Our text tonight will be Hebrews
12, verses 12 through 17. And I do have a message, I believe. I've given the message this title,
Help for the Weak, the Weary, and the Lame. The opening word of verse 12
connects this passage with all that has preceded it with regard
to our Heavenly Father's chastening rod by which He chastens His
children. The Holy Spirit says, wherefore?
Wherefore? That is to say, this is the reason
why your Heavenly Father uses His rod and afflicts you in His
good providence. This is the reason why the Lord
God in such goodness, grace, mercy, and love lays bare your
back and causes you to hurt as you go through this world. 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. Follow
peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see
the Lord. Looking diligently, lest any
man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing
up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any
fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of
meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected,
for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears. that the Lord our God, our Heavenly
Father, chastens us specifically that He might keep us, that He
might keep us in His grace, that He might keep us looking to Christ,
that He might keep us from that apostasy by which multitudes
have perished. John Newton wrote a hymn, I don't
know of any the modern hymnals in which it is found. I suspect
it might be found in the one we're working on. But you listen
carefully to this hymn. He wrote, I asked the Lord that
I might grow in faith and love and every grace. Might more of
his salvation know and more earnestly seek his face. It was he who
taught me thus to pray. And he, I trust, has answered
prayer. But it has been in such a way
as almost drove me to despair. I hoped that in some favored
hour at once he'd answer my request and by his love's constraining
power, subdue my sins and give me rest. Instead of this, he
made me feel the hidden evils of my heart and let the angry
powers of hell assault my soul in every part. Yea, more, with
his own hand he seemed intent to aggravate my woe, crossed
all the fair designs I schemed, blasted my gourds and laid me
low. Lord, why is this? I trembled,
cried. Wilt thou pursue thy worm to
death? In this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith. These inward trials I
employ from self and pride to set thee free and break thy schemes
of earthly joy that thou mayst seek thy all in me." Are you
weak? Are you weary? Are you often
in such straits that you feel you just can't go on? If so,
my first word is for you. Look with me at verses 12 and
13. Here the Spirit of God speaks distinctly to the weak, the helpless,
and the lame. Did you ever notice in this book,
help is only promised to the weak, the helpless, and the lame. God never promises anything to
the strong. He never promises anything to
the mighty. He never promises anything to
the self-sufficient, but to the weak, the weary, the lame, the
helpless. God's grace is promised. In verse
12, he says, 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. We all like to think ourselves
strong. We like to think we're in good health. We like to think
we are fully capable of doing that which we know we ought to
do. But that just isn't the case. It is our proud presumption that
we could do better than others or that we do better than others
that makes us hard and severe with others. The fact is the
Lord's sheep are sheep. They're just sheep. We will never
cease to be anything but sheep while we live in this world.
And when at last we are at rest in heaven's glory, folded in
that blessed fold above, the sheep shall be made perfect in
perfect rest." But here, sheep have a characteristic about them
that's just common to sheep. They're just about as weak as
an animal can get. The weakest thing on this earth,
in the animal kingdom that you might look at walking around,
and you see something that size, well, that ought to be a strong
animal. Watch them. They're weak. If they run far,
they're easily exhausted. They're often lame. Get hurt easily. Lame because the good shepherd
graciously breaks their feet. Carries them in his bosom and
graciously teaches them to follow him. This 12th verse speaks of
sluggishness, weariness, weakness. Lift up the hands that hang down
and the feeble knees. Now, remember, in this passage,
we are compared to a people running a race. And if you watch someone
running a race, as you watch them, if they cease to carry
their hands high, if they begin to drop those hands, and their
knees begin to wobble, You look at him and you say, well, he
ain't going to make it. He just ain't going to make it. And you're
just about sure to be right. He ain't going to make it. This
is precisely the position David found himself in. Turn back to
Psalm 73. I want you to see it. Psalm 73. This man, after God's own heart,
suffered a terrible bout of weakness, weariness, sluggishness. He says in verse 1, truly God
is good to Israel. And he says this from experience.
God's good to Israel. He's good to those who are of
a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost
gone. My steps had well nigh slipped. I just about stepped out of the
way. I just might near quit. For I
was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Oh, how weak our hands are. How feeble our knees. How sluggish and inactive we
are in prayer. in reading and hearing the word
of God, in worship, how sluggish, how inactive we are in that which
is absolutely essential to our souls, in holding fast our profession,
in the performance of those things by which the gospel of Christ
is to be adorned by us. The fact is we are easily wearied
and fatigued with the weights and burdens of our sins and our
cares and our afflictions. We are faint, fearful, and timid
because of distrust. Not as we like to excuse it and
say distrust of ourselves. That's not the truth, Larry.
