the Law instilled fear

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the Law instilled fear

Hebrews 12:18-21 (JDV)

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 at Sinai, everything about the moment communicated distance, danger, and fear. The mountain could be touched, but no one dared touch it. The fire, the darkness, the whirlwind, the trumpet blast, and the terrifying voice all pressed one message into the hearts of the people: God is holy, and sinful humanity cannot approach Him without trembling. The physicality of the scene—what could be seen, heard, and felt—was meant to instill awe and warn Israel that the covenant they were entering required obedience and reverence. The sights and sounds were real, tangible, and overwhelming.

The new covenant, however, is introduced in an entirely different way. Instead of a mountain that burns with fire, Hebrews speaks of a city that is still to come—a city not yet visible, not yet touchable, not yet present on the earth. It is the heavenly Jerusalem, the city John saw descending from the sky when Christ returns. This city is not here yet, so it cannot be grasped with the hands or observed with the eyes. But its future arrival gives hope that is just as real as Sinai’s fire. The new covenant does not surround believers with terror; it surrounds them with promise.

This promised city represents a new kind of life—permanent, unshakable, and no longer vulnerable to death. Sinai warned of judgment; Zion promises restoration. Sinai exposed the distance between God and humanity; Zion reveals the future in which God dwells with His people. Sinai shook the earth; Zion will bring a kingdom that cannot be shaken. The contrast is deliberate. The old covenant confronted Israel with the holiness of God through physical fear. The new covenant invites believers to endure their present struggles by fixing their hope on what God will soon reveal.

Even though the city cannot yet be touched, it can be trusted. Its certainty gives strength to persevere. Its permanence gives courage to endure. Its arrival assures believers that the life to come will not be interrupted by death, sorrow, or decay. The new covenant does not remove the difficulties of the present age, but it anchors the heart in a future that is already secured by Christ. The unseen city becomes the source of present endurance, reminding believers that what is coming is far greater than what is passing away.

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like Esau

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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like Esau

Hebrews 12:7-14-17 (JDV)

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

The letter to the Hebrews has spent eleven chapters urging believers to persevere, to hold fast, to keep their eyes fixed on Christ. But in chapter 12 the writer pauses to deliver a sober reminder: not everyone who grows up near the promises actually embraces them. Proximity to the people of God is not the same as belonging to God. Esau becomes the living illustration of this truth.

Esau lived his entire life surrounded by the covenant family. He grew up in the home of Isaac and Rebekah. He was the grandson of Abraham. He lived in the atmosphere of promise, blessing, and revelation. Yet none of that shaped his heart. Hebrews describes him as immoral and irreverent—someone who treated sacred things as common, someone who valued immediate gratification over eternal blessing. When the moment of testing came, he traded his inheritance for a bowl of stew. That exchange revealed his heart: he did not treasure what God treasured.

Even his later sorrow did not amount to repentance. Hebrews is clear that he sought the blessing with tears, but he did not seek God. He regretted the consequences, not the sin. The window of opportunity had closed, and he remained outside the blessing he had once despised. His story stands as a warning to anyone who assumes that being near the truth is the same as embracing it.

Growing up around faith is not the same as possessing faith. Being surrounded by believers is not the same as believing. Exposure to Christian teaching, worship, and community does not automatically produce a heart that trusts Christ. Faith is not inherited by proximity. It is not absorbed by association. It must be personally embraced.

Hebrews presses this point with urgency. The opportunity for repentance is open now, but it will not remain open forever. Esau’s tragedy is that he awakened too late to the value of what he had rejected. The letter urges its readers not to repeat that mistake. The call is to come to Christ while the invitation still stands, to seek the grace that transforms regret into repentance and sorrow into salvation.

The warning is real, but so is the hope. The door is open. The Savior receives all who come. The blessing Esau despised is freely offered in Christ. The time to respond is now, while the heart is still tender and the opportunity still present.

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going on

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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going on

Hebrews 12:7-13 (JDV)

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’s insight captures the emotional and spiritual realism of Hebrews 12. The writer is not addressing believers who are running with strength and confidence. He is addressing believers whose hands are drooping, whose knees are buckling, and whose hearts are close to giving up. The imagery in Hebrews 12:12 is not of a runner who is merely tired, but of one who is nearly paralyzed—someone on the verge of collapse. Bolick is right to say that two forces are at work in this condition, and both have a paralyzing effect.

