Running the Race (Hebrews 12:1-11)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.120 One of the difficult things of preaching in a strange pulpit is dealing with a 2 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:08.669 different order of worship, and I ask you to sit when I should have 3 00:00:08.750 --> 00:00:12.630 had you remained standing. And so I'm going to ask you to stand now, 4 00:00:12.710 --> 00:00:18.390 when you'd probably rather be sake, remain seeding. Please rise and turn 5 00:00:18.550 --> 00:00:22.500 in your bibles, if you will, to the book of Hebrews, Chapter 6 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:28.940 Twelve. The Book of Hebrews, Chapter Twelve. I'm going to read there 7 00:00:29.019 --> 00:00:40.770 the first eleven verses. This is God's word. Therefore, since we are 8 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:45.649 surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every 9 00:00:45.689 --> 00:00:50.000 weight and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endureance 10 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:53.920 the race that have set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and 11 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:57.759 perfector of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, 12 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:02.479 endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right 13 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:07.989 hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinner such hostility 14 00:01:07.030 --> 00:01:12.310 against himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint heartened in your 15 00:01:12.390 --> 00:01:17.109 struggle against sin. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your 16 00:01:17.109 --> 00:01:22.579 blood and have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons. My son, 17 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:26.299 do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when 18 00:01:26.379 --> 00:01:32.379 reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines of one he loves and chastise, 19 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:36.730 as every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to 20 00:01:36.890 --> 00:01:41.890 endure. God is treating your sons. For what son is there whom his 21 00:01:42.010 --> 00:01:46.769 father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which we 22 00:01:47.010 --> 00:01:53.000 all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides, 23 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:57.680 is we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. 24 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:01.069 Shall we not much more be subject to the father of spirits and live? 25 00:02:02.109 --> 00:02:07.150 For they disciplined us for a short time, as it seemed best to them, 26 00:02:07.950 --> 00:02:12.229 but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 27 00:02:13.030 --> 00:02:16.860 For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later 28 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:22.580 it yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it 29 00:02:23.860 --> 00:02:27.659 thus far. The reading of God's Holy Word, you may be seated again. 30 00:02:30.650 --> 00:02:34.889 I always feel just a bit of ease, of ill ill at ease, 31 00:02:35.610 --> 00:02:42.009 in preaching to a congregation with the pastor sitting there listening. Perhaps that 32 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:46.400 arises from my first experience in preaching. I was a student at mid America 33 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:53.319 Reform Seminary and had a summer assignment and Hayward and Iowa in the first Sunday 34 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:58.159 morning I preached there. Doctor P Y the young one of my professors, 35 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:00.789 sat in the second row from the Front with a legal pad and a pen 36 00:03:02.150 --> 00:03:08.949 taking notes. I presume, master Cholka, that I will receive as kind 37 00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:14.139 a letter from you as I will as I did from him. You'll have 38 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:19.460 noticed that we came to chapter twelve of a book of Hebrews this evening, 39 00:03:19.580 --> 00:03:27.849 and that indicates something, that indicates that there was a chapter eleven as well, 40 00:03:28.930 --> 00:03:31.650 and we need to know that because the first word of chapter twelve is 41 00:03:31.729 --> 00:03:37.770 the word there for and whenever you come across the word therefore, in scripture 42 00:03:37.810 --> 00:03:42.199 or I suppose, otherwise in life, it means that there is something that 43 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:46.159 has proceeded before that. Now, I spoke with Vanni the other day and 44 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:51.080 she told me that during the past time the Ladies Bible Study has been studying 45 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:55.590 chapter eleven. So you can ask her later on whether or not what I'm 46 00:03:55.629 --> 00:04:04.189 about to say is correct. I'll tell you this. I used to dislike 47 00:04:04.349 --> 00:04:11.300 chapter eleven greatly, and there was a reason for that. The reason I 48 00:04:11.340 --> 00:04:15.740 disliked chapter eleven of the book of Hebrews was this. I read through that 49 00:04:15.979 --> 00:04:20.139 list of what we have come to know as the heroes of faith and was 50 00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:26.449 discouraged. I mean, here we have guys like like able in Enoch, 51 00:04:26.529 --> 00:04:30.930 who walked with God and was not for God took him, and Abraham and 52 00:04:30.009 --> 00:04:34.170 Isaac and Jacob and David and all the rest. And if I would compare 53 00:04:34.209 --> 00:04:42.000 myself to them, I would think these are here as my examples, these 54 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:48.120 good, godly, righteous men. I am not in any way like they 55 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:56.509 are. Their lives are meaningless to me. They lived righteous, holy lives. 56 00:04:56.829 --> 00:05:00.629 They are the saints of God, not doing. And then I began 57 00:05:00.790 --> 00:05:08.339 to examine it. I'll tell you this. I don't know much about Abel 58 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:14.620 other than that he offered a better sacrifice than his brother can and I don't 59 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:18.180 know much about Enoch other than that he walked with God and that God took 60 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:26.850 him. And what I know of Daniel, he was a pretty good man, 61 00:05:29.930 --> 00:05:31.490 so were the rest. But I want you to look at that chapter 62 00:05:31.610 --> 00:05:34.290 with me. For just a moment before we go on with Chapter Twelve, 63 00:05:34.649 --> 00:05:40.959 I want you to consider for a moment noah, a good and godly man 64 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:45.560 who, as soon as the flood was over, planted himself a vineyard and 65 00:05:45.720 --> 00:05:51.230 got stone drunk. I want you to consider Abraham, the father of faith. 66 00:05:53.189 --> 00:05:58.029 Now, Abraham, a good and Godly and faithful man, was given 67 00:05:58.069 --> 00:06:01.670 a promise by God. But when Sarah came to him and said, look, 68 00:06:01.670 --> 00:06:04.860 here's Haygar, why don't you take her, he's yeah, okay, 69 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:12.660 that's a good idea, and he did it well. I think of Isaac. 70 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:16.220 Now, that must have been some prime family, Isaac and Rebecca with 71 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:23.050 his two sons, Jacob and Esau, and Isaac loved Esau and Rebecca like 72 00:06:23.250 --> 00:06:27.769 Jake Love Jacob. What kind of dynamics was that in that family? I 73 00:06:27.889 --> 00:06:31.490 look at Jacob, no, there's a scoundrel, Huh. Or think, 74 00:06:31.610 --> 00:06:40.079 for instance, of Moses, who was a murderer, and when God came 75 00:06:40.120 --> 00:06:43.639 to him at the burning Bush, Moses kept saying, to him, Oh 76 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:46.399 no, not me, God, not me, I'm not capable of this. 77 00:06:47.230 --> 00:06:50.269 Until finally, if I may put it like this, in his frustration, 78 00:06:50.389 --> 00:06:54.389 God said, okay, here's Aaron, your brother, he'll speak for 79 00:06:54.509 --> 00:07:00.699 you. Well, what more can I say as the as the Apostle says 80 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:08.139 here, for time would fail me to tell of Gideon hiding in the winnowing 81 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:13.259 down low so that the MIDIAN nights can see him, or barrick, who 82 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:18.009 made a WHO would go to war without Deborah coming with him? Or Samson, 83 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:23.449 you know about Samson, O Jeffson, who made this fool is vowel 84 00:07:23.490 --> 00:07:27.250 about his daughter and sacrificed her. Or David who as an adult, or 85 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:34.120 murderer, Samuel, who had two ungodly sons. What more can we say 86 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:40.680 other than this? Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud 87 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:46.149 of witnesses, these men and women who have gone before, is our placed 88 00:07:46.189 --> 00:07:48.509 here in this eleventh chapter. I'm convinced, not because they are so much 89 00:07:48.550 --> 00:07:51.029 better than us, so much different from us, but because they are so 90 00:07:51.149 --> 00:08:01.860 much like us. They are men and women of faith who are sinners. 91 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:07.579 And Therefore, the apostle says, therefore, since we are surrounded by so 92 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:15.370 great a cloud of witnesses and the scene is that of an arena, perhaps 93 00:08:15.449 --> 00:08:20.089 you could think of the Coliseum, or perhaps it would be easier for us 94 00:08:20.209 --> 00:08:24.810 to think of the stadium over here off Campbell Avenue. I believe it is 95 00:08:26.290 --> 00:08:31.560 the big a you stadium. No, imagine yourself in the middle of that 96 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:37.240 stadium or on the ground of that stadium, and the stadium is surrounded with 97 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:43.350 all of those saints that have gone before. They're watching you and they're encouraging 98 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:48.710 you and you can hear the grown when you mess up, but you can 99 00:08:48.830 --> 00:08:58.299 also hear them applauding when you do it well. They are witnesses watching you 100 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:03.500 and how you live. Therefore, because we're surrounded by these, the apostle 101 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:11.330 says, let us also lay let us also