Hebrews 13: Christian Living

Dear TVCC Students,

We are so glad that you were able to make it on Wednesday. It was a wonderful night of worship and hearing the Word of God. Here is a recap from Hebrews 13...

~Hebrews 13:1: Brotherly Love

~Romans 12:9-16; We are called as believers to "give preference to one another in honor." Our lives should be devoted to building others UP for the sake of Christ, not tearing them down.

Q: How are you doing at building others up? Do you think more about yourself or about others and how you can encourage them? How do you act in sports and other competitions- do you build others up or tear them down with your attitude and words?

~Hebrews 13:2: Hospitality

~ We are called to live in a way that the world can see that we are different. When we show hospitality and help those in need- we represent Christ well...

~Matthew 25:31-46: Whatever we have done to the "least of these" we have done to Christ.

Q: How are you doing at showing hospitality to others? When a new student comes to your school, how do you treat them? Does your attitude towards those "less important" lead others to see the love of Jesus?

~Hebrews 13:3: Prisoners and Mistreated

~We should not join in the scolding of those believers that are mistreated but should build them up and sympathize with them as we are one body in Christ.

Q: When you see other Christians that are being mistreated or shunned, how do you react? Do you stand up for them or join in with those that are mistreating them?

~Hebrews 13:4: Marriage Bed Pure

~Christians are called to hold marriage in honor. This means that we do ALL we can to make sure that we stay pure. Keep the opposite sex out of your room (it contains your BED and we are called to keep that pure for marriage). We need to trust our PARENTS and leaders to help us protect our purity (remember that your parents LOVE you and want the best for you!!). Ask your parents to help you set up good boundaries so that when you are weak and being tempted, you will have a good protection system around you.

Q: How are you doing at protecting your purity? Do you have good boundaries set up so that you will not fall when tempted? How do you respond to your parents when they try to offer wisdom and protection?

~Hebrews 13:5: Contentment

~We are called as Christians to be free from the love of money and stuff!! This can be so hard with our world CONSTANTLY trying to get us to believe that "stuff" with satisfy. Do not believe the lie.

~Proverbs 23:4-5: riches can leave at any time; do not trust in them

Q: Do you love "stuff" or Jesus? Is your heart loving money or other things or does your heart love Jesus? (remember that what you think about reveals what you love)

~Hebrews 13:6-9: Jesus

~All of these previous things can only be done when we are focusing on Jesus. We can only love others when we are in love with Jesus. We can only reject the offers of the world when we realize that we have eternal riches in the Lord. Only Jesus will never leave or forsake us. He is our constant, the only trustworthy One.

Q: Are you daily walking in the love of Jesus? Do you recognize the wrath that He took in your place and are you seeking to live a life of thankfulness in response to that wonderful love?

We love you all so much. We pray that this passage in Hebrews will be such an encouragement to you to grow in your love for Jesus and others. We pray that you will remember the cross this week- where Jesus showed you the ultimate example of humility, selflessness and love. We pray that you will spend time meditating on His Word and worshipping Him this week. We love you!

~Sonny and Casi

Wednesday night worship songs:

1. Awaken Me (Jesus Culture)

2. You Never Let Go (Matt Redman)

3. Story of Grace (Will Reagan)

4. Worthy of Affection (Shane and Shane)

5. Help Me Find My Own Flame (Will Reagan)

6. The Answer (Shane and Shane)

7. Future Version (Shane and Shane)

Hebrews 12: Leaving Tracks

Dear TVCC Students,

We are always blessed to worship with you guys on Wednesday nights. We hope that every Wednesday encourages your faith and strengthens your intimacy with the Lord. Here is a recap from last night...

Hebrews 12:12-17

vs 12:

~ The verses leading up to this verse were talking about the discipline of the Lord and how we should respond well to it. The implication here is that once we have been discipline, we are called as believers to strengthen and heal others.

~There are times when each of us will be the weak ones he is talking about here and we will need others in the body of Christ to strengthen us. The body of Christ should be building each other up constantly so that when each of us are weak, we can be strengthened.

~One thing we MUST remember that is so clearly seen in this passage is that the Christian life is not one of passive laziness. How we all live makes a difference in the lives of others. Our lives are meant to lead others to know Jesus. The Christian faith is active- us pursuing Jesus and diligently loving and strengthening others.

Q: Is your Christian faith ACTIVE? Are you diligently pursuing Jesus with all of your strength? Can others see that you are pursuing Him?

vs 13:

~ "put out of joint"- this phrase means "pulled out of socket" or "dislocated." The writer is calling us here to make straight paths (with our lives) so that the (faith of the) weaker people will not "pulled out of socket."

~Again we see that the way we live matters. When it says that we are to make "straight paths" that was a terms used for wagon tracks. People would see the wagon tracks in the dirt and know which way they should be going to get to the next city.

~It should be this way with our lives of faith. People should be able to look at our lives and be led to seeing the glory of Jesus. Are lives DO leave tracks but are we leading others to Jesus or to the world?

Q: Where are the "wagon tracks" of YOUR life leading others? THE WAY YOU LIVE DOES MATTER!

vs. 14

~ When the writer says "pursue peace" it was a very active statement. He was telling them to basically chase down peace. Run after it. Don't just sit around hoping things get better. Be active and make it happen. Matthew 5:23 says that we should leave a worship service to reconcile with our brothers if we know that there is discord between us and them.

