And the Bible reads
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us lay aside every weight and a sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race
That is set before us
Looking onto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross
Despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. Let's he be weird and faint in your minds
You have not yet resisted on the blood striving against sin and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children
My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou are rebuked of him for whom the Lord loved
He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom we receive it if you endure chastening God deal it with you as with sons
For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not
But if he be without chastisement where of all our partakers then are you bastards and not sons?
Furthermore we had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence
Shall we not much rather be in subjection onto the father of spirits and live
For they verily for a few days chasten us after their own pleasure
But he for our prophet that one we might be partakers of his holiness
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous
Nevertheless afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness not to them which are exercised thereby
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet
Let's that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed
Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be
Defiled lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright
For you know how that afterward when he would have received inherited the blessing
He was rejected where he found no place of repentance though. He sought it carefully with tears
For you are not come onto the mount that might be touched and that
burned with fire nor onto blackness and darkness and tempest and
The sound of a trumpet and the voice of words
Which voice they that heard and treated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore
For they could not endure that which was commanded and if so much as a beast touched the mountain it shall be stoned or thrust
thrust through the dart and so terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly ferret fear and quake
But you're come on to Mount Zion now to the city of the living God
Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels to the General Assembly and the Church of the firstborn
which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all into the spirits of just men made perfect and
To Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant into the blood of sprinkling that speak of the better things than that of Abel
See that you refuse not him that speaketh
For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape
We turn away from him that speaketh from heaven whose voice then shook the earth
But now he hath promised saying yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven and this word
Yet once more signify
The removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved
Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverent reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire
Let's pray Thank You Heavenly Father for the King James Bible you wrote
Thank you for this wonderful Church you have given us to your God. We thank you for our pastor
Please bless him tonight as he preaches your word in Jesus name
Amen, okay, we're continuing tonight with our Bible study in the book of Hebrews and tonight
We're in chapter 12, and we're gonna spend a large portion of this chapter
Talking about the chastening of the Lord, but let me give you a little bit of a review from chapter 11
chapter 11 really focused on many of the patriarchs and saints of the Old Testament and
Testified of the works and how great their faith was
Toward God and some of the great exploits that they accomplished because they have faith in God
And this really this thought carries over to chapter 12
And it's important because of the fact that really what the Apostle Paul is doing here is
Using the examples of all of these men and women in the Old Testament
Who essentially ran their course they ran their race and they finished their course with joy
and therefore they're an example to us that we should endure and
Basically stick it out to the very end right be in this thing for the long haul that's really what chapter 11 is about
But look at verse number one of chapter 12
It says wherefore seeing we are also compassed about was so great a cloud of witnesses now
Let me just stop there and clarify what that means because a lot of times and I remember even being in Bible College
This was often interpreted as meaning that you know those in heaven can look down on us, right?
And I don't know if any of you have ever heard that interpretation they'll often say, you know
It's like a Colosseum and you have all these great cloud of witnesses all over heaven and they're like rooting for you
They're like finish, you know make it to the very end. But you know, the only person who can do that is God
Okay, he's the only one who's omnipresent who's able to look at the lives of every individual in this world
This isn't referring to some sort of Colosseum
It's not giving us the picture of a Colosseum where all these witnesses in heaven are
You know witnessing us do the Christian life and serve God and so forth
What this is referring to is like it's saying here in verse number one
Seeing that we're compassed about what's so great a cloud of witnesses referring to all those people in chapter 11
Seeing that we have these examples. He's saying these people who witnessed of the Lord. They testified of God
They essentially lived their lives until the very end they were faithful unto death
Seeing that we are compassed about those patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob
Jephthah you have David you have all of these men who ran their course
It says there
Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that
Is set before so let me give you a couple points regarding verse number one here
And the first thing I want to mention is that you know the Christian life is a marathon
It's not a sprint because it says run with patience
The race that is set before us and what it's implying here
Is that in order to live the Christian life you need a certain amount of endurance right you think of a sprint is
How fast can you run in a short amount of time whereas a marathon?
It's like you're pacing yourself for a long distance
And you never have to we as Christians should never have this attitude that man
We have to learn everything right away and be a successful Christian right away and reach our full potential
Right away and inherit the blessings right away. We got to be in this thing for the long haul okay?
