WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.466 How are we doing? 00:00:02.466 --> 00:00:06.000 It's good to be with you this morning if I haven't met you my name is Colby Flowers. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.365 I am the student pastor here at Valley View. 00:00:08.365 --> 00:00:11.099 I'm so thankful to be opening up God's Word with you this morning. 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.800 If you've got your scriptures, we will be in Hebrews chapter 11 this morning. 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:36.533 We're going to look at a couple of verses there, and then we're also going to be in Hebrews 12 sort of bookends for us this morning, because we're going to do this this month is we're going to look at this idea of walk by faith, and I'm going to kind of kick us off, so to speak, and talking about what is faith and how we're supposed to walk in and how we're supposed to live in it. 00:00:36.533 --> 00:00:45.500 And I remember as I was preparing this, I remember the very first five K that I ever ran in my life. 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:51.700 I was in college, a couple of the guys on our college baseball team, actually, several of them wanted to go and do this. 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:59.232 And so we went and participated in A5K that took place in Lexington downtown, and it was called a midsummer's Night Run. 00:00:59.232 --> 00:01:05.400 They still do it to this day, and it's a really cool race, but it's A5K and they run around downtown and we participate. 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:07.799 We all ran down there and participated in it. 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:11.900 I was really excited about this, but five K is like the perfect distance for me. 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:21.599 I love A5K because you have to be in decent shape to do A5K, but you don't have to like train for it and die it for it like you do for a marathon. 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:27.566 That's not me, I can't, I don't know if I can do that, but I really like the distance of A5K. 00:01:27.566 --> 00:01:37.865 And so I remember starting the race and from the beginning to the end, I pretty much stayed in the middle of the pack, which was totally fine with me. 00:01:37.865 --> 00:01:42.500 I wasn't looking to become a marathon runner, but I was in the middle of the pack. 00:01:42.500 --> 00:02:04.099 And then I remember as I was turning off of Rose Street to get back on Main Street and heading towards the finish line, I could see it about, I don't know, a quarter mile down, and there were people that were standing around the finish line, which was surprising to me because this was my first five K, I didn't know what to expect. 00:02:04.099 --> 00:02:11.265 And so as I'm getting closer towards the finish line, I noticed people are jumping up and down and screaming and celebrating. 00:02:11.265 --> 00:02:15.066 They're pushing or they're screaming for you to continue to keep going. 00:02:15.066 --> 00:02:16.400 You're almost there. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:25.733 And I also notice some of the runners who had finished before me, because you saw the big numbers on their chest, they were also rooting for us to keep going, to keep pushing. 00:02:25.733 --> 00:02:29.500 And I remember having such a unique experience. 00:02:29.500 --> 00:02:36.532 When you cross the finish line that first time, Philip being filled with joy and triumph and excitement and community. 00:02:36.532 --> 00:02:39.532 It was such an awesome and great feeling. 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:51.466 And today, what we're going to talk about when it's when we talk about walk By Faith or as we're going to see this morning as a race with endurance, we're going to see this picture played out. 00:02:51.466 --> 00:02:54.500 Because here's what we're going to see this morning. 00:02:54.500 --> 00:03:08.165 The believer must run with an enduring faith now so that in the future we can experience an unending joy later on. 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:18.900 So when we talk about walking by faith, or here in Hebrews chapter 12, we're going to get to to run this race with endurance then requires an enduring faith. 00:03:18.900 --> 00:03:23.699 Now we're to unpack what faith is in Hebrews 11. 00:03:23.699 --> 00:03:29.932 But then we're going to talk about, okay, well, how do I walk by faith in chapter 12. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:52.133 So we're going to use these as bookmarks for us because as we're going to see in the next couple weeks after following this Sunday in Hebrews 11 is Hebrews 11 is famously called the Hall of Faith because it dives into various Old Testament stories of Old Testament saints who had walked by faith, and they followed Yahweh. 00:03:52.133 --> 00:04:04.765 And so what I'm going to do for us is look at the beginning and the very end of it, two verses on either side, and we're going to unpack what it means to walk by faith. Y'all with me. 00:04:04.765 --> 00:04:05.332 All right. 00:04:05.332 --> 00:04:07.366 Hebrews chapter 11, verse one. 00:04:07.366 --> 00:04:09.466 This is what it says. 00:04:09.466 --> 00:04:21.132 It says now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. 00:04:22.100 --> 00:04:26.932 So the author of Hebrews here gives us a definition of faith. 00:04:27.100 --> 00:04:30.199 This definition is a general definition. 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:34.865 It's not necessarily a religious definition. 00:04:34.865 --> 00:04:37.100 There's a guy named John Lennox. 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:41.132 He is a Christian Scientist and an apologist. 