Life’s Pitfalls and Discoveries
Staying focused and finishing strong
Hebrews 12:1-3
Introduction-
We continue in the series called Life’s Pitfall and Discoveries.
Week one, we looked at the problem of un-forgiveness and the positive discovery of what forgiveness does in our lives.
Week two at the wisdom God has for us to learn in our trials and our temptations.
Trials; Trials can also be caused by other people’s actions and unavoidable and God still desires for us to learn valuable lessons from them.
Temptation;
Temptation does not come from God. God is not tempted by evil nor does He use evil to cause us to do things that are against the principals of God.
Temptations come our way from our own selfish ways, desiring things that we cannot have and also by disobedience and desiring the temptation more that we want to please God.
Guardrails and bumpers are set up by God so that He can guide us and help us avoid the avoidable trials and give us strength and wisdom when we face the unavoidable trials in life.
Here we go- Taking God’s guidance and wisdom and staying focused and not stumbling and setting ourselves up for failure and disappointment. Sounds good but gets harder as we work it in our lives.
Hebrews chapter 12:1-12:3
(v1) “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.”
Remember I said many times that when you see the word therefore, you must go back to the previous chapter to see what it is therefore.
In this case, the writer of Hebrews is redirecting our attention to chapter 11, the faith chapter, which records people of great faith and strong witnesses.
Noah
Abraham
Isaac
Moses
Even the prostitute Rehab, who protected the spies of Israel was shown mercy by God.
They accomplished great things for God.
They endured great pain and suffering much for their faith.
They all were commended for their faith but they all died before the promises of God were finished. They were on the other side of the cross, but held on and believed God for His promises of “being made perfect.”
That is the cloud of witnesses that he is talking about and the group of people that help us in our walk with God.
I am sure each one of us could think of someone that has made an impact on us to walk with Jesus.
Each one of us at some point was invited to church by someone to hear the message of Christ and we responded.
The Bible faithful witnesses were usually martyrs. Today we want to be witnesses as spectators and instead of being a cloud of witnesses, we become just clouds. “Let us run the race with perseverance that has been marked out for us.” What does that mean? It means that if we are to accomplish what God intends, we will persevere, we will not only start the race, but we will finish strong, and we will take as many people with us as we can.
We will surround ourselves with people of faith.
We will throw off everything that hinders.
We will get rid of the sin that so easily entangles us.
Some scholars believe the reference is to all kinds of sin, others believe that is specific sin.
I believe the later. I believe we are to throw off everything that hinders (you know what that is for us)
Get rid of the sin that easily entangles you (you know what that is) and get those things out of your life.
Call it like it is and get rid of them so you can run the race that God intended and finish strong.
There are sins that will cause you to stumble and there are sins that will take you out of the race.
Get rid of them so you can finish strong and accomplish what God intended for you.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.”
Life is not a 50-yard dash; it is a marathon. As a pastor, I want you to make it to the finish line.
The only way to do that is to focus on Jesus, not your circumstances.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” To endure the unendurable you must see the invisible – Jesus.
Illustration-(SermonCentral)
In dog obedience training, they put a dog at one end of a room and his master at the other end of the room, with a plate of food in the middle. And then the master calls the dog. If the dog eyes the food, he’s a goner; he’ll go straight for it. So they teach the dog to focus his eyes on the master. If the dog keeps his eyes on the master, he won’t be tempted. Instead of heading for the food, he’ll head straight to the master.
You need to keep your eyes on your master or you’ll get distracted.
Get your mind off your circumstances and your problems and focus on God’s goodness to you in your present and future.
Jonah did as he sat in the belly of the great fish: “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord” (Jonah 2:7 LB).
If you find yourself at a point where you’ve lost hope.
Think that there is no job for you.
I will never find a spouse.
Mt time clock is ticking and I’ll never have a baby.
My sickness is forever.
Focus your thoughts on Jesus Christ.
Osward Chambers
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us, our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” My Utmost for His Highest, April 23, 773 L
If you think that you can stay focused on God without God, you are mistaken.
If you believe that it will just happen without intent, it will not.
