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.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Dear TVCC Students,

We are continually thankful to get to worship with you all on Wednesday evenings. We pray that the Word that was shared with you last night will be producing fruit in your lives (as well as ours) this week.

Highlights from last night...

Hebrews 12:1

~"witnesses" are people that testify (with their lives) to the greatness of God. The cloud of witness that surround us are people from the past who were faithful to the Lord with their lives; we can look to them as an example of faithfulness

~let us look at others of faith and imitate their faith. This cloud of witnesses that Hebrews is speaking of were all from the Old Testament. They had not even had Christ come yet and they still lived such powerful lives. How much more revelation of God do we have with Christ coming and the New Testament being written (and even more faithful witnesses to look to).

~Q: How are you living? Does your life imitate the faith of those faithful witnesses that have gone before us or does your life look like those who are living for the pleasures of this life only?

~"lay aside every encumbrance"- no relationship is worth it if pulls you away from Christ. Remember that "bad company corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33)." You WILL be like the people that you hang around with. They WILL rub off on you. You will talk like the people you hang out with. You will act like the people you hang out with. You will think like the people you hang out with!

~Q: Who are you hanging out with? Are they people that are encouraging your intimacy with Christ or are they an "encumbrance" that you need to remove so that you can run the race of faith?

~Trust God with your friendships. Get rid of any friendships that are damaging your run with Jesus!

~"run with endurance"- this is not easy and it takes practice. Just like those who are marathon runners practice A LOT, so should we be "practicing" or working on our faith. When we are growing in our faith and gradually getting better at obeying Jesus and saying no to the world, we are developing the endurance that He wants us to have.

~Remember that we are not running against each other in this race but with each other. We should be encouraging each other in the race as we run against satan, sin, our flesh and the corruption in the world.

~Q: How are you doing in the race of faith? Have you been encouraging to others who are also running with you? How can you being doing better?

Hebrews 12:2

~"fixing our eyes on Jesus" is what will help us in this race. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we will grow as we behold His glory; we will be transformed into His image as we behold Him.

~know that we ARE being transformed- either to the image of Christ or to the image of the world. We constantly have things trying to shape and mold us into the image of this world. If we are not fighting against those things by beholding Christ through His Word, prayer, worship, etc, we will end up looking just like this world.

~Q: How are you spending your time? Are you "beholding the Lord" daily so that you will continually become more like Him? If not, what changes need to take place in how you spend your time?

~John 17 says that Christ was to be glorified after He had suffered. Our joy is to bring Jesus glory as we are connected to Him as His brothers and sisters. When He gets glory- we get to share in that eternally.

Philippains 4:8

Finally,brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whateveris pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

~Remember that this life is our teaching time to learn about our God! Eternally speaking, it is very short. Let us make the most of the time that we are given here to learn about the glory of our Savior!

We love you all very much and pray that you will run with Jesus this week. Throw off everything that hinders you and run with Him. Spend time meditating on His glory and you will be continually transformed into His image. We hope you can all make it to the joint small group on Sunday night that is meeting at our house. Again, we love you!!

~Sonny and Casi

Hebrews 11:28-12:2: Faith

TVCC Students,

It was so good to see you all last night as we wrapped up Hebrews 11 and moved into chapter 12. Here are some highlights from last nights teaching...

~Hebrews 11: 24-38: Recap on the life of Moses. Remember that Moses did not just claim to have faith... his faith led to action. We look at his life and see his faith. Faith changes the way that you live.

Q: What does your LIFE say about your faith? If people saw just your life, would they say that you are someone who is living a life of faith in Jesus or is your life wrapped up in the passing pleasures of sin offered by the world?

If you want to this week, read through the book of James to see how faith and works should be going together to speak of God's great glory.

~Hebrews 12:1: the great cloud of witness that have gone before us are those listed in Hebrews 11. Their faith left a legacy for us to see and imitate. Their faith led to great lives of obedient surrender.

Q: What legacy are you leaving? Is it one of faith like those in Hebrews 11? When people look at your life, what does it say about your faith and dedication to Jesus?

