Being Disciplined for the Race

I. Understanding the Christian Life as a Race
A. The context and witnesses of the race - Heb. 12:1a
1. A cloud of witnesses - Heb. 11
2. The witnesses and spectators defined - Heb. 12:22-24
a) All the saints mentioned in Hebrews 11
b) Mount Zion
c) The city of the living God
d) The heavenly Jerusalem
e) Myriads of angels
f) The universal gathering
g) The church of the firstborn
h) To God the Judge of all
i) The spirits of just men made perfect
j) Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant
B. The goal of the race set before us - Heb. 12:1c (cf. Heb. 6:18)
1. The goal for the Lord - the throne - Heb. 12:2
2. The goal for the believers - the throne - Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30; Rev. 3:21; 20:4-6
C. The hindrances to the race - Heb. 12:1b
1. Weights and encumbrances - 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 2 Tim. 2:5
2. The sin that easily entangles - Rom. 7:15-25
D. The way to run the race
1. Looking away unto Jesus - Heb. 12:2; 1 John 1:3
2. The way the Lord ran the race - Heb. 12:2-4
a) Endured the cross
b) Despised the shame
c) Endured such contradiction
d) Resisted unto blood, struggling against sin
II. Understanding Discipline in the Christian Life
A. The effect of discipline upon our souls - Heb. 12:3, 5
1. Getting tired out - Heb. 12:3; Rev. 2:3
2. Fainting or being "out of it" (Gk: ekluo) - Heb. 12:3, 5; Gal. 6:9
3. "Thinking lightly of" or "considering insignificant" - Heb. 12:5; Prov. 3:11
4. Grief, not joy - Heb. 12:11 (cf. 2 Cor. 7:8-11; 1 Pet. 1:6)
B. The goal of discipline
1. To turn us to our spirit - Heb. 12:9 (cf. 2 Cor. 4:10-13)
2. To cause us to become a partaker of His holiness - Heb. 12:10 (cf. Rev. 3:19-20)
3. To see the Lord - Heb. 12:14c
4. To inherit the blessing of the birthright - Heb. 12:16-17 (cf. Gen. 49:3-4;
1 Chron. 5:1)
5. To receive the reward of the kingdom - Heb. 12:28 (cf. 1 Cor. 11:31-32)
C. The Lord's motive in dealing with us - Heb. 12:6
1. His love for us - Heb. 12:6; Rom. 8:28-39; Rev. 3:19
2. Dealing with us in a Father-son relationship - Heb. 12:7-10
D. How to pass through the Lord's discipline
1. Be submissive to God in the discipline - Heb. 12:9; James 4:6-8; 1 Pet. 5:5-7
2. Be exercised by the discipline - Heb. 12:11; 5:14; 1 Tim. 4:7
3. Set straight the hands - Heb. 12:12
4. Make straight paths for the feet - Heb. 12:13
5. Pursue peace - Heb. 12:14a
6. Pursue holiness - Heb. 12:14b
7. Stay in the grace of God - Heb. 12:15, 28
8. Come forward to the throne of grace - Heb. 12:22; 4:16
9. Listen to the Lord's speaking - Heb. 12:24
10. Serve God well-pleasingly - Heb. 12:28
E. The negative reactions to the Lord's discipline
1. Regarding it lightly - Heb. 12:5
2. Falling away from the grace of God - Heb. 12:15; Gal. 5:4-5
3. Allowing a root of bitterness to spring up - Heb. 12:15
4. Being a fornicator or profane person - Heb. 12:16
5. Losing our chances and not being able to reverse the results - Heb. 12:17
6. Reacting in fear under the old covenant atmosphere - Heb. 12:18-21
7. Refusing to hear the Lord's speaking - Heb. 12:25
F. The positive reactions to the Lord's discipline
1. Coming forward to the Mediator - Heb. 12:22a, 24a
2. Coming forward to the speaking blood - Heb. 12:22a, 24b; 10:19
G. The nature of the Lord in His discipline and judgment - Heb. 12:29
1. The voice from heaven - Heb. 12:25-26
2. The shaking of the universe - Heb. 12:26
3. The things "removed" and the things "remaining" - Heb. 12:27
4. Discipline and judgment are for the sake of the kingdom - Heb. 12:28