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Why shouldn't I just Give Up?

***Pray***

Hebrews 12:1-2

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (Seeing we are surrounded by so many witnesses) STOP

What witnesses?

Daniel

     Man said you can't pray

    Daniel said God told me to pray and ain't no man gonna tell me different so he prayed

    So man threw him into a lions den for his trouble

   God had another plan...  That's right you know.

 Moses

     Man said I'm gonna make you rich beyond your wildest dreams.  I'm gonna give you a kingdom.  You're gonna be second in charge of all the kingdom.  

     Moses said God showed me my brethren beaten, in slavery, in bondage.  I can't stand by.  I can't look on.  Somebody gotta do something.  I can't wait for someone else.  They might not see.  They might not get it.  They might not care.  Moses said, "I see Adonai.  I get it. I don't want this junk.  I want you."

    So man thought we'll drive him out of Egypt.

    God had another plan... That's right you know.

So Moses is watching you.  Abraham is watching you.  Daniel is watching you.  They want to see what you're gonna do?  They want to see if you have the courage.  They want to see if you have the determination.  They want to see if you have the faith.


let us lay aside every weight  STOP

Well what is weight?

   Some of you can tell me what weight is can't you?

   Weight is taking care of a family on a shoe string budget isn't it?

   Weight is watching a brother in the Lord die of cancer isn't it?

   Basically weight is anything that is too much to carry alone.  It is anything in life that is too dificult to manage.  Too hard to endure.  Too tough to tackle.  ...Alone

   But what does Jesus say? He says give me your burden because my burden is easy.

   Sometimes we don't know how to pay the light bill and if you ask me I probably don't know either but there's someone who knows isn't there.  There's someone who does have the answer.

and the sin which doth so easily beset us STOP

Now we know what sin is don't we.  Sin is lying.  Sin is gossiping.  Sin is killing a brother or sister with angry words.  Sin is anything that we're prone to do that ain't loving God and it ain't loving people neither.  Lay it aside.  Take up the Cross because this stuff will take us off track. won't it?

and let us run with PATIENCE  (Oh, no there's that P word again)  the race that is set before us,  STOP

Why is it we have so much trouble with the P word anyway?

       We're looking at things with the wrong eyes.  I'll tell you something crazy... Bare with me ok because you may not believe it but these two things right here in the front of your face lie to you.  They lie all the time.  They don't mean it but they're imperfect and they can't see the way Jesus can.  How many have ever seen a magic trick or looked at an optical illusion?  The hand is quicker than the what?  Eye right.  In the dark we're terrified even adults when you walk down a dark street alone at night so dark that you have to feel in front of you.  We have to learn how to deal with that dark don't we.  That's when we learn about the P word.

    'Cause what if we don't know the answer?  He does.  We have the wrong mindset.  When we don't know we start naming everything that could go wrong.  Wrong mindset.  If we ask for bread will our heavenly father give us a stone?  Then why do we think the worst.  We ought to think like a child at Christmas time.  See children are good examples for all kinds of things.  You need to look at them because they understand somethings that we don't.  Instead of trying to think of everything that's gonna go wrong why not try to think of how things could go right.  Instead of seeing the red sea on one side and the approaching army on the other what if you saw the red sea parting?  Let me tell you the funnest part of this too.  You'll never get it right.  God will always come up with a more creative solution than you were able to imagine and it will always be bigger than one person.

  And what if someone yells at you or cuts you off in traffic or lies to you or slanders you in church.  What then?  Brothers, sisters we need to have the right eyes.  We need to see the person and not the sin.  Let me shock you a little bit here.  Jesus didn't die for your sins.  What?  Are you crazy?  That's blaspheme.  Of course He died for my sins.  Salvation by Grace through Faith..  blah blah blah.  We live in America we've heard it.  He didn't die for your sins, I'll tell you He died for you.  Jesus Loves You.  He died for you to save you from your sins.  It's a small distinction but it's the difference between loving the sinner and hating the sin.  So when Jesus says lay yourself aside as a living sacrafice He's not asking you to lay your self aside for a sin He's asking you to lay yourself aside for a person, a human being, with feelings, and gifts, and talents, and love.

