Exhortations for the Christian Life - Part 1

Appreciate that Keith. Think about what we were singing just a moment ago. Speak O Lord. So many different places people are looking for God to speak to them. So many false places, wrong places, and I challenge you to make sure you understand that if you want God to speak to you, you find that in Scripture. You find that in Scripture. I was thinking about something that's a little on the snarky side. I have heard people say if you want God to speak to you out loud or read the Bible out loud, but I thought about it in a more serious way.

If you really want the Lord to speak to you in a loud way, you find a church where the Word of God is preached, where the Word of God is taught, where men open up the Word of God and declare it and call you to obey it. That is where God speaks the loudest. Think about that now. You find a church that preaches the Word, you find a church that's got men in it that teach the Word, and women that teach women, and I'm gonna tell you the Lord will be speaking loudly, loudly, but with that comes great responsibility. Now I don't want to act like we do it perfectly, but I do believe that we take serious the teaching and the preaching of God's Word.

So speak, O Lord. I pray that he speaks to us this morning from Hebrews 12 and the verses that are before us. Well if you would take your Bible, turn back to Hebrews 12. We will be in verses 12 to 17, but I did say earlier we will not cover all of those verses, but they all do go together for one message. This is a part one and we will have a part two when we wrap them up. Now we are moving along in chapter 12 and we are seeing how the author is explaining the practice of the life of faith. I have said this many times I know and I'm going to repeat it, but we need to remember that chapter 11 is all about the reality of the life of faith.

We see that in those great examples that the Lord puts before us. And here in chapter 12 it's all about the practice of the life of faith. And look at the practical Christian living matters that the author is addressing here. From verses 1 to 4 He gives us the call to run the race of the Christian life. Well sometimes I call it the race of the life of faith. And then from verses 3 to 11 He gives us the call to embrace the discipline of God. Of course the discipline of God is usually wrapped up in trials and tribulations, sometimes sufferings and great sorrow.

Well here in verses 12 to 17 we will see that He is giving some practical exhortations that are connected to the race of faith and the discipline of God. I've said it several times already this morning this all goes together. Now let me explain a little more, kind of expand on that a little more. In writing to this congregation we have seen how the author used a running analogy to encourage and teach them. He called them the run the race of their Christian life well. Remember verse 1? It reads, "Let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clean so closely and let us run." Notice let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

"Then the author knowing their pressures, sufferings and persecutions from leaving Judaism for Christianity, he called them to embrace their sufferings and persecutions as a part of the loving discipline of God." Verse 7 says, "It is for discipline that you have to endure." That word endure means to stay under and in and he goes on to say God is treating you as sons. We can say sons and daughters. Well in verses 12 to 17 the author was led of God to give them certain exhortations he knew they needed if they were going to run the race of the Christian life well and if they were going to embrace the discipline of God that he had for them.

Another way of saying it, the author knew that if they did not accept these exhortations they would not run their race of faith well and they would struggle terribly in the trials in the discipline that they were in. That leads me to ask us all a question now an application are there sins and obstacles that could be hindering us in our race of faith? Are there sins and struggles that can be hindering us in our trials and in the discipline that the Lord has for us and our lives? Well we'll look at quite a lot from verses 12 to 17 that could be holding us back in these things.

Now before we jump into the verses I want to point out something here because God was their loving Heavenly Father we've seen that quite a lot and they were his much loved children we've seen that quite a lot their Heavenly Father was giving them certain exhortations that they needed this was just for them. Well if our God is our loving Heavenly Father and he is and is born-again Christians we are his much loved children of God and we are well these exhortations are meant for us so let's make sure we realize these verses and these exhortations are for us they are for us.

Now let's read the verses and then I will show you our approach for the message this morning. Verse 12 "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 rather heal 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 and 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 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." Now this is how we will approach the verses in the message this morning.

This morning we'll cover verses 12 to 14. First we will see the call to strengthen right out of verse 12. Second we'll see the call to straighten that's right out of verse 13. Then third we will see the call to strive in verse 14. Now the next time we are in Hebrews we'll cover verses 15 to 17. Fourth we'll see the call to scrutinize and there's quite a lot in verses 15 to 17. Now let me show you how these verses and this teaching can be summarized in four words. Strengthen it's right there in verse 12. Straighten right there in verse 13. Strive it's right there in verse 14.

Now the word it in verses 14 verses 15 to 17 but it's there the word scrutinize the word scrutinize. So four words strengthen, straighten, strive, scrutinize. Now let's get started. Number one I want us to see and examine the call to strengthen. The call to strengthen. We've just read it but I want us to read the verse one more time verse 12. "Therefore lift up your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees." Now obviously right here we have another analogy. The human body specifically hands and knees. And as we will see this relates to the race of faith and the discipline of God. Now in the imagery here is easy to see.

The author is picturing someone whose hands are weak and hanging low and their knees are weak as well. I thought about it like this. Some of us have been to a few cross-country races. I know I have. Maggie ran cross-country for a period of time and I've been to quite a few since. But if we know the runner who is in the race we can tell when they are gassed or tired while in the race. We can see the fatigue on their face. We can see how they just can't pump those arms quite like they were before and how their running gait or their running motion shortens. That tells us they have become weak and that could be for many reasons.

They may not be in shape like they should. The heat may have gotten to them or they may not have eaten quite like they should have. But they are weak for whatever the reason. Well here the author is giving us a picture of someone whose hands and knees are weak and as we will see this refers to the race of the Christian life and this pertains to the trials and the sufferings and the discipline that these Jews were going to. So let's look at what he's doing here. First he was calling them to strengthen themselves. Now this strengthen here it means to set up and to make erect. It means to lift up and restore even to rejuvenate.

Vincent in his word study says in this word was used in their day in the medical field when doctors would set dislocated body parts. We can understand that today. A doctor may set a broken bone. They may put a dislocated joint back into place. It sounds painful. We understand what that means. But as we will see here now the author is not referring to a physical body part being out of joint or broken. No. This is not a physical runner being weak in a foot race. This is all meta metaphorical. He was calling them to a purposeful restoring and strengthening process and work. So this was a command this was a call.

Actually this is a strong exhortation. Then second he was calling them to strengthen their spiritual weakness. Think of the analogy the teaching tool here. He was using the picture and language of weak and weary arms legs hands knees. We get the idea. This is a picture that illustrates spiritual weakness. He was using this imagery to direct their attention to their own spiritual weakness and weariness. Why? Well from their trials and sufferings in the discipline of the Lord. This all comes from the weakness from their race in the Christian life. So look at how all this comes together.

These believers were emotionally and spiritually weak and weary from their struggles and their sufferings their pressures and persecutions. We know their circumstances. We've gone over their circumstances many times and here we see that some or maybe even many were weak and weary in the discipline of God because the discipline of God and trials and sufferings can be hard. The race of faith can just be uphill at times both ways. So he was calling them to purposefully intentionally strengthen their spiritual weakness. Now look at the Old Testament background here.

These are verses that the author and this original audience knew because these verses come from Isaiah 35 3 to 4. Some of your Bibles may note that. Some of you have probably seen that already. Isaiah 35 3 to 4 says strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. So 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. Here in these verses Isaiah was calling God's weak and fearful and feeble people to persevere because their God had not abandoned them.

Instead of giving into weakness and discouragement they were to strengthen themselves and strengthen one another with the assurance that God would come and save them and judge evil and fulfill his promises to them. Now what we have right here before us this morning is this. The author of Hebrews was drawing from those Old Testament verses and circumstance to call these believers he was writing to in this congregation to do the very same thing. What a practical question. How were they to strengthen themselves? They caused them to strengthen themselves. It's a command. It's an exhortation. Well how?

Well they already knew because he had already told them how. First they were to meditate on and study those Old Testament heroes of the faith seen in chapter 11. See they were to study on how they live their unique life of faith for motivation. And second they were to do what we see in verse 2. They were to look away from all distractions in their lives and they were to fix their hearts and their hearts attention on Jesus who was the author and perfecter of their faith. He was to beat their first incentive for their belief in faith and the one who brought their faith to maturity. So they were looked to Christ.

