Sunday Sermons

Jesus, the Centerpiece | Hebrews 1:1-4

Sermon Outline
Jesus is the centerpiece of God's glory.
1. He is the purpose of God’s prophets. (1-2a)2. He is the source of God’s creation. (2b-3a)3. He is the heir of God’s majesty. (3b-4)
 
Discussion/Application
1. Jesus is the centerpiece of God's glory. What do we mean when we say that Jesus is the source and purpose of all things?
2. Describe a time in your life when you came to realize that you were not living with Jesus at the center.
3. What's an area of your life where you have forgotten that Jesus is your source and your purpose. Time? Finances? Relationships? What's a step that you can take this week to align yourself with this truth?

"Places, Everyone!" | Hebrews 1:5-2:4

Sermon Outline
God has written the great salvation story...
...in which Jesus has the lead role. (1:5-14)...in which our role is to pay close attention. (2:1-3a)...which God, Himself, declares to and through us. (3b-4)
 
Discussion/Application
1. God has written the great salvation story, in which Jesus has the lead role. What do we mean when we say that Jesus has the lead role in salvation?
2. God has written the great salvation story, in which our role is to pay close attention. Can you find some passages of Scripture that reinforce that salvation isn't from ourselves but from the Lord? Read them aloud.
3. God has written the great salvation story, which God, Himself, declares to and through us. Scripture is the clearest way that God declares the "great salvation story." Take a moment right now to increase your time in God's Word. How can he use your time in His word to declare the good news to the people around you?

He's One of Us Now | Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon Outline
God set us apart by making Jesus one of us.
1. God "qualified" Jesus through human suffering. (10-11a)2. Jesus killed death by dying in human flesh. (11b-16)3. Jesus can help us because He became like us. (17-18)
 
Discussion/Application
1. God set us apart by making Jesus one of us. What do we mean when we say God "qualified" Jesus through human suffering? What do we not mean?
2. Describe the time in your life when you first understood Christ's sacrifice for you? What was happening in your life? How does it make you feel thinking about it now?
3. In what ways do you need to ask Jesus to help you now? Ask Him.

Consider Jesus | Hebrews 3:1-6

Sermon Outline
When we see Jesus outshine our heroes, our hope increases...
...by considering His heroic faithfulness. (1-2)...by counting Him more worthy than any other. (3-4)...with more confidence in the Son than in the servants. (5-6)
 
Discussion/Application
1. What does it mean to "consider Jesus"? How is it different than just knowing things about Him?
2. Who is a hero in your life? Why might it be easy to look to your hero for your hope rather than Jesus? How might your idolatry of that person actually be hurtful to them? To you? To Jesus?
3. What is standing in the way of your seeing Jesus outshine your heroes? How can the people who love you help you look to Jesus alone for your hope?

Hard-Hearted of Hearing | Hebrews 3:7-19

Sermon Outline
God reserves His enduring comfort for the tender-hearted... (7-11)
...who address unbelief as a caring community. (12-15)...who can identify unbelief as careful historians. (16-19)
 
Discussion/Application
1. What are some of the ways we see God reserving his comfort for the tender-hearted in Scripture? Why would God withhold His rest/comfort from His people when they're hard hearted?
2. How can you tell the difference between a hard-hearted person and a tender-hearted person?
3. Are you hard-hearted? How about someone you know? What is some history that you can review in Scripture or in your own life to soften your heart and the hearts of those around you to the Lord?

Hard-Hearted of Hearing (continued) | Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon Outline
God reserves His enduring comfort for the tender-hearted... (3:7-11)
...who address unbelief as a caring community. (3:12-15)...who identify unbelief as careful historians. (3:16-19)...who receive His good news by faith. (4:1-10)...who embrace His judgment as fitting. (4:11-13)
 
Discussion/Application
1. Read Hebrews 4:1-10 out loud. What is the good news from God not received by faith in these verses? What does it mean to be united in faith?
2. Describe a time when you saw someone use extremely sound judgement. How did it make you feel about them? How would in increase your faith in Jesus if you could see all of His judgments as they are: perfect?
3. Read Romans 10:9. Have you received the good news of the Gospel? If not, take a moment to confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

He Was Heard | Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon Outline
Jesus "became" the perfect minister to us...
...with sympathy for our weakness. (4:14-16)...as appointed by the Father. (5:1-6)...through suffering on our behalf. (5:7-10)
 
Discussion/Application
1. Even before He was born, the Eternal Son of God was perfect. What do we mean when, then, we say Jesus "became" the perfect minister to us? What do we not mean? How did He demonstrate His sympathy for our weakness?
2. Have you ever had to appoint someone else to to something that was important to you? What made them trustworthy? Untrustworthy?
3. Jesus "became" the perfect minister to us by suffering on our behalf. What is an area of your life where you are trusting in your own faithfulness rather than trusting in Christ's faithfulness? Take a moment to pray right now and ask God to increase your sense of dependence on Him.

It's Time to Grow Up | Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Sermon Outline
Warning: Abandoned faith looks exactly like stunted growth...
...as needy as a breast-feeding teenager. (5:11-14)...as immature as a foundation-only builder. (6:1-3)...as fire-bound as well watered weeds. (6:4-8)...and yet, hope endures. (6:9-12)
 
Discussion/Application
1. Warning: abandoned faith looks exactly like stunted growth. What exactly makes this warning so serious? Why would the author of Hebrews write something so challenging?
2. Have you ever had to help someone grow up and move from one stage of maturity to the next. What made it difficult? What are the challenges we face in moving to the next stage of maturity in our own lives?
3. Read Hebrews 6:9-12. What is one step of maturity in your own life or in somebody else's that you can focus on as a testament to God's ability to grow you? Write it down and review it every day this week.