A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Wednesday,
August 28, 2019
Message
summary: Whatever
measure it takes,
let us deal
forcefully with
the sins which so
easily entangles
us and run with
endurance the race
that is set before
us.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"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 run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).
Do you have an issue in your life that easily entangles you? I think we all probably do! These are the issues specific to each of us. There may be issues that are really not a battle for me that are to you and vice versa.
Over lunch recently a friend told us of her rather creative and a most unusual way of dealing with a persistent temptation in her life. She wants to remain anonymous although I told her we could post her photo, to which we all had a good laugh! We'll keep her anonymous but give her the fictional name "Sue".
Sue
shared how she
really likes
candy, but is very
mindful of the
difficulty she has
with eating just
one piece. Can any
of you identify
with that?
She had been given
a box of Russell
Stover chocolates
and soberly
realized she
lacked the self
control to eat
them in moderation
and even more so
since her husband,
who also enjoys
chocolates, was
out of town. After
giving it serious
thought Sue
devised a way to
manage her
temptation. She
admits in
retrospect that
she could have
re-gifted the
chocolates but
didn't choose that
route.
The presence of those chocolate confections combined with chewy almonds, pralines in caramel, white truffle and other varieties of chocolate concoctions tormented her with temptation so she picked up the box of chocolates and very deliberately threw them in the trash.
Some of you will identify with that strategy, but there's more to this story. Being honest with herself, as Sue acknowledged her weakness, she knew in her heart that the candy being dropped into the trash would still remain a temptation. After all she could just reach in the trash and pull them out.
So she came up with a different sort of solution that would solve the problem once and for all! To eliminate any chance of being tempted to recover the chocolates she walked through her yard, scooped up dog doo doo, and then mixed it in with the trash making sure the chocolates calling her name were no longer desirable! Sue told us that this was very effective! We readily agreed with her assessment.
Now on a scale of sins I suppose overindulging in candy is not as harmful as some vices but her experience is a good lesson for big sins and little sins. We need to get rid of the temptation!
Through the years of writing these messages I have often referred to Hebrews 12:1, our daily text. I first valued this verse in high school when I was a runner and it really connected with me. In fact this was the text for the first sermon I ever preached at a state lung hospital in Mt Vernon Missouri when I was a freshman in Bible College.
I have often commented on the first phrase, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us" or the last phrase "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us".
But today let us consider the middle part especially the phrase, "the sin that so easily entangles".
It's a challenge for translators since the underlying Greek translated "easily entangles", is the Greek word "euperistatos" used only in this passage in the entire New Testament . One Greek dictionary describes it as "(a competitor) thwarting (a racer) in every direction". Other versions use words like "the sin which clings so closely" (ESV), "the sin which doth so easily beset us" (KJV) and "the sin that so easily trips us up" (TLB).
There seems to be two primarily different views as to what the writer of Hebrews is referring to in this passage.
One view sees it as a sin common to all believers such as doubt or unbelief, although he doesn't specify this.
The other view is that this is a specific sin that each individual believer deals with that easily entangles or causes gridlock in his or her spiritual growth. For some it might be lust, others anger, lying, etc. I happen to hold this view. There are temptations that I deal with that you don't and vice versa. I happen to believe the non-specificity is significant because "the sin that so easily entangles" varies in each life.
We are told to "lay aside" this sin. This means to cease doing what one is doing, to throw it off, be done with it or put it away. So let's come up with an effective plan to deal with those attitudes and/or behaviors that can so easily entangle us in a way that dishonors God and robs us of inner peace. Being accountable to another mature believer is often an effective way to help you overcome with a temptation(s). Whatever measure it takes, let us deal forcefully with the sins which so easily entangle us and run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"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 run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).
Do you have an issue in your life that easily entangles you? I think we all probably do! These are the issues specific to each of us. There may be issues that are really not a battle for me that are to you and vice versa.
Over lunch recently a friend told us of her rather creative and a most unusual way of dealing with a persistent temptation in her life. She wants to remain anonymous although I told her we could post her photo, to which we all had a good laugh! We'll keep her anonymous but give her the fictional name "Sue".
Sue
shared how she
really likes
candy, but is very
mindful of the
difficulty she has
with eating just
one piece. Can any
of you identify
with that?
