WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:06.559 Uh today for our summer in the scriptures series, we have our own youth director, Johnny Graves, who's going to bring a word from the book of Hebrews. 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:14.960 And so before he comes, I'd like to offer a scripture reading today from Hebrews chapter 11 and a selected number of verses from that chapter. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:21.920 So if you're able, I would invite you to stand at this time in honor of God's word and listen to the sacred scriptures together. 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:24.800 Hebrews chapter 11, starting in verse 4. 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:31.839 By faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:38.000 By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:47.200 By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:57.520 By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. 00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:06.560 By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age since she considered him faithful, who had promised. 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:11.359 By faith, Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:18.640 By faith, Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:27.840 By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw that the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:36.560 By faith, Rahab, the prostitute, did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:52.959 And all of these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us that apart from us, they should not be made perfect. 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:54.480 The word of the Lord. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.599 Father in heaven, thank you for preserving this text. 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:02.079 Your word truly is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:05.599 This is the imperishable seed that you have planted on the inside of us. 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.800 We pray that today we would grow because of that seed. 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:13.360 We pray your blessing upon Johnny as he brings the word to us and bless our time together. 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:15.120 We pray it all in Jesus' mighty name. 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:16.879 And everyone said, Amen. 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:18.080 You may be seated. 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:22.159 Warm welcome for our own youth and youth and young adult director, Mr. 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:23.360 Johnny Graves. 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:34.560 All right, well, thank you, Pastor Dave, and reading some of the scripture found in chapter 11 of Hebrews. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:43.360 So the reason we are went through some passages in chapter 11 is because we were reading chapter 12, and the first word in chapter 12 is the word therefore. 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:48.800 And usually when you see that word, you want to read the verses behind it and see what this author is kind of concluding here. 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:57.199 So that's why we read some portions of chapter 11, kind of the backdrop to what we will be preaching on here this morning in chapter 12. 00:02:57.199 --> 00:02:59.680 So if you have your Bibles open, you actually don't really have to flip anywhere. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:02.479 You should be right near there, because we are just on chapter 11. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:06.879 So get that ready as we are about to get into some scripture this morning. 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:18.960 In today's passage, there is a lot of uh athletic imagery, uh motifs, and things like that, particularly running, which we see in a lot of other places in scripture, particularly used by Paul. 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:23.199 So maybe that's a little push to argue that Paul wrote this book potentially. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:32.479 Um, but hopefully the the running, the working out illustrations don't bore all the narps in the room, uh the non-athletic regular persons that are here. 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:36.080 Uh hopefully you can still have some interest in this message here. 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:44.000 Uh, you can really use this towards whatever arena of life you find yourself in, whether it's academics, work, music, all that stuff, regardless. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:47.759 I think this will be a great message for everyone here this morning. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:55.919 So let's read that passage together in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 and verse 2 is all we're going to be doing this morning. 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.240 So read along with me. 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:24.560 It says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance to the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:29.040 Let's pray before we get into this scripture this morning. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:34.959 God, we thank you for what we got to read in chapter twelve. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:39.360 Just person after person, by faith following you. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:42.800 Each step they took, they followed you. 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:52.480 So, Lord, we pray as we get into chapter 12 here this morning, you would open our eyes, open our hearts to your word, convict us, let us see how great and beautiful you are as our Savior. 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:54.319 And we pray all this in Jesus' name. 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:55.199 Amen. 00:04:55.199 --> 00:05:07.519 So that first verse, therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, what we just read in chapter 11 should be an encouragement after encouragement after encouragement. 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:13.680 Each reference is a person who is bearing witness to the faithfulness of God. 00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:18.879 Each reference is a person who can testify to the goodness of the Lord. 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:20.319 Each person we read, right? 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:24.800 By faith, Noah, by faith, Abraham, by faith, Sarah, by faith, by faith. 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:28.000 They're here to let you know you can trust them. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:32.160 They're all here to let you know it's all real. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:33.680 All of it. 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:43.600 Everything you read, every story, every verse, and God's word that you've read about God, about Yahweh, about his character, about who he is, what he can do, it's all true. 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:56.240 You know when you go onto Amazon and you want to buy an item, and like just recently I had to buy like a big Cat5 cable for my internet, and you go on Amazon and there's like a thousand of them. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:57.680 Just one cable, that's all I need. 00:05:57.680 --> 00:05:58.720 I don't need a thousand of them. 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:01.920 Just give me one, give me one that works, that will work for a while. 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:07.279 And if you're like me, you the thing you look for then is you let's look at the reviews, right? 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.920 All right, well, this one has three reviews, not sure why. 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:17.040 And there's only three stars, but then the one below it's got like 30.5k, thousand reviews, four point eight stars. 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:23.680 Like those are the ones you want to get, because you know they've been tested and tried, and everyone says, this is good, this is this is gonna work, this is awesome. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:28.639 However awesome a cat 5 cable can be, but I'm sure it'll get the job done. 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:30.319 That's kind of what we have here. 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:35.439 We have review after review after review saying, five star, five star, God is good, God is good. 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:40.560 We have a lot of people witnessing to how awesome our God is. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:48.879 We see in the life they lived, even amidst the challenges, the trials, they still obeyed and they still followed. 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:52.240 They took their steps by faith. 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:53.680 By faith. 00:06:53.680 --> 00:07:02.560 Their life was evidence of what they witnessed of God, because if they witnessed something else of God, they would have lived different lives and made different decisions. 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:07.439 But the choices they made is evidence of what they witnessed of God. 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:10.160 And that is a witness to us today. 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:11.680 That God is good. 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:17.199 We got evidence in this room, we got evidence in church history, we got evidence in scripture that God is good all the time. 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:18.639 And all the time, God is good. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:22.079 Forrest Frank is singing that, they were thinking, singing that 2,000 years ago. 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:25.519 And that's what we're reading here in chapter 11. 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:28.720 So therefore, since. 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:33.600 So the author says, since we are, let us. 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:37.759 Since we are witnesses, let us run. 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:43.120 Let us cast aside is the next phrase. 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:45.519 Like we've experienced all this, now we've got to go do something. 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:52.000 And what the author is saying is, let us lay aside every weight and sin that clings closely. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.000 So buckle up a little bit here. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.319 Uh, we're gonna let the Holy Spirit move this morning. 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:02.160 Uh, because before we get into the depth of all of this, uh, you know, we we we want to walk out of here a change person, right? 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:09.920 That's why we're here, we're at church, and we want to allow the Lord to move in mighty ways this morning, and we want him to reveal to us what is necessary. 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:18.720 So let's let our guard down a little bit, prepare our hearts, be ready to reflect, repent, let the defenses down, and let's let God do his thing this morning here. 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:23.279 And I'll admit when I first read this verse, I kind of just read it as one thing. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:28.399 Cast aside the weight and the sin, one thing, bad, get it out, not good. 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:32.159 But let's just look at the first part, and then we'll get to the second part. 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:34.080 The first part, they are two different words. 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:36.720 It's let us lay aside every weight. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:40.000 Every weight. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.879 Now, when this when this was written, races back then were ran much differently than today. 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:46.080 Praise the Lord. 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:55.519 Uh, because a run a runner back then would come into the race all dressed up potentially, you know, a little hunger game style, girl and file, fire, uh toga, whatever it is. 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:58.559 And then when the race would start, they would take all of it off. 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:02.480 And when I mean all of it off, I quite literally mean all of it off. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:04.559 Uh, to the point where they would run naked. 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:06.399 No wonder they're running so fast, right? 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:07.679 Like I would too. 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:10.720 So they're stripping off the weight so that they could run faster. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:15.360 You know, Spandex was not invented, Lulu was in a store yet, so they were like, this is the fastest way to run. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:17.440 So what is meant by this? 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:23.440 He quite literally means anything with like weight, anything with pounds and ounces to it, take it off. 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:26.559 It's prohibiting you from running faster. 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:30.879 So I don't think weight and sin here are the same thing. 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:34.879 I think the author is trying to say two different things there's weight and there's sin. 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:36.559 So we're talking about weight right now. 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:38.799 So weight is not necessarily a bad thing. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.080 Clothes are good, they keep us warm and covered, all that stuff. 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:44.879 So this one can be a little tough to reflect on. 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:52.159 So for us, I think that means is there anything in our lives that, okay, they're not sinful or bad. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:58.080 Are there anything in our lives that are prohibiting us from running faster, from running better than we could? 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:03.440 So since school is around the corner, I figured we got to get uh you know ready for school. 