IBCD Sermon Weekly

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...

Baptism is like a cake with many layers. There is a lot going on in an event which looks pretty simple and ends rather quickly. Today, I want to approach baptism from the angle we receive from Jesus at the end of Matthew’s Gospel when he says: Matthew 28:18-20 18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the nam...

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...

Today’s passage, in spite of how it begins, is complicated. This passage is a calling away from the human desire to make our “religion” look pretty, look dignified, and tells us to look at Jesus and the ugliness of sin. It is not what we move away from which is important, but who we move toward. Hebrews 13:13 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.

All of us have been influenced by spiritual leaders. Today’s passage calls us to remember, consider, and imitate them. There is much we can learn from their ways of following Jesus. Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Money is an inescapable part of our lives. So think about the role of money in your life. Pray about it. When you financially plan, do so with more than just financial returns in mind. You have only this one life to live so consider carefully who and what you want to live it for. Hebrews 13:5-6 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "...

Today’s verse is very straightforward and can seem almost harsh and judgmental. Personally, I think there were many marriage issues in the early church. So, maybe as a remedy to all the ambiguity around marriage and problems this was causing, the author of Hebrews here breaks down a very straightforward approach to marriage. He has no fluff or compromise around it. He says: Marriage is honorable....

Empathy is a very big part of Christianity. Our faith is not supposed to be one of coldly following rules for the sake of order and the benefits of order. Christianity is a faith based upon the heart of God. Hebrews 13:3 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Hospitality in the Bible is deeply rooted in the idea of love, charity, and unity within the community and toward outsiders. In both the Old and New Testaments, hospitality is portrayed as an act of kindness and righteousness, reflecting God's love and care for all people. So today we will be looking at living in the Way of Hospitality. Hebrews 13:2. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by...

As we come to the last chapter of Hebrews, we are going to use the series of short, almost proverb-like statements in chapter 13 to look at the question of how to live “The Way”. Today we are looking at “The Way of Love”. Hebrews 13:1 Keep on loving each other as brothers.

Cities offer great opportunities for the gospel and great exposure to sin. In Acts, we encounter both sides of the city. In today’s passage, Paul proclaims God in Athens, where people worshipped what they didn’t know. Acts 17:16 & 23 16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. [...] 23 For as I passed along and...

God cares about each individual person, and that’s also how He reaches out to us. If we follow Him, that means putting ourselves in situations where we can share the gospel one at a time. Acts 8:29–31 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said...

As we start to look at the book of Acts, one thing becomes clear from the beginning on: God did not create us for individual faith. He wants us to be in community, and He uses this community to reach the people with His love and truth. Acts 2:46–47 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising Go...

As we look at the passage in Hebrews today, the author talks about two mountains. Mount Sinia and Mount Zion. Mount Sinia is the mountain upon which God gave Moses the law, which becomes known as the Law of Moses. Mount Zion is, in this passage, a metaphor of grace and future hope for those who place their trust in Christ. One says “stay away!”, the other says “come near”. Hebrews 12:18, 22 18 You...

Peter is the disciple we have the most information about from the Gospels and book of Acts. He goes through a long character arc and, as a result, is a person many people feel they can identify with as he traverses the ups and downs of faith. John 21:2-3 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 "I'm going...

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the time when Jesus enters Jerusalem as the “king” prophesied in scriptures. However, he is not the king people were expecting, and this enthusiastic greeting did not lead to a throne, but rather to a Cross. A Cross which looked like complete failure and defeat, but in hindsight was the victory we needed from the king we needed.

5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disc...

The book of Hebrews portrays our journey of faith as a race. The examples of the lives of the faithful who have raced before us, help us face uncertainty with perseverance, despite the challenges we encounter. As the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ is the ultimate champion of the race. Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us thr...

How do we know when we have clearly heard from God? Today I am going to talk about this, and we will also hear a testimony from a brother in the faith who has an experience many of you can probably relate to about hearing from God. This is not a complete list, but these are ways that God definitely uses as seen in the scripture and throughout history. John 14:26 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spir...

You are not called to be perfect; you have been given the credit for perfection through Christ. You are not called be a hero, you might be, but most of us will not have stories remembered long after our deaths. But we are called to faith. If the Bible is any indication, we will all likely face that impossible situation, that thing we cannot control. Hebrews 11:39-40 39 These were all commended for...

We talk about faith all the time. It is the basis for Christianity, but it is not easy to define. In this sermon, we will look at how the Bible defines it and what the five main aspects of faith are. Understanding the concept of faith better helps us all to experience God more closely. Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.