Genesis Church - Sermons

There is nothing more dangerous on water than a ship that is drifting in a current, caught up in the surf without any real focus on where it is going. We never drift toward anything positive.

The second chapter of Hebrews begins with a warning, one that all of us our need to hear. Speaking in language used to describe ships coming in to port, the author reminds followers of Jesus to pay massive, major attention to the Gospel message, because we are so prone to drift. The message we received from Jesus and continue to proclaim is a message filled with grace, hope, justice, and love. It is the message of a great salvation.

Yet, we also need to hear the warning about neglecting this message. Most people don’t just wake up one day far from Christ and His mission. Rather, as C. S. Lewis stated in The Screwtape Letters, “The safest road to Hell is the gradual one, the one with a gentle slope.”

In the movie, Angels in the Outfield, the climactic scene shows an aging pitcher who is convinced by a kid to believe that he can rise to the occasion in a ballgame because he has an angel with him. Of course, this is one of many movies with angels as the invisible heroes (or destroyers). These movies work because people are interested in angels, in spirits, in the unseen. But are they real?

Truth is that the Bible teaches us that there are real spiritual beings with incredible power, unseen by our eyes yet present in the world. The Biblical picture is not quite like the images from Hollywood, yet they do exist and are active in the world. Furthermore, one of their roles is to serve those who know Jesus. But, we should not seek angels or worship them, rather, we should seek the One whom angels worship.

Hebrews tells us of the superiority of Jesus over angels as they are nothing more than servants of God who fulfill His purpose, but Jesus is the Divine Son whom the angels worship and over whom Jesus rules.

Hebrews opens with an incredible declaration: the God who exists has chosen to make Himself known; He is a God who speaks and reveals Himself.

We are not left alone to guess or figure out our own spirituality. We have a God who has condescended to make Himself known so that we can have a relationship with Him. Furthermore, this God speaks in many different ways, to and through many different people. Yet, the author of Hebrews reminds us that the clearest forms of God’s revelation are through the prophets who wrote the Scriptures and His sending of Jesus, His own Son, into the world. Jesus is full revelation of the God who came among us. It is He who created the universe, owns everything, and is the sacrifice for our sin.

So, in reality Jesus is also the point of all revelation and the central theme for everything in the Bible. This sermon will point to a Jesus-centered hermeneutic as the goal for the study of all Scripture.

Jesus is Better! This is the theme of the book of Hebrews. We open our series on the New Testament book of Hebrews with an overview by looking at the interpretive keys to understanding any piece of literature, including issues of authorship, recipients, occasion, and purpose.

We will find that even though the genre is a letter, it actually is a sermon intended to be read out loud to the gathered church as a continuous appeal with two key messages. The first is the superiority of Jesus in all things. Specifically, Jesus is superior to anything in the Old Testament because He is both the purpose and fulfillment of everything there. The second message is a warning not to fall away from Christ, even if the result is loss of earthly prosperity or persecution.

Following Jesus is so worth it because He is better. “Better than what?” you might ask. Better than everything.

The life of faith is designed to be done with a team. It’s not a solo event. We go together and we need each other. It would be nonsense for my little toe to look at my body and say, “Yo, I don’t need you. Gonna do this on my own.” It’s just as silly for those who believe in Jesus to disconnect from community and live out their faith without a family. We were made for relationships and there are amazing blessings that are only available when you are connected to the church and involved in community.

The imagery of the church as a body is so helpful. You are important. You are needed for the organism to function. But, you also need the other parts of the body to be healthy and growing in your faith and life. At Genesis we nurture this sort of fellowship in our Community Groups. We hope to show you today why involvement in a group is vital for your growth in the Gospel. We will introduce all of the groups and leaders as a way of inviting you in. If you are already in a group, great! Keep going! If you want to try a new group, now is a great time to check one or two out. If you aren’t in a group, we invite you to visit a group, enjoy some food and fun in a community, and consider how you might find your place in the body.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton John sang it in Grease, “We go together, like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.” While no one is entirely sure what that means, we know there are certain things that just belong together. Peanut butter and jelly, nuts and bolts, movies and popcorn, coffee and donuts to name a few.

Over and over again in the Scriptures we are told that the people of the church go together. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul uses the metaphor of a body of to remind us that the church needs each one of us, and each one of us needs the community of the church.

Over the next two weeks we are going to look at this passage as a reminder of the importance of finding community in a local church. We need each other and we are better together.

Have you ever been on one of those long family road trips? Everyone brought their suitcases down, Dad played a Jenga game trying to figure out how to make everything fit, Mom packed a bag full of snacks, kids with their games ready in the back seat. Pulling out of the driveway was so exciting, but the thrill waned quickly as boredom and whining took over in the car. Somewhere in the journey the family pulled out a playlist of songs and belted them out together. But after hours in the car and maybe a night or two in hotels along the way, the anticipation builds again as the family started counting down the miles and seeing landmarks near the destination. Nothing beats that feeling of pulling in to the destination and the thrill of arriving.

Our Summer journey through the Psalms of Ascent is coming to a close. For the travelers, this song was the song of arrival—they had made it to Jerusalem! Let the celebration begin! The songs for the journey have helped the travelers along the way.

We need the Psalms! These ancient poems, prayers, and songs are for our journey. They are God’s kind gift to remind us that in the ups and downs, difficulties and joys, our God is with us all the way and He will get us to our destination. So, we join the song of blessing and celebration. Even though our sermon series journey ends today, the book of Psalms is a treasure that we should return to often.

“Why can’t we all just get along?” Sounds like a crazy pipe dream in our culture. Unity among a group of people often takes incredible energy to build, yet a quick moment can destroy it.

Our Psalm this week is a song of praise for the unity of God’s people. The pilgrims have arrived in Jerusalem, they are overjoyed to be joining the myriads of the Hebrew brothers and sisters who have come from around the world, gathered to celebrate God’s grace, forgiveness, and provision for them. People who have been separated by miles and ideas have come together with a common need and a common Redeemer. So, they sing in celebration about the beauty of unity.

It is interesting that as Jesus prays over His disciples, in a prayer where He could have asked for anything, He asked the Father that we may be one—unified. The world is so disjointed and way too often so is the church. Our challenge today is to pursue unity in the Gospel and for our mission.

Psalm 132 is a testament to the faithfulness of our God.

Within this Psalm are reminders of the sanctity of worship, the significance of the Ark, and the divine promise to David that impacts the life of believers to this day.

It reminds us that God’s covenant is trustworthy and why we need to seek His presence in our lives.

You are busy. I know you are, because you are an American living in Eureka. Our busyness is often unavoidable; yet, we wear our busyness as a badge of honor. When asked, “How are you?”, how often do you hear (or respond yourself), “I am so busy.” It’s almost like the pace of life authenticates our value. But, it might be that busyness is actually the conduit for our own pride and one of the greatest enemies to intimacy with God.

Psalm 131 is a simple and short prayer of declaration from the pen of King David. I guarantee that he was a busy man with incredibly weighty challenges. Yet, he penned a song that was a reminder for Hebrew pilgrims that the most important place for us is in the presence of our God, who alone is capable of doing the great and marvelous works we all need. Like a toddler who crawls up on mama’s lap just to be in her presence, David recognizes his need to get quiet and balanced in his soul, coming to Jehovah just to sit in His presence.

My guess is that many of us have a hard time stopping our busy lives and chaotic brains long enough to experience the beauty offered in this Psalm. So, today we will throw out some ways we might pause in humility and experience God’s kindness.