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:05.679 So I have a backpack over here, but I need a volunteer. 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:07.039 We got some kids in the house today. 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:08.159 I believe kids are in church. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:14.320 Is there a kid in the house that would like to come up on stage and be my volunteer here, or a teen, or I'll take a college student? 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:15.120 I I would. 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:16.000 I know your name. 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.080 So any any volunteers, put your hand up. 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:20.960 Any kids, anybody feeling bold here this morning? 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:23.840 Otherwise, I will call on somebody's name that I know. 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:25.840 Oh, is this the only one over here? 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:27.200 All right, this is not staged. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:28.320 Come on, Bennett. 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:30.000 I promise. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:33.679 Alright, so we're getting ready for school. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:36.799 We're starting school September 8th. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.120 Tell everybody your name. 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:40.639 This is Bennett. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:41.600 Bennett's awesome. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:45.600 Uh so Bennett is gonna wear his Bennett's also my my son. 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:47.919 So like I said, this is not stage. 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:48.720 She was the only one. 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:49.919 I looked everywhere. 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:54.080 Alright, so he's gonna put on this backpack and he's gonna tell us um how the backpack feels. 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:55.840 So let's get this backpack on. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:57.600 And how's that feel? 00:10:57.919 --> 00:10:58.159 Heavy. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:10:58.720 Heavy. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:00.159 All right, so we're going to school. 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:01.360 Let's hold that for a second. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:05.279 We're going to school next week, and he has a very specific race. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:08.399 And when you get ready for school, you know, the night before, you're doing great. 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:12.240 The night before, you look at your backpack, you make sure you have all the necessary things for school, right? 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:12.960 That's what we do. 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:16.080 So, Bennett here is gonna help me with that and take this backpack off. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:19.200 And some of this may look familiar because it's probably from our house. 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:23.120 Uh, so we're gonna take one thing out one by one, and we'll just show everybody what we got. 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:25.360 So let's take one thing out and we'll just go through this whole list. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:27.919 All right, so uh we got a great beach toy. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:30.240 If you need any ideas, you throw it, the wave brings it back. 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:30.720 Really cool. 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:32.320 All right, what else do we have in here, Bennett? 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:34.080 All right, we got sea goggles. 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:38.080 Can't imagine this being used super well in school, but I guess it's cool. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:39.360 And we have a cat five cable. 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:40.480 So my story was true. 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:44.159 Also, I'll let everybody know these stories that we share up here are not made-up stories. 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:45.279 This is quite literally true. 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:48.080 Five stars, uh, I believe. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.440 Um we have a single right tap shoe. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:56.480 Um, so if you ever want to tap just at your right foot, and you're also one year old, that will work. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:58.879 Uh, we got a Fisher Price leapfrog. 00:11:58.879 --> 00:11:59.840 Uh that's very good. 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:03.919 Uh Bennett might actually have a song recorded of him singing on this one, uh, which is great. 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:08.159 Okay, we got a quite literal 10-pound standard weight in his backpack. 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:11.360 All right, so I'm not sure what school we're going to. 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:13.440 Uh we got a fun phone in here. 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:17.600 Uh doesn't have location services parents, but maybe we'll call you at some point. 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:21.039 All right, we got a uh cat five crimper for all those tech guys out there. 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:22.159 Really like the internet. 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:23.360 All right, we got coffee. 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:25.200 This might be uh necessary for me. 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:26.240 Yeah, we got some applause. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.159 There's some coffee out in the back when you're done here. 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:28.960 All right, what else? 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:29.759 Crayons, all right. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:31.759 Swear might do we need crayons for school kids? 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:32.879 Raise your hand if you need crayons. 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:34.080 Crayons or crayons? 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:35.279 But debate of the year. 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:36.879 All right, that looks that looks promising. 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:38.399 It actually says your name on it, isn't it? 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:40.399 Alright, uh go-go squeeze. 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:41.360 This is necessary for me. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:41.919 Anybody else? 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:43.519 I'm a big go-go squeeze fan. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:46.639 Not so much the peach flavor, but all right, we got glue. 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:47.279 Kids, glue? 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:47.919 Do we need glue? 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:48.480 Raise your hand. 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:49.039 Do we use glue? 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:49.919 We use glue. 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:50.720 All right. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:54.720 All right, we got another book with your brother's name on it. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:56.720 Judah, composition of Judah. 00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:57.919 Uh, we got a pen. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:12:58.720 Do we use pens? 00:12:58.720 --> 00:12:59.600 Pencils? 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:01.039 All right, so we got some. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:02.960 We're looking more like we're ready for school here. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:03.919 We got like two more things. 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:05.279 We got a bad guy book. 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:07.840 Thank you for letting me borrow this, Bennett, for this story. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:08.960 And we got one more thing. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:10.080 We got a folder. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:11.440 Do we use folders? 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:12.879 Yes, take on folders. 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:14.399 Alright, so here's our pile. 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:18.879 So, Bennett, tell me what you would need for next week when you start school. 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:20.480 And just grab it. 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:22.559 Take up whatever you think you need for school. 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:23.600 All right, crayons. 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:25.519 All right, glue, good. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:26.639 Here you can put it in here. 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:27.840 Sorry, don't put it in there. 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:28.720 All right, we got a folder. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.240 We got crayons, we got glue. 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:30.639 Yep. 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:31.519 What else? 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:35.039 A pen, yes, good, good choice. 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:35.759 What else? 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:37.200 School ready. 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:38.799 School ready. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:42.240 I have what your teacher sent us if we need to refer to that. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:42.720 What else? 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:44.159 What do you want here in this book? 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:46.080 Here we go. 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:47.759 Uh throw the go-go squeeze in there. 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:49.200 That's my I'll need that. 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:51.440 Alright, anything else? 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:53.840 I think that's pretty good. 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:58.080 So let's put this backpack back on, and you'll let me know how this feels now. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:01.360 Much lighter. 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:03.519 So, does that feel like a backpack you want to carry into school? 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.120 And you have all your stuff that you need? 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:05.919 Awesome. 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:08.559 Alright, well, let's clap it up for my man Bennett over here. 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:09.600 Thank you very much. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.879 We can go back. 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:18.000 Alright, so all this stuff is still good. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:20.879 We just don't need it for school. 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:23.519 That's what this race is ahead of him, 180 days. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:27.120 Not bad, not evil, not sinful, but not needed. 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:30.399 But he he put in his backpack what was needed. 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:35.519 Do we ever do that with our own life? 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:42.960 Do we ever take an inventory of our backpack and say, alright, hey, hey, there's some good things here, but it's not what the Lord has for me on this race. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:43.519 Right? 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:47.200 If we want to do our best, I need to be focusing on what the Lord has for me. 00:14:47.200 --> 00:15:00.639 All these other things are quite literal weight, preventing me from putting in my full effort, my full focus on the things that are ahead of me, whether that's being a dad, being a spouse, being a good friend, being a good employee at this work that the Lord has called me to. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:07.679 So, do you ever do an inventory of your life and see what's prohibiting you from running well? 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.360 Alright, we do that with our backpacks before school. 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:16.559 Do we do that with our own lives so we can remove the weight and we can run faster and run well? 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:28.000 Another example, you know, a couple months ago we were going through Jonah early this summer, and in Jonah 1, the and other stories and movies actually, we'll see the boat start sinking, and what does everybody scramble and start doing? 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:31.039 They start throwing stuff off the ship, they start removing everything. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.480 Get rid of this, get rid of that. 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:37.519 Let's make the boat lighter, just get all the weight off so we can make it to our destination. 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:44.799 But what a lot of us do sometimes in those scenarios is instead of removing the weight, we try to control everything else. 00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:48.480 Well, let me control the winds, let me control the rain, I want to keep all this stuff. 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.320 These are the things that I really want to do. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:52.240 But that never works. 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:55.840 It just says, cast away the weight. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.320 Not run faster, cast away the weight. 00:15:58.320 --> 00:15:59.519 So pray about this. 