She had been given
a box of Russell
Stover chocolates
and soberly
realized she
lacked the self
control to eat
them in moderation
and even more so
since her husband,
who also enjoys
chocolates, was
out of town. After
giving it serious
thought Sue
devised a way to
manage her
temptation. She
admits in
retrospect that
she could have
re-gifted the
chocolates but
didn't choose that
route.The presence of those chocolate confections combined with chewy almonds, pralines in caramel, white truffle and other varieties of chocolate concoctions tormented her with temptation so she picked up the box of chocolates and very deliberately threw them in the trash.
Some of you will identify with that strategy, but there's more to this story. Being honest with herself, as Sue acknowledged her weakness, she knew in her heart that the candy being dropped into the trash would still remain a temptation. After all she could just reach in the trash and pull them out.
So she came up with a different sort of solution that would solve the problem once and for all! To eliminate any chance of being tempted to recover the chocolates she walked through her yard, scooped up dog doo doo, and then mixed it in with the trash making sure the chocolates calling her name were no longer desirable! Sue told us that this was very effective! We readily agreed with her assessment.
Now on a scale of sins I suppose overindulging in candy is not as harmful as some vices but her experience is a good lesson for big sins and little sins. We need to get rid of the temptation!
Through the years of writing these messages I have often referred to Hebrews 12:1, our daily text. I first valued this verse in high school when I was a runner and it really connected with me. In fact this was the text for the first sermon I ever preached at a state lung hospital in Mt Vernon Missouri when I was a freshman in Bible College.
I have often commented on the first phrase, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us" or the last phrase "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us".
But today let us consider the middle part especially the phrase, "the sin that so easily entangles".
It's a challenge for translators since the underlying Greek translated "easily entangles", is the Greek word "euperistatos" used only in this passage in the entire New Testament . One Greek dictionary describes it as "(a competitor) thwarting (a racer) in every direction". Other versions use words like "the sin which clings so closely" (ESV), "the sin which doth so easily beset us" (KJV) and "the sin that so easily trips us up" (TLB).
There seems to be two primarily different views as to what the writer of Hebrews is referring to in this passage.
One view sees it as a sin common to all believers such as doubt or unbelief, although he doesn't specify this.
The other view is that this is a specific sin that each individual believer deals with that easily entangles or causes gridlock in his or her spiritual growth. For some it might be lust, others anger, lying, etc. I happen to hold this view. There are temptations that I deal with that you don't and vice versa. I happen to believe the non-specificity is significant because "the sin that so easily entangles" varies in each life.
We are told to "lay aside" this sin. This means to cease doing what one is doing, to throw it off, be done with it or put it away. So let's come up with an effective plan to deal with those attitudes and/or behaviors that can so easily entangle us in a way that dishonors God and robs us of inner peace. Being accountable to another mature believer is often an effective way to help you overcome with a temptation(s). Whatever measure it takes, let us deal forcefully with the sins which so easily entangle us and run with endurance the race that is set before us.
All
to Jesus I
surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
Prayer: Father,
we thank You for
Jesus' death on
our behalf making
it possible for us
to be forgiven and
walk in newness of
life. Our sin
nature no longer
dominates, but our
spiritual nature
becomes the
driving force
behind our
thoughts, our
actions, and our
conversation.
Because we love
righteousness and
loathe sinfulness
we never want to
live the reverse
order again. Help
us to watch for
those attitudes
and actions that
make us trip and
fall. Help us to
stand against the
enemy and not
lapse into doing
things the "old
familiar" way,
when they dishonor
You or bring
reproach to Your
name. In the name
of Jesus we pray.
Amen.Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental Resources
For those who want
to dig deeper into today's
passage here
is a helpful resource I
often use when preparing
these messages.
"Come
Unto Me/Be Still My
Soul/In Christ Alone"
Video
Calvary Church worship team
Finally today:
In the course of
our work we talk to many
people and hear many stories
such as the one we shared
today. Yesterday we came up
behind this pickup truck
camper and we both laughed
as we recalled a story
another friend told us. As a
young boy he went with his
parents and grandma on a
long family vacation out
west in a pickup with a
camper on the back. His Mom
and Dad sat in the front
seat and he stayed with his
grandma in the back of the
camper as he sat on a bean
bag and she sat in a rocking
chair for the entire trip!
They also had a small bed to
lie down on. He told us the
there was a window that
opened to the front so they
could talk. How many of you
remember those days when we
did more with less money,
but we made it work!
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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