To Give Us An Example Of Costly Love

We looked last at Hebrews 10 with that exhortation to encourage one another,

to build one another up, to continue to gather together.

Hebrews chapter 11 is that great chapter of the faithful,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

those who have gone before us by faith.

And that cadence repeated again and again,

reminding us of the life of faith expressed at different times

and in different experiences.

We now come to chapter 12.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons.

My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.

Endure hardship as discipline.

God is treating you as sons.

For what son is not disciplined by his father?

And if you are not disciplined, and everyone undergoes discipline,

then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us,

and we respected them for it.

How much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live?

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while, as they thought best.

But God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace

for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.

Make level paths for your feet,

so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy.

Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.

See to it that no one misses the grace of God

and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

See that no one is sexually immoral or is godless like Esau,

who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

Afterwards, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected.

He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched

and that is burning with fire to darkness, gloom, and storm,

to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words

that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them

because they could not bear what was commanded.

If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.

The sight was so terrifying that Moses said,

I am trembling with fear.

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem,

the city of the living God.

You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels

in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn

whose names are written in heaven.

You have come to God, the judge of all men,

to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,

to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,

and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word

than the blood of Abel.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.

If they did not escape when they refused him

who warned them on earth, how much less will we

if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?

At that time, his voice shook the earth,

but now he has promised,

once more, I will shake not only the earth,

but also the heavens.

The word once more indicate the removing

of what can be shaken, that is created things,

so that that which cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom

that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful

and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

for our God is a consuming fire.

As we turn back to that portion of Hebrews 12

that we're going to look at, namely those first three verses,

I was reminded today that the church of Jesus Christ

is not small, but large.

The Joshua Project, which is one of the best statistical overviews

of the world's population and of its people groups,

tells us that there are over 17,000 people groups in this world

that comprise 7.59 billion people,

and at present they estimate that 2.375,

or 2 billion, 375 million people,

identify themselves as followers of Jesus.

So we should be encouraged, we should take heart,

because sometimes we look at our situation,

whether that's our congregation, our city, our country,

the area of the world in which we are situated,

and we might find ourselves disheartened.

We might find ourselves discouraged.

But when we take a step back and we look globally,

we realize that the church of Jesus is not receding,

but rather advancing,

and that the number of followers of Jesus Christ

has never, ever been greater than it is today.

The author to the book of Hebrews

wants to encourage the followers of Jesus,

wants to encourage them,

and wants to encourage us this evening.

And having read that chapter, chapter 11,

if you haven't read it recently,

read it again tonight.

And having recounted these great stories of the faithful,

has a message for the here and for the now,

and for you and for me.

Therefore, since we are surrounded

by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders

and the sin that so easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before him

endured the cross,

scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand

of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition

from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary

and lose heart.

There are many modern-day Proverbs,

and one of them goes like this.

When the going gets tough,

the tough get going.

But what about the weak?

What happens when the going gets tough

and you're weak?

What happens when the going gets tough

and you're discouraged or disheartened?

It's not as snappy, is it?

You know, when the going gets tough,

the weak give up.

Or when the going gets tough,

the discouraged turn back.

Or when the going gets tough,

the disappointed give in.

Doesn't make as nice of a proverb,

does it?

But many of us often realize

that we are not in the category

of the tough or the resilient,

that we don't have the personal reserves

or the personal strength

to persevere in the face of

challenge or opposition.

So the going is tough

for the audience here,

and the going is tough

for the audience here.

Life is hard, unpredictable,

unexpected.

And now, there's a spoiler alert here,

because we're looking at

the suffering of Jesus.

We're trying to answer the question,

why did Jesus suffer and die?

Now, the spoiler alert

is that the suffering and death of Jesus

is not the last part of the story.

That as we are joining

with the worldwide church

in what is described as Holy Week,

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday,

proceeds through Holy Thursday,

when Jesus celebrated

his last supper with his disciples,

and that night that he was betrayed

and handed over and arrested,

and that next day when he was tried

and condemned and crucified,

we're celebrating or remembering,

reflecting upon Good Friday,

this coming Friday.

But the spoiler alert

is that Jesus does not remain dead

and buried,

that suffering and sorrow

does not have the final word,

because Jesus is alive,

and that Jesus is risen,

risen from the dead.

