Grace Church Sermon – Sunday 2026-10-11

“Helper and Deliverer” — Hebrews 2:14-18 Sermon Recap

Speaker: Pastor Troy

Opening Context and Aim

Pastor Troy opened with community updates: prayer for Grace Church amid recent Somali gang violence in Eden Prairie, and an announcement that digital voters’ guides would be posted on the church’s Connect page ahead of the November election.
He shared how early in his own Bible study he realized Scripture isn’t an exhaustive answer manual to every “why” question in life, but it does give us endless reasons to trust God’s character, even when it doesn’t answer every question.
He framed Hebrews 2:14-18 as one of the rare texts that directly tackles a big “why” question: why did Jesus have to become human?

Scripture and Narrative Overview

Passage: Hebrews 2:14-18
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
“For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16).
“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).
“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

Six Reasons Christ Became Human

To truly share our humanity. He didn’t merely look human; he became fully flesh and blood, entering our condition completely, minus sin, so he could understand and empathize with our weakness (Hebrews 2:14).
To break the devil’s power through death. God, not Satan, holds ultimate authority over death, but Satan wields the fear of death as a weapon. Through dying, Christ disarmed the devil and stripped that weapon from his hands (Hebrews 2:14).
To free those enslaved by the fear of death. Christ broke the psychological grip that the fear of dying holds over people, a fear visible in obsessions with youth, safety, control, and relevance (Hebrews 2:15).
To rescue God’s people, not angels. Christ’s saving mission was directed at humanity (the “offspring of Abraham”), not fallen angels (Hebrews 2:16).
To become our merciful and faithful high priest who atones for sin. As mediator, Christ’s own human experience makes him merciful, and his obedience to God makes him faithful. His propitiation satisfies God’s wrath against sin, reconnecting sinners to God (Hebrews 2:17).
To help us when we are tempted. Jesus doesn’t just know about temptation because he’s all-knowing; he experienced it himself, without sinning, and is therefore able to help those who are tempted (Hebrews 2:18).

Key Theological Themes and Applications

1) A New Way to Think About Death

Christ’s incarnation and victory over death should shift believers from viewing death as a terrifying end to seeing it as a defeated enemy and a gateway to glory.
Satan still exists, but his weapon, the fear of death, has been stripped of its power.

2) A New Way to Think About Salvation

Salvation isn’t a shallow transaction or self-help system; it’s a profound rescue. Christ didn’t shout instructions from heaven, he entered the pit himself to save us.
Salvation begins not with what we must do, but with what Christ has already done, and continues to do.

3) A New Way to Think About Help

Temptation doesn’t disqualify a believer; it can drive them toward Christ rather than away in shame.
The word “help” in Hebrews 2:18 pictures someone running to the aid of a person crying out for rescue. Jesus is not just a Savior who helped in the past but a living High Priest actively helping now.

Who God Is

Sovereign: God, not Satan, governs life and death.
Merciful and Faithful: Christ fully identifies with human weakness and is wholly obedient to the Father.
Rescuer: God doesn’t shout advice from a distance; he enters our condition to save us himself.

Who You Are in Christ

Reconnected to God through Christ’s propitiation, no longer condemned by sin.
Freed from slavery to the fear of death.
Welcomed to cry out for help without shame, knowing Christ listens and comes running.

Examples and Illustrations from Pastor Troy

The red spiral notebook from his early Bible study years, used to illustrate that Scripture doesn’t answer every “why” question but gives reasons to trust God.
A $20 (later $10) bill offered to anyone who could guess the sermon’s central “why” question, livening up the exposition.
The image of being trapped at the bottom of a pit, needing a rescuer to climb down, not just someone shouting instructions from above.
A Puritan quote: “Death used to be an executioner, but Jesus Christ made death just a gardener.”
The picture of a defanged snake that can only “gum” believers rather than bite them, illustrating a defeated but still-present enemy.

Practical Calls to Action

Let your view of death be transformed: live with fearlessness, faithfulness, and freedom instead of dread.
Recognize salvation as a divine rescue, not a self-improvement project; stop trying to “clean yourself up” before coming to Christ.
When tempted, run to Christ for help rather than hiding in shame.
Use the moment of communion to confess sin, receive grace, and recalibrate your life toward Jesus.
Pray for Grace Church’s gospel witness into the Somali community and for discernment as Christians prepare to vote in November.

Closing Thought

Hebrews 2:14-18 rewrites the human story by taking three things that naturally terrify us, death, salvation, and our need for help, and filtering them through a Savior who shared our flesh and blood. By becoming human, Jesus tasted our suffering, defeated death, and now actively helps those who cry out to him. He doesn’t judge when we come to him; he runs to help.

Selected Scripture References Highlighted

Hebrews 2:3
Hebrews 2:14-18

Sources & attribution

Sermon outline from Morning Selah.

Based on the sermon “Helper and Deliverer”, Hebrews 2:14-18, preached at Grace Church by Pastor Troy on October 11, 2026. Watch the sermon.

Daily Devotional: Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.

Reflection

You and I don’t wake up most mornings thinking we need a refuge. We think we need a good cup of coffee, a clear schedule, cooperative people, and a body that doesn’t ache. It’s only when trouble actually arrives, the diagnosis, the conflict, the failure, the fear that won’t let go, that we remember how little control we ever really had. That’s when this verse stops being a nice sentiment and becomes a lifeline.

