Note: Select one of the audio-only options if you need to download, rather than stream, the chapel.
For Your Joy - Hebrews 12:3-11 — 9/2/2026 10:00 AM
Today's speaker is Dr. Mike Augsburger, Lead Pastor at Soteria Church in West Des Moines, IA. Pastor Augsburger continues in Hebrews 12, looking at verses 3-11. He teaches that God designs suffering to increase our joy.
Notes
This morning in chapel, Dr. Mike Augsburger, Lead Pastor at Soteria Church, reminded us that faith is taking God at His word, believing what He says, and choosing to live by it. Hebrews 12:3–11 encourages readers not to lose faith or give up under the pressure of persecution. We may wonder, “What if I’m in a season of life where I don’t want to run my race? Where is God in my suffering? What’s the point of hanging on to Jesus?” These are the questions that this passage answers.
Don’t Lose Heart!
The author of Hebrews urges us not to lose heart because it’s not as bad as it could be. Remember your Savior. Although we have this reminder, there are times when we still become discouraged. Losing heart looks like spiritual weariness. Complaining becomes commonplace, preaching and singing don’t resonate with you, and reading God’s Word is not enjoyable. You often stop engaging with the local church. You might experience increased pressure in temptation and become wrapped up in sin.
There is hope! The author of Hebrews is not minimizing our trials, but he is pointing us back to people who suffered for their faith far more than we have because it’s easy to focus on how bad we have it. In these moments, we need to stop and remember how blessed we still are.
Don’t Lose Faith!
The author of Hebrews urges us not to lose faith because God is still in control. Sometimes, we suffer because of our own sin; other times, it’s just because we live in a broken, sin-cursed world. It’s very easy to lose faith during these times because we don’t see God in the world. Verse 7 tells us to endure suffering because God is dealing with us as sons and daughters. We have a sovereign Savior who never loses control of what’s going on. His hand is behind our suffering. It’s part of His great purpose for our lives. He brings us through trials because He loves us and wants to prove Himself faithful to us.
Don’t Lose Sight!
The author of Hebrews urges us not to lose sight because the gain is worth the pain. God’s discipline is better than human discipline, and its purpose is to make us more like Jesus so that we share in His holiness. It forms us into the completed product that He set out to make us from the beginning. It’s designed to bring us to the joy that He originally created us to enjoy.
Often, we are tempted to ask ourselves, “Why me, God?” When the race is hard and painful, look to God and say instead, “Why not me? You have designed this to increase my joy, and I trust You.”