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Cut And Run

December 20, 2020

27:30

Pastor Levi Lusko from Fresh Life Church teaches the Bible and brings a message of hope.,#=#,Levi Lusko,Personal Story;Surrender;Walk with God;Endurance;Temptation;Relationship with God;Spiritual Growth;Christianity,Hebrews 12:1-2,Religious;Series,HD-HLLFL2052,1240223

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Cut And Run

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MUSIC
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Well, in addition toall of our churches,
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we're so glad tohave those of you who
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are joining us on the internet,on Fresh Life television.
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Thanks for being apart and joining in,
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even if it's later inthe week and you're
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watching on the archive.
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We're so glad to have you be apart of what God's doing here.
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One of the most frequentanalogies to following Jesus
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that you're going to findthroughout the pages of the New
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Testament is that of running.
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You have, so oftentimes,this concept.
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Sometimes it'sdescribed as a walk,
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and sometimes isdescribed as running,
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but the basic idea is thatyou have this activity that
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requires two feet.
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Oh I got to-- my killswitch was pulled.
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You have this idea,though, of one foot
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being put after the other foot.
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There's always a littlewarning before it starts.
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I guess that's important.
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This idea of one footin front of the other.
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And you'll see itthroughout scripture.
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It's a good picture of whatfollowing Jesus looks like.
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And I guess it's an appropriateanalogy on a number of levels.
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Because for one thing,walking and running
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are both very constant,very constant.
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You have to continuouslyput foot after foot
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after foot after foot in orderfor it to keep happening.
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And for another thing,running's really hard.
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Running's difficult.It's challenging.
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I find myself, the moreI run, the more I'm
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hoping that the running stops.
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It's what I'm usually thinkingabout from the beginning
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to the end.
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I'm just like,when is this over?
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When this is over?
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When this is over?
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When is this going to notbe what I'm doing anymore?
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How many of youthink I could preach
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a message on a treadmill?
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Your confidence is inspiring.
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I will take that andgive it my absolute best.
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So running is difficult.Running is not
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something you're juststanding there doing.
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You have to really workout.
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You have to commityourself to it,
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and so it is withmaking progress
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in our walks with Jesus.
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It's interesting,entering into faith,
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easiest thing in the world,nothing we do it all.
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It's all of God's grace.
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Becoming a Christianis 100% him.
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All we're doing is,by faith, accessing
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the grace in which we stand.
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But making progressas a Christian,
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well that's running the race.
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You enter it throughwhat he does,
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and we make progress in itby committing ourself to it.
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It takes vigor.
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It takes energy.
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It takes committingourselves to these things.
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I'm reminded of a storyI heard of a father who
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heard his little daughterhad fallen out of bed.
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He could hear the big thump.
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Every parent knows that sound.
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Your child, thump,right out of bed.
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And so he rushed in and said,honey, what's the problem?
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She said, daddy, I stayedtoo close to where I got in.
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And I wonder if,sometimes, that's
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not a telling pictureof the problem
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with our walks withJesus, that we've stayed
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too close to where we got in.
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Scripture, we talkabout just staying
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with the elementalthings, the baby
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milk of walking with Jesuswhere we should have progressed
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on to solid food.
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Spitting up, and goo googa ga, and crawling around,
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it's cute when you're two,not so much when you're 30.
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And the equivalentwould be a Christian
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who's been doingit for a long time
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but still is at thesame level and is not
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progressing in intensity.
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So walking with Jesus, runningwith Jesus, it's constant.
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It's difficult, but youcan make progress in it
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if you would commityourself to it.
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I found, when I-- atone point of my life's
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got together withsome buddies and said,
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let's run this 10K together.
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Let's just do this thing.
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That the firstcouple runs to train
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towards that were agonizing,but quickly I got better at it.
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So it is, when at one point,it's like, oh my gosh,
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this is so hard, I barelycan make it through it.
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Soon you're laughing thinkingthat was, at one point,
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difficult in your mind.
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The longer you walk withJesus, the stronger you become
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and the more he's ableto do through you,
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and at one point you nevercould have dreamed of doing,
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you look back on and go-- I meanis that not the case right now?
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Do not some of you go, man, Ijust want to praise God today
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for what he's done in mylife that at one point
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I would have said I nevercould have done that.
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So walking with God is constant.
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It's something that'sdifficult, but it's something
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you can make progress in.
