Falling Short of the Grace of God
Hebrews 12:12-17
Hebrews chapter 12 is our study tonight, and we've been studying in the Book of Hebrews for, oh, I suppose about 40 messages and having a wonderful time; and I almost hate to get to the end; and yet the end is coming; and we know God has something else in store for us in days ahead; but we come to chapter 12 and verses 12 through 17 as the setting for what we wanna discuss tonight.
We've entitled the message, "Falling Short of the Grace of God." Lemme begin by saying this. Scripture is not just doctrine; and we make a great emphasis on the fact of doctrine here at Grace Church that it's very important that you really know what the Word of God teaches, that doctrine is basic to everything. Paul said to Timothy, "Give heed to doctrine." Paul repeated again and again in the...in the pastoral epistles the importance of sound doctrine; and, yet, doctrine isn't all there is in Christianity by any means. There is also ethics or the living out of doctrine. There is not only the static didactic information, but there is the life that follows, living action; and the two always go together. In fact, they're designed together.
The Apostle Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:2, he said this, "These things teach and exhort." It isn't quite enough to just dispense the information unless you exhort the people to make it practical and operative in their lives. In fact, he repeated later to Timothy these words, "Read the text, explain the text, and apply the text." That's what a preacher is to do; and the term for applying the text is exhort. It's not just a question of giving you information, but it's a question of exhorting you.
I'll never forget preaching one time at Wheaton College to the student body, which is an awesome thing in itself, and all of that well-known faculty sitting there staring at you; and I was just a little outta seminary guy, and there I was facing 4,000 people in the great Edmund Chapel; and I began to speak; and, of course, I just get lost in what I'm saying anyway; and I was having a great time, and I was exhorting them to be committed to Christ, and I was going along through 2 Corinthians chapter 5 having a tremendous time, excited and all this stuff. And I got all done, you know, and I...I just kind of went away to think about what I'd said, and a student came to me and handed me a letter, a note that some student had written me. And this is what it said. "Dear Mr. MacArthur, I don't think you knew where you were today. This is Wheaton College. We don't need your type of speaking. Just give us the facts, and then you can sit down, and we'll take it from there."
Now if you wanna see how to get your ego deflated fast, that is it; and, you know, I thought about that. And then I thought about what the Bible says: teach and exhort, and I felt secure. And so I wrote a note back to him. "Dear Friend, Thank you for helping me examine my ministry and be confirmed in the fact that I am following a pattern established in the Scripture. Yours truly." I really believe exhortation is part of what it's all about; and so tonight I'm not gonna teach you nearly so much as I'm gonna exhort you. So get ready.
The word for exhortation in the Bible is parakaleo. Means to call on or to beseech, to urge somebody to some kind of action; and that's part of it. In fact, the whole Book of Hebrews is that. Verse 22, "I beseech you, brother...in chapter 13...I beseech, brother, bear with the word of exhortation." Thirteen chapters of exhortation, but not just independent exhortation. Exhortation based on doctrine as all good exhortation is. Both teaching and exhortation are necessary. They are, in fact, inseparable. God's method for instruction is simple. It is this: set before the individual the moral and spiritual principles, and then show him how to apply himself to those principles. And even a step beyond that, if I may, motivate him to want to apply those principles. So it's information, then how to apply it, then motivate him to apply it.
So the teaching of the Word of God is not just knowledge. It is knowledge that is practical and then it's knowledge that is motivated. You know, there are a lotta people who have an intellectual grasp of the doctrines of the Scriptures, but they really don't know anything about the practical life. Somebody said they understand the doctrines of grace, but they don't experience the grace in those doctrines, because they never know how to implement them. It is one thing to believe, for example, in the Scripture. It is to believe that it's inspired and inerrant. It's something else to live under the authority of the Scripture with joy. It is one thing, for example, to believe Jesus Christ is Lord. It is quite another to surrender to His Lordship and enjoy it. It is one thing for me to believe God is omnipotent. It is another thing in midst of trial to learn how to lean on His mighty arm.
So there is information and then there is exhortation. You see, beloved, that's what explains the therefores and the wherefores in the New Testament. The therefores and the wherefores are there to say, "In view of the doctrine I've just told you, therefore do this." Or, "On the basis of what I've just said, wherefore here is your behavior." The therefores and the wherefores are the changes or the transitions into action from information.