Let’s get started
Begin the day with God.
I know that some of you are not morning people but if you hit the floor and the first person you are saying hello too is the Lord, it will help you to stay focused.
This can be as little as a scripture verse and small prayer to a study of a passage. It would be as your day is set up. The full study could be later in the evening as everything winds down.
Beginning with talking to God changes your attitude and focus.
Stay in an attitude of prayer
Contrary to some beliefs, you do not have to pray only at an altar, only with your eyes closed, only by your bed when you are so tire that your brain is no longer functioning, you can be talking to God as you go to work, as you work, and as things come up in your work day about yourself or someone that you come into contact with.
Limit your distractions
This is going to be different for each one of us.
Distraction defined as anything or anyone that keeps you out of a right relationship with the Lord.
There are good things and bad things that can be a distraction.
If you are not growing in your relationship with the Lord, there are things you need to be looking at in your life.
If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy.
Serving God everyday
You need your church family and your church family needs you.
It helps us to stay plugged in. when we drift, there is someone to help us get back on track. When we get plugged in, it gives us a reason to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
It is not somewhere we go, but a family that we belong too. You would not go weeks without talking and being with family. When we get plugged in, you miss your church family when you are not together.
For those that multi-task, and this society is becoming multi-task oriented, be careful how many plates you are trying to spin at one time. Some of us can keep several going for a very long time, but you cannot do the magic act forever.
Truth be told, you are not as good at it as you think.
The last one; Get rid of known sin from your life
“Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
Our conscious convicts us and the Spirit of God reveals things in our lives that need to be addressed.
The Lord shows us things that are keeping us from serving God and things that keep us from growing closer in our relationship with Him.
We know what sin is destroying us and trapping us and we know that we need God to get us free from them.
Closing,
You know why you keep your eyes on Jesus?
Because He has accomplished for us what we ourselves need in our lives. Wholeness, Holiness, Freedom.
Like the dog trainer, God teaches us to get our eyes on Him instead of the problem, or the treats, other people, so that we will not be distracted and get off course.
The strategy of Satan is to disconnect us from God. Is there anything or anyone that is disconnecting you from God?
The decisions we make today will affect our tomorrows.
Do you know what each and everyone of us needs? More of Jesus- less of self.
We need the Holy Spirit of God to fall fresh on us and change the way we think and the way that we act.
Acting like the world is not what we were created to be and who we are – we are the children of God and we were created by God to worship God. If we do as we are created for we will be much happier and more fulfilled in our lives and we will not be looking for something that God the Father offers us freely.
Everyday we have chores to do and jobs to go too. We get done what is important and what is required of us.
Maybe a new way of thinking
Monday/ wash day- wash me God of my sins that I might be white as snow in your sight.
Tuesday/ Ironing- iron out all the wrinkles Lord so that I might be perfect in your sight.
Wednesday/ Mending- Mend me Lord of all the holes in my life where I have let the things that you give me fall.
Thursday/ cleaning- cleaning day is hard but cleanse me and create in me a clean heart O God. May each day you would have to scrub less.
Friday/ payday- Lord help me to not forget that everything, I mean everything that I have is given to me by you and may I give you thanks for each and every thing I have. You get the first fruits of everything- because I am blessed and thankful.
Saturday- play day- cook day- may I as I prepare foods for the next week remember your goodness. As I play may I remember your kindness and blessings.
Sunday- Lords day- May I be in the house of the Lord , worshipping my God with my church family and lifting up holy hands to the God and redeemer of my soul.
That would be a great way to remember the Lord everyday. To make Him first. For Him to be your priority.
We want to blame the young kids of today for their tattoos and piercings, but what about our bell bottoms, platform shoes, the things that we did behind buildings and closed doors. We all need Jesus and we all need to remember where we came from. We are all rebellious and need an attitude change.
Because we have the greatest witness in Jesus Christ.
Because each one of us has had and do have people in our lives that have made an impact on us
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
I am going to close in prayer and here is the first one at the altar this morning- because often is not good enough for me- I want to think about the Lord first about everything in my Life- who willing to come stand with me this morning and say the same thing?
prayer
