Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast our desire is for the word of God spread throughout all me know join is now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina divorce one if you will of Hebrews chapter 12 wherefore know the word wherefore is kind of the same word is therefore just a different first letter but they both mean the same thing. Wherefore, therefore means this whenever you see that the Bible stop and look at what you just read because what you just read before this verse ties into what were getting ready to read. Now what is chapter 11 in Hebrews chapter 11 is what we call the Hall of Fame.

It gives a lot of individuals and in literally God here gives examples of people in the past that endured great things and finished their race that God had laid out for them in their life, so he gives all these individuals he mentioned some of the things that they all went through and how it took Nathan it took endurance and it took patients and all these things. So then he comes to chapter 12. In other words, why did I tell you about all these people.

Verse one. Here's why.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Look at verse three for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. Notice this right lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Wow. Why would he say in your minds eye, KY rarely have I seen Satan just hire a Christian now he discourages a Christian out diffusion on our bodies that just give way. It was while we quit serving God and we do get tired, but it's usually the battlefield of the mind that Satan wins not say why.

I think often times in our circles and churches like ours. People stay busy and there active and if you're active in a church and you get involve your body is busy but where Satan gets the victories in the mind, and we sometimes will have people doing things in their bodies, but they've Artie lost the battle in their minds before longer to quit. You just will and is not because your body gave out.

Not because you just so tired because Satan won the battle appear and so he gives us a three-step process that literally we use our minds to do to keep us from growing weary in our race. Okay, let's pray and ask God to bless us this morning.

Lord we love you help our folks Lord to gain from this what you would have them to gain.

May they apply to their lives. In Jesus name, amen. We say this. Nowhere in the Bible. Are we promised that the Christian life was going to be easy.

You know that nowhere. We promise it was going out God did promise he would go through it with us that he'd never leave us nor forsake us that he did give us the grace and that he would always have enough grace and always have enough mercy. He would always forgive us and he's always promise if you drawn to me all drawn out you. He's given all these problems.

But he never promised that it was going to be easy. In fact, not to read the verse will look it up. John chapter 16 verse 30 3 PM fact he promises it's going to be very different than that he promises it's going to be difficult and serving God is difficult. It's not easy. If it was easy everybody would be doing but it's hard. It's difficult can I make. Maybe I can tell you this. Getting saved is the easiest part of the Christian process. Note was the hardest thing for Jesus to do had to give his life. But Jesus has made salvation so simple and so free and so available is literally the easiest thing we will ever do. The hard part is to get people to believe but salvation is easy.

You don't have to earn it. You can't buy it.

Salvation is the easy part, but if you get saved and you determine you know what because of what Christ is done for me. I want to live for him. I want to give my life to him that difficult, seems to be the ideal here in the book of Hebrews and what's interesting about this book is that in chapter 11. He mentions Christians that were enduring a terrible time of persecution.

In fact Hebrews was written during a time that the church on a whole was going through great tribulation and great persecution just to be a believer just to claim the name of Christ, you face persecution you face death you face all kinds of things in Hebrews was written right in the middle of this and it's written by an individual.

I believe name Paul and I believe that he wrote it because he's an individual that used to persecute Christians. He's a very one I used to do it now is a Christian now Christians are being persecuted and Paul was stoned to. By the way he's writing to Christians that were going to great jubilation that cannot tell you something I believe with all my heart and I'm thankful for every person here that's faithful and I need to be more faithful but you and I do not suffer persecution right now you can say, well, the boss is a very nice to me at work will to compare that with being stoned like the bosses give me a headache.

Wow, what a nice six did Boulder do for you, but give you headaches. It would, let's be honest is not viscerally easy to be a Christian. Right now I'm is not popular but is certainly not were not being persecuted here in America that there are people Christians in other countries right now that are being killed that are being slaughtered or being in prison just to claim the name of Jesus we have it very good right now. And yet it seems one of the hardest places to have people stay faithful to God and America because we have it so good and we have it. So, Paul gives us another so me things I want to say more about this, but I believe here that Paul gives a three upon the author shooting gives a three-step process of how you and I are supposed to stay faithful it's it's a battle in our minds.