lay aside every weight and the 102 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:16.649 sin which claims so closely. Let us run with endurance the race that is 103 00:09:16.690 --> 00:09:28.720 set before the picture here is of a marathon. It's not a sprint, 104 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:35.279 and life is a marathon, not a sprint. I mean, you run 105 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:41.990 a sprint, you might be slow, but you can run a hundred yard. 106 00:09:43.870 --> 00:09:48.789 But a marathon is how long? Twenty, twenty six point whatever, 107 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:56.500 mylespot really really now I'm not a runner. The last time I ran was 108 00:09:56.659 --> 00:10:01.340 many years ago, probably twenty five years ago, and my oldest son said 109 00:10:01.340 --> 00:10:03.940 to me, Dad, you look you run like an old man, so 110 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:09.649 I just quit. But here this is a runner that's running a marathon and 111 00:10:09.970 --> 00:10:18.769 Paul says lay aside every weight. Now, a few years ago my wife 112 00:10:18.769 --> 00:10:22.600 and I had opportunity to to spend a long weekend in London and it was 113 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:28.799 the same day as the London Marathon, and so while we didn't go out 114 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:31.799 and watch it in person, because it was on a Sunday or because it 115 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:35.830 was too far to walk, but we watched part of it on the telly 116 00:10:35.990 --> 00:10:43.190 on the telly and I learned something about running from watching those people. I 117 00:10:43.309 --> 00:10:46.870 learned that not many of them, not any of them, had much clothes 118 00:10:46.990 --> 00:10:54.139 on. The idea here is that how, how could one of these ancient 119 00:10:54.379 --> 00:10:58.860 Hebrews run a marathon while wearing a robe? You have to grow up as 120 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:07.450 loins right the agent Greece, I understand, road ran naked or next to 121 00:11:07.570 --> 00:11:13.330 naked. Why? Nobody puts on a snowmobile suit, sorry, that's Michigan 122 00:11:13.409 --> 00:11:20.799 coming out, or a heavy coat. Nobody puts on their work shoes in 123 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:26.960 order to run a race. That's why we are called upon to lay aside 124 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:35.629 all those things that would hold us back from running. What are some of 125 00:11:35.669 --> 00:11:41.269 those things? Well, you know in your own case what those things out 126 00:11:41.309 --> 00:11:45.350 that might hold you back. Maybe it's a lack of devotions, maybe it's 127 00:11:45.350 --> 00:11:48.379 a lack of reading the Bible, spending time in prayer or or spending time 128 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:54.340 with Christian friends, or who knows what. But the apostle tells us to 129 00:11:54.379 --> 00:12:05.009 lay aside those weights, every weight, every weight, and the sin which 130 00:12:05.169 --> 00:12:11.169 clings so closely. I like the old King James Translation, which is so 131 00:12:11.450 --> 00:12:16.600 easily besets us. He stuck in here two believers. If you notice that 132 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:28.759 in your life, that's sins sometimes so easily besets us. Many years ago 133 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:35.190 I used to visit old Tina and Oregon our church. He was ninety seven 134 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:39.590 years old and she could barely see and she could hardly hear anything and she 135 00:12:39.789 --> 00:12:46.100 lived in her mobile home by herself, with her daughter and son in law 136 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:52.899 next door caring for her. And now would visit her and she would say 137 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:58.809 to me, old dominial pastor, the son is so bright and wind the 138 00:12:58.929 --> 00:13:03.289 breeze is so cool, it's such a beautiful day, but Oh, my 139 00:13:03.450 --> 00:13:09.210 sin, my sin, my sin, and I would think your sin, 140 00:13:09.330 --> 00:13:13.759 you're here by yourself at ninety seven or ninety eight years old, all by 141 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:24.639 yourself, what opportunity you have or sin? As I've grown older, I've 142 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:31.269 discovered that each of us has opportunity, no matter how old, and also 143 00:13:31.470 --> 00:13:35.629 that the older we get perhaps the more sensitive we become to the sin, 144 00:13:35.629 --> 00:13:41.269 the sin that clings to us, that so easily besets us. Have you 145 00:13:41.350 --> 00:13:46.460 ever had it happened to you, when you wake up in the middle of 146 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:52.460 the night and you think, Oh, what was I dreaming about? What 147 00:13:52.659 --> 00:13:58.529 was I thinking about? This pastor Chelcu pointed out this morning those things, 148 00:14:00.289 --> 00:14:15.919 those things of the world, those things so easily be said us. So 149 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:20.120 the Apostle says, let us run with endoorance of race has said BEFOS. 