Seek God: NOT Things! Session 1 Part 1: A - Purpose of Teaching

[Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

I. About Teaching:

A. Purpose of Teaching – Session 1 – This teaching is designed to help us lay aside EVERY weight, EVERY sin, and ANYTHING else, that is so easily stopping us from doing what God called us to do (Hebrews 12:1-2)! I say “Us” because I am the first partaker of the Fruit; God gave me this word and I am sharing it with you – but it hit me first!

Hebrews 12:1-2 is our opening Scripture and every other Scripture that I will discuss in this teaching, will teach us how to do what Hebrews 12:1-2 says (lay aside every weight, sin, and anything else that is keeping us from doing what God called us to do).

 Hebrews 12:1-2 (Amplified Bible – AMP):

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of ^[a^]witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, ² [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, ^[b^]disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].”

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 12:1 I.e. the people commended for their faith in ch 11. See 11:2, 39.
2. Hebrews 12:2 Sometimes the public shame of the cross is overlooked when one thinks of the pain and agony inflicted by it, but in the Roman Empire crucifixion was a shameful and disgraceful way to die, a form of capital punishment from which Roman citizens were exempt; and in Roman comedy it was used in a curse: “Go to a bad cross!”

Hebrews 12:1-2 (New Life Version – NLV):

“All these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us. ² Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.”

WOW!!! Jesus is our Perfect example of suffering and staying the course, God called Him to; Jesus is in us, Holy Spirit is in us, and God is for us, so we can stay the course too!! Ephesians 4:22-24 - ESV, tells us what to put off and what to put on; this is what it says (I would say, read the whole Chapter) :

“²² to put off your old self,^[a^] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

As you see, once we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we are to put off the old man, and put on the new man; be renewed in our spirit man, to the things of God – then, we will be led by Holy Spirit and not by our soul or the old nature.

IF we STOP ALLOWING things Jesus has ALREADY conquered for us, to weigh us down, NOTHING will be impossible for us!! Jesus HAS DONE ALL, so we can have the VICTORY in our EVERYDAY LIFE; have a LIFESTYLE OF VICTORY!! We must remember the Word, which tells us that we CAN do ALL THINGS THROUGH Christ, Who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13 – AMP)!

Click here for the PDF version of the Teaching

God’s blessings,

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks