Today's Message was not recorded so here are Pastor Rick's notes for your perusal:
Today’s sermon is not a Father’s Day Sermon. I would have liked to preach on our “Abba” Father today or to talk about the attributes of God’s Fatherhood as I have in the past or admonished us to be godly fathers ourselves. But that is not what I feel on my heart. Instead, today, I feel on my heart this question: What Hinders You?
Hebrews chapter 11 is the Biblical Hall of Fame or Hall of Faith as some have called it. Beginning in Genesis and continuing down through the time of the prophets, many are listed who had great faith. Toward the end of the chapter the writer says,
Hebrews 11:32 ¶ And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens [invaders].
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Then turn the page: Let us read together Hebrews 12:1-3
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,
2 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.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Here in Hebrews, Paul is using the metaphor of the games held in the great Roman amphitheaters. Surrounded by the spectators, the runners would strip naked, laying aside every burden, removing anything that would cause resistance, so that they could run at their very best without any encumbrance. They wanted nothing in the way of victory.
Paul also uses this metaphor in another place as he addresses the Christians of Galatia. Into their church had come strong influences that were leading them astray. Paul questions them with our text today:
Galatians 5:7 – “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”
Let us consider today: What hinders you from obeying God? What weight is holding you back in the race? What sin besets you? What hinders you from obeying the truth? What is going to keep you from winning the race?
I want to share with you a few metaphors as well and use them to apply this thought to our hearts.
What are some other words for hinder or hindrance? Block, Blockage, Hamper, Impede, Impediment, Weight, Encumbrance, Burden, Problem, Resistance, Obstruction, Prevent, Delay, Interference, Slow Down, Set Back, Hold Back, Barrier, Restraint, Limitation.
As I thought on this a few pictures/things came to my mind:
Barbed Wire/Fencing
Jersey Wall
Cones/Barrels
Ball & Chain / Ankle Weights
A Plumbing Blockage – Hinders things from working properly. (Parking Lot/Objects/Tree Roots)
A Hearing Blockage – Hinders communication (Birth or Situational)
An Airway Blockage – Hinders Life! (Sudden & Emergency)
A Heart Blockage – Hinders Life! (Brought on by diet/lifestyle)
A Heavy Burden
Light Pollution
Of these, I want to take 3 of them and apply them.
Heart Blockage
Plumbing Blockage
Light Pollution
Heart Blockage – When I think of heart blockage, what I am really thinking of is coronary artery disease. (There is “heart block” which is a different medical condition involving the electrical impulses of the heart – I am not thinking of that.) “CAD is caused by plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart (called coronary arteries) and other parts of the body. Plaque is made up of deposits of cholesterol and other substances in the artery. Plaque buildup causes the inside of the arteries to narrow over time, which could partially or totally block the blood flow. This process is called atherosclerosis. Over time, CAD can weaken the heart muscle.” How you reduce your risk for CAD is by eating less sodium and less fat, increasing physical activity, avoiding obesity, and reducing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. While not entire, most of the cause of CAD is poor diet and exercise. Over time, these bad habits result in serious damage to the body. As the blockages build, they can literally result in discomfort, pain, and even death. Spiritually I would ask you today, what hinders your heart? What is your spiritual diet and exercise like? Are you feeding yourself a constant diet of spiritual junk food? Are you avoiding or skimping on healthy reading and meditation on God’s Word? Are you spiritually exercising your muscles? Are you walking in humility, loving your neighbor, putting God’s priorities first? Are you exercising the spiritual disciplines of reading and meditation, fasting and prayer? Or, are you building all the wrong spiritual habits of neglect, laziness, apathy, and carelessness? Are you committing sin and letting it leave its debris in your heart? If so, you are setting yourself up for a spiritual heart attack – spiritual death! Are you following Christ closely on your way to being a spiritual athlete or are you lagging behind to become a spiritual couch potato? What hinders you?
Plumbing Blockage – A plumbing blockage usually occurs in only a few ways. One, something is flushed or inserted into the pipe that doesn’t belong there. Two, a slow buildup of grease/minerals/debris can eventually clog the pipe. Three, a slow creeping of tree roots into the pipe to constrict and obstruct the flow. I want you to think of this in terms of the Holy Spirit in your heart. The Holy Spirit is often thought of as oil that flows. It is like oil in a lamp…particularly think of an oil menorah: In each of the menorah branches, olive oil flows into the wick. But imagine if one of the branches had an obstruction or blockage? The oil eventually would cease to flow to the wick through that tube and that flame would go out. We want nothing to obstruct the spiritual plumbing of our heart that would hinder the work and movement of the Holy Spirit in us. We don’t want this to happen quickly with an action or spoken word that blocks the pipe. We don’t want it to happen over time because we don’t maintain the pipe and it becomes greasy and obstructed by the buildup of various things. Hebrews 12 also talks about roots of bitterness springing up (15). We don’t want anything to creep in and begin to obstruct or hinder the flow in our spiritual plumbing. What hinders you?
Light Pollution – Thursday night, Emma and I went grocery shopping. It was after dark when we got to Wal-Mart. As we left the van, we noticed the planet Venus shining brightly in the sky. Emma asked why we couldn’t see other stars. I told her it was because we had too many other lights around us that were hindering us from being able to see them. It’s known as “light pollution.” That immediately struck my heart. Think about it: the brilliance of our spectacular universe obscured by pitiful man-made electrified night. Immediately I made the connection spiritually. How often is our view of the holiness and brilliance of God obstructed by the dimmer lights of earth? What is obstructing my view of Him? Is it media, politics, entertainment? Is it my own dreams and ambition? Is it someone else who is more important to me and outshines God in my mind? What earthly person or thing keeps me from seeing Jesus as I ought? What hinders you?
And may I say that I am talking to all of us today wherever we are on our spiritual pathway.
If you are not a believer, then I ask, “What hinders you?” What prevents you from taking hold of faith? Lay it aside. Do not be like King Agrippa who was “almost persuaded” to be a Christian.
If you are a believer, but not yet sanctified, I ask, “What hinders you?” What prevents you from making a full and complete surrender? What prevents you from receiving the infilling of the Holy Spirit and His purging fire?
If you are a believer, born of God, washed and cleansed, and filled with the Holy Spirit, I ask, “What Hinders You?” What is holding you back from fulfilling His perfect will? What tempts you, what causes you to stumble? What is in your way to prevent you from walking in complete obedience? What battle are you facing in which you need the victory?
This brings me back to our Scripture texts. In the first, Paul says, “Lay aside everything that obstructs your ability to run the race. And set aside the besetting sin – that is the all-encompassing sin – the sin that surrounds you: whether this is external in your environment or internal from a carnal heart. Lay it all aside, and run…run the race that is set before you patiently, persistently, and without faltering. Fix your eyes of faith on Jesus Christ who is the example. He ran His race with the greatest endurance – even embracing the cross, despising its shame. He did not even let the cross slow Him down or hinder Him from completing the course that had been set before him. He ran without wavering. We are to follow in His footsteps and run the race. What hinders you?
Finally in the second text, Paul makes it clear that it is possible to lose sight, lose faith, lose hope, lose perspective, lose momentum, and lose the race: “You did run well…who hindered you?” Don’t take your eyes off Christ. Don’t give in to the tempter. Don’t hold onto your carnal selfishness. Don’t listen to the voices of earth. Don’t let your spiritual heart get CAD. Don’t let your spiritual plumbing get blocked from allowing the free flow of the Holy Spirit within. Don’t let the things of earth block the light of His glory in your life. Don’t let anything hinder you!
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,
2 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.