Because of distrust of our God. Distrust of His promises. distrust
of His love, of His goodness, of His grace. Our Lord's word of exhortation
to us is this, lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble
knees. He here calls for us to be active
in every duty, courageous before every foe, of good cheer in every
woe. He calls for us to patiently
endure the burden, whatever it is, that He in His wise and good
providence has put upon us, ever looking to Him for help, ever
looking to Him for strength, ever looking to Him for protection.
Particularly, particularly, now look at the passage, He is here
calling for us to help one another in such times of need. Hold your
hands here in Hebrews 12 and look at two passages with me.
Turn back to Job chapter 4. Job chapter 4. We can't say much
that's commendable for Job's miserable comforters, but some
of them recognize certain things about Job that they couldn't
deny. And here Eliphaz commends Job for that which he observed
in him, exemplifying exactly what is here urged upon you and
I. In Job 4, verse 3, Eliphaz says,
Behold, thou hast instructed many. Thou hast strengthened
the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that
was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. Now I know
that this passage in Hebrews 12 is talking about you and I
encouraging, strengthening, and helping one another because it's
taken directly from Isaiah chapter 35. And in that passage, that's
exactly what it's talking about. Turn over there. Isaiah 35, look
at verse 3. The Lord God says, strengthen
ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees. Verse 4. Say
to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong. Fear not. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance. Even God with a recompense, He
will come and save you. Now, this is what our Lord teaches
us here. When our brethren are weak, when
it appears that they're just about to quit the race, Let us refresh them, strengthen
them, lift up their hands, give strength to their knees by loving them, being sympathetic
with them, speaking comfortably to them, by bearing their burdens
with them, by carrying them on our hearts. Look in Galatians
6. Let me show you. Galatians 6. I fairly often have folks ask
me questions when I'm traveling and get letters, telephone calls,
people who want to make the church pure. That would be a good idea,
but the first thing they've got to do is get out. And before
they ever start a church, they want to know how you get folks
out. How do you discipline the church? What do you do about
church discipline? Try loving folks. Try loving them. Try loving them. Look in Galatians
6. Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fault, what kind of fault? He doesn't qualify it, does he?
If a man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, You
who are born of God, you who are taught of the Spirit, you
who have grace in your hearts, restore such in one in the spirit
of meekness, considering thyself. Oh, God, forgive me for my horrid
failure in this. Considering thyself, lest thou
also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to
be something when he's nothing, he deceives himself. And I'm
going to tell you something. What I'm telling you, God has
preached to my own heart this very day. The only thing, Lindsay Campbell,
that will keep you and me from being sympathetic, tender, and
caring for a fallen brother is because we think we're better.
That's the only thing. We can mask it any way we want
to. We can pretend to hide behind
any facade we want to. The only thing that makes us
hard toward one another is because we think we're better than the
fallen one. That's the only thing. We think
we could do better in the same circumstances, and dead sure
would. When one of God's children appear
to be laying, laying by their own foolishness, we are to make
straight paths for their feet, so that they might be healed.
Look at verse 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 word lame here is talking
about that which is twisted, twisted until it's broken. The
word feet refers to our manner of life in the church and in
the world. There are straight paths made
ready for our feet to walk in. These are the old paths of gospel
truth, the paths of worship, those paths that lead us to the
house of God and to the throne of God. We go up here to the
testimony of Israel and give thanks to God. Our feet will
stand within the gates of God's house, and here we'll worship
Him if we're wise. The straight paths made for our
feet are the paths of Holy Scripture. after your word. Let us keep
your statutes. Order my steps, my God, in the
way of your law. And thus walk straightly, my
soul will. We must make straight paths for
ourselves and for one another. By refusing to add anything to
the word of God, refusing to mix anything with the ordinances
of God and the worship of God, By taking care that we neglect
not that which God has ordained for our soul's good. Make straight
paths for yourself. For yourself. And make straight
paths by example for one another. You see, we are responsible for
ourselves. And we are responsible for one
another. We are responsible ourselves to walk in orderly conduct before
God. Responsible ourselves to walk
before God with uprightness. And we are responsible for all
those around us who are in any way influenced by us. Look at
verse 13 again. How tenderly our Lord urges us
to this business of caring for one another. Lest that which
is broken, twisted, maimed and lame, be turned out of the way. Is there anyone here, have you
ever seen someone involved in an accident whose legs were just
maimed, twisted, and crushed? Some years ago, I was driving
down Highway 60 in West Virginia, and I stopped at a wreck Before
anyone else had gotten there, there was a lady in the car,
and her two legs were crushed between the frame at the door
and the transmission housing, the bell housing of that transmission.
There wasn't that much space in there. And my heart ached
for that woman. I'd never seen her. I didn't
know anything about her. I stood there and tried my best
to give her some measure of just consolation, somebody being there.
