We started this chapter by looking at  the Race of faith, then we considered the Discipline of faith, and now today we come to what we might call the Exercise of faith.

We said that the goal of God bringing  discipline into our lives as described in vs 4-11 was  righteousness.   It’s called in vs11, the peaceable fruit of righteousness.  That is the purpose of discipline, to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ as we share in the suffering of Christ. Hebrews 5:8 says that Jesus learned obedience from the things that He suffered.  And we are also told that a servant is not greater than his master.  So God brings discipline into our lives to produce the fruit of righteousness, that we might be more like Jesus.  

Now the author mixes metaphors here somewhat.  He jumps between the metaphor of a race to that of a fight, and then he interjects the metaphors of a plant; either bearing fruit or referring to the root of a plant.  But overall, I think the predominant metaphor here is that of a race or an athletic contest.  And that race, or the goal of our race is what he is referring to in the passage before us today.

If I were to break down this passage into four points, capitalizing on the metaphor of training for the race, I might outline it as three things we are to be, and one thing we are not to be.  In light of that maybe I should have named the message, “To be or not to be, that is the question.”  But that is not the title, nor the point of my message.  It really is about the practical application of the doctrines that we have been learning in the book of Hebrews.  Things that aren’t really an option, but since these doctrines are true, this is what we are to do.

We have already been told in vs1 that we are to lay aside the weights and the sin which so easily beset us as we run the race of faith.  And we have been told that we are to endure discipline so that God may train us to be holy.  Now we are being told that we are to exercise our faith through the process of sanctification that we might lay hold of the prize.

There are four  steps or things we are to be or not to be then in this exercise of faith as elucidated by the writer of Hebrews.  The first I might summarize by “Be strong.”  The second, is “Be healed.”  The third is to “Be sanctified.”  And the fourth is to “Be not defiled.”  I realize that is not the best outline in the world, but perhaps it will serve to give us some pegs to hang onto as we go through this text.

First then, is “Be strong.”  I cannot say that phrase without thinking of a similar exhortation by the Apostle Paul who said in 1Cor. 16:13 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”  There is a problem today in the church, which obviously was also a concern to the church in Paul’s day, of weak kneed Christians.  And men, particularly were guilty of weak kneed Christianity.  

I was thinking, especially in light of our culture today, about what does it mean to be a man? You might say it means you are guilty.  Men, it seems, are the reason behind all of society’s problems, at least according to the PC culture. I happen not to agree with that, though I do think a lot of our problems can be traced back to men. However,  I can assure you that being a man is not found in your ability to legally drink alcohol, or that you have a career, or by some measure of your sexual prowess.  Being a man in the Biblical sense is defined as taking responsibility.  God has given the man the responsibility of leadership in the home and in the church.  But far too many men have relinquished their responsibility in both of those areas to women. It’s not that women can’t do it, but it’s that God has given the responsibility to the man.  So being strong and acting like men doesn’t mean that it’s always your way or the highway, but that you are responsible for the well being of your family. And incidentally, when the Bible says to act like a man, it means to be a man of God.  Not a man of the world.  Not a business man.  Not a man about town.  But a man of God who will lay down his life for the sake of his wife and children.  Too many men use the excuse that they are taking care of their family when in reality they are chasing money and prestige in their career.  But if you are not able to take care of the spiritual needs of your family then you are out of line with the primary responsibility that God has given you.

Now this passage before us is not just about men.  But I think that we needed to say those things to the men first of all.  But the exhortation in Hebrews is to all of the church, men, women and children.  Notice  vs12, “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble…” All of us have our weaknesses.  But a runner, or a person who is engaged in a contest, if he wants to be successful identifies his weak areas and works on them to make them stronger.  Your strong areas are usually your go to areas.  They are things in which you have confidence.  But the weak areas are the things that will keep you from running well, and ultimately winning.

The devil plays to your weak areas.  He doesn’t waste time going after those areas in which you’re strong.  But he is like the lion that looks for the weak members of the flock.  He goes after those that are struggling, that are falling behind, those that have some weakness which he can use to his advantage in order to take them down.

How do you strengthen those weak areas?  Well first of all, don’t wait until you are in a crisis to realize that you should have done some exercise to strengthen those areas.  The Bible says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” The point isn’t that God isn’t going to be around when you get into trouble, but rather that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  When you think you stand, take heed lest you fall.  Work on those problem areas before the storm hits, and you won’t have to deal with all the consequences of weakness when you go through those trials which come to us all.  And the most effective way of strengthening those weak areas is through the word of God.  Psalm 119:11 says “your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you.” That’s how we are strengthened.  And that’s why we need to be under sound preaching as well.  A God ordained pastor is going to preach the things you need to hear, the whole counsel of the word.  Not just tickle your ears. 

Now there is another way that this verse can be looked at as well.  And that is in regards to your responsibility to the church.  That we are to strengthen the hands and knees that are weak.  All the members of the church are members of the same body.  And all the parts of the body are necessary.  Here in this example he is highlighting the hands and feet, which all Christians are supposed to be. And so another way of looking at this is as a member of this church, we should be strengthening one another, especially those members who are weak.  We should be encouraging them, helping them, sharing with them, to build them up in the faith.  

That goes back to chapter 10:24-25 which says, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  There is a tendency sometimes on the part of members of the church to say that they don’t really get too much out of a particular service or activity in the church so they don’t think that they need to go.  But when they say that it shows that they are still immature in their faith.  As we mature we should be more focused on encouraging others rather than being encouraged ourselves.  Church is not just about meeting our needs, but meeting the needs of others.  Just a pat on the back or a hug, or even a little bit of conversation after church can do a lot for someone who is weak, whose knees are about to buckle, who might be about to quit the race.

Secondly, we need to “be healed.”  Now I can see a few folks ears prick up when I mention being healed.  We love to focus on the physical healing.  And I will confess that this word is often used in relation to physical healing.  But it also can mean spiritual healing.  Now the metaphor of a race is being referred to in this context, and we should recognize that this race is not an actual, physical race he is talking about, but a spiritual race.  And so if it’s a spiritual race, then we can assume it’s referring to spiritual healing.  

But let’s look at the verse. “and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”  What I think this is talking about is the person who was running, but got off the track.  I think it’s talking about the Christian who is in danger of drifting away.  Of turning off the course. I think it’s speaking about the person who has taken his eyes off Jesus and found himself off the path of righteousness and fallen into sin.  And as a result, God has brought discipline or correction into his life in the way of chastisement, which the author likens here to being lame. 

You know there is well known illustration which has received a lot of notoriety in the past from various preachers, which talks about the shepherd sometimes breaking a lamb’s leg in order to keep it from wandering off.  And the story goes that sometimes when a sheep just won’t stay with the flock, the shepherd might have to break the sheep’s leg, and then he must carry the sheep.  That’s the only way for the shepherd to keep the sheep from straying.  And a lot of preachers have had a hard time with that illustration.  They say such a thing would never happen.  That the story was made up.  But I read once an article from a minister from the  Billy Graham crusades who was responsible for leading certain evangelistic teams into the Middle East.  And this man, I forget his name, one day noticed a shepherd carrying a lamb upon his shoulders which had a bandage around his leg.  And upon asking the guide what had happened to the lamb, the guide told him that it was a common practice for the shepherd to break the leg of the lamb that constantly strayed from the fold, in order to train him to stay with the shepherd.  So in light of this man’s story, I think there is some validity in this illustration.  

Now whether or not that is on the mind of the author here I don’t know.  But he has made it abundantly clear that God does chastise his children.  And here the reference to  being lame and being healed would indicate that when you respond correctly to the chastisement of the Lord, then there is healing that comes from God.  God doesn’t chastise just to punish, but to correct.  He wants a renewed relationship.  He wants you to stay near to Him.  James 4:8-10 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”  He is speaking of the proper response to chastisement, to cleanse yourself from the sin which has injured you, and God will raise you up again.

And incidentally, James uses this same word as this author for healed in James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  There are some who infer from that that James is not talking about physical healing, but spiritual healing, because it is in relation to confessing your sins. 