150 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:28.029 Now, as I watched that London Marathon, I noticed that from time to 151 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:33.429 time these marathoners would come to what was called a refreshment station, but they 152 00:14:33.470 --> 00:14:39.659 would never stop and drink their liter of water. They were grabbed the bottle 153 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:45.419 of while they ran and they would drink a swallow or two and pour the 154 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:52.129 rest o their heads and keep running. Why? Because if they stopped and 155 00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:58.970 drank that whole bottle of water they would get such severe stomach cramps they wouldn't 156 00:14:58.970 --> 00:15:05.009 be able to ruin again. They ran right past the tower of London, 157 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:09.679 where are the crown jewels? And not a single one of them stopped to 158 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:18.799 look. And I'm telling you this. If you think in your Christian life 159 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:24.750 you can get off the road for a few minutes and rest and relax or 160 00:15:24.830 --> 00:15:28.950 go after the things of this world for just a short period of time and 161 00:15:28.110 --> 00:15:37.419 come right back, the apostle says you're wrong. Run the race. Another 162 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:43.500 thing I noticed about these people while they are racing is that sometimes they were 163 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:48.460 running groups. I understand that they they drafted on one another. I think 164 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:52.330 they do that in auto racing as well, don't they? You auto racing 165 00:15:52.409 --> 00:15:58.490 fans, where one person takes a lead and the others. He kind of 166 00:16:00.889 --> 00:16:03.970 makes a way for the others who follow him, and then after a while 167 00:16:03.169 --> 00:16:07.639 they switch places and somebody who's been rested a little bit we'll take the lead. 168 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:11.799 Is that right? And this is important also in the Christian life, 169 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:18.429 you can't run by yourself. You can't run by yourself. You need others 170 00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:22.110 and sometimes you'll be taking a lead, but sometimes you got to fall back 171 00:16:22.149 --> 00:16:26.190 in somebody else. They can lead. I learned as well. Then not 172 00:16:26.309 --> 00:16:33.419 everybody finished at the same time. And in the same way I remember those 173 00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:40.980 canyons and Ethiopians. You'll twenty, six, point whatever miles and there they 174 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:45.220 come across the finish line, but I'm done, I've got it. And 175 00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:49.610 then I see those others four or five, six hours later, hanging on 176 00:16:49.730 --> 00:17:00.799 to each other, limping across your sore. They're tired there and the reason 177 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:08.400 they're there is because they've kept their focus on the finish line. Because I 178 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:12.440 understand that if you're running a marathon, if you stop thinking about the finish 179 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:18.549 line, it's going to be too far. And that's what the apostle tells 180 00:17:18.549 --> 00:17:22.509 us here. Let us run with endures. The race, has said before, 181 00:17:22.589 --> 00:17:30.220 is looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who, 182 00:17:30.339 --> 00:17:33.500 for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising 183 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:42.660 the shame and is seated at the right hand of God. When I was 184 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:49.769 a kid, my grandmother lived with us and I think she was a handful 185 00:17:49.849 --> 00:17:56.049 for my parents. I'm sure she was handful for my parents, but I 186 00:17:56.170 --> 00:18:02.519 remember one time she said to my father, Oh, oh, I just 187 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:04.160 wish a Lord would take me so that I could go home and be with 188 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:10.200 friend. My Dad said to her, as long as you're hoping to be 189 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:14.430 with Fred, you're going to stay here. You hope has got to be 190 00:18:14.549 --> 00:18:22.150 in seeing Jesus. You See, he is our goal. It isn't heaven, 191 00:18:23.269 --> 00:18:29.019 it isn't the new heavens and the new earth. Those things are far 192 00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:36.460 too small. But our goal is Jesus himself. Aren't focuses on him? 193 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:40.460 To see him, to know him, to love him, to live like 194 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:45.849 him, see him, follow him, the Apostle says, look at how 195 00:18:45.089 --> 00:18:55.250 he lived. Consider Him who endured from sinner such hostility against himself, so 196 00:18:55.369 --> 00:19:00.279 that you may not grow weary or faint hearted in your struggle against sin. 197 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:04.680 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. I don't 198 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:11.750 know. I don't know you and I'm not a betting man, but if 199 00:19:11.789 --> 00:19:15.950 I were, I would bet that not a single one of us here has 200 00:19:15.029 --> 00:19:19.069 ever had rocks thrown at us or through our windows