Are you in need of encouragement?
Are your hands dropping? Your knees weak? That’s precisely where the first readers of Hebrews were at. It was written to Jewish background believers who were being pressured to go back to the Law, to go back to Judaism to know God. So the letter like many others inthe New Testament is a passionate plea and exhortation that Christ came to fulfill the law and make it obsolete. Given what has been taught in Hebrews 1-11 about how superior faith in Jesus is, the author know exhorts us to keep on going.
Run with Endurance
The Christian faith is more like a marathon than a 100m sprint. So “run with endurance the race” (v1).When you are out running you don’t carry baggage! So we are urged to throw off excess weight we are carrying in the form of sin and distractions.
Run as a team
I run further and slightly faster when I am with others. Running solo it is easy to get disheartened, slow down or stop. The great cloud of witnesses – the heroes of faith from ch11 show us that it is worth keeping going. In a way they are cheering us on. We are also surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses know – fellow brothers and sisters running alongside in our life groups and wider church as well other believers around and about!
Run with eyes fixed on Jesus
Looking to Jesus! Lift up your eyes, lift up those droopy hands, stengthen those weak knees. Keep looking to Jesus!
Don’t grow weary
Jesus shed blood on the cross, but before in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, resisting the temptation to give up and not go to the cross. We are unlikely to have resisted that much, so keep on, keeping on! You are not alone, your temptations aren’t unique and God always provides a way out, because He is faithful 1 Cor 10:13.
Take it on the chin
God disciplines us. He wants us to grow up mature and holy, so He does disciplines us. The purpose is as v11 puts it “the peaceful fruit of righteousness”. Avoid bitterness, because that defiles. Avoid sexual immoraluity.
God’s kingdom is unshakeable.
It feels like everything is shaking all around us in 2020. God’s kingdom is unshakable. The new covenant is completely robust! So let us offer God acceptable worship with reverence and awe.
Andy Moyle
