It is clear from Hebrews 12 that the race we are called to run can be wearying, dangerously so if we try to go it alone. It is the grace of God to provide brothers and sisters in Christ to help and be helped. In this message we look at the encouragements, responsibilities, and warnings given to us in verses 12-17 to strengthen and strive in the race together.

Knowing that God’s discipline is directly connected to His adoption of His children into the Kingdom brings assurance to those who understand that their trial is not punishment but, rather, preparation for eternal glory in Christ Jesus.

How is our life reflective of this truth?

The discipline of the Lord can be an unpopular topic, but Hebrews 12 makes an explicit connection between it and God's love for His children. In this message we look at the Lord's discipline, how it prepares us for the war against sin in our lives, and how it shows his great love for us.

In this lesson, Pastor Joshua will be discussing how looking to Jesus as the founder and perfecter of our faith brings unity and endurance. Jesus is the whole reason that we can endure in faith until the end.

https://northstarbaptistchurch.org/january-10-2021/

Looking back and reflecting on the last year, and setting vision for the new year, the Scriptures call us to a seemingly radical kind of unity and love for one another: one that certainly had not seemed to characterize much of the culture or Christianity in the past year. However, once seen in the light of the life of Jesus, this kind of love and unity is not so radical after all.

In this long and dangerous race we are supposed to run, how are we to do so with endurance and confidence? The author of Hebrews gives us key insights in the beginning of chapter 12.

The author of Hebrews depicts the Christian life as a race that needs to be run in order to live a life that pleases God and gain the prize. In order to run this race well, and with endurance, and if we hope to gain the prize, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. One of the ways we get ready to run this race is by setting aside anything and everything that makes it difficult to run.

If we are not careful, we can fly over small passages of Scripture that are less familiar to us and miss out on their significance. Hebrews 11:39-40 has massive implications for our understanding of how God has been at work in redemptive history, our understanding of the covenants, and offers us great encouragement to persevere.

Guest speaker Nathan Martin shows us the contrast of how faith can manifest in the lives of people who live faithfully. Hebrews 11:32-38 is not only a list of triumphs. Some of the lives of those mentioned ended very badly. This demonstrates to us that faith in God cannot be equated to success in this life or health or wealth. Rather, trusting in God has its fullest reward in the next life.

Guest speaker Ray Williams shows us the life of faith that characterized Samuel and made him such an important figure in Israel’s history. Seeing Samuel’s life from the perspective of his trust in God at key moments in his life is instructive for us as we seek to live by faith.