Hebrews 12: A Better Love
HEBREWS 12:1-17
Application: The student will accept that God’s chastening has a greater purpose and demonstration of love than parental discipline.
AFTER OUR STUDY OF THE FAITH CHAPTER OF HEBREWS, PASTOR CLEMENTS, OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDY WRITER, DECIDES TO SPLIT CHAPTER 12 INTO TWO DIFFERENT STUDY STOPS
THE FIRST STOP ARRIVES IN VERSES 1-17 AND BRINGS US UNDERSTANDING OF THE BETTER LOVE OF THE LORD AND THE SECOND IN THE FINAL PORTION OF CHAPTER 12 BRINGS US TO A BETTER WORSHIP.
WITHIN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH WE ARE TAUGHT THAT TRUE LOVE IS NOT THAT WHICH NEVER CREATES DISCOMFORT.
IT IS THAT WHICH BRINGS WHAT IS BEST FOR THE INDIVIDUAL WHICH MAY NOT BE IN COMFORT AT ALL.
EACH CHRISTIAN WHO HAS RAISED CHILDREN ALREADY KNOWS THIS LESSON FROM MANY EXAMPLES ALONG THAT PROCESS WHICH REQUIRE DISCIPLINE TO CORRECT OUR CHILDREN ASSURING THEY REMAIN GUIDED PROPERLY.
OUR FIRST CHAPTER OF HEBREWS BEGINS THE DISPLAY OF THE LOVE OF THE LORD TEACHING THAT GOD, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, HAS DECIDED NO LONGER TO SPEAK THROUGH ANGELS OR PROPHETS, BUT ONLY THROUGH HIS SON.
THROUGHOUT THE REST OF HEBREWS WE ARE GIVEN SEVERAL TEACHINGS THAT SPEAK STRONGLY TO US ON HOW THE LORD IMPLEMENTS HIS WILL AMONG HIS SPIRITUAL CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN CHANGED BY HIS CALL & HIS SALVATION WHICH ONLY FOLLOWS THAT CALL BY HIM.
THAT SALVATION MAY BE VERY SIMPLY DEFINED AS THOSE WHOSE HEARTS HAVE BEEN MOVED FROM BROKEN TO NOT.
THESE FIRST 17 VERSES GRANT US A SPECIAL VIEW INTO THE LOVE OF GOD FOR HIS OWN AND WHAT IT MEANS IN OUR LIVES:
GOD’S LOVE MOTIVATES OUR OBEDIENCE
GOD’S LOVE CONFIRMS OUR SONSHIP
GOD’S LOVE ADVANCES OUR SANCTIFICATION
TOGETHER THESE THREE THINGS ARE THE MANNER IN WHICH GOD GROWS US SPIRITUALLY THROUGH HIS LOVE AND OVER OUR LIFETIME BENDS OUR HUMAN WILL CLOSER TO HIS DIVINE WILL.
THE HEBREWS WRITER ENCOURAGES THE BELIEVER TO RUN THE RACE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE WITH FAITHFULNESS.
CHALLENGES ARE EVIDENT THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF FAITH AND THEY BESET US THROUGH OUR ORIGINAL HUMAN NATURE.
FOR HIS PURPOSE, THE LORD CHASTISES THOSE WHO ARE HIS TO ENCOURAGE SPIRITUAL GROWTH.
WE ARE TO PATIENTLY ENDURE THE CHASTISING BY RECOGNIZING IT COMES FROM A LOVING GOD WHO USES IT TO ACCOMPLISH HIS OWN GOOD PURPOSE WITHIN US.
INTO THIS LIFE RACE OF FAITHFULNESS ALSO ARRIVES HINDERANCES PLACED WITHIN OUR FAITH PATH BY SATAN AND HIS DOMAIN WHICH IS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN UNTIL WE ARE CALLED HOME.
