Abraham's Faith

Conrad Hilario

Genesis 22:1-19

Abraham was an Old Testament figure who demonstrated biblical faith [Hebrews 11.1] throughout his whole life. He was called by God to leave his homeland to go to a distant country, he waited on God to fulfill His promise of a son, and he trusted in God enough to voluntarily sacrifice that same son to Him. Throughout all of these circumstances, Abraham clung to what was unseen, and his perseverance and trust in God influenced the course of human history as a result.

The Antediluvian Heroes of Faith

Conrad Hilario

Genesis 6:5-6

The author of Hebrews presents three heroes of faith from the time before the Flood: Abel, Enoch, and Noah. Each of these three men demonstrated Biblical faith through their actions - Abel, through his sacrifice offered to God; Enoch, by walking with God for his whole life; and Noah by building an ark to save his family from the flood. It is clear through these historical accounts of Old Testament figures that God accepts only our faith for salvation and that trusting in God's promises is a sign of Biblical faith.

Sermon on the Plain: An Invitation to Discipleship (Part 2)

Jim Leffel

Luke 6:17-49

Jesus' call to love others is based on God's love for us. God reconciled us when we were His enemies to make us His sons and daughters. Sacrifice is always involved in reconciling relationships and God wants to free us to restore the alienated relationships in our lives. This involves taking the log out of our own eye, dealing with the hypocrisy in our lives, and appealing to one another in love.

Spiritual Confidence

Scott Risley

Hebrews 10:19-35

The Jews were accustomed to a priest entering into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer a sacrifice to God on behalf of their sin. Now that Christ died, paying the ultimate sacrifice, there is no need for us to be separated from God. When Christ died, the veil that sectioned off the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two. Once we accept Jesus' forgiveness for our sins (a one-time decision), we can confidently enter into God's presence, knowing that Christ has fully atoned for our sin.

A Better Sacrifice

Scott Risley

Hebrews 9:15-10:18

In the old sacrificial system, animal blood was required to pay for people's sin. Now God offers us a way out of the sacrificial system. Jesus died once as a perfect sacrifice to pay for our sin for all time. Sacrifices are no longer needed because His blood--the final sacrifice--covers all of what we owe God. There is no room for self-analysis when we have been covered by Jesus' blood. \r\n\r\n

A Better Tabernacle

Scott Risley

Hebrews 9:1-15

We learn the significance of the three items contained in the box in the Ark of the Covenant (within the Tabernacle); the items are reminders of our sin. Under the old system of worship in the Tabernacle, animal blood ?cleansed? people from ceremonial impurity. But now, the blood of Christ has acted as a perfect sacrifice in place of the blood of animals. His sacrifice has secured our redemption forever and given us a greater Tabernacle, not made with human hands and not part of this world.\r\n

Why Rituals?

Dennis McCallum

Exodus 32:1-3

The author of Hebrews explains how the Old Testament sacrificial system was always there to be used as a point of instruction. It was never sufficient to take away human sins. The sacrificial system instead was to paint a picture of the coming work of Christ. Only through the sacrifice of Christ are we able to be seen as perfect before God.

The Reality is Christ

Conrad Hilario

John 3:19-22

All religions feature rituals, but Christianity's rituals from the Old Testament differ from other religions in that their purpose is to pre-authenticate Jesus' mission. Besides being a shadow of what was to come with Christ, rituals also functioned as physical depictions of God's character for the Jews. The author of Hebrews details three specific aspects of these rituals to demonstrate Christ's complete fulfillment of them: the tabernacle, the role of high priest, and the innocent victim needed for the atoning sacrifice. Because of Jesus' fulfillment of the Old Testament system, we as Christians are freed from our moral guilt and no longer are obligated to follow the Mosaic Law.

A Change of Priesthood

Conrad Hilario

Genesis 14:18-20

In the Old Testament, humans could only approach God through a high priest, a role that had to be fulfilled by a man descended from the tribe of Levi. God, however, prophesied through David that one day there would be a priest from the line of Melchizedek whose priesthood would be eternal, and Jesus is that high priest. Since Jesus is the perfect and eternal high priest whose priesthood replaced the old one, humans are no longer under the Old Testament law and can be rescued forever from their sin.