Straightening the Path
Notes
Transcript
There are times we get to a point where we think , why should I continue down this road? It has been to tough. I take two steps forward and life knocks me three steps back.
Or life has been so thick and you are struggling to find the time to study the word.
Just know that you are not alone. I am sure that many have felt overwhelmed at one point or another.
But I want to encourage you to keep going because God has been doing some great work in the lives of those who have been continuing in the faith.
People are experiencing peace and joy in difficult circumstances.
People are drawing closer to the Lord.
People are being challenged with steps of faith.
God is still working powerfully.
I want to encourage all of us, if you have given up because you are behind or if you feel you can’t keep going, I want to encourage you to persevere in walking God’s path.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.
6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?
8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.
9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.
11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.
13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Straightening the Path
There are times that life seems to overwhelm us and living the Christian life seems too hard for us and we think about giving up, turning our back, not persevering in it. We need to persevere.
But how? We are going to read about how the author of Hebrews tells us to persevere and apply that to ourselves today.
In Hebrews 11, the author has just finished going through a list of faithful men and women, who lived their lives by faith and faced many times in life when it would have been easier to quit on God, quit on living a godly life, turn to the ways of the world, but they did not. Instead they persevered.
Life is like the Indy 500. verse 1 compares life to a race. There are 500 laps. each lap leads to the next one. We have the pit crew to help.
But life is not about first, its about finishing.
Each lap is like each step on a straightened path through life.
Removing obstacles - getting thru
Lean on our crew - cloud of witnesses
Receive God’s discipline - corrections
Take time to refresh - pit stops
Encourage you to persevere
1. find a biblically based Holy Spirit lead church and get envolved
You wont finish if you never get in the car
2. Know that God will always be there
never leave us nor forsake us