00:04:41.132 --> 00:04:42.899 He's a he's an incredible man. 00:04:42.899 --> 00:04:46.766 Just to listen to and talking about faith and reason and science. 00:04:46.766 --> 00:04:56.199 And he says, one mistake that we can make is claim that faith is just a religious term, that faith can only be had by religious people. 00:04:56.199 --> 00:04:58.065 When that's not true. 00:04:58.065 --> 00:05:02.199 Faith is something that is that is for every person. 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:06.199 We're unpack that a little bit later, but faith is a common thing that we all deal with. 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:10.300 Just like having a reason or logic, faith is important. 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:18.565 And so the author of Hebrews isn't just talking here about faith in Christ in a biblical sense, but this is a general definition. 00:05:18.565 --> 00:05:20.565 And he gives us two things here. 00:05:20.565 --> 00:05:21.065 Two things. 00:05:21.065 --> 00:05:26.699 First, he says, faith is the assurance of things hoped for. 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:35.399 Your Bible translations, if maybe if you've got a King James, the word assurance here might be translated as a substance and all. 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:37.466 That's kind of a wooden literal translation. 00:05:37.466 --> 00:05:45.100 It's still good, because what it's saying here is, is faith is a is the ground or foundation we can step on. 00:05:45.100 --> 00:05:47.333 Faith is a confidence. 00:05:47.333 --> 00:05:54.932 In other words, faith is having a confident assurance of something that I'm hoping for in the future. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:58.100 Faith is often future oriented. 00:05:58.100 --> 00:06:04.500 It's something that has not happened yet, but I have confidence or assurance that it will happen. 00:06:04.565 --> 00:06:16.966 The second part of this is that faith is the conviction of the evidence of things not seen, things that I can't see, or things that have not come about yet. 00:06:16.966 --> 00:06:25.699 So faith is is trusting in something or someone or something to happen that that I have not seen yet. 00:06:25.699 --> 00:06:27.199 Does that make sense? 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:34.132 And I think the word evidence or there's a theologian named John Calvin, he uses the word demonstration. 00:06:34.132 --> 00:06:43.699 But all the points to this idea that we have evidence or logic or reason behind our faith, because here's what we see today. 00:06:43.699 --> 00:06:50.500 We see today a lot of people that will say that faith is just a religious thing. 00:06:50.500 --> 00:07:23.333 And if people like Christians or anyone of who are religious, if they would just ask themselves or examine the facts or have used their logic that their faith is going to fall, skeptics and secularist people who aren't religious will make these claims that if religious people, if Christians would just pause and look at the facts, they won't believe anymore because they say that faith, you don't look at the evidence, faith, you don't look at conviction. 00:07:23.333 --> 00:07:26.065 But that's not the way the Bible describes it. 00:07:26.065 --> 00:07:28.899 There's a man named Richard Dawkins. 00:07:28.899 --> 00:07:34.533 He is a he's been titled as a new The New Atheist, a group called the New Atheists. 00:07:34.533 --> 00:07:40.365 And he's written several books about atheists and about religion, and he is obviously against it. 00:07:40.365 --> 00:07:42.165 And he wrote this book called The God Delusion. 00:07:42.165 --> 00:07:44.000 And here's what he says about faith. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:46.199 Just do you see what our opponents would say? 00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:50.533 He said, Faith is the great cop out. 00:07:51.300 --> 00:07:57.699 He says it's the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. 00:07:57.699 --> 00:08:00.966 In other words, faith just says, I don't have to look at the facts. 00:08:00.966 --> 00:08:02.333 I don't have to look in the evidence. 00:08:02.333 --> 00:08:05.699 I just have a blind faith. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:06.932 He says. 00:08:06.932 --> 00:08:13.100 Faith is the belief in spite of even perhaps because of the lack of evidence. 00:08:13.466 --> 00:08:15.266 But that's not what the Bible teaches. 00:08:15.266 --> 00:08:21.132 That's not what the Christian faith tells us, that faith is not an evasion of evidence. 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:23.333 Faith is not the Bayesian of evidence. 00:08:23.333 --> 00:08:26.500 It is a close examination of it. 00:08:27.365 --> 00:08:30.333 Faith means we take into account what is true. 00:08:30.333 --> 00:08:38.399 We look at logic, we have reason, and then we base our life and our commitment off of that. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:42.533 So you might hear the term a leap of faith, right? 00:08:42.533 --> 00:08:50.166 My son, who is now 20 months old, 21 months old, is a daredevil, if I can put it that way. 00:08:50.166 --> 00:08:57.732 He is evolving and growing into the things that he likes to fall off of or jump off of. 00:08:57.732 --> 00:09:04.100 He is increasingly finding things that are taller, bigger, and to be frank, more dangerous. 00:09:04.133 --> 00:09:11.765 But he has a habit of climbing on pieces of furniture and then leaping off of them onto other pieces of furniture. 00:09:12.932 --> 00:09:18.265 But for him, it's really lately just been a blind leap of faith. 00:09:18.500 --> 00:09:22.566 He doesn't look, he doesn't take into account, he doesn't look at the evidence. 00:09:22.566 --> 00:09:24.566 He just leaps. 00:09:24.566 --> 00:09:32.000 And with pieces of furniture moving and shuffling sometimes, sometimes that distance might change a little bit, you know what I mean? 