Who was Melchizedek?

Who was Melchizedek?

Dave Riddle - 2/4/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 7:1-10

Abram meets Melchizedek

- Genesis 14:12-20

Other Mentions

- Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 5:6, 6:20

The Hebrew priesthood

- Tribe of Levi

- Descendants of Aaron

- Made non-permanent sacrifices

- The role was hereditary not necessarily due to their righteousness.

* None of these things applied to Melchizedek

Melchizedek’s Priesthood

- A Royal priesthood

- A universal priesthood

- He received a tithe from chosen people, not the other way around.

- Not a descendant of Levi/Aaron

- Righteous and peaceful

- Without genealogy?

- What!?

The mystery of Melchizedek

- Hotly debated

- An Angel taking human form?

- Unlikely. The priesthood is a human function.

- An actual historical human being who acted as a priest before the order that would come later?

- A type/foreshadowing of Jesus?

- Christophany? A pre-incarnate Jesus?

- Maybe, but Jesus does have a father/mother. The author says Melchizedek is like the Son of God, but that he is the son…

We can put complete faith, hope, and trust in Jesus alone

Jesus: Our Promised Hope

Jesus: Our Promised Hope

Dave Riddle - 1/28/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 6:13-20

We inherit the promise

- Hebrews 6:12-13

- Genesis 12, 15, 22

- Through Abram a blessing for the entire world.

- Jesus.

Guaranteed with an Oath

- Hebrews 6:13-17

- Galatians 3:29

- Heirs according to the promise

Jesus is our refuge!

- Hebrews 6:18

- Size the hope set before you

We have this hope as our anchor

- Hebrews 6:19-20

- Our hope is Jesus.

- The perfect priest.

- The perfect sacrifice.

Are You Spiritually Lazy?

Are You Spiritually Lazy?

Dave Riddle - 1/21/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Laziness

- Hebrews 5:11

- Dullness to the word. Stupidity.

Unready to Share

- Hebrews 5:12

- You ought to be teachers, but you still need basic instruction.

We live on baby food

- Hebrews 5:12-14

- Solid food = Teaching that goes beyond the basics.

- Baby food is great for babies, but it’s not great for adults.

Advance towards Maturity

- Hebrews 6:1-3

- Move beyond these elementary teachings and allow ourselves to be challenged.

A Tricky Passage

- Hebrews 6:4-6a

- parapito: to slip aside, fall beside, deviate from the right path, turn aside or wander

- Many views on what this passage means depending on how the words are translated and who the intended audience is.

What kind of fruit are you producing?

- Hebrews 6:7-8

- Are we advancing in fruitfulness?

How are you serving?

- Hebrews 6:9-10

- Our lives should be marked by service

Diligence not Laziness

- Hebrews 6:11-12

- Speedy, diligent, passionate, looking for opportunities.

Imitators

- Hebrews 6:12

- Imitators of those who have faith and perseverance.

- Worthy of being imitated by someone else.

Our Great High Priest

Our Great High Priest

Dave Riddle - 1/14/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 4:14-5:10

The Great High Priest

- Hebrews 4:14

- Enthroned in Heaven

- The Son of God

Appointed by God

- Hebrews 5:1

- An act of God’s grace to restore broken relationships.

- Hebrews 5:6 (and 6 other places in Hebrews)

- A permanent priesthood

- A different kind of priest

- Hebrews 5:6

- A priest and a king.

Sympathetic to the People

- Hebrews 4:15-16

- A High Priest who understands our weakness

- Hebrews 5:2, 7-8

- Jesus did what the priests did not.

- Hebrews 3, 9

- He offered himself as a sacrifice

Hold Fast

- Hebrews 4:14

- Let us hold tightly to the confession of our faith. What Jesus did for us.

Approach the throne of grace

- Hebrews 4:16

- So that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

The Promised Rest

Phil Woodman - 1/7/2024

Key Passage: Hebrews 4:1-13

They will not enter my rest…

- Hebrews 3:11, 4:3

- The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years.

- A loss of blessing, not a loss of connection.

Rest

- Hebrews 4:1-13: Rest is mentioned 11 times in 13 verses

Don’t make the same mistake as the ancient Israelites

- Hebrews 4

What is God’s Rest?

- Hebrews 4:3-4

- The author appeals back to creation.

- On the seventh day God rested.

- Eternal rest. No evening, no morning.

- God offers us this same rest.

Greater than Joshua’s rest

- Hebrews 4:8

- Joshua 22:4

- The work was done. They could go home and rest.

- That must have felt amazing after years of slavery, wandering, and fighting.

- It was incomplete and pales in comparison to the rest offered by Jesus.

- We are a tired and disconnected people.

- Rest.

