In the Bible Christian Ministry
Sunday 8-17-25 (The Simple Life, Part 1)

  • Intro

    We live complicated lives. Seems things get the more complicated as time passes
    Why is that?
    Because we are constantly adding STUFF to our lives that complicates it.
    We add people,
    We add things
    We add goals
    I enjoy my friends, I enjoy my things, I enjoy my lifestyle.
    But you ever go to the country or go on a vacation to a cabin and just enjoy the Simple life.
    Cabin
    You packed all this stuff but you only need a little
    The cabin seems too small but as long as you don’t pack it full of stuff it works
    And while there you know where everything is and its just a breath of fresh air.
    At home
    you live there everyday but you are constantly losing stuff because you got too much
    you constantly have stuff to do
    Even the things that you bought to make life more enjoyable need maintenance or breaks and needs attention.
    Ahhh the Simple life
    But having all this stuff can take away from our focus.
    Sometimes we don’t just lose sight of the Things we own we lose sight of God because of what we Have—-the clutter.

    Hebrews 11

    Often referred to as the "Faith Chapter" or the "Hall of Faith" in the Bible.
    Highlights the importance of faith and provides a series of examples from the Old Testament to illustrate what living by faith looks like.
    Opens with a foundational definition:
    Hebrews 11:1–2 NIV
    1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
    This sets the tone for the rest of the chapter, emphasizing that faith involves trust in God's promises even when they are not yet visible.
    2. Examples of Faithful Individuals
    Lists many figures from the Hebrew Scriptures who demonstrated faith, including:
    It starts each verse with By Faith.
    Abel – offered a better sacrifice than Cain.
    Enoch – walked with God and was taken up without dying.
    Noah – built the ark in obedience to God’s warning.
    Abraham – obeyed God's call to leave his homeland and trusted God's promise of descendants.
    Sarah – believed she would bear a child despite her old age.
    Moses – chose to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy the pleasures of Egypt.
    Each example is used to show how faith led these individuals to act in obedience, often in the face of uncertainty or adversity.
    3. Faith Despite Not Receiving the Promise
    Many of the people mentioned did not see the full realization of God's promises in their lifetimes. The chapter emphasizes that they died in faith, still trusting in what was to come.
    4. Encouragement to the Readers
    The chapter concludes by pointing out that these examples were meant to encourage believers to remain faithful.
    Hebrews 11:39–40 NIV
    39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
    So what we do is going to complete what they did.… and I’m guessing we will need faith.

    Why am I telling you this?

    Hebrews 12

    Well chapter 11 sets the stage for Chapter 12:
    Then Hebrews 12 is called the: The Call to Endurance
    So you have the Faith Chapter followed by the Endurance Chapter
    The Transition: From Examples to a Call to Action
    So this tells us we need to use 11 for what we need to do.
    The shift from Hebrews 11 to 12 moves from remembering the faithful to living faithfully:
    • Hebrews 11: "Here are people who lived by faith."
    • Hebrews 12: "Now you, too, must live by faith—look to Jesus and endure."
    While Hebrews 11 focuses on Old Testament figures, Hebrews 12 presents Jesus as the perfecter of faith:
    • He endured suffering and shame.
    • He is the model for believers to follow.
    • His victory gives believers strength to persevere.
    And like those examples we must also ENDURE
    we are treated as God’s children
    Hebrews 11:1–2 NIV
    1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
    Hebrews 12 says to endure.
    But How?
    How did they do it?
    Hebrews 12:1–2 NIV
    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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
    Who are the Great Cloud of Witnesses —many people read this and think the church or those around them — No
    This is referencing the people we just read about. These are the Old Testament saints who demonstrated unwavering faith in God despite facing numerous challenges and hardships.
    Notice is says THEREFORE> Gave you all the names and said ok THEREFORE!!!
    We are surrounded by these SAINTS of the Past — that’s important
    Hebrews 12:1–2 NIV
    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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
    So since we have them as witnesses. Let us do what they did!!!
    Run with Endurance
    Fix our Eyes on Jesus or God
    But before all that...
    THROW OFF!!!!!
    Throw off SIN?? Yes AND… EVERYTHING that hinders and also sin.
    Hebrews 12:1 NIV
    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,
    It tells us throw off everything AND SIN as well.
    Tells me there is more than sin that hinders.
    Notice Sin entangles...Things Hinder
    So when I’m entangled- I’m stopped.
    When I’m hindered I’m slow down.
    Burdening me. I’m still progressing so I don’t realize I’m slowing down.
    When you are speeding and running from the police...they STOP you and you notice. It’s a big deal.
    When you are breaking the law ... now you are entangled...breaking the law, get pulled over — stopped, car accident—stopped, that’s like sin.
    But when you are distracted.
    Talking on the phone when you are driving...hands free.
    Go slower, You hands free. Not breaking the law.
    But you are hindered.

