Hebrews

A Covenant Complete

September 15, 2021 • Beau Ouellette, Peter Martin • Isaiah 43:11, 1 Corinthians 4:7, Hebrews 13:15–25

In the closing passages of Hebrews, the focus is brought towards how we view submission. Beginning with God and continuing with government and church leadership, the focus is entirely brought to the heart of Christ. Without the assumption that we're always right, we can be a blessing to those placed in those roles over us as we demonstrate the same towards God Himself. Thankfulness and Praise are where we begin. 1. The sacrifices of the New Covenant are made from the heart with thankfulness and praise. 2. The respect we have for leadership in or outside of the church is balanced by the fact that they will give an account for their ministries just like we will our own. 3. What Jesus starts He finishes, including making us like Him in our character.

Content vs Covetous

September 8, 2021 • Peter Martin, Sean Richards • Hebrews 13:5–16

The opposite of covetousness is contentment and likewise is its solution. We understand our contentment on the basis of what the Bible defines as our basic needs. Culture and media can make us think we need more than we have, but scripture states that we have God. The more you understand how capable He is of meeting your needs, the less you'll fall into the mindset warned against all the way back in the Ten Commandments. 1. Covetousness is a “have more” or greedy attitude that is never satisfied. 2. Contentment is a “have enough” or thankful attitude that is always satisfied. 3. God is our source of contentment because He's all we need and we will always have Him.

Love in Action

September 1, 2021 • Scott Richards, Beau Ouellette • Hebrews 13:4–6

There are two equal and opposite mistakes people make with sex. Some dishonor it through its abuse. Others dishonor it through its neglect. Both are not God's purpose for marriage. Marriage was created as the place where our sexuality could be enjoyed on the foundation that every relationship is built on. Trust. 1. God invented and defined the purpose of our sexuality. 2. To dishonor marriage and our sexuality is something God will judge because it is a serious aspect of our lives. 3. Honoring God through our relationships, sexual or not, will always begin and end with trust."

As If

August 25, 2021 • Scott Richards, Sean Richards • Hebrews 13:1–3

Intrinsic value is an assumption in Christianity. It should not be taken for granted without understanding where that sense of value comes from. Fellow Christians share a Father and should treat each other like family. Fellow humans share a Creator and should be respected as such. And Christians who are suffering are experiencing this for the very same thing we ourselves ought to be doing. Act like Jesus to whoever and wherever you can. 1. Treat everyone in the church on the basis of their relationship with the Father. 2. Treat everyone outside the church on the basis of their Creator. 3. Treat those who suffer with the same comfort you'd want in their situation.

Zion or Sanai

August 18, 2021 • Peter Martin, Beau Ouellette • Hebrews 12:18–29

God is not someone to be underestimated or treated lightly. The reality of some of the most pitiful things in this Creation being out of our control or against us can terrify us to our core, yet the being above and beyond the universe itself is treated like a house pet. In order to properly understand and appreciate the mercy God has shown us by coming to redeem us as a man, we first need to recognize just how serious it is to be in the presence of a Holy God. God is good, but we are bad. If we aren't shown mercy, we're toast. The good news is that we don't have to be. While most reject Him and prefer themselves, those who know Jesus have recognized just how amazing God really is and has been to us. 1. The fact that God is holy is as much a comforting one as it is a scary one. 2. God isn't tame or in our control. 3. The reality of this world coming to an end is only a comfort if you understand the One who made it will redeem us from it. 4. The people who go to Hell want it. They would rather suffer separation from everything good than be in the presence of a Holy God.

Sooner or Later

August 11, 2021 • Peter Martin, Sean Richards • Hebrews 12:12–17, Hebrews 5:12–14, Romans 12:18–21, 1 John 2:15–17

Spiritual Growth comes from receiving correction. The spiritually immature person, like Esau in the Old Testament, doesn't consider growing closer to God in their character a priority. As long as time passes, we consider ourselves grown up. The problem is that we've all fallen short of the glory of God and will continue to unless we daily allow the Spirit to shape our character into His own. This starts with receiving correction and continues with relating the grace we've been shown towards others. 1. The Immature don't receive correction. 2. The Immature makes what looks and feels good their highest priority. 3. The Mature acknowledge their need for maturity.