And then third they were to do what we see here and what we studied in verses 3 to 4. They were to compare their struggles and their weakness to Christ and their Lord's great sufferings on the cross. He endured great hostility and suffering on the cross and by comparison they would see that they had not suffered and bled like their Lord. And again they would have been put into the right frame of mind and thinking here. Now look at how this how this applies to us. If we are weak, if we are weary in our race of faith, in our trials and sufferings and the discipline of God, we are to do what they were supposed to do.

We are to meditate on and study those Old Testament heroes of the faith seen in chapter 11. We are to study their lives. Why? Because they motivate us. If they can do it, we can too. And then we are to do what we see here in verse 2. We are to look away from all of the distractions in our life and fix our hearts attention on Jesus who is the author and the perfecter of our faith. He is to be the first incentive for our belief in faith. He is to be the one that we look to by faith to grow us in our maturity. We look to Christ and then third we are to do what we see here in verses 3 to 4.

We are to compare our struggles, our trials, our weakness to Christ in his great suffering. He endured great hostility and suffering on the cross. And by comparison we will see that we've not suffered in blood like our Lord did. Simply we just study the gospel, study the gospel, study the cross, and that'll keep us and put us in the right frame of thinking. So a question, what are you doing about your spiritual weakness and weariness? What are we doing about our spiritual weakness and weariness? Are we complaining? Are we wallowing? Are we procrastinating? Are we ignoring? Therefore we're losing. Think about it.

Are we strengthening ourselves and our spiritual weakness? Are we just complaining about it all the time? Are we just wallowing in it? Therefore we're in defeat. Are we procrastinating? Saying well I'll work hard in my spiritual weakness tomorrow or are we just ignoring it? Therefore we're losing. Therefore we're losing. Keith and I have quite a few jokes between us and sometimes I'll make a comment about what he's doing and he'll say I'm winning, I'm winning, I'm always winning. I say that jokingly but there are a lot of believers sitting in the pew and they're not winning. They're struggling in great spiritual weakness.

They're complaining and wallowing and procrastinating and ignoring and therefore they're losing. Look church, your greatest battle may not be your circumstances. It may be what you're doing with your spiritual weakness. Let that sink in. So verse 12 is all about the call to strengthen ourselves in our spiritual weakness. Next number two, I want us to see the call to straighten. It's right there in verse 13, the call to straighten. I want to read that verse again. He says and make straight pass for your feet so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Here the author is using more imagery to communicate teaching.

It's obvious this word path brought relatable images into their minds and this same phrase out of joint they would have understood it and just like with verse 12 we will see that this relates to their race of faith, their trials and all the discipline of the Lord they were in and under. Now look at what he was doing here. First he was calling them to straighten out their path, straighten out their direction. The English Standard says make straight path for your feet. Notice the amplified. It says cut through and make smooth straight paths for your feet. In this word path had a great deal of meaning for them in our day. We might not see it.

This spoke of a track of a wheel. This spoke of a rut that was cut in a road from something like a wagon or a cart wheel or a chariot wheel. Today if we have a deer camp or a farm road we may have ruts that are cut in the road from a truck or a tractor or a side-by-side some kind of a utility vehicle. You see it's not paved. It may not even be a gravel road. So therefore a truck or farm equipment leaves ruts in the road. Now notice what he was calling them to do. He was calling them to straighten out the path of the way that was before them and this word translated straighten it means to make straight it means to make smooth.

But scholars tell us this means more than just making the paths of life straight. The idea is that of making the path right, making the path plain and smooth as opposed to a path that is wrong crooked and rough. That reminds me of the roads I used to work and maintain on my grandfather's farm. I had the great privilege to be raised on my grandfather's place quite a lot. He had 450 acres that we got to enjoy for quite a few years. But those roads would get rutted up from trucks and four-wheel drives in the wintertime during deer season with all the family.

Well in the summer when the roads were dried out I would always take on the task of working those roads with my tractor and box blade to make them smooth to make them right. When I was done those roads were straight smooth and straighten out and right until it rained again. But a question here was the author referring to physical roads that pass? Well the obvious answer is no. The author was using that imagery to help the original recipients of this letter to think of their path in life, their way of living in the day-to-day.

