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Weekend Preview – More on Jesus

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This coming Lord’s Day, we hope to complete the thought we began in Hebrews 9:1-10 by looking at Hebrews 9:11-14 and how Jesus’ sacrifice is a better sacrifice.  Think of it, under the old covenant, the conscience of the worshipper was never made perfect, but in Christ, we have secured an eternal redemption and have pure consciences from dead works to serve the living God.  There is truly reason to praise.  Hope you can enjoy God’s work for you in the Gospel this week.

Weekend Preview – Walk Through The Tabernacle…

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This coming Sunday, we will be examining Hebrews 9:1-10 in the AM service.  The writer of the book of Hebrews wants his readers to be exhorted to keep on keeping on when it comes to their faith.  To give them the kind of foundation he needs to, he presses on them the superiority of Jesus in every realm of religious life they’ve known.  And in Hebrews 9:1-10, he walks them through the tabernacle and the ministry that took place there so that when they get down to Hebrews 9:11-14, Jesus will shine bright and beautiful.  God has crafted the storyline of the Bible in particular colors so that they pop.  Join us this Sunday as we look deep to see Jesus lifted high.

Weekend Preview – My Good Friend

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One of my best friends, Brad Russell, will be preaching for me this coming Lord’s day. Brad is pastor at Old Powhatan Baptist Church in Powhatan, VA. As you continue to think about God and His greatness extended to us through Christ, anticipate blessings from Him as we worship this coming Lord’s Day. Reminder, too, in the evening, we will be having our church pic-a-nic at Herman Bunte Park here in Hutch at 6PM. Please bring a main dish, chair and side or dessert. Have a great week.

Weekend Preview – High Priest Wrap

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This coming Lord’s Day, Lord willing, we will gather for worship.  New Sunday School classes begin for adults at 9AM (Ron on Genesis and Conor leading R.C. Sproul’s Holiness of God study).  In the evening, we will meet in small groups and continue to work through Bridges’ book, Respectable Sins.

In the AM, the sermon will wrap up Hebrews 7:20-28 and really leave Melchizedek in the rear view, establishing the supremacy of Jesus.  I can’t do much better than quote what this soaring passage says about Jesus:

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Join me, then, this coming Lord’s day as we celebrate the supremacy of Jesus.

Weekend Preview – Jesus Is A Better Priest

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Maybe you’ve heard of the game 5 steps to Kevin Bacon, which traces a journey of movies starring Bacon back to any actor in Hollywood. Well, this Sunday, Lord-willing, we are going to be looking at some steps that get back to Jesus and how He is a better priest that what is found in the Levitical law. The passage we intend to look at is Hebrews 7:11-19. The progression of steps are highlighted by William Lane in his book on Hebrews:

(11-12) – prophecy about a new priesthood demonstrated the old was insufficient (13-14) – prophecy of Psalm 110:4 was Jesus coming to be our High Priest (15-17) – the new priest is superior in quality to Levitical priests (18-19) – Levitical priesthood and old Law was set aside by a new and better hope based on superior quality of high priest

Now, with all of these parts of the book of Hebrews, we need to expend some mental energy to understand the argument, but, as we do, we will find that the picture it gives us of our Lord and Savior is a resplendently brilliant one. Therefore, come expecting God to move through His Word to glorify the Son, our Better High Priest.

Weekend Preview – Melchizedek…

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This coming Lord’s Day, we hope to start unpacking who this Melchizedek guy is and the significance he has for our understanding Jesus as our Great High Priest.  I love what William Lane says about this chapter:

The value of Hebrews is that certain aspects of Jesus’ high priestly ministry are set forth and developed for the first time in a manner which enables us to understand the significance of describing Jesus as priest, or high priest. In fact the heart of the sermon, which extends from Hebrews 7:1-10:18, is devoted to clarifying the high priestly office of Jesus.

