Heritage Sermons

James 1:2-11 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter James' first chapter is itself an introduction to the whole book. We might preach it in one sermon. But his language is so careful, his imagery so vivid, and his logic so subtle, that we do well to linger even on his introduction. He begins into the body of his letter with a direct attack on conventional wisdom: &...

James 1:1 | Undivided: Grace for Change from the Book of James | Trent Hunter The book of James is well known and loved for its practical words on a variety of topics, from trials to the tongue, from money to mercy. You can read the book in short of ten minutes and immediately appreciate James' direct style. But does James have a central overarching concern? Did he set out to write a brief sum...

Acts 15:1-21 | Mark Vowels Wherever there is forward movement of the gospel there will be conflict. We anticipate conflict with unbelief and false religious systems, but the story of the early church Jerusalem Council reminds us that sometimes there is conflict between our traditions and cultural norms, and what God is doing as He brings people to Himself. The deliberations of the Jerusalem Counci...

Hebrews 13:22-25 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter What is a sermon? What is preaching? What should we expect from our preachers and, just as important, from ourselves as hearers? Are we left to ourselves with these questions or we have an example of preaching in the Scriptures to inform our answers? Yes, we do. The book of Hebrews is a written sermon, the only example we have in the New Tes...

Hebrews 13:20-21 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter The book of Hebrews is a letter crafted from start to finish with the utmost care. Now, we arrive at the finish, this week and next. Our author has leveraged poetry, Old Testament quotations and figures and stories, itricate argumentation, repeated and searing warnings, and stunning encouragement. Now, at the end, we come to the benediction....

Hebrews 13:17-19 | An Anchor for the Soul | Jason Read If someone told you that you were being watched, would that elicit peace or fear? The answer likely depends a lot on what you’re doing, who is watching, and why they’re watching you. Here at the end of Hebrews, the author means to encourage us with the gift of being watched. As we seek the city that is to come, we’re being watched by our leade...

Hebrews 13:7-16 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter Much of our journey through Hebrews has been a journey into the clouds, metaphorically and spiritually. Our high priest has passed through the heavens in order to take us there with him before the Father's throne of grace. But this heavenly mindedness is not without earthly good. In fact, in chapter 13, the author gets into our relationsh...

1 John 4:7-21 | Gospel Assurance in a De-Conversion Age | Dan Cruver God has established a day when He will judge the world with righteousness (Acts 17:31). That future day is coming. For those who do not trust in Christ, that day is to be feared. But for those of us who trust in Christ, it is a day that we are to face with unwavering confidence. Unfortunately, many believers often grapple with fe...

1 John 2:28-3:10 | Gospel Assurance in a De-Conversion Age | Dan Cruver This Sunday, we are wading into what many consider the most challenging text to interpret in John's first letter (1 John 2:28–3:10), particularly in relation to the Christian's assurance. As we have seen the last two Sundays, the apostle John wants us, as Christ's people, to be sure that we truly know the Father (1...

1 John 1:5-2:2 | Gospel Assurance in a De-Conversion Age | Dan Cruver In these uncertain times, the apostle John wants us, as Christ's people, to be sure that we truly know the Father (1Jn. 5:13). And he does so by immediately directing our focus to the apostolic gospel (1:1–4). In our text, 1 John 1:5–2:2, we examine one persistent threat to our assurance as Christians: the presence of sin an...

1 John 5:13; 1:1-4 | Gospel Assurance in a De-Conversion Age | Dan Cruver In this series, Gospel Assurance in a De-Conversion Age, we examine John’s first letter to strengthen our faith amidst an uncertain world. In this sermon we focus on 1 John 5:13 and 1:1-4. John wrote his letter to a Christian community struggling with inner turmoil caused by false teachers who had been a part of the church....

Hebrews 13:4-6 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter Sex and money are two of the most painful subjects on the planet. Humans are universally bad with these. But these powerful threats to our happiness are also the source of great happiness—happiness that multiplies in the lives of others when we get it right. It's why these topics are paired in the Ten Commandments and it's why the auth...

