The Christian life is not intended to operate on a minimalist ethic, on prohibitions.

Don't touch that.

Don't do this.

Avoid that.

Success in the Christian life is not merely a matter of avoiding sin, and yet often we

make it into a life of exclusions.

This is a point John Piper makes in his 1997 sermon titled Running with the Witnesses,

a sermon on Hebrews 12 verse 1, on laying aside every weight.

Here's what he said.

Everything else in this text explains running or motivates running.

So the point is don't stroll, don't meander, and don't wander about aimlessly run as

in a race with a finish line where everything hangs on the race.

Now what supports it?

In verse 1, there are a couple of things said here as a means to running.

It says, lay aside every incumbrance and sin which so easily entangles us.

Now I remember as a boy the effect a sermon had on me on this verse, and the only thing

I remember was the distinction that the preacher made between, he was preacher from the King

James at the time, weights translated incumbrances here and sins.

And he looked out on us and he said, not just sins, don't just lay aside sins to run this

race, lay aside every other weight that gets in your way.

As a boy, you know what the effect, it was a revolutionary effect that that had on me.

Because what it said to me was, and I speak it now especially for young people, kids

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