Believers in Christ are "engaged" to Him and awaiting the wedding day. Just like an engaged couple will make preparations for their wedding day and marriage, so too should we be making preparations for our wedding with Christ. Our focus should be on Him and on us being prepared for Him coming to take us home to Him.

Q: What do you spend your time doing? Are you spending time getting ready to meet Jesus? Are you spending time doing things that will matter eternally or just things that make you happy now?

~12:1: We are called to throw off things that hinder our walks with God. Read Mark 10:46-52. The blind man through off his cloak because it was a hinderance from him getting to Jesus. The cloak was not necessarily bad, it just made it more difficult for him to be with Jesus.

Q: What are some things in your life that might hinder you from being nearest to Jesus (these might not be necessarily BAD but you could just be closer to Jesus without them)?

Q: We are also called to throw of the sin that so easily entangles us. What are some sins that you need to throw off? What are some steps that you can take this week (by the power of the Spirit) to throw off those entangling sins?

~12:2: Fix our eyes on Jesus!! If we are not spending time with Jesus daily, we DO NOT value our relationship with Him. Any relationship that we value, we will make time for. Do not make excuses this week for why you cannot spend time with Jesus. Ask Him to give you the love and devotion to Him that will give you desire to spend time with Him.

John 13 shows us our perfect example of how to live lives that please the Father. Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going and thus was able to serve the disciples through washing their feet. When we know realize who we are in Christ and where we are going to spend eternity, we are able to love Jesus with our time and serve those He calls us to serve (with humility)

Romans 5 tells us that our faith gets stronger with practice. As we go through trials with faith in the Lord, we grow. Faith is like working out- the more we "practice," the stronger we get.

We love you all very much and LOVE seeing the work that Christ is doing in you. Please let us know how we can be praying for you this week. We pray that you will pour yourselves into God's Word this week and let Him speak to you during that time. Again, we love you and pray that your lives would be lives of growing faith in the greatness of our Lord.

~Sonny and Casi

Worship Songs from last night:

1. Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle

2. Earnestly I Seek Thee by Aaron Gillespie

3. One Thing Remains by Antioch Norman

4. I Knew What I Was Getting Into by Misty Edwards

5. There Will Be A Day by Jeremy Camp

6. More Than Conquerers by Ross King

7. This Blood by Rita Springer

8. Vision of You by Shane Bernard and Shane Everett

Hebrews 11:8: Abraham

TVCC Students,

It was great to see you all last night and to worship with you. Last night Sonny taught on Hebrews 11:8, about Abraham's faith. Here is a recap...

***Hebrews 11:8

~Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going. He walked by faith, not sight... there are only 2 ways to live- by sight or by faith (not by sight)...

Q: How do you live? Are you someone that always has to "see" everything before you will trust in it, or do you have faith that though you sometimes do not know all of the answers- God is bigger than you and He is worthy of your complete trust?

~We are called to live as though the things of this world are temporal and fading but that heavenly things are eternal and lasting...

~The things of this world will disappoint but putting our hope in the Lord will NEVER be disappointing. After obeying God and leaving the land/home he once knew, Abraham got to see the great things God had in store for Him. He did not look back with longing for the old life and land. When you obey God, the things that you give up will seem so small compared to the wonderful things you will gain from your obedience.

~Faith in the Lord calls us not to be self-seeking as we have had the Lord "dry up" in us the source of self exaltation through the selfless sacrifice of Jesus

***Hebrews 11:6 says that faith pleases God and that we must believe that "HE IS." We must believe that Jesus is the I AM, the powerful one...

***John 18:4-6 shows that when Jesus spoke, acknowledging that He is the I AM, power went out from Him and knocked everyone down. This is OUR GOD!! The One we are called to have faith in and surrender our lives to.

Q: Are you living in a way that shows that Jesus governs your life or in a way that shows that you govern your life?

***Romans 4:3 says that Abraham believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Faith alone saves us. The evidence of that faith was his obedience. He obeyed the Lord and WENT where the Lord told him to go.

