Hebrews 8 introduces Jesus as the mediator of a new and better covenant based on better promises. But before we talk about the new covenant, we must talk about the old covenant. But we cannot talk about the old covenant until we understand what a covenant is in the first place. And to understand the idea of a covenant, we have to understand why God made covenants, and to understand that, we have to go back to the very beginning and learn more about YAHWEH- the covenant making, covenant keeping God of Israel.

In this sermon we examine the character of Melchizedek, the necessity of Christ, and the sufficiency of His sacrifice.

An encouragement to step into spiritual maturity. A challenge to grow up, be warned, and press on.

In Hebrews 5 the author steps back from looking at Jesus as a superior priest to admonish the recipients for being dull of hearing and exhorting them to move on from milk to the solid food that signifies maturity. Josh works through the Hebrews 5 use of Psalms 2 and 110 to illustrate what the author expected of the listeners. Josh then works though his testimony of how he grew his own understanding of Scripture, and closes with recommendations for all parts of the Church, beginner, intermediate and mature, to grow through Bible study and memorization.

Hebrews 4 sounds like a gloomy warning to the early church, but at its core, it is an encouragement and a call to action to band together as the church to not miss out on God’s promised rest. It is freely offered to us today and we must strive together to receive it.

The author of Hebrews reminds readers that Jesus is superior to every trustworthy, praiseworthy, truth-speaking voice they may be tempted to exalt in their era of persecution. This is a good word for the Hebrews audience, as well as the modern American Church and even Citizens church. As culture (nationally and locally) shifts and changes, enduring together in confident pursuit of Jesus' glory assures we can be His house that hosts His presence. What could be superior to that?

We jumped into our Summer Hebrews study by covering some Hebrews 101. Who is the author writing to and what’s their context?! Then we covered the first two chapters and saw Jesus magnified as Prophet, Priest, and King… better than angels… and worthy of our closest (or undivided) attention!

The final ‘fox’ that has power to ruin true loving relationships with both God and everyone else in our lives is Unforgiveness. Steph Lee takes us through the scriptures to show the real impact of forgiveness and the hard truths about unforgiveness. Fruitful lives full of freedom and wholeness are at stake and our generous God stands ready to forgive and empower us in our journeys.

This week, Kathryn teaches on the little fox of comparison. How does Jesus address it? What does it do in our hearts? And what can we actively do to keep this little fox from ruining the fruit of our hearts and souls? All things we need to know if we are to live like Jesus, a life of non-comparison.

Brian Lee takes us on the journey of Jesus and one of his biggest opponents: the religious elite. This religious spirit is a performance-based, self-centered, critical and legalistic way of thinking that chokes out peace, joy and freedom in the life of a believer. Jesus has a better way: freedom.