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A Better Sacrifice
Hebrews: Jesus is Better Kyle Kauffman Hebrews: Jesus is Better Kyle Kauffman

A Better Sacrifice

Kyle Kauffman

How can someone who has done something wrong be made right again? How can our wrongs be atoned for? We can be prone to both minimize our own sinfulness and presume that we deserve forgiveness for whatever sins we have committed. The sacrifices in the Bible consistently make clear that our sin is a far bigger deal then we realize and that we deserve punishment, not forgiveness. And yet the sacrifices in the Bible also tell us that God makes a way for our sins to be forgiven. Our sins are not forgiven through good deeds, penance, time, or any other means. They are forgiven only through the shedding of blood. Hebrews directs our eyes to Jesus as the greatest sacrifice (and the one that ALL the other sacrifices were pointing to). His one sacrifice is sufficient to forgive all our sins and to fully make right what sin has made wrong.

Hebrews 9:15-10:18

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A Better Covenant
Hebrews: Jesus is Better Kyle Kauffman Hebrews: Jesus is Better Kyle Kauffman

A Better Covenant

Kyle Kauffman

Relationships can be very fragile. They can easily be fractured and broken in all sorts of ways. And when a relationship is fractured, we often look for a way for the relationship to be fixed/restored. We were created to enjoy a relationship with God. But that relationship has been fractured because of sin. And yet we find there is no way for us to fix or mend this broken relationship. If we are to know and enjoy God, then we need God to act to restore the relationship. We find in Scripture that time and time again God has acted to restore and maintain His relationship with Humans. He does this on the basis of covenant. Hebrews tells us that Jesus is at the center of the final and better covenant that all the other covenants pointed toward. Hebrews tells us we relate to God on the basis of Jesus. Which means that as long as we are trusting in Jesus we cannot be separated from God. And all other ways of seeking to secure or maintain a relationship with God are futile.

Hebrews 8:1-9:14

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Not The Way It’s Supposed to Be
Visions of Hope Kyle Kauffman Visions of Hope Kyle Kauffman

Not The Way It’s Supposed to Be

Kyle Kauffman

The Israelites returned from the Exile, that was caused by their sin, and yet still they were plagued by the problem of sin. The Exile could not remove their sin. It could simply remove sinners from the land for a little while. What were they supposed to do? The same problem remains for us today. We live in a world that is full of sin. We don’t have to look far to see it. We see it in the news, we see it in our neighborhoods, we see it in our homes, and we see it in ourselves. Sin seems to taint everything in this world. And when we come face-to-face with sin we are left wondering – is there hope? There is hope in the face of sin and it’s rooted in God. God sees sin, judges sin, and removes sin. That’s where our hope lies in the face of sin.

Zechariah 5:1-11

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Hope for Fallen & Failing Followers of Jesus
Visions of Hope Joel Wood Visions of Hope Joel Wood

Hope for Fallen & Failing Followers of Jesus

Joel Wood

It’s all too easy for us to live discouraged in the present because we are haunted by the guilt and condemnation of our sinfulness. We are all too aware of all the ways that we have let God down and failed to obey him or of how we have wronged others. And Satan is all too happy to accuse us and play the record of wrongs over and over in our heads. We respond by beating ourselves up, trying to do better, and feeling discouraged when our best efforts don’t seem to be enough. We have a sneaking suspicion that God is forever disappointed by us at best and angry at us at worst. We desperately need a solution for the condemnation that we rightfully deserve and often live under.

Zechariah 3:1-10

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Hope in Odd Places
Visions of Hope Kyle Kauffman Visions of Hope Kyle Kauffman

Hope in Odd Places

Kyle Kauffman

We long for second chances. We all know the feeling of having blown it… whether in the immediate past or distant past. How can we get back on track after our failures? Where do we find hope in the face of screwing up yet again? Can I really get another chance at life after I’ve really messed up? Zechariah is written to a people desperately in need of a restart and a second chance. And his initial charge to them is to repent and seek God’s favor. This is the soil that hope grows in when we are discouraged with our own failures. It’s also the soil that the Christian life grows and thrives from.

Zechariah 1:1-6

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Pause to Rejoice
Press Pause Kyle Kauffman Press Pause Kyle Kauffman

Pause to Rejoice

Kyle Kauffman

Rest is intricately connected to the gospel. God sets his people free from slavery so that they can rest. Jesus invites his people to come to him so that they can find rest. The future we are promised in Christ is a future of eternal rest. Our failure to rest well is in many ways a failure to believe the gospel. When we don’t believe the gospel we look to other false gods to save us. But these gods just end up enslaving us and robbing us of rest. But when we believe in the gospel we are free to rest today because God has finished the work to save us in Christ. And we are free to rest today because God’s promises to us are secured in Christ. We rest well when we believe the gospel and rejoice in all that God has done and promises to do for us.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Matthew 11:25-30; Luke 10:17-20; Hebrew 4:1-11

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Hide and Seek
Joy Full Kyle Kauffman Joy Full Kyle Kauffman

Hide and Seek

Kyle Kauffman

We find joy in knowing that we are loved despite our sin. We find support in others who can pray for us and encourage us. We feel less alone in our struggles with sin. We get a fresh taste of God’s grace and forgiveness. And we become transformed into compassionate and gracious people to others around us.

1 John 1:5-10

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