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And it's also something,the analogy of running,
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it's very easy to dowhat it is our aim
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to do in thisseries of messages,
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and that is to decide whatin our lives should stay
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and what should go.
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That's what we're talkingabout, really, in this series.
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We called it featurecreep, because of the way
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products that getreleased and then updated
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and then because they want usto not just have the one that we
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had that was perfectly fine,but to now get the one that
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can do fill in the blank.
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It's in the vested interestsof companies to keep adding,
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keep adding, keepupdating, and now it can--
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we somehow have accepted thishas consumers, equating more
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features with a better value.
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But it's not abetter value if we're
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paying more money for anewer product with features
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that we will never use.
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And so we have a toaster thathas 15 settings, and that's
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awesome, except that we've onlyreally ever used one of them
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that we know of.
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And so more featuresis not a better value
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if they're not features thatare useful to us in what we're
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trying to do with our lives.
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So our homes, our hearts,our lives, our souls,
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can quickly becomecluttered, can quickly
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become bloated with features,the options and accessories,
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and oh look with aheated steering wheel,
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and oh now it can readFacebook messages to me
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while I'm driving.
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That's not safe or helpful.
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And so we're trying to decidewhat things are feature
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creep that should leave.
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And that was the problemthat we exposed last weekend.
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If you were here, wesaid that it was our aim
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to preach a three part sermon.
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Not a three part serieslike we would normally
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have where threedifferent sermons fit
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in a series, but ratherone sermon spread out
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over three weeks.
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So last week was the beginning.
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We identified the problem.
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The next week--excuse me-- we're
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going to show a pictureof what our lives could
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look like without the problem.
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There is hope.
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Isn't that beautiful?
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Come one, you've got to comeback to church next weekend.
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It's going to be awesome, apicture of what our lives could
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look like post featurecreep when we had
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that stuff surgically removed.
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And so now in themiddle of course,
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we have to give the plan, theplan of how to get from A to C,
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and that's what we have here.
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If you have a Bible, we're goingto be in Hebrews Chapter 12.
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And I'm going to call thismessage Cut and Run, Cut
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and Run.
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Say it with me, Cut and Run.
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From Hebrews Chapter 12, if youdon't have a Bible, no worries,
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we'll put it up onthe screen for you.
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It says, "Therefore,we also, since we
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are surrounded by so greata cloud of witnesses, let
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us lay aside everyweight, and the sin which
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so easily ensnares us, andlet us run with endurance
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the race that is set before us,looking unto Jesus, the author
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and finisher of our faith,who for the joy that was set
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before him endured thecross, despising the shame,
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and has sat down at the righthand of the throne of God."
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And father we nowask that you would
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speak to us loud andclear through your word.
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We pray that, like a bag goingthrough an x-ray detector,
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that as we considerthese truths,
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your Holy Spirit would openup the eyes of our hearts
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to see what in our hearts, ourlives, our homes, the things
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that are keeping us back fromwhat we long for our lives
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to look like.
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And we asked thisin Jesus' name.
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And we all said together, Amen.
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Cut and Run, it's a phrase thattoday has political overtones
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to it.
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It's, generally speaking,used to describe a politician,
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someone who has made a decisionto pull our soldiers out
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of a war, to pull oursoldiers out of a fight,
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and done so withselfish motivations
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or for reasons ofcowardice or whatever.
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And so it's used negative,just a quick dash
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and bailing out on somethingthat was important.
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But the actual origin ofthe phrase is pretty cool.
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It's nautical, meaningwaves, ocean, sea, ships.
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It was used to describe thedecision a captain could make
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to have the anchor cut off thatwas keeping the ship buoyed
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in place, locked into place.
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And of course, oncethe anchor was cut,
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the cable and the anchor wouldgo to the bottom of the sea
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instead of being pulledup into the boat,
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instead of being wrappedback up into the ship
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where it would bewaiting for the next time
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that they would drop it downto hold them in the place.
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Now a captain would notmake this decision lightly,
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because then he's commandinga boat without an anchor,
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or at least withoutthe primary anchor.
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But if he felt like the shipwas in greater danger staying
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than going, cuttingwas deemed necessary.
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Cutting was deemed necessary.
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If the ship wasgoing to be capsized,
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there's no glory in stayingaround for the anchor
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to be drawn if there's no boat.
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The boat's going downto the bottom of the sea
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with everybody else in it.