He was calling them to look and to see if they were living right, plain, and smooth, which would be the way of God as seen in his Word, or if they were living wrong, crooked, and rough, which would be the way of self sin in the world. And notice what he was implying. Some maybe many were living wrong, crooked, and rough according to sin, self in the world. Now think about their context. Some maybe many were struggling with their pressure of returning to Judaism. They were struggling with the suffering and persecution from leaving Judaism for Christ as the promised Messiah.

Of course we know this was all a part of the loving discipline of God that he had for them. That was their race of faith. We've covered it well. So it seems that many were struggling with sinful, wrong ways of living associated with their trials and the discipline of God. And if they weren't struggling, they were on the verge. So this is the point. He was calling them to straighten out, to make smooth and straight, their way, their direction of living, for themselves and others. See, this was all about running their race of faith well. Listen to that part of verse 1 in the Amplified.

It says, "Cut through and make smooth straight paths for your feet that are safe and go in the right direction." And second, he was calling them to their responsibility to the weak. Here the author says, and I'm reading the Amplified, the last part of the verse, "So that the leg which is lame may not be put out of joint but rather may be healed." Now this lame here, it speaks of a leg or a limb that was lame or paralyzed. And when we see this word, this expression used in the Gospels in the book of Acts, it always refers to a physical limb that was lame or paralyzed. I'll give you an example. It's easy to see.

In Matthew 15.30 we see great crowds came to Him, that's Jesus, bringing with them the lame, the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at His feet. And He, that's Christ, He healed them of their physical maladies. But here the author of Hebrews is obviously speaking metaphorically. He was speaking of spiritual lameness. Listen to how the Bible scholar Kenneth Woothe describes it here. This really helps me. I love it.

He says, "The word here speaks of a spiritual limping and in particular to those among the recipients who were most affected by the persecutions and who were on the verge of going back to the temple sacrifices. But notice the point He was making and how He was calling them to a responsibility and a great one. He was calling them to straighten out, to make smooth and right their way and direction of living so as to help themselves, yes.

But He was calling them in this work so as to help the lame, the ones who were limping about spiritually, otherwise they would be the cause of more spiritual weakness and others to continue limping about spiritually, therefore becoming more spiritually out of joint. Well again that question how? How were they to strengthen themselves so that they would not be limping through their life of faith and causing the weak to do the same and even worse around them? Well for those receiving this letter it meant receiving all the instruction from God that they received. Let me restate that.

For those receiving this letter it meant receiving all the instruction from God that they received, instructions and teaching from this letter, instructions and teaching from their spiritual leaders. This was a church folks. No doubt they had pastors and teachers in the congregation in the church so they were to receive all that they were being taught. Well what about us? How do we make the paths of our lives smooth and straight so that we are not limping around through the race of faith and how are we to smooth out and straighten our life of faith and therefore even help the weaker brother or sister around us? Well it's simple for us.

We receive and obey all the teaching from God's Word that we get. Obviously we should be studying the scripture on our own. There's no excuse. You've got a Bible translation you can understand. You've even got a study Bible where someone will kind of help you with the hard words. But obviously you take what you're taught in the life of our church in you obey it. Think about what you get on Sunday mornings. We give you a steady diet of God's Word. I'll be out next Sunday but Tommy will be preaching and no doubt it'll be a good solid message from God's Word.

Every time someone stands behind this pulpit it is a good solid message from God's Word. I was having a conversation with one of our teenagers, a young man, and he recognized that even when we have a guest minister every time someone stands behind this pulpit they preach the Word. Think about Sunday nights. We have small groups. We can call it Sunday school. Whether you're in a ladies class or a men's class, there's someone studying hard to teach God's Word. We could be going through any book of the Bible. We can be tackling subjects but it doesn't matter. It's a good lesson from God's Word. Sometimes we overlook Wednesday nights.

