Sermons from 2021 (Page 3)
Hebrews 5:11 6:3
Grow Up! Note: This sermon is short because my second time through Hebrews I divided the text differently. This particular sermon is just part of one I preached earlier. The passage before us today was penned partly out of frustration. The author desired to teach some deep truths about the high priesthood of Christ but could not because of the immaturity of his audience. Let’s begin by reading Hebrews 5;11-6:3. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because…
Hebrews 6:4-20
Bad News, Good News Introduction: A businesswoman prays to receive Christ after her friend shares the Gospel with her, but soon she becomes disillusioned with church when she hears sermons on topics like Satan, judgment, and same-sex marriage. A prominent black pastor leaves his Baptist church to become a Muslim, stating that Islam has become the real impetus for social change in the American black community. A young woman in the Third World faces terrible persecution from her family and…
Hebrews 7:1-28a
From Pablum to Porterhouse Forty years ago I heard Howie Hendricks preach a sermon entitled, From Pablum to Porterhouse. I don’t remember the sermon or even the text but I never forgot the title. I decided it fit my Scripture passage today perfectly, so I borrowed it. Pablum is baby food. Porterhouse is steak. Baby food is easy to digest and therefore appropriate for babies. Steak takes a lot more effort, but it’s so much more enjoyable and nutritious for those who can handle it. For two…
Hebrews 8:1-13
Why Do We Need a New Covenant? When Jesus ate the Last Supper with His disciples and instituted the ordinance of communion, He said, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood.” What did he mean? One of the most important but least understood concepts in the Bible is that of “covenant.” The word is used over 250 times altogether and more often in the book of Hebrews than any other NT book, by far. A number of covenants are mentioned in…
Hebrews 9:1-14
How to Clear a Guilty Conscience God has been very good to me. I have a wonderful wife, two fine sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, four grandkids, a nice home, a job I love, faithful friends, and excellent health. I’ve never missed a meal, divorce has not touched my birth family for many generations, I’ve never been unemployed, and my parents and grandparents have lived into their 90’s. I’ve had relatively little suffering, as compared to many of God’s people. My life, however, has…
Hebrews 9:11-28
The Blood of Christ Introduction: Christianity has been called a bloody religion, and so it is, but perhaps not in the sense that some mean by that. I had a philosophy professor at S.M.U. who blamed the bombing of Dresden in W.W. II, in which thousands died, on Christianity, as others have done with the Holocaust. That can only be done by reading history with a jaundiced eye. But there is another sense in which both Christianity and the Judaism from which it came…
Hebrews 10:1-18
One for All; Once for All Note: This sermon was preached by Josh Black, who was Associate Pastor at First Evangelical Free Church, Wichita, in 2010. He is now Lead Pastor. We’ve been studying Hebrews for 16 weeks now. The author spends the first 10 chapters making an argument that Christ is absolutely supreme; he is greater than all things. Christ is superior to angels, to Moses, to Joshua, to Aaron and the whole Levitical priesthood. The new covenant Christ mediates is superior to the…
Hebrews 10:19-25
Privilege Demands Responsibility We have come to the end of the portion of the book of Hebrews that is primarily theological and enter today into the portion that is primarily application. I say “primarily” because the author has been sharing practical application of his arguments all along, as seen in his frequent warnings and in his numerous encouragements to draw near to God and to persevere in the faith. But in chapter 10 and verse 19 he uses the word “therefore” to…
Hebrews 10:26-39
Will It Be Apostasy or Perseverance? Introduction: The problem of the heathen is one that everyone of us has wrestled with at some point, and I dare say some here this morning probably find it a persistent roadblock to faith. “What about those who have never heard? Is it fair for God to send them to Hell?” I raise that issue today, not because I am going to try to resolve it or even address it directly, but rather to highlight the fact…
Hebrews 11:1-7
God’s Hall of Faith: The Gallery of the Ancients Note: This sermon was preached in St. Louis many years before the series in Wichita. The text was divided up differently, so this sermon is briefer than the others. Americans go in big for Halls of Fame. I’ve never visited one, but I have always wanted to go to Cooperstown. And I wouldn’t mind going to the Football Hall of Fame. But I didn’t realize just how prolific Halls of Fame are until the reference service at…
Hebrews 11:8-22
God’s Hall of Faith: The Gallery of the Patriarchs I have always loved to visit the great museums of the world. I once spent an entire week just going from one museum to another in Europe. It’s probably because I have always loved history, and it’s in museums that history has been preserved for posterity. In a sense Hebrews 11 is a museum of faith, or perhaps better, a Hall of Faith, which the believer is invited to explore. There are a number…
Hebrews 11:23-31
God’s Hall of Faith: The Gallery of the Exodus and the Conquest Note: This sermon was preached by Josh Black who was Associate Pastor at First Evangelical Free Church of Wichita in 2010. He is now Lead Pastor. Introduction: Look at this picture (Figure 1). What do you see? How many of you see an old woman? How many of you see a young woman? They both are there (the young woman’s chin is the old woman’s nose) and we see things differently depending on…