Richvale Community Church
Sunday, June 7, 2026
- Good Morning, we are starting a new series entitled Anchored..We are going to be going through the book of Hebrews this summer.This morning we starting with overview.. .sermon entitled …charting the course..They say Every journey begins with a first step..But before you take the first you should know where you're headed.Before a ship leaves harbor,The captain studies the destination. He looks a the maps..He identifies dangerous currents. He marks hidden hazards.He establishes landmarks. Then he charts a path that will bring the vessel safely to it’s destination...Without a chart, the ship may drift.Without a course, they may never arrive.As we begin our study through Hebrews, that is exactly what this sermon is about.We're charting the course.Hebrews is one of the most profound books in all of Scripture.It contains some of the richest theology in the New Testament.It presents Christ in His glory,His supremacy,His priesthood,His sacrifice, and His sufficiency.Yet Hebrews is not merely a theological treatise. It is a pastoral sermon…In fact, the writer calls it a "word of exhortation" in his closing words in chapter 13…the writer says..
Hebrews 13:22 ESV 22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.Now 13 chapters might noT seem Luke a brief encouraged..but is in the light of Christ and the gospel..Hebrews was written (as sermon)—To the Jewish segment of the Church was in a season of discouragement.. were beginning to doubt their faith..And Hebrews gives hope.. and encouragement…And to be honest, many of us today need the exact the same thing.Because while our circumstances may differ, our struggles are often similar.We get tired.We get discouraged.We face uncertainty.We battle disappointment.And sometimes we wonder if we have the strength to keep going.t/s we age going go see several reasons WhyHebrews was written …1. TO HELP THOSE IN DANGER OF DRIFTINGFor some background..behind the text..We don’t know who wrote Hebrews. People have debated the author for centuries.Luther believed it may have been Paul, while others have suggested Apollos, Barnabas, or one of Paul’s coworkers.The truth is we simply don’t know.What we do know is that the writer knew Jesus and his teaching is firmly anchored in the apostles teaching.We know that it was written to Jewish believers who had come out of Judaism and placed their faith in Christ.We knowThey were facing pressure, hardships, and the temptation to turn back to what was familiar.we know.. Hebrews is a sermon of Hope… to remind the these Christian’s.... that.Jesus is better than everything they left behind in Judaism -He greater than every substitute — they might be tempted to trust.The message is simple: Don’t drift. Don’t turn back. Hold fast to Christ In …Hebrews 2:1 ESV 1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.These Christians had been grounded in the apostles teaching .. but now had come to a cross roads… and were tempted to turn back..By the time Hebrews was written, the church had been in existence for more than thirty years.It had grown under both blessing and opposition.Hebrews was written in the mid 60’sDuring this time, pressure on Christians was intensifying.Under the Roman Emperor Nero, believers increasingly faced hostility.Christians were often viewed with suspicion because they refused to worship the Roman gods and rejected emperor worship.Persecution was becoming more severe, and for some believers it would ultimately lead to martyrdom.At the same time, Jewish opposition to the Christian movement had existed from the beginning and continued to increase.These Christians were feeling pressure from two directions. The Romans saw them as disloyal. Many Jews saw them as apostates.As a result, some began to reconsider the cost of following Christ.the they reconsidered.A. THE COST OF CONVERSIONFor many, abandoning Judaism meant more than letting go of tradition.It meant stepping away from a system that God Himself had established…… Herods temple had been around 1500 years. and the temple was center of Jewish lifeThe temple was still standing.The priests were still ministering.The sacrifices were still being offered..when you think about it..The— Christian faith and took the out of the system.. they had been brought away from the visible system into something unseen.The scholar Arthur Pink observes,they had exchanged:the concrete and familiar for the invisible and transcendent”This is never an easy trade.Because it requires faith to trust in something you can not see… especially when everything visible still looks familiar.So the question lingered:“Have we left what is real for what is invisible?”B. THE COST OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPSAs you can imagine..Their Faith brought strain within their families.Many of their relatives were still committed to Judaism,This in itself created tension, misunderstanding, and in many cases, alienation.Faith often fractured their closest relationships.And that kind of pressure is deeply personal.Because rejection is hardest when it comes from people you love.C. THE PRESSURE OF SOCIETYThey were Rejected by Gentile society.Because of their Faith.. Many struggled even to maintain basic livelihoods.Being a Christian was not socially or economically easy.And this kind pressure has a way of asking a question:“Wouldn’t it be easier to go back?”D. THE SPIRITUAL DISAPPOINTMENTBy the time Hebrews was written, roughly three decades had passed since Christ's resurrection and ascension.Many Jews had expected the Messiah to establish His kingdom in visible power and glory.They anticipated national restoration, the defeat of Israel's enemies, and the public vindication of God's people.Instead, of experiencing honor and prosperity, many believers faced rejection, hardship, and persecution.And as circumstances grew more difficult, some began to wonder:“Did we make a mistake in following Jesus?”In the midst of all this confusion..