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:03.200 Challenge you, go home, do an inventory of your backpack, look at your schedule. 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:05.360 This is, you know, Somerset County, New Jersey. 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:08.159 We're busy from the moment we wake up to even when we're sleeping. 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:10.000 We're we're we're doing something. 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:13.440 So pray about it and do an inventory of your backpack of life. 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:15.279 Cast aside the weight. 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:21.200 The second half of this verse says to cast aside the sin, like I said before, two different words. 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:23.200 So we're gonna look at to look at sin now. 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.480 And it says, sin which clings closely. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.879 But that's it for a second. 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:31.919 The sin that clings closely. 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:34.080 Get rid of it. 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:34.639 Right? 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:42.399 And not not some of it, or when when you want to, well, as long as the sin's in moderation, or you know, it's an accident, or small ones, big, whatever it is. 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:45.360 It just says sin, cast it away. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:49.279 Alright, if this is a coach, a running coach, he's trying to tell you some tips. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:50.080 Trust me, do this. 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:51.039 It's going to help. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:54.879 It's prohibiting you from running well, and that's the purpose of this statement. 00:16:54.879 --> 00:17:00.320 The author is trying to say the sin is impacting you poorly. 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.440 Sin has an effect on you. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:11.759 The Greek adjective here that is used is a eupharistatos, which means to control tightly. 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.400 It's binding, it's hindering you. 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:14.880 Right? 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:19.200 We are called to be controlled by the love of Christ, not be controlled by the sin in our life. 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:23.440 Sin is never neutral. 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:27.680 Well, it doesn't really impact me the way it impacts others. 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:29.359 I can handle it and be fine. 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:34.880 Isaiah, you know, if you look into scripture, it tells us a much different story about sin. 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:44.640 Isaiah 59, 2 says this But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:49.920 James 1.15 says, Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin. 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:54.000 And sin when it has fully grown, brings forth death. 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:56.240 Sin hurts. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.559 Sin kills. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:03.519 Whenever we see the word sin in the Bible, there's usually that word death somewhere nearby. 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:07.279 A few weeks ago at our young adult group, I asked this question. 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:10.079 I said, Do you dabble with unholy things? 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:17.440 And the reason I said dabble is because I think a lot of times when we think about sin, we go, okay, I didn't kill anybody today, so that's good. 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:22.240 Uh I didn't do a bank bank heist, I didn't rob any banks, um, what else? 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:27.839 I used all nice words, and uh I'm I'm staying faithful to my wife, so I'm like pretty good. 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:30.559 I I I'm I guess I didn't sin that much today. 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:36.559 But I like saying the word dabble because I feel like there's a lot of little things that like we're okay with. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:42.079 For example, okay, like, no, I don't I I don't commit adultery, but I watch some movies with some stuff in it. 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:44.400 That's probably not great, but you know, it's not that bad. 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:50.720 Do I rob banks or hey, like we joke, but uh you know, maybe I clock in at work and I don't really work for the first few hours. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:51.680 Not me. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:52.400 Not me. 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:53.839 Uh, and so on. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:56.000 YouTube, I don't know. 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:57.759 Uh so here's the catch. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:59.839 Sin impacts you. 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:06.880 Like whether you believe it or not, like your belief in that does not change its effect on you. 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:10.160 It impacts you no matter what. 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:13.599 Whether you're you're you're following Jesus or you're not. 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:23.759 Uh, whether you've been following Jesus since you were five or you just started, uh, whether it's a big sin or a small sin, a secret sin or an obvious sin, it's going to impact you negatively. 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:30.160 Like one sin entered the world and changed the course of humanity forever. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:34.799 It didn't take 1,000 sins and oh, now everything's broken. 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:36.480 It took one. 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:42.240 So if one sin mattered in the garden, one sin matters today. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:45.200 We brush one sin off all the time. 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:48.640 It was a long day, it was the weekend, all my friends were. 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:51.920 How many times do we just brush that one sin off? 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:54.079 So sin matters. 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.519 Sin affects us. 00:19:55.519 --> 00:20:00.960 And we often don't really care or think that it does anything to us. 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:02.640 So why mention that here? 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.359 Why is the author saying, cast that sin aside? 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:12.480 So if we're staying with our running illustrations here, if you've ever run before, you know the importance of so many things that affect you. 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:14.400 What did you eat the night before? 