Countering the Desire to Give Up - Hebrews 10-11

Intro “I give up”

Link

What makes us want to give up?

lost confidence in person/leadership

feels hopeless - pointless, unlikely to change/achive outcome

we feel alone

In the christian life - what makes us want to give up?

loss of confidence - God feels distant, uninterested, removed, inaccessible, unable to provide the resources/support we need

hopelessness - we can’t see what is ahead, insecure, unattainable, doubt the future and what will happen, God wont do what he says

we feel alone, islolated and lacking encouragement

Don’t Give Up.

Through the Writer of Hebrews , God is calling us to perservere, to endure and keep going in Jesus. God’s deepest and driving concern for us is that we don’t give up, because in doing so, we will miss out on the good God has in store for us.

Hebrews 10-11 speaks directly into these three convictions that lead us want to give up, and gives us an active, collective response to counter them with.

When journeying a sesson of doubt, unsettledness, fear or disheartenment, don’t give up. But together, lets take up faith, hope and love.

Countering lost confidence by drawing near

Countering insecruity/hopelessness by holding onto hope

Countering isolation by considered encouragement

2. Confidence to draw near

Hebrews 10:19

in seasons of hardship and trials it is so easy to loose confidence. To believe that God is not in control, that God does not care, that God is not good, and that God doesnt have a plan. Our natural response to our lack of confidence is to distance ourselves from God, to seek certainity and security in other people or things.

The writer of Hebrews challenges us to instead counter our doubts, by drawing near to God. We have direct, open, personal access to God. this isunhindered access is achieved by the death and sacrifice of Jesus. We can know God personally, ask him directly, and recieve from him exactly what we need

When God is held at a distance, we can believe that God unseeing, unfeeling or uncaring. But when we draw near, enter into his presence, we can experience and see him for who he truely is. Tender, Loving, kind, gentle, powerful, wise and true.

Because of the priestly work of Jesus, his sacrificial death for us, once for all time, Jesus has opened up the way for us to commune with God. When Jesus died on the cross, he tore open the curtain, that kept God’s presence hidden and inaccessible and now Jesus lives eternally, keeping it open, never to be closed again.

Jesus is the way into God’s presence, the one and only way, the living way. through our faith in Jesus, as our saviour, we can step right into the throne room of heaven, and walk right up into the presence of the Creator of heaven and earth, and receive his tender welcome as our heavenly father.

We have open access to God’s presence, we can draw near to him, any time, in any situation, about anything. And we will recieve exactly what we need.

We have confidence and assurance that we are fully forgiven, fully known, fully seen, fully loved, because of Jesus. And we have access to a heavenly Father, who has given us permission to speak freely, to ask boldly, and to seek exactly what we need. And who delights in giving us just what we need, right when we need it.

Confidence lies in the work that Jesus has done. Look back - forgiveness and open access he has won for us. Draw near

3. Holding unswervingly to hope

4. Considered Love and good deeds