Jesus knew when, where, and how we was going to die. Which meant that Jesus would have been intentional with the time He spent on this Earth. And you have to think that the closer that He came to this week, he’d really be intentional with who He spent with and what He said and did. Today we are going to explore the time he spent Zacchaeus, as well as, His actions on Palm Sunday.
In this final section of our study, we will be dealing with some practical instructions for the Christian life. The author addresses several topics in this passage—such as not growing weary in living for Christ, but persevering; living a life of peace, holiness and grace, not allowing bitterness to take root in your heart; and avoid sexual immorality and any instant gratification.
In every generation Christians face opposition that works against lifelong perseverance in following Jesus. Sometimes the “hostility of sinners” is expressed verbally and socially. Sometimes matters escalate to financial hardship, physical harm, imprisonment, and even death. But God gives us strong reasons to run with endurance the race of faith laid out in front of us: the abundant testimony of those who ran ahead of us; the courageous example and loving self-sacrifice of faith’s founder and perfecter, Jesus; and the Father’s encouragement that our present pains as we struggle to hold fast to faith signal his loving acceptance and fit his flawless plan for our eternal well-being. Looking to Jesus and recalling our Father’s encouragement supply the stamina to run the race to the finish line. (Excerpt from the ESV Expository Commentary, Volume 12)
Last week, we finished up Hebrews 11—the Faith Chapter. So, today we will be studying from Hebrews 12:1-2. In order to discover what the Bible is teaching us from this passage to be able to apply these truths to life, I will be utilizing our six interrogative words—who, what, when, where, why and how. The first thing we see in verse one is the word “therefore.” So, as always, anytime we see the word “therefore,” we need to remember all that the author has just written and consider what is coming in light of everything he has just said. So, in light of this synopsis of the lives of many great heroes of the faith, God wants us to live our lives by faith. Let’s dive into these two verses to discover six essential components for living by faith.
We have been walking through what is commonly known as the Faith Chapter—Hebrews 11. Before we get to today’s passage, I want to take just a few minutes to think back on the last three weeks of study from chapter eleven. The chapter begins by defining what faith is. The author states: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” He goes on to explain: “For by it the people of old received their commendation.” The rest of the chapter focuses on those people of old—who by their faith—were made right with God.
In Deuteronomy 34:10-12—the epitaph to the Books of Moses—an unidentified author closes this section of Scripture with the final events of Moses’ life that included a sort of eulogy, or obituary, for Moses. R. Kent Hughes wrote: “To all Jews, Moses was the greatest of all men… He was Israel’s greatest prophet. God communicated directly to him… This is why his face was luminous when he descended Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments. He was Israel’s greatest lawgiver. Virtually everything in their religion recalled his name. He was Israel’s great historian. Moses authored everything from Genesis to Deuteronomy. He was considered Israel’s greatest saint, for Scripture says he was “very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). This is perhaps most amazing of all because often those who have accomplished great things are anything but humble. But Moses was the humblest of the entire human race! He was Israel’s greatest deliverer. His feats are wonderfully chronicled throughout the book of Exodus.
This week, we continue to observe the lives of “Heroes of the Faith” in Hebrews 11. In today’s passage, we come to Abraham–the Father of the Jews–and his descendants. But why do we refer to Abraham in this way? And why is he held in such high regard in this passage? How does his faith speak to the lives of the recipients of Hebrews and to our lives today? Discover these answers and more as we look to Abraham to learn what it means to live in light of the promise of God.
In our passage today from Hebrews 11, we will begin to observe the ways in which these “Heroes of the Faith” lived their lives. The three men mentioned in this passage are part of the same family—a family of faith, but as we examine the correlating passages in Genesis 4-6, we will be able to contrast these three men with men with another family—a rebellious one. In each case, legacy and heritage played a role in the ultimate outcome.
Last week, we noted that “the grand key for perseverance is faith. Knowing this, we are set up for the greatest exposition of the subject of faith found anywhere in Scripture—in chapter 11.” (R.Kent Hughes) So as we move into the eleventh chapter of Hebrews this morning, we will begin our exposition with a definition for faith. After that, we will take a few minutes to consider some of the “people of old” that are not mentioned by name in the remaining portion of the chapter. And then, finally, we will look at some foundational teaching about faith.
The message last week was one of the most difficult passages that I have ever tried to exposit in my 34 years of preaching! The crazy thing is that the previous paragraph—verses 19-25—is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture! We cannot pick and choose what we like or what we want to believe in the Bible, because “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So, today, let’s look now at the encouragement that the author offers to this beleaguered group of Christ followers in Rome as they endure the trials and the difficulties related to living by faith under the malicious reign of Emperor Nero.