September 11, 2022 Preaching | Ptr. Keith Shubert
Be uncompromising. Run the Christian life persistently like a marathon, “run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12: 1). Run steadfastly. Keep the faith not only when it’s easy, but also when it’s difficult, when the challenge of obeying day after day and year after year feels daunting.
Last Sunday, Pastor Keith took us through the last verses of Hebrews, a letter written to Jewish believers who knew all too well the difficulty of being uncompromising in the face of trials. These believers faced persecution and the pressure of war. They were a community under stress, and many were tempted to go back to Judaism and take what seemingly looks like an easy way out.
Yet the book of Hebrews consistently calls these early believers to be uncompromising in their faith. “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you” (v7). Look to your leaders, learn from how they live their lives, and imitate their faith. Take heart, “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever” (v8). He understands you. He remembers His own pain and suffering on the cross as if it was just yesterday. “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” (v9), and be strengthened by God’s grace, not by obeying the demands of Judaism. Remember what Christ has done for you. “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (v12-13). When the time is right, be willing to also go outside the city gates. Be ready face the same suffering and shame Jesus bore for you, “for here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come” (v14). Offer a new sacrifice. There is no longer a need to sacrifice for sin, so instead “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God… And do not neglect doing good and sharing” (v15-16). “Obey your leaders and submit to them” (v17). They have taken on a tremendous responsibility to watch over your souls, so encourage them and make it easy for them do this with joy. “Pray for us” (v18) the writer asks, and find peace and strength in God. “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant… equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ” (v20-21).
Be uncompromising. Run unceasingly for rejecting Christ can bring discipline and consequences, while persevering in faith can bring rewards. For these early Jewish believers, history beautifully captures the consequence of quitting and the fruit of enduring. In the face of the war, the ones who chose to trust the safety of the temple and city gates suffered extreme famine, misfortune, calamity, and death. On the other hand, those who trusted Christ courageously left the protection of the city gates and miraculously escaped to a town called Pella. Their act of faith was amazingly met by God’s reward.
We present day Christians also run our own marathon. Our race may look different, but the goal is the same. Our aim still to listen to God, follow Him completely, and trust Him with the results. Our hope in His promised reward that is certain, if not in this life, in His eternal future city that’s yet to come.