And you know the most practical application that we can get from this
Principle is for example when you want to read the Bible you know sometimes when people want to read the Bible
They're like well
I'm gonna just go in it, and I'm just gonna read 20 chapters a day
You know but that's not necessarily the wisest thing to do
Especially if you've never read the Bible all the way through right the best thing to do well
Let me just say this if you've never read a book
period
You know sometimes people bite off more than they can chew and they're like I'm gonna read 20 chapters a day
30 chapters a day, but they've never even read a newspaper
They've never read a book and so it's important that Christians pace themselves
When it comes to the Bible this is your first time reading through the Bible read about 10 to 15 minutes a day
Then ramp it up to 30 minutes a day then ramp it up to 45 minutes to an hour
But it's important that you build that endurance because a lot of times Christians will say well
I'm gonna read 20 chapters a day, and they do it consistently for about a day
You know two days
Maybe three at the most but of course with everything else life gets busy they miss a couple chapters now
They're only reading ten chapters then only five and then only one and they're just like this is too hard
Well, it's because you made it hard for yourself. You want to be in this thing for the long haul start small by
Reading 15 minutes a day and as the years go by build up that endurance to read more Bible content
And you realize that as the years go by you can actually digest more
Biblical content without gassing out too fast right just like oh, this is just too much now
It's like well. I'm now I have built an appetite for spiritual things
I want to read the Bible more I can I can handle more chapters without growing weary and
Feeling like I just can't handle it and the same thing is with church
You know I think it's great when people
Do three to thrive and when someone comes and they start doing three to thrive. I'm not gonna complain about it
I think it's great, but sometimes it is a lot for people to come to three services in a week
And so it's good to just build up to that right start Sunday morning for a couple weeks
For a couple months, and then you add a service and then after a couple months you add another service
And I think it's great when people start soul winning right away, but at the same times
There's instances where people need to pace themselves now eventually you just got to do it
Okay, some people would pace themselves so much. They just never do it. You know they just never add the service
They never add a soul winning time
They never consume more Bible and so the point that I'm making here is that the Christian life is a marathon
Don't bite off more than you can chew build endurance and don't try to do too much too soon
Because you got a picture the future and realize I'm trying to be in the Christian life when I'm 50
60
70 80 years old if the Lord wills that I live that long I want to be in this for the long haul and so
It's important that we build that
Endurance the Bible tells us you don't have to turn there in
2nd Timothy 4 6 it says for I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departures at hand
I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith and
One thought that we see here in the Bible when it comes to this type of a race
Is that we're not competing against each other
Okay, we're running our own race and far too many times people compare themselves among themselves and in doing so they're not wise
you don't want to outdo someone else what you're trying to do is outdo yourself and
Everyone has their own race to run you have a certain amount of miles that you have to cover in your lifetime
There's a certain amount of works that you have to accomplish and it varies based upon the person
So it's important that you focus on your particular race that you're running for the Lord
Okay, so the first thing we mentioned there is the fact that we are in a marathon not a sprint and
Also that you have to realize that others have finished this course before okay
Because of the fact that sometimes the Christian life gets hard and you can become discouraged you can become disillusioned
you can just become you know tired and weary and you want to take a break from
Doing the church thing
Bible thing
Doing living and serving for serving God
But the reality is this is that whatever trials that you're facing whatever difficulties may come your way
Someone else has faced those trials too. And not only did they face those trials. They also passed with flying colors
So you go through a particular trail or a road and you think oh man
I must be the only person who's ever been down this road. No, there's been plenty of people
Christians who love God who took that course they ran that course
They were in that same situation and they pass with flying colors
now what he's talking about specifically are the witnesses from chapter 11 and
The Bible tells us that there is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man
And so any trial or difficulty that you face whether financial situation health situation
emotional
Marriage children you think of the trial that can just deters you sometimes from serving God
everyone in chapter 11 has faced something like that and
the reality is this is that those people they stay faithful to God and
They kept serving God they exercise their faith in God and they made it to the finish line and
So what the Bible is telling us here is that we need to consider those cloud of witnesses when we're running this race
Because if they can do it we can do it and it's not like they have some sort of supernatural power either
You know and in fact they have less to work upon than we did because we have the entire word of God
They didn't have that some of them didn't even have the Old Testament per se because a lot of these people were from the book
Genesis when the Bible was still being written
still being
revealed to mankind
Yet in spite of that they did what they could with what they had and they were able to finish their course
So the Bible is telling us we need to consider this great cloud of witnesses
Who ran their race and finished their course and they serve God to the very end
They were faithful unto death lest we be wearied and faint in our minds as well
They serve as a good example unto us that others have
Experienced some of the things that we've experienced in our lifetime. The Bible says in first Peter
chapter 5 verse 8 be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a
Roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour
listen to this whom resists steadfast in the faith
Knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world
So when you feel like Satan is just attacking you and you're going through a season when Satan is just out to get you
Just keep in mind
That those same afflictions that you're experiencing
your brothers who are all around the world from the beginning of time up until now have gone through those same temptations and
Those same afflictions by Satan himself. Okay, and I think you know a good way to say this is that misery loves company
one of the most
Comforting things that you can experience when you're going through a hard time is when you talk to someone who's experiencing that same exact hard
Time, even if they don't even have a solution to their problem. You're just thankful that someone's suffering, too
There's like man. I'm so glad someone's just
Suffering just like I'm suffering because you want to feel like someone's like, you know
You know what I mean?
You want to feel like someone is acquainted with your grief and obviously the greatest person
Who has been acquainted with grief is Jesus Christ
But he also gives us earthly people to be acquainted with when it comes to grief because everyone
Christians believers throughout the world have experienced those same afflictions. They've experienced loss
Discouragement disillusionment all types of things and so the Bible's telling us here resist Satan and
Don't think that his attacks are just too much and it's just too overwhelming
Because other people who are believers were able to resist him and they suffered those same afflictions and pass with flying colors
The next thing that I want you to notice is the fact that in order to run this race
The Bible says that we're to lay aside
Every weight. Okay. Now, what does that mean? Well, I don't think this is referring to sin
Okay, because sin is covered later on. I think the weight is that which is not necessarily expedient
You know, the Bible says that all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not
Expedient and another place he says all things profit not so it's obviously very wise for us to stay away from sin
But it's also wise for us to stay away from things that would even that are not necessarily sinful
But keep us from serving God to our fullest potential. You understand what I'm saying?
