CHAPTER 12

VS 1
1 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,

Chapter 11 was about the heroes of faith.

Now, Scripture points to them as a "cloud of witnesses."

And, like those witnesses we as Christians today should:
* similar to a runner, lay aside any unnecessary weight or burden;
* and particularly the "sin which doth so easily beset us"
such as laxness in active faith;
* BECAUSE, on this earthly journey, we are running a race
of a short physical life;
AND, we are, like that "cloud of witnesses" a TESTIMONY
to FAITH in Christ Jesus!

Vs 2
2 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.

We have a more perfect witness in the Person of Jesus Christ.
He lived a perfect witness of faith and trust in God!
So, we should live "Looking unto Jesus!"
He is both the Author and Finisher of our faith!

Jesus' joy was to face the cross, because He knew that would be the ONLY
acceptable sacrifice for man's sin!
Facing that cross was His life-goal!
Facing that cross was the PURPOSE for which He ran the race of life in faith.

OUR goal, as Christians, is to KEEP on FAITHING Jesus:
LOOK, BELIEVE, RECEIVE and ACHIEVE!

VS 3
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,
lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Jesus ENDURED the "contradiction of sinners!"
This is the test of a race that is much more than just a short burst of energy.
It is more like a cross-country race, and REQUIRES endurance!!

Jesus faced hypocrites, being called blasphemous and a false prophet,
But He ENDURED for the GOAL!

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Those to whom the Scripture alludes have not yet had to resist costing them
their blood and lives.
Afterward, many have indeed faced death, and awful bloody deaths!

Yet, ALL Christians are called to RESIST evil by FAITH!
(See Eph. 6:11-17)

VSS 5-7
5 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:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not?

The statement, "My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD,"
is a quote from Proverbs 3:11.

When a father truly loves his child, he will chastise the child for doing wrong,
and present TRUTH to the situation.

It is the same with God, as our Father!

WHEN God chastens, we are to ENDURE and LEARN! (vs 7)

VS 8
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye
bastards, and not sons.

WOW!!
THAT is PLAIN SPEECH!!!!

We are ALL sinners (Is. 53:6, Rom. 3:23) and in NEED of a spiritual
spanking sometimes!

And, if God's Holy Spirit does not PRICK your conscience when you do
wrong, then you DO NOT BELONG to Him!

VSS 9-10
9 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?
10 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.

When Dad or Mom disciplined us (physically or spiritually with words), we still
RESPECTED them!
I know the NEED for respecting Mom's switch and Dad's belt!

We learn then to respect those actions which corrected our wrong behavior or words.

When God corrects us by pricking our conscience, it is for our PROFIT!
This is he way we are "KEPT by the power of God UNTO salvation."

God KEEPS us by correction and assurance!
While GROWING in Christ, on this earth, we need the correction.
KNOWING that the END of salvation is being like JESUS!

((A lady lost her handbag. It was found by an honest young boy who returned it.
Looking in her purse, whe commented, "Hmmmm, that's funn. When I LOST the
purse it had two $20 bills in it. NOW there is a $20 bill and 20 $1 bills!"
Boy, "That's right. Last time I found a purse like that, the lady had no change
for a small reward!"))

Jesus has a HUGE reward!!

VSS 11-13
11 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.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out
of the way; but let it rather be healed.

It is no fun to be disciplined!
BUT, it DOES produce a result:
"the peaceable fruit of righteousness."

When discipline is applied, especially by the Lord, we feel WEAK!
BUT, let us "lift up the hands, and the feeble knees."
EXERCISE FAITH!

If a lame man is walking, he needs a smooth path.
If rocks are in the way, he either needs to avoid them or remove them.

We are "lame" because of sins.
EXERCISING FAITH will help us AVOID or REMOVE that which causes sin!!

Take care to heal the broken relationship with God by EXERCISING prayer!

REMEMBER - Hab. 2:4, "the just shall LIVE by his FAITH!"

VS 14

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

This is one FANTASTIC Scripture!

First, having "peace with ALL men" is sometimes VERY TRYING!!
((Mom sent a note to her sons first-grade teacher, "How is he in class?"
That evening she received a note from the teacher, "Trying. VERY TRYING!"))

The temperament of the Christian is to be at WAR with evil, and not with people!
Yet, we must also GUARD against corruption!
That makes it VERY TRYING!

Second, living in "holiness" is also a difficult task!
Holiness is derived from the Greek hagiasmos, which means to have
purification.

Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."
(Matt. 5:48)

God KNOWS we are sinners and fall short of that.
But His desire is that we continually STRIVE toward that goal!
(See 1Cor. 6:9-12)

VS 15
15 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;

We must look DILIGENTLY lest we FAIL in serving God with FAITH!

Deut. 29:18 speaks to this problem.
"Lest there be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart
turneth AWAY this day from the Lord our God...."

If we are not STRIVING to live as God desires, we may indeed turn to living
MY way instead of God's way!

ONE such person can defile MANY!

VS 16
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel
of meat sold his birthright.

Here, please allow me to get a little technical.
The Greek word for "fornicator" is pornos and mean to SELL
ones self.
The conjuctive word "or" is from the Greek e pronounced "ay."
The Greek word for "profane" is and means
acceptable by crossing the threshold.

