Faith Takes Action

Introduction

John Mayer in his song Waiting on the world to change writes this in the second chorus:

Waiting on the world to change It's not that we don't care We just know that the fight ain't fair So we keep on waiting Waiting on the world to change

I believe their Christians that take the same approach to their fight with sin. They feel like the fight ain’t fair so they are simply waiting… waiting to be changed. In today’s text we are encouraged to take action in our struggle against sin. Yes, we fight with the grace of God obtain by faith in Christ, and without his help this fight would certainly be unfair. But Jesus has helped us. He actually has already defeated our sin through his death on the cross. But in this life we are still waging war sin. Therefore we are called to take action. Faith takes action and this morning we see that we take action as we prepare ourselves faithfulness, strive for faithfulness, and faithfully hold on to our inheritance. Let’s read Hebrews 12:12-17

Prepare for Faithfulness v. 12-13

Hebrews 12:12–13 “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”

The therefore in this passage is referring back to the rest of Hebrews 12 in which our author has reminded us that we are running a race set before us, and that we are to set our eyes of Jesus and consider his work of the cross. We are know that the sufferings of this life are a means of God’s discipline. And this discipline is proof that God loves us, that we are his children, and that he is working all things together for our good. And now, because this is true, because your sufferings are evidence of God’s love for you as his children you are to lift your drooping hands, strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet. These are metaphors that describe the felt despair of the author’s audience. He writes to a people persecuted for their faith and struggling to maintain their commitment to Christ. Metaphorically they have drooping hands and weak knees. They are discouraged and struggle to fight their sin. The author points to the loving discipline of their heavenly father and says because God is for you, lift your hands and strengthen your knees. Yes, the discipline is painful and not pleasant in the moment, but it is for your good. It is a product of God’s love for you, the evidence that you are his child. If you are to run this race that is set before you, then you must first make your path straight. It is only when you join God in the pursuit of healing that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

It is like when someone needs surgery in order to be healed, but their body is not ready to endure the surgery. Perhaps they are overweight and it would dangerous to put them through procedure they need to be healed. The doctor will give them the discipline, the news that they need to lose weight, but the patient must act if they are to be prepared for surgery and be healed. They must follow a diet, get their steps in, and refuse the temptations of fatty foods. In taking this action they prepare their body to go under the surgeons knife, which is necessary for their healing.

The Spirit is making clear to our audience that if they are to endure to the end and grow in their faith they must respond to the discipline of God in a positive way. They must prepare themselves to do what is right. The discipline of God visited them through their persecutions, but that did not mean that the peaceful fruit of righteousness of was theirs without effort. They must be trained by the discipline if they long to take hold of the fruit of righteousness. They are trained when they take the appropriate action by faith and lift their hands, strengthen their knees and make straight their paths.

Now, these metaphors are really difficult to apply to a crowd of people, even a crowd and small as our little church. The reality is, for each Christian in this room today there is a unique child of God. And God is working in each of you to make your sin known and call you to repent of that sin. Now, what I cannot do for a crowd, I and other mature Christians, can do for an individual. If you don’t know what action you are supposed be taking right now, then my encouragement to you is to go to a mature Christian and seek their advice and help. Because while you and I might not know what we are supposed to do about a particular issue, I do believe you know that you have your own particular issues. My guess is that as we read this text and last week’s text the Lord is bringing to your mind something that needs to change in your life. God’s discipline, through the conviction of sin, makes your sin known to you, but dear and brothers and sisters don’t stop at conviction.

Once convicted you must by faith take action. God convicts you and it is hard. It can leave us feeling like we have drooping hands and weak knees, but you need to take action by faith and lift those hands. You need to take steps before your are tempted so you are prepared to deal with temptation when it comes. You must prepare yourself for faithfulness.

But I need to warn you of something. It is likely that you will feel convicted of your sin, you go to a mature Christian for help, and then they will tell you what you need to do. And then once they explain what needs to happen to find healing your hands will drop, you knees tremble, and you will say “that is just to winding of a path for me.” I can’t do that. I can’t confess my sin to that person, I don’t want that kind of accountability, that is too embarrassing, I just don’t feel what you feel, I can’t change like you are saying because of my past, you just don’t understand me… These phrases are the sayings of those with drooping hands and weak knees. And those who do not lift their hands, strengthen their knees, and make straight their paths are those who will not be healed.

Change is hard! But by faith we can run this race set before us. By faith in Jesus who for the joy set before him endured the cross we can little by little receive the discipline of God and be healed. So, lift those hands, set your knees, make straight your paths and fight sin! Prepare yourself for obedience. Take real action. Get the accountability in place, avoid places of temptation, memorize the Bible verse that pertains to your issue, trust your Christian mentor, even when it hard, and determine to follow Jesus no matter what!

