Waco Baptist Church
Sunday, January 11 2026 Morning
  • There Is Power in the Blood
  • 'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus
  • 10,000 Reasons

  • Be Dedicated to Being Dedicated

    Bible Passage: Hebrews 12:3–17

    Summary: In Hebrews 12:3–17, the author encourages believers to endure hardship as discipline, focusing on Christ as the ultimate example of perseverance. This passage contrasts the temporary pain of discipline with the long-term reward of righteousness and community in the faith.
    Application: This passage helps Christians by reminding them that endurance in their faith, even in trials, shapes their character and strengthens their relationship with God. By being dedicated to their spiritual journey, believers can find hope and community in their struggles, leading to spiritual maturity.
    Teaching: The sermon will teach that dedication to one's faith is not only about perseverance in trials but also about the need for accountability and encouragement from fellow believers. It highlights the necessity of viewing hardships as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks.
    How this passage could point to Christ: Hebrews presents Christ as the author and perfecter of faith. He exemplifies endurance in suffering and motivates believers to follow His lead, tying together the theme of dedication with the ultimate sacrifice and victory of Jesus. This reinforces the belief that through Him, believers can overcome any hardship.
    Big Idea: To be dedicated in faith means to endure with perseverance, viewing trials as divine discipline aimed at producing righteousness and deepening community amongst believers.
    Recommended Study: As you prepare your sermon, consider exploring the historical context of Hebrews and the intended audience's struggles with persecution. Look at commentaries in Logos that explain the Greek terms for 'discipline' and 'endurance.' This will enhance your understanding of why the author emphasizes dedication despite difficulty, providing depth to your sermon.
    Opening point.
    Welcome everyone to the new year. Talk about new years resolutions. Ask who made some, Ask who is still on track to complete them. It is hard to stay focused on the task in front of us. It is hard to remember what the finish line holds. One of my favorite books is Pilgrim’s Progress. an excellent example of the gospel and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it. Talk about the part with the scroll.

    1. Consider Christ's Perseverance

    Hebrews 12:3–6
    The first point to look at is that Christ endured for sinners. not for good people. I think it is important to recognize the weight of what Christ did. We have not struggled in our sin the way that Christ struggled on the cross. We have not felt the weight of what He did. It is not an excuse for us. Look at what Paul uses for motivation in times of struggle, scripture. He quotes a proverb for them to hold to for comfort. What is your scripture that you hold to?

    2. Cherish God's Discipline

    Hebrews 12:7–11
    We must endure to be able to be more disciplined. Victory does not come without struggle. How can you persevere no struggle involved? If it was easy to become an NFL player and all it took was setting my mind to it, I’d be making millions of dollars right now, but it takes overcoming adversity and struggling for the goal to be achieved. Look at what Paul says in verse 8. He says you are illegitimate children, not sons if you are not disciplined. If we are to respect our earthly father and listen to him, how much more so should we respect of heavenly father? Anyone take after your father at all? I know if I stand next to my dad, you can barely tell us apart. I like the same sports teams as him, I enjoy peace and quiet the way he does, I love the outdoors in the same way he does, and I learned a lot of things from him. Imagine if I lived my whole first 18 years of my life with him and didn’t have any similarities to him? That is how some of us are with Christ. We say we are dedicated to Him, and we say we are living for him, but if you look at our actions, there are few, if any similarities to His holiness.
    All discipline seems painful. All of it seems uncomfortable, but that is necessary to be able to find true growth and be able to yield fruit.

    3. Commit to Serving

    Hebrews 12:12–14
    I love this section of scripture because I can relate so much to it. So often I can feel disconnected from Christ or weak in my faith, but even in those moments, even when we feel defeated, we have to throw up our hands and praise Him. when you feel nothing, praise him. when you feel like you disappointed Him, praise Him. When its been so long since you had a conversation with Him, praise Him. When you think He wants nothing to do with you, I promise He wants your praise. He desires to be glorified by us. And it is those moments, those moments of struggle and perseverance that will heal us and make us beautiful in our walk with Christ.
    IF WE ARE NOT STRIVING FOR HOLINESS, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TO SEE THE HOLY ONE. we must be dedicated on our quest to serve him. It is not enough to set your mind to it, we have to ACT on it. BE DEDICATED TO BEING DEDICATED.

    4. Cultivate Fruitful Faithfulness

    Hebrews 12:15–17
    When we fail to due these things, it can make us bitter, defiled, and even unrecognizable to who Christ wants us to be. I’ve taught this passage of scripture about Esau to my youth group and look, it can be funny to explain how this guy literally traded his birthright and the inheritance of Yahweh for some soup… but that is how sin can make us become. we can begin to yearn for the things of the world more than we yearn for Christ. Be dedicated to being dedicated. don’t let your faith be a fleeting flame that can be put out by a breeze, make it so strong that the fire department would need to be called to put it out. But the only way your fire can get that strong is if you spend the time, the blood, sweat, and tears to make it that big. Rome wasn’t built in a day, a business isn’t created overnight, an athlete doesn’t go pro on a whim, and a christian doesn’t illuminate Christ simply through a prayer. Christ desires your whole heart. so will you give it? Will you dedicate your whole life to Him?

      • Hebrews 12:3–17ESV

  • Softly And Tenderly
Waco Baptist Church
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