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Or if they are going to beboarded by a hostile party,
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well cut the anchors andlet's get out of here.
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Let's make haste.
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Let's get out of dodge.
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Let's get out of thisdangerous situation.
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It's the same would be if therewas an anchor that had gotten
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somehow tangled up,and try as they might,
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they weren't going to be ableto get this thing drawn back in.
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See also every timeI've ever gone fishing,
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what I've had toeventually-- don't want
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to talk about it-- cut and run.
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Back to Starbuckswhere I belong.
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No listen very carefullyto what I'm saying to you.
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Cutting and runningbecause of danger,
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cutting and runningbecause of something
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that would be perilousto stay in the situation.
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And now bring this to thepicture before us in Hebrews 12
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where the scene is oneof the Olympic footrace.
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And that's what theauthor of Hebrews
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wants us to be thinking of.
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Now I keep saying,the author of Hebrews.
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You're like why don't youtell us who authored it?
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Normally you're like, heyPaul said this or hey Peter
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said that.
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Yeah here's why,I have no blooming
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clue who wrote Hebrews.
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And none of us do.
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There's peoplewho have theories,
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but the truth is we don't know.
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And so it's a mystery,but it's an awesome book.
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And so the author ofthe book of Hebrews
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has this picture he wantsus to see in our mind's eye.
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And it's a very familiar one,because we've all grown up
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watching coverage of theOlympics, which date back
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to the days in which thisstuff was going down.
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And so you could always think ofthe thousands of cheering fans,
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and they would watch thedifferent activities.
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Of course, the mainevent is usually,
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in the summer Olympics, justthe absolute most fun thing
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to watch, and that isjust the 50 yard dash.
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Like two people--or 100 yard dash,
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or whatever it is in metersthat they're doing in Europe.
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I don't know all the specifics.
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But I just know this,I know that it's
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a pure sport when youget a group of men
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or a group of women, andit's this line to that line,
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and whoever crosses thatline the first wins.
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And that's what he wantsus to be seeing here.
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But cutting is involved.
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Cutting is always involved whererunning is being discussed.
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And why?
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It's because, when you'rerunning, every ounce matters.
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And that's why I don'tknow when last time you
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were at a sports store lookingat the running clothes,
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but it looks a whole lotlike lingerie, right?
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And that's becauserunners are like,
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I'm not carryingit with me, right?
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You look at the clothes there.
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You're like, really, really,that's a lot of thigh.
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It's a whole lot of thighinvolved in your running
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shorts.
00:13:19.621 --> 00:13:20.722
And they're stingywith what they're
00:13:20.822 --> 00:13:21.990
willing to carry,because a runner knows,
00:13:22.090 --> 00:13:23.491
if that's going over thatcourse, it's going with me.
00:13:23.592 --> 00:13:25.827
And so I want onegram lighter in shoe.
00:13:25.927 --> 00:13:28.697
That's what I'mwilling to get to.
00:13:28.797 --> 00:13:30.031
That's not featurecreep if it's going
00:13:30.131 --> 00:13:31.499
to be less weight over howeverlong I have to carry it.
00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.036
And so they're always cutting.
00:13:35.136 --> 00:13:37.005
Runners are cutting.
00:13:37.105 --> 00:13:38.206
Sports, they thinkof even the body.
00:13:38.306 --> 00:13:40.408
Some sports have a weigh in,and you're going to get weighed,
00:13:40.508 --> 00:13:43.111
and you have to cut weight.
00:13:43.211 --> 00:13:44.646
And I was reading this week,plans to cut weight and stop
00:13:44.746 --> 00:13:48.116
drinking water three days out.
00:13:48.216 --> 00:13:49.918
Fill your bathtubwith hot water.
00:13:50.018 --> 00:13:52.053
You're just like, really?
00:13:52.153 --> 00:13:53.355
Because they, inathletics, take seriously
00:13:53.455 --> 00:13:56.358
this idea of less weight,cutting for competing,
00:13:56.458 --> 00:14:01.763
cutting for running.
00:14:01.863 --> 00:14:05.400
Two things are given in thetext that we should, as runners,
00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:09.671
think about eliminating orsubtracting from our lives
00:14:09.771 --> 00:14:13.541
so that we can run better.
00:14:13.642 --> 00:14:15.577
They are weights that getin the way and sin that
00:14:15.677 --> 00:14:21.016
easily entangles.