Number one he says number one that we are supposed to see the Saints. He says in your mind. He says consider or look at the Saints of the verse one wherefore notice he says seeing wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses says so he's talking about here, seeing now.

We can't see them physically but Paul here says see our great cloud of witnesses, or wait a minute. How can we see it.

If we can't see it it's in our mind. That's what faith is.

In view of faith is faith is believing even things you cannot see but the Bible says faith. That's when we believe in Christ. Although we haven't seen Christ physically.

We didn't see him die on the cross. We believe the Bible it takes faith to believe. Even though we haven't seen it, we believe it and the Bible says without faith it's impossible to please God would gotta have viscerally says first that we need to see the saints. This cloud of witnesses that are apparently witnessing what is going on right now. Nice. A preacher what really does that mean well. As I dug into it I found that it doesn't necessarily mean what I always thought it meant.

Let me say this as he begins this chapter he starts with referring to Chapter 11.

As I told you seeing this cloud of witnesses who is this cloud of witnesses, it's the individuals he was talking about in Chapter 11 and he literally lists these dear saints of God, men of God's word and women of God's word that went through in tremendous endurance and and discipline and sacrifice and persecution and they literally stayed faithful to the very end, which is what everyone of us ought to want to do, let me say something about this.

Number one I want you to see when he is talking about these witnesses. The saints number one want you notice they have run their race.

They have run their race.

All these folks in Chapter 11. They ran their race to look at me if they endured what they endured to stay faithful. You and I can to they ran their race. Listen for as soon as you say, why does know they got keep on you look at these folks in Chapter 11 and see if you went through half the things they did and if they can stay faithful we can to they have run their race those to me. They did not run it perfectly, but they ran it.

God never said you and I have to run perfect. He just told us to run to a finish they have run the recycling which notices they have received their reward is that encouraging to you to notice that all these folks that followed us and preceded us, and I don't just mean the folks in Chapter 11, I mean some of you at your own mom your dad your grandma your grandpa people that were spiritual influences on your life that I might've already gone on to heaven. Gotta realize that they ran their race number one and second, they've already received their reward is a how do you know that you can see them as the Bible says they do and I believe the Bible with Asa. My mom has received her reward and that the Bible speaks of many crowns that we have earned really been praying out of my staff this this past week were going for a staff planning session for all next year. This week and were trying to get things organized everything lined up and I talked about some suggestions for sermon series for this next year and I personally been praying about doing a series on all the crowns that you and I can earn as we serve God. I think it would be motivation to you so we might do that but only say some I think God came up with a different crown because my mom lived with my dad all those years of age.

He has what is you crowns say what my wife's going to get one for which she gets the widow with me listen my mom is already received her reward another face of the seas in the presence of the Lord.

Is that what you can't see it, you don't know yet. I do know it reluctant to commit anything different because I believe the Bible. The Bible makes it clear they know what that encourages me to want to finish my race because of my dear mom can go through sickness and all the things that she did and literally every every week of her life lived in a different room lived in a different room in the church or a motel room traveled in a van traveled over 3 million documented miles just to serve God if she can do that and finished her course and receive her reward. Suddenly I could and sometimes you and I get so focused on our trials that we forget some of the folks in our lives that have finish their race before us and if they could do it you can to not only that, number three, they receive a reward.

Number three. They have revealed that God is reliable. Let me taste something every one of these people in Chapter 11.

The only way they made it is because they prove that God is faithful to them. Look at me know how you can be faithful to God because you ought to know that God's faithful to you. Every one of these individuals because they finished their course that prove that God is reliable. Now let me say this. I always preached and I always felt and in and this certainly might be the case. Look at me that in verse one. He says this great cloud wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. I always obviously said is you know is the people in heaven that have gone on to have before us. Those that have been saved and and you know that's obvious you were talking about, you know what I believe that is probably the case, but that is not who this verse is referring to.