And this is why he says lay aside every weight and I don't run
Let me just make that very clear. I know you thought I did
Okay, I don't run because the Bible says the wicked flee when no man pursue it and
You know, I'll be danged if I get on a treadmill run from no man. I'm just kidding
I hate cardio, but I love the
Illustrations that the Bible gives about it. Okay, and I'm glad that other people do it. That's just not my thing. Okay, and
And so, you know when you're running in a particular race a marathon
I'm sure that those runners have to have clothing that are as light as possible
So as to not weigh them down. They probably have to have very
lightweight shoes and
Clothing and whatever it is that they have so as to not hold them down and that's why a lot of runners are
Very thin right? I mean am I correct on that? They're very thin
They hardly have any fat on them if anything they hardly have any muscle, too
Okay
Because that weight can actually deter them from finishing the race and it can cause them to gas out and not
Have that endurance to make it to the very end. And so when we relate that to spiritual matters
It's important for us as Christians to take inventory of the things in this life that can cause us to be weighed down
Even though it's not sinful
But it's causing you to be hindered from actually serving God to your fullest potential and I think of this verse second Timothy chapter 2 and
verse number 4 says no man that warth and
entangleth himself with the affairs of this life
That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier the Bible says
so the Bible is telling us like if you're gonna be an effective soldier of Jesus Christ at
Baseline obviously, you know, you're not supposed to be involved in sin
But more than that it says don't entangle yourself with the affairs of this life things that don't really pertain to the kingdom of God
things that can really take you to your attention your resources your time and energy
From the things of God and it can actually be a hindrance to you when it comes to winning souls to Christ
Raising your family for the Lord or just reaching your potential in general for the Lord lay aside
Every weight, okay, you know a most the most practical example that I can give with this is hobbies
For example, right, you know a hobby isn't necessarily sinful unless it's a simple hobby
Right, but you know you just think of any hobby. Okay, let's take running or
Lifting weights for example, you know, those things are great for the body. They're great for the mind
They are just good in general so you can be healthy, but you can see how that can be a weight
In someone's life where they become so good at it that now they're doing meats on Sunday instead of being in church
So some of these weights can actually become sinful in the long term
When you allow it to take up more time in your life and it ends up robbing you of thing of time
Money and energy that you should be that you should be investing into the things of God
And so the hobby of exercising the hobby of running, you know, what's another hobby that people have out there?
That's that's all I know
Coin collecting. I don't know what stamp collection. What's another hobby that people do?
Hiking or fishing, you know, you have high, you know hiking is a good thing
But you know if you want to become like a David Goggins
It's a weight upon you where you know, it can actually take away your attention from spiritual matters
You know fishing is a great hobby
You know
Catching fish eating them even doing it for sport
But I'm sure there's people out there that would you know, it can affect them to the point
We're now on Sundays instead of being in church
That's like a great time for them to go out and fish and do whatever deep-sea fishing or whatever may be
What I'm saying is that what the Bible is telling us is that in order for us to effectively finish this race
We need to make sure that we shed that weight the things that would hinder us from serving God to our fullest potential
Then then he says that we need to lay aside the sin the besetting sin
Besetting meaning the sin that surrounds us in particular, okay, and
What I believe it's referring to when it talks about that besetting sin
It's that which you are tempted to do. Okay, because not everyone suffers from the same temptations
people suffer from different
Temptations of sin and the Bible tells us in James chapter 1 verse 12 blessed is the man that endures temptation
For when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life when the Lord has promised them that love him
Let no man say when he is tempted
I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man
but every man is tempted when he is drawn away listen to this of his own lust and
Enticed then when lust hath conceived that bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death
Do not err my beloved brethren and look we could point to many people in the Bible
Who had the potential to do something great for God, but were hindered by sin, you know Samson being one of them
Right David to a certain extent even Solomon a lot of these great men of God who had a race to run
But they were taken off course by a besetting sin whether it was adultery
Fornication some even drunkenness and the list goes on and on and on
So the point here that the Apostle Paul is making is the reason he gives us the examples of these witnesses in chapter 11
It's the servant is an example to us that we need to make sure that we lay aside
The weight we lay aside the sin
The way these men did not lay aside the sin in
Order to run with patience and of course when he says run with patience and means endurance pace yourself
Don't try to do too much too soon
Don't try to add too much too soon. Don't try to put too many plates on the bar too soon
Don't try to run too far too soon a lot of people like on me
I'm gonna get into running and then they just run. I don't know ten miles
You know, but then the next day they can't even walk
You know what?
I mean
I I would I would assume that you would want to start off so that you're not
Debilitated the next day and you can run the next day, right?
you want to make sure that whatever it is that you're doing you can handle it and
Also not come up with this excuse. Well, I can't handle it and it's like ten months in one year
And yeah, I just can't handle at that point. You're just making excuses. Okay, the point of the admonition here is that
You shouldn't buy it off more than you can chew but you need to bite something though
okay, and
So look at verse number two
Here is the key to enduring because he says that we should run with patience. Here's the key
Look at verse two looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him
Endure the cross
Despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God for consider him
That endured such contradictions of sinners against himself lest he be wearied and faint in your minds
So the greatest thing that you and I can do
To have endurance in the Christian life believe it or not. It's focused on the Lord Jesus Christ
that's the best thing you can do and
Obviously, there's a lot of motivations in this life that can help us stay on the right track, right?
