Shelbyville Community Church

After Jonah preaches a message of doom, the people of Nineveh respond in an overwhelming fashion. Jonah is so angry that God would save these people He again claims he'd rather be dead than see Nineveh saved. Jonah's unrighteous anger continues to expose his heart and God's heart for lost people.

"Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time..." Praise God for second chances, right?! Such a simple statement loaded with so much for us. How often do we find God coming to us a second time, a third time, a 50th time? His desire to pursue us and His desire to use us is pretty mind-boggling. This second time around things go very different for Jonah.

At the end of chapter one, we see Jonah get thrown into the sea where God appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah up. This is where most of us tend to end the story. Jonah and the fish... But way more happens in the story. Throughout the first chapter, Jonah doesn't speak to God. Not one word... but in chapter two that all changes. This Sunday we're going to look at what Jonah had to say...

Through Jonah's disobedience, a boat full of sailors find themselves stuck in the craziest storm they've ever experienced. When they ask Jonah who he is, Jonah reveals himself to be a follower of the God of Heaven. This leads these sailors to turn their lives over to Yahweh. In their obedience, they throw Jonah overboard where God rescues Jonah with a big fish.

At the beginning of the book of Jonah, we're introduced to the two main characters in this story: God and Jonah. God calls Jonah, his prophet, to go to Nineveh and call the people to repent. Instead of going in obedience, Jonah flees in the opposite direction. Jonah's hard heart towards the people of Ninevah drove him to not only flee from his call but to flee from God himself.

As we close out our study in Hebrews, the author gives their readers directions on how to engage with each other and how to sit under the leadership of their church. The author then ends their letter with a beautiful benediction, or prayer, that declares their absolute confidence in God.

Most of us have survived the experience of shopping for a church home. People look for new churches for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, when looking for a church we tend to ask questions like "Is the church catering to me? Do I like the Music? Is the teaching inspiring me? Are my needs being met?" But when Jesus speaks about what to look for in a church, He asks a completely differe...

The author of Hebrews tells us that true contentment can only come through Christ, not our stuff. His message is simple: we love people, not our things. We trust God for our security, not our money.

At the beginning of Hebrews 13, the author gives us a laundry list of practical ways to relate to other believers and how we are to interact with individuals outside of our faith.

The heart that learns to say “As you wish” to God opens itself to the power of the universe. The man or woman that would say “As you wish” to their Heavenly Father on a daily basis is really saying, “I love You, Papa.”

Beginning in Hebrews 12:14, he warns us about avoiding some things that are toxic to faith. At first glance, they seem like pretty mundane things. And I think that’s significant. Because for most of us, the danger to our faith is not some big, cataclysmic event where we just dump it. Rather, it’s the slow, gradual dulling of our heart toward God; the slow rotting of our faith from the inside out.

Most of us can remember getting into trouble as children and being disciplined by our parents. While few of us would ever say it was enjoyable, we also understand that it necessary and good for us. By the same token, the author of Hebrews tells us that God also disciplines us in a way that is necessary and good for us, though we will never enjoy it.

The start of any race is enjoyable. It is easy. Finishing is hard work. In the Bible, the ability to finish is called perseverance. In Hebrews 12, the Christian life is likened to a marathon, and we’re told very clearly how to make sure we finish well without “growing weary and losing heart.”

Throughout the book of Hebrews, the author repeatedly challenges his readers to stay faithful to Jesus no matter what. By the world’s standards, many of them had good reason to bail on their faith in Jesus. Being a disciple often put their families, their resources, their homes, and even their lives in jeopardy. But these early believers had a hope that far surpassed any of those earthly things. T...

We got to celebrate the baptism of 22 kids, students, and adults!

One of the central problems that the gospel overcomes is guilt and shame. At the center of the gospel (the good news of Jesus) is this premise: We were guilty: Christ took that away. In Hebrews 8-10, the main argument the author is making is that Jesus brings a better approach to guilt and shame because He offers a new and better agreement between God and men than the one contained in the Old Test...

In Scripture, you have both warnings and assurances. In Hebrews 6, you find one of the most somber warnings in all of the Bible. It’s clear from the context that he is talking to believers, whom He is concerned could “fall away” from Jesus. But what does that mean, and how do you avoid it? Join us this weekend as we do a deep dive into, not just the teaching of this passage, but the broader teachi...

Too often, doubt is seen as a bad thing. It’s easy to view doubt as a weakness. But what if doubt isn't an indictment of your faith, but an acknowledgment of your faith? Join us as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and how doubt plays an important role in our walk with Him.

For most of us it's easy to feel stagnant in our faith. But, the author of Hebrews makes a very strong point in chapter 6: if you follow Jesus you're either taking a step forward or taking a step back. There is no in-between.

The author of Hebrews wrestles with the Old Testament in a way no other New Testament letter does. The initial readers of Hebrews looked back on the Old Testament with newfound clarity in light of Jesus. Today we read Hebrews and it can be a little confusing. This week we're going to look at the fact that Jesus is a better high priest and what that means for us today.

Today when we purchase things like phones and computers or even cars, we often do so based on one primary factor: speed. In our culture, fast is king, and we try to cram more and more things into less and less time. How do you find rest in that kind of culture? How do you stop when everyone else is trying to cram in more?

The natural bent of the human heart is towards unbelief. The reason is simple: Unbelief requires nothing from you. It makes no demands and allows you to navigate life as the captain of your fate and the master of your soul. But while unbelief demands nothing, it costs you everything.

Over the years, lots of pictures of Jesus have been produced. But the only one that is accurate is found in Scripture. This weekend we looked at four pictures of Jesus contained in Hebrews 2.

The book of Hebrews is birthed in a concern: the writer is urging God’s people to go all the way with Jesus. 
He was concerned that the hardships of their lives might cause them to leave Jesus behind.
 Life was hard. In truth, things aren't much different today. What hardships are causing you to leave Jesus behind?

The big question of the series: What am I making Better than Jesus? Our hope is that each of us will come to a place where we can name those struggles and walk towards putting Jesus first in our lives. As we learn to be ALL IN, we’ll learn that Jesus is Better, and He deserves our Time, Talents and Treasure.