Therefore, here, Essau is compared to one who proverbially "crossed the line"
by SELLING himself!

Here is the lesson from that.
When one is so tolerant he allows God's principles to be redefined,
that person has become a "fornicator or profane person!"

For instance.
When a journalist writes that there are MORE than two genders, he/she has
SOLD OUT God's principles for a PAYCHECK!

VS 17
17 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.

Essau cried like a baby after realizing what he had done.
But there was no repentance in his action, no pleading forgiveness
for his years of self-pleasure.

Eventually, Essau DID receive a blessing from his father, but it would
result in a difficult life!
He would sire a great nation; but there would be constant war.
Even TODAY, his nation wars with Jacob's nation - Israel.

18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that
burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they
that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as
a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

Christian, you are NOT COME to THAT mountain.
When Moses was obtaining the law from God on the mountain,
there was FIRE, SMOKEY BLACKNESS, and TEMPEST
(or blowing storm)!
There was a mighty trumpet sound, and WORDS were spoken to Moses!

They had been commanded NOT to even TOUCH the mountain.
Even Moses, after he had broken the 10 commandments in anger, was
"afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD
was WROTH!" (Deut. 9:19)

But Christians, we are NOT come to THAT mountain!!
INSTEAD....

VSS 22-24
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in
heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

We ARE COME to "mount Sion!"
That's the place where God's PRESENCE resides!
That mountain was originally observed as "the City of David."
Later, it is where the temple was built.

And, now, in this New Testament time, it represents the place where
God incarnate gave His life on Calvary for man's sins!
It is the place, where when Jesus died on the cross, God's Holy Spirit
SPLIT the veil separating the Holy place from the Holy of Holies....the
VERY PRESENCE OF GOD ON THE MERCY SEAT!!

And, Christians, we are also come to BEYOND that!!!
We are come to the "heavenly Jerusalem."
To the "church of the first-born"!
And, we are come to "GOD, the JUDGE of ALL"!

If ANYONE has genuinely repented and surrendered to Jesus as
LORD of his/her life, their name is WRITTEN DOWN in the LAMB'S
BOOK OF LIFE!!
They are INDWELLED and SEALED in the Spirit of God!
They are WASHED, SANCTIFIED and JUSTIFIED by CHRIST!

And THAT my friends, speaks to "better things thatn that of Abel."

The first sacrifice was OF BLOOD from Abel.
That sacrirfice was a prelude to God offerering God's blood to God
for OUR benefit!!

We are come to a GREATER covenant that EVER before!
We are come to an EVERLASTING LORD!

We are come to a mountain that is ESTABLISHED in HEAVEN!!

THEREFORE.....

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who
refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

The LORD, Who spoke with Moses on earth at Mt. Sinai, NOW speaks
from CALVARY to ALL MANKIND!!
((I love that Gospel song: "Just Let The Blood Of Calvary Speak for me!"))

Those who refused God's Word through Moses were "cut off"!
HOW MUCH MORE, if we refuse God's blood and Word spoken
through Jesus Christ.

God SHOOK the earth with His first covenant!
But He has SHAKEN HEAVEN AND EARTH with the second!

Hag. 2:6-7 prophesied of this day.
"For thus saith the LORD of hosts: Yet once, it is a little while,
and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry
land; and I will shake ALL nations, and the desire of all nations shall
come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts!"

When man crucified Jesus, the earth SHOOK!! (Matt. 27:51)

But, one day, soon I believe, heaven AND earth will shake when that
SAME LORD RETURNS!!

And justice will be determined then WITHOUT MERCY for those who
have REFUSED Jesus!

((Little boy was watching his mom apply face cream.
He said, "Why do you do that?"
Mom, "To make myself pretty for your dad."
Then she started removing the cream.
The boy asked, "So, now are you GIVING UP?"))

DON'T GIVE UP on Jesus! Something MORE is happening!!

27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that
are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be
shaken may remain.

"Yet once more" is referring to the time when those things are
"shaken" so that "those things which CANNOT be shaken
may REMAIN!"

There is coming a time when customs and traditions, not fashioned
after God's prinicples of truth, will be SHAKEN AND REMOVED!!!!

But RIGHT morals and convictions, based on God's truths, will REMAIN!

VS 28
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

We, who are GIVEN to Christ, are "receiving" (even NOW) a
"kingdom which CANNOT be removed."

So let us, then, "serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear!"

VS 29
29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Let me point out that God does NOT DESIRE to send anyone to hell!
(See 2Pet. 3:9)
It is PEOPLE who send THEMSELVES to hell by REFUSING Christ!

With that said, STILL, many today are doing like the dead Stalin.
When on his death bed, he rose up, and once more shook his fist
in the face of God. Then he DIED!

MANY today are doing the same as shaking their fist in the face of God
when they declare homosexuality and transgenderism!!

But God is PATIENT and LOGSUFFERING toward humanity today;
even desiring they ALL come to repentance.

HOW LONG will that last?
I don't know!

Let's be READY NOW!
Be ready by surrendering to Jesus as Lord and living by the
priniciples in the Bible.

BELIEVE in Jesus,
RECEIVE His offer of forgiveness and salvation,
Then you will ACHIEVE a reward that is ETERNAL LIFE WITH HIM!