Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have… already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. The sin that so easily entangles today, is the lack of faith in what Jesus has done. It entangles and halts progress. Listen. The writer to the Hebrews answers that last question for us in chapter 12. There are skeletons in every closet. Sin is our most persistent, determined, and pernicious enemy. Hebrews 12:1. The Greek word ‘sin’ means ‘to miss.’ A sinner is one who misses the mark, the ideal goal. 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. You likely know, just as I do, what it’s like to battle the same particular sin over and over and over again. In the first three verses of that chapter, the writer offers one observation about entangling sin and two encouragements to get out of sin. Sin Easily Entangles. The writer of Hebrews refers to our seeking to lay aside “every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (see Hebrews 12:1). For some their sin is sinister, evil, dangerous. Everyone has one. Hebrews 12:1. The Lack of faith is "The Sin That Easily Entangles Us" The apostle Paul referred to lack of faith as “the sin that easily entangles us.” (Hebrews 12:1) Paul included himself and so likely admitted to his own tendency to get ‘easily entangled’ in episodes of momentary weakness of faith. since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. What is the sin that so easily entangles us (a)? The author of Hebrews talks about a sin that “so easily and cleverly entangles us.” Hebrews 12:1 You are not alone. First, the observation. Sin acts as weight or drag. to our message on your audio player. The way to throw it off is to face it honestly, confess it, … #2 “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” If one is going to run a race, they had better not be shackled to any hindrances. Message summary: Whatever measure it takes, let us deal forcefully with the sins which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race that is set before us. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Romans […] Is it anger, or maybe jealousy, or fear? 12 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. But even worse there are patterns in every life, sin patterns that threaten to undo us. Who among us doesn’t occasionally miss the goal as a child of God and need restoring doses of God’s saving grace (b)? In Hebrews 12:1, Paul writes that we are to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” So I wonder… what easily entangles you? Two episodes of momentary loss of faith are: Sin seeks to … Notice that he says in verse 1, “ the sin which so easily entangles … [See end notes for all Scriptures] Sin’s First Occurrence. No one is exempt. Throw-Off The Sin That So Easily Entangles. Sin is our most persistent, determined, and pernicious enemy. It’s discouraging, challenging, and feels downright shameful sometimes.