Q: Are you someone who has obedience with your faith? If Abraham would have stayed and not obeyed God, would that have really been faith? Faith in the Lord calls us to live differently. Are you living a life of faith? What has the Lord called you to that you have had to leave or give up?

*** 2 Corinthians 6:14 says that we are called to come out from the world and be separate... to be known as His sons and daughters... children of light!

We love you all so much and know that highschool can have so many challenges. We pray this week that you will pray about your life and see areas that you are lacking faith. We pray that you will sever yourself from anything that is darkness and is damaging to your pursuit of God. Remember that Abraham never regretted following God and obeying Him. In obedience is where we find intimacy with Him. Obey the Lord this week. Spend time meditating on His Word and getting to know Him. We are praying for you. Fight the fight of faith this week. Be in fellowship with others who are encouraging to your walk with God. Again, we love you!

Love,

Sonny and Casi

Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..."

Last night's worship list:

1. One Thing Remains (Antioch Norman and Julie Bennett)

2. Break Every Chain (Will Reagan & The United Pursuit)

3. Vision of You (Shane Bernard and Shane Everett)

4. Story of Grace (United Pursuit with Will Reagan)

5. Praise is Befitting (Will Reagan & The United Pursuit)

6. You're Beautiful (Phil Wickham)

7. This Blood (Rita Springer)

8. Arms Wide Open (Misty Edwards)

Hebrews 11:7: Noah

*Hebrews 11:7: Noah

~Hebrews 11 is all about people of faith. Faith was not just something that they acknowledged with their minds- it was something that directed the course of their lives. We see this very explicitly in the life of Noah.

*Hebrews 11:7: Noah believed in things not seen. This is faith. He was told that the flood was coming and that he needed to build an ark to save him and his family. He believed and ACTED on that belief. The ark took him 120 YEARS to build. Building it did not just change a small part of his life- it directed his life. He was found living life for something new- something different than everyone else in the world.

Q: Do we have faith like Noah? When you came to believe in Jesus as your Savior, did it change the whole course of your life? Did you go from pursuing worthless things to pursuing eternal things? Did the world around you notice a change in the course of your life like those around Noah?

lets back up...

*Genesis 6 is where we see Noah's life.

~The Nephilim are offspring of fallen angels and women; this shows us how dark the world had become that demons were sleeping with women and procreating; the Nephilim were powerful and large.

~The sin of the world grieved the Lord. Our sin grieves Him.

~Verse 8-9 say that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord; He walked with God just like Enoch did.

* 2 Peter 3:10-15 says that the Day of the Lord is coming and as Christians we are called to be diligent to be found in Him in peace- doing what pleases the Lord.

Q: Are you being diligent in your pursuit of the Lord or are you only diligent to do things that please you? What are you being diligent in?

* 1 Corinthians 15:19 says that if the early believers had hoped in Christ for this life only- they were to be most pitied. They gave up their lives for eternal riches.

Q: Can we say that about our faith? Have we really given up anything for our faith?

*James 2 says that faith without works is dead. If Noah would not have acted on his faith- it would have been worthless and he would have perished in the flood. Genuine faith changes the way you live.

Q: Is your faith genuine? Do your works show that you are a believer in Christ who has given up earthly pleasures to pursue Him?

~The ark and Noah are a picture of how God wants us to respond to Christ. The faith of Noah led him to change his life. The ark was his escape from the flood. Genuine faith in Christ will change lives. He is our escape from the flood of God's wrath.

Q: Where is your faith?

As always, we love you all very much. We are honored to be a part of this ministry with you. We pray that you will meditate today on what we covered last night. Evaluate your life. We encourage you to see if your "faith" is really genuine as Noah's was. Spend time meditating on His word this week. Spend time in prayer and worship Him in song. We love you!

~Sonny & Casi

Last Night's Worship List:

1. The Lord is My Shepherd (Jeremy Riddle)

2. Shine (David Crowder Band)

3. Full Attention (Jeremy Riddle)

4. Your Faithfulness (Jon Thurlow)

5. Let if Fade (Jeremy Camp)

6. The Glory of it All (Passion)

7. Vision of You (Shane and Shane)

8. You're Everything (David Crowder Band)