or at our car, 201 00:19:21.630 --> 00:19:30.940 because we are so righteous that the people our neighborhood can stand us. And 202 00:19:30.019 --> 00:19:37.259 I don't mean an appearance of righteousness, I don't mean hypocrisy, I mean 203 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:44.569 true righteousness. Who of us is so holy that people hate us the way 204 00:19:44.609 --> 00:19:49.569 they hated Jesus Suos, you apostle says here. None of you have yet 205 00:19:49.609 --> 00:20:03.440 done that, although there are there are those who have. Have you forgotten 206 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:07.509 exhortation? Address as you are sons. My son did not regard lightly to 207 00:20:07.630 --> 00:20:11.549 discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him, for the 208 00:20:11.710 --> 00:20:19.269 Lord disciplines of one he loves and cherishes every son whom he receives, chastises 209 00:20:19.309 --> 00:20:30.099 every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. 210 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:40.329 God is treating your sons. One of the great sins I will leave 211 00:20:41.049 --> 00:20:48.450 of the world of televangelism is a sin of trying to convince everybody that wants 212 00:20:48.490 --> 00:20:52.640 to becoming a believer everything is going to be good. Your Life is just 213 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:59.119 going to change, you're going to be rich, you're going to be satisfied, 214 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:06.390 you can have a good family. And that's not what the Bible teaches 215 00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:15.710 us. The Bible teaches us that life is going to be hard. I 216 00:21:15.829 --> 00:21:22.460 don't have to tell you that. How hard is it for you when your 217 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:32.339 husband dies or your wife over, your child dies? My sister died. 218 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:34.609 My mother said it's not right for a child to die before it's parent. 219 00:21:36.529 --> 00:21:41.690 No, but it happens, doesn't it? How do you deal with it 220 00:21:41.730 --> 00:21:48.240 when you hear that you have count cancer, or works yet that your your 221 00:21:48.240 --> 00:22:03.789 child has cancer or Cyril Palsy or who knows what? Things not come by 222 00:22:03.829 --> 00:22:10.269 accident. These things come to us by the perfect will of God and his 223 00:22:10.470 --> 00:22:27.259 providence in order to make us strong. If you know, the Apostle Paul 224 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:41.490 says that there's some profit in physical exercise but much in spiritual exercise. In 225 00:22:41.529 --> 00:22:48.440 every way. I'm telling you, these folks that go to the gym and 226 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:53.480 want to get buff, want to get big. They might start out lifting 227 00:22:53.559 --> 00:23:00.390 ten pounds, but they don't stay there. Perhaps you seen the TV commercial 228 00:23:00.470 --> 00:23:07.589 the woman that does one sit up says, okay, I'm good. It's 229 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:11.430 one piece of Chale, says, okay, I'm good. It's not the 230 00:23:11.470 --> 00:23:15.420 way life is. In order for you to get strong physically, you have 231 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:19.299 to go to the gym again and again and again and again. In order 232 00:23:19.339 --> 00:23:22.900 to finish a race, you have to practice and run and run and run 233 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:30.650 and run. In order to live a godly life, you have to endure 234 00:23:30.690 --> 00:23:37.569 the things that are tough, things are hard, because then you know how 235 00:23:37.690 --> 00:23:44.119 faithful God is, how much he cares for you, how strong he is, 236 00:23:49.240 --> 00:24:00.789 and so often little sins just kind of get us down. But perhaps 237 00:24:00.829 --> 00:24:07.109 you think, well, I'm okay, I don't really sin all that much. 238 00:24:07.230 --> 00:24:12.779 You know, I'm not a philander or I'm not a homosexual, I'm 239 00:24:12.819 --> 00:24:26.369 not a drunk, I'm not a drug addict. He secil tells us that's 240 00:24:26.410 --> 00:24:33.970 a sin of Sodom. It doesn't mention sexuality. He mentions a failure to 241 00:24:34.089 --> 00:24:38.799 care for the poor. What's your turn with me, if you will for 242 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:44.359 just a moment, to the Book of Matthew, Chapter Twenty Five. I 243 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:48.200 know you know this passage, but no, I think you know this passage 244 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:51.559 Meta. I want to turn there with me, but just Moan. Matthew 245 00:24:51.599 --> 00:25:00.670 Twenty Five. Your Jesus speaks of the final judgment and how he separates a 246 00:25:00.829 --> 00:25:06.150 sheep from the goats. I wants to think for just a moment about the 247 00:25:06.309 --> 00:25:10.539 goats. Verse Forty One and following then he will say to those on his 248 00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:15.380 lefty part from me. You cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil 249 00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:18.339 and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food. 250 00:25:18.819 --> 00:25:22.809 I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and 251 00:25:22.890 --> 00:25:26.369 you did not welcome me naked and you did not close me sick and in 252 00:25:26.450 --> 00:25:30.650 prison and you did not visit me. And they also will answer