Tag: jesus

Throughout the book of Hebrews, our author has been trying to encourage his audience not to abandon faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.  His fear is that those who were raised up in Judaism would be attracted back to the legalistic method of salvation—trying to be righteous, to be good enough.  Throughout the book, the preacher has been warning them—a total of five times—not to go back to the ineffective legal system of offerings and sacrifices and external holiness.  But trying to pursue holiness in our own strength is like fighting in quicksand.  The more you try, the worse shape you end up in. 

Today we come to this last warning.  It is found in the last portion of Hebrews 12.

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.  26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”  27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.  28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

R. Kent Hughes reminds us that…

During Christianity’s second century, a notable heretic by the name of Marcion came to power in Asia Minor.  Though he was excommunicated early on, his destructive teaching lingered for nearly two centuries.  Marcion taught the total incompatibility of the Old and New Testaments.  He believed there was a radical discontinuity between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament—between the Creator and the Father of Jesus.  So Marcion created a new Bible for his followers that had no Old Testament and a severely hacked-up New Testament that consisted of only one Gospel (an edited version of Luke) and ten select and edited Pauline epistles (excluding the Pastorals).  His views were spelled out in his book Antitheses, which set forth the alleged contradictions between the Testaments.  Tertullian in his famous Against Marcion wrote a five-volume refutation.

But Marcionism never completely died out, and in the nineteenth century, especially, with the rise of liberalism, it underwent a revival among those who wished to separate what they considered to be the crude and primitive parts of the Old Testament from the New.  Friedrich Schleiermacher, the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century father of liberalism, said the Old Testament has a place in the Christian heritage only by virtue of its connections with Christianity.  He felt it should be no more than an appendix of historical interest.  Adolph Harnack argued that the Reformers should have dropped it from the canon of authoritative writings.  Likewise, there are thousands today who have rejected the Old Testament either formally or in practice.

The error of this kind of approach was pointed out by another liberal, Albert Schweitzer, who demonstrated that such thinking amounts to choosing aspects of God that fit one’s man-made theology.  Men project their own thoughts about God back up to him and create a god of their own thinking.  Anyone who is in touch with modern culture knows that this kind of reasoning—Marcionism—is alive and well.

You see this today in those people who only want to focus on God’s love—that God is love and accepts everyone no matter how they are living their lives in sin.  Hughes goes on to say…

What does this have to do with us who hold both Testaments to be the inerrant, infallible Word of God?  Very much!  You see, Marcionism is subtly alive in the evangelical enterprise’s understanding of God.  Of course, it is true that the New Testament gives us a fuller revelation of God and that we do not live under the Old Testament.  Nevertheless, the God we worship is still the same God.  But, sadly, many Christians today are so ignorant of their Bibles, especially the Old Testament, that they have a tragically sentimentalized idea of God—one that amounts to little more than a Deity who died to meet their needs; the sin question is minimized or ignored.  The result is the incredible paradox of evangelicals who “know Jesus” but who do not know who God is—unwitting Marcionites! (Hebrews, Volume 2, pp. 197-198)

The remedy for this travesty is the Bible as a whole, specifically both Sinai in the old covenant and Zion in the new covenant—each of which present a vision of God.

From Mount Sinai we learn, in Moses’ words, that God is” a consuming fire”—“Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God. . . . For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:23, 24).  The vision is spectacular—a mountaintop raging with “fire to the heart of heaven” (Deuteronomy 4:11)—cloaked with a deep darkness—lightning illuminating golden arteries in the clouds—celestial rams’ horns overlaying the thunder with mournful blasts—the ground shaking as God’s voice intones the Ten Commandments.  God is transcendentally “other,” perfectly good and holy.  He radiates wrath and judgment against sin. God is unapproachable.

We still need this vision of God today.  God hasn’t changed.  He is still “a consuming fire.”  God’s wrath against sin still burns.  We trivialize God as a God who is just there to meet our needs when we fail to remember that He is still a God who judges sin and sinners.

According to Deuteronomy 4:24 God is a consuming fire because He is “a jealous God.”  His jealousy burns because He deeply loves us and will brook no rivals for our affection.  The jealousy of Yahweh is His profoundly intense drive within to protect the interest of His own glory (Exodus 20:4-6; Ezekiel 39:25), for He will admit no derogation from His majesty.

John Piper, in a sermon entitled, “The Lord Whose Names is Jealous,” says, “The jealousy of God for your undivided love and devotion will always have the last say.  Whatever lures your affections away from God with deceptive attraction will come back to strip you bare and cut you in pieces (Eze. 16:38-40).  It is a horrifying thing to use your God-given life to commit adultery against the Almighty.  But for those of you who have been truly united to Christ and who keep your vows to forsake all others and cleave only to Him and live for His honor – for you the jealousy of God is a great comfort and a great hope.  Since God is infinitely jealous for the honor of His name, anything and anybody who threatens the good of His faithful wife will be opposed with divine omnipotence.

We need to remember this, even as New Covenant Christians, we must remember that the God we trust in for our salvation through Jesus Christ is a God who is jealous for our affection and allegiance and burns with jealous wrath when that is betrayed.  Sin is not primarily legal; it is primarily relational.  We break God’s heart when we sin.

Awareness of God’s holiness and the depth of our sin is the precondition of personal renewal.  (Richard Lovelace; Renewal As a Way of Life, 10)  We need to embrace the bad news about ourselves before the good news of the gospel will be desirable to us.

Of course, we also just as vitally need the vision of God at Mount Zion.  A God of love who did not spare His only Son, the Son He loves, in order to die on the cross for our sins.  There on the cross we see God the Son dying for our sins and extending forgiveness to all who will believe in him, trusting his work alone for salvation. 

Both mountains reveal the truth about God.  We cannot deny them or separate them.  Both visions must be held in blessed tension within our souls—consuming fire and consuming love. This will save us from the damning delusion of Marcion!  The massive dual revelation of the mountains is meant to shape our pilgrimage.  The question we must ask is, how then are we to march?  What are we to do?  The answer?  Obey and worship.

We ought to obey because God’s word is undeniably effectual: “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven” (v. 25).

The writer shifts now from exposition to exhortation.  He wants them to stick with Jesus Christ.  The writer uses two synonyms to emphasize the direction they were heading in the words “refused” and “reject.”  Refusing could be the more polite term here, with the idea of “begging off” from a former agreement.  Rejecting is the stronger term, emphasizing an action “turning around” in the opposite direction.

Verse 25 is telling us that God’s Word will have the last say.  Whatever it promises or warns about will happen.

This is what is called in logic an a fortiori argument (or what the Hebrews called the Qal wa-ḥomer argument); it is an argument that argues that what is true in the lesser case will be even more true in the greater. 

In the lesser case, God’s earthly (“on earth”) warning at Sinai first suffered subtle refusal by the Israelites when they “beg[ged] that no further messages be spoken to them” (12:19; cf. Exodus 20:19)—though their refusal there at Sinai was more from fear than from outright rejection of God.  However, in the years that followed, they explicitly refused God’s word by repeated disobedience during the four decades of wandering in the wilderness.  So grievous was their disobedience that Numbers 14:29 records that God pronounced judgment in that everyone who was twenty and older would die in the desert.  And, indeed, none did escape except faithful Caleb and Joshua.  A million plus corpses littered the floor of the desert.

Considering the inescapable penalty for disobeying God’s earthly message, how much greater will the penalty be in the greater instance of disobeying his heavenly message of grace through his Son (cf. 1:2)?  The implication is that there will be no escaping the punishment justly due for this rejection.

Simply put, the greater the revelation, the greater the responsibility to obey it.  Jesus acknowledged this when he said to the Galileans in His day (Matthew 11:20-24):

20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

By making this choice and the consequences crystal clear to his readers, the writer hopes to turn them from this path of turning from Jesus Christ back to law keeping.

This, of course, has been the writer’s message all along.  In 2:3a he warned, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”  Later in 10:28, 29 he said much the same thing, emphasizing greater punishment:

Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

Thus, our author starts by saying, “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.”  That would be God who was speaking.  Also, the previous verse mentioned the sprinkled blood of Jesus that speaks redemption to us freely provided by the Lamb of God.

Our author is using a figure of speak known as a litotes, namely, a negative way of saying: “Listen to Him!”  Hebrews opened with God speaking (Heb. 1:1-2) with the ultimate revelation being through the Son and our author is warning them of the danger of not listening, of rejecting what He is saying.

In any church today and in the past there are people who have heard God’s Word taught again and again, who have experienced the joys of Christian fellowship, touches of the Holy Spirit and experiences of countless blessings, but it is still very possible that so many never had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because they failed to trust in Christ and entrust themselves to God’s keeping.

These Hebrew Christians were in danger, like their forefathers under Moses, of stopping their ears against the voice of God. So our author wants them to know—your forefathers did not escape and neither will you.  The message is so clear: we had better obey God’s Word because his threat that no one who disobeys will escape is inescapably effectual.  It is a “done deal.”  It will definitely happen.  No person will escape who refuses the gospel!  God is a relentless “consuming fire” and will make sure of that!