00:14:21.116 --> 00:14:22.717
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Weights that need toget thrown to the side
00:15:22.410 --> 00:15:25.080
because are getting inthe way, and then sin
00:15:25.180 --> 00:15:28.049
that would easily entangle us.
00:15:28.149 --> 00:15:30.719
I don't know if it's easyjust to describe this,
00:15:30.819 --> 00:15:32.854
so I thought maybe wecould give a picture of it.
00:15:32.954 --> 00:15:35.890
If you go to abaseball game, you'll
00:15:35.991 --> 00:15:37.292
see them-- come on outhere with the weights,
00:15:37.392 --> 00:15:38.560
guys-- you'll seethem practicing
00:15:38.660 --> 00:15:40.395
with bats that are weighted.
00:15:40.495 --> 00:15:41.863
They'll slide aring around a bat
00:15:41.963 --> 00:15:43.164
and then they'llpractice swinging
00:15:43.264 --> 00:15:45.633
with a ring aroundtheir bat that they
00:15:45.734 --> 00:15:47.602
don't intend to actually hitthe ball with that weight
00:15:47.702 --> 00:15:50.505
on anymore.
00:15:50.605 --> 00:15:51.773
In the text, the word weight,I read in commentaries,
00:15:51.873 --> 00:15:55.910
describes the wristand ankle weights
00:15:56.011 --> 00:15:58.713
that competitors wouldslip on for training,
00:15:58.813 --> 00:16:01.983
for practice runs,and even sometimes
00:16:02.083 --> 00:16:04.519
in the warmup run atthe day of competition.
00:16:04.619 --> 00:16:07.355
And they would putthese on their arms,
00:16:07.455 --> 00:16:09.357
and they would putthese on their--
00:16:09.457 --> 00:16:10.925
that one's a little loose.
00:16:11.026 --> 00:16:12.994
Could we get thattightened up, por favor.
00:16:13.094 --> 00:16:15.096
Thank you so much.
00:16:15.196 --> 00:16:16.698
Gracias mi amigo.
00:16:16.798 --> 00:16:19.000
So they would havethese weights--
00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:20.502
I think these eachweigh five pounds--
00:16:20.602 --> 00:16:22.337
and they would goaround the ankles
00:16:22.437 --> 00:16:24.672
and go around the wrists.
00:16:24.773 --> 00:16:26.007
And the idea is, if you dotraining runs with weights on,
00:16:26.107 --> 00:16:29.444
then when you finallytake them off,
00:16:29.544 --> 00:16:31.046
you're going to be stronger, andyou're going to feel lighter,
00:16:31.146 --> 00:16:34.382
and you're going to feelso free, and run so fast.
00:16:34.482 --> 00:16:37.285
That's the idea, right?
00:16:37.385 --> 00:16:38.987
Now I've put some-- I putsome names to these weights.
00:16:39.087 --> 00:16:42.023
I wrote on this one schedule.
00:16:42.123 --> 00:16:44.492
Can we get a littlecloser shot on that one?
00:16:44.592 --> 00:16:46.728
Schedule, and does anybody everfeel like your schedule just
00:16:46.828 --> 00:16:50.498
weighs you down?
00:16:50.598 --> 00:16:51.566
That what you've letin it, you're like,
00:16:51.666 --> 00:16:52.901
who's in charge of my schedule?
00:16:53.001 --> 00:16:54.135
And everyone in theuniverse is like,
00:16:54.235 --> 00:16:55.503
you is in charge of your--dang it, it's-- it--
00:16:55.603 --> 00:16:58.773
why did I say yes to this?
00:16:58.873 --> 00:17:00.175
And this one says work.
00:17:00.275 --> 00:17:02.677
Work can weigh us down.
00:17:02.777 --> 00:17:03.978
Work can weigh us down aswe're trying to make progress
00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:06.481
in our walk with God, our work.
00:17:06.581 --> 00:17:08.049
And maybe not it's our boss'fault work that weighs us down,
00:17:08.149 --> 00:17:11.753
maybe that happens.
00:17:11.853 --> 00:17:13.021
I think that oftentimesit's our own fault
00:17:13.121 --> 00:17:16.057
work that weighs us down,meaning we weren't efficient.
00:17:16.157 --> 00:17:18.626
We weren't managing our timewell when we had the time.
00:17:18.726 --> 00:17:21.429
So then work's cuttinginto our home life.
