“Do Not Lose Heart” [Matt's Messages] ~ Matt Mitchell

“Do Not Lose Heart”

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

The Letter to the Hebrews

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

November 8, 2026 :: Hebrews 12:3-13

Why does it hurt so much?

Why does it hurt so much so often when you are following Jesus?

Have you ever asked that question? Have you ever felt that question?

“I’m following Jesus. I’m trusting Him. I’m running the race. Why am I suffering? Am I doing it wrong? Is it all for nothing? Why am I being treated like this? Does the Lord see what’s going on here? Has He left me? Am I all alone? Why am I suffering? Why does it hurt so much?”

I think that the original readers of this letter may have been feeling that question deeply. They had started the race of faith, but they were tempted to crash out of it. Because it had gotten so painful. They were experiencing persecution (Hebrew 10:32-34). Some of them had been insulted and mistreated. Some of them had gone to prison for following Jesus. Gone to prison for following Jesus! Some of them had lost their homes. Their homes were ransacked or even taken away from them because they were following Jesus. Maybe by a mob or maybe by the authorities.

They were suffering. And this suffering was not letting up. And so they were tempted to go backwards and give up.

But this pastor who loved them wanted something better for them, so he wrote this sermonic letter to encourage them to, “Do Not Lose Heart.” Those words are in verse 3 and in verse 5 of today’s passage.

“Do Not Lose Heart”

Don’t give up. Don’t punch your ticket out. Don’t throw in the towel.

Last Sunday, we reached the point that we’ve been building towards all year long when we finally got to Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1. We’re memorizing it together now.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Hebrews says, “Let’s run!”

Remember last week, we said it to each other with the up-nod? Do it again. “Let’s run!”

I tried to say it to most of you on the way out last week. “C’mon. Let’s go. Let’s get into the race of faith. All of those Old Testament witnesses in the chapter 11 Hall of Faith have done it, and they are cheering us on. Run! Run! Run! Run! God is faithful. You can trust Him. Run! Run! Run! Run! Let’s throw off anything that’s weighing us down–whether it’s a bad sinful thing or even a good thing that’s gotten in the way. Let’s throw it off like Simon did that weighted-vest last week. And let’s run.”

I hope you felt the wind behind you this week and the team alongside you this week as you ran the race of faith marked out for you by our Lord.

But maybe you didn’t. Maybe you ran out of those doors last week and ran right into a headwind. Maybe you ran right into your enemy. Maybe you ran right into a wall.

Runners talk about “hitting a wall.” Where they feel exhausted and fatigued and like they are going to drop. Maybe that was you this week, and you’re barely limping in here this morning. You’re all drooping and dragging spiritually. You’re all wobbly. You’re weary, and you’re hurting.

If so, this passage is for you. Hebrews is saying don’t lose heart.

I have three points this morning in this message to point out what Hebrews says we need to keep in mind so that you and I don’t call it quits on the Christian life. And here’s the first one.

#1. DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF JESUS.

Last week, we ended with that idea. In verse 2, Hebrews said, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

That’s been our theme all year long. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus.” The updated NIV calls Him, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” He set us going on our race, and He will see us through. And He’s our example. He ran the race before us and was victorious. Now look at verse 3.

“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Don’t lose sight of Jesus. Consider Him. Think about Him. Stare at Him and ponder His endurance.

What did Jesus endure? He was mocked, flogged, and crucified.

He was humiliated. He was spit upon. He was arrested on false charges. He was mistreated and misjudged. He was slandered in court. He was stripped of his clothing. He was made to carry His cross. He was ridiculed. He was spit upon. He was nailed. He was asphyxiated. He was crucified.

Hebrews says, “Think about that.” Whenever you are tempted to quit the race, think about Jesus, and how He did not quit. Same word in verse 3 as in verse 1 and verse 2. “Hupomonay.” Endure. We are to persevere/endure in the race, Jesus endured the cross, He endured such opposition from sinful men.

See the logic in verse 3? “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

When we dwell on the endurance of our Lord, it empowers us to stay in the race. Don’t lose sight of Jesus.

Have you thought this week about what Jesus did for you? That’s one of the best reasons to come to church on Sunday mornings to remind our hearts and to remind each other what Jesus did for us.

That’s why we sing so many songs about the Cross. It’s so easy when we’re hurting to lose sight of what’s important and to just think about our pain. But Jesus didn’t! He thought about the joy. “For the joy set before Him, He endured the Cross.” And we need to set Him before us. And that will keep us in the race. Jesus gave it all!

In verse 4, Hebrews points out that they have not yet given all. Verse 4.

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

I think he’s trying to help them keep their suffering in perspective. They have not yet been martyred. Nobody in that church has given their up their life. Not yet.

Jesus did! He gave up His blood. Many of the Old Testament believers from chapter 11 did (see especially 11:35-38). And believers all across the world are dying for their faith today. We call them “the persecuted church.” But nobody from this church has yet died because they were following Jesus.

It could be worse. And it might get worse.

I think it’s interesting that he calls it, “your struggle against sin.”

It’s not clear if he means your struggle against the sins of others against the church (like the sinful men against Jesus in verse 3) or the struggle against their own sin, especially the sin of apostasy, falling away.

Both are true! Both are struggles with sin that we have.

The word for struggle is “antagonizomenoi.” You can hear where we get “antagonize” in English. This is hard. It’s a fight! The Bible does not sugar-coat how hard it is to follow Jesus. It doesn’t make it worse than it is, but it doesn’t gloss over it either. Following Jesus is not Candyland. But just because it’s hard is no reason to whine or to quit.

Jesus didn’t! And He had it so much worse. Don’t lose sight of Jesus. Don’t lose heart.

But...it hurts! You say, “It hurts.” Yes, it does. And so in the next little paragraph this pastor tries to help these Christians to make sense of that suffering. He doesn’t say everything that could be said, but he wants to help them think about their suffering in the right way.

Which is counterintuitive. It’s not the way we tend to think, especially when we’re hurting. But we should. Hebrews says that if they were reading their Bibles, they would already know this. Look at verse 5.

“And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son’” (vv.5-6).

He’s quoting Proverbs chapter 3, verses 11&12. He sure loves his Old Testament, doesn’t he? And he thinks they should, too! Verse 5 could be translated as a question, “Have you forgotten Proverbs 3?! Guys?!”

There’s so much encouragement in the Old Testament. Remember how it teaches that we are God’s beloved children? Here’s point number two of how to keep from quitting.

#2. DON’T FORGET YOU ARE LOVED.

And he’s not saying, “Remember that you are loved in spite of your suffering.” He’s saying, “Don’t forget that you are loved in the design of your suffering. Your suffering, if you are suffering in faith, if you are suffering for Jesus, your suffering is, mysteriously, a part of how God is loving you.”

Here he brings in the category of discipline. Or you might use the word “training.” In this context, discipline is the application of pain to teach and train someone. Like a parent or a teacher or a coach does.

I’m sure that Ashley didn’t get to “States” by just running every once in a while when she felt like it. She disciplined herself to do it. And her coaches disciplined her, gave her a training regimen to follow. And they pushed her to surpass her limits. And it was not always pleasant!

Sometimes discipline is corrective. If you are doing some wrong, then you apply some pain to get things back in line. Parents have to do this when our kids are young. Proverbs teaches us that we need to discipline our children.

But not all discipline is corrective. Sometimes it’s just educational. It’s preventative. It’s showing where the boundaries are. “Don’t go here or it will hurt worse than this.”

But, and this is what’s really important here, when it’s done right, discipline is love. Look at verse 5 again.

He says, “Make sure you’re listening!” Sounds like a parent doesn’t he? “Are you listening?” Proverbs 3 says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline [don’t roll your eyes at this, don’t say, “6/7" at this], and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” (vv.5-6).

Hebrews is saying that these hurting Christians should see their pain as the Lord’s discipline, and know that the Lord only disciplines those He loves.

This pain is not wrath.

This pain is not condemnation.

This pain is not sadistic.

God doesn’t have it out for them, even if their sinful persecutors do. But God has a design in this suffering that comes from His love.

He’s saying, “You are not doing it wrong.” You are not being persecuted because God’s has abandoned you. You are being persecuted because God is with you. And He’s using this pain (he even calls it “punishment” or better “chastisement,” or even “scourging” because it does truly hurt). He’s using this pain to discipline you because He loves you.

Now, this can be a difficult thing to wrap your mind around. I thought about all of the traps that we can fall into this week.

One thing to remember is that the Bible is not teaching that we should just be happy that we are mistreated and abused. Or that God is happy that we are mistreated or abused. Or that we should just go along with abuse and mistreatment, because God obviously is disciplining us.

This does not make persecution good. This does not make suffering good. It’s not good. Remember verse 3. Jesus endured such opposition from sinful men. This suffering is not good, even though God can and does use it for our good. And Jesus’ suffering was sufficient! He willingly chose it once and for all. “He sat down.”

We don’t have to grin and bear it, too. Sometimes, like Moses, it’s the role of faith to run from it (Hebrews 11:27). Too see if there is a way out.

