Good is not the issue.

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 9:15-22  

Testament and testator is the same as our last will and testament.  

Old Testament law, before that the Passover, before that God used an animal to cover Adam and Eve’s sin.  

Death is the consequence of sin and death is the payment for sin.  

Blood is not the issue. An animal couldn’t just be injured for the blood, it had to die. Blood that leads to death is the payment for sin.  

We must never forget: good is not the issue, bad is the issue.  

In an unexpected twist, Satan wants good to be the issue. In a very superficial way, he wants you to do good in order to not think about the bad.  

Only Christians teach that God is reaching down to man. Everyone else tends toward man reaching up to God.  

John 20:27 NIV 

Sin Is Work

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 9:14-15  

Sin is work  

Sin brings separation, Isaiah 59:2  

So we need a mediator, 1 Timothy 2:5  

Sin brings death, Romans 6:23  

Sin brings debt, that’s what redemption means  

Physical law, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Conscience

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 9:1-14  

Conscience: the depths of our personality; the center of who we are, the inner man; a part of our heart/soul/spirit/body  

The Good: Light and Bread

The Problem: Not everyone was welcome, and, no one’s conscience was completely cleared.  

Ritual should lead to relationship. When relationship fails, we fall back to ritual & rules.  

“Should do” leads to “want to.”  

Relationship rather than just ritual:  

Realization of something missing  

Time 

Guest Speaker Rev. Larry Loggins

Guest Speaker Rev. Larry Loggins

I Know...You

Message: “I know…you.”  

Text: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)  

“I know…”  

Psalm 119:105  

The Word of God: reading, listening, watching…  

In that order.  

“…you.”  

Jeremiah 1:5  

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18  

Colossians 1:16, “by Jesus and for Jesus.”  

What you are called to, what you were made for, should eventually become the most important thing in life. That ‘s where meaning, purpose, love…everything comes from.

At Just The Right Time

Message: At just the right time

Text: Galatians 4:4

Luke 2:1-7

Caesar Augustus—The first Roman emperor. The beginning of emperor worship, the emperor as divine, the emperor as god.

Quirinius—The first census, not the second.

Matthew 2:1, 16

Herod the king, Herod the Great, “Herod the butcher”

Caesar Augustus, “It is safer to be Herod’s hog than his wife.”

John 3:16 At just the right time

Remember

 Message: Communion  

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:26  

If you read this about anyone else it would seem strange, and others would think you strange if you wrote it.  

What can learn from the verse?  

1. Jesus died.

2. But, Jesus is not dead. Death is not the end of Jesus, it’s the beginning of new life.

3. Jesus is coming. This is the end of all temporal things. The coming of Jesus is when His church can finally stop…until then we always have work to do.

Backtrack 2 - The Gospel

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Backtrack 2, Acts 10:34-43  

Achieve: vs 35  

It can no longer stop here, because we can’t do it  

Discipleship: vs 36  

“Not so, Lord”  “He is Lord of all”  

Receive: vs 43  

Acts 4:12, John 1:12  

The thing that saves us, keeps us saved.  

Grace never was fair and never will be. Praise the Lord!  

A.B. Simpson, "Learn this secret:  that you are not sanctified for all time so that there will be no more need for grace and victory; but you have grace for this moment and the next moment and by the time life is spent, you shall have had a whole ocean of His grace."  

Ron Hutchcraft,"Any longtime Christian who does not still find God's grace amazing needs to take an honest look at his or her own sinfulness."

Backtrack - Acts 10

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 8:1-13 (10)  

(Backtrack to a couple weeks ago: the story of Cornelius and Simon Peter, Acts 10)  

Cornelius is religious and lost. Peter is religious and prejudice.  

Yesterday…the day before.  

Whatever question you are asking God, He could often turn around and ask you.  

Does the amount that God uses us correlate to the amount that we are willing to be used…the amount we are willing to change to be used.?  

What might need to change?

I have something to say.

James Pagan, Cindy Moye, and Sarah Riddle have something to say..

What's right with it?

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 8:1-13  

To go from trying to obey the Godly law that is written down to trying to obey the Godly law that is written on your heart.  

To go from knowing things about Jesus to knowing Him personally, is a huge change in relationship and spiritual life.  

Analogy: When most of us started attending church we came to get, but a huge change takes place in our spiritual life when we start attending church in order to give…and we actually receive so much more!  

Philippians 3:7-10  

Before the spiritual change: “What’s wrong with it?”  

“How far away can I get?”  

After the spiritual change: “What’s right with it?”  

“How close can I get?”  

John 14:15  

Philippians 3:11-12  

1 John 4:19

Watching for stop signs.

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 8:1-13  

This Hebrew/Christian pastor quotes heavily from Jeremiah, who had what looks like 40 years of failure. God’s people were no longer listening to the law, the Word, or the prophets.   

Colossians 1:27  

Holy Spirit speaking to you: Romans 8:16  

Old Country Preacher, “I don’t always know when the Holy Spirit is, but I sure know when He aint.”  

