20.5.31p - Hebrews 12 - Finding Hope In God

Why do people fall away from God? What clicks in their mind to make them think that it is okay to give up? I have always struggled to understand why. Watching people I respect and consider to be faithful slip away is something I hate most about this life. If I'm honest, it makes me afraid as well. If someone as loyal as so and so could deceive themselves, maybe I could as well. This fear encourages me to look for comfort and understanding in God's word. I hope that our study tonight will provide support and understanding as we consider those who have fallen away.

Last week, we started to look at worship from the standpoint of drawing near to God's throne by the blood of Jesus. Like Leviticus, we all have an opportunity to draw near to God because he wants to be with us. But instead of bringing him our animal for our atoning sacrifice, Jesus is our sacrifice. But if Jesus is our sacrifice, what do we bring to God? The words of the old song Rock of Ages ring true, "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling." We cannot bring anything substantial to God. But last time we read from Hebrews 10 and saw what God finds pleasing in us.

Hebrews 10:19--25 (ESV) --- 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

This text is our main focus because it tells us what God wants us to bring him in our worship. Last time we focused on the first part of verse 22. God wants us to bring a true heart in full assurance of faith. Chapter 10:37-12:4 gave us an understanding of faith. Faith is unwilling to shrink back when facing opposition, suffering, or failure because we trust in the Lord's promises. We feel assured of the things God has promised us and convicted about the faithfulness of God. Tonight we will see a second aspect that pleases God, hope. Hope is very closely connected to faith.

What About Hope?

What about hope? Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. We often use the phrase, "I hope it doesn't rain" or something like that to express our desires for something positive to happen. But notice that hope in the Bible is not a matter of chance. When a Christian says, "I hope I go to heaven," it is not to be said in the same melancholy tone as "I hope it doesn't rain." The hope the Bible talks about is based on God's ability and his willingness to deliver.

In Hebrews 10:22-23, we read that God desires for his worshippers to have hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed with pure water. Then, he says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." Sprinkling our hearts and washing our bodies represents a purifying and cleansing that prepares us to enter God's presence. Sprinkling refers to the sprinkling that would happen when we enter the covenant relationship (12:24). It is a sprinkling of blood that makes us holy. Washing would be something priests would do to cleanse themselves from all impurities. This is an indicator of our baptism and salvation, where we are made a part of God's priesthood, and it perfectly leads to the next statement about hope. The writer encourages us to hold fast the confession of our hope.

God has provided what we need and promises us access to his throne through the blood of Jesus when we bring true hearts of faith and hold fast to the confession of our hope. So we must hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering. What does that mean? What is the confession of our hope? How do we hold on to it? Notice the last phrase, he who promised is faithful. We hope that God will be faithful to his promises. He will be faithful to forgive those who put their trust in him. After discussing faith in Chapter 11, we go into Chapter 12 to learn about hope.

Hoping In Our Heavenly Father

The section on hope is divided into two parts. The first part is in verses 5-14.

Hebrews 12:5--14 (ESV) --- 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 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. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

This section reminds the listeners that God is a loving Father, and we are his children. What beautiful words of hope! God does not call us his slaves or little ants that he occasionally likes to squash. God calls us his children. Do we see the hope found in that statement? How do we love our children? We provide for them. We are patiently taking care of them and training them to succeed in life.

This text tells us that God is doing the same thing. He is training us and helping us grow to become like him. When we suffer and do not get what we want in life, God wants us to learn valuable lessons. This life is temporary, painful, and unpleasant. Through it all, he wants us to grow more holy like he is holy (12:10). His goal is to heal our weaknesses and help us become better persons by not giving us what we want all the time. Reread verse 14.

Hebrews 12:14 (ESV) --- 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

He wants us to be with him and to experience his eternal glory. I guarantee that no amount of pleasure in this life will compare with what he has to offer. God is a loving father who wants to prepare us for that. He wants to help us get past the temporary things in this life and move toward the eternal.

Notice the picture he uses throughout this is the discipline of a father to his children. When we discipline, it may take on many forms, but the goal of discipline is to train our children for God. When we do that, we have seen that they don't like it. Some children take discipline lightly. They don't care about the lesson they are supposed to learn. Other children give up when disciplined. In both of these extremes, children feel as though the discipline is unjustified, and they want to rebel against their parents' authority. They feel like there is no hope because they are suffering.

