must be done
7:10
and it was that's something that must be
7:11
done he's going to tell us now if you
7:13
look at the next a phrase he goes we
7:16
must lay aside
7:18
every weight
7:19
and sin which clings so closely in order
7:23
that we may run with endurance the race
7:26
that is set before us because he's
7:28
saying listen i said in light of
7:30
everything that i've told you in chapter
7:31
11 that's not what he was saying in his
7:33
head but in light of everything that has
7:35
been said
7:36
in chapter 11
7:38
about faith
7:40
something has to be done we must lay
7:42
aside
7:43
every weight and the scene
7:45
which clings so closely and run with
7:48
endurance the race that is set before us
7:51
this is a command and the holy spirit is
7:53
commanding the original readers and you
7:56
and i to do that this is a call to
7:58
examine ourselves to see
8:01
what distractions are keeping us from
8:04
serving god wholeheartedly
8:06
okay let me repeat that again this is a
8:08
call to examine ourselves to see
8:11
what distractions are keeping us from
8:13
serving god with our whole heart
8:16
okay
8:17
and the writer here mentions two
8:19
different things the first thing is what
8:22
every weight
8:24
so i'm assuming that the weight may not
8:25
necessarily mean something sinful
8:28
because if you go to first corinthians 6
8:30
verse 12 listen to what paul says
8:33
all things are lawful for me
8:35
but not all things are helpful
8:38
all things are lawful for me but i will
8:40
not be dominated by anything and that is
8:43
a thought that is being conveyed here
8:46
the weight can be any distraction that
8:49
is not beneficial
8:50
i'm not sure what that meant for the
8:52
original readers it could be comfort it
8:55
could be the pursuit of goals that
8:57
really do not have any eternal value
9:00
those could be any weight you can look
9:01
in your own life to see what those
9:04
weights are if you're an athlete you
9:06
want to run and and basically you know
9:09
if you're sprinting let let me just give
9:11
you an example if you put on you strap
9:13
on a bunch of dumbbells on you you're
9:16
not going to be able to run correctly
9:17
you're going to be slow so basically you
9:20
have to remove and strip yourself of
9:22
anything that is weighty even athletes
9:24
now have to design certain suit or
9:28
so they are out there they the outfit
9:29
that they run with it has to be
9:31
aerodynamic so that they can run you can
9:33
give them an advantage so basically
9:35
that's the thought that's been that is
9:36
being conveyed here
9:38
anything that will keep us from running
9:40
with endurance the rate that the race
9:42
that is set before us must be set aside
9:44
so that we can focus so the idea is to
9:47
focus to be completely sold out for the
9:49
gospel to be completely sold out for
9:52
what we believe to be true and this is
9:54
the actual truth true truth
9:56
okay
9:57
so the weight can be any distraction
9:59
anything that can send set uh stand in
10:02
the way of us serving god with our whole
10:04
heart now the second thing that can
10:06
prevent anyone from serving god
10:09
is what sin now we're going to see what
10:11
that particular sin is in this case now
10:14
the writer uses a very interesting word
10:17
to describe the devastating
10:19
deceitfulness of sin and he uses the
10:20
word clinging
10:23
basically sin has a way of what wrapping
10:25
us up
10:26
entangling us in a web of lies deceit
10:29
and
10:30
unproductivity so again sin
10:33
separates us from god that's just the
10:35
thing sin will separate you from god and
10:37
you can't hear from the lord when you
10:39
are living in sin you cannot be thinking
10:42
clearly
10:43
there's so much stuff that go on that
10:45
you can't see clearly so the first thing
10:47
is weight any weight that stands any
10:49
distraction and the second thing is sin
10:52
and the scripture tells us that blessed
10:54
are what the pure in heart for they
10:56
shall see god and in first john we are
10:59
told to confess to confess our sins
11:02
daily
11:03
why so that our fellowship with god may
11:05
not be broken
11:06
it is very important because unconfessed
11:09
sins can our walk with the lord
11:12
if you go to first samuel 13 verse 1
11:14
let's listen to what the scripture says
11:16
listen the boy samuel ministered before
11:19
the lord under eli
11:21
in those days
11:22
the word of the lord was rare there were
11:26
no there were not many visions
11:29
see the problem at the time of samuel is
11:32
the people did as they saw fit eli sons
