WHY DO WE SEEM TO

Want To Hang On To Sin? (Hebrews 2:1-4;3:1–7 through to 4:13; 5:11–6:2) If you are not living for the Lord, if I am not living the way God wants me to live. We need to read these verses. These verses tell me, my life needs to be different from those of the world. Its not me, but God/Jesus who makes the difference. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us rung with perseveranceh the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, I the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,l and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow wearyn and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:1-4,10,14) My I phone at times reminds me that I need to clean up my act and deliete some of the things stored on my phone so I free up some space, so I can continue using it. These junk and strorage files taking up space that could be used for things I want to keep." I really do not like being told what to do by a machine/robot like phone. Yet, just the same if I clean out those files it makes space for things I need to remember. These unwanted and unuseful files are easy to delete off the phone. But on the other hand those same typs of files in my life are not so easty to delete. So often we find our souls are clogged with stuff that keeps us from growing spiritually. Or they keep us from giving our lives to Christ so He can bring about change and true happiness into our lives. Our scriptures this morning understands the reality of this conundrum,and it trys to encourage us or warns us of the dangers of hanging on to these sins that so easly beset us. Things that become a stumbling block in our lives. It really messes up our walk with God, so it tells us, “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). Why do we hold on to these sins that drag us down and make us fall into terrble situations? Let me try and help you understand why. It is because rather than renewing our minds our brains would rather stay with the familiar pain we are used to,seem better than venturing into the unknown. The devil feeds us the lie, that for some reason the pain is our friend. And our brain likes safety in the known, even though it hurts. Our human mind, will choose the familiar, even if it hurts. While the new things that would be better for us, seems risky.. We as humans like to stay in our comfort zone, even if its not right. Stepping out of one known way of life seems brings a lot of worry about the future. It also seems that Knowing how a bad situation is, is easier to manage than facing a totally new situation. Tjhe devil will keep us blinded to the joy and love and peace God can give if we will only give our lives into His hands. Another lie the devil uses is this, He say, look at all the years and money you have spent in getting to where you are now, if you change your life that will all be gone. I had a young man tell me one time, "if I become a christian, I will loose all of my friends and I will have y=to make new one." Leaving the old life behind feels like throwing all that past work into the trash, and the devil uses that feeling to keep you right where He wants you. We stay with the familar sins rather than beginning a new life, because the devil tells us your investment will finally pay off, if you just stick with it. So even though it seems like a lost cause, you hang on for dear life. Our human brains feel the pain of losing something twice as much as the joy of winning and beginning something new. The enemy gets us focusing so much on what we might lose that we forget how free we would be with out being under the weight of it. So then we fall in love with the vision of the thing we think could exist if only we make it to the end, but the reality, never satifies us. We live in the if only state for a way to many years. Because we believe the answer is just around the next bend. So we plug on, hoping for a miracle or a promise thta never comes. Friend, what sin is so easly besetting you? what trap are you caught in? Here in Hebrews the bible encourages us to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (v. 2), He is the creator of a new life for you. He is the one and only that can bring about a change in your life that will bring you and happiness ever after feeling you are seeking for. Hr alone can help you identify those things dragging you down, and will lift them from your shoulders and set you free. I encourage you today, to seek God in helping you delete the “junk of sin from your life” those things that set you back day after day after day, and keep you from walking into an abundant life in Jsus. As a non-believer, what is keeping you from believing the truth about the walk God is calling you tii? And as a believer, what is the sin that is so easly bestting you and keeping you from GROWING in your faith? I challenge you today, to tak a look at your faith and see how it can help you identify and throw off sinful influences that are holding you back. It may be simply the disobedance of leaving behind a life time of work and sacrifice, to venture out in a new direction, that you have known for years, that is the way God wanted you to go. I can tell you, if this is the case, until you are obedient, you will not find that joy ir peace, that comes an=s we obediently walk in the way God had pointed us. Dear God, please forgive me for hanging on to my will and my way, rather that taking the right road, to your will and way. I am asking for wisdom and courage to step out of my comfort zone, to tell the devil to get lost with all of his tricks and lies, so I can “throw off the SIN that so easily entangles” me. That the chains may fall off, and finially I will be free from my past and walk into a future of love and grace and peace. It is in your name I pray Amen.