So the same word for healing is found here in Hebrews.  And I can assure you that at least in Hebrews it refers to spiritual healing.  As 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Let me tell you something, if you’re a Christian, then sin will make you sick.  Your sins will find you out.  I read a sign somewhere the other day that said that sin is like buying on a  credit card. You might enjoy it now, but you will pay dearly later.  There are consequences to sin.  Sin injures you, it makes you lame.  It hinders or even stops altogether your progress in the race.  But you can receive healing, that you might be restored and be able to run again.

So be strong, be healed, and then be sanctified.  Look at vs 14, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”  Let me say that another way; be right with men and with God.  Let’s just take the idea of being right with men first.  This is such a major part of our Christianity and yet we make so little of it.  It’s truth is emphasized again and again in the Bible.  For instance, Paul says in Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”  He says again in chapter 14 vs 19, “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”  Notice that he uses the same word, pursue peace.  Hebrews says pursue peace.  Run after peace.  In this race which we run, run after peace with your fellow man.  Not the absence of war, but the absence of strife, jealousy, envy, anger.  

Peace is the fruit of the Spirit according to Gal. 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  Jesus said in Matt. 5:8, the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall see God.” He goes on to speak of all the ways in which we are to treat one another, that we might have peace.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and so if we are to be like Jesus, we should be peaceable, humble, gentle, even as He was.

But tied closely to peace is holiness, or sanctification.  We must not sacrifice holiness for the sake of peace.  We don’t compromise holiness for the sake of just getting along with everyone, for the sake of not offending someone.  But speak the truth in love if that be needed.

So, he says, pursue or run after peace and sanctification.  Sanctification is practical holiness, or even better, practicing holiness.  We practice what Jesus taught.  And as we are obedient to His word, we are sanctified.  Now the origin of the word sanctified means set apart.  Set apart to God, set apart from sin. And it’s illustrated by the temple vessels that we made of gold, or silver or brass and then consecrated for use in the temple.  They were not to be used for other purposes, for carnal purposes, but were sanctified for holy use. And then they were washed, and sprinkled by the blood of the sacrificial lamb.   After all of that was completed, they were then used in service to the Lord.  

That’s the picture of sanctification.  We are set apart at our new birth for service to the Lord.  WE are washed, we are sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb.  And then we are to be used for service to God.  Not just to be set on a shelf.  The church is not a museum. But a place to serve the Lord.  If the home is the hub of the family life, then the church is the hub of spiritual life.  Sanctification is the working out of holiness in the church.  

Phil. 2:12-13 says, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;  for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for [His] good pleasure.” We are to work out what we have become inwardly.  If Christ is in us, then He is to be exercised through us. 

There is a warning in this verse as well, “the sanctification without which, no one will see the Lord.”  Now we are sanctified in salvation, set apart to God,  but sanctification is also the process by which our righteousness is made manifest to others.  And so perhaps that is what is meant by that phrase; no one will see the Lord.  In other words, if the world doesn’t see Christ in us, then they won’t see Christ at all. It’s not enough to profess Christ, but we must let Christ live through us. We are intended to be lights in the world.

And that brings us to the last thing which is what we are not to be.  Be not defiled. Vs.15, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”  I think that to come short of the grace of God means to come short of the purpose of God’s gift of salvation.  I believe it’s possible to fail to come all the way to the goal of sanctification.  It’s possible to come short of maturity as a believer.  It’s possible to fall away or drift away and become un-useful to the kingdom.  To frustrate the grace of God.  I believe it’s possible to presume upon the grace of God and do nothing with the spiritual life that God has given you. Jesus spoke often of that principle of using what God has given you and multiplying it.  So I think that is what is indicated here in falling short.  It’s falling short of what God has purposed for us.

And as the author indicates, one way of doing that is by the root of bitterness causing trouble and defiling many.  I think this is speaking of the life of the church.  Now it may be more individualistic than congregational.  But it’s likely it refers to a person or persons who are embittered over something, and while there may not be much on the surface to indicate that, underneath, inwardly something is eating at the person.  And as such they start to cause trouble.  They murmur or complain.  They start to eat away at the fabric of the church, and as the text says, they cause the defilement of many.  

We see that again and again in the book of Acts and in the writings of Paul to the Gentile churches.  Men from the church in Jerusalem came and started causing dissension.  Or some said I am of Apollos and others I am of Paul.  Or as Jude says  “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

What point this is making is that sin has to be dealt with.  This root of bitterness is sin which is hidden from view on the surface, but exists inwardly.  And eventually it comes out.  The problem with this sort of bitterness is that by leaving it alone it doesn’t go away, but rather the roots go deeper and become more entwined around other living plants.  And so when you finally have a problem and you have to deal with it, to root it out, it often destroys many other good plants in the process.

Now Esau is given as an illustration for all the points above.  He is an illustration of a church member, so to speak, who seems to be part of the family, has all the benefits of the family, the physical requirements for inheritance of the blessings, and yet  spiritually has fallen short of the grace of God.  Such a person looks like a brother in Christ on the outside but spiritually they are embittered in their sin. They have never truly repented, and as such their sin is like a cancer that is eating away from the inside. 

Notice that he calls Esau an immoral and godless person.  This is not how you describe a believer.  Jude in the passage I quoted while ago said that such persons who crept in to the church were ungodly persons.  And he went on to say that they denied our only Master and Lord. That indicates the problem.  It’s not that they don’t believe in the historicity of Jesus.  But that they deny Him Lordship over their life.  They have denied Him the place of Master over their life.  They are willing to presume upon the grace of God, but Jude says that they have turned it into licentiousness. That means that they think they can live their life in sin and do what they want to do with impunity.  God will forgive them, and so they don’t have to worry about sin. 

Well, the writer of Hebrews calls that immorality. It’s loving the world.  It’s immorality against God. He calls Esau a fornicator.  There is no evidence of that in scripture.  He’s saying that spiritually Esau is a fornicator.  He loved his fleshly appetite more than he loved the things of God.  He cared more about the world and the present than he did about the future kingdom of God and the Messiah who would come from the line of Jacob.

And as a such he paints a pretty apt picture of many professing Christians in the church today, who have sold their inheritance in heaven for a paltry meal here on earth.  They have sold their soul for a tryst with the lusts of the world.  Esau disdained his inheritance which had eternal implications, because he had a fleshy desire that he wanted filled immediately.  There was an evangelist that by the name of Bob Jones who said many years ago, “never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.”

Finally, let me say this about the repentance of Esau.  Esau cried many tears later when he found that he had lost his blessing to his brother Jacob.  But his tears were not tears of repentance, but tears of rage.  In Genesis we read that Esau swore in his wrath that he would kill Jacob.  Who he wanted to repent was his father Isaac.  He wanted Isaac to repent, to change his mind and take back the blessing that he had given Jacob.  But Isaac could not do it, for it was the blessing of God, and so Isaac himself trembled when he considered how the purpose of God had been fulfilled in spite of his intentions. But the point I want to emphasize is that God did not reject Esau’s repentance, because Esau never did repent.  His tears led to a plot to murder.  But God always accepts the sincere prayer of repentance, the humble in heart. 

The word of God tells us that God is always ready to hear, to forgive, to heal us of our iniquity, when we call upon Him in true repentance. The goal of God is to restore us, and to make us more like Christ.  Christ is the goal, and we who are sanctified will see God. It’s a race that God has called us to run, and Christ is the goal, and we that are sanctified will one day see God face to face, and then we will be glorified.  We will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  I urge you to stay the course, to run the race, to strengthen one another, to make straight paths for your feet, and examine yourselves to root out any sin which so easily besets you, and may cause you to fall short of the grace of God.  

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

As we continue in our study of Hebrews, I want to remind you of the theme of the second half of the book which is found in chapter 10 vs. 39, “My righteous one shall live by faith.”  And we have been studying various aspects of the life of faith in the subsequent passages.  I have said it before that the emphasis given in that doctrinal theme is on the word shall live.  And so we looked at the lives of many of the Old Testament saints in regards to how they lived by faith.  

