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To encourage your soul. From discouragement. I don't know about you. We all get discouraged. Don't we. And I really sense that this is timely for all of us.
I.
Definitely know just not myself. I need this.
As.
I was praying I said Lord what direction should I go? Because there's so many great passages of Scripture, you know, we can open up and look at. From the Psalms. To encourage our soul.
But.
I'd like to speak to you about the cure. There's a cure for Discouragement in the race of faith and we all get discouraged. Don't we we have many battles whether it's job related. Whether it's someone in the family that's desperately lost and you find yourself helpless before God and praying and Asking God what do I do?
But throw ourselves upon the mercy of God and God himself and God alone. To help us in these these matters. Who can we go to who can we turn to but to the Lord? He has the words of eternal life, right?
So I just like for just a minister to you a word of encouragement. And I'm thankful that this is being recorded because I know brother Michael is battle discouragement. I'm sure Zach is battle discouragement and miss Lillian all of us has.
I think the best of Saints and the best of God's people has battled discouragement and and you and you're fine. I got some things to say about some of the great Saints of old that battled discouragement.
So with that saying that please turn with me to the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews and this is a great text I've preached from it several times, but this this is a fresh sermon. I promise you that I've worked Labored hard in the Lord and I wanted something fresh.
I'm I'm not gonna lean back on some old notes, even though the outline is not original. I borrowed that from Pastor John MacArthur. It was so good. Could not avoid it. Okay, so I don't know about you when you see something very good.
You cannot approve on it. So I'm thinking I'm gonna borrow it. So I'm giving Pastor John MacArthur credits from his commentary on the book of Hebrews on this so when we get to the points, I will give him the Credits for that.
So we're looking at Hebrews chapter 12. Beginning in verse 1 we're just looking at three verses three verses I believe that's gonna be enough for us to encourage and these three verses are loaded beloved.
They are packed full of truth. Hear the word of the Living God the writer of Hebrews says this therefore. Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let us also lay aside Every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and Let us there.
It is again. Let us run with endurance the race That is set before us.
Fixing our eyes on.
Jesus the author and the perfecter of faith Who for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Now listen to this wonderful verse here in verse 3 for consider him Who has endured?
Such hostility by sinners against himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Let us Go to the Lord in prayer and may God bless the reading of his word to our hearts this morning. Let's pray Father in heaven we do.
Thank you For this wonderful Lord's Day morning that you've given to us to meet together as Your people meets together today Lord. We would pray that your Holy Spirit wherever they meet that you will meet with them Lord.
What is a service unless Jesus is in the mist? What is a church unless the Lord Jesus your son is? In the center as He showed himself alive to his disciples after his resurrection. That's the church the head of the church.
Jesus walking in the mist among the candlesticks. So father would pray give us ears to hear What you're saying to the church give us ears. Father is the psalmist said your law is perfect. It restores the soul.
Your testimony is sure it makes wise the simple your precepts are right rejoicing the heart. Your commandment is pure and lighten the eyes. Your fear is clean and during forever. Your judgments are true.
There are righteous altogether and Lord then he prayed this and he said this they are more desirable than gold Lord. Give us that kind of hunger that kind of desire. Yes, much then much more fine gold sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
So father by them. Your servant is worn and in keeping them There is great reward. Let us remember father That you are such a good God. We thank you that you're a God that rewards and you reward those who seek you diligently in.
Faith.
So father, I pray Pray Lord Let us remember without faith. It is impossible to please you. And when we do come to you and must believe that you are the true and the Living God. So father encourage us teach us and Challenge us Reprove us rebuke us and the end use us So that we will not grow weary in this race of faith.
And father I do pray that your Holy Spirit Would help us keep our eyes fixed upon the author and the perfecter of our faith the one that really all that matters And as the Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray this in his name.
Amen. Well, if Satan has been giving you a pretty rough time In your life and more than likely he is if you're a child of God if you found out the Christian life is not an easy.
Road and.
It is difficult at times. It's a it's a different kind of hardness than the way of the transgressor, isn't it? The transgressor cannot sleep at night because there's no peace to the wicked as Scripture says.
But in the Christian race. You're running you will find out and I'm sure you have. That there are obstacles there's obstacles of Discouragement trouble. And many obstacles as we travel along this Journey to the celestial city until we reach our destination.
Satan hates God. He hates Jesus Christ, and he hates you. He plays for Keith's. Satan would do and he plays very unfair.
He hates our faith and.
This is what this chapter and the previous chapter is really about is about faith you know if you think of it Satan desires for us to lose the victor's crown and He does not want us to cross the finish line victoriously and faithfully.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews gives us a good New Testament counsel and The Word of God begins by saying therefore in verse 1. Therefore of course ties with what has been previously written in chapter 11 therefore is therefore a reason.