~Be active in pursuing peace with others in the body of Christ. Do not let disunity or bitterness be present in your group of believers or in your family (as much as YOU can help it). Satan would love to use that to divide your group and family so that you are ineffective for the kingdom of the Lord.

~He also calls us to pursue sanctification. Sanctification is a term that means becoming more like Christ. We are to actively pursue becoming more like Christ. We cannot just sit back and hope that we become more godly. We must be diligent to pursue Him and He will change us as we are with Him more and more. The Christian life is not passive; It is ACTIVE!

~One way to make sure that we are active in our pursuing Christ is to talk about and write down goals we have for our walks with God. Share them with other believers that you trust and ask them to help you achieve them.

Q: What does your walk with Jesus look like? Is it passive or active? Are you really pursuing Him?

vs. 15:

~ "see to it" is a phrase that means "watch out." He is calling us to "watch out" that no one falls short of God's grace by how we live. Again, the writer is encouraging us that we have an active role in the faith of others. We are called to encourage others and to make sure that our lives represent Christ well.

~It is not good enough just to be moral. We all know that this "bible belt" area is known for its cultural moralism. This is not what Jesus is calling us to. So many of you have been raised in the Christian faith. That is WONDERFUL... BUT just because your parents are believers or because you go to church does not mean your are a believer. Jesus wants us to love Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength. He does not want us to be just good rule followers.

Q: Are you someone who is just a "good kid" or are you really living a life that shows that you intimately LOVE Jesus with all that you are? Are you just a cultural Christian or a lover of Jesus?

vs. 16:

~We are given the example of Esau to show us what not to do. Esau was so shortsighted that he sold all that he was to inherit from his father for ONE meal.

~We can be so much like Esau when we trade the riches that Jesus has to offer us for the momentary pleasures of sin. Let us not be this way! Let us realize the greatness of the Kingdom that we are a part of and live for eternal pleasures, not fleeting ones that are experienced shortly here.

We love you all very much. It is an honor to do ministry with you guys. We pray that this week you will meditate on Jesus- spending so much time with Him so see His glory. We pray that your lives will leave good "wagon tracks" and that when others see you, they will be led to Jesus! We love you!

~Sonny and Casi

Hebrews 12:3-10: Discipline

Dear TVCC Students,

We hope that you all were able to join us last night. It was wonderful to be reminded of God's discipline and how He wants us to handle it. Here is a recap from...

Hebrews 12:3-10

~Hebrews 12:3-4:

~We are called to be striving against sin. The battle against sin is just that- a battle. We must realize this and act accordingly. We cannot just hope that sin will disappear, we must strive against it!

~Read 1 Peter 5:8-11: We must be on the alert knowing that the enemy is prowling around trying to devour us. For this short life we must "alert" and aware of the battle around us.

Q: Are you aware of the battle going on around you- that satan is prowling around you trying to devour your faith? Are you living in a way that shows that you are "alert" and "aware" of this? What does that type of living look like?

~Hebrews 12:5-6:

~You are going to be disciplined by the Lord if you are really His. Just as a good father disciplines his children for their good, so the Father disciples His children for their good and His glory.

~There are 3 types of discipline:

1. corrective: seen in 2 Samuel 12 when David is corrected by the Lord for his sin with Bathsheba. He had sinned and was corrected in hope that he would not do that sin again.

2. preventative: seen in 2 Corinthians 12 when Paul was given a thorn in the flesh so that he would not fall into the sin of pride. He had not fallen into the sin yet but God was disciplining him so that he would not fall into sin.

3. educational: seen in Job 42 when Job was interacting with God. For Job, he had not sinned but God let him go through a very difficult time so that Job could learn more about God's holiness. Sometimes the Lord has us go through this educational discipline so we can learn more about His glory and so that we can become more like Him.

Q: Have you ever experienced God's disciple? Have you experienced it lately? Know that if you are God's child through the blood of Christ, He will discipline you. If you have not experienced His discipline, we encourage you to evaluate your life to see if you are really His child through faith in Christ.

Q: How have you responded lately to God's discipline? What has He taught you lately about His holiness and how He wants to grow you?

~Hebrews 12:7-8

~Remember that God disciplines us because He loves us and wants what is best for us eternally.

~Do not regard lightly His discipline and do not faint when you realize that you are being disciplined. Hang in there. Meditate on what He wants you to learn from that discipline. Embrace the discipline because it leads to the "peaceful fruit of righteousness."

~Hebrews 12:10

~The point of discipline is that we would share in His holiness. John 15:9 talks about Jesus' hope for us is that we would share in His joy through obedience and love. The discipline of the Lord should lead us to obedience and love of God.

We love you all very much and hope that you are continuing to spend time with the Lord daily. We encourage you to spend lots of time in His Word this week. Ask Him to grow you to make you more like Him and teach your more about His holiness. This is eternal life- that we would know Him! We are praying for you this week. We love you!!

~Sonny & Casi

Worship songs from last night:

1. Shine by David Crowder Band

2. Empty Me by Jeremy Camp

3. Ful Attention by Jeremy Riddle

4. The Glory of it All by Passion

5. One Thing Remains by Antioch Norman

6. Jesus Paid it All by Matt Redman

7. Christ is Risen by Shane and Shane

8. Yearn by Shane and Shane

6.