If this is not sufficient reason to obey the God of the two mountains, there is another, and that is that his word is final, as the writer goes on to explain: “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain” (vv. 26, 27).

The initial historical event where God’s voice shook the earth was at Mount Sinai when he verbally spelled out the Ten Commandments with a thunderous voice.  Imagine how terrifying it was to have the ground under one’s feet tremble in response to God’s audible word.  There were no sleepers in the congregation at Sinai!

Again, our author argues from the lesser to the greater, pointing out what happened “at that time” at Sinai is now surpassed by another shaking, a greater shaking.  Here the writer has quoted God’s promise from Haggai 2:6—“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens” (v. 26b)—indicating that every created thing will be shaken to utter disintegration.

Genesis tells us that it is with a word that He created everything.  In the end, it will be His Word which causes everything to dissolve.

The psalmist tells us that creation is transitory: “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment” (Psalm 102:25, 26; cf. Hebrews 1:10–12).

Isaiah says of the future, “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger” (Isaiah 13:13).  

And Peter identifies it with the day of the Lord: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10).

Think of it! All one hundred thousand million galaxies—each containing at least that many stars—each galaxy one hundred light-years across—will hear the word and shake out of existence!  Just a little word from God, and it is done.

In Revelation 20:11-21:1 we read…

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

The earthquake at Sinai is nothing compared to the cosmic upheavals at the second coming of Christ!

God’s Word is much more powerful than anyone has ever experienced and if it created such fear and dread at Sinai, it should fill our hearts with fear and trembling now as well.  This is why Isaiah 66:2 recommends: “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord.  But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Philip Edgecombe Hughes concludes:  “But, terrifying though such a prospect is, it is also good news for those who are God’s faithful people, for the final shaking, which is the completion of judgment, is also the completion of salvation” (A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 558)

Those things which cannot be shaken” refer to the things of “a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (v. 28).  This one final quake will differentiate between what is of eternal value and what is of only temporal use.  And this “final, eschatological earthquake is designed precisely to differentiate between what loves God and serves God and exists for his glory as over against all in creation that opposes him. Simply put, everything that is righteous will remain and everything that is unrighteous will be destroyed” (John Piper).  Stick with what remains!

“For the people of God, who belong to the order of things which are unshakable, the removal of all that is insecure and imperfect is something to be eagerly anticipated; for this final shaking of heaven and earth is necessary for the purging and eradication from the universe of all that is hostile to God and his will, for the establishment of all that, being in harmony with the divine mind, is permanent , and for the inauguration of the new heaven and the new earth, that is, the renewed or ‘changed’ creation, in which all God’s purpose in creation are brought to everlasting fulfillment at the consummation of the redemption procured in and by Christ (Rev, 21:1ff 2 Peter 3:10-13); and this will take place with the return of Christ in glory and majesty (Rev. 19:11)” (Philip Edgecombe Hughes, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 558).

There could hardly be a more startling conclusion to this letter for these Jewish Christian readers who were considering turning away from the faith.  Failure to listen to God, refusing to accept all that he has done, will bring catastrophe.  (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Hebrews, 227)

There is an early passage in Pilgrim’s Progress in which Christian, amidst the difficulties of trying to walk the narrow path to Zion, is lured away by Mr. Worldly Wiseman’s counsel and directed toward the futility of Sinai. Bunyan writes:

So Christian turned out of his way to go to Mr. Legality’s house for help; but, behold, when he was got now hard by the hill, it seemed so high, and also that side of it that was next the wayside did hang so much over, that Christian was afraid to venture farther, lest the hill should fall on his head; wherefore there he stood still, and wotted not what to do. Also his burden now seemed heavier to him than while he was in his way. There came also flashes of fire out of the hill that made Christian afraid that he should be burnt: here, therefore, he sweat and did quake for fear. And now he began to be sorry that he had taken Mr. Worldly Wiseman’s counsel; and with that, he saw Evangelist coming to meet him, at the sight also of whom he began to blush for shame.²

And, of course, Mr. Evangelist got him back on track, and the race continued on to Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem.

Today few Christians, especially Gentiles, are in danger of turning back to Sinai per se and embracing the Levitical corpus of the Old Testament.  However, we can easily slip back into legalism.  In fact, I think it’s our default mode.  After all, all throughout our childhood and adult life we are taught that if we want to experience good grades, win a wonderful girlfriend, or keep a good job, we have to work at it.  Grace is foreign to us.  Even today we believe that we have to “help God out” with our own attempts at righteousness.

God’s will and law are eternal and we should follow it, but we are never made more acceptable to God by it.  Isaiah tells us that even our righteousness is like “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

Last week we noticed that the writer of Hebrews is contrasting the Old and New Covenants by identifying them with two mountains: Sinai where the law was given and Zion where Jesus was crucified.

The Old Covenant is presented in vv. 18-21…

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.  20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 

So, the route to Zion goes through Sinai, where we encounter the terrors of God’s law.  But once you’ve arrived in Zion, why would you want to go back to Sinai?  So after describing the place we have left, the author goes on to show the place where we’ve come.

At Sinai there is gloom and doom.  Everything says: Stay away!  Do not draw near!  You are not worthy to be close to God. 

At Zion there is joy and freedom.  Everything says: Come close!  Draw near.  Christ by his blood and the forgiveness he has brought you has made you worthy to enter God’s presence.

If you have trusted in Jesus’ blood, you have come to the joys of the new covenant.  Our author puts it like this, continuing the metaphor:

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

This is already a reality to which we who have believed in Christ “have come.”  This is an experience of the present, not just a future hope.  He is describing what is true of us as the church right now.  This is a reality that we encounter from the day of our conversion and all through our Christian lives, all the way up until the time of the end.

First, then, you have come to the joy of inclusion in the city of the living God.

The word “but” at the head of verse 22 is a strong contrastive word.  You did not come to Mount Sinai “BUT you have come to Mount Zion…”  The author of Hebrews is saying, “We are in a different place.  Our relationship with God is not modeled after Israel’s experience on Mount Sinai.”

To “come” or “draw near” to God is a recurrent theme in Hebrews.  We’ve seen this same verb in Hebrews 4:16 where we are invited to “to come” or “draw near” to the throne of grace in prayer.  In 7:25 we are encouraged to “draw near” to God through faith in Christ because he lives to make intercession for us.  Again in 10:22 we are exhorted to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” and in 11:6 we are described as those who “draw near to God.” 

And this is a permanent condition.  The verb “you have come” is in the perfect tense, speaking of a past action which has continuing results.  It was a decision you made to come to Jesus, to draw near to him, but now it is a settled condition with great blessings.

Rather than experiencing fear and dread and a sense of being distant from God, Christians have come into an experience of unparalleled joy and festive celebration!  And the reason is simple: through the blood of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the new covenant, we now live in God’s presence fearlessly and boldly and confidently. 

We come to God’s other mountain, Mount Zion.   This was the name for the stronghold in Jerusalem that David conquered (2 Sam. 5:6-8). It became a synonym for Jerusalem (Psalm 147:12; Amos 1:2; Micah 4:2). It represents the place where God, the King, dwells with His people.  We will dwell forever in the “new Jerusalem” (Revelation 20).

Zion, of course, is another name for Jerusalem, the very place in the New Testament era where Jesus was crucified.  The law came to Sinai; the cross was on Zion.

Mount Zion was the location of the Jebusite stronghold that David captured and made the religious center of his kingdom by bringing to it the golden ark of God—God’s presence with his people.  When Solomon built the temple and installed the ark, Zion/Jerusalem became synonymous with the earthly dwelling-place of God. In Christ we have come to its heavenly counterpart, the spiritual Jerusalem from above. 

The second description of the place to which we believers have come is “the city of the living God.” 

This is the same “city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10).  It is the city which God prepared for the Old Testament saints who died in faith without receiving the promises (Heb. 11:13, 16).  And while we now dwell in it spiritually, there is a sense in which it is yet “to come” (Heb. 13:14).  In other words, there is still a fuller, future experience of it as well.

“City,” a word used more in Hebrews than any other book of the New Testament, carries the idea of orderliness and security against the enemy.  It is a place where needs for food and water are met, and where there is fellowship with others.

Whereas we once were aliens, now we are citizens of this city, if we continue to follow the “living God” (Heb. 3:12) because this is the “city of the living God.”  Our writer affirms that the blood of Christ would “cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

Again, we are in Zion for good.  “But you have come to Mount Zion” is in the perfect tense, emphasizing our permanent, continuing state.

For many years, a popular bumper sticker in Colorado bore a single word—NATIVE.  It proclaimed to every new arrival, “You just moved in, but I was born here.  This is my state, my heritage, and I belong.”

Our nationality, citizenship, and sense of belonging are usually determined by birth.  This was especially true for the Israelites in Old Testament times.  They were not only the people of Israel but the people of God.

