3/28/2021 - What’s Your Approach? - Hebrews 12

Our Palm Sunday message this year comes from Hebrews chapter 12. After reading the text you might be thinking it’s an unlikely place. As you know, the world is tumultuous and things are always changing. Circumstances, careers and relationships are often not what we want them to be. As you get older the challenges seem to come at you daily. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that first day of the week the crowd was whipped into a frenzy. They had problems like we do and they thought Jesus was going to remove all those problems. The thing they missed was the real problem. The real problem is that they were separated from God because of their sins. The people wanted Jesus to restore their national pride. Jesus was going to lead the revolution! Instead, he came to lead a revolution of the heart. The people were not buying it and in their disappointment some of these same people in just a few days will be screaming,  "Crucify him!" A few decades after this, our author is writing to a group of believers that have had their faith shaken and they are ready to throw in the towel. They are living in tents because their homes were plundered and some are in prison. The author writes in an effort to strengthen them and encourage them not to give up. He wants to help them stand solid when everything around them is crumbling. Perhaps that’s exactly how you feel. You’ve got things happening in your life and you feel like the rug is being pulled right out from underneath you and you have no idea how you are going to land. From your viewpoint it doesn’t look good.  Your point of view is determined by where you are looking. “Look to Jesus,” says the preacher. Through Jesus we have access to God like never before. The ancient Israelites approached God with “fear and trembling” but we come with confidence. We are reminded that the blood of Abel cries out, “Revenge!” The blood of Jesus cries out, “Forgiven!” When approaching God we are made small in the best possible way. That is to say, we are exposed for who we really are. At the same time God makes us big because in spite of our of mistakes, failures and self absorbing tendencies; we are his joy!