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:15.279 Did you sleep? 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:16.240 Did you hydrate? 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:17.680 Did you eat carbs this morning? 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:18.319 Did you warm up? 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:19.200 Did you go to the bathroom? 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:19.839 Did you stretch? 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:22.240 All those things impact you and how you're gonna run. 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.720 All of it matters, whether you believe it or not. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:29.359 That's what the author is trying to say here, that sin is clinging closely to you. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:32.400 And when you run, you don't want any of that, trust me. 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:34.000 It'll impact you. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:37.920 So how are you casting aside the sin in your life right now? 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:45.599 You know, a dangerous place to be as a Christian is to say I'm a sinner and have no idea what the sin is in my life. 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:47.839 Get rid of it. 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:50.880 And you have to know what it is before you get rid of it, right? 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:54.960 Let the Lord open your heart to that sin in your life. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:58.960 Like we wonder sometimes why is life so rough and then why isn't things going well? 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:06.000 And well, sometimes we could be running with a bunch of sin clinging to me and controlling me, and it's making it really hard to run. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:08.000 Cast it aside. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:14.960 And what's cool is when you do, it actually shows how much you care about the race that you're running. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:15.519 Right? 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:19.519 At a race, you'll notice, you'll notice at a race people that didn't train. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:27.200 Uh, you'll notice people who stayed up late eating garbage, you know, the girl who chugged the chai latte before the race, uh, this guy's eating a big thing of fettuccine alfredo at the start line. 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:30.640 Like these people obviously don't care about the race that much, right? 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:45.119 Last week, uh, myself and a few students here, we ran a 5K, it was super fun, and one of our students is a cross-country runner, got us all ready, and we know did the warm-ups, we did the stretches, we did the electrolytes, the gels, you're like, Hey, this is all that you gotta do. 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:50.240 Because we all cared, and we saw other people doing the same thing because they wanted to do the best that they could. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:59.440 So those that stretched, they got there early, they ate well, went to bed early, carbs, all that stuff, got rid of all the unnecessary things, took my phone out, took that out. 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:03.839 Guess what those people cared about? 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:05.119 The race. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:06.880 They wanted to run well. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:09.920 So, church, do you want to run well? 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:13.119 Do you want to run well? 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:18.319 Sometimes I feel like we just claim Christ's victory and we say, who cares? 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:21.599 Well, Christ already won, so who really cares what I do? 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:23.039 You know what that's like? 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:33.759 That's like a few years ago, uh, a few years after college, uh, one of my friends was getting married, and we were going out to dinner, and his dad was like, hey, I'm gonna pay for the dinner tonight. 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:36.000 We're like, oh yes, like this is incredible. 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:39.920 Uh went to a nice Mexican restaurant and we just ordered the entire menu. 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:41.279 I it was it was ridiculous. 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:50.640 We ordered every appetizer, every drink, every entree, every dessert, and the table was full, and it was sad because like we didn't really, only half of it was really touched, but we were like, he's paying, right? 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:52.960 Like we we didn't care, not our card. 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:58.240 We didn't care what the cost was because we didn't have to pay for it. 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:02.640 We didn't care what the cost was because we didn't have to pay for it. 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:07.759 And sadly, unfortunately, sometimes as believers, we fall into that with our sin. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:12.160 I don't really care what the cost is because Jesus is paying for it. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:16.799 It's so sad if that is our mentality, right? 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:21.519 It's not that God can't cover the tab, it's we don't care that he is. 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:30.240 You know, it's like it's like looking at Jesus saying, hey Jesus, can you can you hang up on the cross there just for a few more minutes? 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:32.640 Uh I'm going off to college, I don't want any rules. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:35.119 Just hang up there for a few more minutes for me. 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:39.599 Hey, Jesus, can you hang up on the cross just just for a few more minutes? 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:41.440 There's this really good HBO show. 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:42.480 Everyone's watching it. 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:46.720 I know there's some stuff in it, but just hang up there for a few more minutes for me. 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:50.079 Hey, Jesus, hang up there for a few more minutes on that cross for me. 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:56.000 You know, my marriage is okay, I have needs that you know, they're not meeting, so I'm I'm I need I need to go do some things. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.119 Just hang up there for a few more minutes, Jesus. 00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:07.279 But the most mind-blowing thing is he would. 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:09.599 He did. 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:20.079 For all of our sins we're not aware of, all of our sins we're making excuses for, all of our sins that we're justifying. 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:24.000