Genesis Project Portland

Hebrews Chapter 13 takes us into the realm of what it looks like to live a life reflecting the better way: through loving one another. We are called to love one another, and it is because of God pouring his love out for us first that we are able to; through Jesus.

Mountains in the Bible represent the dwelling place of God, our creator. Throughout the entire Bible high up places are used to depict important events and times where heaven touches Earth. In Hebrews 12 we see that the mountain was never intended to stay up high and out of reach for humanity, but rather God's plan was to bring that down low through his Son, Jesus. Now, we have access to the overlapping space of heaven and earth through our faith in Jesus.

Please note: This sermon recording was cut short. Please see below for full sermon outline.

WHAT FAITH IS:

Hebrews 11:1

Confidence in what we hope for means we need to engage with our mind through thinking about what God has done. This gives us the ability to trust him in the present, and for our future.

Assurance (conviction or evidence) of what we do not see means our faith becomes realized through our action. After we have thought through the evidence of God’s promise, then we must move into action in order for faith to become real.

HOW WE KEEP FAITH:

Hebrews 12:1-3

Faith is a journey of endurance (a marathon race, not a sprint), and therefore it is the driving force of my perseverance through the pain and suffering of life. In other words, now that I have thoughtfully considered the faithfulness of God as evidence for my faith in action, I have to maintain my focus forward on Jesus.

We first look back at what God has done to get moving, and then we look forward at Jesus to keep going.

It seems as though we have lost hope, but Hebrews gets to the bottom of where our hope comes from. Through receiving the gospel we also receive confidence to approach God's presence with a sincere heart and full assurance. This enables us to gain hope, but how do we hold onto it through hardship? Hebrews 10 paves an unlikely pathway forward.

Hebrews 9 and 10 continue discussing the old testament system based on the Abrahamic covenant, highlighting that it was a temporary system paving the better way to Jesus. Through Jesus, he is our once and for all sacrifice, and his blood is enough to cover us.

A covenant is something that we don't often talk about, but we should, because it is a major part of the Biblical story. Toward the end of Hebrews 6 through Chapter 8 we see the foundations of God's promise that has culminated in the person of Jesus. He is the forever High Priest who ushers in the new covenant partnership bound by the love and grace of Jesus, the messiah.

We often try to avoid growth because it is uncomfortable, but the book of Hebrews encourages us to move forward with Jesus. Through our journey with Jesus we begin to heal in ways we could not otherwise.

Our friend and guest preacher, Tim Osborn continues our series in Hebrews with Jesus being the better High Priest. Because of his eternal sacrifice for us, we can approach him confidently, boldy, plainly, and openly.

According to Hebrews 4 we don't just need a nap, we need a complete soul rest. God offers that to us, and has built it into the rhythms of his created order. Yet often we reject his rest because of fear. Therefore Jesus gives us the hope of a new rest with him and his presence. We have the opportunity to accept that rest through our belief in the Gospel of Christ, and through our obedience to His word.

When we experience hardship it's easy for us to forget who God is. Therefore, Hebrews appeals to Moses and how it is important to remember what God has done in order to encourage us toward not having a hardened heart.