Hebrews 12:12

Hebrews 12:12 says, Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;  This comes after the discussion of the chastisement of God.  We are to lift up our hands in victory, which comes through faith in Christ.  When God chastises, or corrects, us, we are not to act defeated.  We are to feel victorious instead.  We should praise God because He loves us enough to chastise us.  Verse thirteen adds, And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.  After lifting up our hands, we are to make straight our paths.  I believe that this means that we are to not only praise God for His correction when we stray from His will, but we are to learn from it.  We are to follow the path that God leads us down so that we might be made whole in God's eyes.  We are also told that we are to live at peace with other people.  We cannot view the lost, even those who mistreat us, as enemies to be destroyed, but must view them as souls to be led to God.  Since there is no hope of salvation after death, and since Christ died for all people, we are to reach out to them through God's love.  Verse fourteen continues, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:  Remembering that this is still under the discussion of the chastisement of God, we know that He guides us to peace and not hatred.  In order to live in peace in the world, we must live in holiness, or with our lives dedicated to God.  Holiness does not mean a state of perfection, but it means with our lives set aside for God.  Verse fifteen states, Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;  I believe that this verse is a further reminder that we are to keep our eyes, or our thoughts, upon God.  It is too easy to falter in living out our faith when our focus is on the world.  If we see other Christians seemingly more blessed than we are it is possible to become bitter.  Verse sixteen adds, Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.  We are warned to not become like Esau and value the things of the world more than our birthright as children of God through our faith in Christ.  If we are truly saved, we will never lose our salvation, but we may sacrifice some of the true joy of that salvation by chasing the things of this world.  Some people never accept that birthright because they prefer the things of this world to a relationship with God.  Since Christ died for all, then the birthright as a child of God is available to all, but it must be accepted by faith.  Verse seventeen continues, For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.  Once Esau sold his birthright, he later regretted it, but it was too late to claim it.  Once a person rejects Christ in this life, they may come to regret it in the life to come, but it will be too late.  No amount of bitter tears will change the fate of those who reject the birthright that Christ offers them.

Hebrews 12:5

Hebrews 12:5 says, And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  The writer asks if we have forgotten that we are children of God and sometimes need chastisement or correction from God.  Even as full-grown adults, we are always children of God and under His direction.  If we stray way from God's will, He will correct us.  Not all suffering in the world comes due to our obedience to God, but at times, it is simply God chastising us for our disobedience to His will.  Verse six adds, For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  This tells us that if God has not chastised us that either we are living in total obedience to Him after we accepted Christ or we are not acknowledging His chastisement.  We may complain about how the world treats us when we need to be accepting the chastisement of God.  Verse seven continues, If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  God's chastisement is simply proof that we are His children.  Even earthly fathers, if they truly love their children, chastise them.  Since God's love for His children is complete love, we should never be surprised when He chastises us.  This will always be done to correct, and not punish us.  We could even say that if we have never been chastised, or corrected, by God that we are not being treated as His child.  Verse eight states, But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.  As just stated above, without chastisement how can we be partakers of the salvation of Christ.  We do not become perfect when we are saved, but still need correction from God at times.  Verse nine adds, Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?  This asks if we reverence, or honor, our earthly fathers when they correct us, should we not do more so with our heavenly Father?  Though at times when we are being corrected, we may hate the correction, we should know that it really is for our benefit.  Verse ten continues, For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  I believe that this says that sometimes our earthly fathers may chastise us for the wrong reasons, but our heavenly Father always does it for our profit, or benefit.  God is guiding us toward complete obedience to His will, which will always be the best for us.  Verse eleven concludes, Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.  Chastisement never seems to be joyous at the time we receive it, but instead seems grievous.  Yet afterward we know that we have become a better person if we have accepted the chastisement with the correct attitude.  We are told that those whom God loves, He chastens.

Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews 12:1 says, Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,   There were many, many people who bore witness to the transforming power of Christ.  When we accept Christ into our lives, we can lay aside every weight of this world.  This does not mean that we don't have responsibilities, but that these responsibilities should no longer cause us to always live in stress and unhappiness.  Verse two adds, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  The reason that we can live without the world weighing us down is because of Jesus.  He is the author and finisher of our faith.  We are not partially or sometimes saved by faith in Jesus Christ, but we are totally and forever saved.   Jesus endured the shame and humiliation of the cross so that we might enjoy the gift of salvation.  Salvation is a completed fact, if we accept Jesus Christ through faith, and Jesus is now setting at the right hand of the throne of God.  When the time is right, Christ will return to claim His church, those who have put their faith in Him throughout history.  Verse three continues, For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.  We are called on to remember what Jesus Christ suffered if we start to grow weary and faint in our minds.  Sin always begins with a thought, and if Christ is not at the center of our thoughts, if we begin to be weary of following Him, then we may see the world as overpowering.  We as followers of Christ must always follow His example and put the will of God first.  Verse four concludes, Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.  The writer said that those he was writing to, which includes us today, had not yet died from resisting sin.  Even if we do though, we must be obedient to Christ.