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:37.332 And he's starting to learn very quickly that when your head hits the ground, it hurts. 00:09:37.332 --> 00:09:44.533 So he's learning right now something that's very important I have to take into account. 00:09:44.533 --> 00:09:55.133 If I jump off of this, will I make it so he's looking at the evidence, he's looking at the facts, and now he looks and pauses and thinks, I can make it. 00:09:55.133 --> 00:09:58.166 Then he leaps or he'll say, come and get me. 00:09:58.166 --> 00:10:01.299 He'll hold his hands up because we need to pick him up because it's too far. 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:04.133 But this is a in a in a childish way. 00:10:04.133 --> 00:10:07.765 This is a faith based on reason. 00:10:08.332 --> 00:10:19.399 I have evidence, I have logic, but today we get this rap out there in our culture that the that the church doesn't look at logic, it doesn't look at evidence, it doesn't look at the facts. 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:20.899 Its exact opposite. 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:37.700 When Thomas, the disciple, told his told his friends and said, listen, unless I put my hand in the side of Jesus and I get to touch the the whole nails and his hands in his feet, unless I touch them, I will not believe. 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:40.700 I will not have faith. 00:10:41.332 --> 00:10:44.332 So Jesus enters the building. 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:52.166 Thomas sees it, feels it, touch it, collects evidence and realizes, I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God. 00:10:52.166 --> 00:10:56.332 I believe and trust in God that you did raise from the dead. 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.200 Did Thomas see Jesus come out of the grave? 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:00.899 No, but he sees it right in front of him. 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:01.700 The evidence is clear. 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:06.899 The logic is clear because we are have a faith that is based on logic and evidence. 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:09.899 Don't let the culture tell you anything different. 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:17.966 So if I can say it this way, biblical face is not a blind leap, but an investigative walk. 00:11:19.365 --> 00:11:21.732 It's not that we believe in Jesus blindly. 00:11:21.732 --> 00:11:23.332 Like I really don't know anything. 00:11:23.332 --> 00:11:24.666 I don't know the Bible. 00:11:24.666 --> 00:11:28.566 I don't know the gospel, I don't, I don't have it. I just believe. 00:11:28.566 --> 00:11:34.133 I just believe because I believe, I know because I know that's not the biblical faith. 00:11:34.133 --> 00:11:43.399 Because it's possible you could be in this room having believed in Jesus, but never really thought about actually placing your faith in Jesus. 00:11:43.399 --> 00:11:49.265 Meaning we can make the right decision to follow Jesus, but never really actually consider it. 00:11:49.666 --> 00:11:50.500 So. 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:55.966 To walk by faith, you have to slow down and think, have I really believed? 00:11:55.966 --> 00:12:07.566 If I can bring to this point biblical faith is a confident trust in Christ, and it's grounded in reason, in evidence. 00:12:07.566 --> 00:12:09.566 And here's what it does. It enables you. 00:12:09.566 --> 00:12:16.200 It empowers you to commit your whole life to Jesus. 00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:17.765 That's what faith is. 00:12:17.765 --> 00:12:21.100 That's what biblical faith is, that we trust in Christ. 00:12:22.666 --> 00:12:26.932 And here's the beautiful part about the gospel is it doesn't end with faith. 00:12:26.932 --> 00:12:29.299 Faith is the beginning for you. 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:34.600 We recently just walked through a couple students who were accepted Christ, and they've placed their faith in Jesus. 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:36.865 But that's not the end of their journey. 00:12:36.865 --> 00:12:39.332 That's the beginning of their journey. 00:12:39.332 --> 00:12:44.732 Faith starts your walk with Christ, but it's faith that gets you to the finish line. 00:12:44.732 --> 00:12:46.500 But here's what faith does. 00:12:46.500 --> 00:12:49.265 Faith gives us perseverance. 00:12:49.265 --> 00:12:51.932 Faith gives birth to it. 00:12:51.932 --> 00:12:53.732 It gives birth to patience. 00:12:53.732 --> 00:12:56.732 Faith gives birth to hope. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:12:57.466 Meaning. 00:12:57.466 --> 00:13:06.932 When you believe in trusting God, what it does is it gives you perseverance that no matter what trial, what difficulty you face, you can persevere. 00:13:06.932 --> 00:13:17.899 Faith gives you patience that no matter what you're dealing with and the slowness at which something might be going, you can trust that God will work it in his time. 00:13:17.932 --> 00:13:29.865 Faith says that I can have hope that no matter the dark, how dark the days may get, I have a bright hope for the future because I have faith in God. 00:13:30.966 --> 00:13:35.700 So faith is this thing that we can't miss from the Bible. 00:13:35.700 --> 00:13:37.166 It is a conviction. 00:13:37.166 --> 00:13:40.133 It is a unwavering confidence that we have. 00:13:40.133 --> 00:13:53.932 And look here in verse two, Hebrews 11, verse two, for by it the people of old received their commendation. 00:13:53.932 --> 00:13:58.500 Notice that does not say condemnation, but commendation. 