A message from the series “Keep Pushing Towards the Cross (God’s Appeal to the Hebrews).” What is the point of a book like Hebrews? Supremacy of the New Law? Supremacy of Christ? Not going back to OT rituals?

How about all of the above? When you zoom out and look at Hebrews, one of the things you notice is that the writer is really concerned about these people not casually drifting away from God. That’s a real worry then, and it’s a real worry now. The book of Hebrews talks about how to push towards the Cross, instead of sinking back to what’s comfortable.

You wouldn’t think that there’s a difference between being married or being in love, but for a lot of people, they are (unfortunately) not always the same thing.

Some people have nothing more than glorified roommates, despite the fact that that’s not anywhere close to God’s design for marriage.

What He wants is for marriage to be a blessing to you and your spouse. How can we accomplish that?

A message from the series “Keep Pushing Towards the Cross (God’s Appeal to the Hebrews).” Jesus is the Messiah. The New Covenant has been installed. Heaven is the goal.

With these points in mind, are the Jewish Christians going to push forward towards the Cross, or slink back into their old ways (or a hybrid between the two)?

A message from the series “Keep Pushing Towards the Cross (God’s Appeal to the Hebrews).” With most of the hardcore theological work out of the way, the writer turns his attention to the application of faith. What are they going to do with what he’s just told them — and just as importantly, how are they going to persevere?

When the prophet Amos showed up in Israel, nobody wanted to listen to him. They even told him to go back to Judah where he belonged. They didn’t think he had any business in the “royal presence” of the King of Israel.

But Amos had a message to share with the people, and most of it centered around their worship. Not much about what he said was very positive.

If Amos were to visit your church, what would he say to you?

A message from the series “Keep Pushing Towards the Cross (God’s Appeal to the Hebrews).” With the meatiest part of Hebrews behind us, the writer can now turn his attention to summarizing everything and driving some major points home. What is he really trying to say?

Be honest: God’s execution of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 seems a little harsh.

For starters, it was “only one sin,” and secondly, didn’t Peter just have a bigger sin when he denied Jesus three times? Why would someone who was shown so much mercy for that deny someone else the chance to repent?

If it seems harsh, that’s because it is. That’s kind of the point. But I would argue that there’s more to the story than just lying = death. A lot more. If only we would take the time to dive in and be honest with the Text.

A message from the series “Keep Pushing Towards the Cross (God’s Appeal to the Hebrews).” After a brief conversation about the need to hold fast to your hope, the writer of Hebrews goes back to what he was originally talking about: Melchizedek.

Who is he, and why is this larger-than-life figure so important to understanding the role of the Messiah?

A lot of churches talk about being a family, but I really believe we are one at Hillside.

The power of any spiritual family lies in how intentional we are with these relationships. You may think that you’re invested in the lives of other Christians, but here are a few questions you can ask to check for yourself.

A message from the series “Keep Pushing Towards the Cross (God’s Appeal to the Hebrews).” Just when the Hebrew writer is about to jump into a prolonged discussion about Melchizedek, he pumps the brakes. Why? Because his audience wasn’t ready for it yet. Before they talked about that in-depth subject, they needed to be reminded of a few basics so they can fasten an anchor that holds fast.