I preached a sermon years ago called creating a reason to stay and
It's a sermon that basic where I talk about some of the things that you can do on a practical level
To essentially keep yourself in the will of God, you know marry into the will of God raise children in the will of God
These are things that when you feel like quitting you're not gonna quit because you have too much invested into the will of God
right, but the greatest thing that you can do is
Look unto Jesus because it's the love of Christ that constrains us to actually keep doing what we're supposed to be doing
And you know what folks I'll just be honest with you I'm gonna disappoint you
Someone's gonna disappoint you your spiritual mentor is gonna disappoint. Someone's gonna disappoint you. Someone's gonna offend you
We're sinners, right?
And the problem is is that sometimes people put too much faith in the arm of the flesh
They put too much faith in a person and so when that person fails them it kind of derails them spiritually and
What the Bible's telling us here is that we need to look into Jesus not necessarily unto a man obviously
We got the witnesses you have your pastor and you have other spiritual leaders that you probably look to for inspiration and for
Encouragement but folks even if those individuals were absent
The Bible says that we should always be looking to Jesus Christ do everything as unto the Lord because when you serve Christ
Should I say when you do the service of God from the heart that wants to serve Christ, you'll never be disappointed
Might just be disappointed in people, but you'll never God will never make you ashamed
He'll never disappoint you even if no one says thank you or great job, or I'm sorry
You know, whatever may be it's okay because God is always watching. Jesus Christ will never disappoint you
He'll never fail you
You got to keep looking unto Jesus and the Bible says that thou will keep him in perfect
peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusted them and
So if you want perfect peace in your life, if you want that type of mind that is steadfast. It's focused
It's fixed. You need to fix your mind on the Lord Jesus Christ set your affections on things above
not on things of this earth the Bible says and
Why well because of the fact that the Bible says that he's the author and finisher of our faith
So he lays the course out for you, but he's there to kind of carry you through as well
You know being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you listen to this
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ and
So when we when we keep our eyes on the Lord, especially in times of trial
We got to realize like God's gonna see me through this
Even if you can't see it, right
God's gonna see me through it and I can endure this trial I can endure this season
I can endure this pain and this affliction
Because I'm keeping my eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ and he does he will not let me down
He's not gonna make me ashamed
I know that I can place my faith in him for the things pertaining to this life
And he says that you know consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
The greatest contradiction in the Bible is the contradiction of sinners of the Lord Jesus Christ
So put yourself in his position. He was the man Jesus Christ was the man
Who heard some of the most ridiculous claims about him, right? I mean you have sinners people who he created
Who he gave life to?
persecuting him hating him
Crucifying him and
Yet he endured all that he despised the shame and the Bible says that we need to take these things into consideration
Obviously, you know this Sunday is Easter
And so it was within these days that you have the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
It's important for us to think upon those things. Why lest he be weird and faint in your mind
and
You know the Bible tells us that if any man come after me let him deny himself and what take up his cross
Follow me well part of taking up the cross is suffering that same
affliction that Jesus suffered that same hatred that same contradiction of sinners and the Bible says that we need to consider these things because we
Don't want to just give up in our minds and before you get out of church
Here's the thing folks is that sometimes you think about people like oh, man
I haven't seen so so in a very long time
They got out of church, but the reality is this is that when they were physically here
They were already out of church in their heart
You know why because they fainted in their mind
There was a time when they were here when their hearts already turned back to Egypt as the Bible says
They fainted in their mind. They could not endure mentally and eventually the body followed, right?
So it's important for us to when you feel discouraged and you want to quit you want to throw in the towel folks be
Not weary and well-doing for a new season
We shall reap if we faint not but at the same token think about the Lord Jesus Christ
Think about the fact that he endorsed his contradictions think about the self-control that he had
You know what I mean? Cuz Jesus could have been like zap
you know, they're like whipping him and
disrespecting him he could have just opened up the earth right then and there and
Just swallowed everyone who you know who hated him into hell if you wanted to
He had angels on deck
on call
To destroy his enemies if that's what he wanted
he exercised an incredible amount of self-control and
Obviously we can't zap people. So it's like we really have no choice but to just
endure
You know what I mean?
So don't be weary and faint in your minds
You know recognize that when you we think about the Lord Jesus Christ and you think to yourself man
Like I just I just can't handle the fact that my family just kind of disowned me or my friends separated for me
Well, just think about what Jesus said that if they hate you just know that they hated me first
Right anything that you're experiencing in your life
That's a very negative effect of Christianity as we talked about on Sunday. Just realize that he received those negative effects first
Okay, he experienced those first and you my friend are in good company if you're experiencing such contradiction
So we're starting off the chapter really what the Apostle Paul telling us. Hey stick it out on this race
Don't get derailed keep going forward. Look unto Jesus
Don't be weary and faint in your minds and now we're gonna get into having the right perspective
When we're in that trial and affliction look at verse 4
Ye have not resisted unto blood striving against sin now, that's that's powerful there
He's like look, it's not like you're like dying for your faith either
It's not like you shed it people have shed your blood
For your faith right now. Maybe some of you have gotten close to that
But as far as I know no one has yet resisted unto blood striving against sin
And he says there verse 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation would speaketh unto you as unto children
My son
Despised not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou are rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth
He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Now. I do think this is interesting
because
You know, he's kind of segueing from the thought
That people suffer because of the contradiction of sinners the persecution of other people, right?
And he kind of relates it to God's chastening hand and we often think well
God only chastens us when we're involved in sin
But according to the Bible there are instances that even when you suffer some sort of affliction
By the hand of someone else or you're just going through an affliction period you could essentially translate that as God
Chasing you because he's allowing that to happen to you. Okay. He's kind of using that situation
to chase him and
He uses that word chasing and maybe people aren't really familiar with that word that what is chasing me?
