Letter to the Hebrews Volume 158

 Do Not Grow Weary (Christian)

Hebrews 12:3-4 For consider Him (Jesus Christ) who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. NKJV

We just read and were reminded how our Lord Jesus Christ endured such great sufferings in His physical human Body He so willingly placed Himself into for us, that is, we sinners who have now become His brethren and adopted sons and daughters of God the Father. Sin was the reason that He did such and it was not any sin of His, but all of our sins that He placed upon Himself and carried to the Cross and made each one of us acceptable to our Father in Heaven now. Our Lord Jesus Christ was fully Man during His 33 years on the earth, yet at the very same time He was still fully God. However, in order to make the sin of the first man (Adam) right in heaven for all of humanity that came from Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ lived a life of faith walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Death came to mankind because of Adam's sin and not only physical death, but spiritual death which separated mankind from God. So, the first man (Adam) did not fulfill the will of God on the earth, however, the last Man (Christ) did fulfill the will of God on the earth by living a sinless perfect life as Man walking by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:14). He (Christ) never sinned in words spoken or thoughts of sin and evil or deeds and actions that were sin. Therefore, when He took the sin of the world upon Himself and died the physical death and allowed His human spirit to return back to God the Father in heaven, all of my sin debt to God the Father was paid in full by Him for me and for each and every one of you who have come to Him at the foot of His Cross and been covered by His Blood shed there for us. So, this is why the writer of Hebrews is now telling those new Hebrew Christians back then (and this is the same word to all Christians now and of every era and generation since Christ death, burial, and resurrection from the dead) to not grow weary in their/our walk of faith, for we have not endured such emotional and spiritual anguish that our Lord Jesus did within His human body, as it is written here, "For consider Him (Jesus Christ) who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." (Hebrews 12:3) (NKJV). The English word 'consider' is translated by the Greek word analogizomai (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) it means to estimate, that is, (figuratively) contemplate: - consider. The English word 'endured' is translated by the Greek word hupomenō meaning to stay under (behind), that is, remain; figuratively to undergo, that is, bear trials, have fortitude, persevere: - abide, endure, take patiently, suffer, tarry behind. The English word 'contradiction' (used in the KJV) is translated by the NKJV with the word 'hostility' which is a clearer picture of what our Lord Jesus Christ encountered during His earthly ministry, that is, when He made Himself known to the Hebrew/Jewish religious rulers, who were sinners, yet they did not see themselves in that manner.

The writer of Hebrews was telling those new Hebrew Christians then and us now that we should meditate on or let our minds estimate how much extreme distress of Christ Body and mind was happening within Him as He faced such harassment, hostility, and hatred from the very people that He loved so deeply and was there to save them not only from the oppression of the Romans, but from the one behind such oppression (the devil) and give them a life in heaven with Him eternally (Matthew 23:37-39). Despite it all He persevered and took all of the hostility patiently bearing every trial and stayin under submission to the Father and abiding in the Father's will to go to the Cross and die for the sins of these very people who treated Him like dirt. Thinking intently and deeply about this reality should keep us from losing interest or becoming even bored and discouraged or even losing our resolve to follow Him acknowledging always our faith in Him. This entire concept can be summed up very well by these words spoken by the Prophet Samuel in his farewell address to the Hebrew people, "And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake His people for His great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you His people. Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king." (1 Samuel 12:20-25) (KJV).

The writer of Hebrews tells the new Hebrew believers then and we believers today and of every era and generation how awful and displeasing to our Lord Jesus Christ it is when any of us complain about the sin that (as he put it earlier) 'which doth so easily beset us' (Hebrews 12:1) when none of us ever has nor ever will fight against our own sin to the point of shedding blood, as it is written here, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin." (Hebrews 12:4) (NKJV). The devil's temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ as documented in Matthew 4:1-11 was not the only time He was tempted by him, for He endured these attacks from the devil every day that He encountered any of the Hebrew religious rulers who always were trying to get Him  to contradict the Word of God that they thought they knew better than Him (not realizing or understanding that He was God in their presence). The English word 'striving' is translated by the Greek word antagōnizomai (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) meaning to struggle against (figuratively), ('antagonize'): - strive against. I believe that the writer of Hebrews is here referring to the time on the Mount of Olives when our Lord Jesus Christ was in prayer to God the Father, as it written with these words, "And He came out, and went, as He was wont, to the mount of Olives; and His disciples also followed Him. And when He was at the place, He said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." (Luke 22:39-46) (KJV). None of us have ever, nor will any of us ever struggle, strain, and strive against sin with this intensity. It has been proven by medical Doctors that there is a level of stress and strain that will produce blood from the human flesh pours like drops of sweat come when physical exertion takes place. In the case of our Lord Jesus Christ emotional and spiritual exertion was occuring against not wanting to have the filthy stain of human sin placed upon Him and also the fact that this would cause Him to be separated from the Father for the first and only time in eternity.

Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of Hebrews 12:4, "He owns that they had suffered much, they had been striving to an agony against sin. Here, (1.) The cause of the conflict was sin, and to be engaged against sin is to fight in a good cause, for sin is the worst enemy both to God and man. Our spiritual warfare is both honourable and necessary; for we are only defending ourselves against that which would destroy us, if it should get the victory over us; we fight for ourselves, for our lives, and therefore ought to be patient and resolute. (2.) Every Christian is enlisted under Christ's banner, to strive against sin, against sinful doctrines, sinful practices, and sinful habits and customs, both in himself and in others." Here also is what Alexander MacLaren had to say of Hebrews 12:4, "And so, the first field on which every Christian is to win his spurs, to prove his prowess, and to exercise his strength is the field within, where the lists are very narrow, and where self wages war against self in daily conflict. Every man of us carries his own worst enemy inside his own waistcoat. We have all lusts, passions, inclinations, desires, faults, vices, meannesses, selfishnesses, indolences, - a whole host of evils lying there like a nest of vipers within us, and our first task and our lifelong task, is to take the sting and the poison out of these, and to throttle them and to east them out."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…