Then last week, we looked at the life of faith as a race.  Particularly a marathon race.  And as part of that study we talked about the need for commitment, for discipline, and what sacrifices you must make in order to win the race of faith. Now this week, the author of Hebrews is going to take that idea of sacrifice and suffering and discipline and expand on those things, in order to show us what it takes to win the race, and to show us the purposes that we endure these things.  

Today I want to show you 4 things from this passage today which I hope will serve as an outline to better understand this very important passage.  And I believe it is very important because a lot of Christians today do not realize that things like suffering, and discipline and sacrifice are going to be part of the Christian experience.  Too many preachers and contemporary authors have been teaching a easy believe-ism type of Christianity that promises that if you have faith then your road will be free of obstacles, free of bumps, that living a life of faith is akin to taking a pleasure cruise.  The focus of most exhortation regarding the life of faith is only on what we consider “blessings.”

But the scriptures teach us another emphasis should be understood as well.  There is another truth which parallels the life of blessing, and that is the life of struggle, of difficulty, of wrestling, of a contest, even a battle.  Jesus said “In this world you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”  And if we are to be overcomers, then we are going to have to endure tribulations and hardships as well, and the key to overcoming them is to realize that God uses such things to discipline us, to teach us, so that we might share in His holiness.  As James 1:3 says, “Consider it all joy brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have it’s perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.”   So God disciplines us for our good, using trails and tribulations and sufferings here on this earth to discipline us, to teach us, how we might become more like Him.  As Phil. 3:10 says, “That I may know Him, and the fellowship of His suffering.”

This race of faith that we are called to run is something that we are to overcome, it’s something that we are to strive for.  It’s actually related here to a contest, something to win.  But it doesn’t come without a cost.  Thus the author says to the Hebrew church that they have not yet striven to the point of shedding blood in vs 4.  Yes, they had suffered some, but there was a sense that they were going to be called upon to suffer even more for the sake of Christ. And they were being warned to press on, and not grow weary and not be discouraged.  Especially in light of the trials that they were going through. And one way in which they could be encouraged was to realize that God was working through the trials to discipline them for their own good and the glory of God.

I want to make sure though you understand the term discipline. We have talked a lot especially in our Wednesday evening Bible study about God’s chastisement. Chastisement often comes in the form of consequences.  And chastisement is definitely a part of discipline. But inherent in the chastisement of God’s people is the principle of correction.  It’s not just punishment.  In fact, our punishment was put on the Lord Jesus at the cross.  So the purpose of discipline is not punishment but correction.  It’s to teach us, to change us, to make us more like Christ.  

The word discipline in the Greek is paideia. It is used eight times in this passage.  In the KJV it is translated chasten and in the NASB it’s discipline.  But the full meaning of the word is found in the classical Greek where it is used to speak of the training of children.  So it speaks of the process by which they are educated, informed, raised up, taught, molded, and yes, that includes chastening, reproofs, correction and so forth.  It’s important to realize the full meaning of discipline before we go on.  And God uses a plethora of means by which to discipline or train us, to bring us to spiritual maturity which include correction, chastisement, chastening, reproof, difficulties, trials, tribulations, hardships, sickness, weaknesses and afflictions. And enduring such discipline is a necessary and essential part of the life of faith.

Thus Peter says in 1Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;  but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”

Now there are four points, each with two sub points.  The four points are these; first, there are two purposes in discipline, then there are two perils in discipline, then two proofs in discipline, and then two products of discipline.  And they are all found in this text.  First we will notice the two purposes of discipline.  

The first purpose is discovered in the phrase – you have not yet resisted to the point of the shedding of blood.  This speaks of the battle within against the sin nature. Notice how the contest is shifted from running a race to fighting.   Paul makes the same transition in 1Cor. 9:24 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.  Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then [do it] to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;  but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

There is a war with sin that is going on inside us. Paul speaks of this to a great extent in Romans 7 speaking of this conflict that is in him, where he finds himself doing what he hates.  He says in vs 22, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”  

His prescription then is that he buffets or fights his body.  He disciplines his body. He says elsewhere that he crucifies the flesh daily.  He brings it under subjection to the law of God.  And so the first purpose of the discipline of God which He brings into our life is to cause us to mortify the flesh, to resist the nature of the carnal man within and put it to death.  Paul continues in Romans 8:5-8 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those [who live] according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded [is] death, but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  So the first purpose of discipline is to cause us to live in the spirit and not in the flesh.

The second purpose of discipline is found in the next phrase in vs 4, “in your striving against sin.”  This speaks not of the conflicts within, but of the conflicts without. This is the conflict we are engaged in against sin, against the world forces, against the powers of darkness.  Ephesians 6:12-13 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

The discipline that God brings into our life is the way in which God leads us into battle against the forces of the world.  God’s kingdom is the kingdom of righteousness, and we are in a battle against the kingdom of darkness.  And in this struggle, in our difficulties, in our trials, our afflictions, our tribulations, we exercise righteousness and truth, and through the gospel manifested in us we overcome evil with good. Romans 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  And by the exercise of the love of God towards the world, we win the world.

Let’s look next at the two perils of discipline.   So these perils are things that can possibly offend you or discourage you as you encounter the discipline of God in your life.  The first peril is found in vs 5, “Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord…” That means that when God brings discipline into your life there’s a danger that you don’t take it seriously.  You shrug it off.  Maybe you even get mad at God and just decide you’re not going to submit to Him.  The word in the Greek indicates to despise it, or to have disdain for it. 

I think it’s natural to hate discipline, especially when it seems to make your life miserable.  And so it’s possible to have an incident or difficulty come into your life which is not what you want to see happen, and to get mad at God.  To despise the situation so much that you fail to be an overcomer in that situation, but it overcomes you.  You no longer are living by faith, you’re living according to the flesh.  

Maybe a good illustration of this is when someone treats you badly.  Someone says some insulting, hurtful things about you.  And rather than see this as some sort of test of your faith, as an opportunity to react as Christ would have you to react, instead you lash out in anger or retribution.  And as such you have treated disdainfully the discipline of the Lord.  You may have lost the opportunity that you had to show real sacrificial love for someone else, and as a consequence failed to act as an ambassador for Christ.  You acted in self defense rather than showing the sacrificial love of Christ for sinners.

The second peril is the opposite of regarding lightly, and that is described in vs 5 as “Nor faint when you are reproved by Him.”  To faint means to allow the reproof or affliction of God to cause you to sink into some level of despondency. This is when adverse circumstances get you so discouraged that you are close to quitting the race altogether.  You actually begin to give up.  You feel like God is against you, God must not love you.  And so you want to just quit the race. The author says, Don’t get discouraged, don’t become despondent.  That’s a real peril in the life of a Christian.  We are surprised, as Peter warns us about, when we encounter various trials.  We didn’t think hardship was going to be the path of discipleship.  We thought everything always works out good. No, we need to expect trials, expect discipline, expect God’s correction.  That through thorny ways, God leads us to a joyful end.

Then the author gives us two proofs of discipline.  There are two things that are proven by discipline…one, God’s love; two, that you are a child of God.  It’s hard for us to believe sometimes, but discipline or trials and tribulations in life are proof of God’s love for us, and proof that we are His children.  We would oftentimes believe the opposite is true.  And Satan would try to convince us of the opposite; that our trials and tribulations are an indication that God doesn’t love us.  

Notice however what the scripture says in vs 6, “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”  In Revelation 3:19 Jesus affirms His reproof and discipline are evidence of His love for us.  He said,  “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent.”  

A good father is motivated to discipline His children because He loves them.  He wants the best for them.  He wants them to grow into the kind of adults that they should be. A parent that doesn’t discipline their children don’t love their children effectively.  I won’t say that they don’t love their children, but they don’t love them effectively.  Indulgence is not an indication of love.  Giving a child everything that they ask for is not love, it’s laziness on the part of a parent.  Maybe it’s even a sense of guilt that drives parents today to give their children every conceivable luxury.  And as a result this generation is one of the most spoiled, selfish generations in recent history.

