Remember all that we have covered in Hebrews works together to this point. That Jesus Christ is THE Way to the Father. He is THE Truth of every situation. He is THE life that deep down you’re looking for, and through Him is restoration with God the Father and eternal life AND the tools and strength you need to lay aside all the weights and run with endurance!

That is what Jesus Christ secured for mankind on the cross. That is what He calls you to today…to be HIS proof text…looking unto Jesus, the Maturer of our faith, and here’s the thing…none of us have arrived! Many of us have grown strong, steadfast and stable, walking in wisdom and truth but man there’s always more! So we are to train…watch this…

Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 5 – 11

•Are you in training? I remember training when I was a young man for wrestling and lacrosse in High School and then rugby in college…training then is the same as training now…always pushing a little bit harder. Getting stronger. Getter faster. Getter better. Becoming more and more fierce as a competitor…Is that your walk…or are you training God? Explaining always why you are the way you are…always doing things the way you think best? Listen, here’s where you’re headed…conflict, struggling, suffering and strife that yields the fruit of unrighteousness…which is what…waste. Regret. Loss…

•But if you allow yourself to be trained by the Lord and His Word then you will be filled with hope man, sharing in His holiness…you will be the real deal…profitable to yourself, the kingdom and all around you…and your life will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness! That word peaceable used only twice in the Bible in that Greek form and the other place it’s used is James 3:17 speaking of pure wisdom and power from above!!! Proof text. YOU.

•And I love this little hidden gem in verse 10 because as earthly fathers when we bring correction on our kids, many times it’s because of our embarrassment. Kids being silly or playful or just dancing in the middle of a restaurant…I don’t know anyone with a kid like that! J And what do we do? Calm down! Stop dancing! Stop singing. Stop laughing. Stop smiling! And all of a sudden I feel like, man what jerk! I wish I laughed a little more! Smiled a little more! Danced a little more, sang a little more no matter who’s around and here I am…just because I’m embarrassed!?!?

•But God is not like that. His correction is never selfish or because He wants us to do as He says for the sake of obedience and respect…God does not want our respect…that is religion…He wants our heart…that is worship. And so God’s correction is always for our profit…not His. How can He be profited or profitable more than He already is?

•He can’t…and so keep that in mind and deny your heart…better yet, give it to God and let Him direct your path! And get this…when you get there…you’re in training and shortly to come…the peaceable fruit of righteousness!

Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 12 – 13

•The protein shake, the formula, the workout routine, the necessary elements for verses 12 and 13, this strengthening and healing, it’s all because of verses 1 – 11. That “therefore” should be thought of this way…, “And thennnnnn!” HA! These are the result verses, the practical presentation proof text of what awaits you as you stay consistent in training!

Hebrews Chapter 12 Verse 14

•Atomic verse! This is huge! Literally this word pursue means straight up harass! Harass people when it comes to being peaceful! Pursue, press, fight for it, run after it, drive towards it to the point of damaging your flesh! BOOM! (that’s a workout!) This is so very very very very very hard when the previous verses are not diligently digested! Oh but if they are, this is your hearts desperate desire!

•God I’ll do anything for You! Anything to bring you glory! Anything to pour out my love for You because MAN, it’s real! Real love, I’m searching for a real love, someone to set my heart free….REAL LOVE! Testify Mary J. Blige!!! Peace? I’m after it but peace Jesus’ way…because that is what honors Him…to set myself as your servant and in doing so, to bless the very heart of God!

•And holiness verse 14 goes on to say…the carnal heart of man and the religious piety of people immediately think this means “clean living.” To pursue holiness…well that means I need to be holy…but here’s the thing…your life won’t dictate your heart…it’s your heart that dictates your life! Holiness is not the outward observances of a bunch of rules. True holiness is a condition of the heart which spills out into the form of our words, actions and thoughts…

•You can wear no makeup, wear only jean skirts and never cut your hair…we could impose all kinds of rules on ourselves like never marrying or never eating pork or never whatever and yet be as impure as any heart out there in open rebellious sin! True holiness, purification and sanctification doesn’t come from following rules…it comes from the consciousness of the presence of God, man. And then no rules to follow…you make the rules! Because God’s Word is ALIVE inside of you!

•And so those two atomic truths together…pursuing peace and holiness…both are a requirement to see the Lord this verse proclaims but there’s a clue there in the Greek…what that means is two-fold…what that means is that is how you and I fold into Him…hang with Him…grow in Him….how you and I really know Him!!!

•And yet optanomai it also means to be beheld…it speaks of relationship!! This is GOALLLLLLLLLL! To be with the Lord…

Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 15 – 17

•Wow! God’s grace never fails…but we sure can air-ball when it comes to receiving it, can’t we. And that is evidenced by how we let it flow through us…and the writer here gives us an example…Esau who sold it all to feed his flesh and then the consequence was irrevocable…no matter how much he cried, he couldn’t reverse what he had done…that’s a hard truth…

Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 18 – 24

•This is a contrast between Mount Sinai and the giving of the law with the heavenly Mount Zion and the giving of grace! The law, the seriousness and the whole scene there on Mount Sinai was terrifying even to Moses! And so the writer calls the reader to move from Mount Sinai, the old covenant of law, which according to Galatians 4 is bondage…to the new covenant of grace, Mount Zion which is actually a city, Galatians 4 calls it the Jerusalem above which is filled with freedom!

•This is the homeland of the saints of old looked to and we read of in Chapter 11 Verse 14! The citizens in verse 22 are the innumerable company of angels and the church is there as well as Philippians 3:20 says that, “Our citizenship is in heaven!” The church of the firstborn it says here which is a title of dignity and rank…privilege and family! The saints of old are there, the “spirits of just men made perfect…” And why? How? The blood of Jesus!

•Better than the blood of Abel! Abel’s blood spoke from the earth and cried for justice according to Genesis 4:10 but Jesus’ blood speaks from heaven and announces mercy and grace for sinners! Abel’s blood made Cain guilty and drove him away in hopelessness…but Jesus’ blood frees us from guilt and opens a way into the very presence of God! He is our registration in the heavenly city!

Hebrews Chapter 12 Verses 25 – 29

•Haggai 2:6-8 says, “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations,[b] and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Everything on heaven and earth is His man and He’s shaking things up…

•Only that which is of God will remain. Anything of the flesh will perish…Peter stated this and then asked, “In light of this, what manner of people out we be?” The answer? Spiritual. If all of our emotional and effort investments are in goods, things, stuff, pride, happiness, things of this world, then when all is shaken, we will shake. Remember this as you make your daily investments, this world is on its death bed…and yet on its way…is a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

•Be there now…register now. Find grace. Find that in that grace serving God becomes the most exhilarating, satisfying, empowering and wonderful thing you could ever do because in doing so you scratch the very surface of all truth and pieces finally fit…and then flame ON! God’s love and glory and grace and welcome….simply consumes you…your whole life is consumed with Him…

•And you wake up one day realizing you are all you ever want to be…right now!