(Songs that fit this message: 1. Turn your eyes upon Jesus)
A message to the man of the house
Reading
Heb 12:1-15
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." {6 Prov. 3:11,12}
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
13 "Make level paths for your feet," {13 Prov. 4:26} so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Most men become fathers.
Fatherhood is not an easy part of a marriage. To be a father demands responsibility, physical, and moral strength. And, of course, to be a father is to be a husband which also requires leadership skills and love.
God has given us fathers, guidelines wherein we will find all that is necessary to live up to a standard that pleases the One who created us. God is the Author of the most wonderful Book in the entire world. The Bible is a handbook; a manual for every task that we, the greatest of His creation, can have.
In our Scripture for today, “Fathers’ Day” we will see what and how our heavenly Father deals with His children which could serve as an example for human fatherhood.
The examples of essential faith (in ch 11)
Those whose exemplary faith is displayed.
ch 11 ends with the promise that these whom God recognised as Heroes of faith will be made perfect only together with the NT heroes of faith.
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us get rid of everything and anything that can cause us to sin. Including that particular sin that we find difficult to resist. Let us be done with it now and forevermore.
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eyes cause you to sin pluck them out.
Whatever victory we accomplish will be done by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ.
Then let us continue the race that God has marked out for you and me. Persevere, don’t ever give up.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is the Pioneer or Leader of our faith ie He set the pace for us; He demonstrated the meaning of faith for us to follow in His footsteps. He was focused on the final outcome of his faith. Let us concentrate on Jesus with regard to our faith and our faithfulness
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
So that. . . . If we could get just one glimpse of the joy that awaits us; if we could get just one moment in heaven, we would put everything else out of the way; we would aim at the one and only goal waiting for the faithful ones.
Are you experiencing opposition and discouragement from “sinful people” ? Do they succeed in causing you to give up and to lose heart? Then you haven’t got that glimpse of heaven. Fix your eyes upon Jesus.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
What is meant here is - how would you react if your faith was challenged with being under threat of giving up your life because you are a Christian?
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
God is our Father; the Father of fathers.
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
Those whose exemplary faith is displayed.
ch 11 ends with the promise that these whom God recognised as Heroes of faith will be made perfect only together with the NT heroes of faith.
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us get rid of everything and anything that can cause us to sin. Including that particular sin that we find difficult to resist. Let us be done with it now and forevermore.
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eyes cause you to sin pluck them out.
Whatever victory we accomplish will be done by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ.
Then let us continue the race that God has marked out for you and me. Persevere, don’t ever give up.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is the Pioneer or Leader of our faith ie He set the pace for us; He demonstrated the meaning of faith for us to follow in His footsteps. He was focused on the final outcome of his faith. Let us concentrate on Jesus with regard to our faith and our faithfulness
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
So that. . . . If we could get just one glimpse of the joy that awaits us; if we could get just one moment in heaven, we would put everything else out of the way; we would aim at the one and only goal waiting for the faithful ones.
Are you experiencing opposition and discouragement from “sinful people” ? Do they succeed in causing you to give up and to lose heart? Then you haven’t got that glimpse of heaven. Fix your eyes upon Jesus.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
What is meant here is - how would you react if your faith was challenged with being under threat of giving up your life because you are a Christian?
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
God is our Father; the Father of fathers.
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
Discipline (Disciple)
A Disciple is a disciplined child of God. Self-control is the aim of discipline.
The nature of Christian discipline
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." {6 Prov. 3:11,12}
Discipline comes from a father teaching his son / daughter self-control.
The application of discipline sometimes seem to be harsh and like punishment.
In military training, discipline is a major subject. An undisciplined soldier can become a life-threat to his companions.
Likewise an undisciplined Christian can cause disruption and destruction in the Body(Church). So also, is an undisciplined child an embarrassment to his family.
The apostle, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, No test (temptation) has taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not let you but will, with each temptation make a way of escape ….. so that you may be able to bear it.
A Disciple is a disciplined child of God. Self-control is the aim of discipline.
The nature of Christian discipline
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." {6 Prov. 3:11,12}
Discipline comes from a father teaching his son / daughter self-control.
The application of discipline sometimes seem to be harsh and like punishment.
In military training, discipline is a major subject. An undisciplined soldier can become a life-threat to his companions.
Likewise an undisciplined Christian can cause disruption and destruction in the Body(Church). So also, is an undisciplined child an embarrassment to his family.
The apostle, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, No test (temptation) has taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not let you but will, with each temptation make a way of escape ….. so that you may be able to bear it.
b. The Necessity for Chastening.
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
Respectful for past corrections
When we become mature as adults, we look back to the severity and harshness of what our fathers did to discipline us but we look back with gladness and rejoice in the fact that without his disciplining us, we would not be the kind of people we are. What would we be if dad did not discipline us?
Sometimes, the burden of applying discipline is left to the widowed mother. However it is done, discipline is essential and is best done by the father.
An undisciplined man has a hard time being disciplined by God when his earthly father never applied discipline.
Sadly, many criminals are in jail because they were not disciplined by their fathers when they were young.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Rom 6:16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Stop making excuses
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
13 "Make level paths for your feet," {13 Prov. 4:26} so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Fathers…
Let us be role model for those who are weaker than us. Become active in your spiritual life. Bring to life, the domestic role of family altars and family prayers as regular occasions.
So that the weaker ones may be enabled. . .
The church is God’s chosen vessel wherein the manifold witnesses of God’s wisdom is displayed. Watch out for habits, coming from repetitious absence, or lack of interest becoming your comfort zone. Become the role model for your friends and family.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord
Do whatever it takes to be holy.
The importance of caring for the souls of others
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
We have celebrated Mothers on Mother’s Day.
She is the one who cares for the children in a soft, loving way. Remember that the children will one day be mothers and fathers. The boys will become men. And men become husbands and husbands become fathers – like you ?
Father, you are God’s instrument in producing a godly offspring. God has given us, as men, the strength and whatever else is needed to raise a family for God.
When we become mature as adults, we look back to the severity and harshness of what our fathers did to discipline us but we look back with gladness and rejoice in the fact that without his disciplining us, we would not be the kind of people we are. What would we be if dad did not discipline us?
Sometimes, the burden of applying discipline is left to the widowed mother. However it is done, discipline is essential and is best done by the father.
An undisciplined man has a hard time being disciplined by God when his earthly father never applied discipline.
Sadly, many criminals are in jail because they were not disciplined by their fathers when they were young.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Rom 6:16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Stop making excuses
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
13 "Make level paths for your feet," {13 Prov. 4:26} so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Fathers…
Let us be role model for those who are weaker than us. Become active in your spiritual life. Bring to life, the domestic role of family altars and family prayers as regular occasions.
So that the weaker ones may be enabled. . .
The church is God’s chosen vessel wherein the manifold witnesses of God’s wisdom is displayed. Watch out for habits, coming from repetitious absence, or lack of interest becoming your comfort zone. Become the role model for your friends and family.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord
Do whatever it takes to be holy.
The importance of caring for the souls of others
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
We have celebrated Mothers on Mother’s Day.
She is the one who cares for the children in a soft, loving way. Remember that the children will one day be mothers and fathers. The boys will become men. And men become husbands and husbands become fathers – like you ?
Father, you are God’s instrument in producing a godly offspring. God has given us, as men, the strength and whatever else is needed to raise a family for God.
We must do whatever it takes to get ourselves prepared for THAT DAY, so that we can also bring our personal offspring to the same destiny we are aiming at.
By Pastor Ron Roux
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