Face Your Besetting Sin and Repent

Weymouth’s translation is “Therefore, surrounded as we are by such a vast cloud of witnesses, let us fling aside every encumbrance and the sin that so readily entangles our feet. And let us run with patient endurance the race that lies before us.” This translation simplifies it, and yet it makes it stronger to our hearts.

In the eleventh chapter, the writer to the Hebrews has been summing up the heroes of faith and how God had been able to accomplish His purpose in their lives, through their faith in Him. There were many more who could have been named in this number but these are the ones who stood out to him as he wrote. Some were delivered, some escaping the jaws of the lions, quenching the violence of the fire, receiving their dead raised to life again. Others did not accept deliverance because it was of man and not of God. They would rather die than lower their standard. These died in the faith, having won the approval of God. He was well pleased with them.

After summing up these heroes, the writer said, “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” There is something for us to do, not just to hear about these wonderful heroes of faith who won God’s approval, or that the Lord just wants to bring out these heroes and let us see how they were filled with faith.

No, this is written to inspire us, in beholding their faith and seeing how they went through fires and tribulation, yet did not receive the promise, and nevertheless, gained the approval of God. It is to stir our hearts not to be satisfied to sit back and say, “Well, it was back in 1928 that God moved upon me, etc.” We need to go on. We have the example of these who went on.

As we read the word we see it was by faith Abraham moved on and on. Jacob, too, moved on. He wrestled with the angel until the break of day not letting God go until He blessed him—the full light of day in his heart, too. God does not want us to be satisfied with the “breaking of day” or twilight, with its purple shadows in our lives. He wants us to come into the blaze of His full light, as we read in Malachi 4:2, “The Sun of righteousness arises with healing in his wings.”

Where He arises there is light, there is no shadow cast by His turning, nothing to make us stumble, for there is no occasion of stumbling in God. As we walk in light we shall have fellowship with one another, and unity prevails. What hinders unity? What hinders the prayer of Jesus from being answered when He said, “Father, make them one even as we are one”? The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are in absolute unity.

We are compassed about with this cloud of witnesses that made it through, but we have not finished the race yet. We might have started well, but are we going well tonight? Paul wrote the Galatians, “You started well, but I am afraid you are ending in the flesh. How is it people can misconstrue the things of God to your minds?” May God’s grace not be spent upon us in vain.

If you notice here, the writer tells us we should do it. We should lay aside the weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us. How we love to thrust the responsibility over on God. The responsibility of salvation is surely upon Him—not only is it upon Him, but He takes it. Jesus took the responsibility of bearing the sins of the world: He shed His blood and died under it.

But, there are things that we must do, and the word of God tells us we must do them. God needs our cooperation. You might say you cannot do this or that. But unless we show a willingness to cooperate with the son of God, He can do nothing for us. He allows every man and woman to have his or her own will. He made the way for us that we might be saved, but it is up to us to accept it. He offers, we must take.

So it is, when He tells us to put off the old man with all of his evil deeds, and put on the new man Christ Jesus. He is telling us here “to lay aside.” If we expect to reach the place of winning God’s approval, then we must lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us—in other words, your besetting sin, that something you give in to, that something that overpowers you, that is so easy for you to slip into.

How often you would have risen and been lifted out in prayer, but that sin that so easily besets you—you remember that—and there you are, like lead and you cannot rise. It will keep you bound. God wants us to lay aside everything that hinders—the sin that so easily besets us. There is some sin in every one of our lives that besets us easily.

A man who has been to his office all day, groomed well, his suit nicely pressed, his collar stiff and clean, he looks well. But when he comes home he likes to have his house slippers, he likes to sit in his easy chair to read the paper or book, he likes the lights soft, he likes to relax. That is all right in its place. He should have this opportunity to relax and let the burdens of the day roll off of him.

But we can compare this to those sins that so easily beset us. They roll over us. The writer says, “Those sins that so easily beset us,”—in other words, your besetting sin, the one that is not hard to get into; before you know it, you have slipped into it. You go on fine for awhile, like the man who goes to town in the morning, well dressed, and right up to the minute. But as he comes home and relaxes, just that easily, you can relax into that besetting sin.

You can come to the meeting. You can sing, pray, do so many lovely things. You are dressed for the occasion. But then comes the days in between when the burden of the day becomes heavy, the heat and sun beat upon you—before you know it, you are asking for the easy chair. You are longing for the besetting sin. In a little while, you are in it. Many times it is more than one sin. The writer said, “Every weight and the sin.”

You might be one of those nice people that have no besetting sin, but it will pay you to look in to see if you have one. The weak point you have, face it, for it is there you will fail.

I was talking to a sister, and she said, “I cannot understand it.”

I said to her, “Let us take for an illustration, the city of Pittsburgh. It is known as the ‘Smoky City.’ Through every avenue, every street, there is smoke. In other words, the principal thing in the air there is smoke.”

If there is something in your life—it may be selfishness, or stubbornness, or temper, no matter what—you will find it in every avenue of your life, it will come out. Whatever it is, when you would do good, it is there, and evil presents itself. You find that stubborn thing, that resisting thing, that thing binds and weighs you down every time. Look that in the face tonight; tell that thing, “I am going to do you to death by the help of God. You are going out of my life.” If we set our faces, God will furnish the grace to do it.

