Now that Christ has come, we are done with sacrifices. His atoning work at the cross is all we need. Yet there remains in the believer's life a role for sacrifice of a different sort. We make our lives into living sacrifices not to appease God's wrath at our sin, but to put our gratitude into action. By making a common confession of faith, embracing a common way of life, and submitting ourselves to a common accountability, we offer up our entire lives to God as thanksgiving. That's what it means to make a sacrifice of praise. "A Sacrifice of Praise" is the fifth sermon in A Consuming Fire: the all-demanding God of Hebrews 12-13. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

All of life becomes worship when we put our theology into practice. Hospitality to strangers, sympathy for prisoners and those who are mistreated, honor for marriage, and contentment with what we have -- all of these virtues picture higher theological realities. Simple as it sounds, this is a hard thing to live. That's because it's not the ethic of our present dwelling place. It's the ethic of the city to come. Hebrews 13 calls us to reject the siren call of the surrounding world and instead start living into the city to come. "Living for the City to Come" is the fourth sermon in A Consuming Fire: the all-demanding God of Hebrews 12-13. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The story of God's covenant with us is a tale of two mountains: Sinai and Zion. When Moses received the law at Mt. Sinai, the scene was full of fear and trembling. At Mt. Zion, by contrast, the mood is joyful, because Jesus mediates a better covenant, opening the way for us to enter the presence of Father. Make no mistake, though: God has not change. The all-demanding God of Sinai rules and reigns on Zion, too: he is a consuming fire. "Our God Is A Consuming Fire" is the third sermon in A Consuming Fire: the all-demanding God of Hebrews 12-13. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

If God loves us, why are we hurting? If he is on our side, why are things going so wrong? Questions like lose sight of a crucial fact: Your hardships are not a sign of God's failure. They are part of his plan. We are sanctified through endurance, which means our faith is made complete through testing. The author of Hebrews compares God to a loving father who disciplines his son not out of neglect but because he cares. All of which hints that things are not as bad as you think, and they're not bad for the reason you think. "Love and Discipline" is the second sermon in A Consuming Fire: the all-demanding God of Hebrews 12-13. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The Bible compares our life in Christ to a race. To run a race, you have to cut loose anything weighing you down, stay focused, and keep your eyes on the finish. The same wisdom holds in discipleship. But endurance doesn't come easily, even to the strong, especially when the crowds on either side would rather see you stop than complete the run. You have to learn how to endure sacrifice. You also have to learn to despise the shame. "A Cloud of Witnesses" is the first sermon in A Consuming Fire: the all-demanding God of Hebrews 12-13. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The God of Scripture is Lord of heaven and earth, creator of all people regardless of nation. He calls all people to repent and believe. And yet the nations are like sheep without a shepherd, a field without harvesters. As Christians, we know we have been called to share grace with the world ... but the world can seem so far away. It isn't. In fact, God has brought the world right to our doorstep. "A New Harvest Field" is a sermon by Rev. Carl Bruxvoort, the founder of New Roots, a ministry that helps immigrants from around the world sink deep roots in their new community, and become rooted in the Gospel of Christ. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Faith won't make you happy. Faith won't make you prosperous. It won't solve your problems or make your pain go away. Faith doesn't reward us in this life. It tests us. Why? Because the rewards of this life aren't worth the price you pay. The heroes of the faith did not gain from this life, they sacrificed. And you are called not just to be like them, but to become one of them. "The World Was Not Worthy" is the final sermon in Desiring A Better Country, a series on Hebrews 10-11 about the long history of sacrifice and faith that gives us hope for the future. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Sin wants something from us. It wants to rule over us. But what does faith want? In the long history of redemption, every hero of the faith had one thing in common: confidence. Abel's confidence was in the right sacrifice, Enoch's in a future reward. Noah was confident judgment was coming. Abraham had confidence that God, who was sending him into the unknown, would make a home for him there, while Sarah trusted that God would keep his promise of a son faithfully, even though he seemed to have "missed the window." Where is your confidence? Faith wants it to be in Christ. "What Does Faith Want?" is the fifth sermon in Desiring A Better Country, a series on Hebrews 10-11 about the long history of sacrifice and faith that gives us hope for the future. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Is faith just another word for irrationality? Is it a straitjacket that prevents us from thinking for ourselves? Or might faith, on the contrary, be necessary to some kinds of knowledge? "I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe," Anselm of Canterbury wrote, "but rather, I believe in order that I may understand." In other words, he sought understanding through faith, not the other way around. Maybe we need to take a closer look at what the Bible means by faith. "By Faith We Understand" is the fourth sermon in Desiring A Better Country, a series on Hebrews 10-11 about the long history of sacrifice and faith that gives us hope for the future. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

It's important to hold fast, to endure when tested. But mere endurance isn't enough. The church at Ephesus found that out. They held fast to the faith, but Christ called them out (Revelation 2) because they forgot one thing. Love. Real faithfulness means that sometimes you need to remind yourself how things used to be. "Remember the good old days," we tell ourselves -- which isn't the point at all. What we need to remember is this: how we suffered for love. "Remember Your First Love" is the third sermon in Desiring A Better Country, a series on Hebrews 10-11 about the long history of sacrifice and faith that gives us hope for the future. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.