Strengthen Your Hands

Strengthen Your Hands (Hebrews 12:12-24)   *Verses in NKJV, unless otherwise noted*

– We are going through the book of Hebrews, chapter 12. This whole chapter is meant to bring encouragement and perspective to our struggle in this life lived for Christ…

– Pastor Kevin preached last week that we are in a race, like a Spartan Race: It can be grueling and hard, often unexpected, with many obstacles in your way…

– And people are watching. Actions speak louder than words. What is YOUR race saying about the God you serve? 

– Jesus is our ultimate example! He ran his race with focus and purpose unto death! He avoided the distractions, and endured to the end. We can run well by focusing our faith on Him…

– We must allow our Father God to discipline us, or we are not really his children. It is good for us, and grows us, and prepares us for what is coming in the future. (In the Spartan Race, you get disqualified if you skip the obstacles or the penalty…)

THEREFORE….

Today’s verses start with, “therefore,” which means that everything that was previously said in verses 1-11 is relevant… “The reason you should do what is next, is because of what was just said.”

Hebrews 12:12-24, Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

These verses talk about 3 things:

1. Be strengthened and encouraged on your race.
2. Pursue peace and holiness, individually and corporately.
3. The new covenant is better for us than the old covenant!

1. Strengthen your hands.

(Paraphrase of Hebrews 12:1-11) “We are surrounded by many witnesses, lay aside the sin which so ensnares us, run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the foundation of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…”

“Consider the hostility Jesus endured from sinners, in case you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted sin unto death.”

“If you endure discipline from God, He deals with you as a son or daughter; for what son is there whom a father does not discipline or correct? If you don’t receive it, you aren’t God’s son.”

 “No discipline seems to be joyful at the time, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

THEREFORE….

– Hebrews 12:12-13, Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

– The author is making reference to a scripture in Isaiah, to encourage those who are spiritually and emotionally exhausted, by using God’s word!

– Isaiah 35:3-4, …They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”

– Be strengthened and encouraged because God, Himself, fights for you! 

– Stand Firm and Hold Fast! Of course this life for Christ is hard, but you are growing. Don’t avoid it, and Don’t give up! (Don’t always look for the easy way out…)

– Example: Grip strength, (your ability to hold on) is a key correlative indicator to whole body health… predicting muscle function, mobility, cardiovascular fitness, and longevity.

– Research shows that lower grip strength is associated with mobility limitations, difficulty performing daily activities, muscle mass decline, reduced bone mineral density, and higher risk of fragility fractures…

– Reduced grip strength is linked to higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and chronic conditions… along with decline in endurance and balance…

– Correlation, not causation… Working exclusively on your grip strength will not make your heart disease go away… Weak grip is a sign that your overall health is in decline!

– The spiritual metaphor: 

– Your hands becoming weak, and you wanting to let go, is a sign that your spiritual fitness is in decline. If so, you’re not going to be able to complete the obstacles, and are in danger of not finishing the race…

– Strengthen your hands by focusing on Jesus, keeping the faith, and enduring the refining discipline of the Lord… so you don’t fall away, or cause others to either.

– Isaiah 41:10, Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

– Palms 34:18, The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

– Gal. 6:9, And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

– Your “grip strength” will improve as you are encouraged in the Lord!

– Because people are watching, and you have been saved by grace, and God is growing you and disciplining you, and because Jesus already set the example… Run your race! Don’t avoid life’s obstacles but lean into them. Be encouraged, you CAN do this! 

– Not just you, but the whole church together…

– My verses today speak of corporate action, not just what we do as individuals… basically, what you do in the body affects the whole group… we are running the race together… 

– Example: Spartan Race again… 

– Kevin shared he benefited from watching others complete an obstacle so he could learn how to do it… 

– Sometimes the obstacle is IMPOSSIBLE without help (for most of us, anyways). We can be there to help others through it… (Kasey McCallister, no legs, lifted monkey bars…)

– We are all in a race together, but not against each other, we just want to finish well…

– Galatians 6:1-4 explains the relationship perfectly…

 Verse 1, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

– (If a brother starts to drift, and falls into sin, you who have strong and unshakable faith should do your best to get them back on track… but be careful not to fall into the same sins that they did!)

