Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Hebrews 12:1-13.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Hebrews 12:1-13.
Lindsey: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Bobby Gilles, and I am joined by Lindsey Blair. This past Sunday, Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Hebrews twelve, verses one through thirteen in our series called A Life Worth Living.
Bobby: Pastor Jonah encouraged us to take courage and run to Jesus. Now for those of you who either missed the sermon or need help remembering, let’s do the Midweek Checkup.
Lindsey: Jonah began by saying that a life worth living is a life immersed in the people of God, in good times and bad. Repeatedly in Hebrews, the Preacher commands and provides encouragement: “Take courage, run to Jesus.” That's Hebrews in a nutshell. What does it mean to give courage, though? Pastor Jonah gives us a three-step recipe:
Bobby: First, love something more than your own comfort. Second, be aware of danger so we can confront it. And third, act in spite of the danger. None of these are easy to do. The starting place of courage is knowing the story you're in. You’re part of the greatest family in human history.
We are immersed in the story of cosmic rebellion and restoration. A king who has come and will come again, of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. We are part of something far greater than ourselves.
Lindsey: As we remember the story, we turn to Jesus. This is what repentance means. We don’t just stop sinning, we turn to Christ. We don't run AWAY from sin, we run TO JESUS. We lay down our sin so we can run to Jesus FASTER. And knowing WHO JESUS IS changes everything.
Bobby: Christianity is the only religion with a courageous God, because our God accepted the vulnerability of being human. It was through suffering that he has made our faith perfect. His courage saved us, and it is now his courage that fills us by his Spirit. His courage was fueled by joy over a kingdom that has come and is yet to come. Jesus is the founder, the hero, the initiator, and perfecter of our faith. He marched to hell and won for us heaven. Take courage. Run to Jesus.
Lindsey: Next Sunday, we’ll dive further into Hebrews twelve as we continue our series called A Life Worth Living. And in Bible Fellowship, we’ll discuss a passage in First Peter, where the apostle Peter teaches on the relationship between suffering, our salvation in Christ, and doing good deeds. Join us and bring a friend.