Grace Church Metropolis
Sunday August 23rd, 2026
www.gracechurchmetropolis.com
Welcome to Grace Church.
Sermon Notes
The Discipline of the Lord – Trained by Grace
Message 1
Hebrews 12:1
Run for your Life Part 1
- Those who ran before us.
- “36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.” Hebrews 11:36–38, NLT.
- That’s just part of it.
- Hebrews 11 is filled with ordinary people who trusted an extraordinary God.
- A cloud of witnesses
- “Surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses”
- Fast forward 2,000 years, and countless other believers have finished their race and joined those who have gone before us.
- A stadium filled with witnesses, and they are cheering us on.
- They are bearing witness to the fact that God can be trusted.
- They bear this testimony: “God was faithful to us.”
- “God will be faithful to you also.”
- This race is not easy.
- Hebrews 11 is filled with the miraculous works of God.
- But it is also filled with suffering.
- Both groups are called faithful.
- Listen: Faith is not proven merely by whether or not our difficulties disappear.
- Faith trusts God for both deliverance and endurance.
- Making it real: “When your race becomes difficult, remember—you are not the first person who has had to trust God when you could not see what He was doing.”
- Remove Whatever Slows You Down
- NLT “let us strip off every weight that slows us down”
- What can I get away with?
- We don’t ask, “How much extra weight can I carry and still run the race?”
- We ask, “What can I get rid of that will help me run better?”
- We as believers need to think like the runners.
- But not every weight is sin.
- Notice the wording here:
- “let us lay aside every hindrance” (CBS)
- “and the sin that so easily ensnares us.” (CBS)
- Lots of things can hinder our walk with the Lord that are not sinful.
- Jesus, in the parable of the Sower, calls these the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things. Mark 4:19
- Ask a better question.
- Instead of asking whether something is wrong or right.
- ask, “Is this hindering my relationship with Jesus?”
- Here’s an even harder question: “Is there something in my life that I am unwilling to give up even though I know it is slowing down my walk with Jesus?”
- Deal Seriously with Sin
- Sin is a trap
- “and the sin that so easily ensnares us.” (CBS)
- “and sin which clings so closely” (ESV)
- “and the sin that so easily entangles” (NIV)
- “especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” (NLT)
- It’s like a tree root sticking out of the ground.
- You CANNOT manage your sin.
- We become comfortable with our sins.
- We excuse them.
- We rename them.
- We compare ourselves with other people.
- We tell ourselves, “We are only human.”
- How can you run with your foot in a bear trap?
- What sin keeps tripping you?
- Anger – bitterness – pride – lust – gossip – unforgiveness – dishonesty – jealousy – selfishness?
- Practical step in dealing with our sins.
- Identify and confess
- “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23–24, NLT.
- A good prayer might be: Jesus, what is in my life right now that is hindering my walk with You?
- Turn away from it – repent
- “19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.” Acts 3:19, NLT.
- Confession says, “This is sin.”
- Repentance says, “I don't want to keep going this direction.”
- Don’t just feel about it. Turn from it.
- Remove what feeds it.
- “14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” Romans 13:14, NLT.
- When delivering mail, I knew where every pothole was. And I dodged them.
- What feeds your temptation
- Replace the sinful pattern with a godly one.
- “22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:22–24, NLT.
- Nourish Your Spirit
- “21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” James 1:21, NLT.
- Depend on the Holy Spirt
- “16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Galatians 5:16, NLT.
- You won’t overcome in your own power.