You have it in Galatians. Paul goes through Galatians, and he says, "You're free from the law. You're free from the law. You're free from the law," and he gives all of the information. Then he says in chapter 5, "Therefore let us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." The therefore makes the transition. Eleven chapters of doctrine in Romans. Eleven chapters, and you haven't done anything. Eleven chapter of who you are, and finally he says, "Now, I beseech, therefore, brethren, on the basis of all the mercies of God I've given you for eleven chapters, present your bodies," and he moves into the practical, and it never does come in a vacuum. It always comes following doctrine. The Apostle Paul says, "We have victory over death." Remember it in 1 Corinthians 15? "We have victory over death," he says, 'Therefore be steadfast, unmovable."...Paul says, "Jesus is coming. Wherefore comfort one another with those words." There's always that transition into action.
Now, as we come to the Book of Hebrews, we have come in chapter 12 to the wherefores and the therefores. Now, there have been a few therefores and wherefores scattered in prior, but this is kinda the whole wherefore/therefore section; and it kinda closes out with just one practical exhortation after another right on out to the end of the 13th chapter. Now, he's been exhorting these Jewish believers to come all the way committed to Christ, sink everything they've got into Christianity, and let go of all of the Judaistic things. You see, for eleven chapters, he said, "There is a new covenant that is a better covenant based on better promises with a better Priest who made a better sacrifice," and he points out the complete superiority of the new covenant in the first eleven chapters. He then says, "Wherefore, get in the race and run it with endurance and don't cop out. Don't run outta gas. Give everything you've got to Christ. That's all you need. He is sufficient."
Dr. Barnhouse used to say, "Hebrews was written to the Hebrews to tell the Hebrews they were no longer to be Hebrews."...Hebrews was written to exhort them to go all the way to Christ, and you remember what happened. You see, when they made a profession of faith in Christ, and they established a little community of Jewish believers, they begin to be persecuted by their Jewish friends, and they begin to miss the temple, and they begin to miss the priesthood, and they begin to miss all of the things that were so much a part of their life. And they were trying to do...to just give their undivided attention to Christ, but there was persecution, and there was problems, and there was hassles, and their family was cutting them off, and their friends were turning them out, and there were real problems, and all of a sudden things were happening that didn't look too good. And they begun to kinda fall back, like they were gonna go back to Judaism.
Sprinkled among these believing Jews were some who hadn't even yet been saved, and they had identified superficially as professing Christians with this Jewish community of believers, and they were there in name only, not in truth. And they were in danger of turning around and going back to apostate, to be apostates, to apostatize, if you want the verb. They were in danger of saying, "Oh, this is ridiculous. I've seen enough of this. I'm going back to Judaism," and had they done that, they would've been locked in unbelief forever, because they would've rejected against full information, and that's what apostasy is.
And so, really, he's talking to two. He's talking to the Christians who are in danger of holding onto Judaism, and he's saying, "Let go of that stuff. Christianity is everything you need. Let go of it. Come on. Get in the race and run with endurance. Take what comes." Then he's also saying to the guy who's come all the way, and he's intellectually convinced Christianity's true, but he's never made a personal commitment. He's never made Christianity personal. He's like a lotta people in church, probably a lotta people maybe in this church. Some surely here tonight who understand Christianity. It's in their head. They see what it is, but they've never made it personal, and they're in danger of turning around and going back to Judaism and apostatizing, and he says, "Don't do that. Come on to Christ." And the, "Therefore, come on," is based on the new covenant, how glorious it is. "Because of all the new covenant is, come on. Don't turn your back on such a fantastic thing as the new covenant in Jesus Christ."
Now, as we come to verse 12 of chapter 12, he is gonna give three exhortations. Now watch carefully what I say to you now. These three exhortations are given to believers, to the true believers; but they have very great significance also to those intellectually convinced, externally identified, who have never made it personal. It is spoken to the believers, but it has in view these others as we shall see when we look at it.
On the basis, now, watch it, on the basis of all the sound doctrine, on the basis of the fact that you oughta get in the race and run, and you shouldn't quit, but run with endurance; on the basis of the fact that all the trouble you have is only the disciplining hand of a loving Father; on the basis that everything in your life is being done under the control of God to bring about the best for you, he says, "Here's three things I want out of you: continuance, diligence, and vigilance." Those three.
On the basis that this new covenant is absolutely all you need, on the basis that even your trouble is allowed by God as discipline to perfect you, on the basis that God is doing everything in your life for a positive result, what were the twofold results? Life and holiness we saw last week. "On the basis that everything is working to your good, here's what I want you to do. Three things, continuance, diligence, vigilance." These are the three...