I tell you folks, Acts has been rich. No matter if someone's on the floor with a podium or behind this pulpit or in a classroom, you get a steady diet from God's Word. Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. There's no excuse. I don't advocate this. So don't go home and say the pastor told me not to study my Bible. You can be weak in studying your Bible in your own personal time but if you're attentive every time we gather you will grow. And look brother, look sister, if we obey all the teaching we receive, the path or race of faith will be straightened out and smoothed out.

We will not be limping through our race of faith and we will strengthen our brothers and sisters around us. This reminds me of one of our young men a few years back just having some struggles. Just regular everyday struggles. And I looked at him and I challenged him and I said brother you're not faithful on Wednesday nights. You're not quite as faithful as you need to be in small groups. See I didn't give him answers for his problems. I said I challenge you. Adjust your schedule, get your family more in order and you be here every Wednesday night and be faithful on Sunday night and I'm telling you you'll grow. You'll grow.

Three months later he came up to me, pastor, pastor, you're right. I'm doing better. I'm doing better. It's not because I have all kinds of infinite wisdom. It's just because I know that if you're under the Word of God your life will be straightened out. And I don't even know what kind of bumps and crooked roads he had in his life at that time. God did. And remember folks we cannot run the race of faith well all while walking a crooked path and look God's Word straightens it out. God's Word straightens it out. So in verse 13 we see the call to strengthen our spiritual weakness, our spiritual weakness.

Next number three I want us to see the call to strive. We see this in verse 14, the call to strive. Now I want to read verse 14 but let's read them all together. Verse 12, 13 and 14. It's not very long. You're gonna see a shift. 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. Strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Now here we can see the author does not use any more imagery in his teaching.

He just shifts to two more commands that are very plain, very simple, very easy to see. Oh but there's so much more here and you may see at first glance. But just like with verses 12 to 13 what we have here in verse 14 relates to the race of faith and the discipline of God as well. It's all connected. I keep saying it. Now look at what he's doing here, what he's saying. First he called them to strive for peace with everyone and notice what this striving looks like. The English Standard uses the word strive. The New American says pursue peace with all men and this strive or striving is very, very important.

It means to run and it means to run fast. It means to run fast in order to catch something or catch someone. And language scholars tell us this is very strong language. This is a very strong word which communicates a striving hard, a striving fast, a continuous striving after someone or something. Scholars tell us this originally described a hunter chasing their prey. In their day this described a soldier pursuing their enemy in the end their day. This described an athlete who is pressing hard towards the victory. And this always in all these circumstances implies great intensity.

But notice what the author called them to strive for with great intensity. Peace with all men. You see that? Peace with all men. Peace, tranquility, harmony. The opposite would be hostility. And let's think about this original audience more. Specifically those Jews who had really and truly trusted savingly in Christ and all they could have had friction and hostility with and against. Now no doubt these Jewish believers struggled with friction and hostility with those who had rejected them and mistreated them for leaving Judaism. Think about these true brothers. Their families had cut them off. Their families had rejected them.

Think about the friction and the hostility in their minds and hearts they could have had for their family. They were rejected by friends, maybe lifelong friends. They could have been struggling with all kinds of friction and hostility in their hearts for their friends against their friends. Think about all the people that they knew that were abusing them and persecuting them. They could have struggled with all kinds of hostility against them. No doubt these strong Jewish believers could have had friction and disagreements with those in the church who had left and gone back to Judaism. No doubt they could have thought well gee whiz thanks.

No doubt these strong believers may have had friction and maybe even hostility for those weak and struggling believers that needed strengthening and straightening out. Maybe they looked across the sanctuary and thought you just need to buck up and do better and I'm sick of seeing it. But what did he tell them to do? Write them off? Write down their name and scratch it out? Did he tell them to ignore them? Did he tell them to alienate them? Did he say oh when you see them in town ignore them and walk the other way? He told them continually pursue peace with everyone. Continually pursue peace with everyone.

Let that sink in continually pursue peace with everyone. Wuston his translation says constantly be eagerly seeking after peace with all. Let that sink in constantly be eagerly seeking peace after peace with all. Now question now and this is a biggie. Are there people in your life that you should have peace with but you do not? You may say pastor you're getting personal. Are there people in your life that you should have peace with but you do not? Do you have nothing but hostility, alienation, bitterness, animosity, and broken relationship with people in your life instead of peace?