So if you look at it as we come to this really it's a concluding statement in chapters 12. It's like it begins another chapter, but in reality if you look at the context Chapter 12 verses 1 2 and 3 is really a conclusion of Everything that the writer of Hebrews said in chapter 11 so this is really a concluding statement to the opening chapter of 12 and The emphasis here before us is to run the race of faith.
That's set before us now. This is something. I want us to really think about not ever to forget is To run this race with faith, and we need all the help and the power of God To get it across the finish line.
We cannot do it within our own strength beloved. I am convinced of that We need the strength and the power of the Holy Spirit and God's grace to make it across the finish line. And and we have to endure and when endure to the end as scripture says There were saints of the great Chap in the in this chapter the heroes of faith in chapter 11.
They suffered persecution Extensive persecution even death with great courage and yet had made it cross the finish line. They made it with joy, by the way. And the writer of the Hebrews is really telling us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God Of how we can make it aren't you what aren't you thankful this morning about God's Word?
It just doesn't leave you in the dark. It reveals to us the truth of how to make it and Whom to rely upon it doesn't leave you to yourself and say, okay You you just muster it all up and try to know. Even though Jesus does say strive to enter in and press your way through but he doesn't leave us alone and that's why Jesus promised his disciples.
I will send another comforter to you. I'm going once I get to the Father I'm going to send the promise of the Father to you the power of the Holy Spirit the ministry of the Holy Spirit and beloved. Worship wouldn't be worshiped this morning and And we wouldn't know who Jesus is and the Father and all that's revealed in the Word of God.
It would just be just mere words to us, but we know the truth behind it. It's living. It's active why because of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God gives us the faith by the way, it is a gift.
Faith is a gift. When I first came to Christ and converted I was thinking all faith is something I kind of worked up myself. Then I started reading scriptures. It's a measure of it's a gift. I Didn't I didn't muster this up.
God came to me God rescued me. You know at first you think Armenian like it's me reaching out, but it's really God reaching out to you. It's what was it me seeking? Well, even though the scripture says we are to seek the Lord with all of our heart.
It's really God seeking us.
He.
Seeks after us and this is by faith and keeping our eyes upon the prize and that's what the all the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11 did and Ultimately it climaxes at the ultimate example the Lord Jesus Christ and that's who we're going to look at this morning.
In fact the text is Focused upon in the race of faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ and He's the one we are to fix our eyes upon no one else in a very real sense faith. This is fixing our eyes on Jesus, isn't it?
Keeping Jesus in full view. In Full view regardless of what others may be doing all around us and that's the whole challenge of it that we're not to get distracted to look at others and look at people and see how great people are and And compare ourselves with other Christians though we are to look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith the perfecter of faith.
This is actually excellent counsel because as weak human beings as we are and we are we are so prone to fail. We're so prone to wander away from the God we love. We're not sufficient in ourselves. We are frail we are weak as the song said this morning and In this race of faith, we are so prone to get discouraged beloved and I know you too Have been discouraged from time to time and quite often in and it's so easy for us, isn't it?
It's so easy for us to allow the pressures and the Burdens of life to overwhelm us and to cause us to despair and think Lord. What am I going to do?
And.
Sometimes you pray and you it's almost like your prayers are bouncing off the walls of heaven and you can't get through and you think it Lord, how long it's like the psalmist. How long. Oh Lord, how long?
Very let's be honest. We all been there. Haven't we you may be there this morning. Discouragement is a killer. And by the way, did you know that pastors? Leave the ministry. That's the number one reason why pastors leave and give up on in the ministry.
Next is immorality. But the number one reason that so many pastors and whoever it is in ministry and Christians give up in faith on their faith is because of discouragement. It's a killer. Discouragement has caused many people to defect from the faith.
It's caused many people to backslide. It's caused many people to quit. I've seen it when a leader in the church of Would defect or backslide. I've seen many people just fall by the wayside. You know why they do.
They're looking at the man. They're not looking at God. That's a tragedy. That is a tragedy beloved. So our faith must be focused and fixed or set upon Jesus. Discouragement has caused people to quit serving God quit going to church quit hearing God's Word.
Stop.
Fighting the fight of faith and as a soldier as so to speak. They lay down the sword and lay down the Bible never pick it up again. And it's almost like they waved the white flag of surrender. And if you are discouraged this morning Can I say this you're not alone.
You're not alone. We all to get discouraged don't we we do let's be honest even great men of God in the past. Have been discouraged in this race of faith for instance that you know. We hear of John Calvin the Frenchman reformer in Geneva, Switzerland.