11:35
were supposed to be the role models they
11:37
were supposed to be priests of the lord
11:39
but he didn't care they served
11:41
with no regard to the things of god the
11:44
scripture tells us how they misbehaved
11:46
and as a result you know
11:48
visions were rare they couldn't see
11:51
clearly so they would be because of sin
11:53
in their lives and that's what happened
11:55
with us when we don't live
11:57
correctly before the lord our judgment
11:59
is clouded because god is not he's not
12:01
going to speak to us because the
12:02
scripture tells us without holiness no
12:04
one will say the lord no one will
12:06
experience the presence of god so
12:08
personal holiness is important and sin
12:11
can our work
12:13
and the reason why the writer wants his
12:15
readers and you and i to let aside
12:18
any weight and sin is so that we can run
12:20
with what perseverance the race that is
12:23
set before us see the christian life is
12:25
a pilgrimage
12:27
it's not really like a hundred meters
12:29
flat uh sprint now
12:32
it is a pilgrimage is a is it's a daily
12:34
thing so no sooner than we gain victory
12:37
over a sin are we confronted are
12:39
confronted with another sin in our life
12:42
so god does it gradually it doesn't just
12:44
kill us right away with a bunch of stuff
12:46
in our lives no it's a gradual thing
12:49
and the sanctification process is
12:52
lifelong on this side of eternity and
12:55
paul understood that i mentioned it in
12:57
romans 8 verse 18 to 25 let's listen to
13:00
what the scripture says in romans 8.
13:02
listen
13:04
verse 18 to 25 17-25
13:08
but listen to what scripture says
13:10
for consider that the sufferings of this
13:13
present time
13:15
are not worth comparing with the glory
13:18
that is to be revealed to us
13:20
for the creation waits with eager
13:23
longing for the revealing of the sons of
13:25
god
13:27
for the creation was subjected to
13:28
futility
13:30
not willingly but because of him we
13:32
subjected it in hope that the creation
13:35
itself
13:36
will be set free from its bondage to
13:38
corruption
13:39
and obtain the freedom of the glory of
13:42
the children of god
13:43
for we know that the whole creation has
13:45
been groaning together in the pains of
13:48
childbirth until now
13:50
and not only the creation but we
13:52
ourselves who have the first fruit of
13:54
the spirit
13:55
growing inwardly
13:57
as we wait eagerly for adoption our sons
14:00
the redemption of our bodies for in this
14:02
hope we were saved now hope that is
14:05
saying is now hope for hope for what he
14:07
sees but if we hope for what we do not
14:09
see we wait for it with patience so you
14:11
can see how this kind of ties up with
14:14
what we have been told in the book of
14:15
hebrews in chapter 12 here see
14:18
we are in the marathon not a sprint this
14:21
is a
14:22
a long-term process and in this
14:24
particular passage the main sin that the
14:27
writer was mentioning is the sin of what
14:29
on belief
14:31
not trusting god
14:32
so that sin can easily
14:34
like clings to us and when that happen
14:36
we lose our productivity because we lose
14:39
our trust in god and we begin to just do
14:42
as we see fit and when i and in that
14:44
moment our judgment is clouded
14:47
and we can't see clearly
14:49
and our life just becomes just a
14:51
downward spiral of just doubt after
14:53
doubt and we no longer have any
14:55
directions and that's when we are
14:56
susceptible to all kinds of false
14:59
uh
15:00
interpretations of whatever we see and
15:02
we leave with no clear sense of
15:05
direction
15:06
so the writer spent
15:09
the entire entire chapter 11
15:11
talking about the antidote to unbelief
15:14
chapter 4 and 10 warned us against
15:16
unbelief we saw it in the lives of the
15:19
children of israel when they were in the
15:21
wilderness god swore in on his wrath
15:24
they would not enter his rest so he can
15:27
easily cling to us and we have to be
15:29
extremely careful and he's given us here
15:32
the
15:33
the antidote and if you look at the
15:35
second portion of verse 2 the scripture
15:37
says
15:38
look into jesus the founder and
15:41
perfecter of our faith who for the joy
15:43
that was set before him and ordered the
15:45
cross despising the shame and is seated
15:48
at the right hand of the throne of god
15:51
so verse 2 gives us pretty much how to
15:54
run this reign this race with endurance
15:56
so
15:57
we're gonna learn from our master jesus
16:01
the first steps we're given in verse one
