You Need To Lose Some Weight
Heb. 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin
which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us,
Intro: Verse one
introduces three W’s:
1. Witnesses – Wherefore seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses…
2. Weights – let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doeth so easily beset us,
3. Winning – and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us
I don’t want to focus on the Witnesses or necessarily the
Winning.
I don’t even want to study this “sin whch doeth so easily
beset us”.
I want to draw our attention to this ambiguous word –
WEIGHT.
I want to preach tonight on this simple thought – YOU NEED
TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT!
I. The Explanation
of the Weight
WEIGHT: whatever is prominent, protuberance, bulk,
mass, hence a burden, weight, encumbrance
·
2 Timothy
2:4 No man that warreth entangleth
himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen
him to be a soldier.
ENTANGLETH: to inweave; of a thing: to entangle, involve
in
II. The Evaluation
of the Weight
Understand – some burdens cannot be taken away.
We are not talking about the burden of a marriage. It is
unscriptural to lay that aside.
We are not talking about the weight and burden of parenting,
or pastoring, or ministry.
Those kind of weights cannot be “laid aside”.
The only thing we can do as Christians is recruit the
assistance of Almighty God to give us relief from those.
·
1 Peter
5:7 Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.
·
II Cor.
4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet
the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
When I speak about evaluating the weights, I’m talking about
the UNNECESSARY BAGGAGE.
I’m talking about whatever it is that may be hindering you
from RUNNING THE RACE.
The problem with a lot of people is they’ve gotten used to
running the race with the weight.
They don’t even realize that it is a weight because they’ve
never run the race WITHOUT IT.
Why don’t you LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT TONIGHT and see how
much difference it makes?
If you don’t think it makes a difference, then try it.
A weight may or may not be a sin.
Just because it is a weight does not mean it is not a sin.
All sin is a weight.
·
Psalms
38:4 For mine iniquities are gone
over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
·
Proverbs
13:15 … but the way of transgressors
is hard.
A weight may be
something small and fun and innocent. (kids backpack)
·
Social media; X-Box, playing online games, hobbies,
sports, activities that consume your time and mind
Philippians 4:5 Let your
moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
·
Music, TV, Movies
A weight may be
something attractive.
·
Overtime at work that keeps you out of church
·
Those few things that cost you more than you can
afford
·
That payment that is keeping you from tithing
and supporting missionaries.
A weight may be something
of sentimental value.
·
It can be a friend that is pulling you down
(Did you know that people can be weights?)
Galatians 5:7 Ye did run
well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
HINDER – to beat back; to put in check
The wrong friends can pull you
down like a boat anchor.
They intimidate you; they don’t
agree with you walking with God and pursuing after God.
They don’t approve of your desire
to be more holy – more modest – more Spirit-filled.
They don’t like it that you put
God first before them and their desires.
They are weights. Every SINGLE ONE
OF THEM.
·
It may be a grudge that you’ve held on to for
a long time; a razor
sharp memory of negative things that has happened to you
Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but
a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.
You know what happens when you run the race with unnecessary
weight?
YOU BECOME TIRED. YOU STAY TIRED. YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY ENERGY
OR WILLPOWER TO KEEP GOING.
·
Galatians
6:9 And let us not be weary in well
doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
LOOK AT VERSE 3 - Hebrews
12:3 For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in
your minds.
Let Jesus be your example – a man that lived His life free
of the unnecessary baggage – that finished what He started.
Jesus carried his cross – and He commands you and I to carry
our cross.
·
Luke 9:23 And he
said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross daily, and follow me.
·
Luke
14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple.
How can we carry a cross with all this baggage?
III. The Escaping
of the Weight
A. The
Decision
The question is not – do I have weights in my life?
The question is not – am I carrying around unnecessary
baggage?
That is not the question.
The question is – are you going to continue to carry them,
or will you lay them aside?
THE QUESTION IS – ARE
YOU READY TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT?
B. A
Determination
The Bible says “lay aside”.
This tells me that this weight is something that you can do
without.
This also tells me that I have to be the one to get rid of
it.
It has to be a conscience decision.
It cannot be an accidental “falling off”, or someone “pulling
it off”, but a “laying aside”
It starts with a purposeful decision to lay it aside.
·
It is not a complicated process.
·
You don’t need counselling.
·
You don’t need a psychiatrists
·
You don’t need to call the pastor.
·
You don’t need to sit down with your parents.
You just need to “lay aside every weight”.
·
You don’t need help.
·
You don’t need somebody reminding you and
nagging you.
·
You don’t need someone putting you on a guilt
trip.
You just need to “lay aside every weight”.
·
You don’t need to find someone to talk you out
of it.
·
You don’t need to get advise from others that
have the same weight.
·
You don’t have to hold hands and do it together
with someone else.
You just need to “lay aside every weight”.
Just reach over – take ahold of it, and lay it aside.
The same hands that picked it up can lay it aside.
The same willpower that brought that weight onto your
shoulders can take it off.
Not just one. Not two or three, BUT EVERY WEIGHT.
C. A
Discipline
Let us run with patience – that word means PRESERVERANCE.
·
PATIENCE
- characteristic of a man who is not
swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even
the greatest trials and sufferings; steadfastness, constancy, endurance
Once you’ve determined that it is slowing you down,
hindering your race, DON’T PICK IT BACK UP.
Conclusion: You might
be here tonight, and you’ve never been saved. Jesus wants you to lose some
weight tonight!
·
Matthew
11:28 Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
You can’t lose that weight on your own. You need Jesus to
take it away from you!
·
John 1:29
…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world.
