Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:23-29
Your Journey…
Two Friends
An amazing this is that God loves you, a real amazing this is that God likes you. God does not need you, but He wants you.
(Exodus 32:7, 11, 33:13)
Exodus 33:11
*Leaving, forsaking, choosing, turning your back…
*Time
God is always the initiator
Philippians 2:13
Philippians 3:10
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:20-22
Your Journey… Links in a Chain
The link before us: There is something wrong with all of us, we are all dysfunctional. But we won’t let that stop us.
Matthew 6:33
It’s the kingdom that’s important, not just my small part of the kingdom.
The link after us:
“Yes you can!” Amazing how much we complain about the people we are called to minister to.
Philippians 4:13
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:17-19
Your Journey…
There was Jesus
See God the Father in Abraham
See Jesus the Son in Isaac
The Great Reversal: now see yourself in Isaac and see Jesus in the ram.
Jesus not only sees what you are going through, He enters it with you. You are never alone.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews (Father’s Day)
Text: Hebrews 11:7
Your Journey…
Noah: more afraid not to
John Maxwell, “Mistakes mark the road to success. He who makes no mistakes makes no progress. Make sure you generate a reasonable number of mistakes.”
1 John 2:20 (KJV)
You don’t really believe until you act. Go out and make some good mistakes.
How did Noah condemn the world?
11:7 The Message
God saw him
His family saw him
The world saw him
Message: Communion-wait for each other
Text: 1 Corinthians 11:33, Revelation 12:12, 17, 2 Timothy 3:13, Matthew 24:12
Passover is a family meal. Jesus’ disciples have become a family, the family of God.
“Lawlessness”—rampant sin, wickedness, iniquity, overwhelming spread of evil.
Evil and hatred lead to indifference. Evil around you can lead to indifference in you.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:11-12
Your Journey…
Believing what God has said
Genesis 18:9-15
If God can create the heavens and the stars, and has the numbered the hairs on your head…He can take care of you.
Matthew 6:24-34
Matthew 10:29-31
Matthew 11:28-30
1 Peter 5:6-7
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:8-16
Your Journey…
Seeing afar off
Tests of faith:
*Leaving when you’re not told where to go
*Hard to leave, you feel like you’re losing what you have gained.
*Abraham was a foreigner, stranger, pilgrim, no permanent home. Never felt at home.
*No matter what, Abraham kept looking toward his heavenly home.
“Seeing afar off”
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:7
Your Journey…
Noah: more afraid not to
John Maxwell, "Mistakes mark the road to success. He who makes no mistakes makes no progress. Make sure you generate a reasonable number of mistakes."
1 John 2:20 (KJV)
You don’t really believe until you act. Go out and make some good mistakes.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:5-6
Your Journey…
The Great Reversal
Please—to gratify entirely
You exist because God does. If God is not random, neither are you.
Colossians 1:16
1 John 4:19
The way to make any relationship better is to change yourself.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:4
Your Journey…
Mother’s Day
Levels of caring…
Levels of love…
John 15:13
Judas, Peter, other apostles, John, Mary
Loving someone more than yourself.
Douglas John Hall, "God's problem is not that God is not able to do certain things. God's problem is that God loves. Love complicates the life of God as it complicates every life."
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:3
Your Journey…
By faith we understand…
Romans 1:19-20
Genesis 1:1,3
John 1:1-4
There is the Creator or the created. You can be one but you can’t be both.
You only need faith, when you need faith.
Are you overthinking it?
Leave the results with God.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 11:1-2 (40)
Your Journey…
Part of faith is hope: Romans 5:4
Biblical hope is based on what God has done, what you have seen Him do.
Part of faith is what you have not seen God do yet
What is your purpose? Why did God make you?
What is your goal? Where are you going?
The journey to do what Jesus made you for and where He wants you to be requires faith, because faith is a journey.
40 years wandering around:
Life without faith—just killing time, filling time, no point.
Life of faith—Direction, a goal, doing things that really matter.
Message: Not in the Tomb
Text: John 20:3-9
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Romans 10:9
John 1:12
Message: In the Garden
Text: Matthew 26:33-46
Look up. Now look over.
Look up:
You feel like no one understands…because they don’t.
1 Samuel 30:6
Look over:
Mark 15:31
2 Corinthians 12:9
Message: In the Upper Room
Text: Luke 22:15
Ministry like Jesus: John 13:34-35
Ministry like Jesus has disappointment built in: John 6:63-69
I love more people than there are people who love me.
Oswald Chambers, "…for we shall often meet with more ingratitude from men than we would from a dog; but if our motive is love to God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow men."
Franklin Roosevelt, "Helping people is one of the hardest things you will ever do."
Focus on those you love and those who love you.
Too many people spend a lifetime stealing time from those who love them the most, trying to please the ones who care about them the least.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 10:32-39
The End Game
Do you believe in heaven…really believe?
To us, faith is often about believing God for what we want.
Instead of believing God can work thru us what He wants.
Through your suffering, testing, and need of faith is where you will be used by God.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 10:26-31
All In.
This is deliberate and persistent sin. “It’s wrong and I don’t care.”
There is: right and wrong, good and bad, heaven and hell, final judgment.
Deliberate and persistent Godliness. “It’s right and I care very much.”
Jesus did not give some of Himself, but all of Himself.
Jesus is not after some of you, but all of you.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 10:24-25
Why do you gather together for church?
Self-centeredness is the foundation of boredom.
Giving people are rarely bored. Why?
Ron Hutchcraft, "Me-centered Christianity is ultimately boring, unchallenging, and just not enough to satisfy our eternity-starved soul."
“The Day” when time comes to an end and eternity begins.
Are you paying enough attention to see that Day approaching?
Message: Communion
Text: John 14:1-3
Keep your head up!
“Let not your heart be troubled…Believe”
Jesus is working on a plan for you right now.
Mark 9: 22-24, 29
Levels of need lead to levels of belief.
Message: The Letter to the Hebrews
Text: Hebrews 10:15-23
Bold…not brash
“Let us draw near…”
“Let us hold fast…” (Philippians 3:12)
Respond to Jesus like He responds to you. We love Him because He first loved us, but not vice versa.
Degrees of truthfulness (boldness) according to relationship.