The man made history didn't he. God used them as Martin Luther. Did I was used? John Calvin was a man of God. And this is what he said about his life and I got the quote right here and listen, this is a exact quote.
He said this in addition to the immense troubles by which I am so sorely consumed. There is almost no day on which some new pain or anxiety Does not come. And if his brother Keith read this morning from Charles Haddon Spurgeon Known as the Prince of Preachers among England's finest Spurgeon had this to say about his own battles with discouragement.
By the way, he battled depression on top of that. He was depressed. He battled his own pride because he was such a gifted man and he had a battle he battled this but he knew it was Sin, he knew it. But this is what he said about discouragement.
He said quote. Discouragement creeps over my heart and makes me go with heaviness to my work very honest man. He goes on to say is dreadfully weakening dreadfully weakening. In quote, it's so true it it does drain you it did drains us it it knocks us down.
It is that way with many of God's choice servants and some of the best of Saints. So you're not alone. Some of you in this room are discouraged this morning with your walk with the Lord. And you may be thinking about maybe throwing in the towel thought of giving up on the race of faith and you're very tired and you're weary and you you get worn out and It's might have closed it's might have Crossed your mind.
Well beloved of God this words for you today. Brothers and sisters, I want to encourage you in the Lord and there's much encouragement here in our text. So the good word of the Almighty God comes to us and desires for you to make it across the finish line and I want to minister to you to don't lose heart.
Don't give up. Don't faint. Keep running with vigor and be steadfast in the Lord and with joy. To look to Jesus and keep your eye on that reward no matter what happens by faith. To looking unto Jesus we will make it old preacher said years ago and I remember him from Bible College.
Oh Charles Greenaway. He said we may not look like nothing when we get across the finish line, but he said we want to make it. May not look like anything, but we're gonna make it. He kept he always was a hang in there.
We're going to make it and he's he's with his reward now. He made it. With this light outline, like I said, it's not original it comes from Pastor John MacArthur and here's the points I'd like to bring out to you.
That would encourage your soul this morning number one and verse one. There is an event to be considered. There is an event to be considered. Number two, we're going to look the same with verse one. There is the encouragement to run.
There's the encouragement to run an event to be considered. There's an encouragement to run. Third I would like for us to look at there's encumbrance that hinders us along with the sin, which so easily entangles us.
And let me say that again. Third there is an encumbrance that hinders us and there is a sin, which so easily entangles us. And fifth and verse two. There is the example to follow the example to follow and in conclusion, I'd like to tie This together there we would look at the end of the race in verse 3 and the exhortation given the end of the race and The exhortation that's given.
So let's begin and look at what is it being said about the race of faith? First of all, let's consider the event. What is the event? Well of chapter 12 the event is a race. The event is a race. This is called a a race of faith.
We are called to run this race as children of God. Now many figures of speech are used in the New Testament. I want to kind of go through this very quickly, but in particular it describes aspects of the Christian life as for example.
They're given to us in metaphors. Paul the Apostle used metaphors and this language and to give us practical help and pictures word pictures that we would understand what the Christian life is like and For example, he says in Ephesians 6 who you to put on the whole armor of God.
That's a metaphor to fight against the wiles of the devil. That's a metaphor and putting on the whole armor God as a Soldier of Jesus Christ. We are in a battle right and you know as well as I do this battle is real.
Now the war has already been won by the Lord Jesus Christ the the chief and the commander. But you and I are enlisted in this battle. Now we didn't enlist he enlisted us. He chose us right we are enlisted you and I are chosen hand-picked by God.
But there's military metaphors and in scriptures as well in other places the 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 3 Paul says as good soldiers. We go to battle and do. We do to please the commander. Scripture also describes as being engaged in a wrestling match.
This is a wrestling match. Ephesians 6 to again. Basically the same passage we wrestle not Against flesh and blood. It's not against flesh and blood. We're fighting against these people the flesh and blood is not the enemy.
Who's the real enemy. Satan is Against the powers of the darkness spiritual powers. Meaning the demonic hosts that are behind the world system. So that's the real battle right and the battles won on our knees before God.
So we are engaged in a like in a war like soldiers were wrestling. We're in a wrestling match and in 1st Corinthians 9 26. He describes us like a boxing matches a boxing match. The Christian right say I'm not.
Paul says I'm not somebody who? Beats the air but finds but I find my opponent and I strike a blow to him. That's what he's basically saying. 2nd Timothy 4 7 before Paul's departure before he went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in His last breath and he was beheaded by the way he says He knew he was about to offer himself up in His last will and Testament in chapter 4 2nd Timothy is you can read that his last faithful words.
