Hebrews 12:12-17

When we run the race that is set before us, when we look to Jesus, when we cherish the refinement of our life, the majesty and the glory of Jesus Christ will ALWAYS be revealed.

Ask the Lord to do the impossible in and through your life

Hebrews 12:12–13 ESV

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

In a long distance race, your hands and arms get tired first. Your hands maintain your posture and help generate speed. Your knees get tired second. If you focus on being tired, you will stop focusing on the race. In my 1st half-marathon, during the last 2 miles, I kept repeating pick up your knees because I was focused on finishing the race.

In the text, the writer of Hebrews draws the same parallels. There are areas of our lives, spiritually and physically, that lose strength and lose mobility sometimes make it seem impossible to stay in the race set before us. Even though stepping out of the race is possible, the writer isn’t going to let us quit the race that easily. He tells us take our weakened strength and mobility and maintain a guaranteed focus we will stay the course. I think he wanted to remind his readers that quitting the race or veering off the course will dislocate our walk with Jesus long before it heals and transforms our walk with Jesus.

Would you agree that sometimes quitting is easier than continuing? In 2016, I had a class on Psalms and the professor and I did not get along the entire course. Every course in my doctoral program finished with a 35 page paper. Shortly after I submitted this assignment, the professor called me. He said to me, “Chris, this paper is horrible. Why are you in this doctoral program? You can either take an F in the course or you can re-write the paper and I’ll give you 2 weeks.” I was scheduled to be at camp during the second week, so I really had 1 week to write this paper in addition to all the other things I had to do to be ready for camp. I got off the phone and asked Bridget if I could take the F and move on. She said, “Peoples don’t quit! Write the paper.”

What I learned from that professor I will carry with me the rest of my days. I am a better Bible student and a Bible teacher because he pushed me (and my wife encouraged me) not to veer off the course or quit the race. To complicate finishing well, I left a few days early with our camper and everybody else was going to meet me in Grand Haven. About two hours into the trip, I stopped at a red light and the car behind me did not and I had to deal with a totaled camper.

Weakened strength and mobility sometimes seems like it is impossible to stay in the race set before us. Followers of Jesus don’t quit. Finish the race.

The writer of Hebrews actually borrowed from Isaiah 35, so let’s put Isaiah 35:1–4 on the screen - “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.””

When we ask the Lord to do the impossible in us and through, the Lord always reveals his majesty and his glory. The Lord turns the impossible into the possible. The Lord does battle on our behalf. The Lord kindly brings healing. The Lord graciously saves. Please do not allow your weakened strength, your weakened mobility, your weakened desire, or your anxiety to have more power in your life than the majesty and glory of the Lord.

Ask the Lord to protect the contents of your character and invite another person to help you guard it

Hebrews 12:14–17 ESV

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 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; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 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.

The writer of Hebrews gave a list that will help his readers stay in the race that is set before us.

Look at verse 14. Pursue peace in your relationships with other people. Pursue holiness in your relationship with the Lord. Do both so others will see Jesus in your life.

Look at verses 15-16. There are three ‘see to it’ statements. Remember Hebrews is written to Jewish Christians. Also, half of the New Testament is written to specific pastors and specific churches.

See to it (episkopeo) that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. The phrase translates that we are supposed to be on the lookout for others who are part of the church that haven’t fully surrendered to Christ, others who are baby Christians that have one foot in the world and one foot in the church, others who are Christians but not disciples, others who have holiness gaps and character fractures.

Do you remember this ~ invite others into relationships that deeply matter. Ladies accountable to ladies. Men accountable to men. Biblical relationships assist our holiness.

See to it that no “root of bitterness” springs us, causes trouble and defiles many. We have to look at Deuteronomy 29:18-20.

See to it that no one is sexually immoral or ungodly.

If Esau respected his birthright, he could have had a different life. He was arrogant enough to think he could still receive an inheritance that wasn’t his to receive. Even though he was tearful, he was not repentant and has the reputation of being an unholy, godless man.

I think American Christians flirt with godlessness more than we realize. Sexual immorality and godless living is a cultural norm and we are influenced by people who are not Bible-centered more than we realize. I want to remind us that without the Lord protecting the content of our character, it’s possible to throw Scripture at a situation without the mind of Christ. If Satan will quote Scripture to Jesus in the wilderness, he’s going to quote Scripture to you and me. If he can use Scripture to convince us to bend a little bit, he knows eventually that we will bend more.

I’m not sure Esau knew that bowl of soup would get him as far off course as it did. Verse 14 tells us that no amount of remorse or tears could reverse the natural consequences of his decision.

Satan knows that compromising the contents of our character in small amounts will eventually destroy our character. He also knows we think it won’t happen to us. I think I’ve been intentional about strong boundaries in my life. There are some conversations that I avoid. There are some situations that I avoid. Most social media videos sent to me are avoided. Any time I am wearing my watch, somebody knows where I am. I love my family and my church enough to “see to ” the contents of my character. Paul’s words to Timothy helped me make those decisions.

1 Timothy 4:7 - “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness”

1 Timothy 6:20–21 - “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.”

2 Timothy 2:16–17 - “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.”

Gangrene is an infection that interrupts a body’s blood supply and, without treatment, could eat away flesh and bones.

I would rather be accused of giving too much grace to undeserving people than be accused of infecting my church so severely that decay and death was the only possible result.

As we worship, walk, work and witness better in 2026, will you ask the Lord to do the impossible through your life and refine you so the majesty and glory of God will be revealed to every person you see?