LIGHTEN THE LOAD!
Hebrews 12.1-3
S: Church Purpose
C: Sin
Th: Plan to Win!
Pr: LET GO OF WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK.
?: Why? Why let go?
KW: Reasons
TS: We will find in our study of Hebrews 12.1-2 three reasons why we are to let go of what holds us back
Type: Propositional
The ____ reason we are to let go is…
I. EXAMPLES
II. ENDURANCE
III. ENJOYMENT
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Confess sin – name it – it is holding you back
• Repent of sin – let go – choose to be released
• Enjoy the freedom and feel God’s pleasure
• Run with endurance
• Focus on the goal – Christlikeness which seeks and saves the lost
Version: ESV
RMBC 13 January 08 AM
COMMUNION:
We come together at this time as a community that shares this one thing in common.
We love Jesus.
We embrace Him.
And we remember Him.
He died for us.
He paid the penalty of our sins by dying on the cross.
So we take a few moments today, to say thanks to our Lord for doing for us what was impossible for us to do for ourselves.
We rejoice in His grace and mercy.
We are united together because of the work of Jesus.
Those of us that know Jesus are invited to share in the elements of the table.
If you are a member of the body of Christ, please join us.
When Paul writes in I Corinthians, he warns the believers not to eat or drink in an unworthy manner.
In fact, he asks them to examine themselves so that they can come to the table honestly and cleanly.
We want to do that, this morning, in the understanding that…
I John 1.9…
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So, boldly name them, and ask God for His forgiveness and cleansing power to make You right before Him.
(Time of Silent Prayer)
We practice “communion” because we are to remember the death of the Lord Jesus.
We take the bread to remind us that it was by the body of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died in our place.
He became our substitute.
Being led in prayer by _______________________, let us take a moment and thank Him for favoring us with his mercy, love and kindness.
The apostle Paul writes, "The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
We take the cup to remind us that it was by the blood of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died for our sins.
He became our sacrifice.
____________________ will now come and lead us in prayer.
Again, the apostle Paul writes, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
Deacon offering – please designate
Pray for offering.
INTRODUCTION:
Drama
John & Jo-Anna have proved that…
1. It is easy to get our priorities mixed up, isn’t it?
I think that is something that we have discovered here at Randall.
We could never be accused of not having a lot of activities.
We could never be accused of not giving attention to a lot of different ministries.
We have been busy.
It is not unlike…
ILL Priorities (H)
A first-grader wondered why her father brought home a briefcase full of work every evening. Her mother explained, "Daddy has so much to do that he can’t finish it all at the office."
"Well, then," asked the child innocently, "why don’t they put him in a slower group?"
Daily Bread, August 8, 1989
Being busy and accomplishing kingdom priorities are two different matters.
God has been forcing us into a slower group.
He is making us rethink why we exist and what our purpose is.
This is why our theme this year is “Plan to Win.”
It is on our hearts to become the church God is calling Randall to be, not the one that we are comfortable with.
We are making excellent progress on all levels.
The advisory teams have all been meeting and are working to achieve their assignments.
The deacons and pastors have completed the first round of value statements which are heading off to the advisory teams this week for their evaluation.
We continue to listen to you through the worship surveys.
You know…
I believe God wants us to plan to win when it comes to our prayerful dependence on Him.
I believe God would have us do well when it comes to our worship of Him – that we would passionately express our love of Him.
I believe He would want us to succeed when it comes to our community here at Randall – that we would have relationships that are characterized by grace ad love.
I believe He would want have us victorious in holding true to His Word – proclaiming its timeless and transforming truth.
I believe He would have us champion the task of making committed followers of Jesus.
I believe God would have us be advocates of doing all things well – being excellent for Him.
I believe that God have us be effective in seeing men and women, boys and girls, making decisions to follow Jesus.
Now, you may agree with me that God would have us be that kind of church that I just described.
But we know that we do not always get these things right.
We know this.
And our challenge today is to…
2. LET GO OF WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK.
This is a little personal, but I came across this quote this week:
ILL Weight (H)
“It is hard to let go of what is holding you back when it is out in front of you.”