He said I fought the good fight. I have fought the good fight. I've kept the faith a Wrestler a boxer a soldier. These are references metaphors as well in New Testament as is what is given in Scripture also.
It speaks that as we come to the Lord Jesus Christ or as that we are converted and read or should I say? Regenerated first and then converted.
That.
We are slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bond slaves. In other words, we belong to him. We he he takes ownership over us and we've been purchased by his blood. We're no longer our own. We've been bought with a price.
Galatians 617 indicates that Paul sees himself as a bond slave of Jesus Christ who by the way, he said I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ upon him branded. Branded marks in 2nd Timothy 2 again.
Paul describes Christians as farmers. There's another metaphor farmers. One who plants the crop and enjoys the harvest. We are described in relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as a bride to the bridegroom.
A Father in the child relationship sons and daughters of God. The Lord is our father. He's the very source of we need in him alone, and he's the supplier of all of our needs as his very own children. There are also many other metaphors, but now we have this metaphor of a race.
This race is serious. We are in a race beloved. We are runners in this race of faith. In other words, we are athletes. You are an athlete this morning in this race and 2nd Timothy chapter 2 again talks about the athlete who does not Does whatever is necessary to to win the prize?
So there is a prize before us a race to run and he makes it in order for him to make it across the finish Line in the Philippians chapter 3 in verse 13 Paul says this and there's one of my favorite passages in Scripture.
I do not regard myself as having lay hold of yet one Thing he was determined. He set this one thing before him. He says I do I Do it. And what was this? Forgetting what lies behind?
Reaching forward.
What lies ahead. And. Then he says this. I press on I pursue. I run towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus my Lord. That was his one pursuit. That was his one aim in which he as an athlete looked to do.
In essence Paul was saying I don't run aimlessly. I run to win. I run to finish to get across the finish line. I run for the prize, which is the upward call of Christ of God in Christ Jesus. So here the event is the race.
The race of faith. Now notice the latter part of verse 1 let us run. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. I.
Love that lettuce.
And the four times in chapter 4 you can you can go with me to chapter 4 just go back a few chapters. He says it several times. Let us let us let us. He he encourages us. Don't you love to us? He didn't say let me he said let us.
We're in this together. We're together in this we're to encourage one another. Let us notice what he says and these are some good verses. But I believe every time he says the word let us and I notice this if you look very closely in whatever translation.
Yeah, the word therefore is therefore every time every time notice this in chapter 4. Several times. Check verse 1 look therefore. Let us fear. If while I promise remains of entering his rest any of you may seem to have come short of it notice verse 11.
Therefore there's the therefore again every time there's a therefore then is he get he tells let us be Diligent to enter that rest so that no one will fall through following the same example of disobedience.
Look at verse 14 a chapter 4. Therefore there it is again. Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession. Look at verse 16.
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace and help a time. No every time therefore. Then he says let us fear. Therefore let us be diligent.
Therefore since we have a great high priest let us hold fast our confession. Verse 16 therefore let us draw near with confidence. I don't know about you. That's encouraging words to me. The Christian life is a race and it is to say it demands great effort and it's not a sprint.
Have you noticed that it's not a short sprint. It's not a middle distance. It is a marathon beloved. This is for the long haul. This is a marathon to make it across the finish line and it's going to take everything by the grace of God to get us Across the finish line and I don't know about you.
That's why I drink up and starve for every means of grace that I can get a hold of to help me get across the finish line. The end actually the entrance into the race is through the new birth salvation by grace through faith.
By the perfect Son of God by his complete works what Jesus accomplished on the cross. If we're not in the race by regeneration. Everybody else is just sitting along the sidelines. And I would have to say that as many people even in churches today just sitting in the sidelines.
They're not even in the race. To be in the race. We must be regenerated. We must be changed and transformed by the power of the Living God. The race begins when we become a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And once that happens by the grace of God we run with all of our might with endurance. Until we get across the finish line. So the word race now you're gonna love this. What do you think that word race means in the Greek?
It is the Greek word.
Agonized.
Agonized it's the word in which we get and Keith just nailed it agony.
Agony.
Now doesn't that make sense. We run Race Agony now. How dare any preacher that you hear all these preachers today Says that the Christian life is just ease and it's your best life now, and it's all what they want.
They want the benefits. And you know who they've forgotten?
God.
Take away the benefits. You know what the true living you know what the true child of God wants God himself. Because he is He we just don't want the blessing. He's the blesser. We we want the one that they that gives the blessing.
He's the blessing that we like brother Ben read this morning from Genesis chapter 32 about Jacob Wrestling with the angel. He just didn't want the benefits. Oh say oh, yeah bless until you bless, but he was a laying hold of God.