Discipline’s Direction

August 4, 2021 • Peter Martin, Beau Ouellette • Hebrews 12:3–11

The Joy Set Before Him

July 28, 2021 • Peter Martin, Beau Ouellette • Hebrews 12:2

Jesus is called the author and finisher of our faith. This was demonstrated through the joy He experienced in laying down His life for us. The joy wasn't in the cross or the fact His life was the price being paid. He understood and demonstrated for us that to sacrifice out of love is the ultimate expression of it. He valued His life, but valued fellowship with His Father and restoration with His bride even more valuable. It wasn't done out of selfish gain, but out of the perfect character that remains the reason we have a hope of Heaven to begin with. 1. Jesus led the way to show our faith in Him has a worthwhile destination. 2. The joy Jesus experienced through the cross was His desire to be restored to His Father and His bride. 3. The sacrifice Jesus made brought Him joy because it was done out of love.

Running Unencumbered

July 21, 2021 • Peter Martin, Beau Ouellette

In light of everyone mentioned in chapter 11, the author of Hebrews concludes his point by applying it to those reading it. Like those before them trusted God even when it cost them something, there would only be victory over this sin in their lives if they found joy in the goal set before them. It wasn't limited to avoiding external sins like lust and anger, but the insecurities and fear that motivated those symptoms. An abundant Christian life is someone who sees fellowship with Jesus as so worthy a goal to pursue that they'd cast off anything that would impede them from that prize. 1. The Author of Hebrews describes the witness of the Old Testament Saints the same way the presence of God was described. That was their goal and should be ours as well. 2. The struggle against sin isn't limited to the outward expressions of it, but anything that weighs us down from enjoying that relationship even more. 3. Fear of punishment never motivates a successful Christian life. Jesus is our joyful goal to pursue. The only way to make that race more joyful is to get rid of anything that weighs us down from reaching that destination.

Eyes of Grace

July 14, 2021 • Beau Ouellette, Sean Richards

The author of Hebrews reviews the remaining examples in the Old and New Testaments. Some were spared the opposition that came their way while others did not. What they all had in common is what defines us as the church. The shared hope that God will see us like the Holy Spirit saw them. Through the eyes of Grace. 1. The Old Testament saints were far from perfect, but the Holy Spirit only mentions what was done right. 2. The Old Testament faith was in the same thing we are trusting in today, the grace of God.

Decisions and Consequences

July 7, 2021 • Scott Richards, Sean Richards • Hebrews 11:27–29, 2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 33:11

Moses demonstrated faith concerning the judgment of God by taking advantage of every possible means God provided for him to receive His mercy and avoid His judgment. 1. Moses forsook Egypt by considering the wrath of Pharaoh less worth worrying about than God's. 2. Moses kept the Passover by taking full advantage of avoiding God's rightful wrath on Egypt. 3. Moses crossed over the Red Sea, unlike the Egyptians, by trusting God's mercy was a legitimate offer.

Faith Over Disfunction

June 30, 2021 • Peter Martin, Beau Ouellette • Proverbs 27:7, Psalm 16:11, Hebrews 11:20–26, Hebrews 10:38–39, Habakkuk 2:4

Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses are all examples of faith because of a forward perspective. They all understood that God's purposes for their lives were greater than their own. They acknowledged the role God would play in the lives of their families even after they were gone. And they even acknowledged God as a greater source of pleasure than the things this world offered in His place. 1. Faith acknowledges the sovereignty of God as a comfort as much as a command. 2. Faith looks forward to the promises of God in such a way it impacts the way we live now. 3. Faith doesn't free us from sin by making us refuse pleasure but trusting and knowing God as pleasurable.

Laying It All Down

June 23, 2021 • Scott Richards, Peter Martin • 2 Corinthians 1:5–7, Hebrews 11:17–19, Genesis 22:1–14, Philippians 3:8–10

Through the trial of having to trust God even as far as a resurrection, Abraham experienced a deeper fellowship with the Father than any other human being ever has or could. 1. God is either your exceedingly great reward, or something less. 2. God values faith because it is the foundation of a relationship. 3. We trust Him because we personally know He's trustworthy. 4. God doesn't test our faith like a written exam to prove what we know. He tests us like metal to work out the impurities and increase just how much more we reflect His image.

Faith of a Father

June 16, 2021 • Beau Ouellette, Sean Richards • Hebrews 11:8–16

Abraham and Sarah are given as examples of people who trusted God's promises in history and weren't disappointed. 1. Faith means trust 2. Fathers invest in their children's future 3. Jesus is our hope

Faith of our Fathers

June 9, 2021 • Scott Richards, Sean Richards • 1 Peter 3:15, John 16:8–11, Hebrews 11:4–7

The earliest names in Genesis are given as examples of Faith the same way the Holy Spirit convicts us of our need for a Savior. 1. God reveals the sin in others while He deals with the sin in us. 2. God honors those who walk with Him even if they are the minority. 3. God gives mercy to anyone who will receive it.