Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 9:11-14, 19-22 The overall aim of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews is to convince Jewish Christians not to turn away from their new faith back to the Judaism they grew up in. He makes a case that Jesus is better in every way—greater than angels, prophets, Moses, priests who
Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 6:9-12 Hebrews is trying to stir up the faltering 1st century Jewish Christians who were ready to give up the game for lost. It’s like they were in a match that was tied-up at the end of the period and they saw no way of pulling out the win. Many of them
Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 5:1-10 Theologian Fulton Sheen said that every priest is essentially a Jacob's ladder—that is to say, someone who connects heaven and earth. Thomas Aquinas asserts simply that the priest is a mediator, a bridge, between human beings and God. This week we consider Jesus as the ultimate and final high priest. https://youtu.be/EyNJLxPpdI4
Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6 For us, the story of Jesus and all that he taught and demonstrated is familiar and well covered ground. But, for the 1st century Jews, this upstart Jesus and his radical reformation of the Mosaic law was brand new, and depending on how seriously you took him, he was either who
Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4 Hebrews was written from one devout Jewish follower of Christ to others struggling in their faith. A struggle that many of us are accustomed to today. Throughout this series we will dwell on the incomparable glory of the person and work of Jesus Christ; showing his supremacy over angels and prophets,
Sermon Scripture: James 5 The book of James suggests that followers of Christ thrive through faithful devotion to God’s mercy and grace and a lived life of faith and works, reliance on wisdom to reorient the fickle motivations of our hearts, and to trust God with the providing, protecting, and ordering of our lives. But,
Sermon Scripture: James 4 James chapter 4 feels like a set of three disconnected warnings to the early followers of the way of Jesus, but if we take a step back, we can see a common thread running through each. In verses 1-10 James warns against envy and material greed, in verses 11-12 he warns
Sermon Scripture: James 3 James argues that any pretense of being a follower of Christ that doesn't result in a serious working-over of our speech habits is falling short. How we use language — what we say and how we say it — is a central and vital part of what it means to be
Sermon Scripture: James 2 In James chapter two we are reminded; that God doesn’t play favorites with who he welcomes into his family, therefore we shouldn’t either, we will be tempted to take our salvation into our own hands in an effort to buy it or manipulate it, when it remains a work of God
Sermon Scripture: James 1:17-27 This week we begin to study the book of James. James does not read like one of Paul's letters where he addresses specific problems in one local church, rather this book is a summary of James's sage wisdom for any and every follower of Christ. James's goal isn't to teach new
