Shiloh Bible Church
Hebrews 3:12-19
Finishing The Race
Introduction
[Show newspaper.] I enjoy reading the column entitled “History Lesson” in the Press Enterprise. It appears on page 2 of the paper and it lists several events of interest that happened in the past on that particular day.
For example, on Saturday, June 30th, the History Lesson featured Blondin—the tightrope walker. The History Lesson stated that on June 30th, 1859: “French acrobat Blondin (Jean Francois Gravelet) walked a tightrope above the gorge of Niagara Falls as thousands of spectators watched.”
Wow! That would have been quite a sight—watching someone walk above Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Tightrope artists are incredible! Can you imagine attempting to balance yourself and walk on a thin wire high above the ground?
In his book Why Leaders Can’t Lead, Warren Bennis writes, “The Flying Wallendas are perhaps the world’s greatest family of aerialists and tightrope walkers. … I was struck with [Karl Wallenda’s] capacity for concentration on the intention, the task, the decision. I was even more intrigued when, several months later, Wallenda fell to his death while walking a tightrope without a safety net between two high-rise buildings in San Juan, Puerto Rico. … Later, Wallenda’s wife said that before her husband had fallen, for the first time since she had known him, he had been concentrating on falling, instead of on walking the tightrope. He had personally supervised the attachment of the guide wires, which he had never done before.”
Karl Wallenda fell to his death because his focus was in the wrong place. Likewise, we can fall away and experience spiritual tragedy in our Christian lives if our focus is in the wrong place. That’s why the writer of Hebrews tells us in 3:1: “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus.” Please turn with me to Hebrews chapter 3 in your Bible.
The writer of Hebrews addresses his book to a congregation of Hebrew Christians who were in spiritual danger. They were seriously contemplating leaving the Christian faith and returning to Judaism. But the writer of Hebrews tells them not to do that—it would be a huge mistake. What they have in Christ is vastly superior to what they had in their former religion. In chapter 1, the writer tells them that Christ is better than the Old Testament prophets. In chapter 2, that He is better than the angels. And in chapter 3 the writer points out that Christ is better than Moses.
So the writer of Hebrews encourages these Christians to remain true to Christ and to His Word. And the writer does so by presenting 5 encouragement passages in this book. The first is in 2:1-4 where he encourages these believers not to drift from the Word. The second encouragement passage is found in 3:7-4:13. There the writer encourages his readers not to doubt the Word.
This morning we resume our study in 3:12. There we are encouraged to guard ourselves against unbelief. And so we read in 3:12: “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” The writer gives us the same encouragement at the end of the paragraph in verse 19: “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.”
Last week we saw from verses 7-11 that the nation of Israel was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief. Their complaining revealed a lack of faith in God. And so instead of entering the land of promise, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until that generation died off.
Now, we don’t want to make the same mistake that Israel made. That’s why the writer says in verse 15: “As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’”
Once again, the writer of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 95—just as he did up in verses 7 and 8. And he points out the tragic mistake of Israel in that they refused to listen to God and obey His voice. And the writer of Hebrews elaborates on this in verses 16-18. He asks 6 questions given in 3 pairs. The first question of each pair asks a question. Then the second question answers it. And the questions are designed to drive home the importance of trusting and obeying God.
So, let’s consider the first set of questions in verse 16.
· Question: “Who were they who heard and rebelled?”
· Answer: “Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?”
· Point: The ones who hardened their hearts against God were the same ones who saw God’s mighty works. The people of Israel saw the 10 plagues that God rained down on Pharaoh. They saw the Red Sea part. They walked through the Sea on dry ground and arrived safely on the other side. They experienced God’s deliverance from slavery and bondage in Egypt. They left Egypt with great hope and great expectation. And yet in the wilderness they chose to disbelieve and to disobey.
The second set of questions is in verse 17.
· Question: “And with whom was he angry for forty years?”
· Answer: “Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert?”
· Point: God judged the nation of Israel because of their disbelief and disobedience. And He judged them by taking their physical lives. Please note that they did not lose their salvation. It doesn’t say that their spirits went to hell. It says that their bodies fell in the wilderness. So, it was a physical, temporal judgment. They died in the wilderness.
The last set of questions is in verse 18.
· Question: “And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest?”
· Answer: Was it not “to those who disobeyed?”
· Point: The generation of Israel who left Egypt did not acquire their inheritance in the Promised Land because of disobeying God.
These 3 sets of questions emphasize the danger of disbelief and disobedience as illustrated in the lives of the people of Israel. And the writer of Hebrews wants to make sure that you don’t make the same mistake that Israel made. So, what can you do to prevent what happened to Israel from happening to you? The writer of Hebrews tells you in verse 14. And it can be summed up in one word:
1. ENDURANCE
Verse 14 says, “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”
You must endure. You must persevere—not in order to maintain our salvation or to prove that you’re saved. I remind you that the writer of Hebrews in not talking here about getting into Christ’s kingdom, but rather gaining rewards in the kingdom. Entrance into Christ’s kingdom is a free gift. And it is received by faith. And it can never be forfeited or taken away from you. But gaining an inheritance in the kingdom is a reward. And it is earned by endurance in the Christian life.