00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:12.166 And what is he saying here is for by faith the people of old being the Old Testament saints, that he's going to talk about through the whole chapter, Moses and Aaron and David, all these people who walked by faith with God. 00:14:12.166 --> 00:14:17.133 Here's what they received a commendation from God. 00:14:17.299 --> 00:14:28.700 The word is this is like a passive form of to testify that God will testify for every believer who believes in Jesus and walks by faith to the finish line. 00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:37.799 So what this says here is that there is a celebration, a recognition and acknowledgment for those who walk by faith and make it to the finish line. 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:47.865 So if I can say it this way, the finish line of walking by faith is God's future commendation. 00:14:48.466 --> 00:14:50.966 It is God's future celebration. 00:14:50.966 --> 00:14:53.133 It is God's future, if I can say it. 00:14:53.133 --> 00:14:56.500 Party for us to finish the faith. 00:14:57.533 --> 00:15:01.299 I think Paul said it best to second Timothy chapter four. 00:15:01.299 --> 00:15:04.700 Paul says it in a beautiful way and applies directly to what we're talking about here. 00:15:04.700 --> 00:15:08.133 Second Timothy four verse seven says, I have fought the good fight. 00:15:08.133 --> 00:15:10.799 I have finished the race. 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:12.000 You see it. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:19.399 I have kept the faith, this faith race that I have, I have been running, I have kept it, I have maintained it. 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:20.700 I have not stopped. 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:22.700 I have fought the good fight. 00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:32.365 Verse eight henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on the on that day. 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:33.865 And not only me. 00:15:33.865 --> 00:15:36.566 Because, listen, it's not just for people like Paul. 00:15:36.566 --> 00:15:45.399 It's for all who have loved his appearing, all who have placed their faith in Jesus, all who have completed their race. 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:47.265 So this is a beautiful picture. 00:15:47.265 --> 00:15:59.066 We get that if we walk by faith and finish our race, there is a commendation, a celebration and acknowledgment and a full party for all those who come by faith to Jesus to the end. 00:16:00.966 --> 00:16:03.966 But here's the catch. 00:16:04.533 --> 00:16:14.966 Before you can walk by faith, you must be born again through faith. 00:16:15.365 --> 00:16:22.765 Before you can start following Jesus by faith, you need to actually place your faith in Jesus. 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:28.332 Because here's the danger we can walk into a church. 00:16:28.332 --> 00:16:35.265 We can get acclimated to a church culture, get acclimated to the programs, get acclimated to all the things that are happening in a church community. 00:16:35.265 --> 00:16:38.299 And we start walking and we never really stop to consider it. 00:16:38.299 --> 00:16:41.299 Have I replaced by faith in Jesus? 00:16:41.533 --> 00:16:49.732 John three three Jesus says, you must be born again or else you won't see the kingdom of God. 00:16:49.732 --> 00:16:59.566 Ephesians two tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, meaning we were born dead on arrival. 00:16:59.865 --> 00:17:01.932 We were born separated from God. 00:17:01.932 --> 00:17:14.532 But but the gospel was so beautiful because in verse four, Ephesians two he says, but, but by the grace of God, he has made us alive together with Christ. 00:17:14.532 --> 00:17:16.732 By grace we have been saved. 00:17:16.732 --> 00:17:20.133 Through faith we need to be born again. 00:17:20.165 --> 00:17:24.865 We need to place our faith in Jesus so that we can have life and have it eternal. 00:17:26.732 --> 00:17:29.500 So here's your first point this morning. 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:35.200 Simple place your faith in Christ. 00:17:35.932 --> 00:17:40.932 If I can make it any more simpler, trust Jesus. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:44.465 If you've never really placed your faith in Christ. 00:17:44.465 --> 00:17:48.732 Today's the day that tomorrow, tomorrow was not promised. 00:17:48.732 --> 00:17:49.932 It's today. 00:17:49.932 --> 00:17:58.266 Place your faith in Christ because before we walk by faith, we have to place our faith in Jesus. 00:17:58.266 --> 00:18:00.099 Do y'all see that? 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:02.000 A.W. Tozer has a beautiful quote on this? 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.066 I may have shared this before I could. 00:18:04.066 --> 00:18:06.266 I couldn't sort it out if I had or not, but A.W. 00:18:06.266 --> 00:18:10.465 Tozer says something beautiful here, but it challenges you. 00:18:10.465 --> 00:18:22.365 Says if your Christian conversion did not reverse the direction of your life, if it did not transform it, then listen, you are not converted at all. 00:18:24.066 --> 00:18:30.532 You are simply a victim of what he calls the accept Jesus heresy. 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:36.299 Accept Jesus into your heart and you'll be saved. 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:42.099 Don't you really have to think about the evidence, the logic, the pursuit, what you have to give up? 00:18:42.465 --> 00:18:48.099 John MacArthur, pastor who passed away since he wrote a book called The Gospel According to Jesus. 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:54.066 He wrote it because there was this easy believing that was happening in our culture. 00:18:54.066 --> 00:18:56.299 In other words, if you believe in Jesus, you'll be saved. 