Think about how that perception is not reality. The writer wants us, as God's children, to accept the discipline and learn from it. There was a song called "Daddy's Hands" that I always think about when I think about discipline. The main chorus goes like this, "Daddy's hands weren't always gentle, but I've come to understand that there were always love in daddy's hands." That's not true of every father, but it is certainly true of God. That's what the writer wants us to see about God. He wants us to see that God allowing us to suffer, go without, or fail is an act of love. If we have been suffering, we might be inclined to reject God as unloving. We lose our hope like Job lost hope in God's goodness after tremendous pain. But God always intended to strengthen us and make us more holy!

The Danger of Giving Up Hope

In verse 15, he transitions into the second idea that is meant to refine our hope. God is not only a loving Father; he is also a righteous judge.

Hebrews 12:15--17 (ESV) --- 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.

This idea will extend through the rest of the chapter, but before moving on, we have to see this. Notice that God is not a pushover parent. If we refuse to learn from his discipline and put our hope in his wisdom, power, and love, we risk rejection. He says that it is possible to fail to obtain the grace of God. God is not willing to overlook a bitter and rebellious heart.

The phrase "root of bitterness" refers to Israel's rebellion in the wilderness. Remember how quickly they lost hope in God's promise because of their suffering? They became bitter and angry toward God. This bitterness defiles us and makes unfit to enter into the presence of God. God wants us to see his goodness and hope in that goodness when we are suffering.

The reference to Esau is fascinating. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. He exchanged the hope that God has offered his family for a bowl of soup. He wanted to receive the blessing that was handed down through Abraham and Isaac, but he could not receive it because God rejected him. What was missing in Esau? Why did he commit sexual immorality and join himself with the women of the land of Canaan? He did not share in the faith and hope for future inheritance from God. He probably saw that birthright as useless because Isaac owned hardly any land at the time. Losing hope results in focusing on the temporary things of this world and giving up the eternal things to pursue temporary things.

Father and Judge

How amazing is it to call God our loving Father. He wants to be in that close of a relationship with us. However, the final part of Chapter 12 shows us that God is not just a loving Father; he is also the ruler of all the universe. This means that he is worthy of our reverence and respect. God is our Father, but he is also the holiest God.

Hebrews 12:18--27 (ESV) --- 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken---that is, things that have been made---in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Notice what we are drawing near to. It is not Mount Sinai, all wrapped with fire and with the trumpet that blows louder and louder (Exo 20). Drawing near to that mountain was so terrifying that Moses was trembling. It is Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. We stand in the presence of the holy God, who is over all. Do you think that some level of reverence and fear is appropriate? The writer wants us to hold on to our hope because approaching God's throne with the wrong perception of God is dangerous. Thinking of God as unfaithful is dangerous. He ties it back in to Jesus in verse 24 because our hope drawing near is made completely possible through Jesus.

I am not afraid of God failing to keep up his end of the bargain and judging me unjustly. I am afraid that I would refuse to listen to Jesus' warnings. I’m terrified of losing sight of God’s goodness and pursuing the things of this world. I’m terrified of falling into the traps of Israel and losing this hope. Fear is appropriate and right in this situation. It is not opposed to hope. Fear motivates us to focus on hope. If we lose fear we may lose hope soon after. If we lose hope, we fall back into the world and become displeasing to God. So we better keep hoping in God's goodness and God's promises.

Hebrews 12:28--29 (ESV) --- 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

These last two verses sum up our worship to God with faith and hope. God wants to see grateful hearts that believe in the word of God and endure through the suffering. He does not want to see bitter hearts that fail to perceive him as a loving and good Father!

Application and Conclusion

For us to worship God acceptably, we must have a true heart with faith and hope in God. God is the loving Father who helps us grow more holy and righteous throughout our lives. He is also the righteous judge who will not accept us if we give up on him.

When I look at the stars and all of creation to consider the God of the universe, I wonder how infinitely amazing God truly is. But then, I realize that he cares for me as I do my child. He knows me and he loves me. How great is our hope in God!

As we think about those around us who have fallen away, we must ask ourselves, "Why is it so easy for us to forget who God is and what he has offered us?" Does suffering remove our hope in a good God? Does temptation to sin seem like a better alternative than our promised inheritance? No way!

One day we will all stand before God's throne with proper regard for his holiness. We will seek the blessing he promises to give us, but we will be doomed if we trade his promises for this world. We must value the hope that we have in God through Christ. We must hold fast to that hope and never trade it for anything.