Never Give Up, Part 2

You know, life's problems and making time. There are realities that you can ignore Dr. Tony Evans is those realities are also reminders every time like close and take a peek at Jesus because Jesus is not just the camera you that's difficult and painful. You are going celebrating 40 years of faithfulness.

This is the alternative Dr. Tony author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the alternative, in the face of tough times we been told that it's the courage to continue accounts today.driven shows believers just where to look to find that courage. Let's join them as he begins the book of Hebrews was written to Christians who were losing heart. This is a book written to discourage Christians who didn't know whether it was worth it to keep going. The struggle was too great difficulty was too daunting. The pain was too palpable. The question was is it worth keeping going and many wanted to quit.

Want to go back to the old way they wanted to abandon Christ to abandon Christianity. So the author of Hebrews writes the book to challenge them not to lose heart.

So we find ourselves in Hebrews chapter 12 where he says therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance of the sandwich so easily entitles us, and let us run with in the race that is set before us, fixing eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God for consideration who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. My challenge for me as I preach to me as I preached us is simply to never give up the hardest things have been as hard as things are the author of Hebrews is telling them and speaking to us any saying never give up. In chapter 10.

For example, he says in verse 35 therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has great reward for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God.

You may receive what is promise. Verse 39 and we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the to the persevering of the school.

What is simply saying his.

Don't give up. As hard as it is as challenging as it is been for me, for you and I speak to us the word of the Lord for today and the reset that he is doing is don't give up now that's easy to say and I'm sure most would agree with having heard it, but a lot of things are easier to say to specially when you're overwhelmed by life's negative realities.

The first thing he wants to say is to encourage you never to give up. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, the author of Hebrews says there is a cloud of witnesses. There is a body of people who will testify that you can make it and that you want, never give up that testimony is given by men and women who are described in chapter 11 that obviously time will not allow us to go through 40 verses in Chapter 11 over each person but I'll sum it up with the first couple of verses of chapter 11 now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen for by the men of old gained approval by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are, so the testimonies that he gives an 11 leading him to talk to us beginning in chapter 12 is a testimony that the key to making it and not giving up his learning to live by faith, that the way you're going to make it. I'm going to make it in spite of the headache and heartache of life is to learn what they model that was learning to live by faith in Canton Ohio is the football leaves the crème de la crème of the bell the man who gained status almost 2000 men a year playing in the NFL, but only if you get to the Hall of Fame.

That is get approved because they have to be voted on to get a bust in the hall of fame.

Just because you play me you will make all and just because you say don't mean you will be approved to be a pro you must finish by faith. So these approved people in Chapter 11 are the ones not Christians in general. But these approved people of the witnesses that God use is to keep us going by faith.

So the first thing of the witnesses. The second thing is you verse one of chapter 12. Then aside every encumbrance and sin which so easily in tangles.

He says I want you to remove encumbrances. He said plural and the he says I want you to remove the sentencing was moved between the pool and the singular and encumbrance is something that is extra baggage something holding you down. You notice race. They may warm up in a jogging suit, but when it comes time to run the race. They take off the jogging suit and there clothing is very light because now running the race. The jogging suit would become an encumbrance if extra baggage when they are working out. They will put weights around the ankles but not in a race. They take those weights off because that way will slow them down and encumbrance is not a sin and encumbrance is simply baggage that's keeping you from moving forward by faith.

It's slowing you down. It's hindering you it's it's limiting your spiritual progress.

And so it it is an encumbrance to one of some encumbrance. People can be encumbrances, you got the wrong folk in your life that can hold you back with human thought, with secular thinking with faithless points of view since some of us I held back because we got along friends listen to the wrong folk who are slowing us down that not propelling our faith challenging our faith.

Don't let the wrong folks who are not spiritually minded people slow you down from moving you forward by faith. You gotta shed them because they are encumbrances. Another encumbrance your past. Don't let the rearview mirror of yesterday. Keep you from the windshield of tomorrow. We all have regrets. We wish we could always sugar. We didn't back and so control your mind that you don't move forward because yesterday I told you, Paul says, forgetting those things which are behind present: the high mark of the calling of Jesus Christ know yesterday wasn't great. I know there were failures yesterday. You confess that you repent and move on. By faith Sampson is in the Hall of Fame sampling will be because he was able to shed yesterday and with a bang.

So that instead of sampling, he accomplished more from God at the end of his life really did up to that point and he made it to Hall of Fame me. That means for you and not too late. So you keep going by faith. Dr. Evans will tell us more about how to do that when he continues her message just a moment for so I want to let you know that today's teaching is part of a special package that includes Tony's current series heroes of the faith as well as his new book kingdom heroes. Both of these powerful resources.

Take a look at very ordinary people became some of the most familiar characters in the Bible simply by their obedient faith in God believing what he said and staking their lives on the fact that he tells the truth.

They're perfect for your personal study or to share with your church or Bible study group. In fact, if you request these resources today.

