Newlife Church, Toronto

The story of the man of God, Hudson Taylor is that although he was living an extraordinary life of service, he had a deep feeling of his own sin and failure. When the Spirit opened his eyes to the Scriptures about being united with Jesus, in an instant he received a joy which lasted the rest of his life. What was this truth? (Col 1 & 2, Eph 2 & 3)

Hebrews Part 16 (Hebrews 10, 12 & 13) Hebrews is full of little gems of positive direction about growth. Today we collect them together and see a strong and clear theme emerges about how we grow, or not grow as we try to Run the Race.

Psalm 90 starts out as one of the most depressing scriptures: “You live 70 yrs and die. If you live to 80 it will just be pain, and so on…” But by an extraordinary twist, which you need the handout to really see, everything is turned on its head. Make sure you view the handout here: https://bibl.ca/pdf/Psalm90-text.pdf (Psalm 90)

Hebrews Part 15 (Hebrews 10-12) From Abraham and Moses to the ‘Stanford Marshmallow Experiment’, the challenge of persisting is a common human experience. The Bible gives us three ways that not only help us endure, but turn it from a negative to a positive experience.

Hebrews Part 14 (Hebrews 11) After huge claims for the value of faith/trust for our lives, and the pleasure it gives our Father, Hebrews goes on to show this with a set of stories. But they contain a surprising twist—which makes them far more relevant to us today!

Hebrews Part 13 (Hebrews 11:1-3) The difference between living with your focus on the visible world, vs. the invisible world of God’s promises, and how this will change your life.

Hebrews Part 12 (Hebrews 10:1-23) Since we have authorization for free access to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the fresh and living way that he opened up for us, through the curtain—that is through his flesh, let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from a burdened conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy.

A third of the book of Psalms is devoted to bringing complaints to God. But the form of these complaints is very specific. By giving us so many pslams in this form, God is telling us that he wants to hear the honest cries of our heart, but also teaching us how he wants us to bring these complaints to him. (Psalms 54 & 142)

Hebrews Part 11 (Hebrews 9) The central teaching of Hebrews is about our prayer lives—drawing near to God with confidence. This chapter is a key building block as it lays out the way to intimacy with such power and clarity.

Hebrews Part 10 (Hebrews) Who wrote Hebrews? Why and to whom? The book is very carefully structured, and understanding this is an excellent doorway into seeing the main focus of the book, and how the author supports such a powerful central claim.

Hebrews Part 9 (Hebrews 8-13, Luke 22:20) There is so much richness to be found in all the imagery that comes together in this celebration meal. In the end we see seven ideas woven together, there for us to turn over in our minds with joy as we break bread together.

Hebrews Part 8 (Hebrews 8:6-13) When you really understand the New Covenant, it will transform your life, bring you into a new freedom, and enrich your relationship with God. Sadly it is rarely explained, and most Christians are not entirely free from the Old.

Hebrews Part 7 (Hebrews 5:11-7:28) Hebrews is symmetrical. Everything hangs on what is at the center. And right in the middle of the center we have "an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast"

Hebrews Part 6 (Hebrews 6:1-12 & 8:9-12) Followup session answering the great questions that came out of part 4, which asked ‘Can a Christian Permanently Fall Away?’ The root of the answer is understanding what actually happens to you when you become a Christian, and then we look at some Scriptures which may seem to say the opposite.

Hebrews Part 5 (Hebrews 2, 4, 5 & 12) The stories from when Jesus walked this earth with us, show a man who experienced a full range of emotions, and was deeply empathic with those around him. Hebrews encourages us to experience this deep compassion as we engage with him in prayer.

Hebrews Part 4 (Hebrews 6:1-12 & 10:26-39) What does these passages actually say? And how do they fit in with other Scriptures that speak of the “Unforgivable Sin?”.

Hebrews Part 3 (Hebrews 4:12-5:10) We can gain a deeper appreciation of what Jesus does for us from this description of O.T. priests. Hebrews urges us to come to God in confidence because Jesus truly knows what it is like to be human: weak and tempted.

Hebrews Part 2 (Hebrews 3 & 4) It sounds like a contradiction when we are told: “Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest” (Heb 4:11) But actually it is not, it is one of the keys to a fruitful, productive and stress-free life.

Hebrews Part 1 (Hebrews 1 & 2) Jesus is far better than everything else we could possibly have. Incomparably better! So hold fast to him and don’t allow yourself to be pulled away by other attractions.

If shame can be so damaging, how can it be removed? We examine two accounts in the Bible, so that we can learn to help ourselves and others have the weight of shame lifted. (John 4 & Luke 15)