But God is a perfect Father.  And He knows what we need in order to become the type of people that He wants us to become. And He knows that oftentimes reproof, suffering, discipline, and sacrifice brings about the best results.  The same is true in training in a sport isn’t it?  We often hear, no pain, no gain.  That’s why the author compares the life of faith with a sporting contest or a battle.  And a loving Father trains His children that they might win.

I grew up in a household where my Dad exercised his right to discipline with a very strict and heavy hand. I had a combination of fear and love for my dad.  Unfortunately, he was not as wise and discerning as he could have been.  Too many times I believe my dad disciplined me out of anger.  I think my mother incited my dad to anger to the point that when he got hold of me and my brother, he took out a lot of that anger on us.  

I remember one night when I was a young teenager, about 12 years old.  And this man came to visit the church who had once been a part of our church but had gone away.  This guy was a reformed drug user who had been saved and lived in my house for a short while.  But he had sort of backslidden and left town, and then a year or so later came back to visit one night. As a young boy I idolized this guy.  He was probably around 27 years old, well built, a kind of tough guy.  And my friend and I thought that he was the coolest guy ever.  He was staying at a woman’s boarding house about 3 miles away and had walked to church, so after church he was walking back to the apartment.  And my friend and I walked with him.  We didn’t intend to go all the way home with him, but we were so enthralled to be walking and talking with him that we didn’t notice the time.  

To make a long story short, we were sitting on his front porch talking about things when my Dad called the landlady who was a member of our church and found out that I was there.  He told her to tell me not to leave he was coming for me.  I guess a few hours had gone by since church was out, and they had been looking all over for me in the dark.  To make matters worse my sister had told my dad that a few weeks before when I got a particularly hard spanking I had said that I wish that I felt like running away from home.  And so I guess Dad figured that I had decided to run away from home and had left with that guy.

Well, I never got a chance to give my side of the story.  I got one of the worst spankings I think I had ever gotten before, and that’s saying a lot.  It wasn’t a spanking, it was more like a beating, I suppose.  My dad never did understand what really happened. And I guess I never forgot that night.  But nevertheless, I know that my dad really loved me.  The problem is that he didn’t know the difference between punishment and correction.  And he let his anger and perhaps fear get the best of him.

But God is not like my father.  The text here in Hebrews makes a distinction in vs 9 saying,  “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”  The difference is between our earthly fathers, is that they are but a type or a picture of our heavenly Father, who is the Father of spirits.  That means He is our spiritual Father.  And as such He is perfect, and He is motivated by His love for us, and His desire to make us perfect.  As 1Peter 1:16 says, it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”  And the Father’s discipline is to bring about that likeness in us.

So, we’ve seen the purposes in discipline, to overcome the sin nature in us and the sin in the world, and we’ve seen the perils in discipline; either disdaining discipline or becoming discouraged. We’ve seen the proofs of discipline, that He loves us and that we’re the true children of God. Then there are two products in discipline. Two things that God produces through the trials and hardships or tribulations that we endure. And we see them in verse 9, “Furthermore we had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them, shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits and live?”

The first thing that comes as a product of discipline is life. Be subject to the spiritual Father and live.  And that is why it says here in this verse that our spiritual Father wants to subject us to discipline that will give us life, not death; eternal life, abundant life. It’s not just that we will live eternally, it’s that we’ll really live.  The way of sin is death.  The way of rebellion brings pain and trouble.  I said last week at Bible study that the consequences of a life lived as God would have us live is not just a reward in heaven, but a better life here on earth.  There are inherent, built in consequences to sin which is what God wants to prevent from happening in our life.  Jesus has come to give us life, to give us the words of life, that we might know how to really live.  So that we might not have to face the consequences of our rebellion. 

You know, the world tells us that if you want to really live, you need to do the things that the world says are rewarding.  You need to fulfill the lusts and passions of the flesh. That’s really living.  But the truth is that way leads to despair, to shame, to heartache, and ultimately to death. In reality, the believer who is obedient to God’s truth is living the Christian life as it was designed to be lived. The more rebellious you are, the more undisciplined you are, the more disobedient you are, the less you enjoy life and the more you suffer the consequences of sin.  And furthermore, our text teaches that if you aren’t facing the reproof of God when you sin, then that is evidence that you are not actually a child of God at all.  You know, when my dad thought I had run away from home and he was going to discipline me, he did not even attempt to discipline my friend who was also there.  Because my friend was not his son.  But because I was his son, he did discipline me. If you’re living a life of sin and not facing any chastisement or discipline, then chances are you’re not his child.  

But if you are his child, then His discipline is given that we might have the kind of life that He has planned for us.  A life that is full, that is peaceable, that is content, that is holy, that is righteous, that is profitable not only on this earth, but also in the life to come.

And that brings us to the last point, which is the other product of discipline; which is righteousness.  Holiness.  Listen to vs 10, “but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Now notice something in vs 11, he says, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful.”  There is a godly sorrow that leads to repentance.  And repentance leads to joy as our fellowship and communion with God is restored.  I don’t want you to get the idea from my story while ago that I was always this innocent victim of my dad’s discipline.  Most of the time I’m sure I deserved what I got.  I was a unholy terror as a kid.  But when my dad got finished disciplining me, most of the time, and I eventually stopped crying over the red marks on my rear end, I would end up coming back in the living room where my dad was sitting in his chair, and I would gradually sidle up to him, until he saw me and motioned me over.  And then I would crawl up onto his lap and lay my head on his chest and he would put his arms around me.  And I knew that I was loved, and that things were ok between us.

That’s the point of God’s discipline towards us as well.  It is to make us holy, righteous and that righteousness is the fruit of peace with God. When we are rebellious towards God, then there is no peace.  But when we submit to Him as our Master and Lord, as our Heavenly Father, and we repent and obey, then we have peace with God.  Our fellowship is renewed.  See, our sin does not make God disown us.  God could never disown us. In Isaiah 49:15-16 God says,  “Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.”

God intends through discipline to make us more like Jesus Christ.  He works through hardship, difficulties, trials and tribulations to refine us, purify us, to cleanse us from unrighteousness, to sanctify us and to make us holy.  Even as He is holy.  It is necessary.  It is useful for His purposes.  And in whatever affliction or difficulty we might bear, we can be assured that it is for our good, and for His glory. The discipline of God is building us up to righteousness so that we can live lives that are marked by peace.  

There is a famous line in a hymn written by William Cowper in 1774.  The line says, “Behind a frowning Providence, He hides a smiling face.”  Discipline often seems like God is frowning, like God doesn’t love you.  But behind a frowning God of Providence, there is the love of God for His children.  If you are God’s child, then God is at work in you to conform you to the image of His Son.  And we are conformed to His image by the fellowship in His suffering.  This world of sin, this body of sin, is overcome by suffering and by sacrifice.  And God works in that suffering, to bring about deliverance from sin, through the process of sanctification.  But He does so because He loves you and wants to have fellowship with you.  Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him.  But consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Consider Jesus who endured all types of affliction and trials and hardships in His battle against sin. And He has overcome sin and the world and the devil, and now sits at the right hand of God to be our helper, our intercessor, our Great High Priest.  Let us submit to the Father’s discipline in all our afflictions and hardships and trials that we might become like Christ, and have the life of Christ revealed through us to the world.

I suppose that I have been a runner my whole life.  Long before it was popular to go jogging, I used to run long distances as a young boy. I read a lot as a child, my parents choosing not to have a TV in the house, and I was inspired by some of the stories I read of biographical characters of earlier times.  And I suppose from those stories I was inspired to run.  

It’s kind of embarrassing to talk about it now, but I had a great interest in American Indian culture as a young boy, and I read about how particularly the Apache Indians could run tremendous distances.  They had  unique ways of training their young men to become long distance runners.  It was said that an Apache warrior could run down a horse, going more than 20 miles a day. And so I used to pretend I was training to be an Apache warrior and run long distances.  I used to get my younger brother to do it with me.  We would take off our shoes and shirts and run on gravel roads thinking that would make us tough like the Apaches.   