Look again at verse 14: “We have come to share in Christ …” That word “share” is the Greek word metocoi. You’ll recall that we’ve seen that word before in our study of Hebrews in 1:9 and 3:1. It means to be a companion with Christ—a sharer, a partner with Him in ruling in His kingdom.
When Jesus Christ returns to earth to set up His kingdom, we have the opportunity to rule with Him and have dominion over the earth. And although this invitation is open to all Christians, it is only the believers who endure in their faith that will rule with Him. That’s what Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:13. Listen to Paul’s words: “If we endure, we will also reign with him.” And that’s what the writer of Hebrews is saying here in 3:14: “We have come to share in Christ [we will be His metocoi—partners with Him, ruling in His kingdom] if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”
So, you must endure, persevere, remain steadfast in your Christian life to the end. Someone said it well: “The Christian life is a marathon—not a 100-yard dash.”
And running a marathon takes endurance! Now, when I use the word “endurance,” I’m not talking about sinless perfection. We all sin. And when you do, you should confess your sin and ask God’s forgiveness. When you stumble and fall in a race, you get up, bush yourself off, and continue running.
The first women’s Olympic marathon was held in 1984 in Los Angeles. One scene from that race stands out above all the rest. The scene is not Joan Samuelson crossing the finish line first. Rather, it’s about another runner—Gabrielle Anderson-Scheiss. She was a Swiss-American runner who became ill during the race. By the 24-mile mark, she was reduced to an awkward jog. By the 25-mile mark, she could barely walk. Yet she kept on, determined to finish the race. Somehow she made it to the stadium—one lap to go. The TV monitors captured her image. Hundreds of millions of people watched as she staggered from one side of the track to the other. Four times officials approached her, urging her to quit. And four times she waved them off. Finally, she stumbled across the finish line and collapsed.
And that’s what it means to endure—to hang in there, to refuse to quit, to keep moving forward in your Christian life until Christ returns or calls you home to heaven.
How can you make sure that you will end well? How can you make sure that you will gain an inheritance in Christ’s kingdom? The answer is: Endurance!
But we are not only concerned about ourselves. We are also concerned about our brothers and sisters in Christ. We want to see them end well. We want to see them earn an inheritance in Christ’s kingdom. So, how do we help them? The writer of Hebrews tells us in verse 13. And it can be summed up in one word:
2. ENCOURAGEMENT
Look at verse 13: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Encourage one another. Encourage one another to stay in the race of the Christian life. Encourage one another to keep moving forward. Encourage one another to finish well.
In his book Facing Your Giants, Max Lucado tells of the time he competed in the half-Ironman triathlon. Lucado writes: “After the 1.2 mile swim and the 56-mile bike ride, I didn’t have much energy left for the 13.1 mile run. Neither did the fellow jogging next to me. I asked him how he was doing and soon regretted posing the question. ‘This stinks. This race is the dumbest decision I’ve ever made.’ He had more complaints than a taxpayer at the IRS. My response to him? ‘Goodbye.’ I know if I listened too long, I’d start agreeing with him. I caught up with a 66-year-old grandmother. Her tone was just the opposite. ‘You’ll finish this,’ she encouraged. ‘It’s hot, but at least it’s not raining. One step at a time… don’t forget to hydrate… stay in there.’ I ran next to her until my heart was lifted and my legs were aching.”
Encourage one another. But how do we do this? Let me suggest 3 ways. First, by …
· Verbal Encouragement
Words are powerful. You can build up or tear down a person by your speech. So, make it a point to say something uplifting to a brother or sister in Christ. Tell the person that you appreciate what he is doing for the Lord. And be sure to be specific because it makes your encouragement more concrete. Tell the person: “You did a great job at doing…” or “I really appreciate that you…” or “I was really impressed that you…”
I’m not talking about insincere flattery, but honest encouragement. So, build one another up verbally. A second way to encourage others is by …
· Written Encouragement
Write someone a note and let him know that you are praying for him. Or write a note telling the person how his example has affected you in a positive way in your Christian life. Or write a note of encouragement to someone, reminding him of the promises of God.
A third way to encourage others is by …
· Active Encouragement
When someone is discouraged or hurting, offer specific, practical help. If you ask, “How can I help?” the person might be reluctant to say anything. So, it’s better to ask, “Would it help if I …” (and then mention a specific action). Or “I would like to …” (and then make a suggestion as to how you could help).
Encouraging one another in the Christian life is vital.
Charles Swindoll wrote, “I know of no one more needed, more valuable, more Christ-like than the individual who is committed to the ministry of encouragement.”
Conclusion
The words of the writer of Hebrews is as relevant today as they were to his original readers: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”
Endurance and encouragement—two essential ingredients in making sure that ourselves and others finish well and win the race of the Christian life.
Let’s pray.
