Hebrews: The Better Temple
Where do you feel the most 'at home'? Where is that? What does that feel like? The Hebrews had a word for this, "Shalom." This word meant "the way it should be." The Hebrews felt most at home in the Temple of God. It was here that they were reminded of God's provision as they walked in God's presence. These were hints of heaven and shadows of something greater to come. In Christ, we do not just get the shadow, we get the full substance of the way it should be. This creates in us a longing now as we anticipate what is to come.
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Hebrews: The Better Covenant
When something new has come, the old becomes obsolete. The people of God were a part of an old system of how they viewed themselves, the world, and how they related to God. But something new has come in Christ. A new way of seeing God, yourself, and others. Sadly, we can drift back to our old ways before Christ. But something new has come. A new promise, a new system, a new covenant between God and man. When the new comes, the old becomes obsolete.
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Hebrews: Don't Drift, Draw Near, Jesus is Better
Before we jump back into Hebrews, let's remember the heartbeat of Hebrews: don't drift away; draw near because Jesus is better. It can be easy to begin to drift, but drifting always leads to destruction in our lives. The pastor of Hebrews calls us to draw near to who Jesus is and what he has done because Jesus is simply better. When we focus on these two realities, who he is and what he has done, the only proper response to know and follow him with our lives. Welcome back to Hebrews. We are only halfway!
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How to Train
When was the last time you realized you needed to change? We are either moving towards Christlikeness or away from it. We do not get there by trying harder but by training faithfully. In 1 Timothy 4:6-16, we see the priority, plan, and progress of training for righteousness. So as we continue in the new year, let's train ourselves for Christlikeness.
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How to Change
'Tis the season for resolutions. It's the new year, and across the world, people are thinking about who they want to be and how they will get there. As we launch into this year, let's pause and look at what God wants us and how we can get there. It's not by willpower but by walking by the spirit and following God's will. Here's to the new year, and here's to being transformed by the word and will of God!
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Rest in the Story: Incarnation
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.
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Rest in the Story: Culmination
What 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.
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Rest in the Story: Redemption
With 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.
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Rest in the Story: Fall
The 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.
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Rest in the Story: Creation
You 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.
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Laying a Foundation
It'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.
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Hebrews: The Better Eternal Priest
Who 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.
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Hebrews: The Better Promise
What 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.
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Hebrews: Warning 3: Dullness Toward the Gospel
What 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!
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Hebrews: The Better Priest
All 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.
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Hebrews: The Better Eternity
Jesus 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.
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Hebrews: The Better Rest
Where 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.
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Hebrews: Warning 2: Disbelieving the Gospel
How 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.
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Hebrews: The Better Prophet
Jesus 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.
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Hebrews: The Better Human Pt. 2
As 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.
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