saying, 253 00:25:30.809 --> 00:25:33.329 Lord, when we when did we see you hungry or thirsty or stranger or 254 00:25:33.329 --> 00:25:37.599 naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? Then 255 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.279 he will answer them saying, truly, I say to you, as you 256 00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:42.039 did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not 257 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:45.880 do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but 258 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:52.349 the righteous into eternal life. I ask you this question. For which sin 259 00:25:52.789 --> 00:26:00.990 are these goats sent to eternal punishment? Which sins does Jesus name? The 260 00:26:02.069 --> 00:26:07.779 sins of adultery, a murder, of theft, a failure to keep the 261 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:17.180 sabbath, of idolatry. It wasn't what these people did, but rather what 262 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:29.930 they left undone. I'm so grateful to know that, because of all the 263 00:26:30.210 --> 00:26:41.839 things that I've left undone in Jesus has filled for me. Listen once again, 264 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:47.309 back to math or he was twelve verse. If you are left without 265 00:26:47.349 --> 00:26:51.990 discipline, in which all that participated, then your illegitimate children are not sons. 266 00:26:52.549 --> 00:26:56.190 Besides, as we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected 267 00:26:56.269 --> 00:26:59.869 them, shall we not much more be subject to the spirit of father, 268 00:27:00.069 --> 00:27:03.140 the father spirits, and live for they disciplined us for a short time, 269 00:27:03.579 --> 00:27:07.539 as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, 270 00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:12.980 that we may share his holiness. Those of you out there who are fathers 271 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:18.089 will understand me, I think, when I tell you that, having had 272 00:27:19.569 --> 00:27:26.650 raised more or less seven kids, I have no clue as to what appropriate 273 00:27:26.690 --> 00:27:33.880 discipline is. What's appropriate when when your son lies to you? Is it 274 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:36.920 to stand him in a corner? Is it to watch his mouth? I 275 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:40.480 was so. Is it to spank him, or is it to ground him? 276 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:42.920 Or is it to have a stern talk with him? Or is it 277 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:45.789 to say well, that's just the way kids are? No, it's not 278 00:27:45.910 --> 00:27:55.910 that. What's the appropriate discipline when your daughter talks back to her mother, 279 00:27:56.069 --> 00:28:02.259 as she will when she's thirteen, because that's the way girls are? How 280 00:28:02.299 --> 00:28:06.460 do you I have a clue? Well, we do as father's. It's 281 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:12.609 the best we can and we mess up, but when God disciplines us it's 282 00:28:12.609 --> 00:28:19.609 a whole different matter, because he knows how he knows when he knows what 283 00:28:19.809 --> 00:28:26.759 to use precisely and exactly for each of us in our own particular circumstance and 284 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:38.480 situation. A pastor friend of mine recently said from the Pope and that God 285 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:48.349 uses a chisel to conform us into the image of his son, Jesus Christ. 286 00:28:56.500 --> 00:29:02.539 For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later 287 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:08.099 he yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 288 00:29:14.569 --> 00:29:23.680 Later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. See, that's what happened 289 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:30.759 to all those folks in chapter eleven. They received, they receive eve, 290 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:37.680 the gift of eternal life, and that's why they, as a great cloud 291 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:45.910 of witnesses surrounding us, are witnessing to us and cheering us on as we 292 00:29:45.829 --> 00:29:53.339 run this race which God has said for us. There's no marathonors ever set 293 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:57.259 the own course, for his own course, for the race that'scept by other 294 00:29:57.299 --> 00:30:06.460 authorities. We do not set the course for our own race either. We 295 00:30:06.539 --> 00:30:11.009 run the race that God has given us. Want to close with this read 296 00:30:11.130 --> 00:30:19.170 this week from the old Presbyterian commentator Albert Barnes. I have never known a 297 00:30:19.210 --> 00:30:26.559 Christian who was not benefited by afflictions. I have seen none who is not 298 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:33.720 able to say that as trials produced some happy effect on his religious character and 299 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:41.150 on his soul, real happiness in life. If this be so, then 300 00:30:41.230 --> 00:30:45.190 no matter how severe are trials, we should submit to them without a complaint. 301 00:30:45.990 --> 00:30:51.700 The more severe they are, the more we shall yet be blessed, 302 00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:57.460 on Earth or in heaven. A man. Let's pray