Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
October 30, 2022

The Epistle to the Hebrews: An Appeal for Endurance
by Bryan Gibson
The Epistle to the Hebrews stresses the need for endurance, the need to hold fast, to persevere, to remain steadfast until the end (3:6, 14; 6:11-12; 10:23, 36, 39; 12:1-2).
Here’s what this epistle says to help us endure:
God has spoken to us through Jesus Christ, and no one, we repeat no one has better credentials than Him. And there is no one to whom we should be more grateful, because he died for us and purged us from our sins (read 1:1-4). And don’t stop with the passage just cited. Look through the rest of Hebrews to see what is said about His superior priesthood, His superior sacrifice, His superior covenant, the superior promises found in His covenant, etc. Who in their right mind would abandon Jesus?
These words God has spoken through His Son—we need them all, the milk and the meat, the elementary and the advanced (5:12-6:3). Nothing wrong with surface knowledge, but to develop the strength needed to endure, we better be able to chew some meat. Not everything we need is found on the surface; we need to dig deeper.
These same words of Jesus provide numerous examples of people who DID endure, including Jesus Himself (12:1-3; 6:11-12; 11:27; 13:7). Read about them all, and that will lead to an obvious conclusion: If they can do it, so can we!
The temptations and trials we face—Jesus has been through them, too, and in His role as High Priest, as our intercessor, He promises to help us through them all (2:16-18; 4:14-16; 7:25). When things get rough, let’s don’t quit on Him, because He sure hasn’t quit on us. Let’s get the help He promises to give us and keep right on living for Him.
The things we endure for Jesus’ sake, the suffering we endure for doing right—it’s all part of the training regimen. It may be painful NOW, but “AFTERWARD it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (12:5-11).
We need family time—time with our family in the Lord, both in the assemblies (10:24-25), and outside the assemblies (3:12-13). This will enable us to “stir up love and good works” in one another, and to keep one another from being “hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” I need you; you need me; we all need each other to endure.
We need to recall the enthusiasm we had when we first obeyed the gospel, the confidence in Jesus, the willingness to endure anything for His sake. WHY we did so then is WHY we still should today (10:32-35).
The prize, or the reward offered to those who endure—it sure beats anything this world has to offer (6:10; 10:35-39; 11:6, 16, 26; 13:14).
But then there’s the flip side. The punishment for those who don’t—it’s worse than anything we could possibly imagine (2:1-4; 6:4-8; 10:26-31).
CONLUSION:
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

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	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Classes………...9 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Worship/Bible Study..5 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.