T/S- We are called to take action by faith and we prepare ourselves to do so. A life of faithfulness will require determine and it will require us to strive after the Lord. In this passage we are called to strive for peace.

Strive for Faithfulness v. 14-16a

Hebrews 12:14–16 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, …

In these two and half verses we are told to strive for peace and holiness. We (as the church) are to see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God, and that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble and that no one is sexually immoral or unholy. So, strive for peace and holiness and see to it that no one fails to obtain God’s grace and that no “root of bitterness springs up. I want to address a question that arises from the text and then explain and how peace, bitterness, and sexual immorality fit in.

The issue: what does it mean to not see the Lord and to fail to obtain God’s grace? It means to go to Hell, rather than Heaven. But the question we might ask is… if we are saved by grace alone then why do we need holiness to see the Lord? If we are guaranteed to perserve then how can we fail to obtain the grace of God? Just how holy do need to be? What could I do that is so bad that I fail to obtain God’s grace?

I want to answer this by first explaining God’s salvation program. A program is a process you follow. Think about a workout program whether that is WODs for your crossfitters or youtube videos, or running plans these are all laid our programs that help you reach your fitness goals. God’s salvation program is the process God uses to save us from our sin. Just to keep things very simple for today that program, the steps to the Christian life, are justification, sanctification, and glorification. Again for today keeping this very simple. We hear the Gospel and respond to it by faith and in that moment we are justified. We are made right before God. Then we begin a lifelong process of being sanctified. Which is the process of becoming holy (holiness is what our text tell us to strive for) and then when we die we will be gloried or perfected before God. We will sin no more. Justified- saved from sin. Declared legally righteous. Sanctified throughout your lifetime. Through God’s discipline we are changed for our good to become more holy, like Jesus. At the end, we are glorified and the work of salvation is complete. This is God’s salvation program.

I want to contrast this with a Damnation Program. The program that if you follow it, it will lead you to hell and God’s judgement. In that program a person hears the Gospel and instead of repenting he is pacified. He hears the Gospel and gives a illegitimate response to it. He is like Esau who will talk about in a bit who just longs for the benefits of the Gospel, but not the God of the Gospel. This is the person who claims to follow Jesus, but does not. They are present in the covenant community, but not a part of that community. The root of bitterness quote comes from Deuteronomy 29:18–19 “Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.” This person hears the word of God and though he stands among God’s covenant people he does not believe in their God. He assumes he is safe though his heart is turning away from the Lord our God. He is pacified in his unbelief. He then becomes degentrified. (I made that word up) the point is he grows in his degeneracy. To be a degenerate is to be immoral. The person on the damnation programs continues in their sin until eventually they die and they are condemned. Instead of being glorified they are punished for their sin and condemned to an eternity in Hell. The question before us this morning is what program are your taking part in? The salvation program or the damnation program.

Peace and holiness are fruits or evidence of those who are taking part in God’s salvation program. Those growing in holiness will see the Lord. Personal holiness is not obtainable by sinners apart from Christ. But growth in holiness is the natural progression for all of those who are in Christ. If you are not growing in holiness it is because you are not in Christ. You do not know Jesus if you are not becoming more and more holy. Growth in holiness is a part of the salvation program. Now, this is a hard thing sometimes to determine in our lives especially when we think moment by moment. However, I do believe if you look at your life in large spans of times (months and years) Christians in the room will be able to see how they have grown in holiness over time. Our author is telling us, keep going. Even when life is hard and discipline is gut wrenching, God is using it to make you holy. And that holiness is evidence that you will one day see the Lord. And it isn’t a bad thing when you fall into to sin and then fear for your salvation. We should, not because we can lose our salvation. But because when we are slow to repent it makes us ask this question: do I really believe that Christ is Lord? If I am satisfied to remain in my sin, then can I actually believe I am a part of God’s salvation program?

Now, the Christian may fail, but the Christian will come to that moment of fear and say, I really do believe it. Therefore, the Christian strives for peace with everyone. Long to be a peaceful person. Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Peace is evidence of our faith in Christ. And as we strive for peace with everyone we will, I believe, especially enjoy peace with our fellow Christians.

And this peace we share together as Christians is meant to bind us together so that we can all determine to see to it that no fails to obtain the grace of God. While peace and holiness are evidence of the salvation program, bitterness and sexual immorality are evidence of the damnation program. Those who stir up strife among the church are not followers of Jesus they are agents of Satan. Their willingness to embrace bitterness, which is a poison to relationships, is sign of their true allegiance. And in doing this they will defile not only themselves but the church.