This verse isn't necessarily saying that maybe if your mom died when Devon that she's watching you now. I believe that certainly might be the case but that's not what this particular verse is teaching this verse is saying that all the saints in Chapter 11. All that they went through. Look at me.

They are witnesses that mean just look at me.

It's not that folks before us are in heaven watching us witnessing what we do these people in Chapter 11 were witnesses to the fact that God is faithful. We are compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses, what you mean witnesses here individuals in heaven that are witnesses to the fact that God did what he promised he would do that. I encourage us is not necessarily, they probably are watching us and they can see things in I don't know I just don't like to pretend that I know everything, but I just have a feeling that people that have died and gone to heaven that God allows in the see certain things. I'm sure he does this verse is saying that there are witnesses in heaven that are witness to the fact that their entire time on earth. God was faithful to them. God gave mercy when Mercy was needed. God gave Grace when Grace was needed. God pay bills when bills needed pain. God provided health would help was needed. God did what needed to be gone there witnesses to that fact is like a bomb in a court of law. And I want to prove that somebody did something I am going to provide witnesses and those witnesses are going to witness to the fact that this person did such and such and the witnesses he's talking about in verse one. Are these dear Satan, Chapter 11, and they are all witnesses to the fact that God allow them through all that they went through he was faithful, and he allow them to finish their car you can to know why God is faithful to you is used any of these people and after 11 see the saints they have finish their race. They have received their reward. They have proved that God is reliable. Number two gives us the next step number two is see self over to see the saints. I look what he says in verse one.

Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, so look at them.

Remember now he tells us to do something laying aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. So now we move for. He says me tell you how you say, faithful number one you see the saints. Number two, you need to see yourself is what he says for us to do this is our job number one. He says to lay aside all weights.

This one's a toughie. This refers literally to a runner making sure that all extra weights have been removed from his body.

Now I don't I don't think that they're able to be here this morning my ground with him but Matt Grannis in our church. He runs marathons. You can look at me, you know that I do not run marathons. Now I'm now running every day. But it's just to the store and back anyway so you know he runs marathons, let me tell you why I don't look like I run marathons, and Matt Grannis looks like he runs marathons because he doesn't have extra weight to stop right there is enough of the us enough in illustration, I look like I do and you know what he is going to run a race much faster, much better than I could, if for no other reason, because I have so much extra weight. This will cost. Look at me. Paul is not saying that you have to lay aside things that are wrong. He said you gotta lay aside things that are weights in other words, this there are some things in your life that aren't wrong, but they're keeping you from running the race. God wants you to run it means this it is not wrong for you to take trips, but of taking trips keep you out of God's house so much that's wrong for you. Not because I'm the boss. I'm not God says that his house should have the priority. I'm not saying that you know golf stronger fishing is wrong or none of those things God for bid. I like all of I do we have a ramp up his mortgages moved up here from Florida and will and they were talking to Bart about fish and apparently some like that and then I was an avid fissure when I was in when I lived in Florida and my particular county where I live has over a thousand lakes just in that little County menu you got anywhere you want to go fishing and I love it. But look at me I'm here to tell you that patient golf button. Whatever the case might be, none of those things are wrong in our lives. But if those things keep us from running the race that God wants us to run, then we need to lay them aside doesn't mean you can't ever do them. It means that you gotta prioritize things that make sense and Paul here is saying you're going to give up if you let too many things weigh you down. Look at me.

If there's too many things to keep you out of church too much for longer lose the desire to come to church.

You can blame what you complain your sick blame your hurt.

Whatever the case, you want to be.