He didn't want to let go of God. You see it's not a sprint. It's not a dash. It's a marathon Race to the very end and this is obvious element behind a good runner. And what does a good runner need to be to be a good runner?
Well first of all he needs to be trained and self-disciplined doesn't he. My son John if he was here. He could tell us a lot as he loves to run. It takes a lot of Rigid standards to follow. Doesn't it yield to yield the most effectively during runner.
Following hard rigid standards, so the runner it takes discipline, and that's the way it is with the Christian. It takes discipline in our life, and I don't know if you notice that by now. It takes a lot of discipline.
There are disciplines in the Christian life. So the runner here does whatever is necessary in other words to stay in shape to be in shape to make it across the finish line to be lean and It would demand discipline and training.
That you and I will really if we were to win. There's no place for walking slowly in this race. We can't afford it and by the way, there's agonizing. Look at the Lord Jesus Christ. He's our perfect example.
Did not he agonize. He was a man of sorrow. Acquainting with Greece. It's a relentless event so this race is an enduring event. The word look at there's another word. That's an important the word endurance.
This is another key word to our text. You know what that word in the Greek means endurance. You'll love this it literally means to be under and To remain there. Isn't that beautiful? To be under and to remain.
To be under to remain it is to remain under the challenge to remain under the trial to remain under the difficulty. To the remained under the struggle. You know people want deliverance, but sometimes God doesn't give deliverance.
Sometimes he does but I tell you one thing he does do and Paul learned is he gives grace and Paul says his grace is sufficient. You know I loved Elizabeth Elliot she always pointed out you know in this Christian life We need to always remember this and get used to it.
And this is gonna be a hard word, but you and I and it's hard to the flesh. She says suffering is normal in the Christian life. Now that blows a lot of people down. Because a lot of people don't like suffering.
But Jesus said there's a cost. There's a cross and we must endure it. But he can help you bear that cross beloved and I promise you he is worth it. Every mile of the way until you reach the cross across the finish line.
I would like GC Rouse says I'd rather take all the crosses now. Than one minute in hell.
Wow.
The struggles real isn't it. There's obstacles. There be problems there be pain there be suffering. There's gonna be hardships. There's gonna be discouragement. But yet to endure. To remain under it. To endure.
With it.
To continue to remain there whatever might come our way. So when it comes down to it in this race of faith we can say with Paul having done all to stand stand. That means to remain under to continue to be faithful.
That's what it means to continue to be faithful. Don't give up. Don't lose heart. Continue to pray continue to press in the world says stop your feelings may say stop. The everything around you could be collapsing keep pressing forward keep looking to Jesus.
The race is real. The athlete that's going to win keeps going. He does not quit. He does whatever it takes to agonize and to be disciplined to discipline himself to to win it to gain and to win the prize.
So what's the event? It's the race. That's what we're talking about the race to endure steady determination to keep going regardless of temptations around us and Temptations, by the way can slow us down.
It can retard our growth. Well number two, let's go into the second point. There is also Encouragement. Let's look at encouragement to run this race of faith. The encouragement to run the race of faith.
What is that encouragement? What is the encouragement the scripture tells us it's found in verse 1. Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses Surrounding us. There's the encouragement now.
Let me mention to you very very quickly in this text. We're not talking about all the heroes of faith in the clouds in the stadium. And by the way, there's preachers that preach this this text like this.
It's like they're all looking down and they said cheering you on come on come on now you can make it across the finish line. The like they're up there. They're watching everything. They're cheering you on.
Can I say this? That's not the point here. The point is what he what does he mean the great cloud of witnesses? Surrounding us are those godly people that the writer that has just mentioned in chapter 11.
And by the way, yes, they made it home. But beloved they're not concerned anymore about this sinful world. God's enough for us. We don't need all the Saints like the Roman Catholic say this pray this Saint this Saint this ain't this ain't to pray us.
Out of this and this is this no, no. No, he's not talking about that. Yeah, he's talking about the Saints the Hall of Fame the honor roll the Old Testament Saints the heroes of faith. However, you want to say it?
But what do they give witness to now? Here's some questions to what do they all give testimony? To what value of kind of life? Can I tell you this? It's a life of faith. The Christian life is summed up in one word faith in Faith alone.
You see this through all Paul talked about that to just shall live by faith. He quotes from the Old Testament. The prophets it's a life of faith. In other words, they were faithful. They were faithful to God.
That's what he's talking about. They are Not witnesses of us. Right, they are witnesses to the power of faith. They're they're witnesses to the wisdom of faith, they are witnesses to the blessing of faith.
So who were these Saints? Well, if you read chapter 11 of Hebrews, they were Abel Enoch Noah Abraham.