It may seem surprising, then, to read in Psalm 87 that people of rival Gentile nations will one day be treated as if they had been “born” in Zion (vv.4-5).  Herbert Lockyer says of this passage: “Whether some were born in Egypt or came from Ethiopia, all [will be] equally honored as home-born sons of the city of God.  The proud from Egypt, the worldly from Babylon, the wrathful from Philistia, the covetous from Tyre [will be] brought under the regenerating, transforming power of the Spirit of God.”  That is, they will be spiritually reborn.

This is also the “heavenly Jerusalem,” the holy city that John saw, “coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2).  The angel goes on to describe that this means God dwelling with His people and promises that when this time arrives that God will wipe away every tear, and that there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain (Rev. 21:4).  The fulfillment of these promises will be enjoyed at Christ’s second coming.

Christians are now citizens of the heavenly city and enjoy its privileges.  Paul wrote, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).  We are in Zion by virtue of our incorporation in Christ, for “[God] raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

Sure, the fiery presence of God is there, but through our union with Christ we are now clothed in His righteousness and have free access to Jesus Christ and need fear no condemnation.

Not only do we enjoy this new location—now spiritually, then in every respect and forever—we will join with the angels in praising God.  Instead of experiencing the terrifying blast of trumpets when the myriads of angels attending the giving of the law (Deut. 33:2), we will join “innumerable angels in festal gathering.”

We know from Daniel that “A thousand thousands served him [the Ancient of Days—God], and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him” (Daniel 7:10).  David said, “The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands” (Psalm 68:17).

This multitude of angels is assembled in “festal gathering” (a word found only here in the NT but used in extra-biblical literature of parties and celebratory festivities).  This word connotes excitement, revelry, and well-being.  As David says in Psalm 16:11, when we enter into the path of life (heaven), we will be filled with joy and experience eternal pleasures at His right hand.

We see a glimpse of this worship expressed in Revelation 5:11-12.

“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’”

Every time we lift up our voices in praise to our God on earth now, we join in the heavenly chorus.   Apathetic, ho-hum, “worship” is sin! It shows that we don’t understand the majesty of our God, and we are not focused on His great salvation that He lavished on us by His grace.  I can’t wait to actually join this choir and to hear our united voices in a thousand harmonies rejoicing in our beautiful, glorious Savior!  This, too, is something to which we have already come, and yet the full experience remains in our future.

Not only are the angels in heaven exhilarating in God and His glory, but right now the angels in heaven erupt in praise whenever one sinner repents (Luke 15:10).  I can remember as a teenager going to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and watching an IMAX movie on the space shuttle.  Amidst all the noise as the Shuttle lifted off, they cut to command central and showed the utter joy at the successful lift off.  Such is the joy in heaven among the angels when a single sinner repents.

Jacob saw angels shuttling back and forth from heaven to earth on a ladder.  Jesus told Nathaniel he would see angels descending and ascending on the Son of Man.  Angels are around us.

Every day we are surrounded by these ministering spirits (Heb. 1:14).  Sometimes they protect God’s elect—for example, the “tall men in shining garments” who surrounded Mr. and Mrs. John G. Paton years ago in the New Hebrides—or the “tall soldiers with shining faces” who protected missionary Marie Monsen in North China—or, on another occasion, the “huge men, dressed in white with flaming swords” who surrounded the Rift Valley Academy—and on another the “hundreds of men dressed in white, with swords and shields” who stood guard over a hut shielding Clyde Taylor, who would one day found the National Association of Evangelicals.  Similarly, a missionary from the church I pastor, Carol Carlson, serving in China in 1922, learned why the bandits never attacked her compound—there were “men in white walking up and down the wall.”

At other times, angels preside over the apparent earthly tragedy of God’s people.  Olive Fleming Liefeld in her book Unfolding Destinies tells how two young Auca Indians, Dawa and Kimo, heard singing after witnessing the martyrdom of the five missionaries in the jungles of Ecuador.  “As they looked up over the tops of the trees they saw a large group of people.  They were all singing, and it looked as if there were a hundred flashlights” (Olive Fleming Liefeld, Unfolding Destinies (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1990), p. 236).

But the grand emphasis of our passage is not so much the angels’ care of us, but rather our joining with them in festal assembly.  The word translated “festal gathering” was used in ancient culture to describe the great national assemblies and sacred games of the Greeks.  Whereas at Mount Sinai the angels blew celestial trumpets that terrified God’s people, we are to see ourselves on Mount Zion as dressed in festal attire and worshiping in awe side by side with these glorious shining beings!

Third, we come to fellow-believers —“to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” (v. 23a).  Natural families have only one firstborn.  But in God’s family, as F. F. Bruce puts it (Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews [Eerdmans], p. 377), “All the people of Christ are the ‘firstborn’ children of God, through their union with Him who is The Firstborn par excellence; their birthright is not to be bartered away, as was Esau’s.”

This group probably refers to all those believers who had died but will receive their full inheritance because they followed the Lord faithfully and did not apostatize.  The term “firstborn” often meant, in Scripture, the most excellent, the chief.

What God gave at Mount Sinai was mainly for Israel; what God gave at Mount Zion is for all and it spans all the redeemed, both the church and the general assembly of the redeemed, all together.

All the rights of inheritance go to the firstborn—to us who are “fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).  Bishop Westcott says we are “a society of ‘eldest sons’ of God” (Brooke Foss Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1967), p. 415).  There are no second-class citizens in heaven.  Male or female, young or old, rich or poor, genius or uneducated, we are all “fellow heirs in Christ.”

Only those who are “enrolled in heaven,” whose “names are written in the book of life” (Rev. 20:15, cf. Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 21:27).  This is the entire communion of the saints, all those covered by the blood of Christ whether Old Testament saints or the Church.

This family is ever growing, whether they are in heaven now or will be there in the future, we join this family.

Everything about the New Covenant encourages us to continue to come boldly into God’s presence (cf. 4:16).

We are now in the midst of the 2024 Olympics with performances, matches, games and races.  One of the dominant metaphors for the Christian life is running the race, sometimes presented as more like a sprint, but most often like a long-distance race.  Hebrews 12:1-3 introduced us to that metaphor:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

We are in a race and we can learn a lot not only by running ourselves but by watching the Olympics.

At 7 p.m. on October 20, 1968, a few thousand spectators remained in the Mexico City Olympic Stadium. The last of the exhausted marathon runners were being carried off to the first-aid stations. More than an hour earlier, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia had crossed the finish line, the winner of the 26.2-mile run.

As the remaining spectators prepared to leave, those sitting near the marathon gates heard the sound of sirens and police whistles. All eyes turned toward the gate. A lone figure wearing the colors of Tanzania entered the stadium. His name was John Stephen Akhwari. He was the last man to finish. His leg bloodied and bandaged, severely injured in a fall, he grimaced with each step as he hobbled around the 400-meter track.

The spectators rose and applauded him as if he were the winner. After crossing the finish line, Akhwari slowly walked off the field. In view of his injury and having no chance of winning a medal, someone asked him why he had not quit. He replied, “My country did not send me 7,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it” (from Leadership [Spring, 1992], p. 49).

I hope that you want to finish well.  You and I don’t have to finish first; we don’t have to “be the best.”  But we do need to finish.

As Paul faced execution, he wrote to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).  Regarding this verse Don Kistler observed (Soli Deo Gloira newsletter, 6/03),

As Paul writes to Timothy and contemplates his impending death, he evaluates his life and ministry. While we live in a culture that exalts the winner and scorns the loser, Paul assesses his life based on three things: he fought the good fight, he finished the course, and he kept the faith. How interesting that there is no mention of winning—only that of fighting, finishing, and keeping!

We are so prone to think of ourselves as failures if we don’t set records or win so demonstrably as to have monuments built to our endeavors. But for Paul, most likely the greatest Christian who ever lived, it was a matter of endurance. For Paul, he won by lasting.

Verses 4-13 then illustrated God’s part in bringing about the “perfection” of our faith and helping us to finish the race through discipline.  How we respond to God’s discipline is key to the development of the spiritual life.  We can discipline ourselves, as Hebrews 12:1-3 speaks of, but all of us also need the discipline from the Father.

The author of Hebrews was concerned that some of his readers were about to drop out of the race because they were fainting under God’s discipline. It would be a lot easier to go back to what was familiar to them and what was easier.  They could escape persecution by returning to Judaism.  But to do that they would be abandoning Jesus Christ.

The word “therefore” at the beginning of verse 12 controls this whole section, illustrating the practical consequences of the Father’s discipline.  Because the fatherly love of God designs your pain for your good and your holiness . . .”pursue peace…and holiness.”

Verse 14 picks up the race metaphor once again with the word “pursue.”  The NIV translates it “make every effort” to emphasize how much exertion and determination we should put into it.

14Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

As I look at this passage of Scripture I see two very real dangers which we all face and must seek to avoid.  Those dangers may not appear to be so serious at first, but they are.  One danger is “failing to obtain the grace of God,” that we find in verse 15.

