EXCESS BAGGAGE HEBREWS 12:1-3

Introduction: Hebrews 12:1 tells us that there are two things that will keep us from winning the race.

1.       WEIGHTS.

2.       BESETTING SINS.

·         The longer I'm saved, the more I realize that Christians carry a lot of excess baggage with them throughout their lives. Excess baggage is baggage that exceeds the allowable amount.

·         According to United Airlines, You are allowed to check two bags and carry on two bags. Anything exceeding this amount or the allowable size for each bag would cost an extra charge. Excess baggage always costs you more.

I.                     THE EXCESS BAGGAGE OF THE PAST. - PHILIPPIANS 3:13
- Your past is just exactly that, your past...forgetting those things which are behind..."
- Constantly reliving your past mistakes will hinder you from going forward.
- The Apostle Paul was guilty of quite a number of terrible crimes against the people of God, yet God forgave him and gave him a new life in Christ.

-          Your sins are in the past and should be left there.

-          GOD HAS REMOVED OUR SINS FROM US, (Psalm 103:12)

·         GOD BURIED OUR SINS IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA, (Mic 7:19)

·         GOD HAS FORGOTTEN OUR SINS ALTOGETHER, (Hebrews 8:12)

·         GOD HAS CAST OUR SINS BEHIND HIS BACK, Isa 38:17

·         NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN OF OUR SINS BECAUSE OF CALVARY. So, why do you keep carrying with you sins that have been removed, buried, forgotten, and placed behind God's back? This is excess baggage you do not need.

II.                   THE EXCESS BAGGAGE OF THE PRESENT. – EPH. 4:22

 

·         As a Christian, you still have the "old man" living inside of you. This is your old nature. It did not die when you got saved; it is very much alive, and the Apostle Paul taught us that it stays with us daily,
." (Romans 7:18)

·         Christians have fallen in love with the world and with what it has to offer. Because of that, the world has become excess baggage. This excess baggage will cost you more than you expect to pay.

·         For some reason, the people of God are infatuated with the world. The world offers us three enemies, and these are found in 1 John 2:16.

* There is the excess baggage of the lust of the flesh. This is what the flesh desires over the things of the Spirit.
* There is the excess baggage of the lust of the eyes. This is what the eyes desire to have over the things of the Spirit.
* There is the excess baggage of the pride of life. This is what keeps you from being what God wants you to be.
- This baggage will always cost you more than you anticipated at first. Just as the airlines allow you a certain number of bags, they will make you pay for anything over and above that. In the same way, God allows you to be human but forbids you from being worldly.

·         "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
* "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

·         Is there a Biblical answer to putting down this baggage? Gal 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

III.             THE EXCESS BAGGAGE OF THE FUTURE. – MATT. 6:25-33
There are Christians, even in this room, who carry the extra baggage of constant worry about what may happen in the future. The best way to prepare for the future is to be prepared for today.
- Christians, who worry about the future, find it difficult to be the kind of Christians they ought to be today. The Bible speaks of fret and worry:

·         Psalm 37:1
* Psalm 37:7
* Psalm 37:8
* Proverbs 24:19
* Philippians 4:6.

- Christians can find more things to worry about at the drop of a hat than most any other folks I know.

- WORRY REVEALS A LACK OF FAITH; AND WITHOUT FAITH, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD.

Conclusion: What excess baggage are you carrying? Please understand, when you take too much upon you to carry, it will cause you to stumble and walk without surety. As you travel through this life, just as excess baggage will cost you more when you fly, your excess baggage will cost you more than you ever thought you would pay.

** Don't forget, Jesus may come back today!