Amen.

I got to be honest.

After last Sunday, the passage of scripture that we just read is jarring.

If you know the story where we're at in Hebrews,

we've gone from the Hall of Faith,

all these men and women who withstood the test,

refused to be released from their trials unto the point of death.

And then Hebrews chapter 12, this athletic contest,

run the race marked out before you with perseverance.

Do not grow weary. Do not lose heart.

And then here, it's almost like a gear shift where God is disciplining us.

It feels so strange to go from this athletic contest to a family conversation, but there was a

verse that I hope stood out as you heard it and as you read it.

And it's verse 7.

It says this, endure hardship as discipline.

God is treating you as his children. If you need a title for this sermon,

it's endure hardship as discipline. Endure hardship as discipline. This is a moment where the writer

of Hebrews is trying to wake them up to the reality of what's happening. And in fact, it's

almost like he's tired of him. It's like he's

done trying to give him these awesome things. If the Hall of Faith didn't work on you and Jesus going to the cross didn't work on you, then he's almost saying to the people of Hebrews that are on the verge of giving up, he's like, suck it up. To be honest, I wanted to title it, suck it up. But I felt I thought it was a little too much, and I couldn't put that on the screen for obvious reasons.

And so the title's Endure Hardship, is Disciplined.

But this is the

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