I don’t know if that played into my running interests or not as I grew older.  But I continued to run through high school and I still run 3 or 4 times a week today.   I’m not a fast runner, I’m a long distance runner.  And I’m not even particularly good at that either.  In other words, I don’t run at a fast pace.  My strongpoint is that I just don’t quit.  I just keep plodding along.  And if you are on the road early in the morning you may see this tall old guy that looks like he’s jogging in slow motion down Route 26. When I’m on the road, it often serves as mechanism for my prayer life.  Perhaps I should pray that I don’t get run over or have a heart attack.  But for the most part I just pray about all the things I need to pray for.  And I find that the two go together pretty well, the jogging serving as a cadence for my prayers.  So I say all of that to illustrate that today’s passage is something that I can relate to.  And I suspect that a lot of you here can relate to running yourselves to some degree.  

Our text today likens the Christian life of faith to that of running a long distance race. I think the author is attempting to illustrate the doctrine that was given at the close of chapter 10 in vs 38, “BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.”  And then living by faith is likened in chapter 12 to running a long distance race.  illustrating that faith is not just some sort of static or passive thing, once and done, but it’s a life of faith, it’s a pattern of living by faith, persevering by faith that is what is being talked about here.  

He first talks about this race in the sense of the inspiration for the race. I mentioned earlier that I once found inspiration in the lives of early people on the frontier.  Hebrews talks about the inspiration that comes from those who have run the race of faith in the past.  I think he is talking specifically about those men and women of the Hall of Faith, as listed in chapter 11.  

Now notice what he says about these people in vs. 1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  The word “Therefore” ties this back to chapter 11, the men of old that were listed there as heroes of the faith.  And you will notice that in that listing never was simply the starting point of faith given the emphasis, but the work or perseverance in which by living out they illustrated a life of faith.  

 So it’s a process, a pattern of faith, a life of faith that was given to us by this great cloud of witnesses.  And their exemplary faith should inspire us to run with faith.  Some people have interpreted this statement to conclude that it indicates the saints who have gone on before us are in heaven, seated in the clouds of heaven, so to speak, like some sort of amphitheater,  and they are watching us to see what we will do.

That’s not how the better commentators interpret this statement.  But rather it indicates that their lives were a testimony or a witness to us.  Their testimony, their witness of seeing that which is invisible serves as an inspiration for us to do as they did, and run the race that is before us by faith in Christ.

Now my view of eschatology means that I believe the dead in Christ are in Paradise, which is not in heaven, but in the heart of the Earth, so there is no way for the dead to be seated above the clouds in heaven looking down, yet I do believe that to some degree, we know not how much, the dead in Christ are aware of what is going on here.  And though I doubt that is their primary interest, yet I find evidence in scripture that they are aware of what’s going on here.  So to that extent they are witnesses to our lives.  

I’ll just give you a few examples to back that up.  Samuel, when he came up from the dead and spoke to Saul, spoke of things that were happening then.  He was conversant about the present day, even though he was dead.  Another example is given by Jesus in the story of Lazarus and the rich man.  Both the rich man and Abraham spoke of the rich man’s brothers who were still alive. Also another example is at the transfiguration, when Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus concerning His ministry. So there is ample indication that they know of what is going on here, but I doubt our lives are the focus of our existence.  But rather the context makes it clear that this cloud of witnesses is a host of witnesses, witnesses to the faith, testimonies to a life of faith, that we are to look to as examples for inspiration to run our race.

Probably one of the few useful things that the internet has produced, amid all the unhelpful aspects of the internet, is youtube. And though youtube has every conceivably bad thing on it, it also has some good things.  For instance, you can fix anything by going on youtube and finding a tutorial.  Even someone as mechanically deficient as I am can usually fix things or learn things from watching youtube videos.  And so I often watch videos about things I am interested in.  Sometimes that includes exercise videos.  And I watch them in hopes that they will inspire me to get going on some exercises and get in shape or lose some weight.  

But what I’ve found is that inspiration alone is not enough.  I can watch four or five exercise videos a day, and never lose a pound.  I watch guys bust out 20 pull-ups, but I can only manage 3.  I may get inspired from watching and decide that starting tomorrow I’m going to start doing pull-ups every day, but by day two or three I’m usually already over it.  Inspiration can be a good thing, but it’s not enough on it’s own.

So what the author of Hebrews tells us is that in addition to inspiration we need to apply preparation. I was going to use the word “perspiration” because that indicates what is involved.  But I think I’ll stick with preparation.  What I mean by that is we need commitment.  We need to add work to our faith.  James said, “Faith without works is dead.”  We have to begin the work, the preparation, the training for the race.  

Notice he says in vs 1, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  If you’re going to run a race, especially an endurance race, then you must get rid of things that will slow you down or trip you up.  In the King James it says lay aside every weight.  As I’ve said many times in regards to this verse, a weight is not necessarily a sin.  A weight may be something perfectly fine in and of itself, but it’s not the sort of thing you want in a race.  And the reason is that it may slow you down.  It may trip you up.

Someone said that in the ancient Greek games, which may have been the template for this passage, they used to train by running with weights tied to their bodies.  And before the race day, they would take off the weights.  Back when I was young and played basketball, we used to wear ankle weights in hope that it would make us better at jumping.  I was a terrible jumper.  I may be tall, but I can’t jump. Nowadays I think that they say that ankle weights aren’t good for your aquilles tendon.  But anyway, before the game, we would of course take the weights off.  We knew that we couldn’t wear ankle weights in a game and have any chance of winning.

I think that oftentimes in our life of faith, we burden ourselves with a lot of things that serve to keep us from really being effective in this life as Christians.  We weigh ourselves down by things such as possessions, careers, relationships, and so forth, which render us ineffective and inefficient in our faith.  They are not necessarily sinful, but they can become so, if they keep you from accomplishing your purpose.

I think it’s important to realize that the author of Hebrews and the Apostle Paul, talk about this life of faith as not just exercise but a race to be won.  A prize to be gained.  You know, when I run I don’t run in a race. I’m just jogging hoping to see some health benefit.  But they speak of running in a race.  Listen to Paul in 1Cor. 9:24-25 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.  Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then [do it] to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”   Do you think of your life of faith in that way?  As a contest?  As something to be won?  Or do you just see your life of faith as something passive, as just a life of leisure? I believe the apostles see it as a competition, as a goal, as a reward that we are to strive for.  Now that may go against this idea that we talk about so often that the Lord has done everything and we do nothing.  I think we have a responsibility to live by faith. We are responsible to put the spiritual life we have been given to work. 

One of the greatest weights or hindrances to this race of faith comes in the form of distractions.  We tend to lose our focus, to get distracted from our commitment to live for Christ.  I think that’s what is indicated there in the phrase “which so easily entangles us.” We can be tripped up very easily and fall away from our steadfastness as we allow our focus to be distracted by things that are not important. It’s no secret that I love surfing.  And there is nothing wrong with surfing per se.  But it can very easily become a distraction that keeps me from more important things.  And I’m sure you have your distractions as well, it might be  a love for golf, it might be fishing, even perhaps a friend or a family member.  I’m sure God knows what it is, if you don’t.  It’s things that distract you from your race.

And then he says not only to lay aside the weights, but the sin which so easily entangles us.  I’m ashamed to say that I am so easily entangled by sin.  I’m sure that is not the case with you.  But it is for me.  Sin is always crouching at the door.  But as God told Cain, you must master it.  We have victory over sin through our Lord Jesus Christ.  But I’m afraid that we all have a weakness for certain sins.  Your weakness may not be my weakness.  And my weakness may not be your weakness.  But we are have weaknesses.  And we need to lay it aside.  We need to turn from it.  Leave it behind.  Stop holding on to your sin.  

