We desperately need the intentional encouragement of one another to run the race of the Christian life well. The message was given on July 21, 2013 at New City Church in Calgary by Pastor John Ferguson. For more info, go to www.NewCityChurch.ca.

1. Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 3:12-13
Pages 1002 in our guest Bibles.

2. KNOW
YOURSELF
“
”

3. Why it is that of all
the billions and
billions of strange
objects in the
cosmos—novas,
quasars, pulsars,
black holes—
YOU are beyond
doubt the strangest?

4. “We knowers
are unknown
to ourselves...”
Friedrich Nietzsche
German Philosopher

5. God cannot give us
peace and
happiness APART
from Himself
because there is
NO such thing.
~ CS Lewis
Mere Christianity

7. “ENCOURAGE
ONE ANOTHER”
Hebrews 3:12-13
Looking out for
One Another

8. Take care, brothers, lest there be in
Hebrews 3:12
in any of you an evil, unbelieving
heart, leading you to fall away from
the living God....

9. “Above all else
GUARD your HEART,
for it is
the wellspring of life.”
~ Proverbs 4:23, NIV

10. SINFUL HEART
UNBELIEVING HEART
TURNING AWAY HEART
HARDENED HEART

11. But exhort one another every day,
Hebrews 3:13
as long as it is called “today,” that
none of you may be hardened by
the deceitfulness of sin.

12. “The heart is
DECEITFUL
above all things....”
~ Jeremiah 17:9

13. But exhort one another every day,
Hebrews 3:13
as long as it is called “today,” that
none of you may be hardened by
the deceitfulness of sin.

14. We desperately need
the intentional encouragement
of one another
to run the race well.

15. Answer
the question:
Be
SUSPICIOUS
of
YOURSELF
1

16. “The seeds of
every known sin
lay dormant
in our hearts.”
~ Robert Murray McCheyne
(1813-1843)

17. “We would all like to
think that no one knows
our hearts better than we
do. We would like to
believe that others may
be self-deceived, but we
are not. It’s simply not
true. Since sin is in its
essence deceptive, as
long as sin lives in our
hearts, we will tend to be
blind to the true condition
of our hearts.
Paul Tripp
Instruments in the
Redeemer’s Hands

18. “But more must be said.
Not only will we be blind
to our hearts, but we
will be blind to our
blindness, thinking we
see when we really
don’t.”
Paul Tripp
Instruments in the
Redeemer’s Hands

19. 2
Live close
to Jesus
AND
His people

20. 3
Pursue & invite accountability

21. “I like the idea of
accountability--
in the lives of
other people.”

22. “...personal insight
is the product of
community. I need
you in order to
really see and know
myself. Otherwise, I
will listen to my own
arguments, believe
my own lies, and
buy into my own
delusions...”

23. “My self-
perception is as
accurate as a
carnival mirror. If I
am going to see
myself clearly, I
need you to hold
the mirror of God’s
Word in front of
me.”

24. Are you regularly
informing others
of your tempta-
tions and sins, or
do you present to
them a carefully
edited and
flattering version
of yourself?

25. “The Cream
Cheese Story”

26. rubyblossom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16215823@N06/6085939488/
JD Hancock: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83346641@N00/6023780563/
flickr images courtesy of:
other:
photos.com: Darran Barton / 147266096