IN THIS REGARD IT MAKES SENSE TO RECALL THAT SATAN ACTUALLY ONLY HAS TWO PURPOSES:
TO CAPTURE THE SOULS OF THE LOST
TO DIMINISH THE SOULS OF THE SAVED
THE WRITER REMINDS US THAT JESUS IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH SO WE ARE TO LOOK TO HIM IN THESE TIMES OF HINDERANCE.
WITHOUT OUR FOCUS UPON HIM, WE FIND OURSELVES WEARY AND DISCOURAGED.
THE HEBREW BELIEVERS WERE CONSTANTLY STRUGGLING UNDER OPPOSITION AND TEMPTED TO WAVER UNDER THE SERVICE THAT FAITH REQUIRES.
IF THEY DRIFT INTO REBELLION CHASTISEMENT FROM THE LORD GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND CORRECTLY KNOWING SUCH THINGS ARE SYMPTOMS OF GOD’S HOLY LOVE.
VERSES 5-13 DISPLAY FOR US HOW TO ENDURE SUCH CHASTISING.
THESE BELIEVERS ARE REMINDED THAT SUCH EFFORT BY GOD IS AN EMBLEM OF HIS LOVE AND IS FOR THEIR PROFIT SPIRITUALLY.
THE PROPER REACTION IS TO RESPOND WITH REVERENCE RATHER THAN CONTINUED REBELLION.
IT MEANS TO YIELD TO THE CORRECTION OF GOD IN HUMBLE ACCEPTANCE AS THESE MOMENTS MAY NOT BE JOYOUS.
THE RESPONSE, IF PROPERLY DONE, WILL YIELD POSITIVE CHANGE UNDER GOD’S GUIDANCE.
BY THAT PROPER ACCEPTANCE AND RESPONSE, THE BELIEVER IS HEALED SPIRITUALLY AND FINDS ONCE MORE THE BEAUTY OF HIS FELLOWSHIP IS RESTORED.
THE STRENGTH TO UNDERSTAND CHASTISEMENT IS ALWAYS PROVIDED BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD.
VERSES 16-17 ALLOWS THE BIBLICAL EXAMPLE OF ESAU WHO SEEMED NEVER TO MOVE BEYOND THE WORKS OF FLESH.
THE REMINDER IS A WARNING TO RECALL THAT OUR OWN FLESHLY NATURES REMAIN WITH US EVEN AFTER SALVATION AND IT MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAD AWAY FROM OUR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
GRANTED BY THE LORD IN OUR LIFETIME SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.
KING DAVID ALLOWED HIS FLESHLY NATURE TO RULE AND LATER BEGGED GOD IN PSALM 51 TO RESTORE HIS JOY AFTER HE CONFESSED & REPENTED.
ALL OF US ARE UNDER THE CONTINUAL LOVING CARE OF A FAITHFUL & STEADFAST HEAVENLY FATHER WHO IS NEVER SLACK TOWARD THOSE WHO ARE HIS.
HE BRINGS HIS LOVING CHASTISEMENT INTO OUR LIVES TO REMIND US HE REMAINS IN LOVING CONTROL AND EXPECTS US TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR HIS CONTROL OVER OUR LIVES.
THE WRITER BEGAN THIS PORTION OF SCRIPTURE BY ADMONISHING THESE HEBREW BELIEVERS TO RUN THE RACE OF LIFE WITH FAITHFULNESS.
REALIZING ALL BELIEVERS REMAIN SINNERS BY NATURE, HE WARNED THEM OF CHATISEMENT FROM GOD AND ENCOURAGED THEM TO REMAIN PATIENT WHILE THE PURPOSE OF GOD WAS COMPLETED IN THEIR LIVES.
HE ALSO ENCOURAGED THEM TO LET GRACE WORK IN THEIR LIVES SO THAT THEY WOULD BE RENEWED SPIRITUALLY AND BE BETTER ABEL TO SERVE THE LORD FOR HIS GLORY.