Haiti Bible Institute, Sunday, April 15, 2012

2012 class photo

For the fourth year in a row Jim asked me to do the speaking for our Sunday worship service. No complaints here. Each year this has given me the chance to give the men an example of handling a text from the Bible book I am teaching them academically (although I really wonder if they see much difference in delivery between the two times). Besides teaching four levels of Biblical Counseling at Haiti Bible Institute it has been my task to teach surveys of the biblical books of James, Romans, The Synoptic Gospels and now Hebrews. My friends here are getting condensed in sixteen hours what is taking much longer in our church (not done yet). Today I jumped ahead to Hebrews 10:19-31. Here is a summary of the conclusions and applications we made after carefully examining the text itself (see our church website for the details of the study):

• The cross was an implement of torture for the worst of criminals.
• The “new and living way” (as opposed to the old and dead way) brings many sons to glory, i.e. the violent death reserved for criminals set those criminals-turned-sons free because it was leveled against the righteous Son.
• The message of the cross, then, does not communicate how valuable we are but how sinful we are.

Here is the encouragement the writer of Hebrews gives to those sinners whose confidence is in that violent execution (read it for yourself):

1.     The violent execution of the Son of God is the only way you can ever truly change.

2.     The violent execution of the Son of God is the only way you can get a future hope.

3.     The violent execution of the Son of God is the only way you can make forever friends.

4.     The violent execution of the Son of God is the only way to escape the judgment you deserve.