The first force is external difficulty. Hebrews has already described the pressures these believers faced: hostility from sinners, persecution, public shame, confiscation of property, and the constant weight of living in a hostile world. These external pressures wear down the soul. They drain courage. They make obedience feel costly and perseverance feel impossible. External hardship can weaken even the strongest believer when it is relentless.

The second force is internal weakness. Hebrews speaks of “growing weary” and “losing heart.” This is the inward collapse that follows prolonged struggle. Fear rises. Doubt whispers. Discouragement settles in. The believer begins to question whether the race is worth running at all. Internal weakness magnifies external difficulty until the entire Christian life feels overwhelming.

The writer of Hebrews does not deny these forces. He names them honestly. But he also provides two essential remedies.

The first remedy is looking to Jesus. Fixing the eyes on Christ reorients the heart. Jesus endured hostility, shame, and suffering far beyond anything His followers face. He ran His race with joy, and He finished it. Seeing Him—His endurance, His faithfulness, His victory—infuses strength into weary souls. Christ becomes both the example and the source of renewed courage.

The second remedy is strengthening oneself through renewed commitment. Hebrews calls believers to “lift up drooping hands” and “strengthen weak knees.” This is not self‑reliance but deliberate resolve. It is the choice to keep running even when strength feels small. It is the decision to take the next step, trusting that God supplies power as the race continues. Commitment becomes a channel through which divine strength flows.

Together, these remedies form a path forward for the weary: look to Jesus, and keep running. External pressures may remain, internal weakness may linger, but the God who calls believers to the race also sustains them in it.

Bolick James H. Sermon Outlines for Revival Preaching. Pulpit Library ed. Baker Book House 1986.

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He disciplines and punishes

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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He disciplines and punishes

Hebrews 12:3-6 (JDV)

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 the effort to comfort those who are struggling, well‑meaning believers rush to separate the act from the actor. The instinct is understandable: no one wants to crush a wounded soul. So the message becomes, “This hardship has nothing to do with God’s discipline.” But the author of Hebrews does not make that separation. He places the believer’s struggle against sin and God’s discipline in the same frame. He teaches that the painful resistance against failure, the internal battle with temptation, and even the consequences that follow disobedience can be expressions of the Father’s corrective work. Discipline and struggle are not always distinct categories. At times, they overlap.

This does not mean every hardship is punishment. Scripture is careful on that point. But it does mean that God, like a wise and loving Father, sometimes allows or applies discipline to bring His children back into alignment with His will. The purpose is never destruction. The purpose is restoration. The Father disciplines because He cares, not because He is casting someone away. Hebrews emphasizes that discipline is a sign of belonging, not rejection. A child without discipline is a child without a father. A believer who experiences God’s corrective hand is experiencing proof of divine adoption.

This perspective reframes the experience of struggle. Instead of interpreting hardship as abandonment, it becomes possible to see it as engagement. Instead of assuming God is distant, it becomes clear that He is involved. The pain of discipline is not the pain of being pushed away but the pain of being drawn back. It is the firm but loving pressure of a Father who refuses to let His children drift into ruin.

Understanding this truth requires humility and honesty. It requires acknowledging that sin has consequences and that God may use those consequences to awaken, redirect, or refine. But it also requires confidence in God’s character. His discipline is never vindictive. It is purposeful, measured, and rooted in love. The goal is always life, holiness, and restoration.

The believer who recognizes this can endure discipline without despair. The struggle becomes a reminder of belonging. The correction becomes a sign of care. And the entire experience becomes an invitation to return to the Father whose love is strong enough to confront and gentle enough to heal.

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He chose the cross

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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he chose the cross

Hebrews 12:1-2 (JDV)

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 go to the cross to gain favor, status, or standing with the Father. He already possessed all of that. From eternity He was the Beloved Son, fully pleasing to the Father, lacking nothing. The cross did not elevate Him; it revealed Him. It did not earn Him joy; it expressed the joy that was already His. Hebrews teaches that He endured the cross “for the joy set before Him,” not because He needed to secure His own future, but because He delighted in accomplishing the Father’s will and redeeming a people for God. His sacrifice was not self‑advancement but self‑giving love.

This becomes the pattern for understanding the race of faith. The Christian life is not a quest to earn God’s approval or to achieve spiritual status. Approval has already been granted in Christ. Standing has already been given. The race is not run to gain something for oneself but to participate in the joy of God’s redeeming work. Just as Christ embraced suffering for the sake of others, believers are called to endure hardship so that others may come to know forgiveness, resurrection, and life.

