Grace Baptist Church of Richmond Hill
270 Weldrick Rd. W L4C3V3 Richmond Hill, ON, Canada

We all consider ourselves rational, open-minded people. The reality is, however, that we’re often not interested in listening to certain truths and can go to great lengths to avoid them. As Nietzsche said, People don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed. This message looks at some of the obstacles to confronting the truth and how to overcome them.

This week we're continuing our series "Life, Full and Unending" in John 11:45-57! Join us Sunday morning on our Home Worship page: https://www.gracebc.ca/homeworship

The story of Lazarus' resurrection helps us face death with confidence by anticipating that Jesus has power over death

There’s a scene from the old movie, Superman, where Clark Kent’s father says to him: Son, you’re here for a special reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but I know one thing it’s not to score touchdowns. His father’s intent isn’t to knock football, but to challenge his son to live in light of what he’s been created to do. I think Christians can often lose sight of that focus. Somewhere along the line, we get the impression that God’s goal is to just keep us from sinning. As long as we don’t do anything terrible, He’s not too concerned about what we do. But that’s not the Christian message at all.

To face death with confidence, receive Jesus' compassion and know that He shares our outrage at the suffering and pain that death causes

To face death with confidence, trust in Jesus as the exclusive provider of resurrection and life

We can have hope, because Jesus will deliver us.

Has confronting prejudice been a big part of your Christian discipleship?

We can have hope, because Jesus will unify us. This is the hope we need when confronting racism and discrimination today.

As the pandemic wears on, there’s a part of us that will begin to call ‘normal’ things that used to feel strange. ‘Doing church’ in pajamas on the sofa may start to feel like the ultimate in Sunday morning spirituality. People who have replaced evening ministry with Netflix may find it hard to go back. Even the isolation that we all struggle with may begin to feel attractive. Meeting people can be awkward, and relationships are often messy, we’ll tell ourselves. As you feel any of those thoughts, remember why fellowship is so essential and what we miss when we don’t invest in it. Let me give four specifics.

In a world full of violence, injustice, sickness, and death, it can be easy to fall into feelings of hopelessness. Recognizing this, the Apostle John in Revelation 7 described a vision of hope that comforted the persecuted early church and should still comfort us today.

How do we set our minds on things above?

We need to learn to see and value Jesus in fellow believers, no matter how little else we have in common.

As people in the early church came to faith, they brought attitudes of discrimination and superiority that only the gospel could dismantle. This message looks at the core of the teaching that undid their prejudice and can deal with ours.

For God to use us, we need to prepare for the opportunities that He gives. What are some of the most basic verses or passages that we could use to explain the gospel?