Hebrews 10: 1-18; Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I have come to do your will, my God." Jesus was, and still is, perfectly obedient to the will of God. Jesus went to the cross, even though he did not want to (Father, let this cup pass from me). I died on the cross to forgive the world of sin because that is what God wanted him to do. No matter how hard it was Jesus went to the cross, in obedience to God. In all things we are to model our lives after Jesus. We are to follow his example and imitate him. Specifically, we are to model Jesus' obedience to God. We are called to follow God, to do his will, regardless of what that means for us in our own lives. Jesus came to do God's will. We are called to do the same. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 9: 11-28; The Blood of Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many...' Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He died so we wouldn't have to die; he was punished so we wouldn't have to be. The only way for us to avoid punishment and receive salvation is to accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. Jesus has done everything for us. All we need to do is first get on, and second stay on, the path Jesus has laid out for us: the path of faith, which leads to salvation and eternal life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 9:1-10; Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the Israelites in the Old Testament it was the Ark of the Covenant, for Christians it is the communion table. The point is this: a big part of worship is looking back to see what God has done for us in the past. This should not be limited to worship. God has done a lot for the world, but he has also done a lot for each of us as individuals. We need to take time to look back and see what God has done for us. Once we have done that, go and worship God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 8: 1-13; The High Priest of a New Covenant

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a New Covenant with Jesus, a New Testament. In the Old Covenant there was the Levitical Law, circumcision, animal sacrifice, and all of these things were done as a way to 'get good' with God. But when Jesus comes he makes a New Covenant, a covenant in which he is the only sacrifice. A covenant in which we are forgiven from sin and are freed from the Law. A covenant in which our faith in Jesus is what sets us apart. This New Covenant is sealed in the blood of Jesus. And this New Covenant is a lot better than the old one. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 7: 11-28; Jesus Like Melchizedek

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." Jesus is perfect, which means we do not have to be. Part of the idea behind the law is that the Israelites were supposed to be perfect. Well, their sin got in the way and prevented them from being able to do that. Then Jesus comes along and lives every letter of the Law. He follows all the commandments, including the one about loving God more than anything else. What this means for us is that Jesus us the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus lived the Law perfectly, which means we do not have to. This means we are freed from those rigid commands. This means we are free to live a life in God's grace. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 7: 1-10; Melchizedek the Priest

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Melchizedek serves as an object lesson for us. Here is a man we know next to nothing about. He meets Abraham on the road, and just like that Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder. We are given no other information about Melchizedek, but given the fact that he was given so much we can safely assume he did something to deserve it. We, on the other hand, have done nothing to deserve the salvation God gives, and yet we have been given complete salvation. God did not say, 'I forgive you for one tenth of your sins.' What would that even look like? No, God has erased all of our sins. Even when we did nothing, nor would do anything in the future, God gave us everything. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 6: 13-20; The Certainty of God’s Promise

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When God makes a promise we can know beyond the shadow of any doubt that it is going to come true. We make promises to each other. We try to keep all of them; but every once in a while we don't come through. Something gets in the way: traffic, work, forgetfulness, money (or lack thereof), etc. We should not beat ourselves up over this. We are just human after all. That being said, God keeps all of his promises to a 't.' We can count on it. When God tells us he will do something we can believe it. That is our hope; that is our comfort. God's promises are sure and true. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 27, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday is from Isaiah 64: 1-9 in which the Israelites are given a prophecy of the coming Messiah. The New Testament lesson is from Mark 13: 24-37 in which Jesus shares with his disciples that he will come again. The sermon is titled 'Hope' and will focus on the hope we have of the coming one.

This is the first Sunday of Advent, the season in which we prepare for the coming of the Christ-child. We are having Hanging of the Greens this Sunday. We will start with a pot-luck breakfast at 9:00 a.m. and then will spend the rest of the morning leading up to worship decorating the church for Advent. Please join us for this special event. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 5: 11- 6 12; Warning Against Falling Away

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I was in High School and College I ran cross country. The races were, of course, difficult, but nothing was more difficult than the practices. Why? Because we ran double, and sometimes more, the distance we had to run in the race; usually about 10 miles. That is a long way to run, and there isn't an easy way to do. Through the run the temptation is there to simply stop running, to give up. But I knew it would make me better for the races, so I kept going. So it is with faith. Faith is like a long distance run. We run very far, and we run for a very long time. Along the way things happen that make us want to stop moving, to give up. We must press on, though. We must continue to run, to move forward. We cannot fall away, or things will get worse for us. We'll lose Jesus. Keep running. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 4: 14- 5: 10; Jesus the Great High Priest

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the great High Priest. The job of the Jewish High Priest, in Jesus' time, was to intercede on behalf of the people. His job was to make a sacrifice and say prayers that would 'square' the Israelites with God. Jesus does that for us. He prays for us (see John 17), and, of course, he made a sacrifice on our behalf. Jesus is our Great High Priest. He sees to it that we are freed from sin; he sees to it that we are right with God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 4: 1-13; A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rest. We all need it, but rarely seem to get it. All of us are invited, though, to rest in God's presence. We are encouraged to come before God's throne of grace and lay our burdens at his feet. In doing so we take the rest that God offers. We are able to rest because God is going to take care of our problems for a time; he is going to carry our burdens so we don't have to. We all need rest at one time or another. When you do, make sure you accept the invitation from the Lord and take the rest you need in your life. Let God bear your burden. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 3: 7-19; Warning Against Unbelief

