-----------------------------*The Book of Hebrews*------------------------------------------------------------------- The 12th Chapter-------------------------------------
1Wherefore 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,
2Looking 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.
3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
------------------------------The Living Bible Version-------------------------------
{1} Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.
{2} Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God.
{3} If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him.
--------------------------------The Book of Hebrews---------------------------------------------------------------------The 12th Chapter-------------------------------------
The Message of the Hour: Endure the Contradiction
{2} *The Bread of Life*
Scripture: Hebrews 12: 1-3 verse
Subject: Endure the Contradiction
The writer of this book is unknown. But it was written to the believers everywhere. But to get into the book of Hebrews the 12th chapter. This is one of the most stirring passages of scripture. A passage to that is stirring us to run and to keep on running in the Christian race of life. Well what is the Christian Race. Well the Christian race can be described in many ways.
-It’s a race for Heaven
-It’s a race for Life, both Abundant and Eternal Life.
-It’s a race to live with God forever
-It’s a race for perfection, a perfect life and world in which there is no suffering, no corruption, evil, or death
It’s a race to know God. To commune with God and Fellowship with God.
This is the great Christian race, the great goal toward which believers are running. But in order for us to run as Christian and as Saints of God to run a successful race there are 4 Points that I must make and present to you in this Sermon Presentation. First of all #1, Which is the Inspiration. The writer says verse 1 says that the inspiration for the Christian Race is the great cloud of witnesses, which are the great heroes of Faith, which are mention in thee 11th chapter of Hebrews. And see the reason why they are called the great heroes of Faith is because there endure all kinds of tests, trials, and oppositions. They endure against great temptations such as looking, tasting, doing, thinking and felling. They against great trials such as trouble sufferings, loss, hunger, disease, accident, mockery, abuse, persecution, threats. No matter how terrible or awful the trial, they endure in faith, by believing in God.
They also endure against great opposition from there families, friends, neighbors, fellow-workers, civil leaders, and even institional religionists. No matter what the opposition was they still were determined to believe in God and kept on running for the Master. The point I’m trying to make to you Saints of God is that no matter how much trials and temptations or oppositions approaches you. You got to have a Spirit of Determination to Run On, to Press on, To Endure to the End. Why because there is a Blessing
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on the other side of Through. That’s why the Bible says that the Race is not given to the swift nor to the Strong but it’s to the one that endureth to the end the same shall be saved. See in that verse the writer was letting us know that it’s not about how strong you are. Because you can be Strong and yet still be unable to stand and hold up under pressure. It’s not about how fast you are. Because the quickest person can get tired and not be able to continue in existence. But its to the one that is able to stand and tolerate any and everything that comes its way those are the ones that will in the end be saved. Saved from what Saved from destruction. That’s why the bible declares that it not by Power, Nor is it by Might but is by my Spirit said the Lord. And I stop by to tell somebody that thee only way that you are going be able to endure the trials is that you got to have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in you. Clap your hands and give God some Praise.
Tell 6 people “It’s By God’s Spirit”
The 2nd point is The Require Discipline. Listen the Author says that we have to lay aside every weight now the word lay aside is a two-fold word meaning to take off, it means to strip off every weight that so easily besets us now the word easily beset means sin that clings, distracts, entangles and trips us up as Christian in our walk with God. And listen there are a lot of weights that tries to hinder us as Saints of God. For one it might be Money, for one it might be Greed, for one it might be the Lusting of the Flesh, for one it might Pleasures that this World is offering. For one it might be Pride. For one it might be Gambling. Drinking or Smoking come now there are some smoking Saints in the House don’t act like you so saved. Some of ya’ll can’t wait till church over now to like that cigarette or that Blunt.
But my brothers and my sisters I submit to you that some of you are wondering why you are no progressing why does it seem that you are always going backwards instead of forward. It’s time for you to do a checklist and ask yourself what is that is keeping me in a Hole. What is it that is keeping me in a Tight Fixed? What is it that Keeping me Depress, Upset, Getting to the Next level in God, What is it that’s Hindering Me. Stopping me. Holding me down. Listen look at The Apostle Paul when the snake came and bit him on thee arm the bible says he shook it off into the fire and felt no
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harm. He shook off the snake that was designed to bring him down Design to: Kill Him
Destroy Him
Revenge Him
Stop Him
Take him out.