  What if God says no?  Ouch.  God wouldn't do that would He.  I mean the scripture is clear.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.  (John 14:13) ah... Back up the bus as my wife says...  "In my name", He says.  Can anyone imagine a cop asking the judge for a joint in the name of the law?  Could anyone imagine the judge complying to this request?  It's just as rediculous to ask selfish things of the Father in the name of the Son.  The book of James tells us, "We have not because we ask not or we ask amiss that we may consume it upon our lusts"  So it's about the eyes.  We need to have the right eyes.

Looking unto Jesus  STOP

  There it is.  This is the eyes I'm talking about.  Proverbs reminds us that for lack of vision men perish.   Proverbs tells us, teenagers, that the eye that mocks at the mother and the father the young eagles will pluck it out.  No a eagle won't swoop down and start feasting on your eyeball but let me tell you something, young people, you only have 18 years to learn all that your parents have to teach you and then it's too late and you will be left with no vision if you don't get it now.  Jesus is the vision.  Look to Him.  See Him.  Believe in Him.  How do you get vision.

  Well ya gotta get the Word.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word.  So you get into the word and you start hearing it and sooner or later you start believing it.  Then once you start believing it then you start seeing it.  Right, because Faith is calling those things which be not as though they were.  Then once you start seeing it then it comes into fruition and before you know it you're walking the walk and you're talking the talk and you're acting just like Jesus.  Because Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  I said, "GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU."  The Holy Spirit is in You.  Does that silly devil got the Spirit in him? No I don't think so.  He just dumb old serpent walking around with his head bashed in.  Jesus beat it in with a big old stick that we call the Cross of Calvry.  He can't stop you.  Sin can't stop you.  Nothing can stop you.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

  Sometimes I look into the eastern sky.  Why?  Because I'm building vision.  I look into the sky and I say to myself Jesus is coming back in that sky.  It might be right now.  He might step out of that cloud before I finish this thought.  Then a trumpet will sound and we'll fly up to meet Him in the air.  Doo-doo-doo-doo.  I'm serious.  Believe it.  This isn't some joke.  This is reality.  This stuff is more real than your eyes.  This stuff is more real than the stuff you learn in science class.  This stuff is more real than what you hear on the news.  This stuff is more real than 911.  This stuff is more real than your heartache or your cancer or your pain.  This stuff is real! Real! Real!  

the author and finisher of our faith;  STOP

Why?  Because He already won the victory.  He already fought the battle.  He already paid the price.  He already won!  He won! He won!  The victor is sure and the victry's secure.  This is real people.  Praise the Lord.  Clap your hands.  Raise your Voice.  Jesus Won!  Do you know what that means?  That means sin has no more dominion over you!   That means you don't have to yell at your spouse anymore.  That means you don't have to be afraid anymore.  That means you don't have to lie steal or cheat to get ahead anymore.  That means you don't have to take another drink.  That means you don't have to take another toke.  That means you don't have to drink another coke!   Jesus Won! He Won!  He Won!

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, STOP

This is the Joy.  The Joy that is in us now.  The Joy of knowing that there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who live not according to the flesh unto death but according to the Spirit unto life.  But He had to endure that Cross didn't He?  So we have to be burried with Him too in order to raise again.  No I'm not talking about physical death here.  I'm talking about spirtual surrender.  There is certain amount of suffering involved in resisting sin.  Nothing compared to the pain of giving in to sin though.  We know that don't we?  It hurts sometimes to bite our lip and not say something harsh to someone that we love but it's a lot less painful than straining the relationship isn't it?  So we endure the cross with Him.  We suffer with Him so that we might be glorified with Him.  I'm not saying you have to go around conquering all of your sins and making the Grace of God of no effect.  Listen to what I'm saying.  I'm saying we have Grace either way but if we endure the cross then we get the prize.  What prize?  All I can say is.  Believe me you want the prize.

despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Yet we know Jesus is not on that Cross is He?  He's risen.  He's alive.  He's seated right next to God the Father at His right Hand.  What does He do?  He rules.  Yes but more important to us is that He makes intercession for us.  See it's like this.  If we make a mess of things then He talks to God the Father on our behalf.   Then we are forgiven. Our sins are forgotten just as if they never happened.

The question is have you received the Grace of God?  In order to obtain any of the riches of the message today you need to receive His Grace.  To do so all you need to do is ask.  It's as simple as ABC.