00:17:21.529 --> 00:17:23.798
And it's because we weren't--why were we on Instagram every
00:17:23.898 --> 00:17:27.268
time we had a fewmoments at work?
00:17:27.368 --> 00:17:28.803
Why were we on-- right?
00:17:28.903 --> 00:17:30.138
You're thinking that thework's weighing me down
00:17:30.238 --> 00:17:31.906
because I've made badchoices in a lot of times.
00:17:32.006 --> 00:17:34.742
And then, of course,occasionally, other times,
00:17:34.843 --> 00:17:36.711
it's the other where it'sforces outside of your control.
00:17:36.811 --> 00:17:39.647
But work can, at times,weigh us down, agreed?
00:17:39.747 --> 00:17:42.383
On my left foot here,it just says stuff.
00:17:42.484 --> 00:17:45.553
Because when did lifejust become full?
00:17:45.653 --> 00:17:48.323
I'll get a little higher.
00:17:48.423 --> 00:17:50.859
When did life just getfull of so much stuff?
00:17:50.959 --> 00:17:53.261
At one point, did youlook in your garage
00:17:53.361 --> 00:17:55.029
and go, why, why, why, why?
00:17:55.130 --> 00:17:58.833
It's getting colder now.
00:17:58.933 --> 00:18:00.401
Cars belong here.
00:18:00.502 --> 00:18:01.836
Too much stuff, andhow much of our time
00:18:01.936 --> 00:18:05.273
is just dedicated tojust keeping up the stuff
00:18:05.373 --> 00:18:08.309
that we have?
00:18:08.409 --> 00:18:09.511
Oh going to lovethat boat, but you've
00:18:09.611 --> 00:18:11.045
got to winterizethat boat now, got
00:18:11.146 --> 00:18:12.614
to get that boat summer ready.
00:18:12.714 --> 00:18:14.182
Summer ready that boat.
00:18:14.282 --> 00:18:15.583
And so much of our time--we would spend more time
00:18:15.683 --> 00:18:18.853
in our walks with God,but we're weighed down
00:18:18.953 --> 00:18:21.523
by the upkeep of justthe stuff in our lives.
00:18:21.623 --> 00:18:25.927
And you think-- and then on myright foot here is just says,
00:18:26.027 --> 00:18:29.230
financial.
00:18:29.330 --> 00:18:30.765
Financial weight, oh my gosh,every month that payment,
00:18:30.865 --> 00:18:34.002
every month that payment, right?
00:18:34.102 --> 00:18:35.436
It seemed like a great ideawhen we were financing.
00:18:35.537 --> 00:18:38.706
It seemed like a great ideawhen we were buying it.
00:18:38.806 --> 00:18:41.209
But now every singlemonth, every single month,
00:18:41.309 --> 00:18:43.511
making that payment,making that payment.
00:18:43.611 --> 00:18:45.079
Putting that gas in that truck,paying the insurance bill.
00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:48.449
And all of a sudden,before you know
00:18:48.550 --> 00:18:49.851
it, we have-- thank youso much, guys-- oh wow,
00:18:49.951 --> 00:18:54.689
did they speed that upwhen I wasn't looking?
00:18:54.789 --> 00:18:57.392
That's a lot worsethan I remember.
00:18:57.492 --> 00:19:01.262
It's only five pounds ineach hand and each foot,
00:19:01.362 --> 00:19:03.965
but 20 pounds is just-- OK.
00:19:04.065 --> 00:19:08.937
Oh yeah, that's great.
00:19:09.037 --> 00:19:10.205
But then you're likewhat a minute, Levi,
00:19:10.305 --> 00:19:11.773
didn't you say last weekendthat the average American spends
00:19:11.873 --> 00:19:14.709
49 hours a week on socialmedia entertainment?
00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:18.446
And so where's that weight?
00:19:18.546 --> 00:19:19.747
Because I say you'vegot a schedule weight,
00:19:19.847 --> 00:19:21.349
and I can relate to youthere because Billy's got
00:19:21.449 --> 00:19:22.984
soccer and Brittany's gotballet, and I got to do this,
00:19:23.084 --> 00:19:26.120
and then I've got to do that.
00:19:26.221 --> 00:19:27.288
I've got to cook the meal.
00:19:27.388 --> 00:19:28.523
And you're like, that's crazy.