Isaac Jacob.
Joseph Moses. And by the way, it's um, it's not even named. These were the great cloud of witnesses give testimony to the great power and the blessing of faith itself. So let me ask a question right here.
What inspires you after reading Hebrews chapter 11. What would inspire you the most after you read Hebrews the the faith chapter? What gives you an inspiration as a runner in the faith to keep running and give you motivation?
I give you I should I say inspiration in this race of faith. That's a good question, isn't it? What what inspires you the most to chapter 11? Well, I'm gonna give you my answer here, you know what inspire and inspires me and after I read chapter.
No matter what these Saints of old in the past were faced with. That they were faithful to God just faithful to God to the very end. They endured to the end they did you we know How they lived and we know how they finished.
Isn't that encouraging. That they're not looking to us and saying come on come on we look to them. They are the witness and that's what the text is saying even through suffering that now I don't know about you when I read people that suffered much and Endured much and I'm talking about really real persecution.
Sawn into beheaded.
Persecuted I.
Terrible way to die. But they made it across the finish line faithfully. Look at John the Baptist. No man was greater. No, no man. No man was born. That was born a woman greater than John the Baptist.
That's what Jesus said. When you like Jesus say that about you. But John the Baptist was the man and I tell you why because he was the forerunner of Christ. None was greater than John. That was born when I set the Lord Jesus Christ, of course.
And yet he preached to the very end he did not stop.
Warning.
Those wicked people right in the dungeon of hell itself like he kept preaching the truth and Finally if his head was brought on the platter. You think Wow pastor, that's that's horrible. He's with his reward.
At that that little bit of pain that he went through is nothing compared to eternal hell. Think of this. How do we know this about how they suffered in person at what chapter 11 notice? I'll just read very quickly just a small they overcame by faith.
Look look at verse 32 a chapter 11. What shall I say? Well, what more should I say for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon Barak and Samson Japheth David and Samuel and the prophets and notice what he says by faith.
Conquered kingdoms performed acts of righteousness. They obtained promises. They shut the mouths of lions. That's Daniel. Quenched the power of fire. I think about Shadrach Meshach and Abednego, right?
Yeah. They escaped the edge of the sword. From weakness were made strong. These were overcomers beloved. Listen to this. Became mighty in war. Put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by about by the resurrection.
That sounds like a Reference to Elijah right or Elisha. I'm sorry. And others were tortured. Tortured not accepting their release so that they might obtain a better resurrection and Others experience mockings and scourgings.
Yes chains and imprisonment. Y 'all come on in. They were stoned. Listen to that. They were persecuted. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They said tradition says of Isaiah was he was sawn in two.
They were tempted. They were put to death with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins and being destitute afflicted ill-treated men of whom the world was not worthy. Wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Don't hear this kind of Word preached from prosperity gospel preachers. Do you know sir? You won't and all these. All these and listen what the writer of Hebrews is they gained approval through what faith?
They did not receive what was promised. Because God had provided something better for us. So that apart from us they would not be made perfect. And then he goes to the perfect example the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, there's another one here. I'd like for us to look at the word encumbrance. Encumbrance is a difference. Encumbrance is a interesting word. And cumbrance. Scripture says lay a less lay aside. Every encumbrance in order to run effectively in order for a runner to run like you need.
What does he need to do the word encumbrance in the Greek means bulk? He has to lay the bulk down. He has to lay the mass down. He can't be too heavy. In other words another translation. No, no authorized version says every weight.
It means something that will weigh us down. We got to lay down the weight. That's different than sin now. Because and it says and the sin. You see that. The the there's bulk there's weight whatever that might be.
I'm putting aside. We got to put it aside. So we got to strip it off. That's what Peter says. And.
First Peter 2 1 strip off the soil polluted garments. Get down to bare basics to run the race. In other words certain things. We must be eliminated to continue to run faster to run stronger. We got a lay down and strip off the bulk.
You know a good runner has to do this he can't have he cannot have excess weight. He has to strip it down. It will slow him down. So now the writer of Hebrews is what is he talking about when he refers to encumbrance?
He's talking about he's got to throw it down. He's got to throw the weight down. There cannot be anything to slow him up. So we desire to have the right meaning of this text, don't we now? What's he talking about when he's talking about?
Encumbrance. There's a lot of different views on this. But if you look at the book of Hebrews very closely and the scripture says let us also look at very closely there the text. Let us also lay aside every encumbrance.
The weight and first of all the weight. Then second the sin. First the weight then the sin these two can really slow down the runner. Especially the sin, but what is the encumbrance? It's basically anything that's added bulk mass on the outside.