God’s rest is available today

- Hebrews 4:7

- Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

- Hebrews 4:9

- …a sabbath rest remains for God’s people.

How do we enter God’s rest?

- Hebrews 4:11-13

- Make every effort to enter that rest.

- Fight for sabbath. It’s ok to say no! Is ok to have free time.

- Rest in God’s Word.

Hope in Times of Trouble - New Year’s Eve

Hope in Times of Trouble - New Year’s Eve

Paul Trulock - 12/31/23

Key Passage: Psalm 46

Preparing for 2024

Selah

- To pause and calmly think

Our Refuge in Times of Trouble

- Psalm 46:1

- God is our refuge and strength

- God is an ever-present help

God is Resident in us

- Psalm 46:7

- The Lord of Hosts is with us

- Also, Psalm 46:11

- Individually and as a church.

Relax

- Psalm 46:10

- Be still, cease fighting, stop resisting… and know that I am God.

- Know that I am God

- In our minds and in our hearts.

We know all this, so why do we worry?

- I believe. Help my unbelief.

- Mark 9:24

- We fear the unknown, and lack faith.

Help me overcome my unbelief

1. Be honest with God

2. Abide with God

3. Submit to God

Repent Believe Obey

Repent Believe Obey

Dave Riddle - 12/24/2023

Key Passage: Matthew 1:18-25

A picture of repentance. Joseph turned away from his plan to quietly divorce Mary and he turned towards God’s way instead.

This is the first of four times that we see Joseph respond to a dream by choosing to believe and obey.

Repent, believe, obey. This is the daily posture that God desires for us.

You Have Found Favor With God

Fear Not! You Have Found Favor With God

Dave Riddle - 12/17/2023

Key Passage: Luke 1:26-38

Grace

- Luke 1:28

- Greetings: Be of good cheer. Root word: grace.

- Favored one: to provide someone with special honor. Root word: grace.

- “Grace to you, oh highly favored one”

- The same message Paul has for the Ephesians.

- The same message is given to each of us in the good news of the gospel.

Mary Was Very Perplexed

- Luke 1:29

- diatarasso: very disturbed. Disturbed wholly. Agitated with alarm.

- The only time this word is used in the Bible.

Don’t be afraid. You have found favor with God

- Luke 1:30

- The message Gabriel shares with Mary is not one that most people would have associated with favor.

- Unplanned pregnancy

A natural, reasonable, very human reaction

- Luke 1:34

- Compare to Zechariah’s reasonable reaction in Luke 1:18

A supernatural, outlandish, very divine answer!

- Luke 1:35

I am the Lord’s servant

- Luke 1:38

- The Lord’s slave

- May it be done as you have said

- Blessed assurance.

- Trusting, believing, submitting to God’s way.

- Even when it seems far fetched.

Your Prayer Has Been Heard

We had audio issues for the first portion of this service. The audio came back in right near the beginning of the message. We have trimmed off most of the affected portion.

Your Prayer Has Been Heard

Dave Riddle - 12/10/2023

Key Passage: Luke 1:5-17

Zechariah and Elizabeth

- Luke 1:5-7

- Their faith was great, but there is a disconnect between the way they lived and the life they were experiencing.

A Great Honor Turns to Great Fear

- Luke 1:8-12

- Do not be afraid

- Do not be troubled

- Do not be seized or gripped by fear

Don’t Be Afraid. Your Prayer Has Been Heard

- Luke 1:13

- God has heard your prayer

I’m going to need a sign

- Luke 1:18

- How do I know this is true?

- Despite this amazing visit from an angel, and despite his knowledge as a priest, Zechariah had a hard time trusting without reservation.

- Luke 1:20

- Zechariah gets his sign.

God’s Message Is Always Good News

- Luke 1:19

John The Baptizer

- Matthew 3:1-6

Fear Not!

Fear Not!

Dave Riddle - 12/3/2023

Key Passage: Genesis 15:1

The Origin of Unhealthy Fear

- Genesis 3:10

- Sin > Shame > Fear > Hiding

Healthy Fear

- Icy roads, dangerous situations, etc

- Reverential awe for God

- Proverbs 9:10

- When this healthy fear is missing the result is not good.

- Romans 3:10-18

- Psalm 36:1

- Matthew 10:28

- Hebrews 10:31

Fear Not / Do Not Be Afraid

- First instance of this common phrase

- Genesis 15

- “I am your shield”

- Your protection. Your security

- God doesn’t want to leave us in a place of fear, shame, sin, and hiding.

- He wants to have a relationship of hope, joy, peace, and love with us.

- James 2:21-23

- Abraham: friend of God

- John 3:16-17

God’s Love Conquers Fear

- 1 John 4:10

- He loved us first. Not because we loved Him.

