Hebrews 13:6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can a human do to me? Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.
new heroes
The hall of faith in Hebrews lists the ancient ones who gained approval through their faith. But, here at the end of the letter, the author encourages his readers to remember the new heroes of faith that God has given to them: their leaders. He encourages his readers to imitate those who shared God’s word with them.
God has given us some new heroes as well. We need to carefully observe the lives of those men and women and imitate the ones who prove faithful to that word.
Hebrews 13:1 Let sibling love stay. Hebrews 13:2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality, because by doing this some have welcomed agents as guests without knowing it. Hebrews 13:3 Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. Hebrews 13:4 The wedding is to be honored by all and the bed kept undefiled because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from greed. Be satisfied with the things you presently have, because he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.
because God
The reason behind all of these random imperatives is God himself. He will judge those who transgress, and he promises to never leave or abandon us. Believers live the way they do, not simply because they have contracted to obey certain laws, but because God is real, and we demonstrate his reality through our actions.
Hebrews 12:25 See to it that you do not reject the one who is speaking. You see, if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on land, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from the sky. Hebrews 12:26 His voice shook the land at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the land but also the sky. Hebrews 12:27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what is not shaken might stay. Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us demonstrate favor. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, Hebrews 12:29 because our God is a consuming fire.
shake and bake
A coming time of shaking of the sky and the land (the planet) is on its way. The kingdom of Christ is the only thing that will survive that shaking. All the rest will be consumed by the wrath of our God, who is a consuming fire. Those who ignore the warnings of the one who came from the sky have no hope, and no eternal life.
Hebrews 12:22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the sky Jerusalem), to myriads of agents, a festive gathering, Hebrews 12:23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in the sky, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the breaths of righteous people made perfect, Hebrews 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.
the two victims
Abel was a righteous man who died an unwilling victim of his brother’s envy and hatred. But Jesus was a willing victim whose death purchased a new future for those who put their trust in him. His blood speaks today and calls us to put our faith in him so that we can inherit that destiny.
Hebrews 12:18 You see, you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, Hebrews 12:19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, Hebrews 12:20 for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. Hebrews 12:21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear.
the Law instilled fear
When the Law was introduced, both the physical things that could be touched and the sights and sounds of the trumpet and the commands instilled fear. But the new covenant was introduced with a promise of a new city coming down from the sky. It is not here yet, so it cannot be touched, but it can give us hope for a new and permanent life — one than can no longer be interrupted by death.
Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with everyone and holiness – without it, no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:15 Make sure that no one falls short of the favor of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many. Hebrews 12:16 And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal. Hebrews 12:17 You know that later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.
like Esau
This letter has encouraged Christians to stay focused on their faith in Christ and to persevere in that faith. It stops to remind its readers now of the sad fact that even among confessing Christians there will be those who fall short of God’s favor. Esau is an example. He lived his life around people of promise, but he was immoral and irreverent. He treated sacred things with contempt. Even his sorrow over the loss of his inheritance was not true repentance. The window had closed, and he remained on the outside.
Have you grown up around faith? Don’t trust in your proximity to genuine Christiani ty. Faith is not like the game of horseshoes. Close does not count. Come to Christ yourself while your opportunity for repentance is still open.
Hebrews 12:7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. You see, what son is there that a father does not discipline? Hebrews 12:8 But if you are without discipline – which all share – then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of breaths and live? Hebrews 12:10 You see, they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit so that we can share his holiness. Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:12 Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, Hebrews 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead.
going on
James Bolick writes that “in the letter to the Hebrews, we are made aware that Christians grow tired and weary. The picture we are given in Hebrews 12:12, is one who was paralyzed and on the verge of total defeat. There are two forces warring against the believer. These two forces are paralyzing powers and have a paralyzing effect upon the Christian” (24). The two forces are external difficulties and internal weakness. The solutions? Looking to Jesus, and strengthening yourself through a commitment to running the race anyway.
Submitting to the Father is not giving up. It is going on.
Bolick James H. Sermon Outlines for Revival Preaching. Pulpit Library ed. Baker Book House 1986.
Hebrews 12:3 You see, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself so that you won’t grow weary in your throats and give up. Hebrews 12:4 In struggling against failure, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:5 And you have forgotten the encouragement that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, Hebrews 12:6 for the Lord disciplines the one he cares about and punishes every son he receives.
He disciplines and punishes
Sometimes in our attempt to encourage those struggling with sin, we are quick to separate the act from the actor. We tell them that what they are struggling with is not God’s punishment. But the author of Hebrews equated our struggle against failure and God’s discipline and punishment. Sometimes they can be the same thing. Like a good father, our heavenly Father sometimes disciplines and punishes us to get us back in line. He only does this because he cares about us. It is not a sign of his rejection, but his reception.
Hebrews 12:1 It is for that reason since we also have such a large cloud of testifiers around us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the failure that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, Hebrews 12:2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. In exchange for the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, thinking little of the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
he chose the cross
Our Lord did not gain any standing with God by going to the cross. He was already God’s Beloved Son. He chose the cross in exchange for the joy that was already his. In the same way, we should run our difficult race not with a mind of achieving something for ourselves, but so that others might know his forgiveness and resurrection.
Hebrews 11:36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as chains and imprisonment. Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. Hebrews 11:38 The universe was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. Hebrews 11:39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, Hebrews 11:40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.
not worthy of them
Our Lord promises a special blessing for those who choose to trust him even if they don’t see miracles and have lots of victory stories. Those are the kind of people the author of Hebrews lists in today’s text.
These people are heroes of faith even though the world did not notice (38-39). Their names are not written in this text, in fact, many of them don’t even show up in the historical records. The author of Hebrews merely calls them “other people”, “others” and “they.” God knows their names. They were “approved through their faith” (38). We are going to meet these special people at the marriage feast of the Lamb. They will have a special place in that celebration. For many of them, it will be their first celebration ever.
Let us not think that these people were second-class citizens in Christ’s coming kingdom. No, God approved them through their faith. They saw the invisible God like Moses did. The fact that they were never rescued from the avenging angel by blood on their doorposts does not make them losers. The fact that they never passed through the parted waters did not make them losers. They were winners who ran the race well. They just have not yet crossed the finish line.
Devotions 