Model of Endurance

                                                                         Sunday School Lesson


Introduction: A college professors titled a chapel sermon, “Love.” Many thought the text would be 1 Corinthians 13, or John 3, or even Hosea 11. Instead it was our text for today. Simply put, discipline is love, and Jesus modeled it. Our text today shows that Jesus is the model of endurance, and it is achieved through the rigors of discipline. The Hebrew believers were in danger of coming up short on endurance (Hebrews 10:39). They were in danger of drifting away from their superior salvation in Jesus (2:1). They were in danger of falling away from the faith (6:6). They were in danger of not walking by faith (11:6). Our text is really the climax to Hebrews 11, and in it we find three metaphors of endurance.

Persevering in the Faith
Hebrews12:1-3KJV

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³ For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Many people modeled endurance in the hall of faith (Hebrews 11), but no one modeled it better than Jesus himself. Jesus ran his race, and we must fix our eyes on him to run ours. The Christian experience is an endurance race—not a sprint. We are helped in this race by doing three things.
First, we must take note of our surroundings. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Are these the people mentioned in Hebrews 11? Are these faithful believers who have died and now reside in the presence of God as they cheer for us? Are these angelic beings in the spirit world? It is hard to say. But it would seem that others are conscious of our race. Second, we must travel light. We must throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Are there two thoughts here or one? Could everything that hinders be anything bad or good that hinders, or is it the sin mentioned in the latter phrase? It probably matters little. We do not need anything tripping us up.
Third, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Jesus’ role, his joy, and his endurance are all mentioned. He is the pioneer (architect) and perfecter (one who brings to completion) of faith. The cross was not a symbol of joy. But Jesus knew that on the other side of the cross was the joy of the empty tomb. He endured (remained under) opposition. Jesus keeps us from growing weary in our race.

Benefiting from God's Discipline
Hebrews 4-13KJV
⁴ Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
⁵ And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
⁶ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
⁷ If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
⁸ But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
⁹ Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
¹³ And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.


The Christian life is not only a race, it is also a struggle. The metaphor means “against agony.” In another passage Paul pictured it as a boxing match (1 Corinthians 9:26). Yes, we must run the race by playing according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:5). Yes, we must run in such a way as to win (1 Corinthians 9:24). But whether running or boxing, the Christian life at times can be agonizing. It is a struggle. Jesus struggled all the way to the point of shedding his blood. For the Hebrew Christians it had yet to get to that point. The largest part of our text illustrates endurance with the father/son metaphor. Dads (and moms) discipline their kids. In fact, only an unloving parent would not discipline a child. The Hebrew writer used Proverbs 3:11, 12 as the biblical basis for the metaphor. God disciplines his children because he loves them, and that teaches the children endurance.
There are three parts to this discipline. 1—It marks out our identity. If we are disciplined by God, and he is our Father, then we must be his children. 2—It does not last forever. (Though the child might think so.) In reality it is only for a little while. God’s goal in this momentary discipline is goodness and holiness. 3—It is not pleasant but painful. That is why it takes endurance. Sin is fun—but only for a season (Hebrews 11:24-26). Discipline is not fun, but it produces a bumper crop of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 

The Great High Priest

                                                          Sunday School Lesson


Introduction: The Bible is full of priests. There is a sense in which all of God’s people are priests (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6). But there is another sense in which certain people were called especially to represent God to the people and to represent the people to God. Some of these priests were exemplary (Luke 1:5, 6), and some of these priests were rascals (Numbers 3:4). Our text today gives at least three reasons why Jesus makes a great high priest.



Because Jesus Ascended
Hebrews 4:14-16KJV

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Not everyone can ascend. Of course to be able to ascend means that first one has to descend. Our text mentions both as they relate to our great high priest. Jesus finished his priestly work on earth and then sat down at the right hand of God in Heaven (Hebrews 1:3). He experienced this wonderful exaltation because of the humiliation of first descending to earth. When he walked among people he did not do so aloof and unsympathetic. Rather, he wasable to empathize (our English word sympathy comes from this Greek word) with our weaknesses. This empathy goes all the way to human volition and is best illustrated by Jesus enduring temptation. The text affirms that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are. But unlike us, who cave in to temptation, Jesus experienced the full brunt of temptation by not sinning. The writer of Hebrews gives us two commands concerning our great high priest’s exaltation. They are two of the many “let us” patches of Hebrews (4:1, 11, 14, 16; 6:1; 10:22-24). Because Jesus ascended, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. This means that we are to grasp tightly our confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Because Jesus ascended, let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. There is no need for shy prayers. We need grace and mercy, and our great high priest can give those things because he has ascended.

