The Path to Victory
Hebrews 12:12-17
Hebrews 12:1,
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:13, (NIV)
"Make level paths for your feet,"
1. Realize you already possess the strength you need
Hebrews 12:12, (NIV)
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
Isaiah 35:1-3, (NIV)
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
2. Resolve to stay in your lane
Hebrews 12:13, (NIV)
"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
1 Corinthians 4:3-5, (NLT)
As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don't even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn't prove I'm right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. So don't make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns.
Romans 14:4, (NLT)
Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong.
Hebrews 12:13, (NIV)
"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Isaiah 35:3-5, (NIV)
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
3. Relentlessly pursue peace and holiness
Hebrews 12:14, (NIV)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Romans 12:18, (NIV)
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Hebrews 12:14, (NIV)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Proverbs 6:16, (NIV)
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
Proverbs 6:19 (NIV)
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Hebrews 12:14, (NIV)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
4. Recognize you can miss God’s grace
Hebrews 12:15a, (NIV)
See to it that no one misses the grace of God...
1st They have accommodated sin in their life
2nd Pride
1 Peter 5:5-6, (NIV)
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
3rd Failure to read the Bible
Matthew 4:4, (NLT)
But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
4th Sporadic church attendance
5. Regard God’s blessing as more valuable than the world’s pleasures
Hebrews 12:15, (NIV)
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Deuteronomy 29:18, (NIV)
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
Deuteronomy 29:18-21, (NIV)
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way." This will bring disaster The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under
heaven. The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for
disaster,
Hebrews 12:16, (NIV)
See that no one is sexually immoral (pornos), or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
Genesis 25:29-34,
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?" But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
Hebrews 12:17, (NIV)
Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.