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:58.965 But you don't have to worry about anything else. 00:18:58.965 --> 00:19:02.900 You can follow Jesus, but don't change your life. 00:19:02.900 --> 00:19:09.665 But what this quote is getting at is if your life hasn't changed, have you really been converted? 00:19:09.665 --> 00:19:15.700 If there's been no transformation in your life, is it really true and genuine? 00:19:15.932 --> 00:19:20.266 So the question you have to ask yourself has I have I truly placed my faith in Christ? 00:19:20.266 --> 00:19:22.700 And is my life been changed ever since? 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:23.766 So let me put it this way. 00:19:23.766 --> 00:19:38.299 This is this is maybe a simpler way to put it, a profession of faith without a practice of faith is a dead faith. 00:19:38.665 --> 00:19:43.299 James two says, faith without works is dead. 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.965 That is, I profess Jesus, but my life doesn't change. 00:19:47.965 --> 00:19:50.965 Well, is that faith real? 00:19:51.066 --> 00:19:53.599 Consider. 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:55.500 Do you have a profession of Jesus? 00:19:55.500 --> 00:19:59.000 And are you practicing your faith and living it out and following him? 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:05.965 Or is your faith dead because all it has been is words and not a heart change? 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:12.200 Friend, if that's you this morning, it can change in a moment. 00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:15.266 Placing your faith in Jesus saves you now and for the rest of eternity. 00:20:15.266 --> 00:20:20.766 And by placing your faith in Jesus, you're saying, I can't save myself, but you can, and I surrender my life to you? 00:20:20.766 --> 00:20:23.766 Would you do that this morning? 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:25.965 Hebrews chapter 12. 00:20:25.965 --> 00:20:27.932 Let's jump ahead now. 00:20:27.932 --> 00:20:30.665 This is one chapter later, verses one and two. 00:20:30.665 --> 00:20:31.665 This is now. 00:20:31.665 --> 00:20:37.066 We're going to get into this idea of how we walk by faith, how we walk by faith, what this looks like. 00:20:37.066 --> 00:20:58.599 Hebrews 12 one therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, meaning because of all of these testimonies, all of these stories about Moses and Aaron and David, all of these faithful saints, in light of all of these things, therefore we need to do something. 00:20:58.599 --> 00:21:00.599 It goes on in verse one. 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:06.266 Let us also lay aside every weight. 00:21:06.465 --> 00:21:07.465 In other words, you could use. 00:21:07.465 --> 00:21:12.099 There is burden and sin. 00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:14.066 Two things here two categories. 00:21:14.066 --> 00:21:21.165 Lay aside every weight and lay aside every sin which clings so closely to you. 00:21:22.165 --> 00:21:25.465 And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. 00:21:25.465 --> 00:21:28.266 So the author of Hebrews says, you know how you run your race? 00:21:28.266 --> 00:21:29.932 Two things. 00:21:29.932 --> 00:21:35.400 Two things you have to do lay aside and run with endurance. 00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:37.133 Let me unpack those two things for us this morning. 00:21:37.133 --> 00:21:51.700 So first it says, lay aside every weight, this idea of weight or burden is saying, I can't run a race with endurance holding something. 00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:58.465 This is like you're going for a run, but you're putting on a weighted vest, you're going for a run and you put weight on your ankles. 00:21:58.465 --> 00:22:01.865 You're not going to run as fast, you're not going to run as long. 00:22:01.865 --> 00:22:12.665 So the point is, he's simply making this point that you can try to run this race of faith as a believer, as a Christian, while trying to carry things you shouldn't be carrying. 00:22:12.665 --> 00:22:14.465 And you might be thinking, what is that? 00:22:14.465 --> 00:22:20.333 Wait, what are burdens or weights that Christians might be trying to carry with them? 00:22:20.333 --> 00:22:21.799 Trying to follow Jesus? 00:22:22.965 --> 00:22:31.665 And this could be a number of things, but let me give you a couple things that kind of categories that kind of apply for several things. 00:22:32.465 --> 00:22:39.365 If you have a love for this world, your race of faith is going to be very hard. 00:22:39.365 --> 00:22:44.333 If you have a love for money, your race of faith is going to be very hard. 00:22:44.333 --> 00:22:55.500 If you have a love for possessions, a love for fame, a love for, feeling important, a love for comfort. 00:22:55.500 --> 00:23:02.365 If you have a love for these things, then trying to follow Jesus is going to make it very, very hard. 00:23:04.133 --> 00:23:06.500 So we can try to run our race. 00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:15.500 But if our life is built and centered on our life in this world, then it's going to be a tough run for us. 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:19.333 But not just those things, but it could be sin. 00:23:20.333 --> 00:23:25.400 So those burdens are weights are things that we choose to pick up and carry. 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:30.200 But sin is something we all have to continue to deal with. 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:38.900 You may have placed your faith in Jesus, but because of the way the situation is, we still have the influence of sin in our life. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:53.099 There is sin, as it says, that clings closely from thoughts, attitudes, your actions, anything that disobeys God, we're stealing, we're still dealing with. 00:23:53.099 --> 00:23:57.500 But I like the way that the author of Hebrews talks about it, that it clings to you. 00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:00.500 Y'all ever met a clingy person? 