Vista Community Church

In Chapter 3 of Hebrews the author quotes Psalm 95 referencing the story of the Exodus of God's people from Egypt and them wondering in the wilderness for 40 years because of their "hardened hearts." But what causes our hearts to become hardened toward God and what is the remedy?

It's not easy being a Christian, and Jesus knows all about it. In Hebrews 2:1-18 we learn that while the call to obedience is firm, the one who calls is merciful and faithful, and he is not ashamed to be our high priest and brother.

The recipients of this letter to the Hebrews were most likely Jewish Christians who were sort of beginning to drift away from the gospel message they had heard and believed. For this reason, the author of Hebrews begins the letter with the person and work of Jesus to remind them of the gospel. Drifting away from our faith is something that we're all in danger of and therefore we need to be on guard against. But what does it mean to drift away from our faith and how do we avoid doing so?

God fills creation with beauty and pleasure. So while we should avoid the misguided pursuit of beauty and pleasure that we call worldliness, we must remember it is not misguided to pursue beauty and pleasure, for God is the author of it.

After a few chapters of God's creation being "very good," in chapter 3 of Genesis things take a turn for the worse. Adam and Eve sin against God and as a result, everything is broken. This is the tragic event known as "the Fall of man." However, chapter 3 of Genesis is not all bad news. After mankind sins against God, we do see some good news from a good God who doesn't leave us and has a plan for our redemption. 

One of the things that sets Christianity apart from other religions is the presence of clear prophetic promises regarding Jesus. As we begin our Advent season we look at 5 of the most familiar prophetic promises regarding the first advent of Christ, and we discuss the purpose of a promise.  

Action Step:

Remember God's promises this Advent season (those that have already been fulfilled and those that are yet to come). Let his promises fill your heart with expectation, hope, and longing for more of Him

This is a message about the Holy Spirit on the first day of Pentecost in 2026. It about promises fulfilled, power bestowed, and a new people created and sent as witnesses of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.

Mark's gospel ends with the reinstatement of Peter, after his great failure 48 hours earlier. Because our failure does not have to be failure, but rather can be an occasion for the beauty of grace.

On the next-to-last evening of his life, a woman performs an act of extravagant abundance for Jesus, and is criticized for being unreasonable and indulgent. But is there a place for seemingly unreasonable acts of abundance? Because the gospel is a story of a God who constantly goes above and beyond instead of always doing the calculated and pragmatic thing.

After Jesus is betrayed, he goes through a series of trials. One of the more notable aspects of these trials is that Jesus remains relatively silent during each one. He refuses to speak up and defend himself, even though doing just that could have saved his life. However, the silence of Jesus wasn't pointless. Through his silence, much is accomplished. Then, in a foreshadowing of the gospel, a criminal named Barabbas is set free and Jesus is sentenced to die.