Well chasing just you know, the modern term would be like spanking me, okay, and
It just means to discipline to punish to rebuke and in fact that the Spanish word will be
Castigar, which is kind of similar to
Chasing castigar chasing means the same thing and Jesus says in Revelation chapter 3 that as many as I love I
rebuke and chasin
So when you go through a hard time, it's hard to do this
But listen to me when you go through a hard time. It's like oh the Lord loves me. I
Mean you're probably not gonna say that but it's just that basically that's basically what it means
because whom the Lord loveth he chasin and
Here's the blessing about being spanked of the Lord
to being chasin and rebuked of him is
That it's confirmation that you're a son of God
That's really what it is, you know
Everyone wants to pull out all these eternal security verses and verses to prove that we're safe. Well, how about this one?
You know, how about you? How about you? You are verse?
Because when you're spanked and you're chasing of the Lord, it's like well this proves that I'm a safe person
right and
Of course, this is a quotation from Proverbs chapter 3
Talking about the correction of the Lord and
So and it says in Proverbs 3 13 happy is the man that finest wisdom
So one of the byproducts of being chasing of the Lord is that God gives you more wisdom because of it
So God is trying to change our perspective that when you go through a difficult time
First of all, it means that God loves you. Okay, and whom the Lord loveth you chasing it if you're going through a hard time
And you think to yourself. Well, how is that even a good way of thinking?
You know, it's just you're in pain. You're going through a hard time
How is that that you know chasing means that he loves me
Well, what if he just allowed you to just go unfettered in your devices?
with no
Consequence with no wisdom being imparted unto you the fact that he's chasing you means that he actually cares
Right the fact that he's correcting you
He's punishing you means that God actually loves you and he cares about your well-being and we're gonna see later
It produces the peaceable fruits of righteousness in your life. He's trying to make you better
Okay, you know God is not for this. I don't know. I can't remember what the parenting is called
Positive only parenting or something like that any of you any of you guys who never were never spanked know what I'm talking about
You know, you know what I'm saying, you know
There's this parenting philosophy that says like I'll never spank your children only speak positive things to them
You guys know what I'm talking about
I know someone in here knows what I'm talking about because some of you were not spanked
And so you you live that way, okay, you know, that is a very that God is not for that
You know, it's just like oh man. My children are just like
Living a rebellious wicked life, but I don't want to say anything negative to him because I might discourage him whoop him
The Lord whoops his children because he wants you
He wants me to be righteous to live justly to honor him and to be humble and that requires
Chastening that requires punishment. It requires some form of
Scourging the Bible says okay
And so, you know, you're not gonna obviously say like oh man, the Lord loves me, but really that's what it is
It's a confirmation that God does love you because he's actually paying attention to you
Look at verse 7. It says if ye endure chastening
God deals with you as with sons for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not
But if you be without chastisement where of all our partakers then any bastards and not sons
Okay, so what is what's being stated here?
Well again, if you are being punished by the Lord, you're suffering some sort of affliction from the hand of from the hand of God
It's confirmation to your son of God and he's basically saying like if you just went through life unfettered and just
Nothing ever happened to you. You're a bastard
In other words, you're not a safe person
Because safe people get whooped by God you understand
Now go to Romans chapter 8 if you would hold your place there in Hebrews chapter 11 or Hebrews 12, excuse me
And by the way, it's saying that this chastisement all believers are partakers of it
Everyone has suffered the hand of God
Against them at some time or another and I can literally point to times in my life
Where
Bad things were happening to me in the early years and I knew for a fact like God was chasing me
And I remember even thinking like as a new Christian like, okay, maybe it's not God, you know
Maybe it's just you know bad luck or something
And then that one thing just kept happening it kept happening and I just knew like God's hands against me right now
It was backslidden in my heart. I was going through the motions, but I didn't have the right heart attitude
You know, I was backslidden in my heart and
I knew that God's hand was against me and I knew this passage and I understood like, you know
At least I know that I'm a son of God
You know because God is not allowing me to prosper in this particular area in my life and it's because he's punishing me
Okay, but here's the thing is that I can think about times before salvation
Where I was involved in sin
I wasn't living a godly life and I wasn't being punished for it
and in fact, I remember specific times in my life where it felt like God delivered me from certain things and
You know if you're to compare it to now, it's like well the reason God probably allowed me to escape certain
Consequences or certain dangers was to essentially bring me unto Christ to make me think upon the Lord
To bring me unto the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ where I would be open to the gospel. I would get saved
So that when I do do bad things, then I do get whooped
You understand what I'm saying? So I literally remember being 17 18 years old. That was very long ago
you know
17 18 years old and
thinking to myself, you know
man, I feel like God allowed me to escape that and
I literally remember having that that thought in my heart. Like I wonder if God's doing this so I can like look for him. I
literally remember thinking that
Just as I literally remember thinking after salvation
When I would go through something I was like God's doing this to me
But the reason I took you to Romans chapter 8 is because of the fact that
Look what it says in verse 12
It says therefore brethren we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh
For if you live after the flesh you shall die
But if you through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you shall live
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God
Now a lot of false prophets will try to use this passage to say see if you're not
Spirit-filled if you're not being led of the Spirit, then you're not a son of God
Because what it's what it's implying here is that if you are a spirit-filled person, you're essentially operating like the Son of God
Right a son of God, excuse me
And of course, we know that the inward man is that which is the Son of God that which is saved that which is redeemed
So you would only what people implies that well if you're not being spirit-led then you're not a son of God
Hence you're not saved
But if we were to compare this to Hebrews chapter 12, if you are not being led of the Spirit
Which means that you're involved in sin or you're rebelling against God's commands or whatever. What's gonna happen to you?
