Somewhere around three in the morning, in the middle of a 120-kilometre run, the speaker discovered that the most important battle is fought not in the legs but in the mind, over the words that will keep you from quitting. This runner’s perspective opens a reflection on Hebrews 12, where the life of faith is compared to a long-distance race, and God’s discipline turns out to be not a whip but the caring guidance of a loving Father. The sermon also sets before us the image of two mountains, the mountain of fear and the mountain of grace, and asks which one we are actually running toward. Listen and find your own words for the hard miles of your race of faith.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The writer of Hebrews 12 recalls the encouragement from Proverbs: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline." According to the speaker, what does this word really mean, given its connection to the word pedagogue?
- In Hebrews 12:18-24 the writer contrasts Mount Sinai, a mountain of fear and storm, with the heavenly Mount Zion. What might this contrast have meant to the first readers, who were going through hardship?
- How does your view of hard seasons change when you think of God as a Father who guides and corrects out of love, rather than as someone who punishes?
- The speaker described two extreme reactions to suffering: Macbeth's cynicism and a discouragement that leads to giving up. Which one are you more prone to, and what "better words" could help you?
- The sermon pointed to people who came through illness or addiction full of grace, and others in whom bitterness took root. What do you think determines which way a person goes in hardship?
- What is one small step you can take this week to move closer to God in your current struggle, instead of drifting off the course of the race of faith?
