Hebrews - Our Supreme Messiah #33, The Goals of the Race: Peace & Holiness (Heb. 12:12-17)

``Don't quit. Don't quit. Now, it's a triathlon, you're in the same situation I am, go ahead. That's okay. But in life and on your faith, do not quit. And and and what the writer of Hebrews is trying to do right here is trying to inspire these Jewish Christians with with inspiration and wisdom and about sticking it out and staying in the race. [00:03:57] (26 seconds)  #DontQuitKeepRunning

So that first truth, if you go back to the beginning of our chapter there, he says that life is an endurance race, that we're supposed to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, And that Jesus went to the cross, he endured the shame of the cross, but now he sits at the right hand of God and and implied there very clearly, I believe, is that he is there to help us. Right? He's ready there. [00:06:39] (28 seconds)  #FixYourEyesOnJesus

you just wanna quit. You're you're doing just like it says in the in the in the picture. Many of the people that are going through this race, except except the experts or whatever. And they and and then actually in the Boston Marathon, they have a thing called Heartbreak Hill at mile 20. Boston Marathon is probably one of the most famous marathons in the world, and literally at mile 20, when this wall hits you, they say climb up. It's a half a mile, very steep climb, and people either quit or they they pressure on. They push on. [00:09:51] (35 seconds)  #PushThroughTheWall

You see, it it is a matter of our will if we really wanna do those things to pursue holiness and to pursue peace in our life. What a what a great what a great exhortation. Forgive, forget, be kind, be thoughtful, be helpful, pray for your enemies. That's what he calls us to do if we're gonna pursue peace, if we're gonna pursue righteousness in our life. [00:18:20] (28 seconds)  #PursueHolinessAndPeace

Get rid of bitterness. Listen to what it says, that no root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble, and by it many become defiled. Get rid of bitterness is essentially what he's saying. See to it that there's no bitterness in going on in your life or in the life of the church. Bitterness, folks, if you've ever been around it, it's a poison. It is an emotional cancer. It it blows out the candle of joy and leaves a soul in darkness. It is a destructive evil. [00:24:59] (35 seconds)  #RootOutBitterness

I don't deserve what you've done to me, God. I don't deserve it. That is a dangerous prayer. Somebody showed me this the other day, the the difference between the word bitter and better. Bitter and better is one letter. Take out the I. Take out the I because bitterness always is is about this self focus. Put the e in there and you get better. Right? [00:27:21] (31 seconds)  #FromBitterToBetter

And she cries out, don't get bitter with God, please. You can cry out to god. You can you can talk to god very plainly about how you are feeling and how you feel like me. He left you. Read read David's Psalms. He how many times did David say, god, I don't where are you? Right? So you you can express your feelings to god, but don't harbor bitterness against god. Understand that there is actually a blessing. Ultimately in the end. [00:29:32] (39 seconds)  #CryToGodNotBitter

And forgiveness is not it's not a feeling. It is an act of will. We have to will to forgive. Many of you know the story of of Torrey Tinboom, but if you don't, I'll I'll tell it very briefly. She was and her family was a Christian family helping Jewish out of of Holland, I think it was. And during Nazi occupancy and the family, her dad and her sister and her were put in a concentration camp. Her father and her sister both died in the concentration camp. She probably should have died, but miraculously, the Lord gets her out of that concentration camp. [00:30:49] (48 seconds)  #ChooseForgiveness