Last Will & Testament

May 1, 2023

Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 30, 2023.

Sermon text: Hebrews 9:15-28



This week, again, reiterates and further establishes how and to what extent Jesus is

better!


v. 15-17 Jesus’ death brings an eternal inheritance (Read verses aloud)

What’s the “therefore” there for?

- Consider Pastor Shu’s sermon from last week… Because the old covenant was

limited in its ability to give us full access to God, and because it was ineffective in

meeting our biggest need, and because we have knowledge of past sins, and because

we have knowledge of our sinful nature, and because of our ongoing contact with

evil in the world, and because of the old covenant’s inability to purify our

conscience…

- THEREFORE Jesus is the mediator of God’s new covenant.

New Covenant:

- Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a

new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

- Hebrews 8:10-12 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds and write

them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they

shall teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, “Know the

Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be

merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Last Will & Testament:

- Why would God utilize a “will” to help explain the new covenant? (Reminder of

what to look for when God uses something familiar to us to help us understand

him.)

- First, in the same way that a will does not take effect until the person it refers to has

died, so it is in the moment of Jesus’ death that the NEW COVENANT takes effect.

- Second, it is not negotiable. We don’t get to rework the terms of the New Covenant.

It is final. There is NO OTHER WAY for God’s will to be fulfilled than through the

blood of Jesus. There is NO OTHER WAY for one to be welcomed into forgiveness

than through the blood of Jesus.

o Consider that this letter was written to Jewish Christians. Before we ever ask

what this means to us, we have to simply ask what it means? In its original

context?

o We know from the rest of the letter that there is an inclination in these early

converts to hold onto certain facets and rituals from the Mosaic law. The

author is calling them out of the Old Covenant and into the New Covenant…

out of works-based salvation, and into salvation as a gift through which good

works would naturally flow… Ultimately, he is calling them to lean into God

through Jesus by embracing the good news of the Gospel.


- Third, the will explains the inheritance… and in this case, those who are called may

receive the promised eternal inheritance. It is the only inheritance that is not

fleeting, that is not able to be stolen or destroyed by moth and

rust!

v. 18-26 Jesus’ blood covers everything, ONCE FOR ALL (Read verses aloud)


Old Covenant (v. 18-22) (Under the Law):

- Was inaugurated with blood… Moses received the law from God, and to inaugurate

(establish) the old covenant he declares, “This is the blood of the covenant that God

commanded for you.”

- Then the blood of calves and goats was sprinkled on the book itself, the people, the

tent, the vessels of worship… everything.

- Almost everything is purified with blood

- Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins… indicating that if

there was no end to the sin of man, then there would be no end to the shedding of

blood that was needed for the forgiveness of man’s sins.

New Covenant (v. 23-36) (Freed from the Law):

- Was inaugurated with better blood… Moses purified the earthly copy of heaven.

Jesus purified heaven.

- Why would heaven need to be purified? The answer is found in verse 24. In the

same way that the worshipper would take the priest a goat or calf so that blood may

be used to purify their presence with God in the earthly tabernacle, so Jesus enters

into the more true presence of God, heaven. Why? ON OUR BEHALF! Heaven

needed to be purified from OUR SIN. And the blood of goats and bulls was wildly

insufficient. Sin separates us from God and from one another. Only the blood of

Jesus can bring us into the joy of our Master and our eternal inheritance.

- On this earth is the beginning of a desire for the Lord that is designed to grow

eternally. Go back to the New Covenant details that are inaugurated through the

blood of Jesus…

o The Law is inside of us… in our minds and written on our hearts. This is the

work of the HOLY SPIRIT. Our hearts of stone are replaced with hearts of

flesh that now overflow with love toward God in Christ and compel us

toward him and away from our own wickedness and fleshly desires.

o Through the blood of Jesus, God is merciful toward our iniquities. Mercy is

not receiving what you deserve. We deserve wrath, but Jesus propitiates or

absorbs that for us through His perfect blood, and instead we receive an

eternal inheritance.

o Through the blood of Jesus, God will “remember our sins no more”. The

first covenant failed because of us and our sin. The second covenant does not

fail, because Jesus’ blood brings both forgiveness and transformation. The

perfect blood of Jesus wipes out the remembrance of our sins with God.

v. 27-28 Jesus will come back to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. (Read verses

aloud)

- He is not coming back to deal with sin.

- Judgment is coming.


Application… How do we eagerly wait?

1.) Draw closer to God

- Do you feel close to God?

- Ex. Books as old friends…

- Consider all that Christ has done and is doing to bring you near to God. He doesn’t

have to feel distant all the time. He invites you into fellowship with Him through the

blood of Jesus.

2.) Promote eagerness (Sabbath, Word of God, Prayer, weekly worship gathering,

supper)

3.) Keep Waiting (don’t give up, don’t bale out, don’t stray)

4.) Cover everything in the blood of Jesus (marriage, parenting, finances,

trials/struggles, decisions, friendships, conversations)


Questions for discussion:

1.) Why did God utilize a "last will & testament" to explain the inauguration of the New Covenant?

2.) What are some ways that the New Covenant is better than the old?

3.) How is Jesus' blood better than the blood of bulls and goats?

4.) Discuss how we can specifically draw closer to God... how we can specifically promote eagerness daily, how we can persevere and keep waiting...

5.) Discuss what it looks like to cover your marriage in the blood of Jesus? Your parenting? finances? trials and struggles? decisions? friendships, and conversations? 

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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