Sermon - November 29, 2015 - Hebrews 12:1-7 - Is This Really Worth It?

Hebrews 12:1-7 – Is This Really Worth It?

When we think of suffering, images of a people after a tragedy, someone being tortured, facing a major illness, or starving may come to mind. If you go to google and start searching for things, it will not take long to find images of people who are truly suffering. Tsunami’s, tornado’s, earthquakes, and hurricanes cause suffering. War and the wickedness of ISIS and how they ‘deal’ with people who do not believe as they believe, cause suffering. Images of the impact of major medical issues has on people, show suffering. There are so many images out there of children suffering from not having the necessary food. Suffering is horrible.

Many times, people claim that suffering is due to a lack of faith. Last week in Mark 9, we saw a father who had enough faith to bring his son to Jesus for healing and asked for enough faith to truly believe that his son would be healed. There are many other passages during Jesus’ earthly life that point to a faith that was instrumental to healing.

Luke 8:42b-48

“While He was going, the crowds were nearly crushing Him. ⁴³ A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years,who had spent all she had on doctors yet could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴ approached from behind and touched the tassel of His robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are hemming You in and pressing against You.” ⁴⁶ “Someone did touch Me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from Me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured. ⁴⁸ “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

This woman had exhausted all of her options over the last 12 years. She had nowhere else to turn and she touched the hem of Jesus robe. Jesus told her that it was her faith that made her well. We don’t know how or when she developed her faith, but we do know that she suffered for 12 years waiting for that day.

It would be very hard to endure anything for such a long time. There must have been times when she felt she had no hope of finding a cure. Many today struggle with various issues. To some of us, struggle might not be a strong enough word and perhaps suffering fits better. Enduring through suffering is difficult, but is made easier by knowing that hope exists. Knowing that there is hope after the surgery, after we rebuild, whatever it is having hope makes today’s suffering a little easier to endure. In most cases we can do anything if we know there is a reason to endure or an end in sight, if there is hope.

To endure, we must overcome our past.

Hebrews 12:1-2

“12 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”

If someone is questioning about if they have hope or not to endure their current suffering, they need to let go of the weight and sin they are carrying. It hinders our faith and limits our hope for a better future. Sin makes it very hard to endure through our suffering. The heaviness that goes along with our medical problems, disasters, etc… are because we are holding on to it and trying to carry it on our own. The burden is so much easier when we choose to give our suffering to Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Jesus causes our suffering or that it is easy to get rid of by giving it to him. I am not saying that all of us will be healed by just having faith or saying a prayer. Some will, but most of us will have to battle through the suffering in our lives, but if we truly lay it as Jesus’ feet He will help us through it. He will give us peace and He will give us hope.

Matthew 11:25-30

“²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure. ²⁷ All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him. ²⁸ “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Each of us are carrying a burden of some sort. It may be a burden of suffering, for some it is a burden of sin, and for others it may be the burden of loss. Jesus wants all of us, no matter how lost we feel, no matter if we think there is hope or not, no matter what we have done in the past, we are to go to Jesus and He will give us rest.

Our action here is to take up Jesus’ yoke and to learn from Him. Accept Jesus as your savior, let go of your past, let go of your sin, and let go of your doubt. Pick up His yoke instead of trying to carry yours and anyone else’s you have picked up along the way. We cannot handle it on our own, we were not created to handle it on our own. The yokes we take on ourselves are much bigger and heavier than what God wants us to deal with.

The yoke given by Jesus is much lighter and much easier to endure than the one you are trying to carry today. Pick up His yoke and learn from Him. Study what God’s Word has to tell you about Jesus and how He wants you to live your life. The more you learn the more you will understand that we need to not worry about most of the stuff that bogs us down. We need to let God take care of those things and focus on the things that we were created to do…. Love God and Love Others! Jesus will give you rest if you learn from Him and He will give you Hope if you put down your yoke and take His. With His yoke and His hope we can endure whatever life gives us.

To endure, we must overcome others.

Hebrews 12:3-4

“3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. 4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

Jesus endured so much suffering at no fault of His own. He did nothing wrong, but suffered due to the actions of others and He said it would be the same for us.

Matthew 10:16-17

“16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. 17 Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them.”

A lot of the suffering people will endure in this world will be caused by others. Islamist are killing people because they believe in Jesus. Jobs and businesses are threatened because someone takes a stand on Biblical values. Actions of others caused Jesus to suffer and we will have to endure the same thing.

Matthew 10:21-22

“21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will even rise up against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.”

Some of the suffering we will endure will be due to our faith and some will be just because people are sinful beings. Regardless of the cause Jesus gives us Hope. As we endure through our trials, as we hold on to the Hope found in Jesus, we will be delivered.

That does not mean that God is going to hit the smite button on anyone causing the suffering and we may endure it until the day we die. We will be delivered by truly following Jesus, carrying His yoke, and learning about Him. The more time you spend with Jesus the more that Hope and Peace will prevail in your life. Don’t let others cause you to lose sight of the One True King!

To endure, we must overcome ourselves.

Hebrews 12:5-7

“5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him, 6 for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives. 7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?”

So far we have seen that part of our suffering is our fault and some of it is caused by others. But there is a part of the suffering we go through is God’s way of molding us into the image of His son. The Bible does not teach us that God causes us to get sick or to have to choose between our life and our faith in Jesus. Jesus did not die for us so that He could make us suffer. The Holy Spirit is not floating around putting bad things in our path. Suffering is caused by the wickedness of a fallen world, but God does use it to mold us.

One of my favorite images of God is that of a potter who takes the clay and molds it. Starts with a worthless lump and creates a vessel that can be used to fulfil its purpose. That is exactly what God does with us. As we endure suffering, regardless of the cause, God is molding us. He is making us into the person He wants us to be. He is using us to touch people’s lives.

Romans 8:25-28

“25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. 26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”

God is there for us. All we have to do is completely surrender to Him. The Holy Spirt will intercede for us according to the will of our Father who loves us.

And we are left with this promise.

‘all things work together for the good of those who love God’

Does not say we won’t suffer, but loving God and doing what He says will give us hope and will help us to endure whatever obstacle we are faced with.

The author of Hebrews gave many examples of faithful people who were rewarded for their faith, but not all of them in their lifetimes. Many endured suffering while having hope for something better down the road.

Jesus’ death and resurrection provides everyone who believes a hope that one day we will be with Jesus in the flesh for all eternity. His willingness to give up everything and endure the cross for us should give us courage and hope to endure whatever life throws at us. Remembering that His yoke is easier to carry then the one we have made for ourselves.

Is this really worth it? Each of us have a ‘this’ and will probably have several in our lifetimes. I want to encourage you to remember that with Jesus the final outcome of life is eternity with Him. Holding on to that promise gives us Hope for the future and the strength we need to endure. If you feel that your ‘this’ is too much to bear, you may be ready to give up hope. Remember the father who asked for more faith? Do as he did and ask Jesus to help you believe, ask Him to give you more faith. Look to the cross and ask Jesus to give you hope. 

Jesus is Worth It! I pray that if you do not know Him you take the time to begin the most amazing journey you will ever take. Knowing Jesus and living your life sold out for Him will change you! Make that choice today accept Him as Lord and Savior!

God Bless,

Robert