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Lay Aside Every Weight. (Heb.12:1). Weight = Hindrance Not necessarily sinful, but not helpful (1Co.6:12) If desire is to finish - shed the weight ! Key is DESIRE / VALUE (Mt.6:21). “Therefore…let us lay aside every weight…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”.
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Lay Aside Every Weight (Heb.12:1) • Weight = Hindrance • Not necessarily sinful, but not helpful (1Co.6:12) • If desire is to finish - shed the weight! • Key is DESIRE / VALUE(Mt.6:21) “Therefore…let us lay aside every weight…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Worldly Success • Great in God’s mind or in man’s eyes? • (Mk.10:43-45)(Jo.12:42-43)(Jo.5:44) • Why is this a “WEIGHT”? • Because you may have to lose “worldly success” in order to remain faithful to God (Mt.10:22-25) (1Co.4:11-13,16) “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant”
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Worldly Success • Women pressured to follow the world’s standards for success • God’s priority for the woman - “home keeper” or “home manager”(Tit.2:5) (1Ti.5:14) • Women were created for this purpose(Ge.2:18)(1Co.11:9) (1Pe.3:1-6) (Pr.31) • “Older women” should be “teaching” this!(Tit.2:3-5) “She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness” (Pr.31:27)
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Worldly Success • Women pressured to follow the world’s standards for success • Priority is determined by the time and effort devoted to a task • Women are being “weighed down” and torn apart at the seams trying to be “super-mom” and pursue things that are not their responsibility “lay aside every weight… and … run with endurance the race that is set...”
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Worldly Success • Pursue job at cost of God? (Jas.4:14) • Does job regularly cause missed assemblies? (He.10:25) • “Ox in the ditch”? (Lk.14:5) Get another ox! • Most believe that there will be “a time” in the future when they will fully devote their lives (Js.4:14) (Lk.12:16-21, 42-47) “No one can serve two masters… he will be loyal to the one and despise the other” (Mt.6:24)
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Worldly Friends • The insatiable desire for people of the world to approve of us and befriend us • Friend of the world / Enemy of God (Js.4:4) • Dating a non-Christian (2Co.6:14)(1Co.15:33) “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”
Non-Christians 149 Total 106 Left the Lord 43 Faithful 44 Divorced 26 Converted Mate Christians 112 Total 8 Left the Lord 104 Faithful 4 Divorced Weights Which Hinder Us... Marriage of Christians To… “Nor shall you make marriages with them… For they will turn your sons away from following Me” (De.7:3-4)
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Worldly Friends • The insatiable desire for people of the world to approve of us and befriend us • Friend of the world / Enemy of God (Js.4:4) • Dating a non-Christian (2Co.6:14) (1Co.15:33) • Trying to become like the world (2 Co.6:17) • We should beseparate from the world so we can reach the world! (1Pe.3:15) • Church should change world, not be changed by the world (Tit. 2:11-14) “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Pleasure Or Fun • Pleasure is deceitful and can bring one under bondage (2Ti.3:1-5) (1Ti.5:6) • Keep kids too busy to learn godliness? • Self-indulgence of Samson (Jud. 14:3) • Esau (Heb. 12:16) vs. Moses (Heb. 11:24-26) “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”
Weights Which Hinder Us... Desire For Wealth • Wealth is not evil - but the desire for wealth is a tremendous weight • (Pr.23:4) (1Ti.6:9-10) (Lk. 12:15-21) • Abraham (Ge.24:35) Job (Job 1:21) - rich and faithful • May restrict path to Heaven (Mt. 19:24) • May choke out the word (Mk. 4:19) “Labour not to be rich…for riches certainly make themselves wings.”
Why Lay Aside These Weights? • In order to RUN(He.12:1) • Like our examples (He.11:25-38) • With endurance (He.12:1) • Prepared for persecution (2Ti.2:4) • In order to FINISH “Therefore…let us lay aside every weight…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
How Do We Lay Aside These Weights? • Look to the AUTHOR and FINISHER • His example (He.12:2) • For the joy that was set before Him • Endured the cross • Despised the shame • Sat down at the right hand of God • His teaching (Mt.18:8-9; 10:37-39) • His zeal (Mk.3:21) “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”
Do You REALLY Want To Finish? • Weight = Hindrance • Not necessarily sinful, but not helpful (1Co.6:12) • If desire is to finish - shed the weight! • Key is DESIRE / VALUE(Mt.6:21) “For the joy set before Him”