Because Jesus Was Called

Hebrews 5:1-6KJV

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Even though Jesus is a member of the triune God, he did not presume (he did not take this honor or glory on himself). He waited for the Father to “call” him. This matched what happened with human priests. They also had to be called by God. When they were called they had two tasks: to offer gifts and sacrifices to God and to deal gentlywith the people. Their calling helped them with the first task, and their humanity helped them with the second. Of course the high priest would go into the holy of holies once each year in the fall and offer sacrifices for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. But no one could just casually walk into the presence of God. Such a person had to be called by God to come. Jesus was called by God to be this great high priest, and the writer draws upon two psalms to underline this point. Psalm 2 is a royal psalm sung when the king’s reign might be threatened. God’s king will be victorious over people because God has called (named) him. Psalm 110 (quoted eight times in the New Testament) is a messianic psalm sung celebrating the authority of the Messiah. This high priest called by God dates previous to any priestly tribe (that of Levi of Aaron’s descendants). This great high priest is similar to that strange figure in the Old Testament named Melchizedek (king of righteousness). The writer will speak more about him in Hebrews 6:13–7:28. His calling was unique as was the calling of Jesus.

Because Jesus Suffered

Hebrews 5:7-10KJV

7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

As much as people like to avoid suffering, it actually becomes a credential for ministry. Human high priests shared a common humanity in the daily grind with their people. Our great high priest chose the path of suffering to fully identify with his people. The agony of Jesus’ suffering was evident in his prayer life. He offered up prayers (specific requests) and petitions with fervent cries and tears to God. The Garden of Gethsemane comes to mind, but the text should not be limited to that prayer (Mark 14:32-42; 1:35-39; John 6:15). The agony of his suffering was also evident in his scourging and passion experience on the cross. Through this suffering Jesus learned obedience and became perfect (complete) so he could be the source of eternal salvation for us. Jesus is the great high priest because he totally understands the human dilemma. No one understands like Jesus.

Builder of the House

                                                                     Sunday School Lesson

Introduction:The Hebrew Christians were tempted to compromise Jesus. Some of the people were mesmerized by angels (Hebrews 1:4-14). But the angels actually helped put in place the message about Jesus (2:1-3) and his sovereignty (vv. 4-8). This sovereignty was not compromised but was actually enhanced by his incarnation (vv. 9-13). In coming to earth Jesus destroyed the devil and started building a new house (people) for God (vv. 14-18).

Jesus the Builder 
Hebrews 3:1-6KJ

1Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

The writer of Hebrews said, Therefore. His argument marched on. Jesus is not only better than angels; he is also better than Moses. Using the metaphor of a house for God’s people, the writer called the whole church (holy brothers and sisters) to fix her thoughts on Jesus, who is this master builder. This fixing of the mind on Christ is mentioned later in Hebrews as well (12:2), and it means “to express attention and observe carefully.”The writer wants the church to consider Jesus because, as the apostle (the only time Jesus is called this in the New Testament) and high priest (a theme developed later), he is uniquely qualified to be God’s builder for three reasons:1—Jesus is God’s builder because he is faithful. This adjective rightly describes Jesus because he keeps his word and conducts his life in total obedience to God (Hebrews 5:8). Granted, Moses was also faithful (3:2), but his obedience was not perfect (Exodus 2:12; 4:10-17; Numbers 20:10-13).2—Jesus is God’s builder because he is worthy of greater honor than Moses. Obviously part of this is due to Jesus’ faithfulness. But it also has to do with his place on the organizational chart. Moses was like a trade worker or subcontractor. God in Christ is the builder of everything. A house can have honor (glory), but the builder of the house is the one honored when the house is dedicated. Moses did build up God’s people, but the ultimate builder of God’s people is God himself. (See 1 Corinthians 3:7 for a similar metaphor.)3—Jesus is God’s builder because he is the Son. Jesus’ identity is really the key to his superior building skill. Moses was a servant, but Jesus is the Son. Moses could only predict what the house would look like (bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future). Jesus was over (upon) God’s house, a phrase that once again emphasizes his superiority.If Jesus is imminently qualified to be the builder, what is it that he builds? Us! He builds people. But due to what the Hebrew Christians were facing, the writer added this refrain, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. The message to them and to us is: Do not give up on Jesus, the builder of the house.

