Hebrews 12 (4)

Introduction
God gives us abundant opportunities to repent of our sins and resume our journey to the City to Come on the true path of righteousness. We must repent of our sins as often as we become aware of them. Put another way, where repentance is concerned, there’s no time like the present. And if the present opportunity for repentance is not seized, we must be careful, lest it slip away.

Read and meditate on Psalms 139.23,24; 43.1-7; 119.59, 60.

Read Hebrews 12.12-17.

Think it through.
1.  Repentance is a coin with two sides. The one side (vv. 12, 13) is the side of turning away from the sin that weighs us down, causes us to stumble in our path, and renders our souls and bodies “dislocated” from the Lord and His purposes. This aspect of repentance begins with confession, agreeing with God that we have drifted and drawn back from Him. What was the writer of Hebrews trying to get these first readers to confess? In verses 12 and 13, which verbs describe the work of repentance? How should you apply these verbs in your own work of repentance from sin? Hand, knees, paths: The writer uses these to outline the walk of faith. Explain. How does sin affect these? Repentance brings a form of healing to our walk of faith (v. 13). In what ways?

2.  The second side of the coin of repentance involves turning back to the Lord and His ways. Which verbs in verses 14 and 15 indicate this aspect of repentance? What does this entail? Staying on the Lord’s path to the City to Come requires constant vigilance against any inroads of sin or any tendency to drift. How does the writer express this in verses 15 and 16? Finally, verses 16 and 17 seem to suggest that we are our brothers’ keeper, and that we need to be ready to teach, correct, and admonish one another as needed. How can you see this? What will this require of you? What warning does the writer insinuate at the end of verse 17? Should we take this seriously? Explain.

Meditate.
“‘Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,’ that is, ‘make straight paths for your feet’ throughout the afflictions caused by your persecutors, so that they may not slip. [Do this] ‘so that what is lame,’ that is, those who transgressed through the denial of faith, ‘may not be put out of joint’ and increase the power of sin ‘but rather be healed,’ so that, through his healing, sin may be affected by sickness.” Ephrem the Syrian (306-373AD)

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4.20-24

Help me to practice repentance every day, O Lord, because every day I…

Pray Psalm 47.1-7.
Let your mind, guided and guarded by the Spirit, allow you to envision God in His exalted greatness, majesty, and glory. As you gaze at Him, let the Spirit bring to light any sins you need to confess. Confess them readily, repent, and work at turning away from them throughout the day. 

Psalm 47.1-6 (Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
O clap your hands, you peoples all,
With joy to God your songs intone!
Shout out to Him, and on Him call,
He is the mighty, sovereign One!

High is the Lord, O, fear His Name!
He rules, a King o’er all the earth.
Nations and peoples He has tamed,
The heritage of His holy worth.

God has ascended with a shout,
The Lord with sound of trumpet bold!
Sing praise to Him, let praise ring out!
Let praise through all the world be told!

T. M Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006.