You're gonna get chastised which confirms that you're a son of God
So in either case, we're just sons of God. So this is just like your spirit-led. You're a son of God
All right, you're backslidden you get spanked which proves that you're a son of God
Understand what I'm saying? So this is just another way of showing that you're son
So if you are living a godly life, you're being spirit-led you can say you know what man
This is this just proves that I'm a son of God
Because I'm living a godly life unto the Lord
But then when you get prideful and arrogant about it, and then God has to whoop you you're like
Oh, I guess this proves that I'm a son of God and I'm not a bastard cuz God's whooping me for my pride
Does that make sense to everyone go back to Hebrews chapter 12?
And so of course the reason he says bastards is because of the fact that a bastard is an illegitimate child and
The Bible tells us but as many as received him to them give you power to become
The sons of God even unto them that believe in his name showing us that you know
This doctrine that everyone is a child of God in this world is a false doctrine
A lot of people say that Catholics will say that unsafe people will say that are we all children of God?
No, we're not all children of God
Okay, because the Bible says in John 1 12 you have to become one which would mean that you weren't one prior
To believing on Jesus Christ. And so the only way to become a son of God is by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and
Therefore you're saved
But if you're just living a life of sin and nothing ever happens to you God never punishes you for it
Then you're a bastard according to the Bible now
I don't think it's up to us to really look at someone's life who has been backslidden and
To say well, they're not suffering. So they're a bastard because you don't really know that
You know because a lot of people will put up a front
You know, they're backslidden they could make it seem like oh, yeah, nothing's happening, you know
God's been good to me and I'm like, you know prospering and whatever and they can make it seem like nothing's happening to them
But folks you're not there when they're in their bed crying themselves to sleep because they're miserable
You know because at the end of the day you only see what they want you to see you only see their
Instagram or whatever
You don't really see their heart where they're miserable
Because let's just be honest any Christian outside of the will of God is just miserable gets they become miserable at one point or another
It's fact even if you don't know a whole lot of Bible
because of the fact that you know, you're not right with God and
If you're involved in sin, it's only pleasurable for a season. So once you know that the tank is run out of pleasure
Then it's just not fun anymore. And now you're miserable
So it doesn't matter if people claim to be having a great time in the world at the end of the day
When they're by themselves
having a monologue
With thus within themselves with the inward man and the Holy Spirit's there. They hate it
They're miserable about it
That's why they have to put all types of things on to drown out all the noises because they know for a fact that
They're miserable. Okay
Go back to Hebrews 12 and so he's saying here, you know
This is the right perspective to have don't become a wearied person if you're going through affliction
Which is synonymous with God chasing you it's confirmation that I love you. It's confirmation that you're my son
It's confirmation that you're in the right place
Look at verse 9. What's the result of being chasing furthermore?
We have had our fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence
Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live
For they barely for a few days chasing us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit
that we might be partakers of
His holiness so it's basically saying look you've had fathers that
Chastise you physically they whooped you and you literally obeyed them
Even if you weren't the one that colored on the wall or something, you know, the the it wasn't even your fault
Right because you know if you grew up with brothers and sisters, you know, the someone's getting blamed for something they didn't do and
sometimes they get blamed and they get whooped and it's just like
I didn't do it and it's like you're getting anyways cuz I think you did you know and you know parents make a mistake
I've made the mistake to you, you know, and sometimes that happens you chastise them after your own pleasure and
But the Bible says that even in spite of that those children will respect reverence and obey their parents. Well how much more
When God does it to you?
Because what's being implied here is that when you're getting chastised people can have the tendency to say why me?
I'm not I didn't do anything. I
Didn't write on the wall. I'm serving God. I'm doing everything that I'm supposed to be doing. I'm winning souls
I read my Bible. I'm trying to be honest here
Why am I being chastised if I'm not the one who did it get someone else who is out there?
Disobeying you but at the end of the day is that God does it for our profit?
So even if you're not guilty of a particular sin and you get afflicted the mentality should be oh
God's doing it to help me to profit from this
Look what it says in verse 11 now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous
So this it doesn't mean that like oh man. God's chasing me great
No one no one's like happy about that. You're not happy about your financial. Whoa, you're not happy about your physical ailment
You're not happy about the fact that you know, your possession was stolen or whatever trial that you're experiencing. It's not joyous
It's grievous. It's like man. This is rough
Nevertheless
Afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness
Unto them which are exercised thereby. So when God chastens you he does it because he knows it's gonna make you a better person
And it's interesting that it says it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness and it's in
Context of a person who's being afflicted by God, even though maybe they didn't do anything
Now
What I think about when I read that is the pruning pot process
I mean you think of John chapter 15, right where it says I am the true vine
And my father is a husband man
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit
He taketh away, but listen to this and every branch that beareth fruit
He blesses and never whoops them never spanks them. Everything is just hunky-dory
No, he purgeth it that it may bring more fruit
So what does it mean to purge it means he he clips away
So it's just like you're serving God your winning souls the Christ you memorize first Thessalonians chapter 1
hopefully, you know
you know you you're just in church and you're just
Man, everything is just going great and then boom something bad hits you
And it's just like why well, it's God pruning you too too because you're successful
It's like oh you're getting pretty good at what you're doing. All right, let's let's chip away some of that bad habits
Do you got going on there some of the bad character?