We can even include the companion Bible study as an added bonus you can get this kingdom heroes package including all 13 messages from the two-volume heroes of the faith CD and MP3 series as our gift and appreciation for your contribution toward Tony's ministry. Just visit us@tonyevans.org and make your online donation and resource request. It's very easy to do is see a link to the special package right there on the homepage again that's Tony Evans.org or call us anytime of the day or night at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our resource team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Dr. Evans will come back with more of today's lesson right after this I'm in the portion of the church where they believed Golgotha was bent by the greatest person ever took place. Dr. Tony have and's travels to Israel to experience firsthand the places Jesus wanted preach and ministered while on earth, you're invited to relive his inspirational journey and upcoming big screen church to see. Sitting more than just a captivating travel. Dr. Evans discusses the biblical and historical significance stop along the way and what it means for us today that my name about the sacrificial life that is 5.November 15, 16 and 17 join Dr. Evans for a captivating journey with Jesus music Tony Evans.org sometimes people can be encumbrances has to be encumbrances, playthings can be encumbrances that are not wrong, but things that hold you back. If there's so much TV that you don't read your Bible so much entertainment that you don't.

If you'd rather be away from the people of God slow you down because walking by faith.

If you sell prescription when he says the sin that he has been talking about all Hebrews all that he focuses on. Of course in Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 is the sin of unbelief. If you solve the problem of faith you greatly impacted the problem of sin because you haven't gotten tangled unbelief and remember by belief when not talking about grocery motions were talking about your footsteps, the decisions that you make to say I'm going to trust God with the situation even though I don't see the outcome. He said lay aside push it to the side. The said distraction.

The excess baggage that so easily holds us back. The last thing he wants to talk about. He says Jesus look at your witnesses look at yourself and get fixated on Jesus, the author and perfected our faith. Jesus Christ got you started when you got say he's gonna bring you to completion. When this life is over and he's available for you to piggyback on on the ride. He says if you will become fixated on Jesus, if you will become obsessed Christian, not a casual Christian not even fixated on God the father is talk about Jesus fixation. He says fixing your eyes, your spiritual perspective on Jesus Christ's, who got you when that salvation was going to get you to completion when life is over and you can walk you along the way. Like many of you when I used to get on the treadmill.

After a while I lose like a weary walking sweat where you lose heart. So I have the television in front of me usually good news and I say on the news rarely on the treadmill because I'm tired. If I do not look at the TV when I'm on the treadmill. I won't stay on the treadmill as well because think about is how time how much I'm sweating. But if I find something interesting on television, it creates a distraction while I'm walking on the treadmill and I can typically walk a lot longer on the treadmill fixing the house on the TV. Then I put on the treadmill fixing my trip. You can ignore life's struggles that make you try their realities that you can ignore. He says, but don't fixing every time like closes in on you that as a reminder, take a peek at Jesus because Jesus's job is to carry you through that sweaty, wavy, difficult, lonely, traumatic, painful. You are going through is there to help you fixing your eyes on Jesus, the wife this. How do I do this, he says, for the joy set before. Okay bring up East Friday was a day like days already sweat and tears like drops of blood because of what you get ready to go through on the cross, which included being separated from his father and it meant bearing the sins of the whole world. All he could say like you and I coming through this past year, let this cup pass from me. I got don't want anymore is to just too overwhelming. Give me a break. That's what I need a break from this in my I don't want to have to deal with wearing the sins of the whole world being separated from my father. I don't want to go, not my will but thy will be done, so he made a decision in a frustrating circumstance.

He says I will bill you will know I don't want to get a diploma because you enroll the public as you completed for a lot of us want Jesus to show up because we got say we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives away in a row talk about Jesus. Jesus is no need to graduate you complete the process. I am walking you through it closes with considering you keep your mind on him who has endured SunTrust against himself, so that you will not grow weary and so you will not lose heart. In 1992 on the pics. The British tea at a runner named Peregrine the British team was smoking, they will move but coming around the track.

Redman tore his Achilles tendon a painful injury and its fell to the track in excruciating pain right there be broken, defeated her name struggling as the cameras they rounded on him as he was part of the for about 400 British relay team. They show him weeping on the track because he was hurting so bad already weary from running now. He was defeated. The team was defeated because he tore his Achilles, but there something happened and all the gentlemen came from the top of the state came down on the track.

One of the security guards tried to stop him but he refused to be stopped and he came over to Redman. He told God this is my son. He grabbed Redman is all over his shoulder and carried them across the finish is somebody who sought down low.

Larry was not that came down here and still help them cross the finish line.

Sometime I will not get that sometimes don't tell. Sometimes you'll be broken circumstances. But I know somebody even though he lives up that he's willing to come down here and take the broken and the big news, and get ready set so that he can still take you family take charge across the finish line. So you keep the fight got a cloud of witnesses, you've got some decisions to make.

Got to help Dr. Tony Evans with encouragement for believers to never give now this is the final message from Tony's heroes of the faith audio series which means is also the final day to take advantage of the special resource offer. I mentioned earlier, you can get all 13 full-length messages from this two-volume collection on CD or downloadable MP3s along with the new kingdom heroes book and Bible study. Don't forget, will send you this entire package is our gift when you make a contribution to support Tony's ministry here on the station and around the world.

We rely on the generous support of listeners like you to carry on this important work. So visit Tony Avenue and start or to make your request today or call us at 1-800-800-3222 were members of our resource team are available around the clock to help you. That's 1-800-800-3222 well coming up next time a special treat will be hearing more of Tony Evans top 4040 powerful sermons over 40 years. These are some of the messages that it made a huge impact on listeners through the years. You won't want to miss hearing will be back in the alternative, with Dr. Tony Avenue is brought to you by the urban alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you