Getting Rid of Stuff

Introduction: ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.1 Because of the joy 2 awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne’.

 (NLT)

Transition: 2025 needs to be another year we intentional about ‘getting rid of stuff’.

1. The Sin that Besets (entangles) us

‘Strip off / throw off / lay aside – everything that slows us down.’ Ensnares, easily entangles, encumbrances,

Application: Picture on Slide. Books, stuff. You’ve possibly seen tv shows about individuals that have so much stuff, it’s hard to get around.

Question: What is slowing you down? What is creating problems if not chaos in your life, home, work? Do a little research on the children of alcoholics.

Sins, habits, attitudes, Addictions!

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) were not the whole law, but a summary of all that God had to tell them. The entire books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are devoted to revealing to the Israelites God’s laws. Jewish rabbis say that there are 613 laws in the Torah (Books of Moses). Of those, 365 are in the “thou shalt not…” category.
https://www.gotquestions.org/list-of-sins.html

Habits/Attituded

Backbiting

Sexual sins – adultery, fornication, etc.

Cheating

Coarse Joking

Criticism

Disobedient

Greed

Gluttony

https://ee5fcc47c77f8b0abe07-686e11708c76f836b90a9b9df2c4a268.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/uploaded/b/0e10886044_1599234967_biblical-sins.pdf

Negative attitudes/habits:

Judgmentalness:

Bossiness:

Arrogance:

Sneakiness:

Laziness:

Manipulation: manipulation involves using tactics to control or influence others to serve one’s own interests.

https://www.betterup.com/blog/toxic-traits

Application: We know that alcoholism doesn’t only affect the alcoholic. It also affects spouse, children, family, co-workers, neighbours and communities.

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs) often exhibit impulsive behavior due to unpredictable childhood environments.

ACOAs tend to isolate themselves as a protective mechanism, which can lead to social anxiety and difficulties in forming relationships.

Inconsistency in behavior and emotions among ACOAs is linked to the stress and trauma of growing up in a dysfunctional family setting.

ACOAs face unique challenges in romantic relationships, including emotional dysregulation and trust issues.

ACOAs may overreact to change, stemming from a desire for control and predictability.

A sense of perceived victimhood in ACOAs can result from complex trauma and emotional distress experienced during childhood.

ACOAs may develop judgmental tendencies as a defense mechanism against the unpredictability faced as children.

Approval-seeking behavior in ACOAs often results from seeking security and stability in their formative years.

Unnecessary lying by ACOAs can be a learned response to protect themselves from conflict or disappointment.

ACOAs have a heightened risk of developing substance use disorders, which is influenced by genetic and environmental factors.

https://www.columbusrecoverycenter.com/alcohol-addiction/10-characteristics-of-adult-children-of-alcoholics

Biblical examples of Sin that entangled:

1. David – Lust – 2 Samuel 11:1f

Sexual Sin(s) – everything from adultery, fornication, pornography etc…

• Stubbornness – Pharaoh, Pharisees, Nation of Israel

• Gossip –
  
  
  • Miriam and Aaron: Gossiped about Moses because they felt insecure about their value before God.
    
    
  • The crowds: Gossiped about Jesus’ character while he was absent from Jerusalem during Tabernacles. Some said he was a good man, while others said he was deceiving the crowd.
    
    
  • King David’s enemies: Gossiped about King David’s projected downfall while he was sick.

• Diotrephes: Gossiped maliciously about John’s congregation in 3 John 10.
  
  
• Pride
  
  
  • King Saul
  • Goliath
  • King Nebuchadnezzar

Footholds and Strongholds

Footholds: The most common use of the word foothold today is as a place or thing that will support a climber’s foot or as a secure starting position from which further advance can be made. In biblical Greek it can refer to a spot, place, location, room, home, position, tract, occasion, opportunity, locality, region, or condition.