16:03
the first thing is what remember the
16:05
sense of old we need to remember them
16:07
because they are a great cloud of
16:08
witnesses they served as a testimony and
16:10
god used them so that we can learn from
16:12
them now the second thing we must do is
16:15
what lay aside any weight any known
16:18
weights or any sins in our lives in this
16:20
case the sin was the sin of unbelief i
16:23
don't know what that sin is in your life
16:25
but unbelief is very dangerous and
16:26
destructive as we saw in chapter four
16:30
and as we saw in the whole book of
16:31
hebrews
16:33
now the question is but even doing that
16:35
doesn't mean that we won't grow weary
16:37
okay and the writer was well aware of
16:40
that when he was addressing his readers
16:42
so he gives them again the antidote
16:44
against discouragement because is is we
16:46
can we can
16:49
no any any distractions in our life and
16:51
we can set it aside we can know sins in
16:53
our life and set it aside but and then
16:55
we can also
16:57
believe trust in god but that doesn't
16:58
mean that we won't grow weary and in
17:00
this case of the
17:02
the people the writer was addressing i'm
17:04
sure there was wariness they were being
17:06
discouraged
17:07
and when discouragement come
17:09
seeds of doubt begin to to settle in so
17:11
he's telling them listen i'm gonna give
17:13
you the antidote against that okay so he
17:16
has been saying since the beginning of
17:18
his letter that the readers are not to
17:20
what they ought not to neglect the great
17:23
salvation that was wrought for them
17:26
by god through jesus
17:28
let me say that again since the
17:30
beginning the writer was saying do not
17:33
neglect this great salvation that jesus
17:35
worked on our behalf so he's going to
17:38
reiterate this point here by saying that
17:40
what
17:41
look into jesus meaning what keeping
17:43
one's gaze on jesus keeping one's focus
17:46
on jesus looking intently to jesus
17:49
considering jesus
17:51
but why should we do that you know he's
17:53
going to give us the reason why
17:55
because jesus is the author
17:58
and perfecter of our faith
18:01
he is the author and perfecter of our
18:03
faith you hear that he just not only
18:06
authors our faith but he's also the
18:07
perfecter
18:09
so what does this mean
18:10
the scripture tells us that it is god
18:12
who does what works in us both to will
18:16
and act according to his good purpose
18:20
basically the writer is telling his
18:22
readers that to run with endurance
18:24
we must be totally
18:26
dependent totally totally be dependent
18:29
on jesus we must be totally be dependent
18:32
on jesus because he birthed our faith
18:35
and he will see to it that his purposes
18:38
for our lives are accomplished so this
18:40
is why we must look to jesus because
18:44
he's the author and he's also the
18:46
perfecter of our faith
18:48
okay
18:50
jesus told his disciples in john 15
18:52
verse 1 to 5. listen to what he says
18:55
i am the true vine and my father is the
18:57
vine dresser
18:59
every branch in me that does not bear
19:01
fruit he takes away and every branch in
19:04
me that does bear fruit he prunes that
19:06
he may bear more fruit already you are
19:10
clean because of the word that has
19:11
spoken to you
19:13
abide in me and i in you as the branch
19:16
cannot bear fruit by itself unless it
19:18
abides in the vine
19:20
neither can you unless you abide in me
19:23
i am divine you are the branches whoever
19:27
abides in me and i in him he it is that
19:31
bears much fruit for apart from me
19:33
you can do
19:35
nothing did you hear that apart from me
19:37
you can do nothing
19:39
so this is the same idea that the author
19:42
is trying to tell us here he's saying
19:43
what
19:44
look to jesus the founder and perfecter
19:47
of your faith who for the joy that was
19:49
set before him and draw the cross so we
19:51
must look to jesus he endured the cross
19:55
so the only way the readers
19:57
and us are going to live a life of
19:59
victory is if we all depend totally on
20:02
jesus
20:04
he endured the cross he despised the
20:06
shame and because of what he
20:08
accomplished god gave him the highest
20:11
the highest place of honor and seated
20:12
him as at his right hand we read in the
20:15
scripture and jesus himself says in john
20:17
6 16 33 i've said these things to you
20:21
that in me you may have what you may
20:23
have pieced but in the world you will
20:26
have tribulation
20:28
but take heart i have overcome the world
