Hebrews 5:11-6:12 is focused on Jesus as our great teacher. The early church was experiencing a time of persecution. Christians were being killed for their faith in Jesus, and some considered returning to their Jewish customs. The worries of the world had begun to choke out their spiritual growth. This is where the author of this letter comes in to encourage them to keep following Jesus. He identifies four marks of spiritual immaturity and then encourages them to grow in their walk with Jesus as some of them had become lazy and needed motivation to push on with Jesus. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on how spiritual maturity is an active, on-going process in our life.
Have you ever been to a foreign country and struggled with the new language? As we move into Hebrews 4 and 5 we are introduced to a new title for Jesus: our great high priest. For many believers, we are not accustomed with the role of the high priest. It’s like learning a new language. Listen in as Pastor Neal teaches on Hebrews 4:14-5:10 and learn how Jesus can relate to us, sympathize with us, and help us learn obedience.
In this message, Jesus: Our Eternal Rest, we dive into Hebrews Chapter 4 - a passage that challenges us to hold fast to our faith in God's promise. The author directs our eyes to the Israelites in the wilderness, reminding us of their inability to enter into the promised land due to their unbelief. We see that unbelief and faith both bear visible fruit, and are encouraged to look ahead to our "promised land" as we navigate our lives in faith.
The third chapter of Hebrews focuses on helping the early church stay encouraged as they follow Jesus. The author uses the negative example of Israel hardening their hearts toward the Lord to show us a positive example of how we are to live for the Lord. The church is called to encourage. In this world we will be persecuted, harassed, and possibly attacked for following Jesus. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson shares that God's faithfulness is the source of our encouragement and through it we can support each other when we encounter difficult times.
Something in our culture leads us to be captivated with bigger and better. People are pushing to own a bigger home, possess a bigger bank account, or drive a bigger car. People also push for better - a better job, better kids, or a better spouse. We have been conditioned to push for bigger and better in our lives. But what does God want us to focus on? What has God called us to in this world? Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson preaches on Hebrews 3:1-6. In this passage we will see that what we focus on is where we will end up.
Every organization needs a mission and vision explaining the what we’re going to do and the why behind that. But the interesting thing is that the church is an organism and not an organization. God has called us to be a living, active, body of believers on mission together. The mission of Coastline is helping people find and follow Jesus. Our vision is to reach people who feel far from God, experience life change, and build community. What you are going to hear this morning is a big dream that requires us to trust in a big God, and work together in unity. Grab a Bible and open it up to Matthew 7 as we learn about how Coastline is a safe place to learn about God. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson shares the mission and vision of Coastline.
As we look at the second half of Hebrews 2, we continue to learn about the greatness of Jesus. The author goes to great lengths to teach us how Jesus is greater than the angels. This might have created a point of confusion for the original audience because Jesus both held his divinity and took on our humanity. We learn a great point about belonging to the family of God - for us to belong, we need a pioneer who will invite us into that family. That pioneer is Jesus Christ, our humble hero. Listen in as Teaching Pastor, Doug Meye, shares how the Son of God relinquished His glory so that we humans could regain God's glory.
We all have stories we can tell. It could be a story from an amazing vacation, a story of moving to a new city, or a story of how God moved in our life. There is something very powerful about the gospel message of Jesus. In Hebrews 2:1-9 the early church had started to drift away from the Lord. It wasn’t an intentional moving away but an ignoring of Jesus and His commands. The author teaches us that Jesus is greater than angels and that we need to keep focused on Him. If you are having trouble seeing Jesus at work listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on how it is by the grace of God we have salvation in Jesus.
Sometimes we need a different angle from which to view things. A new perspective often shows us what we’re missing, lacking, or not seeing in the whole picture. This Sunday we start a brand new sermon series called: “Greater” and begin the book of Hebrews. This New Testament letter was written to Jewish people living in the first century. The early church was being persecuted and many of the believers were slipping back into Jewish customs to avoid persecution. While author of the letter remains a mystery, we know it was written to Hebrew people as it talks about the Old Testament in great depth. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches us about looking to Jesus to know God.
As we conclude our summer series we will consider how coveting impacts us. To covet is to desire, long for, or crave something to a fault. Instead of longing for selfish desires we can choose to long for the Lord. Instead of coveting we can be satisfied with Jesus. We need to find our hope, security, and affirmation in the Lord Jesus Christ. The best way to combat coveting is to practice gratefulness. The secret to contentment starts from within with discipline to be grateful for what you have. Listen in as Pastor Neal Benson teaches on Exodus 20:17 and reveals how coveting is an expression of our distrust of Jesus.