- 1 John 4:18

- There is no fear in love

- Perfect love drives out fear

- 2 Timothy 1:7

- God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness

- Revelation 2:10

- The last instance of “fear not”

- From Genesis to Revelation

There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God.

Find Rest

Find Rest

Dave Riddle - 11/26/2023

Key Passages: Hebrews 3:7-19, Psalm 95:7-11

Grumbling in the Wilderness

- Exodus 17:1-7

- Hebrews 3:8 - Test

Watch out brothers and sisters…

- Hebrews 3:12

- Who is the author speaking to? Believers, unbelievers, people who have been exposed to the gospel but haven’t yet accepted it?

- It’s unclear.

- “Departs” = Apostasy / aphestemi: to desist, desert, etc. to depart, fall away, refrain, retire, withdraw or remove oneself, cease from something. To stand alone.

- How does this apply to eternal security, once saved always saved, perseverance of the saints?

- Rest vs unrest

- Testing, rebelling, grumbling lead to a place of unrest and hardened hearts.

- Hebrews 3:12-13

- Mutual encouragement protects us and leads to rest.

- Hebrews 3:13-14

Partners with Christ

- Hebrews 3:14

- Hebrews 3:6

Rebellion in the Wilderness

- Hebrews 3:15-17

- Numbers 13 & 14

- Numbers 14:20-34

- disobedience, unbelief, and rebellion leads to unrest.

- Hebrews 3:18

We Are That Household

We Are That Household

Dave Riddle - 11/19/2023

Key Passage: Hebrews 3:1-6

We are Partners in a Heavenly calling

- Hebrews 3:1

Consider Jesus

- Hebrews 3:1

The Sent One & High Priest

- Hebrews 3:1 - “The apostle”

- John 3:17

- Hebrews 2:17

- Moses sometimes acted as a priest but never a High Priest

The Household of God

- Hebrews 3:2

- Numbers 12

- oikos (Greek: οἶκος) - an inhabited house, a physical dwelling place. Also, the inhabitants of a house, all the persons forming one family - a household.

- Hebrews 3:3-4 - If everything is built by God and Jesus is the builder, then Jesus is God.

- We don’t marvel at the house itself. We marvel at the builder

- Hebrews 3:5-6

- Moses was a servant in God’s household

- Jesus is the faithful son over God’s household

- We are that household

- Philippians 2:15

- Titus 1:7

- 1 Tim 3:15

- 1 Peter 4:17

- 1 John 3:1

Anchored or Drifting?

Anchored or Drifting?

Dave Riddle - 11/05/2023

Key Passage: Hebrews 2:1-4

Jesus is greater than the angels… for this reason we must pay even greater attention…

- Hebrews 2:1

- Chapter 1 was doctrine.

- Chapter 2 calls for a response.

- “Pay attention”: prosechō - to turn the mind to, attend to be attentive. to apply one's self to, attach one's self to, hold or cleave to a person or a thing

- 1 Timothy 4:13

- “All the more”: perissoterōs - more superabundantly. Much more, more in a greater degree. More exceedingly.

…to what we have heard

- Hebrews 2:1

- Philippians 4:9

- We don’t lack information. We lack transformation.

…so that we will not drift away

- Hebrews 2:1

- “Drift away”: pararreō - to glide by: lest we be carried by, pass by

- prosechō: also used to refer to anchoring a ship.

- pararreō: also a nautical term that means to carelessly slip past the harbor.

- Unless we anchor ourselves to the truth of God’s word we will drift.

- 2 Peter 1:5-8 - the cure for ineffectiveness and a lack of productivity.

Am I giving superabundant attention to the truth? Or am I neglecting it?

- Am I anchored? Or am I drifting?

Greater than the Angels

Jesus is Greater than the Angels

Dave Riddle - 10/22/2023

Key Passage: Hebrews 1:4-14

Seven affirmations of Jesus’ superiority over the angels

- Hebrews 1:4

Jesus is the son of God

- Hebrews 1:5

- Psalm 2:7

- 2 Samuel 7:14

Jesus is worshipped

- Hebrews 1:6

- Deuteronomy 32:43

- Colossians 1:5

- Revelation 7:11

Jesus is served

- Hebrews 1:7

- Psalm 104:4

- Matthew 4:11

Jesus is King

- Hebrews 1:7

- Luke 22:43

- Revelation 17:14a

- Psalm 89:27

Jesus is Creator

- Hebrews 1:10-11

- Colossians 1:16

Jesus is eternal

- Hebrews 1:11-12

- John 1

Jesus is elevated to the right hand of God

- Hebrews 1:13

- 1 Peter 3:21-22

- Colossians 3:1