Hebrews 13:1-3 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter The book of Hebrews has taken us to the heights of our theology, the truth we believe about Christ, and even the very place he takes us, to the throne of God in heaven. Now, in Hebrews 13:1–3 we come down from the clouds not to leave that glorious truth behind, but to show it off. What does it look like to show off the truth that we have recei...

Hebrews 12:25-29 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter Have you ever ignored a warning and come to regret it? On every page of Scripture and in every Sunday sermon we are being wooed by God into his worship. That is true. His kindness leads us to repentance. He is a God of steadfast love and mercy. But we are equally being warned. For if we refuse the voice of the God who promises us a heavenly...

Hebrews 12:18-24 | An Anchor for the Soul | Timothy Martin In the second half of Hebrews 12, we are told to “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.” Last week, we were told how to do it. Pursue peace and holiness. This week, we are going to be told why we have the strength to do it. God will give us strength through the stories of two different mountains. First, we are given the...

Hebrews 12:12-17 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter You understand that the Christian life is a race that requires endurance. Check. You read and hear the Scriptures preached each week. Check. You seek the Lord in prayer for help. Check. But you remain weak, exhausted, and dangerously close to falling out of the race. What are you missing? What more could we need for this race we are in? That...

Hebrews 12:3-11 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter Fatherhood is no small calling and discipline is no small part of fatherhood. We might even say that discipline is the uniquely distinguishing characteristic of a father to a son. Are you discouraged in your struggle against sin? Alternatively, are you despondent, even dangerously so? Perhaps you're forgetting something: that you are a so...

Hebrews 12:2 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter How did Jesus endure the cross? How did any of the saints of old endure their various sufferings? Thankfully, the Lord gives us more than a call to endure for Christ but a vision of Christ to help us endure. Thankfully, he gives us more than Jesus on a cross to behold as an example, but Jesus enduring for the joy set before him: the throne and a...

Hebrews 12:1-2 | An Anchor for the Soul | Jason Read The heroes of faith recalled in Hebrews 11 show us the life of faith is possible because God is ever faithful. Their stories, filled with victories and failures, illustrate for us that faith is more like running a marathon than it is a sprint. We feel that in our own lives as we battle the sin within and around us. When faith is hard, when you’r...

Hebrews 11:32-40 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter Does God praise only the faith of a few famous Old Testament characters? What about us? What are we to make of God's posture toward us when the costs for faith seem steep and unrelenting? We come now to the end of the list, that list of Old Testament characters who lived and died by faith recorded for us in Hebrews 11. But this is no sof...

Hebrews 11:23-31 | An Anchor for the Soul | Matt Jackson Courageous action involves a calculation that the potential negative cost is worth the reward. In Hebrews 11:23–31, we will consider seven examples of faith from the life of Moses and those connected to him, observing how faith infused these men and women with courage. They made the calculation and were willing to suffer reproach and mistrea...

Hebrews 11:8-22 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter The story of Abraham is familiar. He was called, he went, and God kept his promises. For familiar stories like this, we can lose the sense of the improbability of it all. In Hebrews 11:8–11, the author of Hebrews doesn't let us forget that every move Abraham made was made by faith. That's true as well for his wife and his kids. Don&#3...

Hebrews 11:1-7 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter The central message of the book of Hebrews could be summarized in two words: hold fast! Our author does much more than merely tell us to "hold fast," as we have learned. He reasons with us from the Old Testament story that Jesus is a high priest who is able to save us, who ever lives for us even now. But now, in chapter 11, our autho...

Hebrews 10:26-39 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter We have been warned not to fall away from the living God and for good reason. To fall away from the living God is to fall into his hands, a fearful expectation of judgment. Do you have reason to fear this judgement? In love for his readers, the author of Hebrews gives us signs that we should indeed be afraid. But not all of his hearers and n...

Hebrews 10:19-25 | An Anchor for the Soul | Trent Hunter If Jesus is our great high priest, how then shall we live? The author of Hebrews is a good pastor who knows what his readers need. He has given them a careful argument from the Old Testament concerning the priesthood of Jesus. Now, after so many chapters, he summarizes his argument and moves us to action. But what is this action he calls for...