Let's Lay Aside Every Weight

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

The cloud of witnesses, I believe, is in reference to the men and women of faith listed for us in Hebrews 11, commonly referred to as the “faith chapter” of the Bible, for it lists for us many people of old who believed in the Lord and who followed him in obedience, proving their faith by their obedience. Now they all were not obedient throughout all of their lives. Many of them had failures, but this is about the times when they obeyed and of the results of their obedience and how that made a difference, not only in their own lives, but in the lives of many other people, even throughout history.

Those who obeyed the Lord, by faith, set the example for us as to what faith looks like, for faith = obedience. And it involves the forsaking of our sins, too. Therefore, we who claim to be of faith in Jesus Christ should also be those who have been crucified with Christ to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So, we are to put out of our lives all sin which clings so closely and everything that is weighing us down and that is hindering our walks of faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus.

Then we can run with endurance the race (path, way) marked out for us by God to run (walk, in conduct). For if sin is still our practice, we cannot run the race God has for us to run. And if we are allowing the things of this world and the temptations of the flesh to overtake us and to keep us from obeying the Lord and following him where he wants to lead us, they will hinder us from being able to run the race that God has designed for us to run, too. So we must cast them all off, and we must submit to Christ as Lord, and surrender our lives to the will of God, and then follow his lead.

And it is critical that we keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ and on the teachings of the Scriptures and that we are not distracted by all the trappings of this sinful world. For this is not something we can do just part-time, or only when we feel like it, or only on Sunday mornings, etc. And this is not something we can do empowered by the flesh. This involves total surrender of our lives to our Lord, allowing Jesus to now be master of our lives, and for us to be in submission to his will and purpose for our lives and to obeying his word and to ceasing walking in sin.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31] 

I Sing of His Mercy  

An Original Work / April 10, 2014

Based off Psalm 32 

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess 

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and 

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

https://vimeo.com/91747192