The Good News

Dennis McCallum
Mark 1:1-8

The gospel of Mark begins with declaring the good news that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is coming. John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus' arrival, teaching that people needed forgiveness through God that would ultimately be possible through Jesus. Jesus' work was prefigured throughout the prophets in the Old Testament, revealing God's plan for salvation from the beginning. Jesus' message of reconciliation with God was something completely radical to people of his day, and his message of grace is still radical today.

Jesus' High Priesthood

Gary DeLashmutt
Hebrews 7:1-19

Defending the priesthood of Christ, the author of Hebrews mentions Melchizedek. The significance of this character is that the Old Testament taught that the Messiah would be from a priesthood older than the Levitical priesthood. Melchizedek is only mentioned in this passage, Genesis 14, and Psalm 110, which all point to him being a priest and the Messiah's relation to him. The Old Testament taught that the Messiah would replace the Levitical priesthood. With this replacement came a new and better way to relate to God--one that includes confidence in God's acceptance, relational closeness with God, and the same intimacy with others who know God.

Entering God's Rest

Gary DeLashmutt
Hebrews 4:1-16

Responding to God and trusting Him leads to being able to partake in His rest. This rest lifts burdens from His people, but it can seem difficult to understand at first. Entering into God's rest involves ceasing from works, while making every effort to depend on God. This can only be understood and applied through grace and mercy, which are available through Christ.

When You Hear God's Voice

Gary DeLashmutt
Hebrews 3:1-19

Due to persecution, many Jewish Christians are considering reverting back to living under the Law, instead of following Christ. The author of Hebrews reminds the recipients of Moses, warning them of history repeating itself: God is making a promise, and His people are rejecting it. Christ is greater than Moses, and the promise is greater now than in Moses' example. Two application points can be drawn from this lesson: 1) real faith in Jesus lasts, and 2) listen to God's ongoing instruction (considering symptoms of a hardened heart and how to prevent one).

Why Jesus Became a Human

Gary DeLashmutt
Hebrews 2:5-18

Hebrews makes the case that Jesus is greater than any person or institution. This second chapter provides understanding about why this is: because of his sacrifice in order to rescue humanity. The necessity of Christ to become human is explained in three reasons: 1) to regain humanity's lost dominion over the earth (prevailing where Adam failed in the fall), 2) to die in our place for the guilt of our sins(allowing us to join God's family), and 3) to help us when we suffer (since he, himself, knows what it means to suffer).

Jesus: God's Ultimate Revelation

Gary DeLashmutt
Hebrews 1

This introduction to Hebrews captures the importance of relating to God on a personal level, rather than basing our interactions on religious rituals. Christ is better than Old Testament Judaism and has replaced it. The author of Hebrews makes his case through two main points: 1) Jesus is better than the Old Testament prophets (the prophets predicted Christ!), and 2) Jesus is better than the angels. The author is trying to teach his audience that there are consequences for neglecting God's message.

Learning Through the Da Vinci Code (Part 2)

Gary DeLashmutt
Hebrews 1

Who is Jesus? The Da Vinci Code proposes that Jesus was purely human and made to look divine; he was much different than the figure in the Bible. We look at the nature of Jesus and the misconception that he was married to Mary Magdalene.

Cracking the Code (Part 1)

Lee Campbell
Hebrews 1

Can we trust the Bible on what it says about Jesus? What about all those other gospels concerning Jesus not included in our standard text? Using the Da Vinci Code, we explore the topic of who the real Jesus is and is not. He is not just a man, or just a spirit, but he is God who died and rose again.

Foundations of Faith

Jim Leffel
Isaiah 52:13-53:12

There are major differences between our culture's view of faith and the Bible's view of faith. Peter instructs the ?resident aliens? about the life of faith which has intellectual and character components and provides hope. God has given us incredible prophecies about Christ in the Anonymous Servant passages in Isaiah in order to strengthen our faith to endure suffering.\r\n