Some people are sunset, but when it turns in the fact that you can go do other things and you can go here you can go there and you can't come to church dear friend, there's a problem when means is that you don't desire to come to church and why is that because things have weighed you down. It could be discouragement to you all kinds of things. But I'm here to tell you. You and I will never run our race like God wants us to run our race and we will never finish the race. If we allow ourselves to become two way down I'm right about this.

Folks were not jumping on anybody.

I'm dissing mine not to say in exactly the Bible said lay aside every weight notice. This and the sin which doth so easily beset us with amazing he says weights and send beset us, that means this weights are wrong. Sin is wrong, but both of them. Both of them do the same.

Damage to your life. Even though some might not be a sin. It can do the same. Damage as a sin and you've all heard this, you all heard it in a mocking of belittle it, but some of you might be new or whatever the case on me.

Let me illustrate this way and are you still shirtless and the SM a runner and I'm getting ready to go run the next morning and I got a big race and when I lined up that next morning I got a big overcoat on a big belt with weights on it and I got big army boots and I got you know things on hold big shoulder pad things and I got weights hold my arm and I'm ready to start this race while knocking to do very good and I'm certainly not gonna win because I've got too much things weighted down but if I go out the night before my race and I party and drink and do all this kind of stuff man. I got a hangover the next morning rush over the line. All these runners got the rest, they beat right in there ready to go in here on got all the stuff you have been partying and drinking all night long. I'm not gonna run very good either.

Wife will one is because of sin, the other is because of weights. The weights were wrong and they're not sin, but there to keep me from running just as much as the sin would yell understand that. So Paul says for you to finish this race. You gotta get rid of the wrong things and there's some things that are wrong. You gotta get rid up to because there stop in your race is not funny. Here is on the pastor of this church and I'm telling you right now I have weights limited to near them like, oh Lord it's convicting just to read don't get the idea appearing on for you.

You bless God you need only take some I read this and is like, oh Lord, you talk about convicted. I think we all have weights and will have some sins pastor have since your pastor have since we all do I know about you, I want to finish my race because I've seen people it finishes that went through far more than I have and if they can do what I can do it and God is faithful to them than I think I can be faithful to me.

But I'm here to tell you as much as I want to if I let sin and way in my life is much as I want to. I'm not finished. You. So Paul says two things is lay aside the weights that he says lay aside all the sins so that means. First you gotta run with preparation. You gotta prepare.

I got a lay aside the weights and got a lay aside the sin, that's how you prepare for your race. Second, he says, is notice.

If you would verse one in all of this. He says lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us notice this and let us run with patience. That means this on. Gotta run with preparation by laying aside the weights by laying aside much is number two of. Gotta run with patient Mesa preacher what is it mean to run with patience. This is a picture of a runner. Listen to me, that is literally settling in for the long haul. It's a runner that realizes I'm not just going to run part of this race or half of this race. I'm going to finish this race and are and so their mind is set.

This is what I'm going to do and you know what I've told you before, there's something about us human beings.

Whatever we decide to do or set our mind to do.

We normally do. We normally do their see it, you know you all not all of my life trauma weight much and make this personal but after I shoulder surgery than my bicep snap in with the therapy in a in a nobody will know. Probably the emotional hardship. It was on me the beginning of this year is probably the best thing ever happened to me in a July 1. They took my cast off and I said that's it. My mind clicked like that's it in three months later I was down 47 pounds I'm down some worn-out penalties on the keep going till I gave it all back to keep going you look at me. I gave away over a thousand doughnuts Friday night and I did not even one. While I was on this property that is running with patience, let me say this. Notice this phrase and this is very important of this whole thing with running with patience. Notice what verse one says please look at this.

Let us run with patience the race that is set before us. You got understand that phrase the race that is set before us, which means this, you and I each. We have a personal race to run the let me tell you how you run this race with patience. Number one, you got understand number one got anything get this number one you have to realize that we each have our own race to run. I'm not running your race you're not running my race. We have our own races to run and listen. I'm not gonna run in your lane and you're not run in my lane. You're not to tell me how to run my race and I'm not tell you how to run your race. You know why because is not my race now as a preacher I get up here and tell you how God tells us to run our race but Daniel Autry doesn't have a whole bunch of say so you is what people say you know you're a bit different when you get the pulpit you know and and you get out of the pulpit.

