The beginning of a new series on the fundamentals of the faith listed in Hebrews 6: Repentance, Faith, Baptism, Laying on of Hands, Resurrection, Judgement. The first lesson is on both the importance of mastering the fundamentals and on the first fundamental of the faith: Repentance from Dead Works.

Hebrews 6:1-3
"Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so."

Psalms 51:10-15
"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise."
(NIV)

Watch Anne Batey's testimony featured in this sermon at vimeo.com/210120929

Faith is not religious knowledge, faith is not mere belief, faith is not a transaction, faith is not a work, and faith is not a sentiment. Biblical faith occurs when we are persuaded that God is who He says He is, and we trust Him with all of our life.
Walking by faith:
Renounce all paths that lead away from God. Renounce other religions. Renounce sin. Renounce your love for the things of the world. Renounce yourself Ask God to strengthen your faith: be a man/woman of prayer. Feed your faith: live inside the Word of God. Obey His commands. Obedience is the best way to learn God’s truth.Look to His strength and trust in His promises.

Hebrews 11:1-6
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
(NIV)

Watch Katie Boyce's testimony featured in this sermon, originally uploaded as a discipling story during the Net Work series, at vimeo.com/198495805.
Also find North Boulevard's collection of baptism videos at https://vimeo.com/album/3910724.

This third lesson on the fundamentals of the faith focuses on baptism and the many misconceptions on what the Scriptures say about baptism and its importance. What happens in baptism?
In baptism we imitate Christ and fulfill all righteousness. In baptism we are born again. In baptism our sins are washed away. In baptism we receive the Holy Spirit (though He works outside baptism, too). In baptism we are buried with and united with Christ then raised to a new life. In baptism we are clothed with Christ. In baptism we are saved.
Don’t just be baptized; live baptized!

Romans 6:1-11
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
(NIV)

Watch Mason Brandon's testimony at https://vimeo.com/210774351/edc3c65362

Watch Mason Brandon's testimony at vimeo.com/210774351/edc3c65362

If you want to follow Jesus, use your hands. Everyone needs love. Lay on your hands to express love and communion. Lay on your hands to ordain people to specific jobs. Lay on your hands to invoke the power of God.
How do I lay on hands today? When conferring the blessing of love and support, be quick to lay hands. When laying on hands as an act of ordination, be slow to lay hands. When praying over those in need, remember that God has awesome power.

Acts 13:1-3
"Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas,Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off."
(NIV)

Watch the Coach Rick Insell Interviews at vimeo.com/213445182 and vimeo.com/213445319. Watch the full interview at vimeo.com/214531431.

Did you know that the Bible does not teach that we spend eternity as souls in heaven? The Old and New Testament actually teach that our souls only temporarily live in heaven, and our souls will reunite with our body's and we will all resurrect into the New Earth. Living in light of the resurrection is living to win. The resurrection of the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian hope. Resurrection is not resuscitation, resurrection is not immortality of the soul, and resurrection is not reincarnation. It is a resurrection of the dead, of whom Jesus was the first, to prove who he was and where he came from, and to show us the hope that we have.

The bigger picture of the resurrection: the resurrection is the renewal of paradise. We will return to a new and better Paradise—where there’ll be no more sin, suffering, or sorrow. God Himself will live among us. The name for this is “the renewal of all things,” and it is the bedrock of our hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
"Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words."
(NIV)

The final lesson on the six fundamentals of the faith given in Hebrews 6 about the sixth fundamental: Judgement. Because God is a good God, He is a just God. If God were not a just God, He would not be a good God. He gives what the people of the world decide that they want. Those who refuse Christ will get what they want: eternity without him. Those who follow Christ will get what they want: eternity with Him, and each of us is guilty of capital crimes, but if you trust Christ, you have the world's best attorney. He has paid your price.

1. The Good News: God is a just God.

2. God has appointed a day in which He will judge everyone.

3. The Best News: God is a merciful God.

2 Timothy 4:1-8
"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead,and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
(NIV)