This perspective reshapes the meaning of endurance. Difficulties are not hurdles to personal achievement but opportunities to reflect the character of Christ. The race is not about accumulating spiritual victories or building a résumé of accomplishments. It is about offering oneself in service, love, and witness. The joy set before believers is not self‑glory but the privilege of seeing others experience the grace that has already been received.

Christ’s example shows that true greatness is found in giving, not gaining. He did not run His race to secure His identity but to bring others into the life He already possessed. In the same way, the race of faith is run with a view toward the good of others. Endurance becomes an act of love. Sacrifice becomes a means of grace. Perseverance becomes a testimony that points beyond the self to the Savior.

The cross teaches that the highest form of obedience is motivated by joy, not ambition. The race is run not to achieve something for oneself but to participate in the joy of God’s redeeming purpose, so that others may come to know the forgiveness and resurrection found in Christ.

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not worthy of them

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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not worthy of them

Hebrews 11:36-40 (JDV)

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

The closing section of Hebrews 11 is one of the most beautiful and easily overlooked treasures in the entire chapter. After listing the famous names—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab—the writer suddenly shifts. He stops naming names. He stops telling stories. He simply says “others.”

Others who suffered.
Others who were rejected.
Others who were tortured.
Others who wandered.
Others who died without rescue.

And then he says something astonishing:

“The world was not worthy of them.”
“They were approved through their faith.”

These unnamed believers are not second‑class citizens in the kingdom. They are not the “leftovers” of faith history. They are the hidden heroes—the ones heaven celebrates even though earth ignored them. Their names are not written in Hebrews, but they are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Their stories were not preserved in earthly records, but they are preserved in God’s memory. Their victories were not visible, but their faith was.

And you’re right: many of them never saw a Passover.
They never walked through parted waters.
They never watched walls fall.
They never tasted earthly deliverance.

But they were not losers.
They were not forgotten.
They were not less faithful.

They ran the race just as well as Moses or Joshua or David. They simply ran a different leg of the race—one that required endurance rather than triumph, suffering rather than spectacle, perseverance rather than miracles. Their finish line is still ahead, and they will cross it with honor when Christ appears.

This is the comfort Hebrews offers to every believer who feels unseen, uncelebrated, or unrescued:

Victory now or vindication later—faith wins either way.

And when the marriage feast of the Lamb begins, these “others” will not be in the back row. They will be honored guests. For many of them, it will be their first celebration ever.

Let us walk in their footsteps—quiet, steady, unseen, but approved by God.

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victory now or vindication later

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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victory now or vindication later

Hebrews 11:32-35 (JDV)

Hebrews 11:32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,
Hebrews 11:33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,
Hebrews 11:34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the mouth of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
Hebrews 11:35 Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release so that they might gain a better resurrection.

Hebrews 11 ends with one of the most liberating truths in the entire chapter: faithful people do not all experience the same kind of victory, but they all receive the same verdict from God—“approved.” The world measures success by visible triumphs. God measures it by persevering trust.

Some believers in the chapter overcame—
they conquered kingdoms, shut the mouths of lions, escaped the sword, and saw miracles. Their faith produced visible, undeniable victories.

Other believers in the chapter endured—
they were mocked, imprisoned, tortured, sawn in two, and killed. Their faith produced no earthly victory at all. Yet Hebrews says they “gained a better resurrection.” Their vindication was not in this life but in the next.

Both groups are called heroes.
Both groups are commended.
Both groups pleased God.

The difference was not their circumstances but their confidence.

That is why your line captures the heart of the passage so well:

victory now or vindication later

If you are not “winning” right now—
if the walls are not falling,
if the seas are not parting,
if the lions are not shutting their mouths,
if the suffering is not lifting—
that does not mean your faith is weak or your story is failing.

It may simply mean you are in the second category:
the category of those who will be vindicated later.

Your troubles do not get the last word.
Your losses do not define your legacy.
Your suffering does not cancel your faith.
Your endurance is seen, remembered, and honored by God.

Stay focused on your faith.
Stay anchored in the unseen.
Stay confident that the God who vindicated the saints of old will vindicate you as well.

Victory now or vindication later—
either way, faith wins.

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expecting him to overcome

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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expecting him to overcome

Hebrews 11:30-31 (JDV)

Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days.
Hebrews 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.

expecting him to overcome

The fall of Jericho and the rescue of Rahab stand together as a vivid picture of what it means to live by faith in a world filled with obstacles and opposing powers. The Israelites did not deny the reality of the wall. They walked around it for seven days. They felt its shadow. They knew its strength. But they also knew something greater: the wall was not an obstacle to their God. What looked immovable to human eyes was nothing before the One who had promised the land.

