River City Church - Smyrna, GA

Josh continues our discussion of the Book of Hebrews starting with the first few verses of Chapter 3. There are two things about Jesus to focus on from these verses: (1) Jesus is the apostle or ambassador of our confession; and (2) Jesus is the High Priest of our confession. Jesus serves as a bridge and our representative, and He makes access to the holy of holies possible for each of us. Jesus is the High Priest of the Church, and we are the stones that make up His Church. Hebrews 3:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 2:4-7. 

Josh shared a three quotes today: 

1) From N.T. Wright: "The purpose which God was working out through the long years of Israel's history, with Moses and the exodus among the key founding people and moments, really has reached its goal with Jesus. This means that those who belong to Jesus in the present are really God's holy ones -- a title only reserved for Jews before who were strict in their adherence of the law. They share in this call from heaven.”

2) From William Barclay: “That building of the church will stand indestructible only when its every member is strong in the proud and confident hope he has is Jesus. Each one is like a stone in the church; if one stone is weak, the whole edifice is endangered. The church stands firm only when each living stone in it is rooted and grounded in faith in Jesus.”

3) And also from N.T. Wright: “The people who make up this house are described in verse 6 as a bold, confident family. There is no room here for a rather mealy-mouthed confession of faith one sometimes hears in the western world. Some want Jesus and others don’t and that is great…either you believe that God's new world has come through birth of Jesus and is there waiting for us as a solid definite hope - which means you can be bold in living on that basis and can make sure and confident claims about it. Or you haven’t really understood what Christianity is all about. This isn’t a recipe for arrogance, using the gospel as an excuse for the kind of pride which covers up your own insecurities. Rather, it is a matter for cheerful celebration, knowing that the gospel and the hope has nothing to do with our own achievements and everything to do with God's love and grace.”

Kara walks us through the end of Hebrews Chapter 2 today. Kara invites us to remember what the writer of Hebrews is trying to explain to that group of people: in addition to being fully divine, Jesus was fully human, and that fact is extremely important for us to remember. Jesus, as fully human, experienced temptation and suffered through those temptations -- like we do. As fully human, Jesus was crucified and experienced death. We can take hope in the reality that Jesus desired to be merciful as a human, and that He will stop at nothing to be with us in our suffering. Hebrews 2:5-18; Psalm 8; Genesis 1:26-28.

Josh continues our discussion of Hebrews, moving into chapter 2. We read the first warning in this book which boils down to: "do not forsake the salvation you've received from Jesus." We can drift in a way that alters the trajectory of our lives. Josh shared three things that distinguish this salvation we've received. He also offered three simple ways and five more obscure ways to pay greater attention to what we have received. Hebrews 2:1-4; Deuteronomy 11:16-20; Joshua 5:8-11; Acts 2:42-47.

Josh shared a quote from William Barclay: "Therefore, we must the more eagerly anchor our lives to things that we have been taught lest the ship of life drift past the harbor and be wrecked."

Josh continues with Hebrews 1 noting two things that the writer of Hebrews wants the readers to understand: (1) Jesus is the supreme authority over all; and (2) remain faithful, because it is worth it. Hebrews helps us understand that Jesus has been involved with creation (and humanity) from the beginning. He is the intermediary to whom we can go at any time unlike the intermediaries described in the Hebrew Scriptures (OT). Jesus is greater than all those previous intermediaries. What Jesus is offering is greater than what they knew or had expected. Hebrews 1.

Josh shared a quote from William Barclay: "The writer of Hebrews is basically saying the old time is passing away. The age of incompleteness is gone. The time of human guessing and groping is at an end. The new age, the age of God, has dawned now in Christ. He sees the world and the thought of men enter, as it were, into a new age beginning with Christ. In Jesus, God has entered humanity, eternity has invaded time, and things can never be the same again." 

Josh starts our walk through the book of Hebrews in chapter 1 (of course). We can see rather clearly that the writer wants to communicate that God is faithfully speaking throughout the generations. We celebrate that God has faithfully used the Old Testament fathers, prophets, and even angels to speak to us, but the writer wants us to understand that Jesus is beyond all of those messengers. He is the exact representation of God. Hebrews 1; Isaiah 55:1-3.

Jonathan Godbey, the chair of RCC's finance committee, shares his heart about having and maintaining a healthy relationship with money and not separating our faith and finances. We also hear about his love of the Cokesbury Hymnal and his Uncle Billy along the way as he updates the body about RCC's finances. 

Before we begin our journey into the Letter to the Hebrews, Josh provides some context for reading Scripture, in general, and Hebrews in particular. 2 Timothy 3:16; Colossians 3:1-17; Hebrews 10:19-23. 

Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns shares from Matthew 4 about the temptation of Jesus. We can see Jesus' temptations as ones for the "quick and easy" and for the "spectacle" and for "power." We ourselves often want things quick and easy -- especially from God. We want to be a part of a spectacle, and we want power in some form or another. But if the spiritual journey is as Eugene Peterson described it -- "long obedience in the same direction" -- we find that that obedience is often slow and hidden and often doesn't result in positions of power. Matthew 4:1-11.   

This morning, we hear from the River City staff. We learn a little about them as people. We also hear their hearts for their ministries, what they are dreaming for in their ministries, and how we can partner with them. Acts 20:28.

Josh finishes looking at John 15 today, focusing on the call to bear witness to Christ. In John's context, bearing witness was life-threatening. In America, it isn't necessarily life-threatening, but we can still struggle bearing witness. What areas of our lives are we organizing without God? What if we invited God into those areas and abided with Him to let Him tend those things? John 15:18-27.

Josh shared a quote today from William Barclay: 

"It is our privilege and our task to be witnesses for Christ in the world, and we cannot be witnesses without the personal intimacy, the inner conviction and the outward testimony of our faith."