The Letter to the Hebrews ends by providing practical implications of all the glorious blessings that we have in Jesus Christ. Most recently, Hebrews has pointed our attention to the promised faith and discipline that we have in Christ. As we reflect upon all that Christ has done for us, what kind of an impact should this have in our everyday lives? Hebrews gives two examples…

Last week, we were humbled as we reflected upon how various individuals persevered in faith and yet never saw the fulfillment of God's promise (e.g., Abraham, Moses, etc.). All these individuals are waiting for the ultimate consummation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This brings us the theme of this sermon series: running the race together. As early as Abel, every person of God is still waiting, which should compel us to endure in this race. However, this kind of endurance is not natural, but is instead developed through discipline. Thus, the focus of this chapter is on the discipline that God promises all his children whom he loves in Christ…

All throughout Hebrews (and the rest of the Bible), faith is a very important part of our conformity to Jesus Christ. This kind of faith is not some vague belief in something generic; instead, it is a conviction that God's promises are true: he is who he says he is and he will do what he said he will do. Although this understanding of faith is simple, it can feel impossible to live out when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances and our sin…

At this point in the Letter to the Hebrews, we see a repeating pattern: (1) Hebrews first points us to Jesus Christ—who he is and what he has done for us; (2) based on Christ, Hebrews then exhorts us to seek after God, hold fast to our confession, and to meet/encourage one another; (3) however, if we do not respond to Christ appropriately, then there is a grave warning; (4) fortunately for the people of Hebrews, there are signs that they are responding appropriately; but (5) regardless of the potential of the people of Hebrews, their ultimate hope is in God's promise…

In this passage, we continue to reflect upon the priesthood of Jesus Christ. More specifically, we reflect upon how the blood of Christ is both effective and final. In order for us to understand this, we must remember God's holiness, God's grace, and the sinfulness of humanity…

Have you ever experienced a paradigm shift? It is unsettling to realize that your old way of acting, thinking, and living is off the mark and must be replaced with a new way. As mentioned previously in this sermon series, Hebrews shows that a paradigm shift is needed. This is why Hebrews repeatedly compares Jesus Christ with figures like angels, Moses, Melchizadek, and Abraham. Ultimately, the people's way of living must be transformed by the new covenant of Christ…

In this passage, Hebrews makes a few side points before continuing the idea of Jesus as a high priest of a new and better covenant. This week's sermon will focus on these side points. Essentially, this passage encourages us to reflect upon our maturation in Christ. We should assess our growth, but also have confidence that our growth is ultimately based on God's promise that is fulfilled in Christ…

As we have been reminded every week, the hope that Hebrews provides us is exclusively in Jesus Christ. This week, we reflect upon Jesus Christ as the great high priest. Although thinking about Jesus Christ as a high priest might make him sound more distant and less intimate, it's actually the opposite…

This week's passage presents a firm warning. All of us are susceptible to a hardened heart, which is deeply offensive to God. God not only considers a hardened heart as rebellion, but a hardened heart provokes God's wrath (3.7-11). So what exactly is a hardened heart and why is it so dishonoring to God?

As much as the gospel is "the good news," Scripture also presents it as a warning. The gospel should provoke urgency, but not for the reasons that we often think. We often think that it should compel us to go to church, read the Bible, pray, and do other Christian actions. When we realize that we fail to do these actions, it unfortunately leads to a sense of misguided guilt and shame…

What comes to mind when you think of your relationship with God? Do you dwell on former seasons where the relationship felt easier? Or perhaps you are discouraged at the present because you feel stuck? Or maybe you are worried about whether or not you can remain faithful as life seems to be getting more complicated? 

This sermon series has reminded us that the birth of Jesus Christ was more than a gift or a promise fulfilled. It was also a covenant fulfilled. However, this covenant was challenged and nearly broken by our own sin. It is only out of God's grace that he sent Jesus Christ to intervene and to fulfill the covenant on our behalf despite our perpetual failure…

Last week's sermon looked at the birth of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of a covenant (rather than as a gift or a promise). In this way, we saw that there was some kind of a requirement associated with the Christmas covenant. The lingering question has been: were we (or Israel) able to keep our end of the covenant?

One of the overlooked aspects of Christmas is that the birth of Jesus Christ is not only a gift or a promise, but part of God's covenant with us. What is the difference between a gift or promise and a covenant? There are at least a few, but for the purposes of this sermon series, we will focus on one. A promise is something that is freely given with no sense of obligation from the recipient. A covenant, however, is something that implies some kind of an agreement or obligation; with a covenant, there is an associated cost. When we reduce Christmas to merely a promise, we overlook the cost. As a result, we can cheapen the value of the birth of Jesus Christ…

As we wrap up this sermon series, we take another close look at Elijah's character as an opportunity to appreciate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although he has been wrongfully complaining that he has been the only prophet of the Lord, Elijah does not welcome his successor with any kind of warmth or love. He is aloof and even cold toward Elisha. If Elijah was really discouraged that he was the only prophet of the Lord (which is not true), should he not have been more welcoming to Elisha?

In this sermon, we focus on how God relates with King Ahab. Although Ahab is one of the most evil kings in Israel's history, God nevertheless is patient toward him, giving him ample opportunities to repent. Because of God's mercy, Ahab experiences God's power in ending the drought and also a military victory against Syria that would not have been humanly possible. Toward the end of his life, we even see Ahab repent…

Soon after experiencing God's miraculous victory, Elijah is running for his life yet he desires to die out of sheer hopelessness. Moreover, Elijah continues to distort the truth by repeatedly claiming that he is the only prophet of the Lord (even though Obadiah explained to him that he himself is a prophet of the Lord and that he has saved 100 other prophets of the Lord). Elijah’s character flaws and sin that were hinted in previous chapters are fully exposed and we see Elijah, though one of the greatest prophets of God, as very self-centered…

In the long-awaited showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, we see Elijah at the height of his boldness and faith. He stages a theatrical contest that not only puts Baal to shame, but that unequivocally proves that the God of Israel is the only God. As a result, all of the prophets of Baal have been defeated, king Ahab is no longer a threat to Elijah, and the drought is over!

After three long years without any rain, Elijah and Ahab finally meet. In the eyes of Israel, Elijah (and God) have been the source of their problem, the enemies of Israel. The land has been devastated and the people have been suffering a severe famine…

God has now proved his power and faithfulness to Elijah and the widow in miraculous ways. He has withheld the rain, fed Elijah through ravens, and multiplied the paltry amount of flour/oil for the widow. Despite experiencing these miracles, we see that the faith of Elijah and the widow is ultimately fickle. When the widow's son becomes ill, the widow immediately blames Elijah (1 Kings 17.18), upon which Elijah immediately blames God (1 Kings 17.20)…