Word of Hope Christian Church Podcast

Chapter 9 continues to explain how the new covenant in Jesus Christ is superior to the old covenant. This passage focuses on two main advantages of this arrangement: that Christ serves in a better temple and that Christ offers a superior sacrifice. The physical temple and its implements were meant to be symbols of Christ's true place of service in heaven. Unlike limited sacrifices of animals, Jesus’ single death was able to completely save us from sin. Alright...open up your Bible and/or Bible app to Hebrews 9:11 and let’s begin. Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

God loves to reveal Himself and His character to us. It gives Him great pleasure. When He reveals something we typically respond in wonder and in worship because He is so beautiful and good. And on the other hand, when this happens it’s often a clue as to what character quality He desires to create or grow within us, since we are all being transformed into the image of Christ. Today we’re going to talk about how God Values Humility and we’ll look at a shocking parable in Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus speaks to those who are confident in their own righteousness and look down upon others. And there is one particular fellow who’s in for a real wake-up call. We’ll tell you more in a moment so stay tuned and thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Here are some Scriptures that can help you focus on who you are in Christ:

• Romans 15:7

Here are a few ideas to help you practice humility:

• Refocus daily, putting God at the center of your life. We revolve around Him, not the other way around.

• Confess our sins to God and admit your shortcomings to your trusted friends.

• Be a listener with others. Ask questions. Work to understand their stories and perspectives. Maybe God gave you two ears and one mouth to show that you should listen twice as much as you speak!

• Serve and love whoever God puts in front of you today. And lastly...

Adopt a Jesus mindset: it’s not “US VERSUS THEM” but “US FOR THEM!”

The end of chapter 8 explained that the old (or first) covenant was made obsolete by the new covenant. Chapter 9 discusses that old covenant. As the Israelites had learned God’s laws and how to worship Him, God has given them instructions for building a place of worship (Heb 8:5; Exo 25:40). This portable building was called the Tabernacle and traveled with the Hebrews as they traveled to the Promised Land. It became the place where God lived among them. Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

We’ve just completed an awesome 8-week sermon series called Discipleship Matters and it was amazing. Now over the next two Sundays we’re going to preach two specific messages that will continue to challenge us as we strive to be better disciples of Jesus. Today’s sermon is about the Great Commandment in Matt 22:34-40—and we’ll answer the question: Which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses: Loving God or loving your neighbor. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

In Chapter 8 the writer indicates that the temples, rituals and objects of the old covenant were always meant to be symbolic. They were real, and valuable, but their ultimate worth was in their symbolism. God always intended for those to point towards a better covenant. Rather than something repetitive, earthly and limited, God planned to offer something completed, personal and eternal through Jesus Christ. Let’s find out more together. Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we wrap up our series Discipleship Matters. God has always had great expectations for His followers but His people have often been inconsistent and stray off course. Yet God’s desire has always been for His people to be fruitful from the very beginning. When we bear much fruit we give evidence to being Jesus’ disciple. When we faithfully follow Him, we will intentionally help others to do the same...that’s fruit that will last. And that is why Discipleship Matters! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Verse 13 introduced the idea that God’s ideal priesthood—which He had promised in the Old Testament—was not meant to be fulfilled in the Levitical order. The writer points out that the promises of the Messiah are applied to someone of the tribe of Judah. A change in the priestly order requires a change in the law, but God’s promise of an eternal priesthood referred to a priestly order which came before the Law of Moses. The conclusion of all of this is that God intended to bring us a high priest who would fulfill His promises—a priest like Melchizedek, not like Levi or Aaron. As we begin we’ll see that the following verses will draw out the parallels between Jesus and Melchizedek so open up your Bible and/or Bible app to Hebrews 7:15 and let’s begin. Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

So far in this series we’ve established there are 4 conditions to discipleship: Desiring to be a disciple of Jesus, Denying self and Dying to self. But there’s one more condition to discipleship we need to explore and that is Devotion which we see in the last phrase of Luke 9:23 where Jesus says “...and follow Me.” (NLT) The demands of discipleship are difficult but a true disciple of Christ follows Him no matter what. Let’s talk about it. Thanks for listening. God bless you!

Dr S. M. Lockridge – That’s My King

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE

In the first part of our study we’re going to cover Heb 6:13-20 where the writer outlines the assurance which allows Christians to grow in their faith despite persecution. These verses explain that Christians have the ultimate source of confident hope: the perfect high priesthood of Jesus Christ. Then in Heb 7:1-14 the writer introduces the author’s central argument about the superiority of Jesus and he’ll show how Melchizedek was superior to Abraham. It’s going to be a great study so let’s get to it. Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today, our focus is on the third condition of discipleship, death – take up your cross daily. Each day, every day, today, we must decide to die to self and identify with Christ in surrender, suffering and sacrifice. This is not just an occasional occurrence, only when we feel like it. It is to be a response of obedience every day. You’re probably thinking why must I do this daily? Well stay tuned and you find the answer to that question and whole lot more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Song Video Link: Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj_mOrYvSjw)