Being a Christian is not a walk in the park: in fact, it can feel like a real struggle — whether the opposition is within us or outside of us. This passage helps us to see our struggles in perspective, to help us understand them, and encourage us to carry on the straight and narrow path.
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Many people, even those who are not religious, believe in some kind of afterlife. But people don’t really know what to expect. What will eternal life be like? Many Christians are confused about this! But we don’t need to be, because the Bible does teach us what to expect of eternal life. What will it be like — and how do we prepare for it today?
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A lot of people talk about “living by faith” — but what does it really mean? This passage from Hebrews is all about living by faith. It shows us how important it is, what it looks like, and encourages to carry on despite the fact that it’s hard.
The session I did on science and faith can be found on my website.
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People sometimes say “you can be a Christian without going to church” — but that’s missing the entire point. The church is what being a Christian is all about! In this week’s session on the Apostle’s Creed, we learn what the “communion of saints” is and think about the holy “catholic” church.
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Every preacher knows that they have to answer the question ‘so what’ — what relevance do these truths have to do with my life? The author of Hebrews is no exception, and in this passage we turn to how the teaching about Jesus’ sacrifice and ministry as high priest should make a difference to us. He focusses on drawing near to God, persevering despite sin and persecution, and the importance of meeting together.
You can find a free copy of John Owen’s book On the Mortification of Sin here (modernised edition).
There has been much division over the role of the Holy Spirit in the church over the last hundred years. However, much of this stems from a misunderstanding of who the Spirit is and what he comes to do. In this session we look at the identity of the Holy Spirit, before thinking about what he comes to do in our lives. The Spirit is the one who makes everything real to us.
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Why did God give the Law, and why did God send Jesus? We can’t understand how Jesus fulfils the old covenant unless we understand what God wants from us in the first place. The answer is summed up in one word – holiness. In this sermon we think about holiness and how Jesus is the fulfilment of everything that God promised for us.
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If you asked Christians to name the key elements of Jesus’ life, most would include his birth, death and resurrection — but how many would include his ascension and second coming? In this session, we look at why Jesus needed to ascend to heaven. We also look at what Jesus is doing right now, and how Jesus will return as our judge.
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If you’re new to Christian circles, you might wonder why there is a regular reference to blood — especially to the blood of Christ. What is it about his blood in particular which is important? In Hebrews chapter 9, we see why blood was so important to the Old Testament sacrifices, and how Jesus came to fulfil it.
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The Resurrection is one of the most important aspects of the Christian faith — and yet many Christians don’t understand it fully. Why was it so important for Jesus to rise again? And what difference does it make to our lives now – is it only for the future? In this session we explore the significance of Jesus’ resurrection.
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