Having Obtained Eternal Redemption | Hebrews 9:11-22 | Maundy Thursday
Is Jesus merely a moral teacher, or something more? While many view Him as a guru of "enlightened living," the events of Maundy Thursday reveal a deeper mission. Our problem isn't just a lack of kindness; it is rebellion against our Creator.
In this sermon, we explore Matthew 26 and Hebrews 9 to see how Jesus replaced the temporary sacrifices of the Old Covenant with a "once for all" sacrifice. By shedding His blood, Christ didn't just modify our behavior—He obtained our eternal redemption.
The Covenant Community | Deuteronomy 7:6-9 & Hebrews 8:6-13 | United in Christ, Secured by Promise
When we think of memberships today, we often think of cards in our wallet or apps on our phone—things that can expire if we miss a payment or fail to keep up. But God’s covenant community is entirely different. Belonging to Him isn’t a subscription we manage or a benefit program we maintain. It is His gracious claim on us through Christ, an eternal promise written on our hearts.
The Covenant Confirmed | Exodus 24:3–8 & Hebrews 9:11–22 | 5 Devotions on God’s Covenant Secured in Christ
This week’s sermon, The Covenant Confirmed, explored Exodus 24:3–8 and Hebrews 9:11–22, showing how God seals His covenant with His people through His Word, through blood, and ultimately through Christ, the better Mediator. If you haven’t already, you can watch or read the full sermon here.
The Covenant Confirmed | Exodus 24:3-8 & Hebrews 9:11-22 | The Sure Hope of Salvation in Christ's Blood
When Israel stood at Sinai, they didn’t just hear God’s covenant—they embraced it, and it was sealed with blood. In this message, Pastor Mark shows how that moment points us to something greater: the covenant fulfilled through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Just as Moses confirmed the covenant with sacrifice, Christ has confirmed and completed the covenant with His own precious blood. In Him, our salvation is sure and secure.
God Has Spoken in His Son
Back in 2018 I decided that I was going to try a new approach to studying the Bible. I was going to pick a shorter book in the New Testament and read it every weekday from beginning to end. I would then read a chapter from a commentary that I have in my library. I have always enjoyed the book of Hebrews and it can be read in about 20 minutes and so, I decided that this would be a good book to start with.
May 2 Sermon: Equipped with Everything Good
We all know how important it is to have the right equipment. Whether it is the tool to do a job that you have been tasked with or needing the right equipment to participate in a sporting event there are certain things that you need to perform a task correctly. I think we’ve all been in the middle of a project and discovered that we are either missing an essential part or a helpful tool. Perhaps you are a parent who got to spring baseball or softball season and discovered that your child has grown more than you realized and now not only are you needing to buy new cleats but also a new glove too.
April 25 Sermon: Seeking the City to Come
One of the greatest temptations that we face as believers is to desire approval from the world. We like to think that if we could soften up the hard edges of the message of scripture then more people would believe. Our motives are good we want people to believe. We want churches that are full. We want more people to hear about who God is. There is an issue that comes from this though. If we start to whittle away at the some of the harder parts of scripture we will find that what we create will no longer look like the original. The Christian faith is not a renovation project. We are not trying to remodel it and make some of it more user friendly. The Christian faith is founded on the revelation of God in his holy word and we are to desire to hold fast to what we have received, not warp it into what we desire it to be.
April 18 Sermon: A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken
Have you ever felt the earth move? In some parts of the world that question would be answered in the affirmative by nearly everyone. For us folks who reside in the upper midwest, it is something that we have never felt and likely never will feel. I’ve never experienced an earthquake but roughly 20 years ago I was meandering through an Office Max building in Sandusky, OH. I had made the trip across town to get some office supplies for the church office and while I was making my way through the store, I literally felt the ground under my feet move. It freaked me out.
April 11 Sermon: Yielding the Peaceful Fruit of Righteousness
Discipline. Just me saying the word likely brings strong images to your mind. You may remember a time where you misbehaved and your parents stepped in to correct you and try to keep you from doing the same thing again. Maybe the image that comes to mind for you is related to your time in school. You were caught misbehaving and formal steps had to be taken to correct you. It is likely that when you are reminded of these moments that you are transported back to them in your mind and maybe you even feel the same deep feeling in your gut of fear and uncertainty. Discipline is an important matter and I’m guessing in most cases you look back on the discipline that you have had in your life and you now understand the importance of it.
March 21 Sermon: Something Better
The stories that I find the most satisfying are the ones that have you wondering how all the separate plots and details have to do with each other. And then, at the end it all comes together and you find out why characters that seemed to be irrelevant suddenly have a crucial role to the underlying working of the plot. When we come to the Bible it can often seem like the stories are just thrown together. What does the crossing of the Red Sea have to do with David killing Goliath? How does the story of the walls of Jericho falling down connect to the story of three men stepping into a fiery furnace and not being burned? They might seem like a collection of stories as opposed to one big story with a unifying theme.
March 14 Sermon: From Afar
If some one were to come up to you and ask you to define faith what would you say? What thoughts would you express? Likely you would convey something about what you believe as a Christian but would there be a sense of certainty in your definition? I believe that often our idea of what faith is has more to do with a blind belief that a certainty. Mark Twain said that faith is believing something that you know ain’t true. That seems to be the idea that our culture has fallen for in regards to what faith is. It doesn’t matter if what you belief is true. If you have faith and it helps you feel better then go ahead. That’s how many view the idea of faith.
March 7 Sermon: Full Assurance
I have a great interest in useless information. I like random details about things that others don’t seem to care about that much. I kind of always knew this about myself but a little over 20 years ago when Who Wants to Be a Millionaire started airing on TV I was talking on the phone with my mother, and she asked me if I had watched the new quiz show. I believe my response was that I had seen the commercials but hadn’t taken the time sit down and view it. She informed me that it was basically a new format for a quiz show and that I should try to get on it. When I asked her why, she told me that she didn’t know anyone who knew more useless information than me.
February 28 Sermon: Once For All
Isn’t it amazing how clearly we see when we move on to the next phase of life? Aren’t we unbelievably wise when we’ve been through something and we can look back on it. I’m sure that wisdom is often annoying to those that we pontificate our knowledge to but it is a fact that it is much easier to look back on something and understand what was going on. Our experience gives us wisdom. We understand what is important about dating once we arrive at marriage. Maybe we get to college and suddenly we figure out what we should have done better in high school to be a better student. Chances are that I’ll experience the same thing when I move from being a parent to being a grandparent. We say hindsight 20/20 and while I doubt we have perfect vision on our pasts, we are able to understand things more clearly when we have moved on from them.
February 21 Sermon: Through the Blood of Jesus
One of the central ideas in the Christian faith is the idea of the power of the blood of Jesus. I don’t think it would take us long to come up with a list of well-known hymns that talk about the blood of Jesus, and we also know several verses from the Bible that express this important and powerful truth. If we think about it a little, unless you have a working knowledge of Christian doctrine these phrases might not make much sense. Being washed in the blood of the lamb doesn’t sound like it would be anything that would get you too clean, unless you know the foundational Christian teaching behind it. There’s power in the blood seems a bit strange unless you know that the idea is that the power of the blood is to pay for your sin.
The Holy Place | Hebrews 9:1–10 | Why We No Longer Need a Temple
In this sermon on Hebrews 9:1–10, Pastor Mark unpacks the Old Testament's Holy Place—what it was, why it mattered, and how it ultimately pointed beyond itself to Jesus Christ. The tabernacle wasn't just an ancient structure; it was a living symbol of God's holiness and the need for a true mediator. As the sermon explores the limitations of the old covenant and the fearful reverence of the high priest’s once-a-year entry, it leads us to the awe-inspiring truth that in Christ, we now have confident, daily access to the living God.
A Better Covenant | Hebrews 8:1-13 | Once for All
We all have an inherent desire for the "next big improvement," but in the spiritual life, there is nothing that can supersede the work of Jesus Christ. In this study of Hebrews 8:1–13, we explore why the New Covenant is described as "much more excellent" than the old.
The author of Hebrews makes a compelling case that while the earthly tabernacle and its sacrifices were important, they were merely shadows of the heavenly reality where Jesus now ministers as our High Priest. By looking at the prophecy of Jeremiah, we see how God has moved from a law written on stone to a covenant written on our hearts, ensuring that we can truly know Him and experience total forgiveness.
To the Uttermost | Hebrews 7:11-28 | Once for All
Does the good news of the Gospel ever seem "too good to be true"? In our study of Hebrews 7:11–28, we confront the doubts we often have about our own salvation by looking to the indestructible life of Jesus Christ.
This passage details how the arrival of Jesus brought a new priesthood and a new Law, fulfilling the temporary "types and shadows" of the Old Testament. We explore why the earthly priests could never perfect God's people and why Jesus, our sinless and eternal High Priest, is able to save us to the uttermost.
A Higher Priest | Hebrews 7:1-10 | Once for All
One of the easiest ways to explain the value of something is to make a comparison. We do this with food, with celebrities, and even with historical figures. In Hebrews 7:1–10, the author uses a comparison with the mysterious Old Testament figure Melchizedek to explain why we must remain faithful to Christ.
Early believers were tempted to return to the tangible "check-the-box" rituals of the temple sacrifices. This sermon explores why that would be a step backward. By looking at Melchizedek—a priest-king who had no recorded genealogy and who received a tithe from Abraham himself—we see a foreshadowing of a priesthood that does not rely on earthly markers, but on eternal appointment.
God’s Promise is Sure | Hebrews 6:13-20 | Once for All
Is your life anchored to something that holds, or are you drifting with the winds of the world? In this study of Hebrews 6:13–20, we discover the "overarching theme" of Scripture: the covenant faithfulness of God. Using the story of Abraham, we examine how God ratified His promise with an oath, swearing by Himself because there is no one greater.
This "covenant of grace" ensures that our salvation does not rest on our own efforts, but on the unchangeable character of a God who cannot lie. Whether you are facing life's storms or struggling with failure, find peace in the anchor that is firmly set in the presence of God through Jesus Christ, our great high priest who has gone behind the curtain as our forerunner.
Solid Food for the Mature | Hebrews 5:11-6:12 | Once for All
Are you surviving on a spiritual diet of "Pop Rocks and Mountain Dew"? In this study of Hebrews 5:11–6:12, we examine why spiritual nourishment is essential for every believer to stand firm in their faith. The author of Hebrews issues a sharp warning to those who have become "dull of hearing," urging them to move past the basics and feast on the solid food of God's Word.