Sermons at E1BC

God’s Word exposes our hearts, revealing what we could never fix on our own. Thankfully, it also points us to the hope of the gospel. Christ has already done for us what we could never do for ourselves. Because of Jesus, the rest we strive for is not something we earn, but something we enter through faith in the finished work of Jesus.

Jesus, in his earthly ministry, was looking for faith. Paul, when writing to a church, wanted to know about their faith. And the author of Hebrews writes to encourage us to persevere in faith. At the same time, we are warned against unbelief, or forsaking faith, which comes atgreat cost and consequence.

How can we pursue faithfulness? What resources do we have so that we might continue in the faith and hold fast to our confidence in Christ? This Sunday's message seeks to encourage us to hold fast with the help of Christ and the resources he provides.

Pastor Bill continued our Sure and Steady Anchor series...

Three simple but powerful reminders:

Consider Jesus as greater than Moses. He is not just a servant in the house — He is the Son over it.

Consider Jesus and His heavenly calling. Our identity and purpose are rooted in Him.

Consider Jesus… so that we endure. This Word was written to keep believers from drifting — to help them stay strong to the end.

Endurance begins with intentional, careful, regular, and thoroughly biblical consideration of Jesus.

The author of Hebrews issues a warning, "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3)

How great is our salvation? This week, we explore the wonder of our salvation and the perfect character, wisdom, justice, and mercy of our God.

So many voices clamor for our attention… not only advertisements ["Buy this!", "Look at me!", "You need this!"], it's also talking heads ["Listen to me!", "I have the inside scoop!", "Breaking news"] On top of that, there's social media: platforms, influencers, followers, conspiracies, coverups… how are we to tell what is true and worthy of our attention?? How are we to make sense of all we hear and see and scroll?

The author of Hebrews warns us concerning misplaced attention and encourages us to "pay much closer attention" to the message of Christ, the message that saves, transforms, guards, and preserves us as his people.

Our culture has a fascination with the supernatural, particularly angels. What do you know about them? What do you believe? Do you worship angels? Where does Christ rank in this discussion?

In all of our theology, we must be careful not go beyond what the Bible teaches. When we begin to speculate and even “fill in the gaps” to satisfy our curiosity, we develop unhelpful fascinations and unhealthy beliefs. The goal of this sermon, as we look at the balance of Hebrews 1, is to steer our intellectual energies back to the focus of Scripture. We want to give our attention to what God has revealed, and we want to pursue what the Lord has purposed to show us. Instead of imagining what we wish we knew, we want to immerse ourselves in what He wants us to know.

We begin our study of the book of Hebrews by looking at Jesus. In Jesus, our God is perfectly imaged and revealed. If God does not reveal Himself to us, we cannot know Him. But God wants to be known, so He has spoken clearly through the prophets of old and ultimately through His Son, the Lord Jesus.

God's Word is our steady foundation. Dr Timothy Faber, director of our Lake Ozark Baptist Association, reminded us that Scripture is God-breathed and trustworthy, teaching us, correcting us, and grounding us in truth.