I think the problem is that too often we say, “Well, it’s just a little sin.  It’s not that big of a deal.”  And yet in a race, every little thing ends up making a difference.  I will never forget years ago we led a Christian Surfers missions trip to Eleuthera.  And there were no commercial planes that could handle all of our surfboards and equipment we wanted to take.  Only small planes can land at the airport.  So I found an old WW2 prop plane that was owned by Missionary Aviation, and we chartered it for the trip.  It was one of those planes the paratroopers used to jump from.  They had taken all the seats out of one side of the aisle and put a cargo net so that we could hold all of our surfboards and supplies were were going to be using down there to build a playground. And before the flight, they had us all line up and we had to weigh every little thing that was going on the plane.  They wanted to make sure that we did not exceed the capacity of the plane or it would not be able to make the takeoff. That didn’t exactly give me a lot of confidence in the plane.  

But I think we would be well served if we examined ourselves with such a critical eye.  Our life of faith after all is a matter of life or death.  And little sins, or little weights, can make a crucial difference in our results.  Jesus said we are to count the cost of being His disciples.  And oftentimes that cost is things that we want to hold onto, but really need to lay aside if we expect to win the victory.

Counting the cost speaks of difficulties that will beset us.  The race of faith does not come easily.  And to that end, we must add to inspiration, and preparation, another one, which is determination.  Notice it says, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  The KJV says, “let us run with patience.”  The Greek word is “hypomone” which should be a familiar word to us.  It’s most well known context is in James 1:3 which says, “Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces “hypomone” or endurance.  And let endurance have it’s perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  

Hypomone is translated there as endurance.  But it also means patience, in that when you are suffering, you bear up under it.  To endure it.  Not to rid yourself of the trial, but to endure it patiently, knowing that God uses trials to train and refine us, to complete us that we might be useful to Him.

One thing is clear, is that the race we are called to run is not a sprint, but a marathon.  It’s an endurance race.  And that kind of running requires dedication.  I can tell you from experience, that when you run long distances, your mind will start finding every excuse possible to stop.  Or just walk for a while.  I find it really tempting to stop when I’m about halfway. I start thinking it’s ok if I just walk for a bit.  It takes determination to keep putting one step ahead of the other.  I’ve found that I need to trick my mind when those thoughts come.  My mind will say stop, and I’ll say, just go to that stoplight, or that house, and then you can walk.  And when I get to that house, I either trick myself again or I find that I forgot I was going to walk at that point.  But I keep making small goals for myself to go just a little further.

The life of faith, we must remember is described in chapter 11 vs 1 as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  Now that sounds great.  But in actuality it is often a source of discouragement.  How often have you found yourself in a situation and you said, “I don’t know when this will end!”  “I don’t know how much longer I can go on.”  We need  determination, perseverance  so we can endure to the end.   The point is that there is not always an immediate result to our faith.  It’s not a sprint.  It’s a marathon.  It’s going to cost us some sacrifice. It’s going to be painful sometimes.  You’re not always going to feel wonderful. The life of faith is not like going on a pleasure cruise.  But the reward is going to make it all worthwhile.

One of the greatest inspirations for running for me is an ex Navy Seal whose name is David Goggins.  At some point after he had been in service for a while he found himself quite heavy, about 260 lbs. And he decided he was going to do an ultra marathon to honor other Seals who had fallen in battle.  But he had never ran a marathon so first he had to do a race that would qualify him for this marathon.  And so he ran this race of 100 miles, in 24 hours, and he just wouldn’t quit. Everyone else was running in teams, they took turns at different legs of the race.  He ran the whole thing by himself. He had extreme dedication to finish the race, to not quit.  By the end of the race, his feet had several broken bones, he had all these physical problems, but he endured to the end and qualified to enter the next marathon.  Today he has ran in virtually every Ironman marathon in the world.  He is known as a tremendous runner of immense fortitude.  Ironically  he says he hates running.  But he is determined to do his best at it, and to not give up, and he has overcome great hardship and pain in order to accomplish almost super human feats. At last count he competed in over 50 ultra marathons and finished in the top five in about 20 of them.  Incidentally he also set the world record in 2013 for 4030 pull-ups.  Talk about inspiration.

The word “race” in vs 1 comes from the ancient Greek word agona, a word used for conflict or struggle of many kinds, and it was a favorite word of the Apostle Paul.  It suggests that this race is going to be difficult. In order to achieve great things you have to be willing to endure great hardships.  We love to sing the song Amazing Grace that says “through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.”  But the truth is that we are really surprised to encounter any difficulties in the life of faith.  But that’s not what the Bible teaches.  Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation.  They will hate you because they hate Me. They will persecute you. That’s part of the life of faith that we must persevere through.  You have to be willing to make the sacrifice.  And the greatest inspiration of someone who made the greatest sacrifice of all time is of course, Jesus Christ.  So the author says that in addition to inspiration, and preparation, and dedication, we must add consideration. He says  “Consider Jesus.”  

The first step in considering Jesus is according to vs2 is fixing our eyes upon Jesus. Looking unto Jesus.  The idea in the Greek there is to look away from whatever else distracted you, and to fix your eyes on Jesus.  Focus on Jesus.  He has gone before us, and we can go where He has gone.

Let me tell you something.  You can run a lot faster if you have someone in front of you to set the pace.  But people will fail you.  The Old Testament saints of chapter 11 failed in their faith from time to time.  But Jesus never fails.  Jesus was the perfect example of faith, and you can count on Him to lead you in the way that you should go.  

Peter, you will remember took his eyes of Jesus and instead of walking on water he found himself sinking beneath the waves. He started looking around him.  Maybe he looked back at the boys on the boat and was about to say “Hey guys, look at me, I’m walking on….” then glub, glub, glub, the next thing he knew he was drowning. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Peter, perhaps having learned his lesson the hard way, says in 1 Peter 2:21, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in His footsteps.”  I have said before that the original language there refers to a sort of handwriting exercise like they use to teach children how to write.  You trace over the lines on the pattern and learn how to write the letters.  That is how we are to follow Jesus.  Step by step, in the pattern which He has laid out for us.  That’s how you fix your eyes upon Jesus.

Notice it continues by saying, “fix your eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This idea of Jesus as the author and finisher of faith, or of our faith, speaks of the eternal purpose of Christ to become flesh, and to live the perfect life, to submit Himself fully to the Father’s will in all things, to believe in the Word of God, to trust in the care of God and the faithfulness of God.  And we are to trace our steps over His pattern.

He began the race as our representative, and He has finished the race.  He traversed the span of death and hell and time and space and was resurrected, and ascended to heaven to act on our behalf as our intercessor and Great High Priest.  And where He has gone, we can go.  As He was resurrected, so we will be resurrected.  As He is in the presence of the Father, so we will be in the presence of God. Because He lives, we live.

In John 11:25 Jesus said, ““I am the resurrection and the life, he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and he that lives and believes in Me, shall never die.”  As He is, so shall we be.  But as He  endured the cross, so must we take up our cross and follow Him. As He suffered the shame, so we must suffer shame for the sake of Christ.  Not that there is any shame in following the Lord, but that the world considers it shame.  There is no shame today for anything anymore.  Things that would make our ancestors roll over in their grave are now looked at without blushing, without any sense of shame.  But ironically, that which is noble, that which is good, that which is trustworthy, the life of faith, the life of Christ, is something that is scorned by the world.  And if we are not careful, we will find ourselves hiding the light which we have been given to carry because we are ashamed.  

Paul said in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation.”  I always liked the Olympic relay in which they carried the torch.  It was a symbol of the Olympic flame which has it’s roots in the ancient Greek games, and it is carried into every new Olympic Games around the world.  I want to proudly carry the flame which was lit for us by the ancient men and women of faith who ran before us.  I want to carry the flame in honor of the One who has gone on before us into heaven and finished the race and sat down at the throne of God.  The race that we are called to run is so much more important than any earthly games. The Olympic athletes dedicate their lives for a moment’s glory, for a temporal crown.  How much more should we dedicate our lives to run for an eternal crown of glory?  

Consider Jesus.  Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.  He is our reward.  One day we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is in all His glory.  Let us not grow weary and lose heart.  