I thank God we have a standard, and our standard is not a low one. We have the banner lifted high, and by the help of God, it will not come down because we will not come up to it. Praise God, these heroes of faith did not win the plaudits of men, but they won God’s approval. God was not impelling those Hebrews to make it through. The pace was set for them, and with His help He knew they could run it with patience. We know Jesus could run the race, and Paul could, but here is a list of others who could do it. Our names could be filled in as those names were filled in. Our name can be entered in God’s book because we have faced the thing, the besetting sin, laid it aside and by God’s grace run this race with patience, looking unto Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith.

Why should we do it? Is Jesus coming? Yes He is, but more than that. He is to have a bride, a glorious church, as we have been singing, without spot or wrinkle, and it is not God’s will when Jesus comes to find some half-dead, struggling people with besetting sins, but a company of people who have prepared the way of the Lord in their hearts. Are we going to be in it? We will if we lay aside those sins that so easily beset us and run the race with patience.

Jesus is coming for a bride “Who hath made herself ready.” We cannot do it all, but we can get in the place where we are willing to resist the enemy and give God our hearty cooperation. As we do, He will put the machinery of heaven in motion for us and for every other saint of God who will do it. It is not just a talk of salvation and close the book, and that is all there is to it. Those who are satisfied with just that, I am afraid something is wrong. A child of God should not be satisfied with some, mere bit of an existence, but should move on, taking steps in God, looking in the word, and doing those things which the Word tells us to do.

“Ah,” you say, “this is slow business and it is up to Him. I’ll wait until God sends me word, or some great wind blows upon me.” It is as if you would ask to step on an elevator and suddenly go up. You tell the operator to let you out at the next floor. We expect the wind of the Holy Spirit to suddenly blow upon us and take us up to our next step. Not so, we must be willing to rise, and as we are willing then we will receive the power to raise us.

He will not work in unyielded lives, in lives that are not willing to cooperate with Him, lives that are filled with besetting sins. Oh, as I think of Ezekiel in that graveyard, what was more cold and barren than a great mass of dry bones? There was no great wind blowing, no earthquake, but God spoke to him and said, “Ezekiel, prophesy to these bones, ‘Bones you are going to live.’”

It was a cold proposition, but I read, “Ezekiel did as he was commanded.” He did it because God said so. There were no frills, no dreams or visions, or a lot of extras put on. No, God spoke, and Ezekiel did as he was told. But then, as he prophesied, there was an assembling of the bones—no wind as yet, but the bones were assembled, then the sinews put upon the bones, then the flesh.

But then God said, “Now son of man, call the wind to blow on these bones.” As he did, the wind came, and the bones stood on their feet an exceeding great army. As he believed, God worked. The bones became an exceeding great army. What good for Ezekiel to say, “Let us go into another graveyard and get other bones.” Ah, there was no time for that. The wind came, and that which was done was ready to receive the next moving. Praise God, the army stood upon its feet.

For three and one-half years, Jesus trained His disciples. They learned of Him, communed with Him, and walked with Him, and He said to them one day, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit.” No wind came then, just a promise. After the resurrection, He said to them, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel, but tarry ye in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.” He spoke that to five hundred, but one hundred and twenty did as they were commanded.

At first, there was no wind, no great spiritual upheaval. No, they simply trudged up John Mark’s stairs because Jesus told them to do it. They went to the upper room, and there they were assembled, and they were in one accord, in one place, thank God. I do not know what they did from seven and one-half to ten days, but I know they were assembled in obedience, yieldedness, and submission. And they waited there, believing Jesus’ words, “I will send the promise of my Father,” for Jesus was promised by the Father before He left heaven that if He came, the Father would send the Holy Spirit to finish up the work.

He told them, “I will send the promise of my Father, the Holy Spirit.” As they waited about seven to ten days, the wind came. The wind of the Holy Spirit came upon them suddenly and baptized them with the Holy Ghost, and they spake with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Spirit came upon those who had prepared themselves. Could they have gone to get the other three hundred and eighty? No, it could not be, for suddenly the Spirit came. Who did the Spirit come upon? Upon a ready company, a company of people who were submitted to God, of one heart, one accord, in one place. As we read Malachi 3:1: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.”

My friends, this is the messenger. He will send the Holy Spirit. Suddenly He will come, and—I beseech you—if you have not laid aside those besetting sins, do so now, then tarry. How long? Until you are endued. That is not the end, but the beginning, to put us in another realm where we will realize what the Spirit is telling us. I pray you will get a hunger and a thirst to be baptized.

Without it, we cannot work as He would have us to. He wants us to have it. It was His order for them to tarry until they were endued. It is His order to us today. Those who have not been filled, do not let anything stop you until you are. Let nothing come between you and God.

