Listen to last week’s sermon Experiencing God’s NEXT – Hebrews 12:1-2

A Sermon from New Beginning Church, Rockland, Ontario — November 8th, 2026

This month, New Beginning Church (NBC) in Rockland, Ontario, marks an extraordinary milestone — 17 years of God’s faithfulness. Seventeen years of His abundant grace. Seventeen years of a community walking together through seasons of joy, hardship, growth, and renewal. And yet, as meaningful as this anniversary is, the celebration is not simply a look backward. It is a declaration about what lies ahead. The theme for this year’s anniversary is not merely a slogan. It is a prayer, a declaration, a hope, and a strong conviction:

There is a NEXT — there is more.

Relevant: Part 1 Of NEXT – Philippians 3:7-14

The church community is profoundly grateful for 17 years of God’s goodness. But it is equally convinced that God is not finished. Not with New Beginning Church. Not with the families and individuals who make up this community. Not with you, if you are reading these words right now. If you are still breathing, there is a NEXT for you. God is not done writing your story.

There Is a NEXT — God Has More for You

What does it mean to believe that there is a “NEXT”? It means living with expectation. It means refusing to settle for yesterday’s blessings as the ceiling of what God can do. It means trusting that the God who has been faithful for 17 years — and for all of eternity — is still at work, still moving, still opening doors. Pastor Eric laid out a vision of what God’s NEXT might look like for His people:

• A NEXT level of faith to walk in
• A NEXT soul to reach with the Gospel
• A NEXT generation to raise up
• A NEXT door God is opening
• A NEXT chapter God is writing
• A NEXT step of obedience to take
• A NEXT promise to possess
• A NEXT harvest to gather
• A NEXT mountain to move
• A NEXT family to restore
• A NEXT calling to answer
• A NEXT move of God to welcome.

This is not wishful thinking. It is a biblically grounded conviction rooted in the belief that God “is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). God’s NEXT for your life is bigger than your imagination, deeper than your past, and more glorious than anything you have yet experienced.

Hebrews 12:1-3 — Surrounded by a Cloud of Witnesses

The writer of Hebrews builds on this theme with a powerful athletic image:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” — Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

The “cloud of witnesses” refers to the faithful men and women of Hebrews 11 — Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and so many others — who ran their race with faith and endurance. They are not passive spectators cheering you on from the grandstands. They are living testimonies to the fact that God is faithful, that the race can be run, that the finish line is worth every sacrifice. Their lives are both inspiration and invitation. If they could persevere through famine, exile, persecution, and death, you can persevere through whatever weight or struggle is slowing you down today. They are saying to us today that the race is finishible. 

The Derek Redmond Story — A Living Illustration of Perseverance

One of the most powerful illustrations Pastor Eric shared comes from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. British sprinter Derek Redmond was considered one of the favorites in the 400-meter race. He had trained for years, overcoming multiple surgeries and setbacks to reach this moment. Then, 150 meters from the finish line, Redmond’s hamstring snapped. He collapsed to the track in agony. The race continued around him. The crowd fell silent. What happened next became one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history. Derek Redmond got up. Hobbling, tears streaming down his face, he began to make his way toward the finish line. And then, from the stands, his father Jim pushed past security and ran to his son’s side. He wrapped his arm around Derek and together — father and son — they crossed the finish line. This is a picture of God’s NEXT in the life of every believer. You may be on the track right now with a torn hamstring. You may have collapsed. You may be wondering if you can even finish. But God — your Heavenly Father — is running to your side. He will not let you stay down. He will wrap His arms around you and bring you across the finish line. The race is not over. Your NEXT is not behind you.

Three Keys to Experiencing God’s NEXT

Based on the sermon from Philippians 3 and Hebrews 12, Pastor Eric outlined three essential keys that position believers to step into God’s NEXT for their lives.

1. Know There Is More

The first key is expectation. You cannot pursue what you do not believe exists. If you have convinced yourself that your best days are behind you — that you have already seen, heard, and experienced everything God has for you — then you have inadvertently placed a ceiling over your own life. But if you hold with firm conviction that God has more — more grace, more purpose, more power, more fruit — then you open yourself to receiving it. Hope is not naive. It is the God-given ability to see the unseen and reach for the not-yet-possessed. Refuse to let discouragement, disappointment, or the lies of the enemy convince you that you have already arrived. You have not arrived. There is a NEXT.

2. Throw Off Every Burden and the Sin of Unbelief

Hebrews 12:1 instructs us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” In the context of the race, this is straightforward wisdom: you cannot run well while carrying unnecessary weight. What hinders you? It may not be a dramatic sin. It may be:

• The weight of past failure or shame
• The burden of unforgiveness
• The heaviness of grief not surrendered to God
• The drag of unbelief — the quiet suspicion that God’s promises are for everyone except you.

The sin specifically named is unbelief. Unbelief is not just an intellectual doubt; it is a posture of the heart that refuses to trust God’s word and God’s character. It entangles. It slows. It stops. If you are going to run toward God’s NEXT, you must lay it down. Bring it to Jesus. Let Him carry what was never meant for you to carry.

3. Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

The final key is the most important: fix your eyes on Jesus. Not on your circumstances. Not on your failures. Not on other people’s races. On Jesus — “the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2).The word “pioneer” means He has already gone ahead of you. He has already blazed the trail. He has already walked through every valley, faced every temptation, endured every suffering — and He came out the other side in resurrection glory. He is not asking you to go somewhere He has not been. He is saying: follow me. I know the way. I am the way. And He is the “perfecter” — meaning He will complete what He has begun in you. What God starts, He finishes. The same God who has been faithful for 17 years at New Beginning Church is the same God who will be faithful to bring His purposes in your life to completion. Fix your eyes on Him. When you do, the race becomes possible. The weight becomes bearable. The finish line becomes visible.

Listen to the sermon here: