Heb 12:1,2
INTRO: Sin is real. Sin is a problem. Sin is a serious problem. Not all of us must deal with the same temptations and sins. But all of us must deal with the problem of sin. And the problem of specific sins may vary with our age and with our circumstances. But sin, whatever the form it takes is the transgression of Gods law (1 Jno 3:4), unrighteousness (1 Jno 5:17). Our text speaks of the sin which doth so easily beset us.
I. WE ARE IN A RACE
A. Describing discipleship this way is appropriate
1. a start, a prescribed course, discipline, finish
2. so, Phil 3:13,14
B. So many negative things can affect the race
1. contestants may: give less than their best; become distracted; lose interest
2. this is the writers concern ... racing with all of the baggage to guarantee a loss!
II. THE BAGGAGE?
A. ... every weight ...
1. anything which is a hindrance
2. a friend? a job? a habit? a desire?
3. in this life there are so many things which can divide our attention toward mediocrity
4. yes, we must live in the world ... jobs, friends, family, recreation are partof our world, our lives
5. somehow, though, all of that must be kept in proper perspective to our discipleship
B. ... sin which doth so easily beset us ...
1. sin certainly can bring disqualification
2. so, 1 Cor 9:27 disqualified
3. is this a reference to any sins? perhaps
4. what temptation is strongest for you?
5. most of us have something with which we struggle ... an attraction; a diversion; an interest ... which could bring us to sin
III. COULD THE BESETTING SIN BE THE SAME FOR ALL?
A. Does the text perhaps identify such a sin?
1. ... run with patience the race ...
2. could the universal, besetting sin be impatience?
3. truth: few people do not battle impatience ... and impatience can bring us into serious problems
B. Impatience with God?
1. Ps 90:4 with 2 Pet 3:8 time is our problem!
2. background? 2 Pet 3:1-7 when??? impatience may lead to skepticism, unbelief
3. note Gen 12:7a ... but when? Gen 15:13-16
4. one certain thing ... God keeps His promises , His commitments, His covenants ... in His time
C. Impatience with circumstances?
1. no one ever promised us a rose garden
2. struggle, toil, illness ... part of human existence
(Gen 4:17-19)
3. why me, Lord? ... why this, Lord?
4. 2 Cor 12:7-10 a new disposition, attitude, perspective on his infirmity - a great testimony to the Lords influence in his life
D. Impatience with others?
1. with spouses; with friends; with work mates ... etc.
2. Col 3:12,13 - forbearing - 1 Pet 2:18 - also to the froward
3. opportunities to be put out, aggravated, impatient with others will always abound ... and Satan uses them (Mt 5:22)
4. Mt 7:12 the Divine cure for impatience with others
CLOSE: Lk 21:19 - Th Lord gave this almost unparalleled emphasis. How does impatience affect you? Is it your besetting sin?
Cecil A. Hutson
13 August 2000
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)