But when that bad suffering inevitably comes, it doesn’t mean that we are rejected by God. But that God can use it to train us in the way we should go.

And it also is not teaching that if we are experiencing suffering that we have done something specific to bring it on.

Like a lot of our discipline with our children is that they do something that needs corrected, so we apply some pain to encourage them to not do that thing again.

And that might be true when we experience suffering. When it hurts, we should ask the Lord if there is a correspondence and consider whether there is something to be repented of or a particular lesson to be learned.

But consider Jesus. Was Jesus disciplined? Yes! Remember Jesus never sinned. So He never needed corrected. But what did Hebrews 5:9 say? “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

Remember, doesn’t mean that He was somehow imperfect or that He learned by failure. He learned by success. But in His human nature, He did learn! And He learned by suffering. And He knew that His suffering was not because He was hated by His Father but because He was loved by the Father!

And if that’s true for the sinless Jesus, how much more is it true for us who do need corrective discipline? Who need to be reminded to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

This discipline is not punitive. It is not wrath. Sometimes we think about discipline as getting someone, a parent, really angry, and then they take it out on you. That’s wrong. Dads and Moms, don’t “discipline” like that.

There’s a place for wrath in God justice as Lord, as the aggrieved party in all sin. But as a Father, His discipline, though painful, is not wrathful. It’s loving! You and I are so loved. Look at verse 7.

“Endure hardship as discipline [same word “hupomonay”, endure]; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons” (vv.7-9).

Do you see what he’s saying? Church, if you were not loved by God, then you would not be hurting. But, mysteriously, you are hurting because you are loved by God.

“Why does it hurt so much?” Strangely, because you are loved by God.

I have all three of sons here with me today. It’s been great to have Andrew with us this month. He heads off again on Tuesday, and I don’t know when I’ll see him again. But it’s been great to have him home and all three of my boys in this same room together. I love them all.

And when they were little, I had to discipline them. We won’t say which of them needed it the most. But their mother and I disciplined all of them (and their sister) because they were ours, and we loved them.

Imagine if we woke up one day when they were say 5 years old and realized that one of them (let’s make it Andrew since we’re picking on him today) had snuck out of the house and was playing out on the road. Maybe he had gone through a hole in the fence and was playing out on route 80!

And imagine if I just said, “Oh well. That’s interesting.” And didn’t do anything about it. No spanking. No speech. No consequences. No pain.

Would I be loving them if I just let them go and didn’t train them? No!

In the ancient Roman world, men who were Roman citizens could have biological children that were not considered their children by law–their recognized legitimate sons. And those “illegitimate” children did not bear their bio-father’s name, and therefore he didn’t consider himself to have any responsibilities for their education. Their behavior did not affect his reputation.

They didn’t “count,” so he didn’t care. And he didn’t bother to discipline them. He may have hurt them, but he didn’t train them. “Not really my kid.” But if they were his true sons by law, then he would discipline them.

And Hebrews is saying to these hurting Christians, "He loves you. He cares about you. This pain is not a sign of His rejection. It is a sign of His love. You suffering for Him shows that you are His. You belong to Him."

Can you believe that?

I know it’s hard. I’ll bet it was even hard for Jesus, and He understood it perfectly. But on the Cross cried out in the words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

It’s okay to feel that question. But don’t forget the answer. He has not abandoned you. He is loving you through the pain. Because you are His son. And that goes for both men and women who are Christians.

We are IN His Son. And we are so loved.

Remember, whenever you start to wonder if you are loved, fix your eyes on Jesus! Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men for the joy of saving you for His kingdom, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

You are so loved. Not just in spite of the pain, but through the pain. Because your Father is using the pain for your good. That’s the third and last point this morning.

#3. DON’T MISS THE GAIN FROM YOUR PAIN.

You know that saying in athletics, “No pain, no gain.”

Well, that’s the idea here. Hebrews says all of this pain will be for our good. Look at verse 9.

“Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!”

He’s saying that we can learn even more from the example of our earthly fathers, who could only see our outsides. How much more should we submit to the discipline of our Heavenly Father who can see our spirits inside of us, and who is giving us life (see Hebrews 4:12)! Verse 10.

“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”

We can learn from our earthly fathers both in their strengths and their weaknesses. He says that our earthly fathers disciplined us for a little while. God’s discipline lasts our whole lifetime. We might be very glad that our earthly father’s discipline was for a short time because they are very limited in their wisdom.

I’m sorry, boys, for all the ways that I failed to discipline you well.