Paul said, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

You need the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The Lord whom you seek, shall suddenly fill you. Who will He fill? Those who prepare their hearts to receive Him. We hear the cry of Isaiah, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” (Isaiah 40:3-4). That was a prophecy concerning John the baptist, and didn’t he do it? When Jesus came, there was a path for Him. There were disciples who later turned to Him. A way had been made, the high place became low, and the low high. John was a burning and a shining light.

What is He crying to us? To make way for His coming. To get the high things, the elevated things, those imaginary ideas that we are somewhere, down, and the low things, the despair and discouragement, get them up. Get on the level, and then, suddenly the Holy Spirit will come into His temple. The sooner you seek, the sooner He will fill you with the Holy Ghost and power. How wonderful!

There is a day coming. I do not mean to point out one certain day in the future especially, but a day is coming when a bride is going to be presented to the Father. Jesus is going to say, “Here is My Bride.” Tonight is preparation night. We are going to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We must be ready.

We are to fit as a body. The eye will not be able to say to the foot, “I have no need of you,” nor shall the hand say to the foot, “I have no need of you.” No, we are to fit in that body. There are people, too few it is sad to say, I have seen and felt, “He or she will be absolutely necessary for the body. Thank God for him.” I felt they were necessary. I felt they were the hand or the foot or some other part. Then there are others, I felt I could do without forever because they were not vital. However, they can be very vital to this body if they would yield.

It will pay us to lay those little things on the altar. One moving of the wind of God, the Holy Spirit upon us will repay us fully for all laid aside. It will be a moving after moving, until He moves us up there. “Who shall abide the day of His coming?” It is not a day of light, but one of darkness.

You recall in Acts when it tells about the great moving of the Spirit. When those people got in their places, and thousands yielded to God. There were two in that crowd who did not get absolutely straightened out. They never saw the need of getting the love of money down, or Esau, the need of getting bitterness down.

They saw the thousands being swept into the church, and they began to say, “It is time for us to give our all now.”

There were people in Gideon’s day like that. When Gideon and his came to the men of Succoth and Penuel and said, “Please give me bread for my men, they are faint.”

They answered him, “When you get the enemy down, you let us know, and we will give you bread.” They had the chance to give, but they would not do it, they were punished.

These two, Ananias and Sapphira, said, “Now is the time for us to sell our field, and we will give some of it, but not all. We will keep out some for a rainy day. We will keep a little nest egg for ourselves. So, instead of giving their all as they said, they lied and gave only a part. They thought they were speaking to Peter, but underneath, they were speaking to the Holy Spirit, and they lied to Him.

Peter said to the man first, “What has caused you to lie to the Holy Ghost,” and immediately he dropped down dead. Then the woman came in, and she, too, died. There was a tremendous moving on that church.

One day, there is coming a time when we will want to get in. God will not have it so. God wants us to give our all now. He wants that which will come from honest, willing yielded lives. Then He can work. Do not be among those who will be the last to put the King on the throne—the ones who will try to slip in with the crowds. It may be too late. May God help us tonight—as the message is, “Prepare the way of the Lord,”—face those things that are in our lives. That thing that so easily besets us. That temper that takes hold of us, that stubbornness that so grips us. Let us ask Him to help us be free of those things that come out of our lives in spite of ourselves.

The temple that was made, was made out in the forest. When they brought the parts to be fitted, all the loud noises had been done, and all they had to do was fit it together. The hammering, sawing, everything was done, and all they had to do was assemble it.

These are hammering days for us. Thank God, as the ends get knocked off, and as you fit, he will be able to pour out His Spirit upon your sacrifices. Job said, “I hate myself. I abhor myself and repent in sackcloth and ashes.”

Repentance is more than just saying it. It is being so sorry for the thing we have done that we will not keep on making the same mistake. Those weak places, that thing that crops up in every move you make, that thing that says we must have our own way.

You have a perfect right to love your wife, your home, child, furniture, or whatever it is. Vashti had the perfect right to say, “I do not feel like coming out.” But the king was to be obeyed, and her refusing to come was disobedience to the king. She lost her place.

You have a right to love all you have and to cherish those things you hold dear, but you will lose your place in God. We should say, “Lord, it is there, but by your grace, you can cut it away from my heart, and I can yield it.”

One day it is going to be too late. The hammering time is going to be over. There is going to be a quiet time. In many groups and in many places, God will move, and suddenly He will come into His temple. You will think, “I would love to call a certain saint. Wait until I get her. She missed coming tonight.”

There will be no waiting then. Sometime, I believe when we least expect it, He will come. Suddenly He will come into His temple. I want to be in that company, not for selfish purposes, but because it will please the heart of the Lord. “Blessed art thou,”—oh, to hear Him say that.

So tonight, as we realize we do not know how much longer we will have, the time seems long, and we cry out, “How long, oh Lord.” But if He would have come before, I am afraid most of us would have been left out.

We have tonight to prepare. May God stir your heart and mine, enough to see our need—to face our besetting sin or sins, and come to the altar. Even if you just say, “I have been so-and-so in my life,” show Him you have seen the things, are willing to lay them aside, and He will work then. He will not fill in on top of junk, unyieldedness, trash. But first He wants us to face those things and say, “Lord Jesus, there are many things, etc.” As we do, He will give us grace to stand the cutting. Amen!