Sermon – Casting Off Weights Jan 8, 2006

Two Hearts Fully Committed
While Dani and I were away in Central California we attended a Hungarian New Year’s Eve party and met a couple with an extraordinary story. A few years ago, this young woman named Leah learned she had a brain tumor. The doctor declared it inoperable and recommended radiation treatment. Leah was strong in her faith and sure she was going to Paradise so she refused treatments. The doctor strongly disagreed with her decision and told her she was foolish. He then wanted to prescribe pain meds to carry her to the end, which he assured her would be in less than six months. Leah wanted to go to Bible College in Hungary and sold all her possessions in preparation for death or Bible College; whichever came was fine with her. Christians and churches all over the world began praying.

After a few months, the doctor called Leah to his office. He said he had to discuss something that could only be handled in person. When she arrived, the doctor showed her the scan of the large tumor, then the scan taken more recently. It revealed no tumor. Somewhere during the week between the two scans, the tumor had disappeared. About four months later, the doctor gave his heart to Christ and left his practice for the mission field.

Leah went to Hungary to the Bible College where my sister works and where I went in July. There she met a Hungarian young man named Balazs. He also had cancer - fast spreading testicular cancer. The doctors told him even with surgery and chemo he had only a 10 percent chance of surviving. As the cancer wasted his body down until he could wrap a hand around his thigh, a strong solid peace from God grew in his heart. The closer Balazs came to death, the more pronounced the peace became. It surprised him in its intensity and repeatedly he asked God, “What is this peace?” God answered by giving him many verses such as:

Isa 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.

The peace grew to be so strong he began praying to die so he could see Jesus, the Source of his peace. After surgery, the cancer quickly returned. After the second chemo treatment, Balazs stopped all medical treatments and trusted himself to the Lord. Again, the doctors called him foolish and pointed out it was illegal in Hungary to practice voluntary euthanasia. However, Balazs had achieved total peace and trusted in God no matter what the outcome. Miraculously, he was cured of all cancer including any scarring from the lesions. Leah and Balazs married in Hungary and have one year left before they both graduate from Bible College.

It occurred to me as I listened to their stories that these two are in a unique spiritual position while in their early twenties. They have already been up to the gate that leads to the next life and discovered that is exactly where they want to be. They can never again be afraid of what is ahead. Nothing that happens in this life will compare to where they have already been. The bottom line is, they have no earthly barriers between them and Jesus. I realized that is precisely where I would like to live.

Meanwhile, the doctors are now saying the impossible has happened again. Balazs' sperm cells are alive and swimming; they are able to have children.

What Holds Us Back?
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to examine our hearts to discover how we can become like Leah and Balazs with nothing earthly between Jesus and us. So the question at hand is, what is it that holds me back from living fully for Christ? What is it that holds you back? The obvious answer is sin holds us back. However, we all know how sin messes up our walk with Jesus. We have all heard plenty of sermons and read books about how greed, drunkenness, hatred, jealousy, theft, lying, drugs, sexual sin, and the rest can ruin a Christian’s faith. I know my sin and you know yours and hopefully we are doing all we can to employ Christ’s strength to fight those temptations. We will all continue to wrestle against sin until we die. I don’t want to talk today about sin. There is something else keeping us from a perfect walk with Jesus.

Heb 12:1
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 run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Notice Hebrews says we need to throw off everything that hinders AND the sin that entangles. There are two different hindrances. In addition to sin there is also, “everything that hinders.”

For the phrase “everything that hinders,” the original Greek version of the Bible uses the word euperistatos (yoo-per-is'-tat-os). It is a compound of several other words and means, “standing around thwarting a racing competitor in every direction.” I get the impression of a football player trying to run downfield and an opposing cornerback blocking and slowing him down no matter what direction he tries to go.

The Living Bible puts it this way:

Heb 12:1
Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back… TLB

It is euperistatos that slows us down and sin that holds us back.

The Message puts is like this:

Heb 12:1
Do you see what this means--all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running--and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. MSG

No extra spiritual fat. So you can already see where this message is leading—to a New Year’s resolution for another diet. However, this is a spiritual diet. There are things in my life that qualify as spiritual fat. These are not open sins, but they cause unnecessary fatty weight that slows me down. I don’t move to Jesus as fast as I could, I don’t enjoy full-on closeness with Him because of these unnecessary weights.


Rich Young Ruler
Do you recall the story of the rich young ruler? He wanted to fully follow God and he asked Jesus what he should do.

Matt 19:16-22
16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

18 "Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"

(These are the obvious sins. Next Jesus is going to confront the weights in the man’s life.)

20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

The young man was not sinning, but he had spiritual fat holding him back from a more perfect walk with God. In Mark’s account of this encounter, after the man said, “What do I still lack?” it says:

Mark 10:21
Jesus looked at him and loved him.

I like that. Jesus looks at us today as we want to move beyond just sin and ask, “What else is there? What else is weighing me down from perfect love with Jesus?” and He loves us.

A Unique Opportunity
Like the young ruler, we have non-sinful things weighing us down. In America, we are not normal. We make more than $2 per day and can eat three meals a day if we want to. Most of the world cannot do that. Like the rich young ruler, we have margin in our lives, unnecessary gifts we are free to give back to Jesus or horde to ourselves. We have a unique opportunity to move into a more perfect love of Jesus.

Barnabas
Another example of giving up surplus for the name of Jesus is found in Acts 4:

Acts 4:32-37
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

I get the idea Barnabas was like Leah and Balazs—he did not hold the things of this world precious but willingly gave even his margin to Jesus.

Holding Back
So often, I am a cake-and-eat-it-too Christian. I want to identify with Jesus but I also want to indulge in earthly pleasures while I wait for heaven. I fear I am like Ananias and Sapphira. Let’s read on:

Acts 5:1-4
5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.

3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

We all know the outcome of this story; both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at Peter’s feet. The margin of gifts in my life is like the land of Ananias; it is mine to keep or give as I choose. If I keep it, the joy it brings me in this life is all I’ll ever achieve. If I give it to the name of Jesus, it will yield far richer blessings through eternity. The worst scenario is that I should pretend to be giving all to Jesus, but secretly, I am holding back. Ananias and Sapphira made that error.

This is our opportunity to move out from the crowd around us and strip off whatever weights hold us and hand them to Jesus. We can leverage our surplus margin into service for the kingdom. What is your margin; what are your weights? I cannot answer that for you.

Prayer
For our closing prayer time we will allow some quiet space to examine our hearts before the Lord. What are the weights in our lives? What holds us back from an absolute love affair with Jesus? What can we give back to Him in 2006? Let’s seek Him and gratefully commit what we can.