The other danger is the inability to change some consequences of our choices, even though we might later earnestly seek to avoid those consequences with tears.  It says of Esau in verse 17, “when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

These are two very serious dangers, ones that are all too easy to fall into.  So how do we avoid them?

There is one command in our passage:  “Pursue” (or “make every effort” or “strive”) in verse 14.  That verb is supplemented by a participle of means in verse 15, which is usually translated like a separate command, “See to it,” but I believe it functions as a way to express how we can pursue peace and holiness, “by seeing to it…”

First, we are to avoid spiritual danger by doggedly pursuing peace and holiness (12:14)

14Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 

The command is to pursue with determination and persistence, like a hunting dog chasing down its prey.  As a present imperative, it communicates a continuous action, one that we are to engage in constantly, not just daily or weekly, but every moment.

If we are going to compete successfully in the Christian race, we must give attention to two matters: peace with others and holiness before God.

Peace here is peace with man.  Our experience tells us that although we may have peace with God (Romans 5:1), we do not always have peace with one another.  In fact, I’ve found that peace with one another is a fragile, rare gift, always in danger of being broken.  It can take months to build but only moments to destroy.

Of course, commitment to being a disciple of Jesus invites the enmity of the world, Jesus tells us.  “If the world hates you,” said Jesus, “know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).  If we follow Christ, we must expect conflict.  This is why Jesus said to His followers: “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28).  Conflict, even opposition will come.  The key factor is what we do about it.  Do we fight or pursue peace? 

So, we can expect adversity from the world.  But how unexpected and disheartening it is when conflict is encountered in the church!  Someone has said, “To live above with saints we love, now that will be glory.  But to live below with saints we know, well, that’s another story!”

In a perfect world, all people could live peacefully together.  Of course, this is impossible in our imperfect world.  However, believers should do their best to at least “pursue” peace and reconciliation.  Believers certainly should not cause dissension.  Christian fellowship should be characterized by peace and building up one another (see 1 Thess 5:11).  (Bruce Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Hebrews, 217)

There is a passage in Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring in which God-fearing elves join with God-fearing dwarves to oppose the Dark Lord.  But immediately they begin to quarrel, calling down plagues on each other’s necks.  Then one of the wiser of the company, Haldir, remarks, “Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him” (J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (New York: Ballantine, 1969), pp. 450, 451).

Conflict in the church brings glee to Satan and disgraces our God.  Few things will grieve the Spirit more and keep us from making progress in our Christian life than to harbor bitterness and anger towards our Christian brothers or sisters.

Jesus prayed for the unity of His followers in His high priestly prayer:

22The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 

When we “bite and devour one another” (Galatians 5:15), when there is “quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (2 Corinthians 12:20), when there is “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (James 3:14-15) we are working against Christ’s prayer and Christ’s passion.

Christian Counselor Jay Adams writes:

Few things are sapping the strength of the church of Jesus Christ more than the unreconciled state of so many believers.  So many have matters deeply imbedded in their craws, like iron wedges forced between themselves and other Christians.  They can’t walk together because they do not agree.  When they should be marching side by side through this world taking men captive for Jesus Christ, they are acting instead like an army that has been routed and scattered and whose troops in their confusion have begun fighting among themselves.  Nothing is sapping the church of Christ of her strength so much as these unresolved problems, these loose ends among believing Christians that have never been tied up.  There is no excuse for this sad condition, for the Bible does not allow for loose ends. God wants no loose ends (Christian Living in the Home, P&R Publishing, 1972, p. 35-36).

Satan infiltrates Christian homes and churches, elder meetings and friendships, sowing seeds of discord that blossom into anger and alienation.

So as we run the race we must pursue peace with “everyone”—both Christians and non-believers alike.  This word “strive” or “pursue” is a word used to describe the chasing after prey or one’s enemies.  We must chase after peace.  We must aggressively take the initiative to make things right.  It takes more effort because “a brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle” (Prov. 18:19).

Other Scriptures further enjoin the aggressive pursuit of peace, urging us to “[be] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), and to “pursue what makes for peace” (Romans 14:19).  Also, 1 Peter 3:11, citing Psalm 34:14, says, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit (v. 10); let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.  And in 2 Timothy 2:22 Paul tells Timothy, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

Pursuing peace is a high priority to the biblical writers.  Similarly, Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”  Sometimes, says Paul, peace isn’t possible.  But be sure it isn’t your fault!  As far as it depends on you, put aside the cause of division and hatred.  If others refuse to do so, that’s their problem. Just make sure it isn’t yours!  And then, of course, there is the grand dominical beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).  People will know that you belong to God because you are a peacemaker.  If Jesus commands it and prays for it (John 17:22-23), then clearly He places a high priority on it as well.

Those who pursue peace will be quick to confront privately and gently, will offer forgiveness and seek reconciliation as soon as possible, will be kind and be thoughtful, and will pray for their enemies.  Those who pursue peace will do so quickly, thoroughly and considerately.  Don’t be lazy about pursuing peace.  Don’t put it off just because it is uncomfortable.  Remembering that God has forgiven us, we should be quick to forgive others.  Remembering that Jesus taught Peter that forgiveness is unlimited (seventy times seven) we should not be miserly with our forgiveness.

Again, Jay Adams says, “If you have been putting off going to another person to try to achieve reconciliation with him, you have wronged him.”  He goes on to say, “Jesus won’t allow the unreconciled condition to continue among believers.  In Matthew 5, if another considers you to have wronged him, Jesus says that you must go.   In Matthew 18, He says that if the other person has done something wrong to you, you must go.  There is never a time when you can sit and wait for your brother to come to you. Jesus doesn’t allow for that.  He gives no opportunity for that.   It is always your obligation to go.

Do you what is the most natural thing to do when you are at odds with someone?  You know it; it happens all the time.  We go and share it with someone else.  We feel so much tension in ourselves that we blurt it out to someone else, thus relieving some of that tension, but actually transferring it to that other person.  If you, person A, have a problem with person B and now you share it with person C, you have transferred that tension to person C, causing them to feel like they have to side with either you or them.  This is called “triangling” or the Bible calls it “gossip.”

Do you know what is another thing we naturally do?  We break fellowship with that person.  We avoid them.  Oh, we might be nice and civil to them in public, but we insulate ourselves from them because we’ve been hurt.  We distance ourselves.

We need to realize that to put a wall between ourselves and others is to build a wall between us and God.  Our spiritual growth will be stunted precisely because we are refusing to forgive and be reconciled.

So pursue peace.  Peace (Eirene in Greek), means “to join or bind together something which has been separated.”  Relationally, it means a lack of division; it means that nothing divides you or comes between you.

I want to encourage you, if there is someone with whom you are currently at war or at odds or simply don’t like anymore because they hurt you, then make every effort to pursue peace with that person.  Maybe it’s within your immediate family.  Maybe you need to forgive and pursue peace with your father or mother, with a sister or brother, with your spouse or your child or children.  Maybe you need to reconcile with your boss or a coworker.

Extend it to those in this church: Do you go to those who have wronged you and seek to clear up the wrongs? Don’t go with the assumption, “I’m right and you were a complete jerk!” Go with humility, asking, “Did I cause offense? I don’t want there to be anything between us. Can we get this cleared up?” It’s not usually a pleasant part of the race, but it is the course God has set before us: “Pursue peace with all men.”

Now, what if you are in the wrong?  What if you’ve done something to hurt someone else?  Then you need to respond with repentance and ask for forgiveness.  We repent in four ways: 1. “I was wrong.”  Plain, honest, no evasions. 2. “I am sorry.”  Brokenhearted, realizing the damage done. 3. “It won’t happen again.”  Rebuilding trust for the future. 4. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”  Performing deeds in keeping with repentance (Acts 26:20; Matthew 3:8).

We are back in Hebrews 12:1-3

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

When the author of Hebrews tells his readers to “look to Jesus,” to gaze intently at Jesus, he then began to explain some of the attributes of Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  With a few strokes of his pen, the writer provides an account of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The crowning point, of course, is Jesus’ enthronement at the right hand of God.  (William Hendriksen & Simon J. Kistemaker, NT Commentary: Hebrews, 369)

First, he is described as the “founder and perfecter of our faith.”  This describes his life.  He is the pacesetter, the pioneer of our faith.  Jesus set the example of living by faith for us every day of His life, until the very end.  While the New Testament authors never used the word “trust” to describe Jesus’ relationship with His Father, it is clear that Jesus did live in total dependence upon His Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit and submitted His will to the Father’s will as an expression of trusting obedience.

Herman Witsius (1636–1708) once noted that if we only stress the fact that Christ died on the cross for us, then we make too little of His sufferings for us (Herman Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, ed. Joel R Beeke, trans. William Crookshank (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Reformation Heritage, 2010), 1:210).  Christ suffered and obeyed for us throughout His life for us because sin brings miseries to us in this life as well as in the next. Christ obeyed the law for us where we disobeyed it, and He suffered the penalty for our lawbreaking.