Maybe you've never verbalized that it's in your mind and in your heart. Oh when the kids aren't around you talk about it with your wife or your husband. Listen to what Leon Morris says here. Tell me if this isn't relatable. He says it is the way of the world to be self-assertive which makes for friction and disharmony. It is the way of Christ's people to be peaceable. A state that does not come about by drifting aimlessly. Again, are there people in your life that you should have peace with but you do not? Now here's my challenge. Go home with your spouse and be honest.

Men you might need your wife to look at you in the face and say I'm gonna tell you you've got a longer list than you realize. Maybe you need to make a list together of those that you don't have peace with. Next week we're gonna revisit this or when we're back in Hebrews again. We're gonna revisit this continually pursue peace with everyone and we will look at who we should always have peace with. What happens if one will not allow us to have peace and when it is acceptable not to have peace with Son? You might say pastor you're contradicting the verse.

Listen folks this is a biggie and this is one we've got to tackle and understand and live out. We will look at who we should always have peace with. What happens if one will not allow us to have peace because that happens and when it is acceptable not to have peace with Son because sadly that is the case because we live in a sinful and fallen world. And church this is vital for us. There are some in our congregation that are struggling in the race of faith because of a lack of peace with all. Second he called them to strive for holiness.

It's right there in the verse strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Here we see the second exhortation here in the verse he called them to strive for holiness just like they were to strive for peace with all men like a hunter who continually strives for his prey with great intensity they were to strive for holiness. Well what is holiness? It's rather simple. Holiness is simply being set apart for God but let me expound a little. The holiness which this letter now has explained is a drawing near to God with a clean and clear conscience. Chapter 10 verse 14 and verse 22.

The holiness seen in this letter is a true acceptance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. That means salvation which brings the worshipper of God in the fellowship with God. William Barclay the scholar explains it like this saying although a man lives in the world the person who is holy must always in one sense be different from the world and separate from the world his standards are not the world's standards. And the writer of Hebrews says that without holiness they will not see God and I will unpack what that means a little more the next time we're in the verses. But another question, personal. Are we striving for holiness in life?

Are we striving for holiness in life? And what are we striving for in life? What about hobby? Do we strive for that hobby that we love? What about money? Do we strive to make more money? What about work and career? Do we strive to work hard in advance in our career? What about acceptance from certain people? Do we strive to be accepted? What about popularity? Do we strive because we want to be popular over here and over there? What about power? Do we strive for power? We could keep making the list now. What are we striving for? And some of these things aren't bad. A.T. Robertson says give peace a chase as if in a hunt. I like that.

Give peace a chase as if in a hunt. Maybe we should say give holiness a chase as if in a hunt. Through the writer of Hebrews God is saying he is saying to us give peace and holiness a chase as if we are in a hunt because we should be. And just like with striving for peace, next time we are here in Hebrews we're gonna go further here. We need to examine three types of holiness as seen in the scripture. Positional holiness, what that means. Sanctifying holiness and how we are responsible in the ultimate or perfect holiness to come. So verse 14, we see the call to strive hard for peace with all men and personal holiness in the life.

Now like I said before I want to pause right here and next time we are in Hebrews we're going to go deeper here with this peace and holiness in verse 14. And from verses 15 to 17 we will see how we are to scrutinize our lives scrutinize our lives and there are four things four things that should never be in our lives. And as I close I want us to see the title of the message. I have said from time to time through the years that titles are important to me. The title should encapsulate the message. The title should drive, highlight the theme of the message. Verses 12 to 17 are all about exhortations for the life of faith.

Exhortations for the race of faith. Exhortations for the trials and the sufferings and the discipline of God in the race and life of faith. But I kind of simplified. The title of the message is exhortations for the Christian life. Exhortations for the Christian life because these commands and exhortations are for every aspect of the Christian life. Now let's pray. I want us to commit what we've studied to the Lord and then we will transition into partaking in the supper.