Some parents do it just terribly. I’m sure that some of you in this room had abusive parents and you are having a hard time even wrapping your mind around how God’s discipline could be good at all.

Dads and Moms, remember that you are training your children in their view of God by how you parent them. It will be easier or harder for them to trust in God the more or less you are like Him as you are their parent.

But God’s fathering is perfect. And it’s for our good. Look at verse 10 again. “But God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”

Wow! What a thought. When we accept His loving training in our life, we grow in holiness, in sanctification.

Heather and I talked about this a lot this week. This is one of our her favorite passage in the Bible. She has it memorized and meditates on it regularly as a great encouragement to her, especially when she’s suffering. She pointed out to me that when we trust God through the pain, we grow in our love for Him and for His kingdom. And that helps us to grow in holiness.

Like we saw over and over again in Hebrews 11, where the believers had to choose God over the world. Suffering reminds us that this world is not satisfying. It’s broken. It’s painful. It’s disappointing. It’s failing.

Pain reminds us of that. It’s a gift to goad us to holiness. To wean us off of the world and towards heaven. So we don’t get too comfortable here. Because this world is not our home. Not the way it is. Things are not they way they should be.

Remember those folks in chapter 11 who were tortured, imprisoned, stoned, sawed in two, persecuted, mistreated. The Bible says, “the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:38). They were holy.

And as we trust God through the pain, we become holy, too.

It’s no fun! It hurts. No joke. It hurts. Look at verse 11.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Yes, it hurts. But it’s worth it. Following Jesus by faith is often costly, and often seems crazy, but it’s always worth it. He says, the Father’s discipline “produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.”

Oh, I want that! Don’t you want that? Do you want a harvest of righteousness and peace? Other versions says, “the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” I want my life to look like that. Peaceful. Righteous. How do you get there? You’ve got to hold on. You’ve got keep running through the pain.

You don’t get the harvest right away. You have to wait for the harvest. We celebrate the harvest now in November, but the planting was in the Spring.

We have to endure. Run with perseverance the race marked for us. Even through the pain. And when we do, we gain.

Here are three quick points of application as we close.

First, submit to your Father’s training.

Go ahead and tell Him, regularly, that you are trusting Him no matter what. Tell your Heavenly Father, that you want to grow in holiness, righteousness, and peace, and you’ll go through whatever He brings your way to get there. You can also ask Him to take away the pain. Jesus did! And sometimes God will. He loves to relieve His children by His grace. But tell Him that you’ll trust Him even if the pain stays. You are going to (v.9), “submit to the Father of our spirits and live!”

Secondly, strengthen your limbs.

That’s verse 12. As this pastor brings it back to racecourse analogies. V.12.

“Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.”

Your version might say, “...lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees” (ESV). He’s calling them to keep going. Even through the pain. Keep running. Even if you wobble when you run.

Remember, this race is all important. You can drop out of physical footraces, but not the race of faith in Jesus. There is no other way. Fix your eyes on Jesus and strengthen your limbs. Put on a knee brace, spiritually speaking. Lift up your arms and keep them going. Do whatever it takes to stay in the race.

I think he’s quoting another part of the Old Testament here. Isaiah chapter 35 which is one of my all time favorites!

Isaiah 35 says, “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you....[And it ends like this.]...and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isa. 35:3, 4, 10 )

That’s the joy set before you. It’s worth it! Keep running. Keep running! Keep running!

Thirdly and last, straighten your path. That’s verse 13.

"Make level paths for your feet,’ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”

That last part is a little difficult to interpret with precision. What does the metaphor mean? Is it a mixed metaphor? The word for “disabled” could be translated “dislocated” or “turned aside,” so it might be saying level the path so that runners don’t fall off it.

Or it might be leaning towards the next section where he’s going back to talking about how we help each other to stay in the race. Helping those who are nearly falling down to be healed and stay in the race.

Either way, it’s all about staying in the race.

And that’s definitely the point of the first part, “Make level paths for your feet.”

Again, he’s quoting the Proverbs. This time it’s Proverbs chapter 4. Listen to verses 25 through 27 as we close.

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

Church, let’s run! And let's keep running! Pound, pound, pound. Go straight. Don’t leave the path. Don’t throw in the towel. Don’t lose heart. Even though it really hurts. The pain actually means that you are loved. It’s discipline. Keep running. It’s for your good. You know why it hurts so much. You are going to be holy. You are going to be righteous. You are going to be peaceful. You are going to live in the Kingdom. Sorrow and sighing will all fly away!

Keep running. Jesus did it.

Fix your eyes on Him.

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