He just said in verse 4 to 11, "I know you've got problems. Sure, it isn't easy identifying with Christianity. Sure, you get a lotta flack. That's the way it is." As Paul said to Timothy, "All that will live godly in this present age will suffer persecution. We know that. You come out for Jesus Christ, and somebody's gonna be upset, especially if you happen to be Jewish," and living in the 1st century even made it worse. Sure, you've had it tough, but just keep in mind this is God's marvelous, loving discipline, and on the...on the basis of the fact that the new covenant is so good and so complete, and that all the best that you have is from God, and all the worst that you're having, God is using to mold you, what's the first word of verse 12? What is it? Wherefore.
On the basis of everything that I've told you, wherefore, I want three things: continuance, diligence, vigilance. Now, he just said, "You're gonna have problems, sure; but those problems are nothing to worry about. You are to be exercised by them." In other words, when you see weights in your way, pick 'em up and work with 'em. They build spiritual muscle. Don't collapse. When you're running in the race and you see a hurdle, don't fall over. Hurdle it. It's meant to stretch you, to strengthen you, to exercise you. On the basis that everything so far before this point has been for your benefit and your good, I want three things.
Let's look at the first one - continuance, verses 12 and 13. He says, "I want you to continue. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed." Now, the first thing he says is this. "Don't get tired in the race." He goes back to his race metaphor. "Don't get weary."
Christians, you know, have found the fountain of youth. Did you know that? I went down one time to the World Church down there in Los Angeles where, what's that name, Ms. Velma is, and I heard they were having the anointing of the oil of youth. I think I told you about that, and I decided I'd get it, and so I was the first one down there when they asked, "For those who like to come and stand upon the holy altar and get the anointing of the oil of youth," and I got it, and it doesn't work...but I'll tell you one thing. Being a Christian enabled me to find the fountain of youth. You say, "What do you mean by that?" Well, I just simply mean what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:16, which is a tremendous promise. Listen to this. "For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." Isn't that good?
Do you know the outward man is perishing? If you don't think so, just look around. There's a whole bunch of perishing going on around here tonight. Every one of us, but you remember, remember Luis Pallow's statement that, "Even though people get old on the outside, sometimes the youngest people you meet are the oldest physically, but they've had to the most years of being renewed every day in the Spirit of God." That's right. We've found the fountain of youth, and that's exactly what the writer of Hebrews is saying here. He's saying, "Look, there's no reason to run outta gas now. You're renewed every day. Lift up your hanging arms. Pump those feeble knees." What he's really saying in athletic metaphor is, "Get your second wind."...Sure the outward man is perishing, but what did Isaiah say? "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their...what?...their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint." That's the promise of God.
Well, these poor Hebrew Christian had become tired and weary and listless. Oh, they were under the persecution. You ever meet a Christian like that? Ohhhhh, you know, everything is such a disaster. Completely run outta gas, and instead of taking the weights in front of them and lifting them up and building their muscles, they were collapsing at the very sight of them. Instead of hurdling the hurdles and building strength, they were falling apart at the face of...and looking in the face of any kind of obstacle at all. They were collapsing, and the whole...the whole community of believers begun to really suffer from it.
Back in chapter 10 verse 31 and 32 it says that attendance was falling off. Verse 24 and 25, I'm sorry. "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another." So it was taking its toll. They began to really kinda peter out, and they were drifting back toward Judaism, so that they weren't quite attending as faithfully as they used to. It was having, really, a very negative affect, and I think that some of the believers began to wonder if they were in the right race at all, and some of the intellectually convinced professing believers who weren't really saved were wondering whether they wanted to get in this race after all. And they were both hankering backwards to thinking in their minds, "Maybe the old covenant was where it was at all the time, and we blew it." And so they needed to be exhorted to continue.
Sure it's not always easy. That's no...that's no reason to turn around and go back. Sure it's not easy. So verse 12 simply says this, "Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees." Do you know that discipline, and we've seen it in verses 4 to 11, discipline isn't designed to slow us down. It's designed to speed us up. You know, if you're an athlete, and you're gonna train for a track meet, you're gonna discipline yourself or you're not gonna be any good in the track meet. Can you imagine a guy coming out to run a mile who's never worked out?...You see, the discipline isn't meant to slow him down. The discipline is made...meant to speed him up. It's meant to make him faster in the race, and God brings things into our lives in order that He might speed us, not slow us down.
