A Lawyer Tests Jesus

Jim Leffel

Luke 10:25-37

God's way is being blessed by God to be a blessing to others. In response to the lawyer, Jesus raises the standard of who we should consider ?my neighbor? and defines love as allowing ourselves to be inconvenienced by people in need.

Running the Race

Conrad Hilario

Colossians 1:28-29

God has given each Christian a unique role in His plan to reach those who do not know Him, and the author of Hebrews compares this plan to an individual endurance race that each person is running. While the race might be tiring and difficult, Christians are to resist the temptation to quit by fixing their eyes on Jesus, the forerunner who empathizes with Christians in their suffering. During this race, God disciplines Christians to refine their character and prove His love for them, and we can experience the benefits of God's discipline if we are willing to submit to it.

Two Key Aspects of Biblical Freedom

Gary DeLashmutt

Galatians 5:22

Biblical freedom, like all freedoms, is comprised of a negative and positive aspect: freedom from and freedom for. God has freed Christians FROM acceptance based on performance, and God has freed Christians FOR loving others powerfully through the Holy Spirit. Gary explores subtle signs of a legalistic, 'acceptance by performance' mentality and gives a positive vision for how loving others within the protective boundaries of love ethics can turn enslaving self-absorption into a healthy self-forgetting.

Abraham's Faith

Conrad Hilario

Genesis 22:1-19

Abraham was an Old Testament figure who demonstrated biblical faith [Hebrews 11.1] throughout his whole life. He was called by God to leave his homeland to go to a distant country, he waited on God to fulfill His promise of a son, and he trusted in God enough to voluntarily sacrifice that same son to Him. Throughout all of these circumstances, Abraham clung to what was unseen, and his perseverance and trust in God influenced the course of human history as a result.

The Antediluvian Heroes of Faith

Conrad Hilario

Genesis 6:5-6

The author of Hebrews presents three heroes of faith from the time before the Flood: Abel, Enoch, and Noah. Each of these three men demonstrated Biblical faith through their actions - Abel, through his sacrifice offered to God; Enoch, by walking with God for his whole life; and Noah by building an ark to save his family from the flood. It is clear through these historical accounts of Old Testament figures that God accepts only our faith for salvation and that trusting in God's promises is a sign of Biblical faith.

Sermon on the Plain: An Invitation to Discipleship (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

Luke 6:17-49

Jesus' call to love others is based on God's love for us. God reconciled us when we were His enemies to make us His sons and daughters. Sacrifice is always involved in reconciling relationships and God wants to free us to restore the alienated relationships in our lives. This involves taking the log out of our own eye, dealing with the hypocrisy in our lives, and appealing to one another in love.

Spiritual Confidence

Scott Risley

Hebrews 10:19-35

The Jews were accustomed to a priest entering into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer a sacrifice to God on behalf of their sin. Now that Christ died, paying the ultimate sacrifice, there is no need for us to be separated from God. When Christ died, the veil that sectioned off the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two. Once we accept Jesus' forgiveness for our sins (a one-time decision), we can confidently enter into God's presence, knowing that Christ has fully atoned for our sin.

A Better Sacrifice

Scott Risley

Hebrews 9:15-10:18

In the old sacrificial system, animal blood was required to pay for people's sin. Now God offers us a way out of the sacrificial system. Jesus died once as a perfect sacrifice to pay for our sin for all time. Sacrifices are no longer needed because His blood--the final sacrifice--covers all of what we owe God. There is no room for self-analysis when we have been covered by Jesus' blood. \r\n\r\n

A Better Tabernacle

Scott Risley

Hebrews 9:1-15

We learn the significance of the three items contained in the box in the Ark of the Covenant (within the Tabernacle); the items are reminders of our sin. Under the old system of worship in the Tabernacle, animal blood ?cleansed? people from ceremonial impurity. But now, the blood of Christ has acted as a perfect sacrifice in place of the blood of animals. His sacrifice has secured our redemption forever and given us a greater Tabernacle, not made with human hands and not part of this world.\r\n