Paul gives us insight into how Satan might establish a foothold in our thinking from which further advancement can be made. He says,

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

In these verses Paul warns us to quickly forgive an offense so that retained anger does not turn into bitterness, because bitterness (long-held unforgiveness) gives Satan a “foot up” in our thought life. It can give him a platform that will support further incursions into our thought life.

There is no truth in any of these thinking patterns. The behaviour that typically follows these kinds of deception is sinful disobedience of Christ’s instruction and example of forgiveness. Through unwillingness to forgive, the evil one gains a foothold—gains ground, a place, or a spot from which to make further advances into his target’s thought processes and actions.

STRONGHOLDS:

Author Mark Bubeck defines stronghold, saying: “a stronghold is an idea, belief, fear, feeling, desire, or anything else (arguments, pretensions against the knowledge of God) that has a strong hold, or a firm grip on, our mind, spirit, body, or heart—enslaving us—motivating us to act out against God’s will through repeated sinful behaviour.

A stronghold is a believed lie we have allowed to become reality to us and hold us in bondage to sin. It’s a lie that has darkened our minds to the truth of Christ.”

Another of Satan’s deceptive schemes is to establish strongholds in our mind. Look at what the Apostle Paul has to say about this:

‘…though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

 The Greek word for stronghold is used in the Greek Old Testament several times where it always carries the literal meaning of a fortress.

The above passage is the only occurrence of the word stronghold in the New Testament and it is used figuratively to refer to the “strength of false arguments.” The words rendered arguments and pretension in the Greek tell us that the stronghold—the strong false argument—is established by a proud adversary for evil purposes. Look at the way Today’s English Version expresses it:

‘The weapons we use in our fight are not the world’s weapons but God’s powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ’. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, TEV)

Author Mark Bubeck defines stronghold, saying: “a stronghold is an idea, belief, fear, feeling, desire, or anything else (arguments, pretensions against the knowledge of God) that has a strong hold, or a firm grip on, our mind, spirit,  body, or heart—enslaving us—motivating us to act out against God’s will through repeated sinful behavior. A stronghold is a believed lie we have allowed to become reality to us and hold us in bondage to sin. It’s a lie that has darkened our minds to the truth of Christ.”

The differences between footholds and strongholds are subtle. But we can make this distinction. A foothold is based upon lies one believes that lead him/her into sin for which he/she remains unrepentant.  Continuing to function in that sin gives Satan a place from which to advance against us—to gain more ground in our lives. A stronghold seems to be directly connected to a proudly held strong argument or belief that weakens a person’s faith in God or leads the person away from God. Such false beliefs may stem from apostasy, habitual sin, or from misinterpretations of traumatic events in a person’s life. The false belief is so deeply ensconced in the person’s thinking that Satan can safely operate in the person’s life as if he were protected within the walls of a strong fortress.

Transition: In the midst of any/every spiritual battle or spiritual warfare, we are encouraged to keep going!

II. Run with perseverance

Ecclesiastes 9:11 ‘I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time’.

 *

• Not the fastest
• Not the strongest
• Not the wealthy
• Not the educated

But to those who are in the right place at the right time.

[But time and chance] time or opportunity, and incident or occurrence.

•        In Jesus

•        Prepared and trained

1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize”. This passage compares the Christian life to endurance sports, and encourages believers to run the race of life with the same intensity as a runner trying to win a gold medal’.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus”.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

‘The race that God has set before us’

Transition: The only way to finish is to keep our eyes on Jesus.

III. Staying Focused (on Jesus)

‘Running with Patience’

1) to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on something; to look away from all else at

Blind Spots

• Not looking at the storm(s) Peter walking on water
  
  
• Not placing the desires or demands of other over our convictions
  
  
• Not settling for any anything less than 100%
  
  
• Not ‘watering down’ or ‘altering’ what we know to be right
  
  
• Not justifying reasons for our failures
  
  

Conclusion:  Self Improvements – Percentage of Americans who would change a bad habit if they could: 45

https://www.columbusrecoverycenter.com/alcohol-addiction/10-characteristics-of-adult-children-of-alcoholics

Biblical examples: