To remind us of faithful living, the recipients of this letter are reminded of how in the past they had stood their ground in the face of suffering.

A criticism that many have of the doctrine of grace and the doctrine of eternal security of the believer is the idea that someone can receive Christ as Savior and go about living any way they choose without consequence. This is in no way a part of either of these doctrines, but is in reality, a misrepersentation of them. This morning, in Hebrews 10:26-31 we're going to see that while a person is saved forever by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there are still consequences for sin. While in our eternal standing we remain children of God, as His children we can face consequences here and now for our sin. God allows us to experience the consequences for our sin. We should not be surprised by being punished for intentional and persistent sin. We should recognize that we have been given the privilege of being children of God, but that special relationshp should never bring us to a point that we lose a godly fear of God!

As believers we should not be ignorant or apathetic when it comes to God's truth. For the past 10 chapters, the writer of Hebrews has been shoring up the doctrine of Christ. We have seen who He is and what He has done for us. In the passage this morning we will see a charge to do something with this truth in a practical way. When we really get the truth of what Christ did for us it will affect our outlook on every area of our lives-particularly how we worhip and apporach God.

The law could not make perfect those who draw near. People sought to draw near to God through the over 600 requirements of the Law – yet they never were able to do so. The Law was only a shadow of what was to come – not the substance. For the child of God we have been cleansed from our sin by our Lord’s sacrifice.

Through the first part of the 9th chapter, the writer of Hebrews wanted to establish the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice and how His blood cleanses our conscience and obtains our eternal redemption.Now as we transition into the second half of the 9th chapter, we focus on the cleansing power of Christ’s blood. How His blood makes us pure before a Holy God.

Through the first part of the 9th chapter, the writer of Hebrews wanted to establish the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice and how His blood cleanses our conscience and obtains our eternal redemption. Now as we transition into the second half of the 9th chapter, we focus on the cleansing power of Christ’s blood and how His blood makes us pure before a Holy God.

The readers of the letter to the Hebrews were faced with a difficult situation. Many had been raised in Judaisn and had left that religious system to embrace the fulfillment of it in the one true Messiah - Jesus Christ. However, there was a continual struggle for them. Their community and family put presessure on them externally to return to the system their families held onto. Many new beleivers or those considering turning to Jesus as their savior find similar struggles today. Perhaps they were raised in a religious system that emphasizes human works or efforts in order to gain God's approval. This chapter of the book of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus' death on the cross is more than enough grace for us.

Here in Hebrews 8 we find according to God’s Word that the entire system established in the Old Testament was a picture of what God in the person of Jesus Christ would do when He shed his blood and applied it to our sins. This morning we want to look at three statements about the superiority of the New Covenant over which Christ is the mediator….

A look at what the Bible says about church disipline.

Video illunstration link: http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/30078/Paid-In-FullThe Bible is all about relationships. There are relationships characterized by loyalty, love that are lasting relationships. And unfortunately, there are also relationships that are dysfunctiona, disastrous and even distructive. Why would the Bible have so much to say about relationships? Its because God is a relational God. He is a loving God who cares about man and offers man the opportunity to know Him and experience His love and fulfillment.