Are you distracted?

Intro:

(pics of family)

Talk about conversation in November,

About desire to do a good job and make sure to talk about what the Lord is teaching me first.

Marriage joke. (do what she wants lets pray)

Desire for sharing heart in regards to worship.

Landed on this verse.

Key verse: hebrews 12:1-2

12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There are 3 things we are told to do here in verse 1

Let aside every weight

Let aside every sin

Run the race with patience and endurance.

1) Sin: THE OBVIOUS

Why can we not have sin in our life as we run the race?

A) We are command in scripture not to have fellowship with sin

2 corinthians 6:14-18

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

B) Christ saved us so we are dead to sin now.

Romans 6 (KJV 1900)

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ok so that means I have to be perfect?

No.

1 Jn :6-9 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us

Look at the language of the verses:

Shall we CONTINUE...

LIVE therein

we should not SERVE sin

Don’t let sin REIGN in your body

dont YIELD to sin.

We SIN EVERYDAY. WE are NOT supposed to live in sin.

I love the way that Hebrews puts it:

Get rid of the sin that so easily besets us.

Entangles us.

Clings to us.

This is the sin that we must let go of. Let Go of it. Put it to death.

2) The WEIGHT: the subtle

We can talk about sin more but honestly thats the obvious.

I believe we have to get deeper and look at the subtle things that take up big space in our race of life.

We sometimes let the “good things of life” weigh us down from running the race today.

I want to present this argument: We let our past accomplishments, our present schedule, and our future goals get in the way of following the Lord.

Our past accomplishments:

What am I holding onto?

(Slides of music, slides of camp)

Streams: 320,641

Numbers of kids 15,400

Kids saved 2,800

( slides of Church.)

What have we done here?

Programs, Revival, events, tradition?

How much you gave before? How big the church was before?

Philippians 3:13–15 (KJV 1900)

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Paul clearly states this after giving his resume of impressive work.

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Our present/future,

Samuel had some strong words to tell Saul that ring true even today.

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

And to hearken than the fat of rams.

Mary was distracted by the service she was doing.

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her

Jesus explains the Parable of the sower Matt 13

We have more of a chance of being the seed choked out by the cares of this world.

Don’t be the seed that gets choked out before it has a chance to grow.

Are We too busy in the service of the Lord to spend time with the Lord?

We LOVE that saying. How are you? BUSY!!!! We have become too busy for our own good.

Are we too busy to read our scripture?

To pray?

Prayer is the greatest tool we have: Direct access to the Lord and yet it seems to be a last resort of only used sparingly.

Sometimes there is a time to call us to serve more, WE NEED MORE PEOPLE TO HELP IN CHURCH. More volunteers more workers commited to doing the work of the church. Being the hands and feet, BUT that does not take place of us running this race.

This does not excuse us from resting and letting God work.

EVEN now I struggle with this.

New church and ideas.

So much music.

New wife!

New family

New traditions.

So much pressure to do right that I so easily forget to be faithful. To slow down to rest when the time is to rest and to let God do What he will in me.

I know what everyone is going to say though so lets address it: If you do not work hard now we wont be able to have the life we want.

The future is built on the sacrifices of the present. I’ll rest when i am dead. I have all the time in the World.

Pastor touched on the next point last week so i wont preach the same message instead ill remind you of what scripture says about life

ECCL talks about the fact that all is

vanity= worthless.

Hard work/ Laziness

wisdom/ foolishness

riches/ poverty

life/ death

discipline / Indulgence

Accomplishments

New things (which are just old things recycled)

Old things

being alone/ being with others.

Theres a time and season in our life for everything but we are all trapped in an endless cycle! its worthless why bother?

It all doesn’t matter if we miss this point here

ECCL 12:13-14

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

We have heard it another way haven’t we?

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

3 Let Go of the weight and run this Race.

As believers we need to run this race with endurance. We need to be sanctified daily. The Goal is to fear God and keep His commands.

God promises to take care of us if we build His kingdom.

Application:

Run the race in such a way that people can run behind you.

The writer of hebrews gives an entire Chapter of people who ran faithfully.

It is know as the Hall of faith. At the end of the chapter he mentions He doesnt have time to mention every single person who has ever lived and walked through life having Faith in our Lords Promise.

Without getting in trouble here Id like to ask, WOULD YOUR NAME BE ON THIS LIST?

Can people say of you that you are blameless?

Can they say you are not holding onto things that arent Christ?

Can People look to your life as an example of what running the race, while looking to Jesus is supposed to look like?

I hope so. I pray it is true.