Most Christians would affirm the three-fold offices of Jesus: prophet, priest and king. In the person of Melchizedek, we get a picture of the priestly king work of Jesus. For that reason alone, I hope you are encouraged to come and sink in the truth that God has for us in Hebrews 7. And this coming Lord’s day, as we look at Hebrews 7:1-10, I hope your heart wells up in praise for God’s good revelation to you.

Weekend Preview – Assurance in Promise of God

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This coming Lord’s Day, we hope to look at Hebrews 6:13-20.  This passage picks up where 5:10 left off, prepping us for the amazing truth we will consider in chapter 7.  You might remember, though, that a firm issue was dealt with in 5:11-6:12 — spiritual immaturity.  In response to this, in 6:9-12, the writer gives them encouragement about what he sees in their lives.  In Hebrews 6:13-20, then, we see:

What the writer is concerned to show is (1) the solemnity of God’s promises; (2) His unchangeable character and, therefore, (3) the absolute certainty of His Word. This is really an explanation of the basis of the Christian’s full assurance of hope. Having given these stern warnings, now he is going to explain on what basis a Christian may rightly have full assurance of the hope of the Lord Jesus Christ. (quote by Donald Guthrie)

I hope you will pray for this in your life this week and find it as we unearth God’s Word this coming Lord’s day.

Weekend Preview – You, Yes You, Are A Minister…

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On 8/14, Lord willing, we plan to look at Hebrews 6:9-12.  One verse that stands out is v.10, highlighting the ministry of these people to their fellow believers.  Sad to say, but much of the contemporary church creates a great divide between “ministers” and laity.  Here’s John Stott weighing in (from his book The Contemporary Christian, p.140):

all Christians without exception are called to ministry, indeed to spend their lives in ministry. Ministry is not the privilege of a small elite, but of all the disciples of Jesus. You will have noticed that I did not say that all Christians are called to the ministry, but to ministry, diakonia, service. We do a great disservice to the Christian cause whenever we refer to the pastorate as “the ministry.” For by our use of the definite article we give the impression that the pastorate is the only ministry there is, much as medieval churchmen regarded the priesthood as the only (or at the least the most “spiritual”) vocation there is.

In this section of Hebrews, the writer has dealt with spiritual immaturity. But because these Christians aren’t just nominal Christians (professing something but not living it) but actually serve others, they can have hope and confidence in their spiritual standing. I wonder if your current service to others would point to you being one who has spiritual fruit? Of if you would just be Christian in name only, not in deed? Come this Sunday and see how we live relates to what we believe.

One of Your Converts?

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…a popular story comes from the life of evangelist D. L. Moody:

Moody was once approached by a stumbling drunk on the street who slurred, “Mr. Moody, I’m one of your converts.” To which Moody replied, “You must be, because you’re certainly not one of the Lord’s!”

This coming Lord’s Day we will be looking at Hebrews 6:1-8. This passage, maybe more than any other in the NT, will rock us to our core to see whether or not what has taken place in our lives is really genuine. The thrust of the middle section makes us wonder, “Am I a pretender?” Begin asking God to work through His Word to determine whether or not you really are His.

Weekend Preview – “Stop Being So Immature”

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… at least that’s what the warning of Hebrews 5:11-14 sounds like.  Here’s a great summary from George Guthrie’s excellent commentary:

In [these verses] the author offers a bald assessment of his hearer’s current condition. They exhibit a dullness as learners of God’s truth, even though they have been engaged in the Christian walk long enough now to be teachers of others. The preacher likens them to infants [still drinking milk], who cannot handle more substantive fare.”

I wonder where you struggle to be a learner?  It might be that some of us don’t like the deep things, because they will require some effort, and, quite frankly, we don’t want to put it forward.  It might be a matter of priorities for some of us.  Others struggle to just get passed the milk.  Regardless of where we’re at on the journey.  The writer of Hebrews (read: God) wants us to wake up and realize that not choosing to deepen in the truth is a choice to stay immature.  These things simply shouldn’t be.  Oh, that God would give grace this coming Lord’s Day as we look into these things.