Slow him down
Make him swell up and Die.
I stop by to tell somebody that there are some things in your life that are design to Stop You, To Hinder You, To Destroy You, Take you Out, Slow you Down, keeping you from finishing your race. But you need to do like Paul did and Shake it Off and tell the Devil that he is a Liar. Some of you all have got some Haters in your surrounding. Some of your all have got some Negative Folk in your world that are always planting negative things into your spirit. And has not one time Encourage you to Keep: Praying, Fasting,
Believing
Holding On
Trusting in God
The Faith
Pressing On
Striving.
Those are the People that you need to lay aside. Because I found out that in this Christian Race Everybody is not going to Pat you on the Back, Everybody is not going to give you Two Thumbs Up. Everybody is not Rooting for you. Everybody is not Cheering you on they will smile in your Face and all the while trying to take your Place. Listen you got Some people that are not praying that God Bless, they are praying that you stay down in your in your sins, and get caught up in some mischief and confusion. That’s why every now and then you have to check your surroundings and you are around those people that are Haters and are Negatives in your life then you need to Lay them aside because anything that is not an aid in the race that you are running then you need to dismissed yourself. And tell them if your can’t help me then Please don’t stop me move out of my way and don’t try to
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block me for I got a race to run and I’m running by Faith. And if you are not going to help me then Step Aside.
Touch about 5 people and tell em “Step Aside”
Yeah Yeah Yeah step Aside. I don’t need any weights on my life. I don’t need anybody speaking negative things into my Spirit and kick when me I’m down. But I need somebody that’s going to Pray with me. I need somebody that going to pick me up when I fall. I need somebody that’s going to keep me in the Press. But it not then that’s ok because. I go if I have to go all by my self. For I can do all things Through Christ that Gives me Strength. Hifi 7 people and tell then to Shake it off.
Shake that Sin Off, Shake those Haters off and Declare unto the Devil the words of The Apostle Paul I will let nothing separate me from the Love of Christ not Tribulation, or Distress, or Persecution, or Famine, or nakedness, or peril, or Sword? Because Nay, in all things I’ am are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 So I am persuaded, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor Things Present, nor Things to Come, 39Nor Height, nor Depth, nor any other Creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Tell somebody “I’m Persuaded”
#3 is the Supreme Example. The writer says if you need a reference the writer says that our Supreme Example is Jesus. Looking unto Jesus in other words Fix your eyes on Jesus, Focus on Jesus. Who is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith. Listen the word Author means that Jesus he Authored it, he began it, he was thee originator, he created it. And the word finisher means that he {Jesus Christ} Perfected it, Completed it, he Consummated the Race.
Listen catch this He Started it and he Finished it. Jesus never Started anything that he was not able to Finish. Everything Jesus Started he Finished It. So in other words He Finished what he Started. This ought to be an encouraging word to somebody to let you know that you can Finish what you
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Started. You can Finish your Dreams, Finish your Career. Finish School. Finish pursuing your Projects. Finish your Job, Finish your Duties, Finish your Vision, Finish College, Finish your Work, Don’t let the adversary tell you what you can and cannot do you Got to Finish what you Started.
Tell somebody “Finish what you Started”
And can I tell you something else the scripture says the he is the author and the finisher of our Faith. So that means that he’ll Start it and He’ll Finish but guess what you got to Work the Middle. He’ll Open the Door and he’ll close the Door but you got to Work the Middle. He’ll Began it and he will Perfect it but you got to Work the Middle.
Tell somebody behind you “Work the Middle”
Lastly the 4th point is The Controlling Factor and the controlling Factor of the Christian race is keeping our minds on the endurance of Jesus Christ. The writer says Consider him the word consider means to compare to reckon to count up. Look at Jesus Christ look at what he had to go through, look at how he suffered. Listen Jesus bore all kinds of Problems. I preach a Sermon awhile back called He Took my Place and in my Presentation I told my church that Jesus suffer three ways he suffer Mentally, Physically, and Spiritually.
#1 Mentally he suffer the weight and pressure of thoughts in his mind. He lived in the Shadow of the Crossed. He suffers through his thoughts of how he was going to be rejected and spit upon and talk about and not accepted by his own people. Sold by his own disciple Judas for thirty pieces of silver, Denied by his own disciple Peter and he was a carpenter so every time we would work with hammers and nails he mind we wonder off into future of how one day the same nails he was using would one day hold him up on the cross. # 2 Physically he suffering the bible makes it clear by saying that he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with he stripes we are healed Jesus Christ was hung up or our hang up. #3 Spiritually he suffer because he was a man without sin but because of our sins instead of him being and icon for the Ideal Man he had to become the Ideal Sin Bearer man for the sins of this world not just us in this building but for the Sins of the world. He
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suffering could even get the disciples to pray with him for an hour he suffering but despite his suffering he endure any how.
Despising the Shame well what does that mean well despise mean to look down on with contempt and scorn or to regard with dislike. And Shame means a painful felling of having lost the respect of others because of the improper behavior. Well what are you trying to say reverent well Jesus was despised and rejected Jesus was being look down on as a disgraced, dishonor, low down dirty something. Because the Cross to them represented Failure and really wanted to make Jesus look bad so that why they place in between two thieves and I wish I had time to talk about it how all of them die three different stages of death.
If I had time I would tell you how the man on the Left die in Rejection, the man on the Right die in Reception, But the man in the Middle die for Redemption. The man on the Left dies in Sin, the man on the right died from Sin, but the Man in the Middle died for Sin. The man on the Left die a Blasphemer, the man on the Right die a Believer, But the Man in the Middle died a Benefactor. The man on the left die in Grief, the man on the Right die in Grace, but the Man in the Middle died in Glory. The man on the Left died a Sinner the man on the right died a Saint but the man in the Middle died a Savior. And if I had time I would tell hat they had him in the right place in the Middle. Tell somebody Thank God he was in the Middle. I stop by to tell somebody that no matter how many things the Devil tries to put on every side of you if you got Jesus in the Middle Everything will be Alright. Because you may be trouble on every side but because Jesus is in the middle you will be able o say Though I’ am troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
Despite what the Thought of it was Jesus endure the Cross-. Despite how they felt about him he endure the cross. Despite of how they made mockery of tell him if you really the Son of God then Save your own self for a change. How because of the Joy that was set before him. Listen I told my Church that it’s not about what you are Going through but it’s what your Coming to. The reason why Christ was able to make through the Crucifixion was because he knew that in three days he was getting up and not only getting up but would be seated at the right hand of the Father
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Forever and Ever and Ever. He knew that he would be united and exalted with the Master. And this are to encourage somebody to let you know to don’t focus on what you are going but focus on when the Test is Over. When the Race is Over.
When the Suffering is Over. Job puts it like this and when he has tried me I shall come forth as Pure Gold. Listen Look at the Children of Israel they was ready to Give up, ready to go back to the place where God had deliver them from. But while they was ready to Give up what they didn’t know was that they was right on the verge, right at the border of a Break through. Listen Why give up when you are right at the Border of every Promises that God said that He was going to fulfill in your life. Why give up now when you right At the Border of a Healing
Deliverance Chains Breaking in your Life
Breakthrough Turn Around
Financial Breakthrough Greater Elevation
Blessing Greater Anointing
Elevation Greater Power
New Dimension Greater Miracle
New Level
Tell somebody Don’t Give up now because you are closer than you ever been. Listen I remember when I was in school and I didn’t like school as a matter of fact the only class I like a was Music Class so I can show off my lil skills here and there, and Cooking class so I could show them how to cook out there in Ofallon but anyway. So classes I took I did not understand why I had to take it. I stay up all the times of the night getting work and projects done because my mind was focusing on coming up and out of there. I was ready to get out. And once I receive my Diploma I realize that it was worth every test, project, piece of paper, every essay, every sleepless night. It was worth every exam. And when your mind is focus on the Prize I declare you we see yourself progressing more than when your mind is focus in on the situation that you are in.
