Faith Has Always Been the Way to God

Ryan Lowery
Isaiah 29:13

What is faith? Is it performing rituals without thought? Is it based only on intellectual understanding? Or is it doing good deeds and checking a box off? It's none of those things! Biblical faith is based on God's truth and is action orientated with us willing to act based on God's truth with complete dependence on Him. Rituals do not make use righteous. When we serve others or step out in love without any glory to ourselves it is our faith that receives righteousness.

Why We Can't Earn It

Ryan Lowery
Isaiah 65:1-2

How do the rules and rituals in the Old Testament show us we can't earn God's forgiveness? In fact, the point of God's Law is to show us how far we are from God and how we can not earn His forgiveness. He set His son on the cross in order to bridge that gap and open the possibility of a relationship with Him. But we are still in danger of taking up a religious mentality even if we have God's forgiveness. Maybe we're still thinking that we can be justified to God through our works.

Jesus Calling

Dennis McCallum
John 3:36

A distinction is made between a decision to receive the free gift of God's forgiveness and a decision to respond to God's call to follow Him. The case for evangelism is made, pointing out peoples' need to be told about their position before God and how to be forgiven. There is no logical or loving reason not to tell others about Christ. This appeal is for people to make the first decision. The second decision is to respond to God's call for the believer to follow him and present his or her life in service to God in order to reach people with the Good News.

Jesus is the Christ

Mike Sullivan
Isaiah 53:11

John makes the claim that Jesus is the Christ, which means that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament and that He is God, man, Lord, and Savior. This claim is supported by various lines of evidence including Christ's baptism, his death, and the Holy Spirit. Those who examine the evidence for Jesus must reach a conclusion for themselves about his claims, and those who accept that he is God have the privilege of serving him for the rest of their lives.

Jesus' Genealogy

Conrad Hilario
Matthew 1:7-12

Jesus' genealogy reveals God's ability to carry out His plan exactly as He said He would through prophecy, e.g., the Davidic Covenant. The accounts in Luke and Matthew both explicitly link Jesus the Messiah with the line of King David. Jesus' genealogy includes unseemly characters, revealing God's desire to use common, sinful people in His plan to rescue humanity.

Jesus' Early Life

Conrad Hilario
Philippians 2:5-7

Jesus, the Messiah, finally appears in history. He's born into very humble conditions, revealing to us his true nature. He came as a human to break us free from the chains of the law, to identify with humans (enabling him to be their perfect substitute), and to die on the cross. There were many reactions to Jesus' arrival: people at the inn ignored him, Herod was a pseudo-seeker, Simeon and Anna were genuine seekers, and the shepherds/wise men were ready to trust Christ.

God's Good News

Ryan Lowery
Romans 1:1-7

Paul explains what it means to be saved and what the good news of Jesus really is. He describes the good news as: 1) coming from God; 2) revealed from scripture; 3) bona fide due to Christ having a dual nature and being raised from the dead; 4) intended by God to be spread by people who are empowered by Him; 5) a free gift to anyone who desires it; and 6) purposed to reveal God's greatness. Paul concludes his explanation of what the gospel is by disclosing to his audience that all people are called to the mission of sharing it with the world.

Stages of Christian Spiritual Development

Gary DeLashmutt
John 3:5

John, one of Jesus' disciples, writes his first letter to the church in Ephesus to combat Gnosticism and to assure the believers of their salvation. In these three verses, John describes the provisions given to believers in each of the three stages of spiritual development: 1) full acceptance by and a relationship with God in spiritual infancy; 2) victory over Satan, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God in spiritual young adulthood; and 3) a deep relationship with God and knowledge of His Word in spiritual maturity. Spiritual "birth" (salvation by believing in Jesus) must precede spiritual development. Spiritual development is a choice, cannot happen in isolation, and should be the ambition of every believer.

Moses

Dennis McCallum
Exodus 2:1-14:31

The author of Hebrews continues through the Hall of Faith, describing the life of Moses. As a Hebrew child raised by Egyptian royalty, Moses decides to reject the material wealth and power available to him and chooses to bear the burden and oppression of the nation of Israel. After he makes a tragic error he wanders for 40 years in the land of Midian. Eventually God send Moses back to Egypt to reclaim the Israelite nation and lead them not only to their freedom but to a restored faith in their God. God also prepares us for the role he wants us to play, and chooses to use us in spite of our insecurities and weaknesses.