Let's prune you a little bit why because when you prune more fruit is able to be produced
You understand and pruning hurts
It's not pleasurable and it kind of makes you mad because it's like I didn't do anything. Why am I suffering?
If I'm literally supposed to if I'm literally doing what God's called me to do why am I suffering for it?
But you have to have the spiritual maturity to realize I'm being pruned right now
And obviously you don't have to tell people like yeah, I'm really good at the Christian life
So it's like I'm just going through this hard time because I'm just I'm just like a boss right now. So
God had to just do this because then he's gonna prune you even more
Cuz we're pretty supposed to do is just humble you
Right when you're successful what you do God in order for him to keep using you he has to humble you
Winning a bunch of souls to Christ great. He has to take the carpet out from under you so you don't get too proud
So he won't because he wants you to keep winning souls to Christ
Oh, you're learning some deep truths of the Word of God great. He has to humble you
So you don't get all proud about it so he can continue to bless you with more knowledge
It's the prune you he has to cut at you understand what I'm saying
And so yeah, you know God often chastises us when we're involved in sin, but if you're trying your best to live a life
That's sanctified pleasing unto the Lord. You're gonna get it anyways
Because in order for you to get better, you just need to get chastised sometimes
okay, and
It does yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. It makes you a better person. It makes you a better Christian
It opens new doors for you
That's what the Bible teaches look at verse 12 wherefore he says because of this lift up the hands which hang down in the feeble knees
when I think of that is just like everyone's just like
You know, it's like straighten up your back lift up your hands, you know
Your little feeble knees because you're so weary of the Christian life and you're sad because you got whooped, you know fix your face
I
Being so down all the time. I know you're mad suck that lip in that little poochy lip you got going on there
You know kids do right there's like I
Mean you guys know what I'm talking about. I got five kids. So I I just I'm speaking from experience here
sometimes kids are just like
And I know some of you do that in your heart
Okay
And he's saying like, you know anoint your head wash your face
Lift up your hands and your knees
Strengthen your feeble knees. It says in verse 13 make straight paths for your feet
so don't be the type of person that like when you're going through affliction, you're just like
No, it's just like hey walk straight
You know someone who's like who's down and has a bad attitude to have a tendency to drag their feet
Pick up your feet when you walk
Stop looking like you just don't want to go somewhere. It's like make straight paths for your feet
Less that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather let it be healed. What does he say?
You know, it's better for you to just strengthen your knees and say I'm gonna suck it up and go straight because if you're throwing a fit
Left and right you're gonna turn out of the way and do something. You're not supposed to be doing
That trial that you're going through is gonna be a waste
You understand what I'm saying? It's gonna turn you out of the way
So make straight paths for your feet
Don't let that which is lame be turned out of the way look at verse 14 follow. Peace with all men and
Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord now
let me just deviate from what I'm talking about here just to mention something because Ray Comfort loves using this verse and
Anytime he does his witnessing or whatever may be he's always just like are you living in holiness?
Are you living in holiness, you know, cuz he's a repent of your sins heretic and
So his marker for whether someone is saved or not is if they're living in holiness if they're actually not sinning
Okay, but the guy is a walking sin because he's he's prideful. He's arrogant. He's a false prophet
But he always says, you know, he quotes this verse and it says
Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Okay. Now first of all, if you want to relate this to salvation
It's absolutely correct
And in fact, the only reason we're able to see the Lord is not because of our holiness
But because of the holiness of Jesus Christ, right the righteousness of Jesus
However, you know this could also just imply that in order for you to see God working in your life
Because no man shall see the Lord and live
So this could also be referring to the fact that if you want to see God working in your life, you need to pursue
Righteousness you need to pursue holiness because it's at that point that you can see God work in your life
And I think of Matthew 5 and verse 8 that says blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Okay?
Go to 1st Peter chapter 3 if you would, 1st Peter chapter 3
What is the Bible telling us here in Hebrews chapter 12, you know when you're going through a hard time
Make sure you're fixated on
Just doing right
Even when you don't feel like doing it
Okay
Nothing's going right for you don't change your course
You know make sure you don't reroute make sure the GPS stays on course
understand follow peace
Even when you're going through a hard time and it says follow peace with all men
So it's easier to do right when you're coming to church and you have other men helping you and going in the same direction
Look at 1st Peter 3 verse 10 for he that will love life and see good days
Let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile
Let him eschew evil and do good
Let him seek peace and ensue it and so it means to pursue
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers
But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil
So it's like if you want to if you want God to continue to listen to your prayers in the times of hardship
Pursue peace pursue holiness, you know, it's true evil do good
And I like that it says that his ears are open unto the prayers of the righteous
Did you got someone like Kanye West who recently came out he's there I got my issues with Christianity
I got my issues with Jesus cuz I prayed and he didn't answer my prayers. It's cuz you're wicked. You're not saved
That was easy
You know, he's over here you might as well have prayed at the bail because you weren't gonna get an answer to anything
He's over here praying to Jesus and Jesus too busy listening to us
He's like did someone say something was there like a wind blowing or something? I don't know what that was. He's over here praying
Oh, Jesus is he's he says Jesus is King. He came out with that album called Jesus is King
But now he's saying me willing though
How blasphemous is that instead of saying God willing? He says I'm not gonna say God. Well, I'm gonna say me willing
And obviously Kanye West has been a positive for a long time. We know we know that
But
You know, he literally said that his problem with Christianity his problem with Jesus is that Jesus didn't answer his prayers
Oh, you mean the prayers of making more money and being rich and wicked?