I couldn't help her pain. I didn't have a thing on earth
I could give her. Folks finally came and got the jaws of life
there. We ripped the car apart and got her out. I picked her
up and laid her over in a gurney with the ambulance driver. And I didn't know that when my
heart broke for her. And you know what happened? She
pulled out in front of somebody. It was her own foolishness. Her
own error. But my heart broke for her. How
much more ought we to pity our brethren, one another, the people
of God, when by their own foolishness their feet are twisted and mangled
and crushed? Shall we not, my brothers and
sisters, do for one another what our God does for us? This is
what he says. Back just a few chapters before
what Brother Bobby read to us a moment ago, he says in chapter
4 of Micah, I will make her that halted a remnant. In Zephaniah
3.19, he says, I will save her that halted. Pastor, how can we heed this
admonition? strengthen my own hands, my own
knees, and my own feet that are laid? And how can I strengthen
your hands, and your knees, and your feet that are laid? How
on earth can I do so? There's only one way. Read verse
14, you'll see. Follow peace with all men and
holiness. without which no man shall see
the Lord." Now listen carefully. If we would serve the souls of
men, if we would do one another good, if we would serve the interest
of our own souls, we must incessantly set our hearts upon the Lord
Jesus Christ. And that's what Paul's saying
here. Children of God, ever follow the path of peace with all men.
As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Follow
peace, that is, be in eager pursuit of peace always. Use every means
God gives you to live in peace. Spare no energy, no sacrifice,
no cost to promote peace in society, in your home, in the house of
God. Our God's the God of peace. Our Savior's the prince of peace.
The Holy Spirit is the spirit of peace. The gospel we believe
is the gospel of peace. Let's then follow peace. And
if we would serve the souls of men and serve our own souls,
if we truly would follow peace, not a fake show of peace, not
a facade of peace, not playing games pretending to follow peace.
If we would truly follow peace, serving our own souls and serving
one another's souls, if we would help the fallen and heal the
broken, we must incessantly pursue that holiness without which no
man shall see the Lord. Now again, While you're turning
to Philippians 3, listen carefully to what I'm saying. Listen carefully. Let us seek to live in all holiness,
godliness, and fear. But that's not the holiness here
spoken of. Let us constantly observe and faithfully keep the
holy ordinances of divine worship. But that's not the holiness here
spoken of. That holiness without which no
man shall see the Lord is not a holiness with which we have
something to do. That holiness without which no
man shall see the Lord is the holiness that's found only in
Christ. The only way we shall ever see
God and live The only way we can help one another along the
way is to set our hearts upon the pursuit of the Lord Jesus
Christ and constantly urge one another in that same pursuit.
Oh, sons and daughters of God Almighty, set your heart on Christ
and despise everything that would turn your heart from Him. Look
in Philippians 3. This is precisely what Paul illustrates
and urges upon us. Finally, my brethren, rejoice
in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me indeed, is not grievous, but for you it's profitable.
You beware of those dogs who would turn your heart somewhere
else. Again in verse 7. What things
were gained to me, I can't but loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless,
and I count all things. What a word. What a word. All things but loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but done. What things? All things. Oh, he's talking
about all religious things. He's talking about all things,
including all religious things. All his form of religion, all
that surround him, all that men, by which men are enticed, all
those things by which the souls of men are deceived. I count
them but dumb that I may win Christ. Oh, now, wait a minute,
preacher, that sounds like works. Make it sound anything you want
it to sound like. He said that I may win Christ. You're going
to have to buy the truth or you're not going to get it. You're going
to have to buy the pearl of great price or you're not going to
get it. I count them but done that I may win Christ and be
found in Him. Oh my God, I want to have Him.
I want to be found in Him. I want you to have Him. I want
you to be found in Him. Not having mine own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. that I may
know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship
of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death, if
by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
It sounds to me like Paul did not look back and say, now, boy,
I remember how things used to be. I hear folks talk about what
they used to do for the Lord, how they used to behave. I hear
preached about what we used to do. Paul didn't look at what
he used to do. He said, I count not myself to
have apprehended. This one thing I do, this one
thing I do, he says, I press, verse 14, toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And then
he speaks of those who are enemies of the cross, who mind earthly
things and would set your heart somewhere else. And in verse
21, he says, our conversation, our life is in heaven, from which
we also look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his
glorious body, according to the working whereby, look at this,
he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Pastor, how can you be certain
that that's what Hebrews 12, 14 is talking about? Because
Hebrews 12, 15, 16, 17 say so. Come back there. There is no
other interpretation that can be given to verse 14 than that
which you just heard that is consistent with the gospel of
God's grace revealed as the whole message of scripture, or consistent
with the passage before us. Here in verses 15, 16, and 17,
we are warned that the turning of our hearts away from Christ
and the gospel of the grace of God is sure to end in our everlasting
ruin. Someone asked me the other day
about a preacher. Never see him, never hear from
him. Preach a good message, theologically, doctrinally, orthodox. Hasn't been in the house of God
in years. No concern for it. How do you explain that? He never
knew God. That's how you explain that.
