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Both the sanctuary and the sacrifice that belong to the New Covenant demonstrate the preeminence of Jesus, the preeminence and permanence of the New Covenant, and the peril of turning away from the New Covenant to return to what has now been fulfilled in the Old. 
 
You must see the greatness of Jesus. 
 
You must see the greatness and all-sufficient nature of what god has accomplished in Him. 
 
You must see what will happen to you if you walk away from Him. 
 
You must be assured that you stand in the right place by trusting in Him. 
 
The sanctuary and the sacrifice of the New Covenant declare the greatness of the Son of God, and they demand your faith. 
 
The writer of Hebrews, the preacher, continues to make THAT case. The truths are once again repeated, but from different angels. The truths are simple and straightforward….and that makes ignoring them or rejecting them inexcusable.

Both the sanctuary and the sacrifice that belong to the New Covenant demonstrate the preeminence of Jesus, the preeminence and permanence of the New Covenant, and the peril of turning away from the New Covenant to return to what has now been fulfilled in the Old.

You must see the greatness of Jesus.

You must see the greatness and all-sufficient nature of what god has accomplished in Him.

You must see what will happen to you if you walk away from Him.

You must be assured that you stand in the right place by trusting in Him.

The sanctuary and the sacrifice of the New Covenant declare the greatness of the Son of God, and they demand your faith.

The writer of Hebrews, the preacher, continues to make THAT case.  The truths are once  again repeated, but from different angels. The truths are simple and straightforward….and that makes ignoring them or rejecting them inexcusable.

The All-Sufficient Sacrifice - Hebrews 9:23-28

If we are raising our children for the glory of God, then we all know what our number one priority is. How does one evangelize his children, and how does one disciple his children? That is the greatest desire of every true Christian parent. We desire and pray that our children will be saved, and that they will be strong in the faith. 
 
In Deuteronomy chapter 6, God through Moses imparts a generational plan for discipleship among the people of Israel. What God gave to Moses for the people of God at that time, still speaks to us tonight.

If we are raising our children for the glory of God, then we all know what our number one priority is.  How does one evangelize his children, and how does one disciple his children?  That is the greatest desire of every true Christian parent.  We desire and pray that our children will be saved, and that they will be strong in the faith.

In Deuteronomy chapter 6, God through Moses imparts a generational plan for discipleship among the people of Israel.  What God gave to Moses for the people of God at that time, still speaks to us tonight.

Parenting 101: A Generational Plan For Discipleship - Deuteronomy 6:1-12

When you think about your life, how much time over the course of your life have you spent on these two questions: 
What do people think of me? 
How are people treating me? 
And realize of course that the questions are usually not that general. “What does ______ think of me?” “I don’t like how __________ is treating me.” 
Those two areas of concern CONSUME the time and the attention and the emotional energies of people every day. People find themselves troubled, sidetracked, prompted to sin, and sometimes paralyzed to act, because they are consumed with what people think of them and how people treat them. And sometimes that concern is not about the present but about potential repercussions. “If I do this, if I decide this, if I say this, what will the cost be?” 
IF THOSE TWO AREAS OF CONCERN CONSUME YOU – THEN YOU ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE IN MINISTRY. If you are a people pleaser, you are going to struggle in ministry. In fact, you are going to struggle in the Christian life. 
To be a faithful servant of God over the course of a lifetime requires that these two areas be consistently yielded to God. We aren’t perfect in it. We have to strive after it. But we must deal with it.

When you think about your life, how much time over the course of your life have you spent on these two questions:
What do people think of me?
How are people treating me?
And realize of course that the questions are usually not that general. “What does ______ think of me?” “I don’t like how __________ is treating me.”
Those two areas of concern CONSUME the time and the attention and the emotional energies of people every day. People find themselves troubled, sidetracked, prompted to sin, and sometimes paralyzed to act, because they are consumed with what people think of them and how people treat them. And sometimes that concern is not about the present but about potential repercussions. “If I do this, if I decide this, if I say this, what will the cost be?”
IF THOSE TWO AREAS OF CONCERN CONSUME YOU – THEN YOU ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE IN MINISTRY. If you are a people pleaser, you are going to struggle in ministry. In fact, you are going to struggle in the Christian life.
To be a faithful se

Before Men and God- 2 Corinthians 6:8-10

If it seems at any point that the themes in Hebrews are repetitive, remember what we are doing.  We are examining, in a systematic way, what is really a sermon.  Like any good sermon, the writer of Hebrews is pursuing a straight course.  He has a main point and he has a pastoral purpose.  His main point is to show that the Lord Jesus Christ and the good things that have come with His appearing are perfectly sufficient.  Jesus is better and everything that has come with Jesus is better.  Jesus is the better priest.  He is the better sacrifice, and He mediates a better covenant. No doubt believers having and will continue to suffer persecution.  We need to be reminded that this is not our home, that we are looking for a better city, for a homeland, and the builder of that city is God.  Follow Christ faithfully and we won’t feel at home in this world.

From Dead Works to Living Service - Hebrews 9:1-14

We said, this morning, that the writer of Hebrews does something very interesting with Jeremiah 31:31-34 which he quotes from the Septuagint. It is the longest quotation in the New Testament. And he does something quite unexpected with it. He doesn’t exposit it. He just leaves it there. 
Now, he isn’t going to leave it there for long. Just as he has done with Psalm 110:1-4, he is doing to do with this section. He gets the entire section out there before our eyes, and then in the verses that follow he teaches from it. He will amplify the meaning and the implications of this section. 
But here, in our text, he has one point that he wishes to make. 
His point is this: As soon as God spoke of a new covenant, the Old Covenant was on the clock. That is what he means in verse 13 when he says that the first was obsolete. When God promised a new covenant he made the first one dated.

We said, this morning, that the writer of Hebrews does something very interesting with Jeremiah 31:31-34 which he quotes from the Septuagint. It is the longest quotation in the New Testament. And he does something quite unexpected with it. He doesn’t exposit it. He just leaves it there.
Now, he isn’t going to leave it there for long. Just as he has done with Psalm 110:1-4, he is doing to do with this section. He gets the entire section out there before our eyes, and then in the verses that follow he teaches from it. He will amplify the meaning and the implications of this section.
But here, in our text, he has one point that he wishes to make. 
His point is this: As soon as God spoke of a new covenant, the Old Covenant was on the clock. That is what he means in verse 13 when he says that the first was obsolete. When God promised a new covenant he made the first one dated.

Better Promises - Hebrews 8:7-13

In preaching, you don’t just say something - you show it.  The preacher, the writer of Hebrews, has been doing this throughout. He first declared to us, then he demonstrated for us, from Scripture, that Jesus is the better priest, serving in the better place, having offered the better offering, representing a better hope, and now mediates a better covenant. It is that covenant that he, now, wants to talk about.  How is it better?  What does this mean for the first covenant; the Mosaic covenant?  How does the first relate to the second? What is the Christians relationship to that covenant?  Pastor Richard continues his expository teaching in the New Testament Book of Hebrews in today’s message titled “Obsolete”.

Obsolete - Hebrews 8:7-13

The beginning of Chapter 8 of Hebrews is like Hebrews for Dummies.  We don't have to try and figure out what the main point of this book has been up to this point. The writer wants to make sure that we haven't missed it. The Holy Spirit, in the book of Hebrews, is declaring the greatness, the appropriateness, the all-sufficiency, of Jesus as our high priest.

The Main Point - Hebrews 8:1-6

The writer of Hebrews continues to teach the 4th verse of the 110th Psalm. It’s like he’s paying attention to every word. 
 
And what he means to point as he begins this final paragraph of chapter 7 is the absolute 
perfection of our Great High Priest, and the absolute superiority of His priesthood. 
 
He demonstrates why the people of God must hold fast their confidence. He demonstrates why any step away from the liberation that has been brought to them in Jesus Christ, and that they enjoy in the new covenant, is shameful. What God has done for us in His Son is beautiful and wonderful, and it is beyond fathomable that we should ever ashamed of it, or doubtful about it, or be moved away from it through the hatefulness and unbelief of others. 
 
He is saying to these Jewish Christians, you have gained in the new covenant, not lost. Move forward, mature, in your understanding of God’s saving grace, don’t return to the things that no longer are in force. They were imperfect and temporary with respect to everything that God meant to do in saving His people. 
 
He gives us four proofs of the superiority of Jesus, of the Melchizedekian priesthood, and of the new covenant.

The writer of Hebrews continues to teach the 4th verse of the 110th Psalm. It’s like he’s paying attention to every word.

And what he means to point as he begins this final paragraph of chapter 7 is the absolute 
perfection of our Great High Priest, and the absolute superiority of His priesthood.

He demonstrates why the people of God must hold fast their confidence. He demonstrates why any step away from the liberation that has been brought to them in Jesus Christ, and that they enjoy in the new covenant, is shameful. What God has done for us in His Son is beautiful and wonderful, and it is beyond fathomable that we should ever ashamed of it, or doubtful about it, or be moved away from it through the hatefulness and unbelief of others.

He is saying to these Jewish Christians, you have gained in the new covenant, not lost. Move forward, mature, in your understanding of God’s saving grace, don’t return to the things that no longer are in force. They were imperfect and temporary with r

A Perfect High Priest Forever- Hebrews 7:20-28

You are a Jew living about 3 decades after the ascension of Jesus.  Herrod’s temple stands in Jerusalem.  The Levitical priests still function.  The sacrificial system still functions.  All of the ways in which the Old Testament scriptures have been taught and practice for generations among the Jewish people are taking place in your world every day.  All of the feasts, the holy days, the purity rivals, the dietary laws,. and the rabbinical interpretations and applications of the law of Moses, are observed by your people. This would be true even though you may live somewhere in the east outside the land of Israel.  But someone brought you the gospel.  They told you the truth about Jesus of Nazareth.  They demonstrated from the scriptures how Jesus fulfilled the hope of the Old Testament promise of salvation.  Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus is the long expected Savior of Israel and the World.  Today’s text is about a Better Hope for mankind.

A Better Hope - Hebrews 7:11-19

Melchizedek has been mentioned three times, so far, in the book of Hebrews. Each time we are told that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek (5:6, 10; 6:20). 
 
It is now time for the preacher to explain what he means. That is what he does in this 7th chapter. He explains how Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. In doing so he will accomplish two very specific things: 
 
1) He will demonstrate, once again, the superiority of Jesus. 
2) He will also answer how Jesus serves as a priest in a way that fulfills Old Testament promise.

Melchizedek has been mentioned three times, so far, in the book of Hebrews. Each time we are told that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek (5:6, 10; 6:20).

It is now time for the preacher to explain what he means. That is what he does in this 7th chapter. He explains how Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.  In doing so he will accomplish two very specific things:

1)  He will demonstrate, once again, the superiority of Jesus.
2)  He will also answer how Jesus serves as a priest in a way that     fulfills Old Testament promise.

Melchizedek – A Picture of Jesus - Hebrews 7:1–10

Pastor Caldwell continues our study of Hebrews, looking at Chapter 6, verses 9 through 12.

Who Needs Warning?- Hebrews 6:9–12

There isn’t a more tragic story in all of the Bible than the story of Judas Iscariot. The Lord knew that Judas was a devil from the beginning (John 6:64). Sooner or later we will all know a person who resembles Judas. Chances are you have already known one. We will all know someone who once seemed to walk with Jesus, but now is far from Jesus. Do you know someone like that? That is a tragedy. 
 
The seeds of doubt, the seeds of unbelief, the root of bitterness, the seeds of spiritual stubbornness, the seeds of spiritual indifference, apathy, laziness, self-justification and carelessness about the most profound person, and the most profound matters, that any human being could ever come face to face with. Those are the seeds of the destruction of a soul. 
 
Apostasy, though finally revealed in decisive choices, reaches that point slowly, over time, in a slow slide that reveals that something is really, really profoundly wrong. 
 
The basic message of these verses and the basic purpose of these verses is clear as a bell. 
The basic message is that we dare not walk away from Jesus. All that is left outside of Jesus is the certain expectation of damning judgment. The basic purpose of the verses, then, is that those who have ears to hear what is outside of Jesus, would be affected by the knowledge in such a way that they will never stop following Jesus. The purpose is that Christians would be motivated to practice what we have seen in the previous verses. We must go on with Christ. We must move on beyond the first instruction concerning Christ. We must not waver in our confidence in and our confession of Jesus.

There isn’t a more tragic story in all of the Bible than the story of Judas Iscariot. The Lord knew that Judas was a devil from the beginning (John 6:64).  Sooner or later we will all know a person who resembles Judas. Chances are you have already known one. We will all know someone who once seemed to walk with Jesus, but now is far from Jesus. Do you know someone like that? That is a tragedy.

The seeds of doubt, the seeds of unbelief, the root of bitterness, the seeds of spiritual stubbornness, the seeds of spiritual indifference, apathy, laziness, self-justification and carelessness about the most profound person, and the most profound matters, that any human being could ever come face to face with. Those are the seeds of the destruction of a soul.

Apostasy, though finally revealed in decisive choices, reaches that point slowly, over time, in a slow slide that reveals that something is really, really profoundly wrong.

The basic message of these verses and the basic purpose of thes

The Tragedy of Apostasy - Hebrews 6:4–8

Spiritual immaturity is not just a shame, it’s dangerous. The writer of Hebrews shames the people reading his letter, then and now. He calls them out. He rebukes them. But he also warns them that their immaturity is having a devastating effect in their lives. 
 
What is spiritual immaturity? Spiritual immaturity is when we are underdeveloped given the time that we have had in the Christian life, and the exposure that we have had to Christian truth. It is when we don’t move forward in the Christian life. Instead of embracing the motives and the message that belongs to life in Christ, by living out the truth as it is in Jesus, we live in the place of spiritual laziness and unbelief. We are willing to remain in the place of doubt and to actually entertain those doubts. And when that occurs we actually drift backwards. 
 
Now the writer of Hebrews moves from a rebuke to a summons. He moves from exposing their immaturity to exhorting them to move forward. And what he is doing is love. Do you know that this is love? This is the love of God at work through this preacher. This is the love of God at work with His people. Love never beholds what is wrong and refuses to address it. It is the love of God that is calling these people to recognize their immaturity and it is the love of God that is calling upon them and us to move beyond it.

Spiritual immaturity is not just a shame, it’s dangerous.  The writer of Hebrews shames the people reading his letter, then and now.  He calls them out.  He rebukes them.  But he also warns them that their immaturity is having a devastating effect in their lives.

What is spiritual immaturity? Spiritual immaturity is when we are underdeveloped given the time that we have had in the Christian life, and the exposure that we have had to Christian truth. It is when we don’t move forward in the Christian life. Instead of embracing the motives and the message that belongs to life in Christ, by living out the truth as it is in Jesus, we live in the place of spiritual laziness and unbelief. We are willing to remain in the place of doubt and to actually entertain those doubts. And when that occurs we actually drift backwards.

Now the writer of Hebrews moves from a rebuke to a summons. He moves from exposing their immaturity to exhorting them to move forward.   And what he is doing is love. Do 

Moving To Maturity - Hebrews 6:1-3

Pastor Richard Caldwell continues our study of Hebrews, looking at Chapter 5, verses 11-14, and the warning of falling into spiritual immaturity.

Immaturity Rebuked- Hebrews 5:11-14

In the providence of God, we arrive at Hebrews 5 in the Christmas season. It is always a job when you can preach sermons that relate to the season without having to depart from the texts you were already scheduled to preach.  At Christmas, we celebrate the incarnation.  The truths presented to us about Jesus in Hebrews 5 make the incarnation precious to us.  They remind us why the incarnation is not just a curiosity; it is absolutely crucial to the salvation that we now rest in.  The truths of this chapter answer the question, “Why did the Son of God have to become a man?”  It is the doctrine of the incarnation considered from the vantage point of the meditation necessary for salvation.  It is the doctrine of the incarnation considered in its relationship to Christ’s role as high priest.

Jesus Our High Priest - Hebrews 5:1-10

Tonight's verses divide well into three sections; they divide based on Jesus’ call to evaluate yourself.  Three questions of evaluation are seen: 1) where is your heart; 2) how is your eye; 3) who is your master.

No One Can Serve Two Masters - Matthew 6:19-24

The believer will recognize that unjust means to accomplish a just end is NOT justice and righteousness in the sight of God.

Unjust Means to an Unjust End - 2 Samuel 4:1-12

Pastor Richard Caldwell continues our study of the book of Hebrews, studying chapter 4, verses 12 and 13.

Encountering God's Word- Hebrews 4:12-13

We must battle unbelief - and battling unbelief is a community project. We are commanded to be watchful against an evil, unbelieving heart that is hardened. We are commanded to exhort each other - corporately - regularly - urgently - and redemptively. We have been given an example of a hard hearted generation and how that generation died in the wilderness after leaving Egypt with Moses because they would not believe God. 
But, we will never fight unbelief until we fear it.

We must battle unbelief - and battling unbelief is a community project. We are commanded to be watchful against an evil, unbelieving heart that is hardened. We are commanded to exhort each other - corporately - regularly - urgently - and redemptively. We have been given an example of a hard hearted generation and how that generation died in the wilderness after leaving Egypt with Moses because they would not believe God.
But, we will never fight unbelief until we fear it.

Fear Unbelief- Hebrews 4:1-11

The hardening of a heart is a provocation toward God. We come to times of testing, we come to times of believing God or not believing Him, and when stubbornness is our response to God’s gracious strivings with us we sin. When we test the Lord by our rebellion, it is something that is hateful to God. It calls for divine response. It invites the anger of God. 
 
In these verses Pastor Richard is expounding from Hebrews chapter 3, the writer uses a section of Psalm 95 as an exhortation. The exhortation is that when God calls we must not harden our hearts. We must hear God. We must believe God. We must obey God. And in this case, it means receiving what He has revealed about Jesus.

The hardening of a heart is a provocation toward God.  We come to times of testing, we come to times of believing God or not believing Him, and when stubbornness is our response to God’s gracious strivings with us we sin.  When we test the Lord by our rebellion, it is something that is hateful to God.  It calls for  divine response.  It invites the anger of God.

In these verses Pastor Richard is expounding from Hebrews chapter 3, the writer uses a section of Psalm 95 as an exhortation.  The exhortation is that when God calls we must not harden our hearts.  We must hear God.  We must believe God.  We must obey God.  And in this case, it means receiving what He has revealed about Jesus.

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