20:32
so this is the same idea that's been
20:34
conveyed here he's telling us jesus told
20:36
us in john 16 33 take heart for i've
20:39
overcome the world look to me
20:41
look to him because he's the author and
20:44
he's also the perfecter of our faith and
20:47
he perfects this faith in us through the
20:49
tribulations
20:50
as we read in james 1 verse 1 to 2. so
20:54
jesus was set on accomplishing the work
20:56
of the work the father had given him and
20:58
he did not allow any weight
21:01
or sin to stand in the way let me say
21:03
that again
21:04
he was set on accomplishing the work of
21:07
the father
21:08
so he did not allow any weight or any
21:11
sin to stand in the way he suffered the
21:13
ultimate shame by being nailed on the
21:15
cross being the son of god but even that
21:18
did not stop him from fulfilling the
21:20
will of god
21:22
dying as the lamb of god to take away
21:24
the sins of the world
21:25
so he is our ultimate what example and
21:28
role model and he has not left us to
21:31
fight this fight in our own strength and
21:33
this is the beauty of it he has given us
21:35
a part of his spirit
21:38
so that we may overcome like he overcame
21:41
it's not like jesus just said well
21:42
you'll see what i did and do the same
21:44
thing but do it in your own strength
21:46
that's not what jesus did
21:49
he did it he accomplished it for us and
21:51
now he has given us of what of his
21:53
spirit so that we might be able to be to
21:56
do that because apart from the spirit of
21:57
god we can't live this life of victory
22:01
we cannot
22:03
live a life of faith without the spirit
22:05
of god paul says in romans 8 verse 10 to
22:08
11
22:09
but if christ knew
22:11
but if christ is in you
22:12
although the body is dead because of sin
22:15
listen to what the next thing says the
22:17
spirit is life because of righteousness
22:20
if the spirit of him
22:22
raised jesus from the dead dwells in you
22:26
he who raised christ jesus from the dead
22:30
will also give life to your mortal
22:32
bodies through his spirit who dwells in
22:35
you
22:36
let me repeat that again if the spirit
22:38
of him raised jesus from the dead dwells
22:43
in you
22:44
he who raised christ jesus from the dead
22:47
will also give life to your mortal
22:49
bodies through his spirit who dwells in
22:52
you so basically it is not up to us to
22:55
live this life of victory
22:56
jesus has given us off his spirit so the
22:59
condition is
23:00
if christ is in you if the spirit of him
23:05
will raise jesus from the dead dwells in
23:07
you so if those conditions are met
23:10
then we are promised what
23:11
victory we are promised that we will be
23:13
able to run this race
23:16
with endurance with perseverance the
23:19
condition is does the spirit of christ
23:22
live in you if the spirit of christ does
23:24
not live in you then you are not a child
23:27
of god and you are not going to be
23:29
living this life of victory you cannot
23:31
do it without the spirit of god
23:33
so from verse 1 to four
23:36
this set the stages for more things that
23:39
we're going to talk about next week but
23:41
the initial conditioning does the spirit
23:43
of god
23:44
live in you does he live in me if the
23:48
spirit of god lives in me then yes i'm
23:50
going to be able to what
23:52
to know
23:53
the weights that are sending that are
23:55
that are standing in the way to know the
23:57
sin of unbelief that if he's standing
23:59
the way the spirit of god will do what
24:01
he will search my heart and you bring it
24:02
to the surface and tell me haib this
24:05
needs to be changed
24:07
but if the spirit of god does not live
24:08
in you you are not going to see that
24:10
and the spirit of god uses the word of
24:12
god for conviction
24:14
on to what repentance so we must repent
24:17
constantly this is why god has given us
24:19
of his spirit his spirit searches our
24:21
hearts
24:22
and then tells us this needs to change
24:25
and we are told in romans chapter 12 be
24:27
transformed by the renewing of your mind
24:29
so to be able to live like christ did we
24:31
must have the mind of christ
24:33
to be able to endure
24:35
so that's the whole process this is why
24:37
we must look to jesus and the spirit of
24:39
god was given to us for that purpose
24:41
that we may have that victorious life
24:44
so this is the key so next week we're
24:46
gonna talk about the discipline of the
24:48
lord how god accomplishes uh those
24:51
things in our life okay
24:53
thank you and i'll see you next week