He is also the “founder…of our faith,” which means that our faith comes from Him.  He gives faith as a gift (Eph. 2:8-9; Philippians 1:29).  Faith doesn’t come from us; we don’t summon it up out of the depths of our heart, but receive it as a gift of an all-gracious God.

He is also the “perfecter of our faith in the sense that He finished His course of living by faith successfully (cf. 2:13).  He did it perfectly.  It was his absolute faith in God that enabled him to go through the mocking, crucifixion, rejection, and desertion—and left him perfect in faith. As F. F. Bruce has said, “Had he come down by some gesture of supernatural power, He would never have been hailed as the ‘perfecter of faith’ nor would He have left any practical example for others to follow” (Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 352).

We encountered this word in Hebrews 1:10, which states that God perfected the author (or captain) of our salvation through His sufferings.  It is also used in Acts 3:15 when Peter preached “you killed the Author of life” and in Acts 5:31 where he said about Jesus “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior…”  Again, the idea is that He leads the way.

Again, as the “perfector of our faith” this reminds us that He guarantees that we will persevere in the faith.  That “good work” that He began in us He will bring to completion (Philippians 1:6).

This is what we see in Hebrews 13:21, where the author gives this benediction:  May God “equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.”

One may say that Jesus is with us at the starting line and the finish line and all along the way of the race that He sets before us.  He makes sure that we finish.

One of the things our author wants us to focus on with regard to Jesus is the attitude which dominated His running of His own race.  He did it “for the joy that was set before Him.”  The reason that Jesus could endure the horrible prospect of bearing our sin was that He focused on the joy set before Him.  That end-goal brought him joy that gave him strength to endure.  Remember, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).

Jesus did not regard the cross itself as a joy, just as we don’t consider the trials and difficulties themselves to be joy-filled; rather, Jesus looked past the horror and humiliation of the cross to enjoy what good things it would accomplish beyond it.

James tells his audience to “count it all joy…when you meet trails of various kinds.”  Why? Because they know something.  “You know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” and that ultimately results in maturity (James 1:2-4).  We don’t rejoice in the trials themselves, but in the maturity that they produce if we persevere in faith. 

Jesus did suffer excruciating pain and being forsaken by His Father.  THAT was nothing to rejoice in.  John Henry Newman explains:

“And as men are superior to animals, and are affected by pain more than they, by reason of the mind within them, which gives a substance to pain . . . so, in like manner, our Lord felt pain of the body, with a consciousness, and therefore with a keenness and intensity, and with a unity of perception, which none of us can possibly fathom or compass, because His soul was so absolutely in His power, so simply free from the influence of distractions, so fully directed upon the pain, so utterly surrendered, so simply subjected to the suffering.  And thus He may truly be said to have suffered the whole of His passion in every moment of it” (John Henry Cardinal Newman, The Kingdom Within (Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations) (Denville, NJ: Dimension Books, 1984), pp. 328, 329).

He did endure the cross, with all its shame and degradation, experiencing mind-numbing physical pain as well as the shock of having His Father turn His back on Him.  That was nothing to rejoice in.

Jesus ran this painful race of love because of joy.

So what did Jesus rejoice in? Jesus rejoiced in the fact that all this pain would result in “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10).  He did it for the joy of gaining a bride.  He did it all so that we could enjoy forever worshipping Him.  But the greatest joy was that of glorifying the Father by completing the work that the Father gave Him to do (John 17).

When Jesus returned to heaven, triumphant over Satan, sin, death, and hell, the angels rejoiced.  Remember that all heaven erupts in joyful celebration when even one sinner repents.  Then, the marriage supper of the Lamb will be a time for us to “rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him” (Rev. 19:7).  Keeping that glorious joy in view enabled Jesus to endure the agony of the cross.

Those who have been faithful to Jesus Christ will be able to “enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, 23) and David tells us “in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

That joy enabled him to “endure the cross” and “despise the shame.”  One of the most prominent elements of the cross was the shame and humiliation that every crucified person had to endure.  Crucifixion, performed naked and in public, and inflicting prolonged pain on the victim, was intended to cause shame as well as death (cf. 6:6; see note on Matt. 27:35).

Also His exaltation, with all that it means for his people’s shalom and for the triumph of God’s purpose in the universe, was “the joy that was set before him.”

Throughout Jesus life he ran for joy.  But he also came to die on the cross, to satisfy God’s wrath against our sins.  All of this is called His humiliation—not only dying on the cross, but giving up the glories of heaven to come and live among us, living a life of perfect obedience as the “founder and perfecter of our faith.”

We cringe and run from shame and humiliation, but Jesus “despised the shame.”  Shame is how we normally respond to the knowledge that we have broken God’s laws and done something morally wrong.  Jesus took our shame, but He didn’t do anything to be ashamed of.  If one “scorns” a thing, one normally has nothing to do with it; but “scorning its shame” means rather that Jesus thought so little of the pain and shame involved that he did not bother to avoid it.  He endured it.  (Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary–Volume 12, 134)

This is the only occurrence of the word “cross” outside the Gospels and the Pauline Epistles, and its presence here stresses the shame associated with Jesus’ crucifixion. 

Jesus ran for joy and triumph.  That triumph is seen in him now “seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  That joy is having accomplished for the Father’s glory all that He was sent to do.  As John MacArthur notes: “Joy and triumph. One is subjective; one is objective. One is that great exhilarating feeling that you have won; and the other is the actual reward of God that is given to you for your triumph. An athlete knows that there is nothing equal to the thrill of winning. And it’s something inside. And it isn’t the medal, or the trophy, or whatever else. It’s just the winning, the exhilaration of victory (https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1254/running-the-race-that-is-set-before-us, accessed 6/26/24).

The same will be true for us.  The joy will be to do our best to win the race and to enjoy the rewards promised to overcomers.

And that’s what he’s saying. There is the joy of victory, as well as the reward of God. And in this case of Christ, the reward was he was seated at the right hand, something that has been emphasized from chapter 1 (Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; also Acts 7:55-56; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; 1 Pet. 3:22 and Rev. 3:21).

God’s right hand is the place of “highest favor with God the Father” (WLC, Q&A 54), and the phrase is used throughout Scripture to indicate His power and sovereignty (Exod. 15:6; Isa. 48:13).

This is the ancient prophecy from Psalm 110, quoted by Jesus in Matthew 22:44 to prove that He was the rightful Messianic heir of David’s line: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’”?

Our blessed and glorious Lord lived his earthly life in faith’s dynamic certitude. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for [future certitude], the conviction of things not seen [visual certitude].”  It looks with spiritual eyes of faith and sees what is invisible and not yet, as if it already is.

Now on this matter of focus, understand this: even though the great gallery of past saints witnesses to us, our central focus must be Jesus— sola Jesu!  Focus on him as the “founder” and originator of faith.  Focus on him as the divine human “perfecter” of faith.  Focus on the joy that enabled him to endure the excruciating agony of the cross and consider as nothing the shame.  Focus on his joyous exaltation—and the fact that you are part of that joy.

In capping his famous challenge to finish well, the writer gives the idea of focusing on Jesus a dynamic twist by concluding: “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (v. 3).  Meditating on Jesus and all He suffered encourages us to continue to run our race and obey God’s will faithfully.

It is natural for us to overestimate the severity of our trials, and the writer did not want us to do this.  We quickly “grow weary and fainthearted” partially because we don’t really believe that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).  Also, we “grow weary and fainthearted” because we rely on our own strength and steadfastness instead of relying upon the Holy Spirit.

The phrase “grow weary or fainthearted” was sports lingo in the ancient world for a runner’s exhausted collapse.  Thus, the way for the Christian runner to avoid such a spiritual collapse was to “consider him,” which is a word which has the idea of a studied focus, like keeping our eyes steadily focused on Jesus in verse 2.  But here we are to do more than merely focus on Him, we must deeply study Him.  We need to be totally absorbed with Jesus mentally, not distracted, but consciously and consistently focused upon him.  We need to read and re-read the Gospels, to become so well familiar with Jesus that we begin to imitate Him.

I’ve talked about Charles Blondin before, the French tightrope walker in the late 1800’s.  In 1859 He was the first man to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope.  Thousands of people came out to see him, and dozens fainted at the sight.  He would go across blindfolded, on stilts, on a bicycle, in a sack.  Once he pushed an empty wheelbarrow across once to the applause of the crowd. He asked, “How many of you think I can push a man in this wheelbarrow across.”  Hands shot up in the crowd.  But then he asked, “How many of you are willing to get in the wheelbarrow and let me push you?”  All the hands went down. They didn’t have enough real faith in Blondin to trust him to carry them across.  Later, his assistant rode across on his back.  He was the only one who placed his faith in Blondin.  Over the years, Blondin crossed Niagara Falls over 300 times.  He walked across backwards and forwards.

He was once asked the secret to his amazing stability.  He pointed to a large silver star he had painted on each side of the river.  He said, “Whatever I do, I never take my eyes off the star.  I never look at the water or the rope.  Staring at that star is the secret to my stability.”