But this concept of letting go of what is holding us back is important to us as individuals and a church.
We need to let go of every thing that is keeping us from accomplishing God’s purpose in our lives.
So as we come to our text today, Hebrews 12.1-2, we will find three reasons why we are to let go of what holds us back.
Heb 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reason we are to let go are the EXAMPLES.
Here is the good news…
We are not first in line.
When you look through the list in Hebrews 11, you see that there are those that have gone before us that have successfully run the race.
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, Gideon and David…
They are all battle-tested.
They are witnesses to us.
They are telling us what they know.
They are telling us what they have experienced.
And as we see them, we have hope!
They made it!
They let go of what kept them from running well.
They left it behind with no regrets.
So the race is now set before us.
Our job is not to change the course, but to accept it.
But let it be known, it can be done.
It is a race we can win.
It is time to run.
It is time to win.
II. The second reason we are to let go is the ENDURANCE.
This is the race of a lifetime.
If you have become a follower of Jesus and you think this is a sprint, you are mistaken.
This is not a short race.
This is a marathon.
This is a race that will take a lifetime.
It requires persistence.
It requires diligence.
It requires perseverance.
It requires endurance.
The author of Hebrews tells us something very significant at this point.
We need to get rid of anything that keeps us from running well.
If it hinders us, it has to go.
If it slows us down, it has got to go.
Think of it, who runs a race with a heavy coat?
Who runs a race with multiple layers on?
Why…one does not even run with the warm-ups on.
They are discarded as well when it comes time to run.
It is time to lighten the load and run!
The author also wants us to know that sin is what often tangles us up.
It keeps us from running.
It keeps us from winning.
When we fail to act according to the standard of God’s righteousness, we sin.
And sin weakens all resistance.
It turns warriors into weaklings.
It turns runners into crawlers.
And let it be known, God hates that sin in us.
He hates it with a perfect hatred.
And God wants us to hate that sin in the same way.
The good news is that at the very same time, God loves us with an unending love.
He does not give up on us.
He keeps on calling on us to let go of what is bogging us down.
So that we will endure…
So that we will run…
So that we will win.
Now we come to…
III. The third reason we are to let go is for the ENJOYMENT.
We delight in where we are going!
Do you know how the commercial tells us that there is nothing like a Snickers bar that satisfies?
The author of Hebrews would laugh at such a comparison.
For the satisfaction of finishing this race cannot be beat.
The pleasure of winning this race will not be outdone.
Jesus is certainly our example of this.
He kept going because of the joy that was set before Him.
It did not mean that there were not some painful and difficult times along the way.
But because He kept the end in mind, He was able to endure.
So, in much the same way, we are to keep focused on Jesus.
We are to keep the goal of Jesus front and center.
This means running the race is a matter of Christlikeness.
Living like Jesus – living His priorities – that gets us to the goal as a winner.
But, the minute we turn our eyes away from the goal, we slow down, and our pace slacks.
We have allowed distraction to get in the way.
ILL Distraction (slide of country fair)
It is like being a little child at a fair.
There are all the lights.
There is all the noise.
There is so much vying for the attention of that little tyke.
And before they know it, they are separated from their mom and dad.
The same is true of us.
The world has lots of lights
It makes a lot of noise.
But if we keep our eyes on the goal, the joy will be ours.
CHALLENGE:
When we compare the Christian life to a race, we see that there is no other way to run…
We are to run to win.
We are to give the best of what we have.
We are to give every drop of energy, every ounce of effort, to win this race called life.
But we can not run to win if we are being held back.
The truth is, most of what holds us back is our own doing.
It is not someone else’s fault.
It is our own.
So we have to be bold.
This is no time to be meek.
It is time to…
1. Name what is holding you back.
The author of Hebrews does not want us to miss this.
... let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely...
So how do we start that process?
We confess the sin.
We name it.
We agree with God that this is not a good thing.
It is something He hates.
And it is a behavior that is bogging us down.
It is holding us back.
We are not free.