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:02.965 Anybody? 00:24:02.965 --> 00:24:03.865 No. Don't be. 00:24:03.865 --> 00:24:06.532 Don't be moving elbows right now. 00:24:06.532 --> 00:24:08.365 Y'all ever met a clingy person before? 00:24:08.365 --> 00:24:19.099 And it could be someone like that automated call you get every day from that same sales person that's trying to get you to buy something, and they just won't go away. 00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:26.732 Or it could be that clingy for my maybe for students or college young people, or clingy boyfriend or girlfriend. 00:24:26.732 --> 00:24:28.266 How do you get rid of the clingy? 00:24:30.532 --> 00:24:31.965 Because there are clingy people. 00:24:31.965 --> 00:24:35.465 What do you do to get rid of people that are clingy? 00:24:35.465 --> 00:24:38.465 And notice I didn't say kids because kids are blessings. 00:24:38.465 --> 00:24:43.465 Okay, but what do you do with clingy people? 00:24:43.465 --> 00:24:46.965 You have to bluntly tell them get away. 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:50.732 You have to create space. 00:24:50.732 --> 00:24:54.766 And for some of these instances, you might have to put a restraining order on somebody. 00:24:54.766 --> 00:24:59.365 But if they're clingy, you have to make the choice that I want to push and get away from you. 00:24:59.365 --> 00:25:10.133 Because here's the truth sin will cling to you if you let it, if you let it. 00:25:10.133 --> 00:25:11.532 I want you to hear this this morning. 00:25:11.532 --> 00:25:22.865 You cannot run your race with endurance if you are clinging to this world, or you're allowing sin to cling to you. 00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:26.599 You cannot run this race with endurance. 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:36.900 If you are clinging to this world with a tight grip, not letting go, or you are allowing sin to cling to you. 00:25:39.066 --> 00:25:41.465 Because here's our promise that I want to remind you of. 00:25:41.465 --> 00:25:46.599 If you are a believer and a faithful follower of Christ, if you have accepted Christ, here is the reality in the gospel. 00:25:46.599 --> 00:25:48.133 Hear me out. 00:25:48.133 --> 00:25:52.532 In Christ you have the blood. 00:25:52.766 --> 00:25:58.665 But choice to lay us out every burden and every sin. 00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:10.766 When Jesus died on the cross for you and for me, he wasn't just paying the price and the penalty of our sin, he was paying so that the power of sin in your life is removed. 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:16.099 He doesn't just give you power over the grave and over the enemy. 00:26:16.099 --> 00:26:17.599 He gives you power over sin. 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:23.266 Which means the reason why we're struggling with sin today is because we allow it to cling to us. 00:26:26.133 --> 00:26:39.665 So the question has to be asked, are you carrying any unnecessary weight and sin this morning because it'll slow you down. 00:26:39.665 --> 00:26:41.099 Second point this morning. 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:45.266 Lay aside every burden. 00:26:47.766 --> 00:26:51.500 This isn't involved effort of you trying to be good. 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:52.532 Trying to be better. 00:26:52.532 --> 00:26:53.665 Trying to write every wrong. 00:26:53.665 --> 00:26:55.965 Know what it is is Jesus. I'm a sinner. 00:26:55.965 --> 00:27:00.299 Take away the things that I'm struggling with and take away the weight that I'm dealing with. 00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:07.000 Because Jesus says, come to me, all who are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:27:07.066 --> 00:27:12.965 For my yoke is easy, in my burden is light. 00:27:13.333 --> 00:27:18.400 Some of you this morning are carrying things you don't have to carry. 00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:46.365 Mental anxiety, sin that you're struggling with, problems and issues you may be facing between work or family and all of those things you can come to them to with, to Jesus and give those to them so you can continue to run your race with endurance by faith, because walking by faith says, Jesus, I trust you with these things because I can't deal with them. 00:27:47.566 --> 00:27:48.165 Going on here. 00:27:48.165 --> 00:28:00.099 Verse two, last verse, verse this morning, verse two, Hebrews 12, verse two says, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. 00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:09.365 So you want to know how we run our race with endurance we lay us out every weight, every sin, and we run with endurance. 00:28:09.365 --> 00:28:10.965 So how do we run now with endurance? 00:28:10.965 --> 00:28:11.732 Here's what you do. 00:28:11.732 --> 00:28:14.665 You look to Jesus. 00:28:14.665 --> 00:28:17.333 You look to him. 00:28:17.333 --> 00:28:20.400 You look to the perfect example. 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:27.799 In fact, this is why this says here the founder and perfecter of the faith, he is the founder because he's the architect. 00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:29.732 He built the faith. 00:28:29.732 --> 00:28:34.865 He was the first one to complete the Christian life, and he was the only one to do it perfectly. 00:28:34.865 --> 00:28:38.200 He's the perfecter and the founder of our faith. 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:40.400 So yes, you can look to people like Moses. 