Jesus is our bright and morning star, and as long as you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus you can find the stability to finish the race.  Staying focused on Jesus is the key to victory.

We need to consider Jesus because although the “cloud of witnesses” can inspire us, He only can empower us.  We can do all things “through Him who strengthens us” (Phil. 4:13).

In verse 3 our writer is getting into the subject of suffering and divine discipline.  In verse 3 he mentions that Jesus “endured from sinners such hostility against himself.”  If Jesus could not be perfected except through suffering, then how much more we.

It is obvious that some of the believers this author was writing to were experiencing some of the same persecution and our author is concerned that these men and women would turn away from Christ to relieve the pressures and pains of suffering and persecution.  But in doing so they would be surrendering what is most precious to their souls!

In Hebrews 6 and 10 we met a category of people who were once affiliated with the believers in the early churches.  You can call them dropouts, or deserters.  They may seem to be believers, but they are the make-believers.  The mark of a true believer is that you won’t give up on the race.  You may grow tired and want to quit but then you consider Jesus; you keep your eyes on Jesus and then you keep on running.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve “hit the wall,” you keep on running.  You see Jesus at the finish line and endure every hardship to cross that finish line to Him.

The reason that this is told to us is twofold: First it is that we might not grow weary.  Suffering can wear you down.  More than merely a physical weariness, it brings with it a weariness of the soul.  Secondly, this is given to us that we might not lose heart.  The readers of this epistle were being tempted to quit.  They had been following Christ for some time now and it was getting more difficult.  They needed some encouragement.

Perhaps it is shocking to us, when reading Hebrews 12:3-4, how tough biblical Christianity is. Yet even more shocking perhaps is how soft and untested many Christians are who have not faced persecution. The writer points his readers squarely to Jesus: “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (v. 3). We are to draw courage from Jesus’ steadfast example of honoring God no matter the cost. And we too must be willing to pay the ultimate price: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (v. 4).

Here the “author goes from one sport to the other; from the imagery of the race to that of boxing.  In boxing, blood flows from the faces of the contestants when they withstand vicious blows.  At times serious injuries result in death.  (William Hendriksen & Simon J. Kistemaker, NT Commentary: Hebrews, 372).  Basically the writer is saying, “Has anyone driven nails through your hands and feet and nailed you to a cross yet?”  The author is warning them that this is just around the corner.  He is warning them that worse sufferings are in store.

In the early church believers experienced severe persecutions.  One Bible scholar describes some of the persecutions as follows:

Some, suffering the punishment of parricides, were shut up in a sack with snakes and thrown into the sea; others were tied to huge stones and cast into a river. For Christians the cross itself was not deemed sufficient agony; hanging on the tree, they were beaten with rods until their bowels gushed out, while vinegar and salt were rubbed into their wounds…Christians were tied to catapults, and so wrenched from limb to limb. Some…were thrown to the beasts; others were tied to their horns. Women were stripped, enclosed in nets, and exposed to the attacks of furious bulls. Many were made to lie on sharp shells, and tortured with scrapers, claws, and pincers, before being delivered to the mercy of the flames. Not a few were broken on the wheel, or torn in pieces by wild horses. Of some the feet were slowly burned away, cold water being dowsed over them the while lest the victims should expire too rapidly…Down the backs of others melted lead, hissing and bubbling, was poured; while a few ‘by the clemency of the emperor’ escaped with the searing out of their eyes, or the tearing off of their legs. (Herbert B. Workman, Persecution in the Early Church, 1906, p. 299-300)

“It’s about time they realized the Christian life is not for sissies, but people who show themselves worthy of those who made their faith possible.  To sting them into this realization, the writer employs a phrase used by the Maccabean leaders.  When fighting against the enemies of the Jewish faith, those leaders challenged their followers to go out there and “resist unto death” the foes of Israel.   The readers knew that phrase.  In the light of it, they would feel the shame of their faintheartedness.”  (C.S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Hebrews, 297)

But because Jesus endured the very worst form of pain and shame and humiliation, we can too.  There is a Sandi Patti song entitled “The Day He Wore My Crown.”  It’s a song about how Jesus endured to suffer in our place.  Part of the lyrics say: “He could have called His Holy Father, and said, “Take me away.  Please take me away.”  He could have said, “I’m not guilty. And I’m not gonna’ stay and I’m not gonna pay.”  But he walked right through the gate; and then on up the hill.  And as He fell beneath the weight, He cried, ‘Father, not my will.’  And I’m the one to blame.  I caused all his pain.  He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown.”

So take heart; stay in the race, keep putting one foot in front of another.  Jesus did it and you can too.  In fact, the truth of the Gospel is that He now lives in you, giving you the very power He had to help you run the race to win it.

We noticed last week that the Christian life is presented here in Hebrews 12 as a race.  It is not a stroll in the park.  The objective, no matter how hard or how long, is to reach the finish line.  We see that in Hebrews 12:1-3.

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

How do we run this race?

First, we remember that others have successfully run this race before us.  While these people were by no means perfect, they were commended by God for their faith.  While some of them experienced some terrible things in this life, they were still commended by God for their faith.  Thus, our author is encouraging these people to hang on to their faith in Jesus Christ.  If they do so, they will win a better reward.

Second, we should divest ourselves of those sins that so easily ensnare us.  Each of us is susceptible to some sin that easily entangles us and often brings us down.  No athlete runs in a trench coat or leaves weights on their ankles.  They strip down so that they can run freely and quickly.  So we too must let go of those sins that we have become so friendly with, that we coddle.

But that’s not all.  Our divestment must go even further as we “lay aside every weight”—literally, “the weight that hinders.”  So, not only are we to lay aside and leave behind our sins, but also these weights that slow us down.  Obviously, these are two different categories, but both equally debilitating as far as successfully running our race.

A hindrance is something, otherwise good, that weighs you down spiritually.  It could be a friendship, an association, an event, a place, a habit, a pleasure, an entertainment, an honor.  But if this otherwise good thing drags you down, you must strip it away. 

The word “weight” comes from the Greek word ogkos, which describes something heavy and cumbersome that can impede a runner.  In the athletic world, ogkos was used to describe when an athlete intentionally removed excess weight before a competition. 

Picture a runner in our present context who is hindered by anything from sweatpants to hoodies to jewelry to bulky shoes.  Allen notes, “In the first century AD, runners ran in the stadium virtually naked.  They would enter wearing long flowing, colorful robes.  At the start of the race, these would be discarded” (Allen, Hebrews, p. 573).

The athlete of the ancient world didn’t become “unweighted” by accident.  He dropped all excess weight on purpose.  He dieted; he exercised; and he shed every other unnecessary weight he could find to shed.  This stripping process demanded his attention, his decision, and his devotion.  It wasn’t going to happen by accident, so he had to initiate the process of removal.

Again, just like the sins, those weights may differ from one person to another, but each of us is responsible to identify anything that might be slowing us down and to get rid of it.  These can be bad habits or bad attitudes.  If the Holy Spirit is urging you to take a good look at your life and then remove everything that weighs you down and keeps you from a life of obedience. Then be honest with yourself and with God.  If there is something, anything, in your life that your conscience keeps telling you to forsake, then get rid of it.  This reminds me of Paul’s words in Phillipians 1:9-10. “It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent…”  God doesn’t just want us to settle for doing what is good; He wants what is excellent in our lives.  John Piper describes it as “getting things out of your life that make you more worldly-minded and putting things in your life that make you more heavenly-minded.”

Tim Challies identifies three weights that we need to jettison from our lives.  The first one is the weight of mustering up the strength from ourselves instead of relying upon the power of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot run the race in our own strength.  We must rely upon God’s strength.  The second weight we need to get rid of is running ourselves ragged.  We need to learn to pace ourselves.  Even spiritual disciplines, when we try to do all of them, are too much for us to handle.  The third weight he identifies is running alone.  Most of us know that we are more faithful to exercise when we have a partner.  The same is true in the Christian life.  We are more likely to stay in the race if we have others running with us.  That’s why Charles Spurgeon reminds us: “He stands with us at the starting-point, and earnestly says to us, not ‘Run,’ but, ‘Let us run.’  The apostle himself is at our side as a runner.”

That is why you need a good church, a place for you to learn and grow in the fellowship of other believers who will get to know you, pray for you, support you, even rebuke you when necessary.  Sometimes it is those very friends who will identify those habits or attitudes that, although not exactly sinful, are keeping you from running the race so that you can win.

Having “laid aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,” now our author tells us “and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  This race is “set before us.”  We don’t just run off in any direction we choose.  In Psalm 139:16b David expresses his awe that “in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  God, in eternity past, chose us to be conformed to His Son (Romans 8:28-30) and determined the good works that we would do this very day (Eph. 2:10).

It is the Word of God that sets out that path for us.  We don’t have to guess at what God’s will for our lives might be.  He tells us.  He lays out the moral parameters, our “lane” in which we are to run through the 10 Commandments and the commands of Christ in the New Testament.