Matthew 28:18-19 Watching for stop signs along the way.  

Acts 16:6-10  

If you think it’s wrong, stop immediately. If you think it’s right, tread forward carefully.  

Holy Spirit speaking to others:  

Acts 10 Simon Peter and Cornelius  

Cornelius first by a vision and an angel  

Simon Peter next by Jesus, a vision, and Holy Spirit.  

Whoever the Holy Spirit sends you to, He always goes ahead of you.

I don't have time for that.

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 7:23-28  

“To the uttermost.” – completely, perfectly, finally, for all time and eternity.  

From – To

From: Getting past your past.  

What you have done.  

What others have done to you.  

Replacement discipline.  

To: Now and to the end of time  

Jesus is praying for you.  

Others are waiting for you…and others are depending on you.  

Robert McCheyne, "If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies.  Yet distance makes no difference.  He is praying for me!"

Failure

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 7:11-22  

What is wrong with the priesthood? What is wrong with keeping the law?  

The law is perfect, there is nothing wrong with the law…there is something wrong with me!  

Will the Holy Spirit lead you to something He knows you will fail at?  

Galatians 3:24-25 (KJV)  

Learning real dependance often comes from failure, finally getting that I’m not able to do it on my own.  

John 15:4-5  

*Get better at obeying the inner impulse that is the Holy Spirit. Immediate obedience, because delayed obedience is disobedience. This is the difference between a law written on paper or written on your heart.  

*Honestly, why are you doing it? What is your motive? We can do a good thing for a bad reason.

Can you see Jesus?

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews

Text: Hebrews 7:1-4

The shadow of the cross falls backward and forward.

Can you see Jesus in people?

Jesus is not like Melchizedek. Melchizedek is like Jesus.

Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel…

John 8:56-58

Matthew 25:31-37, 40 Notice anything about this list? How are the lists alike, the common theme?

Can you see Jesus in the times?

Romans 8:18-22

Can you see the clock speeding up?

Giving & Receiving

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 7:1-10  

Can you see Jesus?  

The shadow of the cross falls backward and forward.  

Jesus is not like Melchizedek. Melchizedek is like Jesus.  

Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel…  

John 8:56-58  

Giving to Jesus:  

“If you will not give according to how you have been blessed. Then may you be blessed according to how you give.”  

All any of us have to give is from what God has already given us. Do you think God is going to run out?  

Receiving from Jesus:  

Humble enough to recognize your need. Humble enough to let someone pray for you.

Soul Anchor

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews

Text: Hebrews 6:12-20

Consider: who you imitate, who you look to, who you depend upon.

Consider: If hope is the anchor of your soul, what is your hope?

Faith is almost always what God is going to do. Hope is what God is going to do based on what God has done and what He has said.

Some of us need to:

1) Find our hope. We’re adrift

2) Change our hope. We’re off course. Our boat is too small for the anchor.

3) Trust our hope. Stay the course.

Upward Cycle

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 6:9-13  

The work did not start with you and will not end with you.  

Have done…  

Am doing…  

Will do…until the end  

Imitate those who have gone before you who are worthy of imitation. And be worthy of imitation to those who are coming after you.

The cycles of life  

Breaking the downward cycle of: addiction, dysfunction, unfaithfulness.  

~Desire to make the future better than the past.  

~Desire to give more than take  

~Desire for people to want to imitate you as a positive influence for Jesus.  

On the desk of president Harry Truman,  “The Buck Stops Here”  

Start the upward cycle: not, continue the flat, straightline cycle.  

Every generation will face new, unique challenges.  

I can’t imagine the challenges Abraham faced, and Abraham couldn’t imagine the challenges I face.

The Insanity of Sin

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 6:4-8  

Persistent, unrepentant sin.  

When approaching the Word with no preconceived notions, the obvious reading of scripture is often the accurate one.  

This isn’t God saying no, this is people saying no. The word impossible is not what God can’t do, but what you won’t do.                    It is impossible to renew someone to repentance who will not repent.  

Romans 10:9  

1 John 1:9  

The insanity of sin  

1 Samuel 15:13-21  

Dennis DeHann, "Sin is so dangerous because it is blind to itself."  

Charles Colson, "If there is anything worse than our sin, it is our infinite capacity to rationalize it away."

Let us go on...

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 6:1-3  

Believing God at His Word:  

Romans 10:9  

1 John 1:9  

Fenelon, "Satan is the one who torments us with trivialities.  And he often transforms himself into an angel of light, and bothers us with endless self-examinations and an over-sensitive conscience which allows us no peace."  

Holy Spirit convicts, Satan condemns. If you don’t move on, you have gone from conviction to condemnation.  

Act on what you know to be true.  

Thomas Merton, "It seems to me the most absurd thing in the world to be upset because I am weak and distracted and blind and constantly make mistakes!  What else do I expect!"  

What is the worst restaurant meal you have ever had? What is the biggest mistake you have made in the kitchen?  

Romans 2:4, It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. Not His anger, judgment, discipline…