You the Builder

Matthew 7:24-29KJV

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

We move from the epistle to the first Gospel for the second part of our text. Like the Hebrews passage, the text begins with Therefore. This text is the closing appeal in the famous Sermon on the Mount. Jesus began his conclusion in Matthew 7:13. Jesus told of two ways, two trees, two claims, and finally two builders. Ultimately the builders are either wise or foolish, and the wise builder is the one who listens to Jesus’ teaching.

The parable posits two givens in our lives:

1—Everyone hears and builds. To say, “I do not build on anything or anyone,” is indicative of building. People who say such are building on the fact that they think they are not building on anything. When pressed, all of us betray some kind of worldview that we build our lives upon.

2—Storms come to all. The temptation is to think that some people are spared storms. Nope. Rain and wind come to all.

The parable posits two variables in our lives:

1—Are we hearing and doing? Practicing what Jesus preached makes us wise builders.

2—Where are we building? Foundations built on rocks withstand storms. Foundations built on sand fall with a great crash when it storms.

The crowds were amazed at Jesus the builder. He taught with authority because he is the Son over God’s house. How will you build?

The Radiance of God’s Glory

                                                           Sunday School Lesson


Introduction: Dennis Kinlaw wrote a book entitled Let’s Start with Jesus. It’s a book on our triune God. Instead of starting with the Father or the Spirit (mentioned chronologically first in the Bible—Genesis 1:1, 2), Kinlaw suggests that the best way to understand the Trinity is to actually start with Jesus. Then we will understand our triune God, who is one in essence but three in function, and we will see that our triune God exists in a community of total love.The Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, hung a huge banner in the front of their worship center for a season that read, “It’s All About Jesus.” It created great focus for the church. The writer of Hebrews would have liked that banner. Last month’s lessons emphasized the sovereignty of God. This month’s lessons emphasize the sovereignty of Jesus. But what is it that makes Jesus sovereign? The writer of Hebrews gives us two answers to that question in our text.


Jesus Is the Best Message 
Hebrews 1:1-4KJV

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

The writer of Hebrews reminded these Jewish believers of their rich heritage in the Word. God gave his people his message through prophets and prophetesses. A quick perusal through the Old Testament would display the kaleidoscope of ways that God communicated with his people—visions, dreams, object lessons, etc. He did not do this every day, yet it happened at many times.

But there came a special time and way that God gave his message to his people and the world. It was through Jesus. This happened in these last days (a phrase that covers from the time of Jesus’ death to the present moment). The writer of Hebrews gives us eight ways in which Jesus is the best message from God. All eight ways underline Jesus’ sovereignty:

1. Jesus has been appointed (put or placed) heir of all things. Whoever has it all must be sovereign.

2. Jesus is cocreator. Other texts emphasize such (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16).

3. Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory. God’s glory was his shining brilliance and his weighty presence.

4. Jesus is the exact representation of his being. We get our English word character from this word representation.

5. Jesus sustains all things. Literally, this means he “bears them up.”

6. Jesus provided purification, which means he cleansed us through what he did on the cross.

7. He sat down. This means his redemptive work was done.

8. He became . . . superior to the angels. The writer goes on to tell us more of what that means in the verses that follow. This prologue of Hebrews is full of Jesus. He is the best message and surpasses all other messages from God.

Jesus Is the Best Messenger

Hebrews 1:5-9KJV

5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Not only is Jesus the best message from God—he is also the best messenger that God could send. It would seem that some people were caught up in the worship of angels (see also Colossians 2:18). This must have been an important part of their temptation to slip backward since it is mentioned first in the epistle. Angels do occupy an important place in Heaven and in communicating the message of Heaven to people on earth. Hebrews 1:14 refers to angels as ministering spirits sent to those who will inherit salvation. (This can be seen in Acts 8–10.)Hebrews is the book about better things. Jesus is better than angels, Moses, the law, the priesthood, and the covenant. Angels, at best, are only messengers of Jesus, but Jesus is the best messenger. To underline this point the author clustered several Old Testament passages from the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (poetry/wisdom books) to emphasize Jesus’ sovereignty over even the angels.The author quoted Psalm 2:7. Then he drew upon 2 Samuel 7:14. From there he alluded to Deuteronomy 32:43. Finally he quoted Psalms 104:4 and 45:6, 7. Some of these are direct quotations, some use the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and some are mere allusions to make his point. But the point is that Jesus is not just a messenger of God like an angel. He is the messenger of God, whom angels worship.