You know, in any kind of a race, you can always tell when a guy gets tired. I ran enough track to know this, and you can always tell. Two things automatically happen. I know this from my...I'm telling you, personal experience. This has happened to me many, many times. The first thing that happens to a good runner when he gets tired is his arms drop. One of the first things you learn in running is the motion of your arms is very important, very strategic to the movement of your body, and the rhythm is all...all needs to be in...in congruity. Has to be going together; and you can always tell when a guy gets tired, because his arms start dropping, and that breaks his rhythm. You see, your arms are powerful enough to pull you into your stride, and any good runner works very diligently on the motion of his arms. And as he gets tired, his arms begin to drop, and then he begins to lose the drive.
Second thing that always happens to a runner when he gets tired is his knees begin to wobble. Now, any of you guys ever run track, you know this. You know what it's like to say, "Go, leg, go," and it doesn't, right? And your knees are just going like this. Well, I can...I can remember so many times running a 440 and coming around to the 380 mark with 60 yards to go, and saying, "Go, knees, go," and they just...you...you just have go, "Hmmmmm," like this and just put one out in front of the other, almost forcing each leg individually. And so this is a very graphic illustration that he has here. The arms begin to droop. The rhythm is lost, and pretty soon he's fighting against the growing numbness in his legs. You know what happens then? If he begins to concentrate on the numbness in his legs, he's finished. There's only one thing that a runner can do at that point, and that is to look at the goal line. To look at that goal line and tell himself, "I am gonna make that goal line." That's the only thing he can do.
So it is with a Christian. There may come times in the Christian life when your arms begin to droop and your knees begin to wobble, and you don't know if you can get one in front of the other one again. Well, you don't look at your wobbly knees, and you don't start looking at your drooping arms. You just look at that finish line. And better than any guy who ever ran a race, you have the absolute guaranteed condition that you're gonna be the victor, and with that in the back of your mind, you fire on.
Now, like so many illustrations in the Book of Hebrews, this was taken from the Old Testament, Isaiah 35. Lemme show you what it says there. It's a great definition of this very issue. Isaiah 35 verse 1, wonderful promise of victory for Israel. Get this one. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like a rose." Now, this is a kingdom chapter. Isaiah is saying, "Oh, Israel, you're gonna have a kingdom. Boy, Messiah's gonna come, and you're gonna have a kingdom, and the desert's gonna blossom like a rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God."
Old Isaiah sees a whole lotta discouraged children of Israel. They are down in the mouth, pouting, troubled, and he says, "Hey, perk up, everybody, the kingdom's coming. The desert will blossom like a rose. The glory of God will manifest itself. Great days are coming, people." Terrific. What does he say in verse 3? "Strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees." That's where the writer of Hebrews got it. "Come on. Pick it back up again. Let's go. There's victory ahead."
Verse 4, "Say to those who are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He'll come and save you.' Hey, the day is coming." You know, that's so...I can relate that. So can you as a Christian. We look in the Bible, and we see that so often, don't we? You come to church and somehow I get up here and I preach on the Second Coming, and "Hey, the Lord's coming," and we get all excited. You walk out, and you think, "Oh, I gotta do the wash tomorrow. My foot hurts. My ulcer's acting up. Ahhhhh." You know, and it's all sort of pie in the sky stuff; and, pretty soon, you aren't 15 minutes away from here, and your knees are wobbling, and your arms have drooped again, and you're back in the same, old listless rut.
We can relate to that, and he says, "Just get your eyes off the routine and get it on the fact that God will come. God's promise will come to pass." And I like another thought that's in verse 12. "Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees." Notice it doesn't say your hands. It says the hands, and that implies something else to me. That implies that you're not only to lift your own hands up, but you're to go around finding other drooping, wobbly-kneed characters and help strengthen them. That's part of the life of the body, isn't it? Isn't that what he said back there in chapter 10 verse 25? Sure he did. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." Why? Verse 24, "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works." We're in the business, not only of getting our own knees going and our own arms pumping, but setting an example to others and lifting them up and getting them going in the race...He says, "Come on. Don't quit. Don't run outta gas now. What I want is continuance. Let the discipline of God speed you, not slow you down. Let everything that God brings into your life not be a deterrent, but just new energy."
Verse 13 takes it a st
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