Therefore, we as members of Redemption Hill Church must give heed to this warning. It is our collective responsibility to see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. When we see evidence of the damnation program in the life of a fellow Christian, how will we respond? What will you do when you catch wind of bitterness or sexual immorality? Will you allow your brother or sister to be pacified in their sin. Just know, the next step is their degeneration, which will lead to their eventual condemnation. James 5:19–20 “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” You see the sanctification part of the salvation program is best done with a spotter. Someone who watches as you lift the heavy weights of God’s discipline. You all need each other to endure until the end. This is God’s planned means of grace in our lives.

T/S- As we strive for faithfulness together we put away sin and put on holiness. We work with the Lord to obtain the grace that is guaranteed for us through the work of Christ. This guarantee is our inheritance, which we cannot profane or treat as unholy. This is why the author points to the example of Esau

Faithfully Hold On to Your Inheritance v.16-17

Hebrews 12:16–17 “that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

Esau was the twin brother of Jacob in the book of Genesis. They were the sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham the father of the nation of Israel. Jacob’s name will be changed to Israel later in the story and this is where the nation of Israel gets its name. These men were the earliest men who would make up the ancestral line from which Christ would come. God make promise to Abraham that through his seed, his progeny, the whole world would be blessed. A Messiah or Christ figure would be born from this family, and this figure would save the people of God from their sins. This figure, according to the author of Hebrews and the rest of the Bible is Jesus. Esau as the oldest son was to have the joy of being a part of this process. He was to inherit by birthright all of his fathers material goods and the promise of God to bring about the Messiah.

Now, there is a prophecy about these boys while they are still in the womb that says the following: Genesis 25:23 “And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”” I point this out to show you God didn’t change his plan, but in a way that only God knows his predetermined plan still comes about as the result of the decisions of intelligent creatures. God planned to use Jacob to bring us Jesus, but Esau still forfeited that right on his own.

The text in Hebrews reminds us of this forfeiture but I want us to read it directly from Genesis 25:29–34 “Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

This is the story that the author of Hebrews refers to when he says that Esau sold his birthright for a single meal. Esau takes something holy and wonderful, the birthright and promise of God to use his lineage to supply a Savior, and trades that for a bowl of lentil soup and bread. Now there is a lot more to this story that I would encourage you to read in Genesis 26-27 that for times sake I will not go into now, but eventually this selling of the birthright also includes the loss of a blessing for Esau. Jacob and Esau’s father, Isaac, is tricked by Jacob into blessing Jacob instead of Esau. And hear what happens Genesis 27:33–38 “Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.” Esau is weeping bitterly for the restoration of his blessing but it is too late. The blessing and the birthright are no longer his. He has profaned them or treated them as unholy and therefore has forfeited them. And he has no chance to repent, the door for him is closed.

The author of Hebrews is using Esau to say to these Christians there is a time when it is too late to repent. That feeling bad and crying are not repentance. Repentance is not a feeling it is an action. You can’t just feel bad for your sin and think you are safe. You can’t just come to church and be around the covenant community but remain in the stubbornness of your heart and think you are safe from the wrath of God. You can’t live in a state of bitterness or continual sexual immorality or any other sin and then week after week profane the Lord’s table by taking it without true repentance. You can fool the room, but you cannot fool God.

And at some point, your death, it will too late to repent. You will have traded your blessing and your birthright for a single meal. Bitterness and sexual immorality are lentil soup and bread compared to the joys found in the kingdom of God.

Conclusion

So what must we do? What are we supposed to if we are living in sin, we find our hands drooping, our knees weak, and paths crooked? We must remind ourselves of Hebrews 12:2–3 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” You have to run away from sin and toward Jesus. You need to make your paths straight so that you can finish this race set before us. You have to take action in faith and inspired by faith to fight your sin. You can’t fight your sin on your own. You need the Lord Jesus and your fellow brothers and sisters to help you. You’re gonna need to come clean and confess your struggles to someone. But you can’t stop there. You need to prepare yourself for obedience. Maybe cut off a bad relationship, put in place some accountability, go to different places, seek a new career, have some hard conversations… You know what you need to do. God’s Spirit will work through His people and you will be given everything you need to be obedient. But that does not mean it will be easy. You need to lift your hands, strengthen your knees, and make your paths straight. Real faith takes action because it is accompanied by real repentance. Because it follows a real Christ who do come about through the lineage of Abraham, who did live perfect life though tempted in every way, who was totally God totally and totally man, who really died, and really rose from the dead. And because that is all true and real. We must take real action if we are to follow him. Take the next step. Let’s pray.