Hebrews 12:3-17

Chapter 11 was Full of Faithful Examples…

As Well as People Who Suffered for Their Faith Without Receiving the Promises

Then at the Beginning of Chapter 12, the Author Says:

Hebrews 12:1–3 (NIV)

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Christians are Portrayed as Runners Participating in a Race

The Stadium Seats are Filled with the Faithful that Came Before Us

They Inspire Us and Encourage Us to Keep the Faith

That is, to Cast Aside Weights and Anything that Might Entangle Us…

And to Run Our Race with Endurance

Though the Crowd are Wonderful Examples to Us…

We Don’t Focus Our Attention on Them

We Keep Our Eyes and Attention Fixed on Jesus

He is the Pioneer and Perfecter of Faith

And He Suffered Greatly Because of His Faith…

And Because of the Joy of Being Glorified Himself…

As Well as Enabling the Faithful to Be Glorified with Him

Hebrews 12:3 (NASB95)

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Out of All the Faithful Witnesses Surrounding Us in the Stadium…

We are to Place Our Focus on Jesus

These Hebrew Christians Were Experiencing Hostility From Sinners Because of Their Faith

But Jesus Faced Much Worse and He Remained Faithful

Remain Focused on Him Without Distraction and Imitate His Faith

Drop the Weight that Might Slow Down Your Faith

Get Rid of Any Sins that Might Cause You to Forfeit the Race

Keep Your Eyes Focused on the King on His Throne

When We Do These Things, We Won’t:

Grow Weary and Faint Before We Reach the Finish Line

We Will Keep the Faith and Remain Hopeful of Our Glorious Reward

Hebrews 12:4–11 (NIV)

4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

The Entire Purpose of this Book is to Encourage its Hebrew Christian Audience

They are Experiencing Different Types of Sufferings Because of Their Faith

The Author has Been Worried that They will Choose to Abandon the Faith

So this Entire Sermon is to Encourage Them Not to

Here He is Now Offering Them a Different Perspective on Their Suffering

Many Times When We Suffer Because of Our Faith, We Assume God is Upset with Us

There have Been Times in My Own Life that I have Held Certain Beliefs Because of My Faith…

And Others (Even Christians) have Been Against Me for Holding Such Beliefs

In These Moments, it is Natural to Want to Back Off From or Second-Guess Your Beliefs…

Because the World and Even God Seems to Be Against You

But What if this is Exactly What We Should Expect From the World?

What if this is How God Disciplines/Trains/Instructs His Children?

What if this is What We Need to:

Grow in Holiness and Righteousness

And Be Brought to Glory?

Hebrews 12:4 (NASB95)

4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

“To the Point of Shedding Blood” Likely = “To the Point of Death”

“You Haven’t had to Give Your Life for Your Faith Yet”

Many of the Faithful had to

And Even Jesus had to

“So, Not to Make Light of Your Sufferings…”

“But Things Could Always and Have Been Worse”

It’s Important that We Remember the Reason for Their Suffering

Their Suffering wasn’t the Ordinary Sufferings of Life:

Sickness, Disease, Growing Old, etc.

Their Suffering was Because They Were Resisting and Striving Against Sin

That is the Context of this Passage and of this Entire Book

They are Suffering Because of Their Faith in Jesus

Hebrews 12:5–6 (NASB95)

5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

The Author Says They Have Forgotten an Exhortation/Encouragement From Proverbs…

Which is Addressed to the Children of God

God Disciplines Those Who are His Children

When We Hear the Word “Discipline”…

We Typically Think of the Negative Side of Discipline, Such as:

Punishing a Child for Doing Something Wrong

That’s Not What this Entire Passage is About

And if We Think that’s What it is About, We will Come Away with Some Discouraging Theology

God Does Not Punish His Faithful Children

This Passage is Talking About the Positive Side of Discipline

Discipline = To Train, Educate, Instruct

“To Provide Instruction for Informed and Responsible Living”

God Love His Children

And Because He Loves His Children…

He Trains, Educates, and Instructs Them

He Provides Instruction for Informed and Responsible Living

Here’s What the Hebrews Author is Saying so Far:

“Don’t Be Discouraged By the Sufferings You’re Experiencing…”

“Be Encouraged!”

“Because Through These Sufferings, God is Disciplining You as His Beloved Children”

“He is Training, Educating, and Instructing You for Informed and Responsible Living”

These Sufferings aren’t Meant to Turn Them Away From Being Christians

They are Meant to Make Them Stronger and More Faithful Christians

They Just Needed to Be Reminded to have the Proper Perspective

And that’s Why We Were Reminded in Verse 3 that…

Even Jesus had to Endure Suffering from the World

And He had to Learn Obedience Through Suffering, Just like Us

Hebrews 5:8 (NASB95)

8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

Hebrews 12:7–8 (NASB95)

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Any Loving Father Disciplines/Trains/Educates/Instructs His Children

We Want Our Children to Grow Up to Be Informed and Responsible Adults

It Helps to Look at this in the Cultural Context it was Written in

Fathers Wanted Their Sons to Grow Up to Be Worthy Heirs

This Takes a Lot of Work, Both on the Part of the Father and the Son

If a Father Doesn’t Discipline His Son…

It Shows He Doesn’t Care About His Son or the Person He Turns Out to Be

If You are Experiencing Hardships Because of Your Faith…

Be Joyful and Keep Doing What You are Doing…

Because that is Proof that God Loves You and Thinks of You as His Own Beloved Child

He is Disciplining/Training/Educating/Instructing You

This Suffering will Cause You to Grow into a Greater, Disciplined Christian

Hebrews 12:9–10 (NASB95)

9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

When Our Earthly Parents Discipline/Train/Educate/Instruct Us…

We Respect Them

Especially When We Grow Up and Realize…

That Our Disciplined and Mature Behavior is Due to Their Disciplining of Us

The Author Assumes in this Passage that Parents Aren’t Perfect Disciplinarians

Sometimes We Get it Wrong and the Way We Train Our Children isn’t Helpful

We are Doing Our Best, But We Aren’t Perfect at Parenting

But God is Perfect and He Does Always Get it Right

When He Disciplines/Trains/Educates/Instructs Us…

It Always Turns Our for Our Betterment

His Discipline Leads to Our Sharing His Holiness

When We Endure Suffering for Our Faith and Don’t Give Up…

We Become More and More Like God

We Become Holy/Sanctified/Different Than the World Like He is Holy

If We Respect Our Parents for How They Raised/Disciplined Us…

Even if They Didn’t Always Get it Right…

Then Shouldn’t We Respect and Subject Ourselves…

To the Discipline of Our Heavenly Father Who Always Gets it Right?

Hebrews 12:11 (NASB95)

11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Ask Any Professional Athlete if All the Training They Have to Subject Themselves to is Fun

Anyone Who is Good at Anything has to Go Through Some Unfavorable Things…

To Become Good at What They Do

Becoming a Disciplined/Trained/Educated/Instructed Person is Not Always Fun

It’s Difficult, Tiring, and Sometimes Painful

But Once You’ve Endured the Difficult Part…

You are Better, Stronger, and Smarter Than Before

The Same is True for Christianity

God Disciplines Us By Allowing the World to Be Against Us

And if We Remain Faithful Throughout the Suffering…

We Will See How Much We’ve Grown

In Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control, and Righteousness

To Become More Like Jesus and Therefore More Like God…

We Must Endure the Discipline

If We Give Up, We Quit the Race and We Lose

But if We Keep Running, Regardless of What is Trying to Stop Us…

We Will Win the Race and Receive the Glory that is Promised Us

The Opposite of the Death of Faith is the Growth of Faith

If We aren’t Growing, We are Dying