    Throw it all Away

    Hebrews says.… Throw it all AWAY
    So chapter 12 does a great job of answering the question of how do I do what these great examples of the old testament did?
    His wisdom was to throw off anything that entangles them, anything that distracts or sucks time away from their goal.
    The Greek word used for this is to “lay aside” in Hebrews 12:1, meaning “to put off, aside, or away, to cast off, renounce.”
    This is an easy concept to understand but difficult in application. Being able to eliminate the unnecessary is what separates the good from the excellent.
    The more you have the more decisions you must make.
    The more decisions you must make the more complicated things become.
    The more complicated things become the more stressed you are
    The more stressed you are the less focused you are.
    Think of how easy you are to stress.
    We go to a Restaurant.
    Sit, Calm, Nice
    Menu
    - They specialize in pasta and chicken
    - Bring you one type of salad and bread
    - You decide between, ravioli, lasagna, or spaghetti, or a chicken dish,
    - Server comes you are ready and we are back to our conversation
    We enjoyed ourselves so we go to another restaurant:
    Restaurant #2
    Sit, Calm, Nice,
    They hand us a 10 page binder
    30 Appetizers
    Entrees go from Shepherds Pie, to Chicken Fingers, to steak, to something you can’t pronounce, they got Gyros, and fried chicken and then you flip to the back and they serve breakfast all day. 
    Now you like I wasn’t even thinking about breakfast but now I think I want breakfast.
    Server comes you not ready, stress goes up
    Come back give me a second
    You are never ready but now you feel you must make a decision.
    Conversation has stopped, you don’t know what to eat
    They come back now you just blurt out your top choice out of the 5 things you saw.  You ask the waiter their opinion.  They leave. You are still wondering if you made the right choice. 
    You see them talking to the next table and you are still considering stopping them and changing your order.
    You get the food and its good but you are still thinking should I have.
    But you had all these choices.
    We think the MORE the BETTER.  I want to have a lot of options
    How is that possible.  You—a person who can’t even throw away that shirt that you haven’t worn in 4 years.  Not because it doesn’t fit but you don’t like the material because it rubs you a certain way but it still looks good but every time you get a chance to wear it… you see it but you choose not to wear it, but you don’t choose to get rid of it.
    We complicate our LIVES.
    And the more we have the harder it is.
    Phones are supposed to make things easier but do they really??
    1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 NIV
    11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

    A Quiet Life or a SIMPLE life

    A quiet life.
    For what you can control keep it quiet. Drama free. AMBITION—- Not for them for you!!!!
    Hit you on this cheek
    Forgive (matt 18:21 (unmerciful servant)
    Don’t be Anxious
    BECAUSE IT IS YOUR AMBITION...NOT THIERS
    life is a Party —- No
    Work: Go do something...stop focusing on NOTHING and Do something!!!
    Folks with Nothing to do always find some stuff to stir up!!!
    Stop adding people and things that don’t benefit you.
    If the only purpose is that it brings you peace—then it is worth it!!!!
    A calm existence!!!
    Focused Life
    Remove those THINGS that are distracting.
    https://embracingasimplerlife.com/bible-verses-about-simple-living/
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