00:19:28.623 --> 00:19:29.724
Schedule, I feelyou on that one,
00:19:29.824 --> 00:19:31.459
and I feel you on thework one, and I feel you
00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:33.394
on the stuff one, and I feelyou on the financial one.
00:19:33.494 --> 00:19:35.730
But then, what about,if we're honest,
00:19:35.830 --> 00:19:37.732
the fact that we will spendalmost 50 hours this week
00:19:37.832 --> 00:19:40.802
watching Netflix.
00:19:40.902 --> 00:19:42.604
And by the way, do we needany more devices in our lives
00:19:42.704 --> 00:19:45.306
to be able toconnect to Netflix?
00:19:45.406 --> 00:19:47.375
What is it with everything?
00:19:47.475 --> 00:19:48.710
Now with Netflix, oh mygod, I've got to get it.
00:19:48.810 --> 00:19:50.712
Wait, wait, doesn'tevery screen in my home
00:19:50.812 --> 00:19:53.881
already get me onto a portalof which I can usually
00:19:53.982 --> 00:19:57.051
find nothing to watch anyway?
00:19:57.151 --> 00:19:58.987
But I will watch something.
00:19:59.087 --> 00:20:00.521
I'm almost like, we'll, fine,I'll just watch this then.
00:20:00.622 --> 00:20:03.925
That'll show them.
00:20:04.025 --> 00:20:05.026
What?
00:20:05.126 --> 00:20:06.928
So where's that represented?
00:20:07.028 --> 00:20:08.263
OK, bring me my socialmedia and entertainment
00:20:08.363 --> 00:20:09.864
weight, because I guess we'vegot to be honest about it too.
00:20:09.964 --> 00:20:14.502
We've got our social mediaand entertainment weight
00:20:14.602 --> 00:20:18.706
that we also have no one toblame for weighing us down
00:20:18.806 --> 00:20:24.979
except ourselves.
00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:26.614
That one's a little heavierthan five pounds, fellas.
00:20:26.714 --> 00:20:29.550
Thanks a lot for that.
00:20:29.651 --> 00:20:31.853
But now I have to have Snapchatvideos and Instagram videos.
00:20:31.953 --> 00:20:34.522
I've got to do them both.
00:20:34.622 --> 00:20:35.690
And now I've gotto do other things.
00:20:35.790 --> 00:20:37.091
And oh hey, yep, going towalk with God this year.
00:20:37.191 --> 00:20:40.695
New Year's resolution--thank you guys,
00:20:40.795 --> 00:20:42.764
appreciate it-- growin my walk with God.
00:20:42.864 --> 00:20:45.833
And now I'm tryingto walk with God,
00:20:45.933 --> 00:20:47.769
but I have so many thingsthat are not bad things,
00:20:47.869 --> 00:20:50.571
because don't forgetthe weights that weigh
00:20:50.672 --> 00:20:54.008
us down are different from sin.
00:20:54.108 --> 00:20:57.879
This is good stuff.
00:20:57.979 --> 00:20:59.447
You can't not have work.
00:20:59.547 --> 00:21:01.316
I'm not saying youshouldn't watch TV.
00:21:01.416 --> 00:21:03.618
I'm not saying don'tsend a tweet out.
00:21:03.718 --> 00:21:05.753
I'm certainly not sayingyou can't have things
00:21:05.853 --> 00:21:08.423
in your schedule that are hard.
00:21:08.523 --> 00:21:09.757
And the stuff, you knowwhat, to some degree
00:21:09.857 --> 00:21:11.859
as long as we're onthis earth, stuff's
00:21:11.959 --> 00:21:13.561
going to be a part of the deal.
00:21:13.661 --> 00:21:15.063
And so is finances, we can'tabandon money and go live
00:21:15.163 --> 00:21:19.167
in a cave.
00:21:19.267 --> 00:21:21.903
Sometimes it's anattractive idea.
00:21:22.003 --> 00:21:23.604
They eat a lot of berriesand they sleep a lot.
00:21:23.705 --> 00:21:26.441
I don't know.
00:21:26.541 --> 00:21:27.575
But see, thesearen't bad things.
00:21:27.675 --> 00:21:29.544
The weights are not bad things.
00:21:29.644 --> 00:21:32.480
They're just good thingsthat can crowd out
00:21:32.580 --> 00:21:34.415
the ultimate things, remember?
00:21:34.515 --> 00:21:35.850
So let's defineweights this way.
00:21:35.950 --> 00:21:37.785
Weights are anythingin our lives
00:21:37.885 --> 00:21:39.220
that we allow to dim ourvision or kill our passion,
00:21:39.320 --> 00:21:45.159
to dim our spiritual vision orto kill our spiritual passions.
00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:49.897
So these are thingsthat are not hurting,
00:21:49.997 --> 00:21:52.834
but they're nothelping the thing--
00:21:52.934 --> 00:21:54.902
and they're causingthe things that we
00:21:55.002 --> 00:21:56.637
do want to be doing to becrowded out of our lives.
00:21:56.738 --> 00:22:00.241
Because we said last weekendthat a crowded heart is
00:22:00.341 --> 00:22:04.812
the enemy of a fruitful life.
00:22:04.912 --> 00:22:08.216
And the goal, asChrist followers,
00:22:08.316 --> 00:22:10.852
is to bear fruit, and morefruit, and much fruit,
00:22:10.952 --> 00:22:15.356
and fruit that remains.
00:22:15.456 --> 00:22:17.392
But one decision at atime, all of the sudden,
00:22:17.492 --> 00:22:19.861
we wake up one day, and we'retrying to walk with God,
00:22:19.961 --> 00:22:22.130
but we feel like there'sweights on our feet
00:22:22.230 --> 00:22:24.332
and hands and our chest.
00:22:24.432 --> 00:22:25.800
And here's the crazy thingabout all of these weights
00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:27.635
that are on me right now,they are all weighing me
00:22:27.735 --> 00:22:29.804
down one grain ofsand at a time,
00:22:29.904 --> 00:22:35.410
because these are sandbags.
00:22:35.510 --> 00:22:37.078
And so oftentimes, wemake small decisions,
00:22:37.178 --> 00:22:39.514
that's not that big ofa-- it's a small thing.
00:22:39.614 --> 00:22:40.615
No, it's not a big deal at all.
00:22:40.715 --> 00:22:42.183
But add it to all the otherthings that you've said yes to,
00:22:42.283 --> 00:22:45.186
well now they're getting heavy.
00:22:45.286 --> 00:22:47.688
So I guess this is a goodtime to bring out our sin,
00:22:47.789 --> 00:22:52.860
because-- thank you guys,come on, bring out my sin.
00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:56.798
Just give me a big pile of sin.
00:22:56.898 --> 00:23:00.034
Now before you do, couldyou tighten up my stuff,
00:23:00.134 --> 00:23:02.270
because it'sfalling off my foot.
00:23:02.370 --> 00:23:05.239
Thank you.
00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:06.574
Let me explain my sinwhile he fixes my stuff.
00:23:06.674 --> 00:23:09.010
Give me a hot minute.
00:23:09.110 --> 00:23:10.545
I'm going to get a drinktoo, just sneak a rest in.
00:23:10.645 --> 00:23:13.247
I'm multitasking.
00:23:13.347 --> 00:23:14.248
You're doing good.
00:23:14.348 --> 00:23:15.483
Thank you.
00:23:15.583 --> 00:23:17.585
I'll be here all week.
00:23:17.685 --> 00:23:19.120
So you have, in the text, thesin that easily entangles.
00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:26.461
I like how the JBPhillips translation puts.
00:23:26.561 --> 00:23:28.563
It is says, "the sinwhich dogs our feet."
00:23:28.663 --> 00:23:32.900
Directly translatedfrom the Greek
00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:34.836
this phrase speaks ofsomething that would twirl--
00:23:34.936 --> 00:23:38.272
thank you-- around yourankles, and get in your way,
00:23:38.372 --> 00:23:41.976
tripping you.
00:23:42.076 --> 00:23:43.611
Something they wouldtwirl around your ankles
00:23:43.711 --> 00:23:45.780
and get in your way, trippingyou up, dogging your feet.
00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.116
Can anyone think of somethingthat Christians 2000 years ago
00:23:49.217 --> 00:23:54.121
would have immediately thoughtof when the author of this book
00:23:54.222 --> 00:23:58.292
was speaking of, something thatcould twirl around their ankles
00:23:58.392 --> 00:24:02.330
and cause them to trip upif they try to run with it?
00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:05.233
If you said toga, you're right.
00:24:05.333 --> 00:24:07.702
So fellas, put on my toga.
00:24:07.802 --> 00:24:10.905
First and only time I willever say that in my life.
00:24:11.005 --> 00:24:15.142
This is the best we coulddo with what we were working
00:24:15.243 --> 00:24:19.547
with to get a firstcentury toggle,
00:24:19.647 --> 00:24:21.983
which all of theathletes in this day
00:24:22.083 --> 00:24:25.319
would wear regularlyunder or over their head.
00:24:25.419 --> 00:24:29.390
This is awesome.
00:24:29.490 --> 00:24:30.791
So you get in your toga.
00:24:33.427 --> 00:24:35.363
Oh good, very nice, thank you.
00:24:35.463 --> 00:24:37.632
It's surprisingly roomy.
00:24:37.732 --> 00:24:39.100
OK, very nice, oh thank you.
00:24:43.604 --> 00:24:50.278
It's breathable.
00:24:50.378 --> 00:24:51.112
It's fantastic.
00:24:51.212 --> 00:24:52.413
Thank you.
00:24:52.513 --> 00:24:53.314
Oh good, gird my loins.
00:24:53.414 --> 00:24:55.116
A nice hourglassshape, very, very nice.
00:25:02.590 --> 00:25:05.793
So now I got something thatcould twirl around my ankles
00:25:21.409 --> 00:25:27.448
and dog my feet.
00:25:27.548 --> 00:25:30.551
And here's an interestingthing about sin,
00:25:30.651 --> 00:25:33.521
is that where our weights arejust going to slow us down,
00:25:33.621 --> 00:25:38.626
our sin can knock us over.
00:25:38.726 --> 00:25:41.796
Our sin actually couldstop our forward progress.
00:25:41.896 --> 00:25:48.302
And that's the realproblem about these things
00:25:48.402 --> 00:25:51.105
that will twirl around ourankles and knock us over.
00:25:51.205 --> 00:25:54.508
My nephew is a littleboy named Noah,
00:25:54.609 --> 00:25:58.379
and he just had a birthday.
00:25:58.479 --> 00:25:59.914
And he was with us at a familyreunion not too long ago,
00:26:00.014 --> 00:26:03.584
and he was standing ontreadmill like this.
00:26:03.684 --> 00:26:05.720
And he pushed the start button.
00:26:05.820 --> 00:26:07.888
And what just happenedon this treadmill
00:26:07.989 --> 00:26:09.423
was it beeped three timesand then slowly started up
00:26:09.523 --> 00:26:12.526
like the slowest possible level.
00:26:12.627 --> 00:26:14.695
But the treadmill hewas on was broken.
00:26:14.795 --> 00:26:18.065
And so it had thisglitch that we
00:26:18.165 --> 00:26:19.567
were able to recreate laterwhere the moment you push
00:26:19.667 --> 00:26:22.336
start, it just, for a fewseconds did the highest
00:26:22.436 --> 00:26:26.340
possible setting it wascapable of, and then went down
00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:30.411
for a few moments.
00:26:30.511 --> 00:26:31.646
Now the crazy thingabout it is, when
00:26:31.746 --> 00:26:33.247
told the people this hadhappened-- because what
00:26:33.347 --> 00:26:35.650
happened was, when it did that,it threw him across the room
00:26:35.750 --> 00:26:39.053
into a wall, and he had a weltall over his face for a couple
00:26:39.153 --> 00:26:42.223
days.
00:26:42.323 --> 00:26:43.224
When we told themthat this happened
00:26:43.324 --> 00:26:44.925
at the place we were stayingat, we said this happened.
00:26:45.026 --> 00:26:46.994
They go, oh yeah, we've knownabout that for quite a while.
00:26:47.094 --> 00:26:49.864
And they looked at his face,which was purple, and said,
00:26:49.964 --> 00:26:52.900
I'm surprised that'sall that happened.
00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:54.735
That was their exactresponse to the situation.
00:26:54.835 --> 00:26:57.405
So needless tosay, bad things can
00:27:02.376 --> 00:27:04.578
happen when bodies in motioncome tumbling to the ground.
00:27:04.679 --> 00:27:09.083
And we know that sin is notthere to play nice with us.
00:27:09.183 --> 00:27:12.987
It's there choke us out.
00:27:13.087 --> 00:27:15.156
It's there to put us to death.
00:27:15.256 --> 00:27:17.091
MUSIC
00:27:17.124 --> 00:27:31.000

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Levi Lusko

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Cut And Run

Cut And Run

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