This teaching on Hebrews chapter 12 was given by pastor Barry Forder on 19th April as part of Calvary Chapel Portsmouth’s Sunday service.
In Hebrews chapter 11 the theme is ‘Faith’. As we move into chapter 12 we look at the 2nd element of Paul’s 1 C0rinthians 13 trilogy – ‘Hope’.
We have around us such a great example, given by those who have gone before us in the faith. The writer to the Hebrews urges us to remember and be encouraged by this.
Remember too all that Jesus endured for us, so let us run the race of life like we intend to win! We need to cut the ties of everything that would hold us down or keep us focussing on the things of this world rather than on Jesus and our eternal destiny.
The writer then reminds us that because God wants us to win this race against ‘the world, the flesh and the devil’ He will correct us, discipline us, put us back on track, just as any good human father would discipline his children. But don’t get grumpy when He does it! Certainly don’t be like Esau who reverted to ‘the flesh’ to fill the hole in his life created by his casual regard to his future inheritance.
In stark contrast, we are to be looking to the finish line, the Heavenly Jerusalem, our eternal home. That is our goal where we will fellowship and walk with God as it was in Eden before the fall.
We are living right now in the days spoken of in this chapter where God is shaking everything. For the world, this is the birth pangs spoken of throughout scripture when all that the world holds dear is crumbling. Covid19 has shaken the world like nothing we have seen before. Just as God humiliated the god’s of Egypt, so we see God doing to the god’s of man today, right before our eyes. The world loves money. The world’s economy is crashing. The world loves sport. Sport is all but ended for the foreseeable future. The world loves its health & beauty, but now all gym’s, hairdressers and beauty salons are closed. The world loves its social gatherings, theatres, cinemas, night clubs etc. Now all closed until further notice. The world is being forced to reevaluate what is important… and this is just a glimpse of what the Bible says is coming to this ungodly world. None of these gods can stand when they are shaken.
But for the Christian too, there is a shaking, so that the unimportant things, the worldly things, the things that up to now have held us down, are being loosened, so that what is really important, that which is eternal remains.
The Lord is getting His Church – His Bride – ready for her wedding day. We are to ‘cast off the unfruitful works 0f darkness’ (Romans 13:12).
May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.