So I come to encourage somebody Don’t focus on your Situation Focus on the Joy. Focus the sufferings of this old world cannot be Compare to the Glory, which shall be, reveal in us. Instead of Focusing on what your in
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now Focus on the Fact that There is A blessing with your Name on it. Focus on Weeping may endure for a night but Joy will come in the Morning. Focus on many of thee Afflictions of the Righteous but God will deliver us out of them on. Focus on the Fact the God has Promise to never Leave us nor forsake us. Focus on the Fact that The Lord our God is a Shield for us and he is the Glory and the Lifter up of our Heads. Focus on the Fact if our earthly house of this tabernacle will dissolved, we have a building of God, an house that is not made with hands, and it’s in the eternal heavens.
Hifi 7 People and tell em “Endure the Contradiction”
As I close I want to encourage you all to don’t give up the Fight just Stay in the Race Don’t Give in just Stay in the Race. You may Fall by the wayside but Stay in the Race. So what folks talk about you? So what they Misunderstand you-Stay in the Race
Let them Reject you-Stay in the Race
So what they Laugh at you-Stay in the Race
You might feel like you are by your self- But just Stay in the race
So what they might not Believe in you-Just Stay in the Race
They might call you Crazy- But Stay in the Race
Oh but consider Jesus Every time you feel your self giving up and throwing in the Towel Every time you feel yourself about to Just Lose it and Snap and breakdown but before Consider Jesus, Look at Jesus. His own receive him not-But he Kept on Running
They Spit upon him-But he Kept on Running
They said that he wasn’t the Son of God-But he Kept on Running
They made him carry his own Cross-But he Kept on Running
They Place nails in his Hands-But he kept on Running
They Place nails in his Feet-But he kept on Running
They Place a crown of Thorns on his Head that caused his head to flow with blood but he kept on running.
They Pierce him in the side and out came Blood and Water- But he kept on running.
He died- but even in Death He kept running.
Touch about 7 People and tell em “Run, Run, Run, Run, Run Run”
For your Family :Run For your Joy: Run
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For your Strength: Run For your Life: Run
For your Power: Run For your Goal: Run
For your Kids: Run For your Salvation: Run
For your Mind :Run For your Anointing: Run
The Apostle Paul said Forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forth to those things, which are before I Press Toward the Mark of the Prize of the high calling, which is in Christ Jesus. I Press
I Press Pass: Disappointments Failures Abuse Frustration Confusion Depression Sickness Oppression Liars
Poverty Tell somebody Stay in the Press.
I talking to somebody that has felt like you can’t go on. I’m talking to somebody that is Struggling. You been Struggling
Trying to: Stay Saved Live Right Stay on top of Bills Keep Jobs
Fight those Bad Habits Stay Deliver Stay away from Sis. Girls House, Bro Man House. Struggling to make a Living well I God’s got a Word for ya and it’s Found in Galatians the 6th Chapter and the 10 verse and it declares unto to us to Be not weary in well Doing for in due Season you shall Reap if you Faint not: So Stop Shouting, Don’t Stop Coming to Church, Don’t Praying, Don’t Stop Fasting, Don’t Stop Seeking God’s Face Don’t Quit the Deacons Board. Don’t Quit the Praise Team, Don’t Quit the Choir. Don’t Quit Testifying. Don’t let your Guards down. Don’t let the Devil get the Best of you. Don’t let your situation drag and slaughter you. Because there is a Reward: For your Faithfulness For your Prayer Life
For your Suffering For your Pain For your Consistency
For your Trouble For your Grief For your Giving
For your unselfishness For Seeking you seeking God’s Face day and night
For not Giving Up on the Church the Folk For Keeping a Smile on your Face For your Tears For the Years
Endure the Contradiction. Through the Storm –Endure Through the Rain-Endure Endure the Dark Days of your Life. {Elab} then end.
-------------------------*The Conclusion of the Sermon*---------------------------
{1} Lay Aside Every Weight {SHAKE YOURSELF LOOSE}
{2} Stay in the Race
{3} Finish what You Started
-----------------------*And the Word of the Lord is Blessed*--------