We know it.
As long as this behavior is a part of us, we are just sloshing through the mud.
We need to get rid of the extra weight.
Maybe it’s a fascination with money.
Or it’s giving an unhealthy prominence to personal and professional success.
Maybe it is our routine or our habits or our comfort zone that is keeping us from running.
Could it be that you struggle with telling the truth?
Perhaps it is taking for yourself that which is not yours.
How about lust and adultery?
Possibly it is an unforgiving heart – you really know how to hold a grudge.
Perchance you are not giving to God what you know belongs to Him.
Could it be that you are not telling the good news about Jesus?
Or you are not praying or studying God’s Word?
These ways, and so many more, are the weights in our lives that keep us running to win.
It is time.
It is time to not only name them.
It is time to…
2. Choose to let go of what is holding you back.
We not only confess what is holding us back.
We also repent.
We choose a different way.
Otherwise, we are like that donkey.
All that weight has stuck in the air, spinning our wheels, so to speak.
We are getting nowhere!
So, choose to be released.
Decide to let go.
Because…
We’ve got something better to do!
We’ve got to run.
Name it.
Choose to leave it behind.
And run!
When we let go of what is holding us back, oh, can we run, and we will…
3. Feel God’s pleasure.
ILL Purpose (S)
The film Chariots of Fire was the story of Eric Liddell who ran in the Olympics before he became a missionary to China.
The picture on the slide is an actual picture of Liddell in the 1924 Olympics.
He said:
I believe God made me for a purpose. For China. But he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.
Enjoy the freedom of running full out for God.
We don’t have to hold back.
It is running to win.
It is arms pumping.
It is legs churning.
It is feeling the wind on your face.
It is knowing that we are doing His will.
It is knowing that we are participating in what is most significant.
It is connecting with God and feeling His pleasure.
So…
4. Focus on the goal.
There are distractions.
Don’t be fooled.
There are opponents who do not want us to win.
But if we focus…
If we put our eyes on the prize…
We will endure.
When we focus on the goal – on the Lord Jesus Christ – and deliberately live Christlikeness, we will win.
We will win, because we will…
5. Possess His passion.
Do you get what it is?
It is people.
People like you and me.
People of all colors.
People of all varied personality types.
Short people, tall people, fat people, skinny people…
People…
ILL Witness (S)
Al Braca worked as a corporate bond trader. His office was on the 105th floor of Tower One in the World Trade Center. A week after the tower was hit and collapsed, Al’s body was found in the rubble.
According to his wife, Jeannie, Al hated his job; he couldn’t stand the environment. It was a world completely out of sync with his Christian values.
But he wouldn’t quit. He was convinced that God wanted him to stay there, to be a light in the darkness.…
The Bracas learned that Al had indeed been ministering to people during the attack. Reports trickled in from friends and acquaintances. Some people on the 105th floor had made a last call or sent e-mails to a loved one saying that "a man" was leading people in prayer. A few referred to Al by name. When Al realized that they were trapped in the building and would not be able to escape, he shared the gospel with a group of 50 co-workers and led them in prayer.
Al was running to win!
He shared the passion of Jesus – to seek and to save what is lost – and won.
You can run like that.
Just let go of what is holding you back.
For Further Study: Romans 7.24-25; I Corinthians 9.24-27; Galatians 6.7; Philippians 3.13-14; II Timothy 4.7-8
BENEDICTION:
Today is a day that we name what is holding us back – but refuse to stop there – then choose to let it go.
Run, then, run for Jesus – arms pumping, legs churning and your eyes focused on the prize – living a Christlike life that seeks and saves that which is lost.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral
Branham, Glenn “Running Unhindered”
Chapman, Jimmy “Running the Race”
Cummings, Eustache “I Need to Lose Some Weight…!”
Fritz, Paul “How to Avoid Burnout”
Gilbert, Mike “A Race to Be Run”
Hodges, Richard “Throwing Off What Hinders”
Marquardt, Dennis “Let Us Throw Off Everything that Hinders”
May, James “Lifting Weights”
