Hebrews 12

1-3- in the previous verse Paul mentions that "they without us should not be made perfect" God needs a people that will lay aside every weight of sin and press forward to the coming of the Lord. What are the weights? 1 Peter 2:1; FLB 369.2; FE 134.1; 136.1; EW 71.2. Paul says "let us" twice, first to put away sin and to run the race that is set before us. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to keep our body under control and looking unto Jesus. When you run a race people make sure they don’t have anymore extra weight on. They want nothing to hinder them from advancing forward in the race. 2 Timothy 4:7; Te 144.4. Christ growing up studied the work that was before Him FE 402.3 especially those events in reference to His crucifixion. We are to constantly look unto Jesus and allow Him to complete our faith. He is our example of what it means to have faith, because He endured and was able to set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Revelation 3:21. We need to think of Christ and how He endured and how He did it for us. If we don’t have this in mind, we will become weary and faint in heart. What does it mean to look to Jesus? John 12:31-34; Revelation 14:4; John 1:29, 36; AA 209.2 we must study the plan of salvation and this is what means to look to Jesus. COL 404.1. Jesus endured contradiction of sinners and bear all the insult and shame and became not weary in mind. OHC 361.2-4; PP 701

 

4- if we become weary, it’s because we have not resisted unto blood. This is a very interesting verse. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane resisted unto blood Luke 22:44 and He prayed earnestly during that time. We have too allow Jesus to do His work in us and this includes making the decision to resist every temptation. When the Lord gives us truth, we must apply that truth to our lives that we maybe sanctified, but we fall short when we don’t apply it. In John 6:36 Jesus says "…and believe not." Even though the disciples and others have seen Jesus, but they still don’t believe. Satan comes in and distracts us and we don’t resist 1SM 135.3 We need to keep looking unto Jesus and follow His steps. 1SM 136.1-2. 

 

5-13- We must accept the discipline that the Lord is trying to teach us. Psalm 94:12; 119:67, 71; Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:11; 1 Corinthians 11:32; MH 470.2-471. The word "chastening" is instruction, discipline, education, correction or training. The Lord is correcting us because He loves us. A father corrects his son when he sees him going the wrong way. We should also be subject to the correction that our Heavenly Father bestow upon us. This will help us to be partakers of His holiness. Because it will produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness. It is not joyous to go through, but it will increase our faith in God. Let us praise God and make straight paths for our feet and don’t turn others away who are lame, but show healing instead after the chastening. We must be temperate in all things including eating and drinking lest we turn the lame-those who are weak in faith CD 575.3. After see a whole chapter of faithful ones in chapter 11 and Paul is asking us in verse 13 to be faithful so that we don’t make those who are wavering or "lame" in the faith be turned away. 

 

14-17- We should follow peace with all men and demonstrate holiness, for without it we cannot see the Lord. We must diligently look (12:2; 3:12; 6:11; Deut 4:9; 2 Peter 1:10; 2 Peter 3:14) unto Jesus or we can let the grave of God slip away and let bitterness spring up and become defiled. If Christ has no effect we have fallen from grace Galatians 5:4. The gospel is the only antidote for sin. Ev 544.2 bitterness must be banished from the heart OHC 181.5. As we are looking diligently to Christ, let us not be as Esau who sold his birthright for a piece of food or any be a fornicator. We should not even allow it to be among us Ephesians 5:3. There was no blessing for Esau and he was rejected, even with tears he didn’t receive anything because he despised it Genesis 25:31-34; 27:34-35

 

18-29- Paul talks about Mount Sinai and the experience there with the children of Israel and how terrible it was. But when we look to Jesus we are coming unto Mount Sion, the heavenly Jerusalem and to angels 11:13 we are coming to Jesus Christ the mediator of the new covenant who’s blood cleanse us from sin. We also meet with the spirits of just men made perfect. Who are these? These must be those who Jesus took with Him to heaven when He resurrected from the dead. This is entering by faith into heaven Revelation 4 & 5. We must not refuse Him Hebrews 2:1-3; 10:28-29; Proverbs 1:24; 8:33; 13:18; 15:32; Jeremiah 11:10; Zechariah 7:11; 2 Chronicles 7:19-22 because He loves us and mediating for us. 

 

Those in the wilderness did not escape who refuse Him, so we will not escape also who speaketh from heaven with a greater message than Abel. The word spoken from heaven will cause a shaking. EW 50.3; 269; Amos 9:9. When we receive the kingdom we cannot be moved and we are receiving the kingdom of grace so we can serve God with fear and reverence because God is a consuming fire. Only those who can stand in the fire will be able to be in the kingdom. Isaiah 33:14-16; Deuteronomy 9:3; Exodus 24:16-18