Jesus is ascended from earth to heaven,

and Jesus is seated

at the right hand of God,

the Father in heaven.

So the author to the book of Hebrews

is telling his audience

that Jesus Christ is better,

and that Jesus Christ is best.

And that's the message

they need to hear

again and again and again.

And as you read through

these 13 chapters of Hebrews,

there's lots of illustrations

from the Old Testament,

lots of references

to priests or sacrifices,

but that lesson

is constantly being refrained.

Jesus better,

Jesus best.

It's tough life.

It's hard.

It's difficult.

And we're weak and weary.

We don't have the reserves.

We don't have the strength.

And you don't keep going

because of who you are.

You don't summon

some sort of internal source of strength

or internal source of wisdom.

You carry on because of who he is.

And you carry on

because of what he has done.

And you carry on

because he in fact did suffer.

And he in fact did die.

But that suffering and death

did not have the final word,

but rather life, resurrection,

ascension, and glory.

And that's the paradigm.

And we're going to explore that more

in a few moments,

but that's the picture.

That there is suffering

and there is hardship

and there is death.

But just as death did not have

the final victory over the Lord Jesus,

nor does death and suffering

have the final victory

over the followers of our Lord Jesus.

That he is the center

and it's all about him.

Now here's the question,

or here's the problem.

There was a revolution in thinking

that took place in astronomy.

There was the old model

of how this universe

or how this solar system worked.

And the old model was that

all the planets revolve around the earth.

We still kind of allude to that thinking

when we talk about the sun rising

and the sun setting.

We don't believe that anymore.

But even that illusion

kind of gives us a sense

that we are stationary

and it's the sun that rises

or the sun that sets.

But that old way of thinking

gave way to a revolutionary

new way of thinking.

That Copernicus reminded us

that actually, no, it's the sun

is the center of the solar system

and the planets, all the planets

revolve around that solar system.

Now this is not a lesson in cosmology,

but it's a question

that we need to answer

because is this world revolving around us,

me or you?

You know, are we at the center of this world

and we expect everything to revolve around us?

Because if we do,

I think we're going to be greatly disappointed

because it doesn't revolve around us.

But if this world revolves around Jesus,

if he's the center of this world,

then we do have hope.

If he's the center of this universe,

then we do have help.

But if we are the center

and then the going gets tough,

well, that's where you take over

or I take over.

We need the resources

or we need the strength

or we actually need to carry this world

and all of its problems

along with all of our troubles

and all of our sorrows.

So if we find ourselves honestly saying,

I can't cope,

I can't deal with life,

my life,

I can't deal with my problems,

I can't deal with the problems of others,

I can't fix what's broken in this world.

Well, if you're at that particular point

in your understanding

that actually the world

does not revolve around you,

the writer to the Hebrews

is telling us take heart

and be encouraged

because everything revolves around him.

We have hope tonight.

We have help tonight.

We have comfort tonight.

And the Bible addresses us

in real life settings

with real life challenges,

with real wisdom,

with real comfort

and real encouragement.

I feel sorry for anyone

who has come to

or has been introduced

to the Christian message

and has been told,

believe in God

and your problems disappear.

Follow Jesus

and everything will be rosy

because that's not a genuine

or a fair presentation of the gospel.

It's not true to life.

It's not true to the word.

And people who find themselves

introduced to the gospel in that way

will find themselves quickly

disheartened on the journey.

So if you remember the power,

if you remember the main message

of Hebrews

that Jesus is better

because Jesus is best.

He's better than us.

He's better than anything else.

He's the best.

So anything other than Jesus

is second best.

If we settle for

or if we turn to anything

or anyone other than Jesus,

we are turning to a source of power

or a source of wisdom

that by definition is inferior.

So I'd like to begin

with two exhortations

or two words of encouragement.

But before we get to those

let us words or phrases,

I'd like to notice

that we are not alone.

Beginning of verse 12 says,

since we are surrounded

by such a great cloud of witnesses.

We're not alone in the Christian life.

That's why Hebrews chapter 10,

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

we're reminded of the fellowship

of believers.

That's why in Hebrews chapter 11,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

we're reminded of those

great generations of the faithful

who have gone before us.

And the picture now here

is almost of a picture of a stadium.

It's of an athletic contest

or a race.

And there's a stadium.

There's a crowd gathered.

And this crowd is gathered

to cheer us on,

to encourage us along the way.

