Hebrews 12:1 Faith is traveling light and staying pure

Hebrews 12:1

Background

The men of faith received their commendation because they endured and finished their race. They travelled light and stayed pure by rejecting all forms of impediments and temptations. Today’s passage teaches us to stay focused and not be weighed down by pleasures and things that have little bearing on our true life purpose.

Observation

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

The advent of the new covenant is the consequence of men who through faith simplified their lifestyle by shedding off encumbrances that have little bearing to their course. At the same time they reject sin by sanctifying their hearts from the pleasures of the world. In so doing, the pleasures of the world no longer entice them. These men and women were instrumental in creating the right conditions and foundations for the incarnation of Christ. Hence, they were commended for their faith and became participants of the glory of the new covenant. Today, believers are commissioned to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth and to establish a kingdom that is founded upon God’s values system which are uprightness, mercy and humility. Every believer is given a specific commission according to God’s master plan of kingdom building. Therefore, in order to succeed in our commission, we must not be hindered by any encumbrance or entangled by sins.

Encumbrance comes from the Greek form ogkos which means a burdensome object which hinders one’s movement. Encumbrance is not equivalent to sin, rather it is something that takes away our time and resources that has little bearing on our primary goal. Sin, on the other hand is more serious. Sin is a deviation from the divine standards of uprightness; it is a rebellious and self-centered attitude; it is a propensity towards evil and the pleasures of the flesh rather than the life of the Spirit.

People of faith must fashion their lifestyle to shed off commitments that have little bearing to the course of kingdom building. Believers must also be resolute in cutting off sins and bondages that tempt and pull them away from the urgency of the commission. Hence, believers have to exercise discipline and endurance, in maintaining focus on the course amidst distractions of worldly pleasures.

Truth

Sin hinders the impartation of life and power from the Holy Spirit. People who are entangled with a materialistic lifestyle, greed and sexual perversions and pornography can never grow in the virtues of the Holy Spirit. For such people, peace, love, joy, patience, kindness and self-control often come in short supply. One may appear well to do, but he is never satisfied and happy with what he has. Sin does not consist of individual acts per se but the attitude of the heart; it is the propensity towards the sensual pleasures of the flesh and self-centered living. This godless inclination of the heart repels the life of the Spirit cutting him off from the source of eternal life. In most cases, evil spirits participate in the vicious cycle of temptation and fulfillment of sin. The sinner is trapped in a bid to maintain an intensity of pleasure each time by going deeper into sin. Each time he goes deeper in search of a higher level of stimulus, it becomes more difficult for him to extract himself from sin and addiction.

For the sinner to disentangle himself from sin, he must first make a moral decision to divorce himself from evil by submitting himself to the lordship of Christ. And the Spirit comes and breaks the bondage of sin and addiction. Daily repentance is an important discipline; it involves the discipline of dependence on the Spirit and the endurance of rejecting temptations and keeping focus on the course. The ministry of deliverance sanctifies the soul and the body freeing the sinner from the entanglement of sin.

Encumbrances drain our time and resources and limit our potential. Especially in a developed nation, people often work longer hours in order to sustain an expensive lifestyle. Propelled by greed and pride many invest heavily in houses, cars and expensive hobbies. Hence, they have little time to do the work of the gospel and many of them resort to giving money to relieve their obligation of charity. Encumbrances also come in the form of gossips and unhealthy relationships. Some liaisons consume emotional energy with little purpose and meaningful input. Gossips confuse and waste valuable resources of the mind that is used to decipher information with little relevance. Therefore, it is important to evaluate our emotional and financial investments and travel light by cutting off impediments that have little bearing on kingdom building.

Application

1. Are you accustomed to the distractions that appeal to a seemingly harmless obsession? Those innocuous hobbies or distractions may well be a trojan horse for an all-out attack of the devil. Unhealthy and raunchy conversations with members of the opposite sex, pornography, and pubbing are land mines that will one day destroy your life. It is time to make a resolution to wean off from the pleasures and addictions of these things by reading the word daily, by starving your fleshly appetites and by cutting unhealthy people off your meeting schedules.
2. Do you have encumbrances in a form of expensive cars, houses, and lifestyle that drains your time and resources? When you find little time for yourself to do things that are truly meaningful, it is time to re-evaluate your priorities and shed off these encumbrances.

Dear Lord, I am determined to be filled with your truth by reading the word daily. I am committed to purify myself from sins and pleasures of the flesh. I will shed off encumbrances that have little bearing to the course of kingdom building. Give me the endurance to stay focused on the course and finish my race. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.