Merry Christmas! This is the time each year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. God did not want you to miss THAT he came, WHY he came, and he doesn't want you to miss out on coming to him. He came for the world and came for you. This Christmas, do not miss out on the best gift this world has ever been given.
Read MoreWhat we do with the first Christmas will impact how we experience the second Christmas. When Jesus came the first time, it was as a baby in a manger. When he comes the second time, He will come as a King in all his glory. As we continue our series, Rest in the Story, we look at the culmination of all things where God returns, renders judgment, reverses suffering, restores all things, and reigns forever. These are the gifts of the second Christmas that Jesus will give to all who wait for him.
Read MoreWith the Incarnation, our story does not end in the Fall but continues with redemption. Redemption is a promise of freedom to those stuck in sin. It means to buy somebody out of slavery. That is what God has done for us. He has bought us out of slavery and set us free to live lives walking deeply with Him. The redeemed of the LORD declare their redemption and the redemption found in Christ.
Read MoreThe beauty of Creation is met by the brokenness of sin and the fall. Sin has impacted, infected, and affected everything in God's good world. So what would God do in the midst of our sin and rebellion against him? He would come to us, seeking us out, and pursuing us despite our sin-stained lives. If you ever wonder what God would do to you in your sin, look to the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God desires to be Emmanuel: God with us.
Read MoreYou are invited into a story that is written by God and marked by love. God so loves that he created the world with the height of his creation being his people. His heart is to be with us as we know Him and experience all that life has to offer in Him. As we start this series focusing in on the withness of God, rest in the story that God is for us and with us always.
Read MoreIt's time for a family meeting! As a church body, we are a family of God united together with one common purpose in Christ. Wherever we go, and whatever we do, we need wisdom to guide and direct our lives. Regardless of the good or hard of a season, God's people wait on God's provision, promises, and purposes before moving forward. So as we gather as a church family, let's pray for us to walk faithfully in what God has made clear and trust in areas he hasn't.
Read MoreWho is Melchizedek? A seemingly obscure person in the Old Testament is one of the most significant. The first priest in our Bible, Melchizedek, foreshadows the Final Priest in our Bible, Jesus. A priest is someone who stands between God and humanity. Jesus is the final high priest who is perfect, eternal, and promised. We have full and final access to God in Him. So draw near because Jesus is the better eternal priest.
Read MoreWhat do you do between God's promises and God's fulfillment of those promises? Throughout the book of Hebrews, the pastor has shown us the wonders of God and the promises we can hold onto. But often, there is a gap between God's promises and fulfillment. In the between, we hold onto the trustworthiness of God, remember the examples that have gone before, and run to the presence of God through Jesus Christ.
Read MoreWhat happens when we become bored with God? This is the first sign of becoming dull towards the gospel and entering into spiritual immaturity. Like any good coach, teacher, or leader, the Pastor of Hebrews uses inspiration, instruction, and intensity to help his church body become all they were meant to be in Christ. Dullness leads to destruction and devastation. But there is something more in Christ. So let's press onto maturity because there is always more in Christ!
Read MoreAll of us bring questions before God: Is he good? Can he be trusted? Is he worth following? God has answered this in Christ with an emphatic "YES!" Jesus entered into the lowest positions to sympathize with us. But then he stepped into his rightful position to lead us. In Christ, we have the perfect High Priest we can trust with our lives and follow him with everything in us.
Read MoreJesus wants to invite you into the fullness of life both now and forever. There is coming a moment when we stand before God and must give an account of how we live our lives. So how can we use TODAY to prepare for THE DAY? As we look at Hebrews 4:12-13, we see how the word of God prepares us for eternity with God.
Read MoreWhere do you find your rest? For many of us, we think rest is simply leisure or relaxation. But biblical rest is so much more. Rest is experiencing all God has for us, both now and forever. Those who walk in rest are embracing God's promises, enjoying God's presence, and experiencing God's peace. The offer for this rest is for today. It's not something you can earn, only something you can receive in Christ alone.
Read MoreHow many people truly finish well in this life? Of those who were delivered out of Egypt, only .0003% did. 2 out of over 600,000 people actually finished strong in their faith. This warning is for us to continue to move through our journey with Jesus in faith in Jesus. Many of us spend our lives wandering through the wilderness, missing out on the fullness of Christ. God is warning us not to disbelieve in the gospel of Christ but to draw near because Jesus is better.
Read MoreJesus is better than Moses. Now for many of us, this doesn't feel like that big of a deal. But for the Hebrews, Moses was the greatest of all prophets and an example of faithfulness to God. For all the Moses is, Jesus is better. Moses had an assignment, and he was faithful as a servant. Jesus had an assignment, and he was faithful as a son. No matter your assignment, the call is to be faithful to the One who was faithful till the end.
Read MoreAs we wrap up Hebrews 2, the pastor of Hebrews is giving us five amazing truths about Jesus that are possible thanks to Christ coming as a human, yet still being fully God. This passage shows us that we have a God that understands the human experience. Jesus got tired, He got hungry, and He was tempted to sin just like us. But He did not sin and took our payment for sin, so we no longer have to fear the cost of sin: death—what a good God.
Read MoreHebrews 2:5–13 is a complicated passage, but the message is clear: Jesus is better because of His humanity. By entering our world as a human yet fully retaining His deity, He paves the way for humanity's salvation, he tasted death for everyone, and now Christ is not ashamed to call His Church "family."
Read MoreSo far, in the book of Hebrews, our author has lifted up our eyes to see Jesus. Now, as we move into chapter 2, he looks us in the eye and emphatically says, "Don't drift away!" It is easy to drift. It is natural to drift. It is dangerous to drift. We can drift towards licentiousness or legalism, passivity or performance, rebellion or religion. God wants us to walk faithfully in a loving relationship with God. This takes a moment-by-moment, daily reminder of the goodness of Christ and the joy of following him. So don't drift away. Draw near.
Read MoreJesus is the better messenger. He is the Son of God who fulfills the promises of God. He is the One who is worthy of worship and service. He is the eternal King and sits supreme over all. Jesus is BETTER. We are all tempted to drift back to lesser things. But when we truly see Jesus for who He is, we see God's primary message: He loves us. So draw near to Jesus because the better messenger has arrived.
Read MoreJesus is better. He is better than anything you can compare him to and anything that has come before. Yet, as we look at our lives, we can drift away from the person and work of Jesus. The book of Hebrews shines a light on Jesus. In the opening paragraph, we see seven reasons why Jesus is better. As we see him for who he truly is, we find the joy and life we were made for. The message of Hebrews is simple: don't drift away, draw near, because Jesus is Better.
Read MoreHow do we strengthen our faith? We seek the LORD. We often get stuck in our walk with Jesus. It may be because of ongoing sin, past wounds, getting content in our walk, or a bad view of God. Whatever it may be, the answer to how to continue to grow in your walk with the LORD is to seek the LORD. As we close our Psalm series, we look at Psalm 27 to see six tools for seeking God and strengthening our faith. The more we use the tools, the more we will see stories of God's grace and goodness in our lives and in the life of others.
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