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Believe in Jesus. We have all the reasons we need to take that step. Jesus has done everything for us. He has filled every true need we could ever have. Like the disciples, let us get out of the boat and follow him. And for those of us that have, let us daily renew our faith, our belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 3: 1-6; Jesus Greater than Moses

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's think for a moment about Moses' ministry. He delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He led the Israelites through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Granted, Moses did many more things than that, but those are the highlights. Jesus delivered the world from bondage to sin, freeing all of us to live a life of holiness. Jesus has also led us through the wilderness to our own Promised Land, the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus has done an awful lot for us. Let us praise him for those works. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 2: 5-18; Jesus Made Fully Human

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to say that Jesus was fully human in his time here on earth? It means that Jesus experienced everything humanity has to offer. What this really means is that Jesus can help us in our lives. Jesus, who has been through everything we have, can guide us and give us strength in the 'human times' in our lives. Jesus can say to us 'I know how you feel,' because he does know how we feel, because he has felt what we felt. Jesus being human means we have a Lord on our side who has gone through what we go through. This give us a Lord who can truly help us as we go through life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 20, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Luke 17: 11-19, in which Jesus heals ten lepers. The sermon is titled 'Attitude of Gratitude' and will focus on our need to be thankful for all God has done for us. I hope to see you all in worship on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 2: 1-4; Warning to Pay Attention

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is so easy to get distracted. We often chastise our children for not paying attention to us when we are speaking to them, but then, as Christians, as God's children, we sometimes are guilty of the same thing. There we are following Jesus and everything is going quite well until something shiny comes along. This shiny thing, whatever it is, pulls us away from Jesus. We need to be strong, we need to be focused, to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus so that we do not get distracted, so that we do not get pulled away from him. When something shiny comes along, ignore it, and look all the more intently at Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 1: 5-14; The Son Superior to Angels

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Angels are real, and they come to us all. Perhaps not in white robes with wings on their backs, but God sets people in our path to teach us, encourage us, lift us up, etc. I have had several in my own life, and even though now some of them are gone their ministry to me continues. I invite you this day to think about the angels God has sent into your life. Think about them, and remember what they brought to your life. Then give thanks to God for sending an angel your way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 1: 1-4; God's Final Word: His Son

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God never gives up. In the Old Testament we see God do many things to try and get the attention of the Israelites: He delivers them from Egypt; He leads them to the Promised Land; He calls prophet after prophet to try and get them back on track. And when none of those things really worked, which is evidenced by the fact that Israel continued to lose their way, God sent Jesus, his one and only Son into the world to save the world. God could have given up on the world, he could have given up on the Israelites. God could have chosen to wash his hands of the whole thing. But he didn't. Instead, God sends Jesus. God never stops working for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 65: 17-25; New Heavens and a New Earth

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Something new is coming. God is going to make, and give us, a new heaven and a new earth. We may not know all of the details, but one thing we can know for sure is that these places are going to be places of perfect peace and joy. That sounds like the kind of place I want to live. And it certainly points to the power and love of God. He loves us enough to create something new for us. Someday we will all be joined in that place. And what a wonderful day that will be be. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 65: 1-16; Judgment and Salvation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The point of this passage is simple: those who believe in God will be blessed, and those who do not will not be blessed. This means we have a choice. We have a decision as to whether or not we will believe in, and follow God. We know what will happen if we serve the Lord. We know that road leads to heaven. And we know what will happen if we choose the other path. Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve. We are called to make that decision. What will yours be? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 63: 7- 64: 12; Praise and Prayer

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise and prayer are really the backbones of our relationship with God. It's simply polite to say thank you when someone gives you something. And when good manners are used a relationship stays solid, because the one who does the kind thing feels appreciated and more inclined to do more kind things. So, when we praise God we are really saying 'thank you.' God will hear that, be appreciative and continue to bless us, most of all with his presence. In prayer we talk to God. We allow God to get to know us, and we get to know God, for God speaks back to us in prayer, if only we listen. If you seek to grow in your relationship with God practice prayer and praise daily. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 63: 1-6; God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'...mighty to save...' God is power, and God is love. And both of those attributes mean for us that God is strong to save us. He has the power to do it, and he has the love for us to want us to have salvation. We do not follow a weak God who is not able to do anything. We follow a God who created all we see around us. We follow a God who has power to save us from sin and the forces of evil. Our God is mighty to save. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 13, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Matthew 25: 14-30, in which Jesus gives the parable of the bags of gold. The sermon is titled 'Survivor Man' and will focus on our need to recognize our gifts for ministry, and to use them. I hope to see you all on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 62: 1-12; Zion’s New Name

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." We are precious to God. We are not random people that do not mean anything to God. We are worth more than the most precious of jewels, the most beautiful of stones. For anyone who feels less than worthy, less than loved, read these words and know God loves you. God loves you so much he gave up his one and only son to save you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 61: 1-11; The Year of the LORD’s Favor

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you read those first three verses very carefully you should notice that Jesus managed to accomplish all those things in his ministry. Jesus was very busy throughout his ministry, but more than that he was very caring and compassionate. Jesus loved every person he met and so wanted to help them in any way he could. In all things Jesus is a model for us. We are to imitate Jesus in our faith, but also in how we live out our faith. We should imitate Jesus' compassion and commitment to ministry, to helping people. The first three verses of this passage should speak not only about Jesus, but about us as well, his disciples. We should do all the things that are talked about in this passage. In short, we should imitate Jesus' ministry. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 60: 1-22; The Glory of Zion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even in the darkest of times there is light. What is that light? It is the light of Christ, shining in all of our hearts to ward off the darkness; to send away the powers of evil and despair. Jesus shines, and he shines in all of us. When we find ourselves in life's darkest valleys we have the good shepherd with us, and he will continue to guide us with his light. What we need to do is open our eyes. We need to look and see the light that Jesus shines and move towards it. We need to see the light of Christ and follow that light which will lead us out of darkness. 'Arise! Shine! For your light has come.' See and follow the light of Christ. It will lead you out of darkness. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 59: 1-21; Sin, Confession and Redemption

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

All three of these things are part of the journey of faith. First we sin. This is not meant to make anyone beat themselves up. We do not need to go around shouting 'woe is me.' It is just to say that all sin and fall short of the glory of God. In response to that sin, though, we need to confess. We need to come before God in prayer and confess what we have done. In so doing we humble ourselves before the Lord and recognize our own shortcomings. But then comes the best part: redemption. We are saved from sin even before we commit the sin. We are given God's grace, we are blessed with the cross. By the sacrifice of Jesus we have been saved from sin. Praise be to God that we have redemption to overcome the sin in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 58: 1-14; True Fasting

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'Shout it aloud, do not hold back.' That is the mentality we should have when it comes to expressing our faith. We should hold nothing back. Our love for the Lord should be so great that we cannot keep quiet about it. That is a form of true worship: to tell the world about the love of God and the salvation he brings to the world. Shout it aloud, do not hold back! God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 57: 14-21; Comfort for the Contrite

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is comfort for those who follow God. It comes in a variety of ways, and we have all experienced it at one time or another. God comforts those who come to him. He does so because he loves us, because it breaks God's heart to see his children in such pain and turmoil. And so God comes to us in our times of need. He comes to give us the comfort, the hope, that we all need as we go through life. Allow God to comfort you. Do not try to do things by yourself. Rather, accept the love and care God is more than willing to give, and allow those things to help you through whatever trial you are in. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 56: 9- 57: 13; God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so is a life without a relationship with God. I don't much care for this description. What I mean is I will not be signing up for anything like this anytime soon. We all know what a life with God is like, and we know what a life without God is like. In our scripture passage for this Sunday's worship service is the verse, 'Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' I love that verse, and I think it is very appropriate for this passage as well. Choose God, or the world. We know where both roads lead. We need to make the right choice. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 6, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Matthew 25: 1-13, in which Jesus gives the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids. The sermon is titled 'Fair Weather Faith' and will focus on our need, our call, to be in faith for the long haul. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 56: 1-8; Salvation for Others

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Salvation is close at hand." Jesus very close to all of us. Of course, Jesus has already been here and made his salvation available to the world. But that does not mean Jesus' work is finished, and it does not mean he is far away. Jesus is here, right next to us, every step of our journey of faith. Salvation is close at hand, Isaiah says. It might as well say 'Jesus is close at hand,' not just as a source of salvation, but as a source of comfort and hope as well. Extend your hand and Jesus' and he will bless your life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 55: 1-13; Invitation to the Thirsty

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we come to Jesus we are empty inside. We are not sure what it is, but we know there is something missing inside of us. There is a hole in us that cannot seem to be filled by anything, or anyone, else. And then we come to Jesus and he gives us water, water that truly satisfies. We come to Jesus and he gives us food, food that truly fills. We come to Jesus and we get everything we need, everything we have always been missing in our lives. This is also true for those of us who already believe. As we walk on our journey of faith we get tired, we get thirsty, we get hungry. And when we do we can come to Jesus and receive all the nourishment we need; we get the water, and the food we need to keep moving forward on our journey of faith. Come to Jesus all you who are tired, thirsty, and hungry and Jesus will fill that need beyond anything you could ever imagine. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 54: 1-17; The Future Glory of Zion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not escapism to have hope for tomorrow. There are those who say that having hope is simply an act of not living this life. I say that to have hope is to have great faith in God. For in hoping that things will turn around is to believe wholeheartedly in the power and love of God. God create the world and has power of it. And someday God will redeem the world in such a way that there will be no suffering. This is not escapism. This is faith. Faith in the power and love of God. God, who is love and loves us, and who has power over the world will one day deliver us from our suffering. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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