Pastor Slaughter
August 17, 2025
Pentecost 10
Don’t give up
Text: Hebrews 12:1-13
They began to question, “Is all this worth it?” They were discouraged. They were growing weary. They were suffering. The fire that burned so brightly before began to fade. They were in danger of a downward spiral. In their suffering they began to question meaning and purpose. They were in danger of losing hope that things would ever be better. They were emotionally drained by their suffering, and they were at the point of giving up and going back to their old lives.
Do you know who I am talking about? These were the people that the author of the book of Hebrews was writing too. Just listen to what they were enduring. I am reading from chapter 10:32-33, “Remember the former days when, after you were enlightened, you patiently endured a great struggle of sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly shamed by insults and persecutions. At other times you became companions of those who were treated this way.” They started off patently enduring persecution but as it continued, they started to grow weary and were in danger of giving up. Turning away from their faith, going back to Judaism in order to find some relief from their persecution and suffering.
Now can you relate? For the audience of the book of Hebrews, it was the suffering that resulted from persecution. Maybe it is the same for you, persecution from friends, family or coworkers. Maybe it is some other kind of suffering that simply persists. In the middle of that suffering does the question pop up, “Why is this happening to me?” Are you just emotionally and physically drained by it. Are you at the point or have been at the point of giving up on God?
Today we hear the encouragement, “Don’t give up!” 1) Fix your eyes on Jesus, 2) change your view of suffering.
So the author of Hebrews so skillfully encourages us by pointing to the past in Chapter 11. The Heroes of Faith! Who through suffering in their lives held on to the God’s promise and crossed the finished line. These are the great cloud of witness that surrounds us in our lesson. It’s like they are they are at the finish line, shouting “Don’t give up!”
Because the life of faith is like a race, “Let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us.” One of the most awesome and miserable things in this life is… Running! There are times where I love running. I love the challenge, I love exploring new places, the feeling of accomplishment. But there are times where it is miserable. With extreme heat or cold, when my muscles hurt or ache running can be a real drag and you lose motivation and are just weary.
Isn’t life just like that? There are times where things are going well and there are other times where we lose motivation and grow weary. The writer of Hebrews isn’t just talking about life in general but the life of a Christian. What as Christians makes running the marathon of four faith hard?
The first thing that the author mentions is, sin. “Let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us…” Sin is a burden. Sin trips us up. We all know this or at least have some inclination of what sin does. We all struggle with different sins but we all have the same temptation in regards to sin, to hold on to it. We clutch on to it not wanting to let it go. We hold on to it because of the false promises that it gives. “This thing/activity will make you happy!” But what is it really doing? It is adding more weight on your shoulders or like baggy clothing which makes running difficult and leads to tripping or falling. The dangerous thing about sin, is that we might not recognize how freeing it is to be rid of it.
Sin leads us to do the opposite of the authors next point, “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.” With the burden of sin our backs, we lose focus. We start to forget the why. Why is it worth suffering hostility/persecution from other people? Why is it worth the struggle of resisting sin? Why do we keep running this lifelong marathon? Wouldn’t it be easier to give up? Wouldn’t it be easier to stop running? Wouldn’t it be easier to quit?
Don’t give up! Fix your eyes on Jesus! And what do you see? The Author of the Hebrews goes on verse 2 “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. In view of he joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s thrown.” What do you see? Jesus who gave us our faith promises eternal life! Because it brought Jesus such joy in bringing you salvation, he was willing to endure the pain of the cross, the torment of hell to forgive you.
Sin burdens us. Persecution and suffering wears on us. But don’t give up! Instead, when we are burdened by sin, and weary with suffering the author of Hebrews says in verse 3, “Carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.” Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, considering what he did, seeing that gospel message does more than motivate us, it empowers us to keep going. To Not give up! That is why we need to be in the word, again and again and again. That is why we need to come and worship to hear that gospel again, and again, and again. That is why we need to mine the depths of scripture through bible study again and again and again to carefully consider him who endured such hostility. Why? So, we don’t grow weary and lose heart on the race laid out before us.
Somethings changes when we have our eyes fixed on Jesus, our perspective on things and particularly here our view of suffering. Remember in the greater context of Hebrews they were suffering persecution and pressure to turn from faith and give up. With eyes fixed on Jesus the author wants us to change our view of suffering and to see it as a good thing, discipline, verse 7, “Endure suffering as discipline.”
We don’t like suffering. We don’t like suffering the repercussions that come with being persecuted. We don’t like suffering the battle that goes on in our minds. We don’t like suffering the physical pain of our bodies giving out. We don’t like suffering the pain of grief. We don’t like suffering. And yet the author of Hebrews says it is good thing! He says vs 7, “Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons.”
Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, we see our relationship with God, as our Father! Not the kind of abusive father I know some of you might have had. But a Father who shows perfect love in everything he does. We know this with eyes fixed on Jesus we see what he endured for us.
The author acknowledges that this is not pleasant, but it is for our good, verse 11 “No discipline seems pleasant when it is happening, but painful, yet later it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.” Every athlete comes to this crossroads. Whether you are lifting, running, training for a sport, there will come a point where you don’t want to do the workout. Where you don’t want to push one more rep, to go that extra mile, practice that shot, because it hurts, it’s tiring, it’s hard. But doing the hard thing you become better for it. You become stronger for it. I can’t think back to a time a when I regretted doing a workout because it was hard, but every time I took the easy way out and skipped it I have regretted it.
If our disciple were left to up to us, we would probably take the easy way out. But the easy way out doesn’t lead to change. Easy will keep you the same. What a joy it is that we have a loving Father who knows what is best for us who is willing to disciple us as his children! Because that discipline produces change. Vs 10b “But God disciples us for our good, so that we may have a share in his holiness.”
God doesn’t want us to give up. So, he disciplines us for our good. To allow us to experience the hard things, like persecution/suffering, so that we keep our eyes fixed on him and his grace and love which produces a result in us of walking more and more in a right conduct toward God which results in peace. Peace in knowing our sins are forgiven and we are empowered for service to keep running our race. But we will experience this peace fully at the finish line of heaven.
My family in Christ, don’t give up. Keep running. Keep fixing your eyes on Jesus. Endure suffering as discipline. Your Heavenly Father loves you and is waiting for you at the finish live to give you eternal peace. Amen.