And I find that's a helpful picture.

Because if you think

that life is a solitary journey

that you walk alone,

that you begin and walk

and continue on your own

with your own set of circumstances,

it can become pretty disheartening.

And I think that's one

of the great benefits and blessings

that we have in fellowship,

that worshiping together,

serving together,

studying the Bible together,

that we realize that together

we are stronger than we are apart.

We can encourage.

We can be encouraged.

We can carry one another's burdens.

We can love one another,

serve and help one another.

And the writer here is telling us

that there's a great cloud of witnesses.

That this great cloud of witness

surrounds us, encourages us,

cheers us on, encourages us along the way.

That if life is a race,

and we'll see that image in a moment,

if life is a race,

and we realize that many, many people

have run this race,

have gone through these hardships,

have dealt with these problems,

and have made it through,

we realize that we too can make it.

Not with our own strength,

but with the strength of God,

with the help of Jesus,

but knowing that there is

this cloud of witnesses,

the fellowship of believers,

and those who have gone before us

in the journey.

So there's two exhortations,

let us.

The first is negative,

let us throw off

everything that hinders

and the sin that so easily entangles.

So in this race,

or in this journey,

there is a lot that will hold us back.

So if the going is tough,

and if the race is long,

and if it feels like the burdens are many,

sin, placing yourself

at the center of the story,

only adds to the problem,

only makes the journey harder,

only makes the trials tougher.

So if the picture here

is of a race and of a runner,

you want every advantage

for that runner,

and you want to eliminate

every disadvantage.

And sin is described

as that which entangles

and that which hinders.

Now sin is described

as many different ways in the Bible.

It's described as rebellion,

doing things your own way.

It's described as missing the mark

or crossing the line.

But if life is a race or a journey,

then sin is everything

that distracts you or diverts you

or makes the journey even harder.

So we are being exhorted here

to throw off everything,

everything that runs contrary

to what God is like.

That we are to live with holiness

rather than selfishness,

rather than self-centeredness,

rather than sin that clouds our minds

and sin that distracts our heart

and sin that diverts our path.

So there's the negative

and then there's the positive.

And let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us.

That there is a race

and it is marked.

We don't need to mark the race out ourself.

We don't need to determine the path.

The path is already marked out.

So the negative, let us throw off.

And the positive, let us run.

So those are the exhortation

that we are journeying with this great crowd

that's cheering us on.

So we have the people of God

and above all, we have the Son of God.

So life is a race.

It is a journey.

And it's not a sprint.

It doesn't happen like that.

But at 52, you realize

that there's many years that are behind you

and you hope and pray

that there might yet be a few years ahead of you.

But you realize that the Christian life

is not simple or straightforward

or quick or carefree.

And there's something that I can do

to make this journey easier,

i.e. that I focus my mind

and focus my heart upon God and his truth.

So we need each other.

But above all, we need Jesus.

So if there are two exhortations,

we now are told that we are to pay close attention.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

Not a quick glance,

not a temporary, you know,

not just a look here or a look there,

but let us focus our attention on him.

Because if this journey is long

and if this journey is tough

and if we need every comfort

and every encouragement,

he is the source.

He's the author.

He's the perfecter.

So if Jesus is better because Jesus is best

and if the letter to the Hebrews

is a reminder that it's all about him,

the Christian life is all about him.

Yes, it's a life that we run.

It's a race that we run,

but we run looking to him.

It's a race that's begun with Jesus

and it's a race that's continued with Jesus

and it's a race that is ultimately concluded

with Jesus.

So he is the one that we look to.

He is the one that we focus upon

and he is the one that we need to start,

to continue, and to finish.

Who is this Jesus?

What has this Jesus done?

And this is the key.

This is the key that unlocks the message of the Bible,

the person of Jesus,

that he's the son of God.

He's the savior of the world.

What has this Jesus done?

Well, he's come into this world.

He's come down to our level.

He's lived the life that we have not lived.

He's died the death that we ought to have died.

He's given us this paradigm

or this picture of suffering, of death.

But yet that picture of suffering and death

that does not end with death,

but rather there is a next step.

There is a motivation and there is a destination.

So if we are fixing our eyes,

if we are paying attention to Jesus,

that he begins and he continues.

He is the source of our life.

He's the source of our strength.

And he is the key to this journey.

