KEY PRINCIPLES FROM THIS MESSAGE:
As the mind goes, so goes the heart.
If you want to OBEY the commands of God that directly relate to human emotions (e.g., “rejoice always” – 1Th 5:16), then, “set your mind on the things of the Spirit” (Ro 8:5), aka, the “sacred writings that are able to make you wise” (2Ti 3:15).
God doesn’t give ineffective gifts. God’s faith WORKS!!!
In God’s grand plan for the ages, OT and NT saints are all in this together, as a family. Salvation is an eternal concept, not a point-in-time one. Therefore, to fully understand God’s salvific plan, we mustn’t be nearsighted; rather, we must consider it as spanning millennia (all human history, even).
Ch 12 represents a clear shift from historical recitation (Ch 11) to pastoral exhortation.
Although faith is still the underlying theme in Ch 12, piggybacking off the momentum gained in Ch 11, it is more about seeing it actualized in endurance and submission under discipline. The writer encourages patience and trusting perseverance despite hardship.
Apostasy is once again a key motivator for the writer in Ch 12.
“run” – from trecho – means properly, to run (like an athlete competing in the ancient Greek games); (figuratively) advance speedily, like an athlete moving forward with full effort and directed purpose (see 1 Cor 9:24); conveys intense desire to get to the goal as quickly as possible; was used of runners in a race, of swiftness or of effort to attain an end.
“endurance” – from hupomone – means properly, remaining under, endurance; steadfastness, especially as God enables the believer to “remain (endure) under” the challenges He allots in life.