Hebrews 11:31

Hebrews 11:31 says, By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.  Rehab was not an Israelite but was a Canaanite.  Though the people of Israel were God's chosen people, that did not mean that they were His only people.  In spite of her status in life, Rahab by faith was instrumental in God's work.  We should never judge people based on what they are or were in the world, but only by their relationship to Christ.  All people can come to God through faith in Christ, and we as followers of Christ should welcome them all.  Verse thirty-two adds, And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:  Here the writer asks those he is writing to how much more did he have to say about those who had served God through faith in the past.  Those he was writing to should already have known who he was referring to.  Verse thirty-three continues, Who through faith subdued nations, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,  All these great people of history had one thing in common, and that is that they all relied on their faith in God to accomplish great things for Him.  If we wish to accomplish great things for God, we must do so by relying on our faith in Him.  Verse thirty-four states, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  There are at least two references to the book of Daniel in these two verses.  God stopped the mouths of lions and quenched the fire.  God has not stopped working through the faith of His people to do great things today.  Verse thirty-five adds, Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:  These are references to events in the New Testament, such as the resurrection of Lazarus and early believers dying for their faith.  I believe that these are offered as examples of the truth of the new testament between people and God.  We have a better resurrection through Christ, the only resurrection that brings everlasting life with God.  Verse thirty-six continues, And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:  Following Christ is not always easy.  Followers of Christ may be mocked, beaten or imprisoned because of their faith.  This is a far cry from the idea that God wants me to be happy in this world so He will give me whatever I want.  God wants us to be obedient, to take up our cross daily.  We are daily to die to ourselves and live for Christ.  Verse thirty-seven declares, They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;  This was not something that just happened early in Christianity.  It is still happening in the world today.  We sometimes focus on our own little corner of the world at the expense of Christians everywhere.  I believe that if we put our happiness above other followers of Christ, then we are not being true to God's call.  Verse thirty-eight adds, (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.  Once more, this is not a gospel of prosperity, but a gospel of sacrifice and suffering.  There are places in the world today where Christians are having their homes and possessions taken away simply because of their faith.  Verse thirty-nine continues, And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:  Like these early Christians, the only way that we can obtain a good report is through faith.  Verse forty concludes, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.  Salvation through Christ is the better thing that God provided.  Without accepting Christ as Savior and Lord we cannot be made perfect in the sight of God.

Hebrews 11:23

Hebrews 11:23 says, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.  His parents were not afraid of the king's, or pharaoh's, commandment.  The life of Moses actually begins with the faith of his parents.  Moses was born under a death sentence.  This was not the death sentence that we could say we are all under due to sin, but an actual death sentence decreed by the Pharaoh.  Still, just as the parents of Moses were concerned with saving him from a physical death, we should be concerned with saving our children from a spiritual death.  We should make sure that they know about the sacrifice of Christ for their sins.  Moses was first hidden, and then he was placed in the household of the Pharaoh.  Verse twenty-four adds, By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;  Moses could have continued in a position of privilege and authority, but by faith he chose to be identified with God and God's people.  All the honor and privilege in the world should never come between God and us, if we are truly followers of Christ.  We must act in faith, no matter what the consequences might be.  Verse twenty-five continues, Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;  Like Moses could have, we could choose to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, but hopefully we will do as Moses did and choose to endure affliction, if necessary, in order to remain true to God.  Verse twenty-six states, Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.  Since Christ had yet come into the world, this would mean that Moses had faith in the coming Messiah, the suffering Servant.  We today put our faith in the return of Christ, Who is the eternal King.  Verse twenty-seven adds, By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.  Moses stood up to the Pharaoh, not because of his own strength, but because of his faith in the invisible God.  Moses could not see God physically, but he could see the evidence of God's work in the world, and so can we.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.  Moses kept the Passover through faith, and not as some empty ritual.  Moses recognized the power of God when he worshipped Him.  When we worship God, we should always acknowledge that He is the power behind all creation, and we should never just go through the motions of worship.  Our relationship with God is real if we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, so our worship should be real also.  Verse twenty-nine declares, By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.  Some people today, to downplay the power of God, say that the Israelites passed through more of a swampy area than a divided sea, but the Bible says they passed through the Red Sea on dry land.  Either this is true, or the Egyptian army drowned in a marsh.  Verse thirty adds, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.  There are also people today who attempt to explain away this miracle by saying that the horns that were being played simply hit the right harmonic frequency to vibrate the walls apart.  I do not believe that we need to explain miracles, but we must simply accept them by faith in the sovereignty of God.