Yes, the faithful that have gone before us

point us time and time again to God,

point us time and time again to Jesus.

The crowd of witnesses,

the cloud of witnesses that are surrounding us

and cheering us on,

they've run the race,

they've reached the destination.

Destination.

But here we still are.

And the sorrows, the trials, the troubles,

the discouragements,

the times where we feel like it's time to give in

and the times that we feel that it's time to give up

or the times that we think,

actually, it's time to turn back.

Following Jesus is hard.

Being faithful is hard, is difficult.

But if we focus our eyes upon him,

we see a pattern or a paradigm.

Because we see that, yes, of course,

there is suffering and there is shame.

But there is a reward and there is a motivation.

Now, in the East, you know, we're in the West.

In the East, I saw this when I was living in Japan.

You see this when you are in the Middle East,

that there's a culture of shame, shame and honor.

That if you are caught doing wrong,

that is incredibly shameful for you.

It's shameful for your family

because this public dishonor sticks to you.

And in the East,

that's why that first miracle of Jesus

in Cana of Galilee was so remarkable.

Because that young couple,

remember the wine ran out?

That was going to be the wedding

that everybody remembered for the wrong reason.

That family, those two families,

would be remembered for putting on a wedding banquet

where they ran out of one of the key elements

of the celebration.

But Jesus comes and transforms the shame into honor.

Because that was a wedding that was remembered.

Not because the wine ran out,

but because they saved the best wine to last.

So we see here in a culture

that understands what shame looks like.

That Jesus endured shame.

He endured the cross.

He scorned its shame.

So you see this pattern is set by Jesus.

But you see there's a motivation here.

There's joy that lies ahead.

For the joy set before him.

And there's a place that lies ahead,

namely that he is at the right hand

of the throne of God.

So Jesus did endure the cross.

He suffered.

Jesus scorned the shame.

And Jesus sat down

at the right hand of the throne of God.

So we too, as we fix our eyes on Jesus,

we see what he has done.

And we see what he has achieved.

And we see that, yes,

there was suffering on the cross.

There was death.

There was shame.

And that shame was public.

He was publicly ridiculed.

He was publicly mocked.

He was publicly spat upon

and scorned and mocked

and abused physically and verbally.

And he there died publicly.

A place of shame.

A place of punishment.

Why?

So that ultimately that is no longer our place.

Yes, there's trial.

There's trouble.

There's hardship.

But what he experienced was absolutely unique.

He who deserved no, nothing but praise

endured the shame and the suffering.

The ridicule, the abuse, the mocking.

He had every right to expect and deserve and demand

worship and praise and glory and honor.

But he deliberately placed himself

in that place of suffering,

in that place of scorn,

and in that place of shame.

So that we never will ultimately experience that ourselves.

Yes, it's a long race.

And yes, there may be many challenges

and many difficulties along the way.

But if our eyes are fixed on Jesus,

we know that he has gone before us.

And that he has overcome all those obstacles

that would otherwise overwhelm and destroy us.

That there is joy set before Jesus.

And that right now, Jesus is at that place

of ultimate power and ultimate authority.

Repro Jamesした.

So we have the unique experience of Jesus,

but the unique experience of Jesus

is set down before us

as a pattern for the followers of Jesus.

Jesus experienced trouble and hardship.

The followers of Jesus, not surprisingly,

experienced trouble and hardship.

Jesus experienced opposition and persecution.

The followers of Jesus, not surprisingly,

experienced trouble, persecution, and opposition.

But notice that Jesus overcomes all enemies.

Jesus defeats all foes.

Jesus deals with the shame.

Jesus deals with the suffering.

And now Jesus is in that place of ultimate power and ultimate authority.

So not only do we have the cloud of witnesses,

not only do we have the fellowship of believers,

not only do we have that great honor role of the faithful,

but we have him at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.

That we have Jesus.

We have a friend in a high, high place.

Remember when Jesus was speaking to his disciples in John 15.

He said, I no longer call you servants.

A servant doesn't know his master's business.

I call you friends.

So this evening, if the going is tough and if the trials are many,

and if it's discouraging and disheartening,

and if you feel tempted to despair and tempted to give up,

think of him.

Think of Jesus.

Think of the cross.

Think of the shame.

But think of his victory.

Because he now is at that place of power.

What's he doing?

Because the image of sitting down means that work is done.

He's done the work.