People like it is not in it has to get this just about every week so I do say be around me. Finally in there like you know you're not a very judgmental person like you know not. I got my own stuff. But you know that I'm in the pool but I gotta say this what God says for us to do.

But on the day. Some I don't think you got your things under pray for you. You pray for me. We all have our own race to run number two you got realizes that we are not in competition.

We are on the same team. Hey, if you're writing your race better than I am. Bless your heart.

This is in a competition, as I runner my race again.

He folks.

I'm not against you, and you should not be against me. We should be against each other in the church and we should be over here I am running my race raising kids and their run and their race, raising his hero here like how they raise their kids who are sort of a group to say something, you are damaging and hurting the very people that are trying to get to the same location you are there. Your teammates. We have our own race to run and you gotta understand that we are not in competition were on our sink were on the same team. Folks number three. You gotta realize this, that our course has been personally and individually designed do you know what the race God has asked you to run has been designed for you and the race God has asked me to run is been designed for me and in the Bible. That's why God says that my yoke is easy and my burden is light because it is been custom-made for you and you know what I still have people sometimes a compensate preach for a Bastrop in Delaware and in that last night he came, he was found to be was that I don't know how brother Daniel Miss Julie. I don't know how they handle pieces on the pastor and the stresses that a pastor has trying to pastor a church and he said are churches you know 1/4 of the size occur when is it on Tron is that I don't know how they do it with Kayden in the therapy in the medicine and the doctor said I don't know how they deal with all that stay sane and I'm sitting here thinking I got people much or sit right here on the how they deal with what they go through. I look at what I we go through and I will think as much with Kayden is not much at all compared to what I want some you go through but you know why some people look at me. Then I took my race and that's while looking you a sound. How you doing you billing to God gives grace because that's your race. It's been designed personally and individually for us, dear friend. That's why you can be faithful and that's what you can finish your race, because God has asked you to run a race that is not made you able to finish. It's been designed for you to let me say this clearly that not only do we have to run with preparation and run with patience, but number three after run with priorities what you notice in verse two he says this, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith that our priority know what you and I are going to finish our race as if we look to Jesus, he has to be. If we look at our race in our circumstances and we look at our troubles in our burdens were going to quit and were going to stop, but if we look unto Jesus.

That's our priority. Which brings us up to point number three see the Saints see yourself number three.

Can you guess see the Savior notice. If you would, and I love this a good verse two looking unto Jesus memory first at seeing the witnesses. Now he says, looking unto Jesus, why can't see Jesus, no. We can look unto him, we can't look at him, but we can look unto him is a preacher.

I don't really fully understand that that's what faith is all about. That's when I get out of my knees and I pray I believe beyond a shadow of doubt God hears what I'm saying because his and his word said he does notice what he says, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. That means number one you have to look and see his race. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

So just for a minute, what was the race that he had to run nose into me. He had to run a very hard race. Let me describe just a minute. It began in poverty and it ended on a cross is race and and I took one comment and I thought this was good is race was a race that led him around the track line with hatred, bitterness, opposition, and people that desire to see him dead. His was a race that set the perfect example of how a race should be run is was a race in which he never faltered.

He never lost sight of the goal. He never quit running until the goal had been achieved when you feel like waiting just look to Jesus and consider the race he ran for you. You see what I do keep me faithful. My race is when I see the race that Jesus ran thank you for listening to you receive the blessing from our broadcast. The current Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Rd. in Kernersville, NC may also contact us by phone and 33699351924 Kerwin Baptist Church.com enjoy our services line molar medium on our website and church. Thank you for listening.

Kerwin broadcast God bless you