One of the hardest parts about running an endurance race is that it is easy to get discouraged out there all alone running along the side of the road.  It’s early, it’s sometimes cold, sometimes hot, sometimes raining.  And it’s easy to get discouraged in the race of faith as well.  But in the race of faith we do not have to run alone.  The Spirit of Christ is given to live in us that we might have the strength to run, that we might have the comfort and help of someone who will be with us.  Jesus said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.  We can run the race well, we can finish the race, the can be victorious in the race, because He not only has gone before us, but He goes with us.  Jesus said, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Don’t lose heart.  Don’t be discouraged.  But encourage one another day by day.  And do not forsake the assembling of yourself together as is the habit of some, for that is how we are to encourage one another to keep running the race. Lay aside the hindrances and run the race.  Run with endurance.  Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and keep on keeping on. The reward that is set before us will make it all worthwhile when we will one day see Jesus face to face and be with Him forever.  

Paul said in Phil 3:7-8, 13-14 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, … 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of [it] yet; but one thing [I do:] forgetting what [lies] behind and reaching forward to what [lies] ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  I pray you run in such a way that you might gain that prize. 

As we are coming to the end of our study of Hebrews 11, known as the Hall of Faith, you will recall that it was introduced in chapter 10 by the words, “My righteous one shall live by faith.”  We have talked extensively about that statement, examining various aspects of what it means to live by faith. And the heroes of the faith who are listed here are examples of righteous men and women who lived by faith.

But such a study begs the question, what is the life of faith?  What is this life which Christ has purchased for us with His blood supposed to accomplish in us?  What we hopefully all know is that it is spiritual life, eternal life, abundant life.  It is life in the Spirit, by the Spirit, of the Spirit.  But what does it accomplish?  Is it just a more moral, or more happy, or more blessed, or more prosperous, or more successful life than that which is of the flesh?  Is it simply lived for our sakes, so that we might be more fulfilled?

I would suggest that the writer of Hebrews is indicating something more than that.  I would suggest the answer is found in the first part of verse 33; “who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises.”   I believe we might characterize the life of faith as doing the works of God.  That’s what is indicated in those three concurrent statements.  That’s what is illustrated in the lives of the six men that he mentions in vs31, “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.”  Six men plus a large number of prophets, both known and unknown.  They were men who lived by faith, and accomplished great feats of faith in their lifetime.

What is indicated as significant about their faith is that they “by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises.”  Now I realize that the text has a comma following promises, and the list goes on to enumerate specific acts.  But I think that since there was no punctuation in the early scriptures, there is latitude in how we might determine punctuation.  And I think that in this  list, the first three serve as a heading, or summary, and then it’s followed by specific works which fit under one of those headings.

So I believe that this answers the question what does our life of faith look like? What is the purpose of life for us which we are saved and  left here on this earth. I suggest it is that we might do the works of God, which is to conquer kingdoms, specifically the kingdom of darkness. Many of those men’s acts of faith was to deliver the nation of Israel, or the church of God, from the dominion of pagan nations who worshipped idols. Secondly, the life of faith It is to perform acts of righteousness.  Now that requires faith because it is not natural, and by works of righteousness we manifest the love of God in our hearts, through which the world comes to know the truth of God.  And thirdly, the life of faith is to obtain the promises.  In other words, things which God has promised to us in His word, we are to lay hold of, and act upon in faith that He will fulfill.  

However, I’m afraid that for the most part, the modern church sees the life of faith as merely a means of personal enrichment, or prosperity, or as a means of gaining physical blessing.  And of course, they see it as fire insurance against the possibility of hell. But I think that modern Christians have such a low view of the hereafter, that they are only really concerned with the here and now and so the fear of hell is not quite seen as all that significant. But more important to the modern church is that  God just wants to love you, to serve you, to give you your hearts desires, to bless you, to make you happy, to fulfill your dreams, to make your life here on earth as successful and prosperous as it can be.

You folks who were at Bible study on Wednesday night might remember talking about Micah, who erected a shrine, who made an ephod, and added some idols, and then hired a Levite to be his own personal priest.  And after all that he said, “Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest.” That pretty much sums up the theology of a lot of Christians.  I will go to church, I’ll drop a five dollar bill in the offering box, I’ll say the blessing before dinner, and God will be obligated to bless me.  And that’s the extent of what it means to live a life of faith.  

However, on the contrary, I think that the scriptures teach us that God has saved us for much more than that.  I believe the scriptures teach that God has saved us and given us new life that we might do good works.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Now I have a large list I compiled of many verses of scripture which confirm that we are saved to do the works of God.   And I would like to share them all with you, but we don’t have time to look at all those and still finish the text here before us.  But let me give you just a few.  1Cor. 3:9, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. Phl. 2:13  “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for [His] good pleasure.”  Matt. 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 1John 2:6 “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” And we know, of course, that Jesus came to do the will of the Father as He said in  John 9:4  “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”

So it’s clear from Eph.2:9,10 which I just read vs 10 to you that though we are not saved by good works, but we are saved by grace through faith, yet we are created, that is we are given this new life, this life of faith, for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. And these good works are works of faith.  Works accomplished by faith in God, that He will give us the power to do what He has purposed in us to do. 

The point that needs to be emphasized is that God did not create in us a new life so that we might just be a better version of ourselves. But we all are called to accomplish these works of faith.  These men and women of faith that Hebrews alludes to, some whom we know and some we don’t, but they are given to us as examples, that we might follow in their footsteps of faith.  And though such men and women may not have been always what they should have been, though they may have not always been walking in faith, or always achieving good works for God, yet they did accomplish great works of faith for the Kingdom.  And they are given to us as examples of how we are to live the life of faith in our age as well.  

Now before we work through this list, I would point out that there are two sections to this list.  In the first part, 30-34, it lists feats in which you might say the persons were victorious over the temporal world.  There are a lot of theologians or preachers that want to capitalize on that part of the list and say that a life of faith is the victorious life in temporal things.  But in the second part, starting in vs35, it lists those who from a world’s standpoint were losers physically, but triumphed spiritually.  These are those who suffered for their faith.  And yet in vs 39 it says that all these gained approval for their faith.  Both those that were victorious physically, and those that suffered physically, both gained approval from God for their faith.  Both accomplished great works of God by faith.  So there is a contrast between those who had some sort of visible success and those who had an invisible success of faith.

So let’s look briefly at the men that are mentioned in vs 32.  The good news is that for those of you who’ve been at our Wednesday night Bible studies lately then you are well familiar with these men.  We spent a lot of time covering the life of David recently, and just finished with Judges, looking particularly at the life of these men. And  since it’s so fresh in your minds, then you should need very little review and  be able to think back with me and ask yourself what work of faith did each of these men do that qualifies him for this list?  

Gideon is the first, and you might remember when we first saw Gideon he was hiding out from the Midianites and winnowing his wheat in a winepress. But though he needed several confirmations from God, in the end this fearful man by faith in God’s word led 300 men into battle against at least 135000 Midianites, with the only weapons being torches and clay jars.  And  God gave him a great victory.

It’s surprising to see Barak listed here, instead of the prophetess Deborah.Barak was another man who seemed to not have courage.  Barak seemed to be afraid of taking on the enemy of God without Deborah going with him.  But in the end, he took 10000 men down the mountain to do battle with the great army and chariots of Sisera, and by faith in God he defeated the king of Canaan, the enemy of God and oppressor of his people.

Samson may seem like an unlikely choice for a man of faith.  When we look at his life, we see excesses of his flesh, and his life overwhelmed by earthy passions.  But nevertheless, God called him to be a judge of Israel, and Samson took seriously that call.  I think that Samson’s greatest work of faith is the last act of his life, when he called upon God for strength and killed more Philistines in his death than he had in his life.  He was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of delivering the church of God.

Jephthah is remembered by many for his rash vow.  But God remembers Jephthah for his act of faith in engaging in battle with the Ammonites, while trusting in the Lord to win the battle. He was the son of a harlot, an outcast of his people, yet by the grace of God he was chosen to lead his people into victory.