Yeah, first of all, he doesn't answer those kind of prayers. You got to pray according to the will of God Kanye
Second of all, you got to be saved Kanye and the last time I checked you weren't as chewing evil you were pursuing it
and
So, you know, he's all mad at
Christianity but you know God's not even thinking about him. He's just like who are you?
He's a bastard is what he is
Kanye West is a bastard because he's not saved
So he can complain about Christianity all he wants he's not making a dent in Christianity whatsoever
Like God is not gonna lose if he if God were to sleep. He would not lose any sleep over Kanye West
It's not like Jesus is like, oh no
You know all that investment what are we gonna do about the album he made about me
You know
Jesus is not even batting and he doesn't care about Kanye West
Let me just let you know that right now. He does not care about Kanye West whatsoever
Okay, and apparently he's made a very known very clear to Kanye West that he's not answering his prayers
Right you just let it know he just
Because now Kanye went on this podcast millions of people have seen it and now everyone knows that Jesus didn't answer Kanye West's prayers
Well, that's such a bad testimony. No, it's not
No, it's not
It's a testimony of the Word of God that he's that his ears are turned away from the wicked
You know whose prayers Jesus listens to yours
And
You don't have to be Kanye West East South or North
You can just be you but because you're a safe person. He's gonna listen to your prayers and he is teams you
more than Kanye West
But here's the thing is that you know when you go through a hard time not like Kanye West
Okay, Kanye West is not going through a hard time. He's got a grill on his mouth
As those aren't necessarily indicative of a hard time he doesn't want to grow what a grill is okay, you know
You know I'm talking about let me see your grill type people you know the diamonds and all that right
Nelly and all that
That's not a hard time
If you got
You know
What is it platinum?
Huh, well diamonds if you got diamonds in your mouth, you're not going through a hard time I
Mean if you have diamonds in your mouth, what are you asking Jesus for?
Yeah
Look at verse 15. Let's finish up here, so he's telling the reader here
He's
Telling the reader you know we need to make sure that
When we go through a hard time don't deviate from the paths of the Lord the paths of the righteous
Make sure you stay the course
walk straight
Lift up your hands be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might
Now is not the time to get all weak about it and mad about it make sure you keep going forward okay?
He says in verse number
15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the great fall of excuse me fail the grace of God
Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled
So he's saying look you need to make sure like he said in verse 1 that you look unto Jesus
Diligently why because the temptation is you can become bitter and
You know
Temptations and trials can yield a lot of peaceable fruits of righteousness
but it can also produce a root of bitterness as well if you don't know how to handle it and
Make no mistake about it. There's plenty of Christians who have gotten out of church because they're upset at God and they're saved
But they're upset upset at God. They're bitter and you know what they produce other bitter people as well
Many are defiled because of their bitterness and he gives them examples
There be any fornicator or profane person as Esau who for one more cell of meat sold his birth, right?
For you know how that afterward when he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected for he found no place of repentance
Though he sought it carefully with tears, you know a lot of the blessings that we experienced in this life
some of them are seasonal and
So it's better for you if you're going through a hard time to stay the course
Because if you choose to deviate from the path and
Then somewhere down the road you seek the blessing carefully with tears. It may not be there for you anymore
That's why it's important to endure it's important to just stick it out
It's important to you know, follow peace with them that fear the Lord and those who are living righteous lives
Because it's so valuable to just stay in the will of God because you might miss out on a major blessing
Make no mistake about it. Every trial has a blessing behind it. There's a huge blessing for you to inherit
But if you quit you're never gonna get it
Let's keep reading here
You know what I'm gonna stop right there because we're running out of time
It's gonna be a part two next week. And so what's what's the message tonight from Hebrews chapter 12?
The message is this hey church
Let's endure as much as we possibly can when we're going through a hard time
And you may not be going through a very difficult time at this point, but you will
Because as you as as you get better in the Christian life, you're serving God you're doing that
Which is pleasing unto the Lord you will be pruned. You're gonna be put to the test and
The Bible is telling us here clearly. Hey, make sure you keep your eyes on the Lord
Because you know, you might go through a hard time and you feel like no one's noticing you
Like no one's helping you
Pastor isn't noticing that you're going through a hard time
Your favorite brothers and sisters in Christ aren't paying attention to you. You feel isolated you feel alone, but it's at that point
That God tells you keep your eyes on Christ
And he's there at the finish line
You know the Lord's there. He's
He's our advocate. He's praying for us. He's interceding for us. He's praying that our faith fail not
You know and he's there at the finish line
Just kind of telling you like stick it out stick it out because even though no one's noticing you're going through a hard time
He's acquainted with your grief
Okay, so endure. Let's pray father. We thank you so much for your word and
Thank you for the admonitions here Lord and the example of not just the witnesses
But of our Savior Jesus Christ and everything that he experienced in this life Lord, of course
the most
Turbulent trial that he ever experienced was the cross and
Bearing the sins of the world even though he committed no sin
You made him to be sin who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him
And I pray Lord that we think upon our Lord. We think upon our Savior Jesus Christ
So that we don't become weary in our minds and quit and faint
Lord help us to stick it out to the very end that we should be in this for the long haul
And Lord give us endurance help us to pace ourselves we love you we thank you pray these things in Jesus name Amen