Rahab, on the other hand, saw the danger from the inside. She lived under the authority of a king who would have executed her for treason. She lived in a city whose walls seemed impenetrable. But she had heard the stories—stories of a God who dried up seas, defeated kings, and kept His word. She believed those stories enough to risk everything. Her faith was not blind; it was informed. She expected the God of Israel to prevail, and she aligned herself with Him before the walls ever fell.

That is the pattern for us.

Faith does not ignore obstacles. Faith names them, measures them, and then places them beneath the authority of God.
We see the walls. We see the armies. We see the cultural pressures, the spiritual battles, the personal weaknesses, the sins that cling, the fears that rise. But we also see the God who stands above them.

Our task as believers is not to pretend the obstacles aren’t real. It is to recognize them fully—and then expect our God to overcome them.

Jericho’s walls were real.
Pharaoh’s army was real.
The destroyer in Egypt was real.
The dangers Rahab faced were real.

But God was more real.

And He still is.

Faith is not wishful thinking. It is confidence in the God who has already proven Himself faithful. When we face obstacles, we do what Israel and Rahab did: we acknowledge the challenge, and then we expect our God to act.

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seeing the invisible

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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seeing the invisible

Hebrews 11:27-29 (JDV)

Hebrews 11:27 By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger because Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.
Hebrews 11:28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites.
Hebrews 11:29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.

seeing the invisible

Moses’ life is a masterclass in learning to see what cannot be seen. Twice in Hebrews 11 the writer highlights this theme—first in the Passover, then at the Red Sea. In both moments, the visible world screamed danger, but the invisible God was at work in ways only faith could perceive.

In Egypt, an invisible power moved through the land—real, unstoppable, and deadly. No one could see the destroyer. No one could measure or predict his path. But Moses believed what God said about that unseen threat. And because he believed, he acted. He taught the people what to do. He trusted that the blood of the lamb would shield them. Faith allowed him to see what others could not.

At the Red Sea, the visible world presented an impossible barrier. Water in front. Soldiers behind. No escape. No strategy. No human solution. But Moses saw something else—an invisible power capable of holding back the sea itself. He lifted his staff not because the situation made sense, but because God had spoken. Faith allowed him to see the unseen hand that would open a path where no path existed.

This is the pattern Hebrews wants us to grasp:
Faith is not pretending the visible world isn’t real. Faith is recognizing that the invisible God is more real.

And that possibility is open to us as well.

Seeing the invisible is not a mystical gift reserved for prophets. It is the fruit of trusting a God who delights to reveal Himself to those who believe Him. When you trust Him, you begin to see His fingerprints in places others overlook. You begin to sense His guidance when others feel lost. You begin to recognize His protection when others see only danger. You begin to expect His intervention when others expect defeat.

Faith does not make life easy. It makes God visible.

And the God who proved Himself to Moses is the same God who walks with you today.

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the first lesson in faith

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Jefferson Vann

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the first lesson in faith

Hebrews 11:23-26 (JDV)

Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.
Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter
Hebrews 11:25 and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of failure.
Hebrews 11:26 You see, he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the payment.

the first lesson in faith

Amram and Jochebed stand as quiet giants in the story of faith. Before Moses ever made a choice, before he ever heard God’s voice from a burning bush, before he ever confronted Pharaoh, his parents had already taken their stand. His life of faith began with their faith. They saw danger clearly, but they saw God more clearly. They saw a helpless infant, but they also saw an invisible Almighty. And that vision shaped everything they did.

Their courage was not reckless. It was rooted in love and anchored in loyalty. They loved their child enough to risk their lives. And they feared God enough to defy the king. Pharaoh’s sword was real, but God’s authority was greater. That is why they hid Moses. That is why they acted. That is why their story is remembered.

This is the calling of every parent and grandparent who walks by faith. Children do not see the dangers that surround them—spiritual dangers, moral dangers, cultural dangers, dangers that threaten their souls long before they threaten their bodies. They cannot discern what they cannot yet understand. So God places faithful adults in their lives to shield them, guide them, and teach them to see the invisible.

Amram and Jochebed did more than protect Moses. They taught him—by their actions—what it means to trust the unseen God. Moses’ first lesson in faith did not come from a burning bush. It came from two parents who feared God more than Pharaoh, who trusted God more than circumstances, and who acted on that trust when it mattered most.

Their story reminds us that faith is often first learned at home. It is caught before it is taught. And the courage of one generation becomes the foundation of the next.

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