Wounded-Week 2

Hebrews 12:1–3 NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Throw off everything that hinders

STORY - jogging with katherine. ‘I want to be able to run!’

This word ‘hinders’ in the greek literally means a mass or a weight.

We’re not at the point yet of talking about sinful behaviour.

STORY - choice to pay debts and not owe anyone anything

We often focus just on getting rid of the stuff that’s absolutely bad (and that’s good). But what about the stuff that just slows us down?

First thing

Know God’s priorities for you, and steer everything to it

Ever heard someone say they have no time for something important? Does that person...somehow have a shorter week than the rest of us?

It’s not about time. It’s about extra time. Every one of us makes choices with our time to honor our priorities.

And really, these choices are what show our ACTUAL priorities, and they don’t always line up with what we say are our priorities.

Ever noticed that disconnect between what you say is important and what you actually do?

If someone didn’t have time in the evening to read the bible, it’s not like, if their house suddenly caught on fire, they’d say, oh man, this was a really inconvenient time. I just don’t have time to escape.

Show me your budget, your bank account, and your calendar, and i’ll show you what you actually care about.

‘Throw off everything that hinders’. All these things that aren’t God’s priorities - just get rid of them.

STORY - pastor friend memorizing sermons.

Jim Elliot had a quote

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot

Now, I want to sidebar one thing here - and that’s rest. This quote and this idea aren’t excuses to never stop working. Even God stopped on the 6th day.

Sabbath rest is one of God’s priorities.

Second thing:

Throw off sin that entangles

Some things slow us down - but some things stop us in our tracks. Sin can take us completely out of the race.

There’s usually a process to sin - James talks about it here:

James 1:13–15 NIV

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

So the steps are:

Our desires drag us away

This is about desires that are contrary to the word of God, and God’s will.

But it’s also desires that are default to us. STORY - Sucking an empty pop bottle just to see what would happen, nearly died

When we follow them, it gives birth to sin. And sin leads to death

What do we do about it?

Offer yourself and your life completely to God

Not part way, or only a few days a week, or just certain areas.

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Perseverence is not about new information. It’s about new us. And the bible’s process is -

offer ourselves to God as a sacrifice

follow Jesus rather than ourselves, our own desires

Be transformed as Jesus renews our mind

Then we’ll be able to know what we need to do to follow God

The youth last week hit me with that question. How do we hear God - and how do we know what he wants?

The answer we want is, here’s what he sounds like

The bible’s answer is, here’s the path to get to that point of being able to tell what he sounds like.

So, we minimize the hinderances and focus on the important stuff. Prioritize our lives to honor this relationship with God.

Then we offer up ourselves as a sacrifice, and allow God to transform us so that we can better understand what he wants us to do.

Run the race with perseverence

We’ve dropped the baggage. Worked on renewing our minds. Now it’s time to...actually get to work.

STORY - When I was a kid, I wanted to be a musician. Asking good musicians, how do i do it? Practice. Ya, but what about those people who are just, really good? Ya, still practice. But I want to be like, the best of the best! PRACTICE. Athletes are even worse. Wherever you start, you’ll go nowhere without diet, training, practice, and focus.

There’s a reason Paul describes this as a race. Not because it’s a competition - but because it’s training, and focus, and effort.

The GRACE of God is a gift - we can never earn it.

And Jesus has set eternity in front of us, and we’re free to choose it and live it. But here’s the thing:

Matthew 7:13–14 NIV

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

We’re totally forgiven. But we still live in a fallen and broken world. And Jesus has a rescue plan for every one of us. But - we need to follow it.

Do everything you can to get closer to God - regularly

1 Corinthians 9:26–27 NIV

Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Read your bible. (Join our bible study group!)

Pray.

Volunteer at church (There’s lots of opportunities we have to minister).

Practice spiritual disciplines like fasting, solitude and silence, or sabbath.

Witness to other people.

If you can’t think of what to do - ask Jesus. (The harvest is plentiful).

But don’t do nothing.

This sounds like some work. And honestly it is - but there’s good news.

Jesus paved the way, and pushes us forward

Philippians 2:13 NIV

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

This doesn’t mean that when we say, ‘God, I want to serve you’, we don’t have to worry / anything and everything we do is exactly what Jesus wants.

It means, the three big things - WANTING to follow God, ACTUALLY following God, and ACTUALLY following God CORRECTLY - Jesus has already promised us the power from God to get those things done.

So even the idea of being a living sacrifice and following him is an act of surrender. Letting him do HIS work through us.

STORY - walking with some youth through the woods in the snow, off trail.

Jesus as the pioneer, he paved the way. He cut the trail.

But Jesus as the perfector - he leads us towards the perfect way. Not the ‘good enough’ or ‘might work if you try hard enough’. The perfect way.

All we have to do is surrender to him.