Seeking the Lord

Hebrews 12:12-17

-We endure in the faith by seeking God’s grace

The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don't want to do, in order to achieve what they've always wanted to be.  

Tom Landry.

I. Seek God’s Healing vv. 12-13

In the previous passage, the author gave us words of encouragement and instruction about the Lord’s discipline

None of us like it, but all of us need it

It is God’s gift to us to make us people who are able to endure the hardships of the life of faith

Discipline makes endurance possible

How do we respond when we have experienced God’s discipline?

Lift your drooping hands

Strengthen your weak knees

Make straight paths for your feet

The picture here is of straightening yourself up so that you can move forward

Discipline will do one of two things in your life:

It will either leave you disjointed or it will be your healing

It will either build you or it will break you

God want to use this in your life for your good, but the decision is up to you:

I will either flee God and reject Him in my hurting

Or, I will seek Him and His healing

Hosea 6:1–3

[1] “Come, let us return to the LORD;

for he has torn us, that he may heal us;

he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

[2] After two days he will revive us;

on the third day he will raise us up,

that we may live before him.

[3] Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;

his going out is sure as the dawn;

he will come to us as the showers,

as the spring rains that water the earth.” (ESV)

II. Seek God’s Holiness v. 14

Next, we are instructed to strive for peace with everyone and for holiness

These two go hand-in-hand

If you do not have holiness and peace with God, you will not have peace with people

Peace with people is the overflow of peace with God; peace with God comes with the pursuit of holiness of His character

Both holiness and peace require an effort

They are gifts from God and they are works of the Spirit in us

However, we must be willing participants: Are you working with God or against Him?

Philippians 2:12–13

[12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)

An old boatman painted the word "faith" on one oar of his boat and "works" on the other. He was asked his reason for this. In answer, he slipped the oar with "faith" into the water and rowed. The boat, of course, made a very tight circle. Returning to the dock, the boatman then said, "Now, let's try &ls;works' without &ls;faith' and see what happens. The oar marked "works" was put in place and the boatman began rowing with just the "works" oar. Again the boat went into a tight circle but in the opposite direction.

When the boatman again returned to the wharf, he interpreted his experiment in these strong and convincing words, "You see, to make a passage across the lake, one needs both oars working simultaneously in order to keep the boat in a straight and narrow way. If one does not have the use of both oars, he makes no progress either across the lake nor as a Christian.

III. Seek God’s Favor vv. 15-17

In the same vein, the author tells us that we must not miss grace; we must obtain it and strive for it

This feels very opposed to the gospel of grace and the unmerited favor of God

This passage is not a call to earning or to works; grace is always a gift

It does warn us, however, about the danger of missing the blessings of God’s grace in our lives

The life that Jesus promises His people is eternal and abundant

The eternal life is certain

The abundance of life is conditional

It’s entirely possible to miss out on the graces of the abundant life, even as a Christian: How?

A root of bitterness

Bitterness poisons your relationships with people

Bitterness sours your relationship with God

Bitterness defiles you

Sexual immorality

In some ways, this should be self-explanatory

However, we must not excuse or miss the power of the statement

Unholiness

Esau was flippant about the promises and blessings of God in his life

This speaks to irreverence and a lack of fear of the Lord!

Why does this matter?

Because it is possible to miss a window of opportunity

Esau had a blessing, but he threw it away

When he rejected the blessing, he experienced rejection

In Esau’s life there was great sorrow

There were plenty of tears and attempts at repentance

However, there was no turning back in that moment

You can repent and return to the Lord after you sin, but you cannot sin without missing some of the blessings of faithful obedience

A five year old girl was having one of those trouble-filled days with her mother. It seemed they spent the day arguing back and forth. Finally the mom had enough. "Jenny, go sit in the corner, right now! Don’t get up until I tell you to!"

Jenny went to the corner and sat down. In a few minutes she called back, "Mom, I am sitting down on the outside, but I am standing up on the inside!"

We all tend to have a "standing on the inside" nature. 

-Are you seeking God in your discipline?

-Are you seeking God’s holiness?

-Are you seeking God’s abundant favor?