North Way Christian Community

The opinions of others effect the way we live. We try to cover the cracks and put on a great face because we don’t want others to see our struggles. Sometimes we strive to find significance in this world and the opinion of the crowd becomes our better. However, Jesus loves us just the way we are. He is our better! When we experience this, we become more authentic and have eyes to see others. When Jesus is our better, there is real freedom to experience. When we lack freedom, something else is our better.

Guilt and shame are present in our lives. We all do something to try to clean it up. We try to ignore, hide, and deny it. Sometimes we even try to justify sin, redefine it, or blame others for it. But we are only covering it up, we can’t clean it up. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God provides everything we need that we can’t provide for ourselves. He forgives our sins and takes away our guilt. Only Jesus can clean up what we cover up!

Does following Jesus feel like an obligation or a celebration? We all have religious mindsets that hold us back when it comes to following Jesus.

What keeps us from moving forward and truly walking with Him? Sometimes we think if we believe in the right things, we will go to the right place. But Jesus talks about enteral life that starts here, now! We are followers of Jesus because what He has done for us. It’s not about rules or a place. Jesus paid the ultimate price and sacrificed Himself. We don’t have to make offerings to make Him happy, or accept us, or love us. He already does!

There are different freedoms throughout the seasons of life. There are those freedoms that release us from an obligation and freedoms that open us to new possibilities. There is also the most important freedom that only comes from the heart of the Heavenly Father. It’s the freedom we have in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Within this, we can experience freedom from condemnation, freedom in confession, and freedom to communion. God wants to be with us and when we let Him into our hearts, He transforms us.

In this first part of our Hebrews series, we’ve been focusing on letting go of things that are holding us back. 

Is Jesus worth it? Is it worth completely leaving behind an old way of life? Unequivocally, yes! In this sermon, Pastor Scott gives us a great word about letting go of trying to save ourselves. We aren’t perfect if we just follow the law. We all fall short at times. A better hope was introduced so that we could draw near to God and it wasn’t based on anything we can do. There’s nothing we can do to deserve it. We are saved not when we get our act together, but when we recognize that we never will. 

What makes you anxious? What are some things that cause you to constantly worry? What do you think this anxiety is anchored to? Sometimes the things we consume such as movies, music, tv, and podcasts are contrary to the anchor of our souls. When we tie ourselves to these false anchors, our anxiety and worries start to rise. In this sermon, Hebrews 6 reminds us of four important truth anchors about God. He IS truth and guarantees His promises. We must try the process of letting go of our anxieties and holding onto Jesus.

Reading through and studying scripture can be challenging at times. Here in our seventh week of our Hebrews series, Pastor Dave dives into chapter 5 and 6 bringing truth to major misconceptions that we’ve all battled at some point. Scripture is clear. God’s word is clear. When it comes to a misconception, it’s often based off a misunderstanding or misreading of the text. Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith. It’s not about trying harder, it’s about looking closer. 

When we see others who struggle with the same small things as we do, we feel a little more normal. We love when someone else can relate to our experiences. We love to feel understood and moments of solidarity. But what about when it comes to the significant things in life and more difficult experiences? We often live in this pain of isolation and convince ourselves that no one else understands what we’re going through. The deeper the pain, the deeper the isolation. We can also start to isolate ourselves from God. 

In this sermon we learn that because Jesus understands our weakness, we can draw near to Him with confidence. When it feels like no one understands, Jesus does. He is able to sympathize and loves us more than we can imagine. We are never alone.

Covid shaped a tremendous global impact not only physically, but also mentally. Anxiety and depression rates have gone up. People are getting burned out. So much has been going on around us that we’ve slowly drifted and started to conform to the patterns of the world rather than finding rest in where we should. The world needs the rest that God offers. True rest can only begin with absolute surrender. Faith activates rest, obedience enhances rest, and Jesus perfects rest. We have to stop striving and hold fast to Jesus.

Who are you becoming? What change is happening within you? When was the last time you looked at your own heart?  When our hearts become hardened, we also become unwilling, unmoved, and uninterested. We are always in need of guarding our hearts. In this sermon, we learn 10 warning signs of a hardening heart. But by filling our life up with God’s word, the softer our hearts will become.