We are disqualified if we run outside our lane or take shortcuts.

Do you remember the name of Rosie Ruiz?  Rosie was a Cuban-American who was declared the winner in the female category for the 84^th Boston Marathon in 1980.  People were stunned by her victory, as her recorded time was the fastest ever run by a woman in Boston Marathon history.  But eight days later she was stripped of her title when it was discovered that early in the race she had dropped out, hopped on a subway, only to re-emerge about a mile from the finish line where she joined the other runners and staged her stagger across the finish line in dramatic fashion.

What Rosie did makes for a good laugh, but there are no short-cuts in the marathon of the Christian life. The progressive transformation of our character into the image of Jesus himself calls for a sustained, life-long commitment. 

Within those parameters each runner’s course will be unique.  I may not be able to run your course, and you may find mine impossible, but I can finish my race and you can complete yours.

We don’t know where it will lead, how long it will go, whether it will be uphill or downhill, smooth or rocky, wet or dry.  But faith is trusting God during the uncharted course, knowing that He has set before us the path that will best contribute to our growth toward spiritual maturity.  

What we know is that we can both finish well if we follow the spiritual athlete’s guide to winning in life as recorded here in Hebrews 12:1-3.

Another factor in winning our race in life is that we must “run with endurance.”  We can’t quit in the middle of the race when we are out of breathe and our side is splitting, or fail to finish the race like I did.

No race is easy.  The sprints take everything you’ve got, your utmost effort.  Long distance races take stamina and strategy.  For the life of me I never could figure out why the quarter mile was a sprint!  Every runner will get tired, will cramp up, will want to quit, but we won’t win if we don’t endure.

“Endurance” translates the ancient Greek word hupomone, “which does not mean the patience which sits down and accepts things but the patience which masters them…It is that determination, unhasting and unresting, unhurrying and yet undelaying, which goes steadily on, and which refuses to be deflected.  Obstacles will not daunt it; delays will not depress it; discouragements will not take its hope away.  It will halt neither for discouragement from within nor for opposition from without (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1957), p. 19).

Fast or slow, strong or weak, we must all keep putting one foot in front of the other for as long as it takes.

In Acts 20:24 Paul pictured himself as a runner who had a race to finish, and nothing would keep Paul from finishing the race with joy. In that passage, Paul spoke of “my race” – he had his race to run, we have our own – but God calls us to finish it with joy, and that only happens when we run with endurance so that we can finish our race.

We can experience the same satisfaction the Apostle Paul did as he neared the finish line:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7, 8)

Paul finished his race, and so can we!

So far, the writer of Hebrews has told us to remember the encouragement of those who have finished the race ahead of us, that “cloud of witnesses,” so that we can know that we can do it, then to lay aside anything that would slow us down, whether sins or even good things that keep us from running our race.  He also reminds us to keep at it and not give up, to “run with endurance.”

But that’s not all.  His major encouragement is found in verse 2.

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Even more than looking at the examples of the “cloud of witnesses,” our eyes need to stay fixed on Jesus.  I believe that by referring to Him by His name Jesus, our author is calling us to consider His humanity and how, despite all the opposition of Satan and the disappointments with His people and His disciples, Jesus actually ran a perfect race and won the race for us.

The author is telling us to “keep focused” on Jesus, to take our eyes off the circumstances and off the people around us and to keep our eyes trained on Jesus.  The word carries the idea of riveting one’s attention; fixing one’s focus; staring intently without allowing the slightest distraction.  Charles Spurgeon says, “The Greek word for ‘looking’ is a much fuller word than we can find in the English language.  It has a preposition in it which turns the look away from everything else.  You are to look from all beside to Jesus.  Fix not thy gaze upon the cloud of witnesses; they will hinder thee if they take away thine eye from Jesus.  Look not on the weights and the besetting sin-these thou hast laid aside; look away from them.  Do not even look upon the race-course, or the competitors, but look to Jesus and so start in the race.”

It is so important for runners in a race to keep their eyes straight ahead.

On August 7, 1954 during the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, B.C., England’s Roger Bannister and Australian John Landy met for the first time in the one mile run at the newly constructed Empire Stadium.

Both men had broken the four minute barrier previously that year. Bannister was the first to break the mark with a time of 3:59.4 on May 6th in Oxford, England. Subsequently, on June 21st in Turku, Finland, John Landy became the new record holder with an official time of 3:58.

The world watched eagerly as both men approached the starting blocks. As 35,000 enthusiastic fans looked on, no one knew what would take place on that historic day.

Promoted as “The Mile of the Century,” it would later be known as the “Miracle Mile.”

With only 90 yards to go in one of the world’s most memorable races, John Landy glanced over his left shoulder to check his opponent’s position. At that instant Bannister streaked by him to victory in a Commonwealth record time of 3:58 (https://www.miraclemile1954.com/, accessed 6/26, 24)

Just like a runner must keep looking toward his or her goal, so we should keep “looking only at Jesus.”  When we take our eyes of faith off Jesus, we begin to sink spiritually, like Peter did literally (Matt. 14:22-33).

Sometimes our biggest hindrance comes from looking at ourselves, our own failures and weaknesses, our inability to overcome temptations.  This is why Robert Murray McCheyne so wisely said, “Learn much of the Lord Jesus.  For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.  He is altogether lovely.   Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief!  Live much in the smiles of God.  Bask in His beams.  Feel His all-seeing.  Eye settled on you in love, and repose in His almighty arms.”

While a hospice chaplain I would read Scripture, sing hymns and pray for our patients.  I began to notice as I sang through our church hymnbook that there are at least six hymns that speak of the smiling face of Jesus.  Let the smiling face of Jesus encourage you daily in your race.

This is not to say that introspection has no place in the Christian pursuit of holiness.  But we must be careful not to wallow in self-pity or self-condemnation.  After looking at self and confessing our sins, we must then take our eyes off ourselves and focus on Jesus.

A. W. Tozer, in his book The Pursuit of God, counsels, “The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One.”

Paul reminds us of the value of keeping focused on Jesus and the transforming power it has in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Nor are we to focus upon others.  What a temptation it is for us to compare ourselves to others, either believing we are better than them, or don’t measure up to their level of spirituality.  We are either proud or depressed.  Jesus encourages us with this: Peter says in John 21, “Well, Lord, what about John?”  And what did Jesus say to him?  “None of your business.  You follow Me.”  Remember John Landy?

I love the funny joke about two old boys, Bubba and Willy, who were out in the woods hunting squirrels.  Suddenly they came up on a big old mean bear.  They both shot their squirrel guns at the bear.  All that did was make him mad.  So the bear started chasing Bubba and Willy.  They were running side-by-side as fast as they could to get away from the bear that was right behind them.  While Bubba was running for his life, he started kicking of his hunting boots so he could run a little faster.  Willy looked over and said, “Bubba, why are you doing that?  You know you can’t outrun that bear.  Old Bubba said, “I don’t have to outrun that bear.  I just have to outrun you!”

Well, we’re not running to compete with anybody else. Don’t look at the other runners. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

We are transformed by gazing at Jesus.  As you read the Gospels, slow down and look deeply at Jesus Christ.  Jonathan Edwards remarked beautifully concerning this that we are to “take notice of Christ’s excellence which is a . . . feast” (John H. Gerstner, The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards , vol. 1 (Powhatan, VA: Berea Publications, 1991), p. 418

The human Jesus has known our experiences of trial and fierce adversity.  When we feel that we cannot summon another ounce of energy for “the race that is set before us,” we must think of the race that was set before him.  He endured, though his course was incomparably more difficult than ours.  Jesus triumphed and, in his strength, so can we  (Raymond Brown, The Bible Speaks Today:  Hebrews, 228).

We are continuing our study in the last portion of Hebrews 11 as the author is once again setting forth people who expressed faith in God and saw God often bring about spectacular results, turning things around in His people’s favor.

The first heroes of faith did receive what they asked for…

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35a Women received back their dead by resurrection.

We pointed out last time the fact that God answered the prayers and fulfilled the desires of people who, although very flawed, exercised faith—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel, the first of the prophets.  Of course, there were many more prophets down through Israel’s history.

Viewed together, this dynamic half-dozen bore remarkable similarities to one another. Each lived in a time when faith was scarce—definitely the minority position.  During the days of the judges, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), and this ethic was very much alive during the transfer to the monarchy.  From Gideon to David, each battled overwhelming odds—Gideon with his three hundred against an innumerable host—young David against the giant.  Each stood alone contra mundum, against the world.  And most significantly, perhaps, each of these heroes had a flawed faith.  John Calvin remarked:

There was none of them whose faith did not falter.  Gideon was slower than he need have been to take up arms, and it was only with difficulty that he ventured to commit himself to God.  Barak hesitated at the beginning so that he had almost to be compelled by the reproaches of Deborah.  Samson was the victim of the enticements of his mistress and thoughtlessly betrayed the safety of himself and of all his people.  Jephthah rushed headlong into making a foolish vow and was over-obstinate in performing it, and thereby marred a fine victory by the cruel death of his daughter.

