Preparing To Endure The Storms 8-23-26 PM

I.            There must be dedication to others (Hebrews 12:12-13).

a.     As we prepare for storms, we must be willing to do for others.

b.     The writer tells us to lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.

          i.      The phrases or words “hang down” and “feeble” indicate that which is giving way or giving in.

          ii.      We are to be on the lookout for our brethren who are giving in to the storms and are sinking.

c.      We do that by clearing the way for others.

d.      As I drive or ride in a car, one thing that I notice is the terrain around me.

          i.      I’m sure you do as well.

          ii.      Some places I’ve driven through have amazed me at the thought of what had to go in to getting a road through that terrain.

          iii.      There had to be a building up of the area, a clearing of trees or rock, a leveling of the rough spots.

          iv.      It was a lot of hard work by others that allowed me to get through that area with relative ease.

e.      Many of the storms through which I’ve been able to come were made much easier because I have seen some of you go through them or know of others who have gone through them.

          i.      I doubt you thought of me or others as you were passing through your storm.

          ii.      You were just trying your best to make it through.

          iii.      I do imagine though, that you thought of others who had gone through something similar and came out the other side still faithful.

f.       This is how we are dedicated to others.

          i.      We don’t want the lame, the hurting from the storms to be turned out of the way.

          ii.      The phrase “turned out of the way” is from a medical term that indicates a limb being twisted out of place, dislocated.

          iii.      All that comes from that is painful and harmful.

          iv.      We are striving to make the way safer for those who are coming after us.

g.     This indicates that during a storm, we can’t simply be focused on ourselves.

h.     You and I are not simply living for self, we are living for others as well.

i.       How we or endure the storms of life will impact others.

j.       You and I should be seeking to allow others to be healed.

          i.      Healed literally means to bring about ones salvation.

          ii.      How we handle or endure storms affect the salvation of others.

          iii.      It may be our children, brethren, or the lost or some combination of those.

k.      People are watching and we must be dedicated to them in order to endure the storms.

II.            We must denounce bad attitudes (Hebrews 12:14-15a).

a.      Whether or not we like to think about it, the attitudes we display influence how well we recover from things.

           i.      Attitudes that are positive, cheerful, and that show kindness towards the ones around us allow for better chances of recovery.

           ii.      Attitudes that are negative, sour, or unkind affect us as well.

b.      No matter what we might say or think, our attitudes towards others affect our ability to handle storms, and ultimately our salvation.

c.       In this context, we must remember to whom this was originally written.

           i.      It was written to Jewish converts.

           ii.      These brethren were being tempted to go back to Judaism, but they needed to move forward and embrace all aspects of Christianity.

           iii.      They needed to understand they were to be involved in the lives of all men, not just other Jews.

d.      They had to follow, or seek earnestly, peace with all men.

           i.      This goes along with what we discussed last Sunday morning.

           ii.      If we want to influence others for good and be right with God ourselves, our attitudes towards others must be positive and seeking peace.

           iii.      This peace is not just non-violence, but establishing peace through the gospel, which indicates right relationship with God.

           iv.      We can’t treat others poorly and expect them to obey the gospel.

e.      We have to live lives of holiness before others and we do this with others by treating them properly.

           i.      This shows we have been called out from the world.

           ii.      We are putting God’s purposes before our own desires.

f.        If we don’t do this, we will fall from God’s grace.

g.      Bad attitudes are this root of bitterness that are mentioned.

           i.      A bitter root produces bitter fruit.

           ii.      These attitudes that are inside us manifest themselves in our actions toward others.

           iii.      When we hold in bitterness towards others, whether individuals or groups, we are destroying ourselves.

           iv.      A rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself.

           v.      That is what we are doing to ourselves if we don’t dig out those roots.

h.      We must denounce bad attitudes to endure the storms of life.

III.            We must avoid defilement (Hebrews 12:15b-17).

a.      When we allow bad attitudes to remain in us, we become defiled spiritually.

           i.      One of the hardest things about having a flower bed is keeping the weeds out.

           ii.      If you just snatch the weed off the top of the soil it will only grow back and bother you again.

           iii.      You have to remove all the roots for the weed to truly be gone.

           iv.      It is the same with bad attitudes.

b.      Bad attitudes lead to bad sins and spiritual defilement.

c.      Our writer now shows what type of weeds can grow when the roots of bitterness are allowed to remain.

d.      Those who allow the roots of bitterness to grow become those who treat that which is holy as that which is common.

           i.      It may be our bodies that we treat as common, which would lead to fornication.

           ii.      It could be the way we treat our brethren or the souls of others or our own souls.

e.      Our writer was inspired to use Esau as an illustration of this.

           i.      He placed the physical needs of his life above the spiritual needs of his life.

           ii.      He traded away his birthright for some food.

f.        He didn’t think about the future only about the present.

g.      He took something that was important and made it common.

           i.      If you think about it, he gave up a good relationship with his parents.

           ii.      Not only that, he gave up the opportunity to have the Messiah descend through his lineage.

h.      Because of his profanity, willingness to treat the spiritual as common place, he lost out on a tremendous opportunity.

i.        Defilement leads to missed opportunities.

           i.      We miss out on the opportunity to do good to others.

           ii.      We miss out on the opportunity be an example.

           iii.      We will miss out on the opportunity to go to heaven.

j.        In verse 17, the ASV has, “for a change of mind in his father”.

           i.      Esau sought a change later but because of earlier actions his father could not change his mind.

           ii.      We must live with the consequences of our defilement.

           iii.      This does not mean that Esau could not repent of his sin, just that he couldn’t change the outcome with his father.

k.      When we defile ourselves with sin, there are consequences of it.

           i.      It may be a lost opportunity to influence someone.

‍ ‍ii. Whatever it is, we have to deal with those consequences, possibly for life.

l.        We must avoid defilement to endure the storms of life