Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Have you ever had a moment when you’ve gotten stuck when it comes to making decisions? For some of us we’re so ready to plow ahead that we never bother to ask God for direction. For others, we are so desperate in our desire to please God that we are afraid the decisions we are making might not be in His will. For others, we have felt the crash and burn after a poor decision. In every case, these t...

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ”  Hebrews 13:20-21 When we conclude our worship services, we offer a benediction (word...

It’s hard to believe that we are quickly coming to the end of our study of Hebrews; what we started back in February will now be finishing in August. While we have spent 24 weeks on it (so far), the reality is that we could spend many, many more. In fact, as we turn our attention to Hebrews 13 this week, the reality is that we could easily break this up into four or five more Sundays.  The reason...

In the Old Testament, it was not unusual for people to be terrified and in awe of God’s presence. For example, in Exodus 20:18-19 it says,  “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”...

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy…”    - Hebrews 12:14 As Kreuger says, a common reaction to the discipline we learned about last week is to give up - to stop running the race. In a long race, sometimes you’ll notice that a runner's gait has flattened. Instead of feet that form a more rounded elliptical motion, their feet fall closer to an oval shuffle. Other tim...

“They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.” - Hebrews 12:10 I can remember times when our children were young when we had to steer them away from disaster. Our first house (parsonage) was on a busy 4-lane road with dangerous traffic, and when they played in the yard or rode their bikes, we had to gi...

Dear Presby Family, After last week's survey of the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith, this Sunday we will look at the well-known opening verses of Hebrews 12. How should the lives of past heroes of the faith inform our lives today? According to the author of Hebrews, their examples can motivate us to persevere as we run the race of faith. To run this race well, we need to cast off the things that slow...

Last week in Hebrews chapter 10, we learned the importance of encouraging one another to persevere and hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering and with confidence. Near the end of chapter 10, the author of Hebrews quotes Habakkuk, saying, “my righteous one will live by faith.” This week we will be considering what it means to live by faith. Hebrews chapter 11 has been called the “...

Hebrews 10:19-39 is a section of scripture filled with numerous twists and turns, so much so that you wonder where to place the focus. Should it be the familiar verses of 19-25? Should it be the call to live differently now that we know who Christ is in verses 26-31? Or should it be the call to persevere in verses 32-39? On the one hand, we could take each section on its own and extend our sermon...

“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” -  Hebrews 10:10 The Bible tells us that Jesus drew his final breath at three o’clock in the afternoon (Luke 23:44-46). While this may not seem significant to us, it would have been an important time in Jerusalem. Why? Because it was the time of the afternoon sacrifice. AND because it was during Passover week,...

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” - Hebrews 9:14 Now that the weather has become warmer and we’re working outside, it’s easy to get sweaty. We have lots of memories of saying to our kids, “Why don’t you jump in the shower and q...

We are definitely in the thick of the message of Hebrews now. For the last several weeks, we have been working our way deeper and deeper into its mysteries, uncovering the rich truth that Jesus is our great High Priest. There's a good chance you have read or heard the name "Melchizedek" more in the last month than in the rest of your life combined! Just in case we're tempted to t...

Years ago, a TV game show called “Let’s Make A Deal” asked contestants to make a series of choices in hopes of ending up with the best possible prize. Over and over, contestants had to decide: Do I want to keep what’s in the box? Or do I want to trade it for the prize behind Door Number 2? Or should I take the cash in the host’s hand? Audience members dressed in crazy outfits tried to grab the hos...

As many of you know, from time to time, I get involved in different DIY home projects. One thing I enjoy about them is that at the end of the day, you can see that you've finished something. However, that’s not the way it always works. There are far too many projects around our house that are only 90-95% percent finished. Shower doors, painting, and trim work are all things that come to mind....

“The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’” -Psalm 110:4 You might not have ever thought about it before, but we rely on shadows across many different areas of life. Scientifically, shadows were important in history because they provided early evidence that light traveled in straight lines. Compositionally, shadows add depth and meani...

“We who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” - Hebrews 6:18-19 The writer of Hebrews uses the image of an anchor to describe the confident hope we can have in God. If you have ever been walking by the shore or lake in the summer, you are used to seeing boats bob up and down in the water or calmly...

Let’s be honest: It’s easy to become spiritually sluggish. After all, it takes energy to stay the course. My guess is that Paul understood this. In Colossians 1:9-11 he says, “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in e...

If someone calls you a "milk drinker," they probably don't intend it as a compliment. The author of Hebrews certainly wasn't trying to compliment the spiritual condition of his listeners when he compared them to children who were not ready for solid food. To be fair, he probably didn't intend to insult them, either. Instead, he wanted to send them a clear warning that their l...

Priests were God’s chosen servants; they served as mediators between God and his people. They worked in the temple, praying for the people and bringing their sacrifices to God. They offered sacrifices on behalf of the people to make atonement for their sins. And only the high priest was allowed to enter the most holy place to stand before God. Earlier in Hebrews, Jesus is referred to as the “faith...

A few weeks ago, we talked about paying attention, so we don’t drift away. Like the warning signs that tell us of the dangers of a riptide, we need to pay attention so that it doesn’t lead to severe injury or death. The problem is that, sometimes, we get so used to seeing the warnings that we begin to ignore them. When that happens, disaster is right around the corner.   That was the issue for the...

This weekend we’ll explore how the author of Hebrews compares Jesus and Moses. In this epistle’s first few verses, Jesus is shown to be supreme over the entire cosmos, and then the scope of comparison narrows to celestial beings, humanity, and to Moses himself. Touting Jesus as worthier of greater honor than Moses was a bold claim in the first century. Moses had always been revered as God’s chief...

In case you haven't noticed, Jesus is pretty amazing. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews seems to think so, too, since he has much to say about who Jesus is. As we have seen in the last few weeks, Hebrews exuberantly proclaims that Jesus is supreme over everything. That implies, of course, that He is supreme over all of humanity. However, as we'll discover in Hebrews 2, Jesus is not only supr...

What is the purpose of a level? It’s a tool filled with a liquid and an air bubble where the bubble's position reveals whether a surface is perfectly “level” or “plumb.” From carpenters to engineers to weekend warriors hanging pictures, we use them to ensure the work is straight (or level). Interestingly, although we may be off a fraction of a degree initially and not notice, we would be vastly fa...

This episode will explore question 14 of the New City Catechism with our panel: Mary Morton, and Caleb Warner The fourteenth question in the New City Catechism is: Did God Create Us Unable To Keep His Law? The answer is: No, but because of the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of creation is fallen; we are all born in sin and guilt, corrupt in our nature, and unable to keep God'...

In C.S. Lewis’ work Mere Christianity , he uses a word that we don’t often use in modern English yet is often heard in Christian circles: “beget.” He says, “To beget is to become the father of, to create is to make. And the difference is this. When you beget, you beget something of the same kind as yourself. A man begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers, and a bird begets eggs which tu...