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:46.965 You can look to people like David, you can look to people like Abraham, you can look to people that are even around you, that are following Jesus. 00:28:46.965 --> 00:28:53.465 But listen, the perfect example for you to follow on how to walk by faith is who? Jesus? 00:28:53.500 --> 00:28:55.965 The whole book of Hebrews is this way. 00:28:55.965 --> 00:28:57.665 Jesus is better than the angels. 00:28:57.665 --> 00:28:59.333 Jesus is better than Abraham. 00:28:59.333 --> 00:29:00.965 Jesus is better than Melchizedek. 00:29:00.965 --> 00:29:02.066 He's better than Moses. 00:29:02.066 --> 00:29:03.133 He's better than law. 00:29:03.133 --> 00:29:04.266 He's better than the priest. 00:29:04.266 --> 00:29:05.766 He's better than the sacrifices. 00:29:05.766 --> 00:29:10.766 Jesus is the best example that you have to follow and listen. 00:29:10.965 --> 00:29:13.566 You have to ask yourself, am I looking to him? 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:18.000 Where's your focus? 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:20.200 Listen. 00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:24.400 Your focus determines your endurance. 00:29:25.700 --> 00:29:32.865 What you're focused on will either make you endure through the tough times, or it will leave you wanting. 00:29:33.732 --> 00:29:40.299 Your attention is crucial, which is why the enemy loves to get our teenagers on phones. 00:29:40.566 --> 00:29:44.665 Which is why the enemy wants to get you as parents on screens. 00:29:44.665 --> 00:29:46.766 Because he wants your what? 00:29:46.766 --> 00:29:49.766 Your focus. 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:54.200 God gave us the word. 00:29:54.200 --> 00:30:01.965 God meets with us in prayer so that our focus can be on him, not on anything else. 00:30:01.965 --> 00:30:04.200 You feel tired this morning. 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:07.333 You feel like you're you're at the end of your rope. 00:30:07.333 --> 00:30:10.099 You feel like you've been been stagnating your faith. 00:30:10.099 --> 00:30:13.465 You've had a couple weeks, you've been good and you've had a couple months have been off. 00:30:13.465 --> 00:30:14.365 You haven't been in your word. 00:30:14.365 --> 00:30:15.532 You haven't in prayer. 00:30:15.532 --> 00:30:16.200 Here's the thing. 00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:20.000 Are you looking to Jesus? 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:28.865 And if you can think of it this way, in the running analogy, Jesus is the forerunner we need. 00:30:29.532 --> 00:30:33.665 He's the one who gets out of head of us, and we can follow because he inspires us. 00:30:33.665 --> 00:30:35.865 He motivates us that I want to be like, Jesus. 00:30:35.865 --> 00:30:38.965 I'm not going to be perfect, but I'm going to follow his example step by step. 00:30:38.965 --> 00:30:46.099 And he's also our pacesetter, so that John Benson and I were going out for a run, I'd have to keep up with him. 00:30:46.099 --> 00:30:53.465 He'd keep me going because we need someone out in front of us to help us keep the pace so that we don't slow down or give up. 00:30:53.465 --> 00:30:54.766 But he's our pacesetter. 00:30:54.766 --> 00:30:55.965 He's our forerunner. 00:30:55.965 --> 00:30:58.133 We look to Jesus and we go. 00:31:00.766 --> 00:31:04.266 Where's your focus at this morning? 00:31:05.133 --> 00:31:08.133 Last part of verse two. 00:31:09.099 --> 00:31:11.532 Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith. 00:31:11.532 --> 00:31:23.599 And notice how he did this, who for the joy that was set before him in the future, not here yet, the joy that was set before him. 00:31:23.599 --> 00:31:29.732 He endured the cross and despising the shame. 00:31:32.532 --> 00:31:34.532 And this is where it resulted. 00:31:34.532 --> 00:31:35.465 He was. 00:31:35.465 --> 00:31:41.165 He is now and forever seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:31:43.865 --> 00:31:45.532 Don't miss this church. 00:31:45.532 --> 00:31:49.133 How was Jesus able to get through to the cross? 00:31:49.133 --> 00:31:50.965 Through the cross, through the shame? 00:31:50.965 --> 00:31:51.799 You know why? 00:31:51.799 --> 00:31:54.799 Because he had joy on the other side. 00:31:55.099 --> 00:32:03.500 Not only was Jesus the most joyful person ever, he sought ahead to what the future held and his joy was set on the future. 00:32:03.500 --> 00:32:19.566 It wasn't here yet, but he had faith and trust that when he would go through the cross, he would not only be seated at the throne of God, but he would take all of us with him, that if we would believe in Jesus, that he would be able to dwell with his people forever. 00:32:20.865 --> 00:32:23.133 So Jesus wasn't focused on the cross. 00:32:23.133 --> 00:32:26.865 He was focused on the joy to come. 00:32:29.066 --> 00:32:33.566 Church, I don't know what you're facing today. 00:32:33.566 --> 00:32:34.532 I don't know what you're dealing with. 00:32:34.532 --> 00:32:46.900 Is a medical illness, some issues in your family, some finances, concerns about your future, whatever difficulty you're walking, you may even be approaching death. 00:32:47.365 --> 00:32:54.932 But here, this, this morning, we can walk through the valley of death. 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:56.500 Here's why. 00:32:56.500 --> 00:33:01.799 Because Christ has already walked through it on our behalf. 00:33:02.566 --> 00:33:08.932 Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you don't have to fear evil because Christ has already done it for you. 00:33:08.932 --> 00:33:09.965 Talk about faith. 00:33:09.965 --> 00:33:11.066 Talk about hope. 00:33:11.066 --> 00:33:12.400 Talk about perseverance. 00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:15.333 Talk about having a faith that will get you through anything. 