The world got him. It got him. It got him. And it'll get you too, if it
can. And me too. Hebrews 12, 15, looking diligently,
not half-heartedly, diligently, lest any man fail of the grace
of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and
thereby many be defiled. The grace of God is not going
to fail. He's not talking about that. Oh, my soul, what multitudes
fail of the grace of God. what multitudes there are who
having professed faith in Christ, who having professed the faith
of the gospel, have turned aside and walk no more with us. Those
who fail of the grace of God are described in this passage.
They are exactly like Esau. They're people who look at this
and look at Christ. And he said, I believe I'll have
this. Is that what he saw there? He
looked at birthright as the Son of God, God's salvation in Him,
God's covenant, God's promise, eternal glory, the glory of God. But I sure would like to have
that mess of beans that smells so good. I'll take the beans. I can always
get him back. Oh, children of God, set your
affection, not affections, your affection, the single affection
of my heart, my God, let it be on Christ. Your affection. Take no thought for all these
things the Gentiles seek after. I watch people. with heavy heart,
great concern. Man, those happenings. I've got a great job opportunity.
It's going to take me away from the worship of God. It's going
to keep me from the house of God, keep me from the fellowship
of God's people. But man, it's an opportunity.
I believe I want to take it. It costs too much. I need it. Man, I sure would like to have
that new car. I've always wanted a car like that, and I've got
a chance to get it now. But I'm going to have to work every Sunday
morning, Sunday night, Tuesday night, every time God's people
meet so I can pay for it. Oh, I've got to pay my bills,
preacher. It costs too much. It just costs too much. Oh, I've
got to have that woman. Man, I've always wanted a woman
just like that. Got to have her. Got to have her. I can't worship God in His house.
She costs you too much. She just costs you too much. I've got to have a house for
my kids. Man, I can't be expected to raise
all these kids in a house with just two bedrooms. I've got to
have more room for these kids. I've got to have that house.
And I can get it. But I'm going to have to work
seven days a week every day to pay for it. And I can't be at
church, I can't worship God. It just costs you too much. It
costs you too much. Turn to Ecclesiastes chapter
3. Let me show you a textus picture that just keeps pounding in my
soul. I watch people with fear. Fear
for them and fear for me. Fear for them and fear for me." Of whom this passage of Scripture
seems clearly to speak. Ecclesiastes 3 verse 10, I have seen the travail which
God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made everything beautiful
in his time. Also, he hath set the world in
their heart. Oh my God, please don't. So that no man can find out the
work of God the work that God maketh from the beginning to
the end. Hebrews 12, 17. For you know how that afterward, when Esau
would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected. For he found
no place of repentance, though he sought it bitterly with tears. Esau's in hell tonight, Bobby, because he sold Christ for the
temporary gratification of a temporary lust in his soul. Oh, how foolish we are if we allow
anything in this life or anyone to cause us to renounce Christ
and turn from Him. Like Esau, if that happens, we
will someday weep with bitter tears. only to our everlasting
torment. My brothers and sisters, guard
against fleshly appetites and apostasy. Guard diligently against
the neglect of those things that are found only in Christ. The
privileges God gives only in Christ. We've entered into a race. And the hands often hang down. The knees often are weak. The
feet often are twisted, broken, and lame. But we must go on. We must go on. We must continue
looking to Christ. Slowly perhaps, stumbling perhaps,
but go on we must. Let me give you some things that
kindly inspire my own soul in this regard. Now quit. Leave
it to God to apply the message to you. I have a responsibility to the
gospel of God's grace. I have a responsibility to the
gospel I profess, to adorn the doctrine of God my Savior. Neither
the frowns of men nor their smiles can cause me to turn from it. I have a responsibility to you,
to this congregation, to your sons and daughters, to you. I have a responsibility to the
Church of God at large, wherever I have influence among God's
people, a responsibility to set an example of faith and faithfulness. of devotion and consecration,
of love to Christ. Have responsibility. And there's nothing on this earth
I can say or anyone can say to me that will make that responsibility
lighter. Have responsibility. And I must not allow anything
to cause me to lay it down. I have a responsibility to my
family. My wife, my daughter, my son-in-law,
my grandchildren. Same responsibility. They've been trusted to me. You've
been trusted to me. A responsibility. I can't put
down that trust. I can't lay it down. I can't
do it. Oh, God fix it so I can't. I
must not. I have a responsibility to Christ,
the captain of my salvation, who loved me and gave himself
for me, whom I love. And I can't let anything interfere. Must Jesus bear the cross alone
and all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone
and there's a cross for me. The consecrated cross I'll bear
till death shall set me free and then go home my crown to
wear for there's a crown for me. Amen. All right, Lindsay, you
listen to him, please.