David fought many battles for the Lord, not the least of which was his battle against Goliath in which he by faith defeated the enemies of Israel. But David’s faith was also exemplary in the long trial in the wilderness when Saul was hunting him to put him to death.  He trusted in the promise of God to put him on the throne in place of Saul, and trusted in the providence of God to accomplish it in due time. He patiently suffered for about 13 years until God fulfilled His word.

And finally, Samuel is mentioned.  Samuel was the last of the judges of Israel.  And he led the nation back to God. He anointed David as king even though it would be years before David would come to the throne.  Samuel too was a military leader that trusted in God in the face of the threat from the Philistines, and God brought about a great victory.

It’s no coincidence by the way that so many of these men were military leaders or engaged in warfare, doing battle for the kingdom of Israel against the pagan countries that surrounded them.  Though our struggle today as the people of God is not against physical kingdoms, yet we are still engaged in spiritual warfare, which is the greatest affront on our faith.  And we are called to engage the enemy as the church of God, doing the works of God through faith.

2Cor. 10:3-5 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,  for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  [We are] destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 

Eph. 6:10-12 says a lot about this militant faith we are to have; “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.]”

And in 2Tim. 2:3 Paul says “Suffer hardship with [me,] as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”  That verse parallels in many respects the admonition of the author of Hebrews in the first verse of the next chapter.  So the life of faith is likened to a spiritual battle, or as in Hebrews 12:1, an all important race we are instructed to run.

Hebrews then speaks of the other men and women of old who by faith achieved great things for the Lord. After the three headings in the list, the next one up is those who shut the mouths of lions.  The most obvious person that could be referring to is of course, Daniel.  Daniel knew the edict that promised death to anyone who prayed to anyone other than the king.  And yet Daniel confidently went about his prayer time as usual, knowing he was being watched, and yet trusting in God to sustain him. And though he was thrown into a den of hungry lions, yet God stopped the mouth of the lions so that Daniel might live to be a testament to the Lord.

The reference to those who “quenched the power of fire” could certainly be attributed to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to worship the Bablyonian King. They expressed their faith to Nebuchadnezzar by saying, whether or not God delivered them from the fiery furnace they would not bow down to him.  They were prepared to be burned for the Lord’s sake. And God delivered them from the flames in order to use them to be a witness to the nation of Babylon.

Several prophets escaped the edge of the sword. Elijah for instance escaped the sword of Jezebel, and there are others that could be mentioned. That indicates that they were pursued and under threat of death because of their faith.  And yet they persevered by faith.  Another reference is to those who from weakness were made strong. There are many that could fit in that category.  But Esther comes to mind.  A woman of faith, a Jewish woman living as an exile in Persia, and yet God raised her up to become Queen in such a time as this and deliver her people.  She was a great example of someone who from weakness was made strong.

Then it says, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  That could refer to practically any of the judges.  All of which found themselves up against far superior forces, but who proved,  like Jonathan said, that God is not limited to save by many or by few, and so they gained the victory over seemingly superior forces through faith in the invisible God.

Then in the next verse, as I’ve already mentioned, there is a change in the tone of the list, as these people do not seem to gain a great victory over the enemies of the Lord.  In fact, the people on this list suffer for sake of the Kingdom of God. But nevertheless, they accomplished much for the kingdom of God by their sacrifice.  FF Bruce said, “Faith in God carries with it no guarantee of comfort in this world. But it does carry with it great reward in the only world that ultimately matters.”

And I’m not going to try to find Biblical examples of who these statements might be referring to. To use the words of the author, “time will fail me…”  I”m sure the author of Hebrews could have identified who he was speaking of if that was his desire.  But I will make a comment or two as needed as we look briefly  at them.

He says in vs35, “Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection.”  Now there is the transition between the two types in the list.  On the one hand it mentions those that were resurrected after having died, and then contrasted with those who did not accept being released due to being tortured, presumably to make them recant their faith, so that they might obtain a better resurrection.  But both are noted for their faith.  However one sees a physical deliverance and the other a spiritual deliverance.  But from the human standpoint, the physical is much more desirable, isn’t it?  How often do we hear some preacher on television or somewhere offer physical healing as the result of faith? But the fact is that if God should heal, or even if He should raise someone from the dead as in the case of Lazarus, there will still come a time when this flesh must pass away.  The things of this earth will fail.  But that which is spiritual endures beyond the grave. 

Others, he says, were tortured.  Thus begins the list of trials for many of those who would live by faith. But the resurrection provides the means by which we LIVE by faith.  Those who are made alive by faith in Christ Jesus will never die. Their body may pass away, but their spirit will live in Paradise until the resurrection, when they will receive a new, glorified body.

When the recipients of this letter read the words, “and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment,” they must have readily identified with that statement.  The Hebrews themselves had suffered such things as the author had already reminded them in chapter 10 vs 32. The point being that they were not the first to suffer for the name of Christ.  The Old Testament prophets such as Jeremiah knew such torments firsthand, and it continued to the church age, from the first century until today, especially in countries such as Iran, China and Korea. 

Just the other day, I saw a post from my nephew Nathan Barber concerning a friend of his, who was a missionary to Cameroon, and he was killed two weeks after entering the country. He left behind a wife and eight children.  So there are still those who are suffering even today for their faith.

And it may one day be the sort of thing that we are called upon to endure. What we need to recognize is that suffering for the Lord’s sake is a great work of faith that accomplishes more for the kingdom of God than we can always measure here on earth. But more come to faith through witnessing the trials of the faithful than by witnessing the prosperity of the so called Christian.

Vs 37 continues the list of suffering with those who were stoned. Many Old Testament characters as well as Steven and Paul in the New Testament experienced stoning.  According to strong tradition, Isaiah was sawn into.  Who knows how many unknown during the Nazi and Communist regimes suffered similar fates.  But God knows those who have given their all for the sake of the gospel.

Some through faith we were told earlier, escaped the sword.  Now we are told of others who were killed by the sword.  The life of faith does not eclipse the possibility of dying for the faith. And yet the same accolade was given to both; all these, having gained approval by their faith.  Righteousness comes on the basis of faith, and these who lived and died by faith, were approved as righteous by God.

The author goes on to describe still more trials of the faithful: “they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”  Paul said in Phl.3:7-8 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”

It is difficult, if not next to impossible, to have all the niceties of this world, to have all the resources that one could hope for in this world, and not be held captive by them.  I once thought when I was a successful antique dealer, when I was on national television almost every week, when I lived in a beautiful house with a beautiful house and children, that I could be an effective witness for the Lord due to them being able to see how the Lord had blessed me. But I can say after losing all of that, that God has used me much more since then than I could have ever imagined.  It goes back to what was said while ago, “out of weakness were made strong.”  God has chosen to use the weak things, to confound the mighty.  And sometimes God has to bring us to weakness before He is able to use us.  

Paul said in 2Cor. 12:7-10 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself!  Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.  And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The writer of Hebrews wraps up his eulogy of those men and women of old who died in faith, by saying in vs39 “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,  because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”  From Abel down through the ages to some long forgotten martyr in a foreign land, they ultimately lived and died in hope of a fulfillment that was never completely experienced on earth, yet so sure were they of it’s fulfillment that they pressed on to the very end of their days, living against the current of the world, living on earth as citizens of heaven. 

But now the promise has been fulfilled in Christ. He who died to take away sin, and was resurrected to live in Heaven for us as our intercessor and mediator, has procured completion for us.  God has guaranteed our fulfillment in Christ as the author and finisher of our faith.  His life, death and resurrection guarantees a better inheritance that will never fade away.  He gives us a spiritual inheritance of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  He is the perfect who has perfected us.  He is the author and finisher of our salvation. And in Him and through Him we  have the victory that overcomes the world.  1John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—even our faith.”

I trust that you have come to know, to believe in, to trust in, to have faith in Jesus Christ, and have received life in HIs name.  And I hope that you will live by faith in Christ, to do His will, and to serve Him.  Only one life will soon be past.  Only what’s done for Christ will last.