And to this we could add that David was sensuous (2 Samuel 11:1ff.), and Samuel lapsed into carelessness in domestic matters (1 Samuel 8:1ff.). Calvin concludes:

In every saint there is always to be found something reprehensible.  Nevertheless although faith may be imperfect and incomplete it does not cease to be approved by God.  There is no reason, therefore, why the fault from which we labour should break us or discourage us provided we go on by faith in the race of our calling. (William B. Johnston, trans., Calvin’s Commentaries: The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistles of St. Peter (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1963), p. 182).

God’s power allows trusting people to accomplish great things for God.  Faith looks at impossibilities and smiles in light of the power of God!  Our writer now rehearses a litany of faith’s accomplishments: “who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35a Women received back their dead by resurrection.”

Our author lists nine empowerments grouped in three successive groups of three.  The first three give the broad empowerments of authentic faith: “who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises” (v. 33a).  This was not only the corporate experience of the half-dozen, but the general experience of the preceding sixteen members of the Hall of Faith.

Some of those who “conquered kingdoms” were David, Joshua, King Asa, Jehoshaphat, King Hezekiah, and King Josiah.  William Barclay has an interesting comment here.  He says “There are two principal ‘kingdoms’ which the Christian is called upon to ‘subdue’: one is within himself, the other without him—the ‘flesh’ and the ‘world.'”  It was easier for Solomon to subdue the Philistines than his own flesh.  This reminds us that success in the battle for character is more important than victories over our enemies.

Among those who “enforced justice” were David (2 Sam. 8:15), Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, and the other prophets in general; King Josiah also.  Some established justice and righteous governments.  Or maybe he was thinking about Daniel, who served kings of Babylon and Medo-Persia for 75 years, and walked in integrity throughout it all.

And among those who obtained promises we could include Caleb, Gideon, and Barak.  Performing acts of righteousness is faith living biblically; obtaining the promises is faith waiting biblically. 

The second trio lists some of the forms of personal deliverances that they experienced: “who…stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword” (vv. 33b, 34a).

The test of faith is trusting God when all we have are His promises.  When the waters are piled high all around us and problems and dangers are about to overwhelm us, this is when faith is tested, and when the Lord takes special pleasure in showing us His faithfulness, His love, and His power.  When we have nothing but His promise to rely on, His help is the nearest and His presence the dearest to those who believe.  (John MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur NT Commentary: Hebrews, 358)

Samson, David, and Beniah all shut the mouths of lions through physical force. Samson, barehanded, took a charging lion by the jaws and ripped it apart.  David grabbed a sheep-stealing lion by the beard and thrust it through.  Beniah descended into a pit on a snowy day and dispatched another king of the beasts.  But Daniel is the preeminent example, through his faith and prayer (Daniel 6:17–22). 

When I was as teenager the Pat Terry Group had a song about Daniel.  I would encourage you to listen to the whole song, but the part about Daniel and the lions goes like this…

Early in the morning when the sun came up
The king was feeling down
He went to the lions’ den, he looked in the window
And what do you think he found?
Oh, Daniel was leading all the lions in a hymn
They were clapping their big brown paws
He said an angel of the Lord done arrived last night
And he clamped them lions’ jaws
He really did now

Deliverance from the lions’ jaws came not because Daniel was stronger than the lions, but because of God’s miraculous protection and Daniel’s faith in that protection.

While you and I might not be thrown to lions don’t overlook the fact that we’re told the Devil is on the hunt – he’s even now walking around, like a roaring lion, seeking someone to discredit (I Peter 5:8).  Stephen Davey reminds us: “Every time you trust God – every time you do the right thing – every time you respond biblically – every time you avoid the snare of temptation – you effectively shut the mouth of that old lion.”

The phrase about quenching the power of fire goes straight back to the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in Daniel 3:19-28.  These three young men were condemned to the fire because they refused to bow down to Nebucchadnezzar’s idol.  Given a second chance by the king, with the warning “But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.  And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” (Daniel 3:15b).

I love their response. 

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

They knew that God could deliver them, but “if not…we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.”  Even if God chooses not to deliver us, we will not deny Him.  He is the true God, not you, Nebucchadnezzar.

And God did deliver them, even though the furnace was heated “seven times more than it was usually heated” (Daniel 3:19).

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.

You might not be thrown into a fiery furnace – you might not be thrown into a den of lions, but every day you re-enter your world, whether you know it or not, you face the threat of a firefight and a cunning lion.  We’ve been given the “shield of faith” to quench the fiery darts of doubts and lies that Satan projects our way.  Those fiery darts dipped in temptation or impatience or unbelief or pain.

King David (against both Goliath and Saul, and others), as well as the prophets Elijah and Elisha and Jeremiah, “escaped the sword,” as did many others (1 Samuel 18:10, 11; 1 Kings 19:8–10; 2 Kings 6:31, 32; Psalm 144:10; Jeremiah 39).  Moses escaped the sword of Pharaoh, and Elijah escaped the sword of Jezebel.

The third triad tells about the astounding power that came by faith: “[who] were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection” (vv. 34b, 35a).

Some of those “made strong out of weakness” were Sarah, Gideon, Abraham, Esther, and King Hezekiah.  Faith requires recognizing our weakness, but at the same time, laying hold of God’s strength. As Jesus said (John 15:5), “… apart from Me you can do nothing.”  Philip Hughes writes, “Faith is the response of all who are conscious of their own weakness and accordingly look to God for strength” (The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 510).

Spurgeon reminds us “Many of us may never have to brave the fiery stake, nor to bow our necks upon the block, to die as Paul did; but if we have grace enough to be out of weakness made strong, we shall not be left out of the roll of the nobles of faith, and God’s name shall not fail to be glorified in our persons.”

Paul described his own life as being weak and experiencing God’s strength in 2 Corinthians 12. Starting in verse 7 he says, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

And in 2 Corinthians 4:7 Paul once again speaks of how our weaknesses do not disqualify us from being mightily used by God: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

Every Christian who has accomplished great things for God has known this truth as the very foundation of what they did. Robert Morrison, a pioneer missionary to China was asked, “Do you really expect to make an impact on that great land?”  He replied, “No sir, but I expect God to” (source unknown).  George Muller’s biographer wrote of him, “Nothing is more marked in George Muller, to the very day of his death, than this, that he so looked to God and leaned on God that he felt himself to be nothing, and God everything” (A. T. Pierson, George Muller of Bristol [Revell], p. 112).  Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to inland China, said, “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them” (source unknown). (https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-43-faith%E2%80%99s-reward-hebrews-1132-40)

William Carey was a cobbler by trade.  Most churchmen in his day believed that the Great Commission had been given only to the apostles, and thus they had no vision for “converting the heathen.”  But Carey came to the revolutionary idea that foreign missions were the central responsibility of the church.  He wrote a book promoting that thesis, and he spoke to a group of ministers, challenging them to the task of missions.  In that talk, he made the now-famous statement, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God” (Tucker, p. 115).

What are you trusting God for right now that is beyond your comfort zone or human ability?  Are you praying for God to do anything that, if He did it, there could be no human explanation for it?

Several of the Psalms express how David and his men “became mighty in war …” experiencing God’s strength to do battle against their enemies (Psalm 17, 18, 59, etc.).  Allied with that phrase is the next, “put foreign armies to flight…”  David did it on numerous occasions, so did the renowned Maccabeans during the 3^rd century B. C. against Antiochus Ephiphanes, the ruthless Syrian king.

Even when experiencing the greatest loss in the temporal realm–death–faith triumphs.  Our author ends this list of mighty triumphs by saying, “Women received back their dead by resurrection” (Heb. 11:35a).  He saves this feat until last because it is the greatest expression of God’s delivering power.

What are you trusting God for right now that seems impossible and is far beyond your comfort zone or human ability?  Are you praying for God to do anything that, unless God shows up in a mighty way, you fall flat on your face?

Faith always involves the risk of putting yourself into a situation where, if God does not come through, you fail miserably.  This doesn’t mean that we should be sloppy in our preparation or planning or follow through.  There is nothing spiritual about sloppiness or lack of preparation or just being lazy.  But it is to say that after all of our planning and preparations and conduct, we should be still praying, “God, if you don’t work, this whole thing is going to be a colossal failure!”

Like Peter stepping out of the boat into the water, we should be very much aware that if He doesn’t hold us up, we’re going to drown!  So pray with me that God would accomplish things through our lives and churches that can only be explained because God did it.

But even before we decide to go out and do miracles and conquer kingdoms, let’s focus on a more personal and practical level.  Let’s first remember that private victories precede public victories.

• How are you doing on taming your temper…or your sharp tongue?
• How about conquering that bitter, unforgiving spirit?
• How about loving your spouse with unconditional love, giving 100% of your time, energy and effort to doing what is best for them?
• How about reconciling with an enemy?

Believe me, those are miracles too!