Hebrews

Today we are finishing up our journey through the book of Hebrews. It is an appropriate passage for today which is our “Cultural Sunday”, where we celebrate the way God has built IBCD over the last several years with people from many different countries, traditions, and backgrounds into one family in Christ. The words which wrap up this theologically complex letter are more than just a “goodbye” b...

One of the words we use, which is fairly unique to Christianity and Judaism, is the word “covenant”. We are going to be looking at this very deep word found in our faith today. We have been going through the last chapter of Hebrews calling it “Living the Way” and today we are calling this sermon “Living the Way of Covenant”. Hebrews 13:20-21 20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the et...

The passage today is one where I am going to be a little self-indulgent. I am going to talk openly about what it is like to be a pastor, my point of view is on leadership, and how we walk this out together. Now, to be clear, this is my point of view, and you might not think my point of view is correct, but it is what it is. Hebrews 13:17-19 17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They...

The Bible reminds us often that we should do good deeds. However, there are some pitfalls that Christians tend to fall into regarding that subject. Also, the Bible makes it clear that doing good and sharing with others should be more than just a transactional giving. Instead, we are called to sacrificially give ourselves. Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such...

All praise is rooted in Christ’s finished work. We tend to base whether or not God is “worthy” of our praise based on what is happening in our lives right at the moment, or what is happening in the world around us, but this is not the basis of praise. The basis of praise is on his completed work in which he has, and forever will, meet our need for intersession, to stand in for us, at the throne of...

The idea of trying to live within this temporary world with eternal values is a very strong theme in Christianity. Jesus spoke about it very directly when he said: Matthew 6:19-33 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where...