Pastor Rich's sermon for Sunday, December 5, 2004

If you are a N. Y. Giant football fan you will never forget the Giants loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2003 playoffs. The Giants were leading by more than four touchdowns only to lose the game. How can a team that was so dominant for 2/3rds of the game lose their momentum?

The answer is they lose focus. This happens in sports arenas as well as in life’s arena. How many Christmases have you found yourself exhausted and vowing to yourself next year you are going to do things differently? We are only into the second Sunday of Advent and I have already heard people lamenting, “I can’t wait till Christmas is over.”

In spite of last year’s promise to themselves they once again have lost focus. What should be the wonderful wrappings of Christmas have become the dreadful trappings of Christmas. Unfortunately Christmas lasts as long as the feelings last. This happens because we get off track. We forget the simple truth that Jesus is the reason for the season.

If you recall last week I stressed the importance of staying on track with our Christmas preparations as well as staying on track with regard to living a purposeful life. What I want to focus on this morning is HOW? How do we stay on track? How do we maintain spiritual momentum? We can find help in our scripture text for this morning, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”

Who makes up this crowd of witnesses? Hebrews 11 contains of list of people who would be in the crowd people such as Noah, Abraham, and Moses. Hebrews 11 is not a complete list we must not neglect to add to that list people who have personally been examples to us. If we are going to stay on track and if we are going to sustain momentum then we must find strength from those who have GONE BEFORE.

There isn’t a single person in that great crowd of witnesses that did not screw up, did not fail God, or did not struggle with their faith. Yet we can draw strength from their stories and from their lives. I draw strength from the stories of Peter. In spite of his numerous failures, in spite of the numerous times he disappointed Jesus and in spite of his denial of Jesus he is the one that Jesus said,

“Upon you Peter I will build my church.”

What I found so powerful about our 40 Days of Purpose were people sharing their struggles, their questions and their answers in small groups. There wasn’t a single small group meeting that I didn’t walk away strengthened in some way. What person of faith can strengthen your walk? What person when you’re around them helps your faith expand. Spend some time with that person.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw off everything that
hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”

The message translation reads,

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.”

If we are going to stay on track we must put off that which TRIPS US UP.

Rick Warren tells a story about a marathon runner who ran last year’s London marathon and made history. He ran the slowest marathon ever. It took him five days, eight hours, twenty-nine minutes and forty-six seconds. Unlike other runners who were wearing running shoes, nylon shorts and a tank top. He was wearing a full diver’s suit with metal helmet. He did it has a fundraiser.

What a great picture of how some of us run the race of a Christian life. We are in the race, BUT we are so weighed down. We need to strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.” We need to LET GO OF THE UNGODLY.

There are some people who don’t read the Bible because it brings them face to face with their sins and shortcomings. Trust me it can be very painful when you read a passage of scripture that points out a dark side of yourself. You must realize that this is for your own good. The Holy Spirit works through God’s Word to make us feel uncomfortable for our own good. Think of it this way. Who loves his child more – the father who allows the child to do what will harm him, or the one who corrects, trains, and even punishes the child to help him learn what is right?

It is never pleasant to be corrected and disciplined by God, but His discipline is a sign of His deep love for you and me.

Is there an area that the Holy Spirit is calling your attention? Maybe it’s some addiction, or deceitful business practice, or you have a heart that is hard to those in need or hard to those of a different race. Or maybe you’re entertaining a flirtatious relationship. You need to let them go. These are the things that hinder your relationship with God.

God is not a killjoy God who is trying to take all the joy out of living. God knows the things that can destroy you and so He wants you to let go of the ungodly.

“Let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles.”

Along with the ungodly you must LET GO OF THE UNNECESSARY. This is most likely more difficult than letting go of a specific sin, because what you may need to let go of is not necessarily a sin or immoral.

Every year someone calls the church asking if we are having a rummage sale because they have been doing their fall cleaning and they are getting rid of a bunch of stuff that has been crowding their attic or basement for years. The truth is that our daily lives all too often looks like that attic before fall cleaning. Our daily schedule is filled with commitments and activities that keep us weighed down, that keep us from growing spiritually. You work a 10 - 12 hour day or you're running yours kids from this activity to the next, you just don’t have the time or the energy to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ. It doesn’t have to be business. It could be hours wasted in front of the TV unless it is spiritually enlightening like Survivor or the Bachelor.

One thing we learned during our 40 Days of Purpose is that it is not about you. You no longer live for your own agenda, but you now live for God. If we are going to maintain spiritual momentum we need to let go of things in our life that weigh us down or distract us. Get rid of things that steal the passion from God. What is it right now that God brings to mind?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw off everything that
hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let
us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

“Let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us.”

Often times when I am greeting you after worship I will ask, “How are you doing?” Someone will answer, “Oh. I am hanging in there.” My response is usually, “Well don’t let go that’s when your problems begin.”

My intent is to encourage you to CHOOSE TO PERSEVERE. As we learned in our 40 Days of Purpose troubles and trials are part of life. When we encounter them we need to hold on to God and trust God to use these events for His glory and for our good.

In one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books there is a story that list many people who persevered and overcame obstacles. Fred Astaire after his first screen test was told he couldn’t act or dance. Vince Lombardi was told he had minimal football knowledge. Thomas Edison was told he was too stupid to accomplish anything. Albert Einstein performed so badly in high school his parents were encouraged to take him out of school.

In the race of life, God is far more interested in how we finish than how we begin. Eugene Peterson wrote, “There’s a great market for religious experience in our world, but there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of character and virtue.”

If you read 2 Corinthians you would find that Paul was imprisoned, flogged, exposed to death several times, five times beaten with thirty-nine lashes, three times beaten with rods, stoned once, three times shipwrecked, deprived of sleep, gone without food, and had been cold and naked. Paul never gave up.

We must draw strength from the great crowd of witnesses past and present. We must throw off that which hinders and entangles us. We must persevere. We do this by KEEPING A SINGLE-MINDED FOCUS.

The 40 Days of Purpose like the four weeks of Advent have one purpose, to point you to Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus. How do you find the ability in this often harried season dedicated to Jesus birth, to focus on him? As long as we are racing around we cannot develop spiritual intimacy. The peace that the angels sang about to the shepherds will never become a reality.

When you study the life of Jesus you discover that He was not in a hurry. He always had time for the Father and time alone. If you are going to keep your focus on Jesus through this Advent and Christmas holiday season, you will have to make some time to be alone in His presence, to slow down long enough to hear Him. To hear God and know God, you must create space in your life. You must create moments in your day, when you can be alone, undistracted in His presence. Those times will not only help you grow, but they will replenish and nourish your soul.

Then you and I might get a glimpse of how Paul could say,

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider
them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
(Philippians 3:8)

Then you and I will be assured that when we finish this race called life we will be greeted at the finish line by the SMILE of our heavenly Father.