00:33:15.333 --> 00:33:21.400 And if Christ went to the cross, died and rose from the grave, I guarantee you he can give you the faith to get through it. 00:33:21.400 --> 00:33:22.665 Whatever you're dealing with. 00:33:27.465 --> 00:33:43.000 Want you to hear me that the reward that you have in Christ at the end of your journey, the reward that is awaiting us, is an unending and satisfying joy, and they can get you through anything. 00:33:43.365 --> 00:33:46.365 If you would only look to Jesus. 00:33:46.732 --> 00:33:50.799 And I love this in Psalm 1611 you may have heard this verse. 00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:54.965 You make known to me the path of life and your presence. 00:33:54.965 --> 00:33:57.965 There is fullness of joy. 00:33:58.333 --> 00:34:02.700 At your right hand are pleasures forever more. 00:34:02.965 --> 00:34:13.266 Praise God! You have a joy in the future that can get you through the the difficulty today. 00:34:13.666 --> 00:34:14.766 So here's what you got to do. 00:34:14.766 --> 00:34:18.800 Final point look to Jesus. 00:34:20.532 --> 00:34:25.733 Look to Jesus for your joy and for your endurance. 00:34:26.266 --> 00:34:37.532 Find joy in the moment right now as you're walking through faith, but know that there is a greater joy that far exceed, far outweighs, and exceeds what you're dealing with right now. 00:34:38.766 --> 00:34:42.132 He's a challenge this morning. 00:34:42.465 --> 00:34:51.599 Have you laid aside every weight and every sin so you can run your race with endurance? 00:34:52.932 --> 00:35:02.699 What unnecessary burden and love for this world are you clinging to that's slowing you down? 00:35:02.800 --> 00:35:11.733 What sin are you allowing cling to you that's hindering your walk in your race? 00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:14.666 What if today was the day said, you know what? 00:35:14.666 --> 00:35:17.666 Jesus. Here it is. 00:35:17.699 --> 00:35:19.599 I've never confessed this to you before. 00:35:19.599 --> 00:35:21.365 Jesus. But here it is. 00:35:21.365 --> 00:35:23.333 I've never confessed this to anyone. 00:35:23.333 --> 00:35:26.333 But I need to go talk to someone. 00:35:26.500 --> 00:35:30.300 Here's this burden that I've been trying to solve and sort out and keep and hold on to. 00:35:30.300 --> 00:35:31.932 Here it is. 00:35:31.932 --> 00:35:35.965 Because I want to ruin my race with endurance. 00:35:35.965 --> 00:35:52.500 And as I close with this, been working with our staff and a couple people in our church on a new ministry and a new club that I want us to start at Valley View, and this is the perfect time to talk about it, since we're talking about running a race with endurance. 00:35:52.500 --> 00:35:58.500 So we are going to start a run and walk club of value. 00:35:58.800 --> 00:36:00.300 Here's what that means. 00:36:00.300 --> 00:36:03.599 Any pace, any age is welcome. 00:36:04.132 --> 00:36:07.599 We are going to meet in the mornings on Saturdays. 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:09.699 The first one is going to be July 18th. 00:36:09.699 --> 00:36:12.000 This this July 18th. 00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:15.300 And we're going to eat some breakfast together. Hang out. 00:36:15.300 --> 00:36:17.099 Open up the Bible a little bit. 00:36:17.099 --> 00:36:20.099 Say a prayer and we'll do some fitness. 00:36:20.599 --> 00:36:24.199 If you don't want to do fitness, you want to watch other people sweat. 00:36:24.199 --> 00:36:25.666 I guess you can come. 00:36:25.666 --> 00:36:26.865 That's fine too. 00:36:26.865 --> 00:36:28.365 We encourage you. 00:36:28.365 --> 00:36:34.900 We want to build some endurance in you, not just through God's Word, not just through prayer, not just through community, but walking. 00:36:34.900 --> 00:36:39.532 And for some of us, who wants to run will have, you know, you can run a mile. 00:36:39.532 --> 00:36:42.565 We even have some that'll go with the distance and do A5K. 00:36:42.565 --> 00:36:46.800 And all of that can be happening at here at the church. 00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:49.699 And we're going to have some breakfast for you. Okay. 00:36:49.699 --> 00:36:50.766 So all that makes sense. 00:36:50.766 --> 00:36:52.432 So I encourage you to come to that. 00:36:52.432 --> 00:37:03.333 It's a great way to start or to push through this summer and start some healthy habits in our life, but also a reminder that we're called to run our race with endurance. 00:37:03.333 --> 00:37:05.266 Let me pray for us. 00:37:05.266 --> 00:37:10.699 Father, thank you for this scripture and this word this morning from Hebrews. 00:37:10.699 --> 00:37:18.099 I pray, father, that we would be honest about the weights and the burdens that we're carrying right now. 00:37:19.500 --> 00:37:24.333 I pray, father, that we would confess our sin to you and confess our sin to one another. 00:37:24.333 --> 00:37:30.766 I pray, father, that we would be laying down burdens that we've been carrying that we don't need to. 00:37:30.766 --> 00:37:40.699 I pray, father, that we would look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy of the that was set before him, endured the cross and despised the shame. 00:37:40.699 --> 00:37:41.565 And we believe. 00:37:41.565 --> 00:37:53.532 Father, that if if Jesus can go through all of that for us and give us life and salvation, we can get through any problem thrown at us in this life. 00:37:53.532 --> 00:37:56.000 So I pray over all of our people. 00:37:56.000 --> 00:38:02.565 I pray for those God who haven't accepted Christ yet, that today's the day that they would place their faith in Jesus. 00:38:03.099 --> 00:38:19.432 But for those who have confessed Christ, who have just maybe grown, who have wandered and have been distant lately, that they would reclaim God, the truth, to walk by faith and to endure by looking to Jesus. 00:38:19.599 --> 00:38:23.166 Pray all this in Jesus name and everybody said Amen.