This message focuses on the latter part of Hebrews 12, in which we are assured of "a kingdom that cannot be shaken" and exhorted to stand in awe of God, "a consuming fire.”

This week we look at chapter 12 of Hebrews, which presents the analogy of life as a race, exhorts the readers to run it well, and explains the reality of God’s discipline as a benefit for His people.

Faith is not neat and tidy; it presents a number of quandaries, which we look at here as we continue examining chapter 11 of Hebrews.

The new covenant of grace through Jesus, our great High Priest, is worth their holding onto, even in the face of hardship and persecution. How do we hold on? By faith. This week we will examine what that means, as taught in Hebrews 11:1-19.

To this point, the Hebrews writer has been working to convince his audience of the superior covenant of grace through the finished work of Jesus. Now, beginning in verse 19 of chapter 10, he shifts to what their response should be, moving from argument to application – or from talk to walk.

Hebrews 9:24-26 and 10:5-14 contain two key themes: “Once for All” and “One Sacrifice.” Jesus’ perfect, freely offered sacrifice was for all time – backward and forward – and for anyone who will believe. There is nothing more to be done, nothing that can be added to His work. It is finished and all we can do is receive it.

Today’s worship services focused on local and world missions, with a special guest speaker from an organization that takes the Gospel to some of the world’s most unreached places and people groups. For security reasons, his name cannot be shared here.

Chapters 8-10 of Hebrews express the superior priesthood of Jesus: A superior covenant, a superior sacrifice and a finished work. In this message, Pastor Keith leads us in a detailed examination of the superior sacrifice, as discussed by the writer in chapter 9.

With our summer series completed, we now return to our study of Hebrews. We pick up with chapter 8, in which the author expresses the superior priesthood (i.e., ministry) of Jesus: A superior covenant, a superior sacrifice and a finished work.

Our Culture Wars series has convicted, challenged and, at times, stirred discomfort. But these messages also have generated hope and expectation, for our God is alive and active. As we conclude the series, we must continue to live out His gospel and kingdom in our culture with confidence and compassion.