Verse 2,  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

– (Be patient and sympathetic as your brother fails. Be compassionate and helpful. Help a brother out, but that doesn’t mean to do it for them…)

Verse 3, For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 

– (The ground is level at the foot of the cross. You aren’t too good to help others. We are a team.)

Verse 4, But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 

– (Make sure your stuff is squared away, and that is a victory you can celebrate to yourself, privately. Don’t be so focused on everyone else’s business.)

Verse 5, For each one shall bear his own load.

– (Your brothers can help you, but you need to pull your own weight, too. Ultimately, you are responsible and accountable for how you run your race… don’t blame anyone or anything else…)

– 2 Cor. 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

– Eccles. 4:9-10, Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

2. Pursue peace and holiness.

Hebrews 12:14-15, Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

– In context, pursuing peace with all people is inside the church. Get along and work together.

– The body of Christ is full of diversity in thought, backgrounds, attitudes, personalities, life experiences, and spiritual maturity… (Like hiring in the fire dept…)

– Romans 14:19, Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 

– Make it your goal to be helpful and encouraging, overlook offenses and be patient…

– Pursue holiness: “Holy Living” isn’t just acting right, dressing right, speaking right, and not sinning… The Holy Spirit inside you is the only thing that makes you holy.

– 1 peter 1:2 (NLT), God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

– When is says, “Those who are not holy will not see the Lord.”  It means that those people do not have the Holy Spirit inside of them. 

– Verse 15, “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God”

– Not that God ever fails to give grace, but WE can fail to receive it. 

– We receive God’s amazing grace (salvation and forgiveness) by believing in Jesus, and doing what he says. To “fall short of the grace” would be to fail to be saved.

– Who should we be “looking carefully” for?

– Those in our church that haven’t truly accepted the saving grace… yet.

– Those who may be falling prey to false gospels or false teachers…

– Those who appear to be drifting away.

– “lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble”

– This phrase references God’s earlier covenant with the people of Israel:

– Duet. 29:18-19, so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; 19 and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.

– This is a warning against self-deception, and self-worship, not just false Gods. 

– Selfishness, discontentment, and offense over the things of this world will cause division in the church! Those who are deceived tend to draw others away… leading to their drift.

– When believers begin to place their hope and faith in the things of this world, and idols, instead of God alone, the “fruit” they produce will become poisonous to “the body”.

– When we see a fellow believer struggling with their faith, and focusing on the “god’s of this world”, we need to draw them back in, and build them up! Focus them back on Jesus.

– Eph. 3:16-17 (NLT), I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

3. You have a new and better covenant.

– This is the author’s ending encouragement to the community of believers. That they are under a new and better covenant with God through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

– Vs 18-24… the old covenant under Moses, represented by Mt. Sinai, and the new, Jesus, Mt Zion.

– The Book of Hebrews has done this compare and contrast several times. The old vs the new:

– Ch 1&2: Jesus shown to be superior to the Old Testament prophets and the angels.

– Ch 3&4: Jesus portrayed as superior to Moses and Joshua.

– Ch 5-9: Jesus is superior to Aaron, the old covenant, and the tabernacle.

– Ch 10: The sacrifice of Jesus was far greater, leading to better a promise and a better hope.

– Here is Chapter 12, the comparison is between two “mountains”, symbolizing 2 covenants with God:

– Verses 18-21 describe a physical mountain burning with fire, God spoke with a voice that terrified the people, and if man or beast even touched the bottom of the mountain they would be killed… it is depicted as impersonal, intimidating, and unapproachable.

– This description comes straight from Exodus, when God met the people in the desert.

– This is the Mosaic Covenant with God, laws and animal sacrifices that could never be enough

– Separation from God…

– Verses 22-24 describe a spiritual mountain, city of the living God, surrounded by angels and the church full of born-again believers, a Spirit that makes men perfect, and a final blood sacrifice for sin… Jesus is the Mediator and our Savior…

– The contrast here is between how we, as God’s people, can approach God, Himself.

– Our covenant is better because we have Jesus and his final sacrifice for sin, we are under grace, we have the Holy Spirit inside us, we can speak to God directly through Jesus Christ…

– This is our encouragement! We can be saved! We can draw near! We have a better deal.

– Strengthen your hands today!

– prayer –