Extra now, what is he talking about that would drag you down? Who's he right? Who's the rightness to Jewish Hebrew believers? What do you think the Jewish Hebrew believers would have a hard time with?
Their traditions. Yes. Anything else anything that would hold them back anything added? How about their Judaistic?
Legalism.
Do you see this today in the church that people get in legalism. Do I got to do this. Don't don't do that. Do this. Don't do that. Don't do this. But then they're saying yeah, you gotta the you got the law of the Levitical law, that's what they were talking to.
That's what the writer of Hebrews is talking about. The Levitical law was weighing them down. The former Judaistic legalism. Well, I believe that would be right to the context because if you read the whole book of Hebrews These are Hebrew.
Jewish.
Believers.
That were.
Stuck in.
Their Judaism that they're stuck into Levitical laws. It was an encumbrance. Yes religion traditions of men that weighed them down and. And the writer of Hebrews says lay it aside.
Throw it off.
It was stifling legalism and I'm telling you beloved in the Christian life that way that could weigh you down. Jesus referred to that and he says like a yoke. Okay, you don't need to be yoked up with that.
You need to throw it down and he says come unto me. All your labor and heavy laden, you know, he's talking about heavy laden under the Jewish law. Jesus said I fulfilled the law. That doesn't mean we throw out the law.
The law has its purpose, right? The law is good. It's right and it's holy. And it has a purpose it shows us our sin. We need this. But the law condemns us the law cannot save us the law shows our sin so that we can run the Calvary.
That's the purpose. That's the remedy and that's what the writer of Hebrew is saying. For a runner to complete the race Successfully, he's got to strip it off. He's got to throw it down. He had a strip away.
Every piece of net unnecessary clothing that would slow him down. The outward things the encumbrance the Hebrew believer was going back and relying upon the Levitical system pounds and pounds of Jewish religion and rabbinic traditions dead works dead weight for these Hebrews.
It wasn't easy to let this go beloved. It was hard for them because they were so used to it. They were born into it. You know what? I'm talking about People that get into religion all their life and then you mentioned something of grace and they look at you crazy.
It was it was something that was ingrained in them beloved. So the writer of Hebrew says you got to throw it down and then he says and the sin that's so in Easily entangles you doesn't Santa so easily entangles us.
Oh My that's a sermon right there. Yeah, let me just touch base it right here on this this is challenging to run the race by the way without all this. It's tough enough to run the race. But could you imagine having all this extra on you?
The encumbrance the sin. Like I said, it's it's tough enough to run the race without the extra weight and the sin. And it becomes harder and harder and you weighed down. No wonder people give up. Extra mass of it legal isn't but even harder when you try to run the sin is attached to you.
Now what kind of sin is the writer talking about? Well, it doesn't really get. Specifically here, but I'm going. I read some commentaries and I believe MacArthur nailed it. He believes and I believe he's right because you have to look at the whole book.
The whole context of the whole book from chapter 1 all the way to chapter 13, I believe Chapter 13 13 chapters. I think that's right. What sin is the main sin the sin of? Unbelief, that's right. The sin of unbelief we sin and actually let me touch base here real quickly.
We're not when we do sin. Actually, we're not trusting God. That's what happens when we sin. We are transgressing the law we cross the line we are not living in faith sin is at the heart of unbelief beloved mark me down on that and MacArthur is right.
It is the sin of unbelief. He's talking about here. Whatever sin we believe we getting we get gratification don't we in a way that God says we won't. And when so we were sin in essence we are saying this is what we say when we sin.
I don't believe you God. I'm not believing in God. I'm not trusting in God. I'm not relying upon God. I'm relying on the arm of flesh or something else. This is what I want. And this is what I want. And this is what I would do.
I reject what you say about it. Is that not right about sin you basically say I'm not trusting God. I'm gonna do it my way not God's way. Just like the world says my way. It's doing and willing my will and not God's will it's not trusting and relying upon God's will and His desire so sinning.
We're believing the lie rather than believing the Word of God the truth so and all that sin is in the end a form of.
Unbelief.
The sin of unbelief so the writer of Hebrews is saying if you're going to make tracks in this race of faith you're going to have to throw it off all the extra mass and the bulk of Legalism and the sin of unbelief so easily that is so easily entangles and encumbers us.
So that weight that hinders us from running that sin and that sin. That so easily trips us up by the way. It slows us down. We got to throw it off. So we can run faster and lighter. Well, I'm gonna save these next two points Lord willing for next week.
My time is just run out so quickly. And I think these next two points and you hold me to it. Okay? The example I think that'd be perfect Lord willing for next week to pick up there, right. The example is who the Lord Jesus Christ.