Hebrews 11:13

Hebrews 11:13 says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  All these men of faith died, with the exception of Enoch, without seeing all of God's promises fulfilled.  They did see some of God's individual promises to them fulfilled, but not His promise of everlasting life in a city that He would prepare for them.  We may see God fulfill His individual promises to us, but we will never see the fulfillment of the promise of everlasting life until after we die or Christ returns.  We must simply abide in faith.  They confessed themselves to be strangers and pilgrims on earth, and so must we.  Verse fourteen adds, For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.  Just as these great men of faith in the Old Testament declared plainly that they sought a country, an everlasting place of peace and comfort, so should we.  Anything that we build in this world is temporary, so our emphasis should be on building the things of God.  Verse fifteen continues, And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  These followers of God could have been tempted to return to the place they came out of, but they weren't.  We may be tempted to return to the life we had before accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord, but we must never act on that temptation.  Even if we must sacrifice everything of this world, even our lives, in order to be faithful to God, then this is what we must do.  Verse sixteen declares, But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.  Just as they desired a better country, a heavenly one, so should we.  We are to lay up our treasures in heaven and not in this world.  Verse seventeen adds, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,  After Isaac was born, the heir of the promise, Abraham's faith was tested once more.  This time, he followed God's instructions, up to the point of being willing to sacrifice Isaac.  We also need to be willing to lay everything on the altar of God.  Verse eighteen continues, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  Isaac was the child through whom Abraham was to become a great nation, but Abraham was willing to sacrifice him to God when he knew that was what God was asking him to do.  Once more, we must never let anything come between us and our relationship with God.  Verse nineteen states, Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.  Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac up even from death.  We should have that same assurance about our lives today.  Even if we die, God will raise us up again.  With this assurance, we should always put following God's will above everything, even life itself.  Verse twenty adds, By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.  Isaac continued in the faith of Abraham, blessing both Jacob and Esau.  Verse twenty-one continues, By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.  Even though Jacob may have received his blessing from Isaac, he came to a real relationship with God through faith.  It is not earthly blessings but a Devine encounter that makes us people of faith.  Verse twenty-two concludes, By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.  Joseph wanted his bones buried in the Promised Land, symbolic of the fact that he had returned home to God's kingdom.  He had faith that the children of God would return.

Hebrews 11:8

Hebrews 11:8 says, By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.  I am going to look at these four verses that speak of Abraham and Sarah as a separate unit.  I believe that there are several things we can learn from them.  Abraham was called by God.  He did not just go seeking for and find God.  When we come to God, it will always be because He reached out to us.  Abraham did leave his home at God's urging and head for a home he knew nothing about.  He did not leave all his kindred though, as God had instructed him to do.  This would cause several problems for him later on.  I believe that what we need to understand is that we cannot modify God's directions to us without creating problems.  Still, Abraham is known as one of the great men of faith.  Verse nine adds, By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:  Abraham lived in the promised land, not as an everlasting home, but as one who was a sojourner in the land.  We will always be simply passing through this world.  This world is not our home.  Abraham lived in tabernacles, or tents, always ready to move on.  He lived until Isaac was seventy-five and Jacob was fifteen.  They were the heirs of the promise of God that He would make from Abraham a great nation, but even in that promise Abraham was not content to wait on God.  This caused even more problems for Abraham and the world since.  Verse ten continues, For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  Abraham looked ahead to that city that has an everlasting foundation, whose builder and maker is God.  No matter how impressive we may make a house today, from an everlasting perspective, it is no better than a tent.  Yet, we sometimes put more emphasis and spend more time and money on these houses than we do on the things of God.  Verse eleven states, Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.  Sarah had a child well after she was past the age to have a child, because she judged God faithful to fulfill His promise.  This was not until she had made her own plan to fulfill God's promise though.  We cannot fulfill God's promises by our own actions but must wait by faith for Him to fulfill them.  Verse twelve adds, Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.  God abundantly fulfilled His promise to Abraham, and He will always fulfill all His promises to us, His followers.  We already have everlasting life through our faith in Christ, and the things of this world should cease to have priority in our lives.  We must always put God first and follow His plan for our lives.