— Hebrews is a Sermon of Hope…Hebrews 2:1 ESV 1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.Notice what the writer doesn't talk about .rebellion.He doesn't say apostasy.He doesn't say unbelief.He says pay attention that you dont drift.. .The reason is.. drifting is often how spiritual decline begins.No one wakes up one morning and says, "Today I think I'll abandon my faith."It happens gradually.Little by little.Almost unnoticed.A prayer life begins to weaken.A Bible sits unopened.Worship becomes optional.Convictions soften.Priorities shift.The heart slowly moves away from God be ing a the center..The writer knows this danger.And That is why he says:"Pay much closer attention."Stay alert.Guard your heart.Remain anchored.— Anchors are important..because they keep us from Drifting …life is full of current..The current takes over.The world has currents.Culture has currents.Sin has currents.Comfort has currents.Discouragement has currents.And every one of them pulls us away from Christ.The writer is sounding an alarm."Don't drift.""Pay attention.""Stay anchored.".t/s Hebrews was written..I. FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN DANGER OF DRIFTING2. TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE GROWING WEARYThey say picture is worth words a thousand words — I saw photo — thought this says it all… this is weariness. right here..One of the longest flights I've ever been on was an 18-hour flight to India on a missions trip.What made the trip especially grueling was what happened when we finally arrived.As we approached the airport in Bangalore, there was too much fog on the ground to land.So instead of touching down, we spent another hour circling the airport waiting for clearance.It was amazing how difficult that last hour felt.The word weariness carries the idea of “to wear away.”It suggests something that has been gradually drained, eroded, or diminished over time.It can be applied to both our physical and inner life.Physical weariness shows up as exhaustion.The body becomes tired, strength is depleted, and at times it can even manifest in pain, sickness, or the inability to keep going at the same pace.But there is another kind of weariness that is often deeper.Mental, emotional, and spiritual weariness.This kind of weariness does not always show on the outside, but it is deeply felt within.It can come from disappointments that linger.Unfulfilled longings that never seem to resolve.Long seasons of waiting.Repeated burdens that do not lift.Or the quiet strain of carrying more than the heart was meant to hold alone.And perhaps that is why weariness is so dangerous in the Christian life—it is not always dramatic, but it is deeply draining.Because over time, what is “worn away” is not just strength… but hope.Hebrews is a letter of Encourgement to those who are getting weary…THE WRITER OF HEBREWS SAYS..Hebrews 12:3 ESV 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or faintheartedTHE Jewish Christians were tired.Hebrews 10 tells us they had endured public reproach.Some had been imprisoned.Some had lost property.And after years of enduring hardship, they were growing weary.But this should encourage us.Not because suffering is pleasant.But because it reminds us that even mature believers experience weariness.Sometimes we assume faithful Christians never struggle.That strong Christians never become discouraged.That mature Christians never feel exhausted.But Scripture tells a different story.Elijah stood courageously before hundreds of prophets and later collapsed beneath a tree asking God to take his life.David defeated Goliath but later cried out in loneliness and despair.Paul planted churches across the Roman Empire and still described seasons of overwhelming affliction.“Faithfulness does not eliminate weariness”Our struggles are real..There are health struggles.Financial pressures.Family burdens.Unanswered prayers.Unexpected losses.Long seasons of waiting.Some of you know exactly what that feels like.You love Christ.You trust Christ.But you are tired.Notice the writer's solution.He does not say:"Try harder.""Be stronger.""Toughen up."Instead he says:“Consider Him.”In other words —Think about Jesus. Study Jesus. Meditate on Jesus.The more you think on Christ the more amazing HE becomes.Not only is Jesus supreme over all creation, but THROUGH HIS ENCARNATION..He also took on flesh and became a man….One writer described Jesus as“our man in heaven.”Think about it..The One who is seated in the highest place of authority——is also the One who has sat where we sit.Hebrews 4.15 says..Hebrews 4:15 ESV 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.Jesus in hi humanity identifies fully with everything feelings.. He understands. He relates. He has been there.HE IS OUR MAN IN HEAVEN..Hebrews 4:16 ESV 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of needThe writer of Hebrews.Look to Jesus.Why?Because weary hearts need a greater vision of Christ.The answer to discouragement is not found by looking inward. It is found by looking upward…Pam and I were reading about this kind of Hope in our devotional yesterday..PAUL Tripp..says..Hope has a process… has an object and …has a directionWe all procession Hope.. we think a that will make us happier in the future.. .. some time we are misinformed about what we think we need..Hope has an object a person.. or a thing.. Hope either looks horizontally or vertically .The problem of hoping in the horizontal… is the world we live intemporal and brokenHebrews say look to the pilot.. look ot hrist..John Calvin wrote..Seeing that a Pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness.John Calvin (French Reformer)Today we can say thst God is not only worthy our praise …God can be trusted…I’ll never forget the words of a missionary that I heard years ago.Saying God has won my trust..t/s Hebrews was written..I. FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN DANGER OF DRIFTINGII. FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE GROWING WEARY3. TO HELP US HOLD FAST TO CHRISTI recently watched a video clip of two teenager friends riding an amusement park..on ride called "The Hammer."They climbed aboard laughing, joking, and full of confidence.Then the ride started.As it swung higher and higher and began spinning at the top, everything changed.Their expressions changed.Their grip tightened.The laughter disappeared.Within seconds, they realized what they had gotten themselves into.What began as excitement quickly turned into panic…They were holding on for dear life..The writer of Hebrews is not writing to people living in comfort. He is writing to people living in tension…just like that ride.. up and down.. these Christian’s..are being pulled.Pulled backward by memory.Pulled outward by pressure.Pulled inward by fatigue.And to those believers he says:Hebrews 10:23 ESV 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.Now, when Hebrews says, "hold fast," it is not describing that kind of fearful, desperate hanging on for dear life.It is not a picture of barely surviving.It is not "just get through it somehow."Holding fast is something deeper.Holding fast means continuing to live in the truth of Christ … that God is FAITHFUL..WE TOLD THAT .."For he who promised is faithful."That changes everything.Our confidence is not rooted OURSELVES BUT in God's faithfulness.Our focus changes from inwards to outward… from our strugges to Gods goodness..We focus on How to encourage others…Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.It is only out of Gods good Ed’s and faithfulness can we encouraged others..When you focus on God’s faithfulness it opens up… the bigger picture…Instead looking inwards…Consider — (think through) — How your our story of rescue might encourage someone else……how do go forward..Keep on doing what you know brings life…meeting together… staying connected.. keep up the good habits..He tells us to keep on being faithful. as you see the day of the Lord drawing nearer….Increase the postitive thought and behaviors…Why because God is faithful!t/s Hebrews was written..I. FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN DANGER OF DRIFTINGII. FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE GROWING WEARYIII. TO HELP US HOLD FAST TO CHRIST4. TO HELP US FINISH WELLCONCLUSION…Tim keller one if his sermons..uses a story from one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s old myths and legends ….To illustrate… Christs faithfulness.It’s not in The Lord of the Rings; it’s another one.It’s about a great warrior named Húrin.Húrin and his friends are in this great battle against the evil forces, and they have lost the battle.The only way his friends and army can escape with their lives is if Húrin and a small regiment retreat to a gap in the mountainsand so go snd plant their feet steadfastly and say, “We’re not going to retreat. We’re going to stay here.We’re going to fight until we die, out of love for the people behind.”This is how the story ends..writes..“ as the sun was going down, it was becoming completely dark, Húrin, all alone, last one alive …Húrin throws his shield away and wields his axe two-handed. It said seventy times he swung that axe, and no enemy could get near. He was so powerful and so furious. Every time the enemy came … Seventy times, he swung the axe, and he repelled the enemy.Each time he swung the axe, he said, “Day shall come again!”until, finally, the enemy was so numerous that they just stampeded, and they just crushed him under their weight.He was called Húrin the SteadfastNo matter how dark it gets, “Day shall come again!”A r that the same Cor you and I..The reason is that we have one who has been faithful — who went to the cross and laid down his life our behalf…The Writer says look to Jesus….Hebrews 12:2 ESV 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.Some of us maybe facing difficulties to day— feeling tired and weary..and maybe discouraged…— Hebrews is that word of Encouragement…Says Hold… on Look to Jesus.…He is faithful…. It is darkest before Dawn..Hold on to you Faith…One,of the great promises.. in scripture.. Jesus said …I will be with you to the end..This morning we going to take communion…reminds us that God is faithful..Look to Jesus in the elements… Hebrews 13:22ESV
Hebrews 2:1ESV
Hebrews 2:1ESV
Hebrews 12:3ESV
Hebrews 4:15ESV
Hebrews 4:16ESV
Hebrews 10:23ESV
Hebrews 10:24–25ESV
Hebrews 12:2ESV
Richvale Community Church
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