We look unto Jesus now. Let me say a word about that. I want to preach. I want to pick up preaching on that next week. We always to remember Jesus Christ, right? That's what the writer of Hebrews is pointing to remember Jesus look unto Jesus.
Look, you have all these heroes of the faith. They made it because their eyes was on God. Their eyes and that's what he's saying the race of faith is and we're surrounded by these great so cloud great a cloud of witnesses and we are to lay this aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and then let us run with Endurance the race that is set before us fixing our eyes on Jesus the author perfecter of.
Our faith I.
Like for you to keep that before you. Beloved. When you get down brothers and sisters, let me encourage you preach the gospel to yourself. I Had to remind myself this all the time. Sometimes I get stressed down I get weighed down I get discouraged and I know you all do.
Too.
That's the time to preach to yourself the gospel remind yourself of Jesus and How he made it across the finish line, that's what we're gonna look at next Lord willing next Lord's Day. He was the example.
He's the author and the perfecter of faith itself. He perfected it, right? So let me let me just give a quick application. A one-pointer here, okay. John 15 11 Jesus says this to his disciples. These things I have spoken to you.
Now what things he's talking about his promises. The promises he made in John 15 you can read John 15 many John 14 John 15 John 16 Jesus gives all these promises and then he says, you know, you're gonna have.
You're gonna have tribulation this world. And then he says be of good cheer. I've overcome the world and then he says let not in chapter 14. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God believe also me and my father's house are many dwelling places if I go there I'm gonna go there to prepare a place for you.
And then he says and basically and he's saying I'm gonna be there with you. But it's gonna bite me by the Holy Spirit. And if you notice in all those three chapters, he speaks a lot about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
I Will not leave you comforts the comforter will come the paraclete will come. I will come to you and in other words They said I I'm in the father or one and the Holy Spirit and the one triune God. But he says once I get to the father.
And I'm exalted on the right hand. I'm gonna send the Holy Spirit. That's the things he's talking about and all those promises. He just gave to the to the Apostles and you know, if you think of it the Apostles he knew the Apostles gonna go through some hard times.
Well, he gave promises. To that point and then he says this in John 15 11 these things I have spoken to you. So that my joy now listen real closely. My joy may be in you. Don't you desire the joy of Jesus.
Now if you got the joy of Jesus the joy of the Lord. That's your strength. My joy may be in you and notice this and Your joy may be full. Notice what he says in other words notice my joy then he says your joy.
My joy becomes your joy you share. We share with Christ. We share with God what heirs of God join heirs with Jesus Christ. He's one with the Father and you're one with him. That's what he's talking about.
Isn't that the Christian life is. That communion that union with God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit my joy and your joy. We share in the same joy because one day We will also sit on the right hand of God the Father enthroned with Jesus.
Has joined heirs with him that's a pastor. That's hard to believe. Read the scriptures. Will be behold in his face. He is a well-done good and faithful servant that now knows what he says faithful servant.
Isn't that what you want him to say? That's the word that those that one statement right there is is is enough for me right. Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy the joy of the Lord Inherited for you since the foundation of the world.
Oh. What glory that would be when it's all over with Jesus is worth it all. Why because he's the goal? He's the blessing. Hey, look take this world, but give me Jesus. If our hearts here we're in trouble if our heart is on the things of here we're in trouble.
But if your heart is the Lord in the Lord Jesus Christ the one the author and perfecter of faith He will be worth it all. Let's pray father. We thank you Lord. We thank you for this good word this morning Lord.
This is your holy word. What is so full of such precious promises, thank you father for this text. Thank you for this revelation That's given to us in your word. Lord we so desire to run this race with a strong endurance with strong faith a faith that does not waver.
Lord help us. We are weak. You are strong. We cannot do it. But in Jesus we can. Because you said it. Can do all. Paul said it. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That's the Christian life.
It's not in our power. It's in your power. It's not our joy. It's your joy, and then your joy becomes our joy. So father I pray. Give us the faith. That's a resting place that in your word alone not in the words of men.
It's not our righteousness, it's your righteousness. It's not our good works. It's your good works. Through your son the Lord Jesus Christ help us Lord to trust in your word and give us grace to set aside all the encumbrances.
Anything that would hinder and hinder us Lord. I pray for each and every one here today Lord if there's any encumbrance and anything that's holding anyone back from running this race as they should Lord May they throw this down by faith.
Help us to all throw it down any sin that so easily would trip us up. Satan would look and Laugh at it, but Lord we are more than conquerors through you that loved us Father help us not to be entangled by the sin.
Temptations and snares of this world anything that would hinder us from running this race as we should. So Lord help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. And then then we will give you all the glory and the praise.
For it because you are the one that's worthy in Jesus name. I pray amen.