At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro more than 1,100 of the 11, 238 athletes suffered injuries during the Games, with twenty percent of the injuries classified as ‘severe.’ The most dangerous sports that year proved to be BMX, boxing, mountain biking, taekwondo, water polo, and rugby. Obviously, competition at the Olympic level does involve a high degree of danger for the athletes. It’s just the inherent nature of virtually all competitive sports.

As you know, the world of the first-century Church was in many ways like ours, sports-obsessed. That’s why we find references to the Olympic Games in the Epistle to the Hebrews. As we have seen recently in our messages on Hebrews 12, the author likens the Christian life to a road race (12:1), and to a boxing match (12:11).

In 12:12-13 the athletic imagery is still in view. But this time we learn something of the inherent dangers there are for the Christian ‘athlete.’ In verse 12 we see the threat of exhaustion and weakness. In verse 13 we discover the peril of a joint becoming dislocated during an event. Of course, to experience such dangers and pains breeds despair and a whole host of other unpleasant reactions.

And this was precisely the case for the original readers of the Epistle. They were spiritually exhausted, and some were in need of healing (for their souls and bodies).

So, what do Christian ‘athletes’ need to do when in the throes of danger, despair, and injury?

The answer is discovered in verses 14-17. There we encounter a series of five exhortations for tired, afflicted, hurting Christian disciples.

Our look at these exhortations will get underway this Lord’s Day as we consider verses 12-14.