The Sunday School Lesson

HEB. 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Je'sus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

HEART OF THE LESSON

Anyone who has competed in the Olympics and received a gold medal will tell you that all the practice and work he did to get there was worth it. But while suffering through the many hours of grueling conditioning and the accompanying sore muscles, he might not have felt so confident of this.

This parallels the Christian experience. One day we will be called to heaven to receive a crown of life (Jas. 1:12; cf. Heb. 10:35). In the meantime, however, our faith takes a beating. The pain and disappointments often seem too overwhelming, and we may feel like giving up.

1. Worthy example (Heb. 12:1-3). Many have come before us on the arduous path of faith. Hebrews 11 lists many of these to encourage other generations of believers. The heroes of faith witness to the fact that perseverance is required.

Besides those many imperfect examples, we also have a perfect model to emulate. Jesus is God, but He too had to slog through extreme difficulties and opposition. He fixed His eyes on the goal and focused on the joy that would result from His grinding toil. The result was that He pushed through to the end, even to the point of giving His life. Now He has been rewarded with all authority and power, and He sits at the Father's right hand.

We should take heart knowing that the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 and Jesus Himself also endured such trials and troubles. How could we give up now after considering their inspiring lives?

2. Worthwhile chastening (Heb. 12:4-11). Every believer has a battle against sin. But rarely do we as American Christians have to give our lives to maintain our faith in Christ. Western Christianity, in fact, has generally had it easy for a long time. The first-century Christians who first read this letter, however, were

experiencing some serious suffering. They had been insulted, persecuted, and thrown in jail and had their property confiscated (10:32-34). Yet the writer of Hebrews encouraged them to think of all this simply as discipline from God, their Father.

In reality, the persecution they were going through was reason to rejoice. Such fatherly "discipline" showed that they had been accepted as true children of God. The apostles also rejoiced that they had been counted worthy to suffer for Christ (Acts 5:41). Paul felt a mystical bond with Christ as he suffered; he viewed it as carrying on the suffering that Christ had begun (Col. 1:24).

Not all those who seem to be God's children truly are His children, and enduring hardship/discipline is one decisive factor in revealing the reality of one's faith. Jesus' parable about the four soils (Matt. 13) and others remind us that not all who have a belief in Christ persevere in it. The reality thus becomes clear: those who quit are lost. Those who persevere, however, prove their faith, and the Father's discipline provides the opportunity. Remaining loyal despite hardship and discipline produces a fruitful crop of righteousness and peace. The outcome makes all the toil worthwhile.

3. Worth restoring (Heb. 12:12-13). Since all this is true, it makes sense to cheer up no matter how painful the affliction. The reality is that the trouble believers experience lasts only a little while, but the marvelous joy and glory that will result from enduring it is eternal (11 Cor. 4:17). What more reason do we need to strengthen ourselves in the Lord and revitalize our efforts to carry out the will of God?

(Reprinted by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press, P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101)