Hebrews 12 · Grade 4
Endurance and Discipline
Read and Think
Hebrews 12 follows the list of faithful people in chapter 11. They are now a great cloud of witnesses. Believers should lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles, and run with endurance the race set before them. They look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who endured the cross and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The writer quotes Proverbs: My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. Human fathers trained their children for a short time. God disciplines for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. Training feels hard for the present, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
The chapter contrasts two mountains. At Sinai there was fire and darkness. The voice was so fearful that the people begged to hear no more. But believers have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to many angels, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. So they should receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken with thankfulness.
Show What You Know
Who is the great cloud of witnesses?
Which book does the writer quote about discipline?
Why does God discipline his children?
What is the second mountain believers have come to?
What kind of kingdom do believers receive?
Word Bank Fill-In
Use the word bank to fill in each blank.
- They are now a great of witnesses.
- Believers should lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles, and with endurance the race set before them.
- They look to , the author and perfecter of faith, who endured the cross and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- disciplines for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.
- Training feels hard for the present, but later it yields the peaceful of righteousness.
Think About It
What is one weight that could slow you down in following Jesus?
How has a hard kind of training helped you grow?
Memory Verse
“All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11 (WEB)
Copy It
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for today's Bible story. Help me to . Amen.
Take It Home
For families: talk about these together.
- What does it mean to pursue peace?
- How is Mount Zion different from Sinai?
Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.