Hebrews 12
12
Follow Jesus’ Example
1We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. 2Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying.
God Is like a Father
4You are struggling against sin, but your struggles have not yet caused you to be killed. 5You have forgotten the encouraging words that call you his children:
“My child, don’t think the Lord’s discipline is worth nothing,
and don’t stop trying when he corrects you.
6The Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as his child.”#Proverbs 3:11–12
7So hold on through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline. God is treating you as children. All children are disciplined by their fathers. 8If you are never disciplined (and every child must be disciplined), you are not true children. 9We have all had fathers here on earth who disciplined us, and we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from the Father of our spirits so we will have life. 10Our fathers on earth disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us to help us, so we can become holy as he is. 11We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way.
Be Careful How You Live
12You have become weak, so make yourselves strong again. 13Keep on the right path, so the weak will not stumble but rather be strengthened.
14Try to live in peace with all people, and try to live free from sin. Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the Lord. 15Be careful that no one fails to receive God’s grace and begins to cause trouble among you. A person like that can ruin many of you. 16Be careful that no one takes part in sexual sin or is like Esau and never thinks about God. As the oldest son, Esau would have received everything from his father, but he sold all that for a single meal. 17You remember that after Esau did this, he wanted to get his father’s blessing, but his father refused. Esau could find no way to change what he had done, even though he wanted the blessing so much that he cried.
18You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire. You have not come to darkness, sadness, and storms. 19You have not come to the noise of a trumpet or to the sound of a voice like the one the people of Israel heard and begged not to hear another word. 20They did not want to hear the command: “If anything, even an animal, touches the mountain, it must be put to death with stones.” 21What they saw was so terrible that Moses said, “I am shaking with fear.”
22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands of angels gathered together with joy. 23You have come to the meeting of God’s firstborn children whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people who have been made perfect. 24You have come to Jesus, the One who brought the new agreement from God to his people, and you have come to the sprinkled blood that has a better message than the blood of Abel.
25So be careful and do not refuse to listen when God speaks. Others refused to listen to him when he warned them on earth, and they did not escape. So it will be worse for us if we refuse to listen to God who warns us from heaven. 26When he spoke before, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once again I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27The words “once again” clearly show us that everything that was made—things that can be shaken—will be destroyed. Only the things that cannot be shaken will remain.
28So let us be thankful, because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We should worship God in a way that pleases him with respect and fear, 29because our God is like a fire that burns things up.
Currently Selected:
Hebrews 12: NCV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Hebrews 12
12
The Discipline of the Lord
1Therefore, since we are encompassed with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. 2#Heb 1:3; Lk 24:26Let us look to 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 seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3#Gal 6:9; Heb 12:5For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and your hearts give up.
4#Heb 10:32–34You have not yet resisted to bloodshed while striving against sin. 5#Pr 3:11–12And you have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons:
“My son, do not despise the discipline from the Lord,
nor grow weary when you are rebuked by Him;
6#Rev 3:19; Ps 119:75; Pr 3:12 for whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
and scourges every son whom He receives.”
7#Pr 13:24; 19:18Endure discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? 8If you are without discipline, of which everyone has partaken, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9#Nu 16:22; 27:16Furthermore, we have had human fathers, and they corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10#2Pe 1:4For they indeed disciplined us for a short time according to their own judgment, but He does so for our profit, that we may partake of His holiness. 11#Isa 32:17; Jas 3:17–18Now no discipline seems to be joyful at the time, but grievous. Yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness in those who have been trained by it.
12#Isa 35:3; Job 4:3–4Therefore lift up your tired hands, and strengthen your weak knees. 13#Gal 6:1; Pr 4:26–27Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame go out of joint, but rather be healed.
Warning Against Rejecting God’s Grace
14#Ro 14:19; 2Co 7:1Pursue peace with all men, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord, 15#Gal 5:4; Heb 3:12; Dt 29:18watching diligently so that no one falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up to cause trouble, and many become defiled by it, 16#Heb 13:4; Ge 25:31–34lest there be any sexually immoral or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
18#Dt 4:11; Ex 20:18You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and storm, 19#Dt 18:16; 4:12and to the sound of a trumpet and to a voice speaking words, such that those who heard them begged that the word not be spoken to them anymore. 20#Ex 19:12–13For they could not endure that which was commanded: “If so much as a beast touches the mountain, it must be stoned or thrust through with a spear.”#Ex 19:12–13. 21#Ex 19:16So terrible was the sight that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.”#Dt 9:19.
22#Gal 4:26; Ps 48:2But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; 23#Lk 10:20; Ge 18:25to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven; to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of the righteous ones made perfect; 24#Ge 4:10; Heb 11:4; 8:6and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant; and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than that of Abel.
25#Heb 8:5; 11:7See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused Him who spoke on earth, much less shall we escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven. 26#Ex 19:18At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has given us a promise, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.”#Hag 2:6. 27And this statement, “Yet once more,” signifies the removal of those things that can be shaken, things that are created, so that only those things that cannot be shaken will remain.
28#Da 2:44; Heb 13:15Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved, let us be gracious, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29#Dt 4:24; 9:3For our God is a consuming fire.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Military Bible Association