The letter to the Hebrews, as complicated as it is, has three parts to it that help simplify the message of the letter and make it easier to understand. In this episode we discuss: Where to find the divisions for the three parts of Hebrews; What each part is about; and, Why reading the last part before the other two might make Hebrews easier to understand. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

In this episode, we continue our exploration of the letter to the Hebrews and the valuable lessons this timeless letter has to offer us today. Understanding the different literary genres found in the Bible is important to understanding the Bible. And treating the documents in the Bible with respect to their literary genre is equally important in understanding the text in those documents. Here we look at the key verses about the author of Hebrews, the key verses identifying Hebrews as a letter, and what happens when we disregard them as non-essential. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

In this episode, we resume our series on getting to know Jesus with an introduction to the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament. Hebrews is a letter that is loaded with complex theology and therefore often avoided by most Christians. But it was not meant to be a complicated theological text that intimidates us. It was originally written to be a letter of encouragement. And it's probably the most encouraging letter in the New Testament. But that is often missed because we get stuck on trying to decipher the fascinating theology found in the letter. Here we push past all the complicated theology to give a simple introduction to the letter that will help us see the beautiful encouragement to be found in this letter. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

This is the concluding episode in our series on finding rest for your soul from Matthew 11:28 - 30. In this episode, we finish up our discussion of Hebrews 3:12 - 4:11 and what we can learn from the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness about finding rest in God's faithfulness. God doesn't need our help making sure the promises He has made will be kept. The constant evaluation of our situations and what we are able to accomplish, or not accomplish, by our own hands; shows that our trust is often in ourselves, and not in God. But God's faithfulness is not dependent upon our abilities and it is not hindered by our limitations. It is a faithfulness we can find rest in. The apostle Paul summed it up when he wrote to Timothy, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny himself" (2 Tim. 2:13). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

In this episode, we continue our discussion from Matthew 28:11 - 30 on finding rest for your soul. In this passage, Jesus gave us three action words - come, take, learn - whose application to our faith and lives is crucial in guiding us into the rest Jesus promised to give. In the last episode, The Pandemic of Restlessness, we focused on the third verb - learn - and the implications and applications it can have for us today. This episode focuses on the second verb - take - and examines the challenges we often face when it comes to simply receiving from God without feeling like we owe Him something in return. Learning to trust Jesus is challenging because we are broken people, living in a broken world, and we've all been let down by something or someone at some point in time. As a result, deep down inside, oftentimes the only person we truly trust is ourselves. Simply because we are not used to having people in our lives whom we can whole-heartedly trust or depend on. But Jesus wants to change that and wants to give more to us than we could ever give to Him. Unfortunately, because of the brokenness we're used to in this world, learning to take what Jesus is offering without feeling like we owe something in return can be a real struggle. Here in part three of this discussion, we talk about how this struggle can rob us of our peace and contentment and some ways we can overcome that. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

In this episode, we continue our discussion on finding rest for your soul. In Matthew 11:28 - 30, when Jesus invites us to find rest in Him, we find three verbs: come, take, learn. Understanding how to apply these actions to our life and faith is crucial in guiding us into the rest Jesus promised to give. This episode focuses on the third verb - learn - and the implications and applications it can have for us. We also take a look at 1 Timothy 1:5 and how we can use the measurements it gives to determine if what we're learning is contributing to our rest or taking away from our rest. The litmus test of whether or not you are learning from Jesus is not a growth in knowledge, but growth in love, grace, humility, and all the things about Jesus that don't come naturally to us. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

The world around us seems to be charged with negative energy. It's easy for life to start feeling like it's constantly one battle after another, without any rest in site. It's easy to get sucked into a culture of restlessness that seems to be filled with turmoil, worry, anxiety, anger, fear and hate. And oftentimes, religion can contribute to the restlessness of life by giving people more unnecessary burdens to carry in addition to all the other burdens of life. In this series about finding rest for your soul we examine Matthew 11:28 - 30 and its implications for us today. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

Part 2 of our follow-up on Episode 3: How Churches Have Failed Millennials. In this episode: We explore how destructive entitlement has driven millennials out of churches. Entitlement can destroy you. But it can also resurrect you if you pay it forward instead of demanding it. We can begin creating a healthier culture within Christianity by following in Jesus' footsteps and selflessly giving to others the same love and respect we feel entitled to without expecting anything in return. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

In this episode we follow up on our discussion on how churches have failed millennials. Discussed in this episode: What does it look like for us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called? Why is it important for us to build a healthier Christian culture to pass onto the next generation of believers? Why doesn't the world know Christianity by it's love today and how can we change that? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support

Millennial Christians have grown up during a period in the church where allegiance to theological camps, and the corporate brick-and-mortar ministry seemed to be more important to our predecessors than the people Jesus died for. Millennials desire a substance the church has failed to deliver. Now we're here to fill the gap and pray we can make the changes necessary to pass on a healthier Christian culture to the next generation of believers. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-sterling3/support