He's paid the price.

He's satisfied the debt.

But what we're told in the book of Romans is that he's constantly interceding for us.

He's praying for us.

He's praying that we persevere.

He's praying that we keep to the path.

He's praying that we continue the race.

And he's at that place where all resource,

all power,

all honor,

and all glory belongs to him.

So you see,

it's not all about us,

is it?

It's not about you,

how strong you are.

It's not about you,

how wise you are.

It's not about you,

about how you persevere in the face of disappointment.

It's not about the going,

getting tough,

and the tough getting going.

But it's all about him.

It's all about the cross.

It's all about the shame that he bore.

And it's all about the victory that he achieved.

And in verse 3,

it says,

consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,

so that.

So now the unique experience of Jesus becomes an encouragement to the followers of Jesus.

He endured,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This is what he did.

This is what you do.

This is what he experienced.

This is what you,

in a very small measure,

experience.

But you experience that,

not in isolation.

You're with the people of God.

You're with the cloud of witnesses.

But the Son of God has gone ahead of you.

There's joy that accompanied Jesus on the cross.

That for the joy set before him,

what was the joy?

Joy in heaven.

Remember the parables that Jesus told in Luke chapter 15?

Luke 15 · chapter mention

That there's celebration.

There's rejoicing in heaven.

Why?

When one sinner repents.

You see,

there was joy that was set before Jesus.

He had work to do.

He had a price to pay.

But what did he see?

He saw us,

the people of God.

He saw us without hope and without help.

He saw us in despair and in defeat.

And he did all this for us.

So that we can persevere to the end.

So,

and this is the challenge of the Christian life.

That it is all about him.

And yet this is a race that we run.

It's all about what he did.

And yet,

the life that you and I live

is filled with hardship and disappointment.

And yet we continue.

We carry on.

We don't give up.

And we don't turn back.

And we don't throw in the towel.

And we don't put up our hands in despair.

But rather we fix our eyes on him.

He starts the journey with us.

He continues the journey with us.

And he will ultimately bring us to his intended conclusion.

So by all means,

let's throw off anything that will hinder us.

Let's not make the journey more difficult than it needs to be.

Let's not try to make this journey on our own,

with our own strength,

because we simply cannot do it.

But let's not try to accompany this journey with our own agenda,

our own desires,

our own interests.

Let's throw off anything that entangles us.

And let's continue to run with perseverance as we focus on him.

Why did he suffer?

He suffered so that we will ultimately be received into his kingdom.

He experienced and he scorned the shame of the cross.

Why?

So that we will never experience that shame for ourselves.

Where is he now?

He's at that place of honor and that place of glory.

Where will we be?

We too will be in that place of honor.

Not at the right hand.

That's his unique position.

But we will be with him in glory.

We will be with him celebrating his victory

and enjoying the fruits of his labor,

enjoying the benefits of his victory for this time forever.

We'll join with that great cloud of witnesses.

We'll join with that great honor role of the faithful.

All because of him.

The beginner, the middle, and the ending of our journey.

I'm going to close by just reading a few verses

that were written about 700 years

before the time of the letter to the Hebrews was written.

And this was written to a group of people that were far from home.

A group of people that were in exile.

They were discouraged.

They were disheartened.

They were wondering maybe God has ignored us

or maybe God has left us.

Maybe our sin has been too great

and maybe God's patience has been tried one too many times.

At the end of Isaiah chapter 40,

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

we have this image that again captures this idea

that life is a race,

that there's running to be done or walking to be done,

but that there's weariness along the way.

Isaiah 40, this is page 725.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel?

My way is hidden from the Lord.

My cause is disregarded by my God.

You can almost hear the heaviness and the weariness

of the questions that are being answered.

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary

and young men stumble and fall.

But those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not be faint.

Those who hope in the Lord.

That's the people of God in every generation.

That's you this evening.

If your hope is in Jesus Christ,

you'll run, you'll walk.

You'll come to his intended destination

with his strength and with his encouragement

because he promises to do so.

And the one thing that we find in God's word

consistently true is that whatever he promises,

he always delivers.

So the going gets tough.

We don't summon resources from within ourselves.

We fix our eyes on Jesus.

He's the author.

He's the perfecter.

He's the first one.

You know,

he's theJIGอง,

so the little thing comes to this event

because of the power of charging

that it is the Incorporated