God is our refuge. Not a refuge we have to locate on our own, not a refuge we have to earn entry into by having our spiritual act together, but a refuge that he himself is for us. He is also our strength, which means he doesn’t just shelter us from trouble and leave us to white-knuckle our way through it. He empowers us in the middle of it. And notice the tenderness of that last phrase: a very present help. Not distant. Not eventually. Present, right now, in this moment of trouble, whatever your trouble is today.

This is only true because of Jesus. He entered our trouble fully, bore the wrath we deserved, and rose so that we could have permanent, unshakeable access to God as our refuge. You don’t need to clean yourself up before you run to him. Run now, weak and afraid, straight into his strength.

Lord, be my refuge today. I bring you my weakness; please meet me with your strength.

Sources & attribution

Devotional from Morning Selah.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Attributes of God — Sustainer

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Definition

God’s continuous, active preservation and governance of all creation, whereby He upholds all things in existence and directs them toward His purposes. This attribute reveals that creation depends moment-by-moment on God’s sustaining power for its continued existence and operation.

Old Testament Support

Nehemiah 9:6 — “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”
Psalm 104:27-28 — “These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.”

New Testament Support

Colossians 1:17 — “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Hebrews 1:3 — “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Theological Implications

God’s sustaining work demonstrates His absolute sovereignty and the utter dependence of creation upon Him. Unlike deism’s absent watchmaker, Scripture reveals a God intimately involved in preserving every atom, every breath, and every moment of existence. Christ Himself actively upholds the universe by His powerful word, ensuring that natural laws function consistently and that His redemptive purposes advance unhindered.

Recognizing God as Sustainer transforms how believers face daily anxieties and uncertainties. If the Creator who holds galaxies in place also numbers the hairs on our heads, we can trust Him completely with our circumstances. This truth calls us to grateful dependence rather than self-sufficient pride, knowing that every heartbeat, every provision, and every blessing flows from His faithful, sustaining hand.

Prayer

Lord, You alone are the One who holds all things together. Before I take my next breath, You have already ordained it. Before this moment exists, You are upholding it by the word of Your power. I worship You, not as a distant Maker who wound up the world and walked away, but as the ever-present God in whose hand the galaxies spin and in whose care my smallest heartbeat beats. You preserve the heaven of heavens and all their host, and yet You do not forget me. How great You are.

I confess that I so easily forget my dependence on You. I act as though my strength keeps me standing, as though my planning keeps my life in order. But it is You, Lord Jesus, in whom all things hold together. My very molecules obey Your word. My lungs fill with air because You will it. Forgive my pride, and teach me again the grateful dependence of a child who knows that every good thing comes from an open, generous hand.

I praise You for Your faithfulness that never wavers. The sun rises because You command it. The seasons turn because You direct them. And in my own small life, the food on my table, the breath in my lungs, the strength for this day, all of it flows from You. I look to You, as the psalmist says, and You give what is needed in due season.

So today, Lord, I rest in You. Whatever uncertainty I carry, whatever anxious thought presses in, I lay it before the One who sustains the universe and surely sustains me. You are not far off. You are near, active, upholding, governing, loving. I adore You, my faithful Sustainer, and I trust my every moment to Your powerful, gracious hand.

Ultimately: Destined for Holiness

Monday, October 12, 2026

We have to ask this question, why did God create man in the first place? Why are we here? Why does God bother to set man on this planet? Well, we notice in Genesis 3:2 the following words, “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it he rested from all his work which he had created and made.”

Now, you would think that if the sixth day is the pinnacle of this seven-day period of creation; that if the sixth day is the ultimate day of creation, the day where the crowning act of glory is brought to pass with the creation of man in God’s own image, that that would be the day that God would bless and hallow and sanctify. But that’s not where the Old Testament places the accent. The blessing, the consecration, the hallowing takes place on the seventh day.

Now, what does that mean? …

Read the full text and listen at Ligonier Ministries: Destined for Holiness

Sources & attribution

Daily Devotional: Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

Monday, October 12, 2026

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

Reflection

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Read that command again this morning, because if you’re anything like me, it’s hard to obey. Stillness doesn’t come naturally to a heart that’s been trained by anxiety to keep moving, keep fixing, keep controlling. We tell ourselves that if we just manage hard enough, worry enough, plan enough, we can hold our little world together. But God’s call to stillness is really a call to remember who’s actually holding it together, and it isn’t us.

The psalm doesn’t invite stillness as some kind of spiritual self-help technique. It’s rooted in a flood of promises just before it: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, so we will not fear though the earth gives way. Stillness is possible only because God is sovereign. We can rest our grip because he never loosens his.

Here’s the grace in this: God doesn’t wait for us to get calm before he’s willing to be our God. He’s already enthroned, already exalted, already ruling over the nations and over your Tuesday-sized troubles, whether you feel still or not. Your peace doesn’t create his sovereignty. His sovereignty is what makes your peace possible.

So today, when your hands want to grab the wheel again, remember Christ has already secured everything that ultimately matters. Rest isn’t earned. It’s given.

Lord, quiet my striving heart. Help me know you, not just know about you, so I can finally be still.

Sources & attribution

Devotional from Morning Selah.

Attributes of God — Creator

Monday, October 12, 2026

Definition

God is the sovereign originator and maker of all things, bringing the universe and everything in it into existence out of nothing by His powerful word. He alone possesses the authority and power to create, and all creation displays His glory and depends entirely upon Him.

Old Testament Support

Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Isaiah 40:28 — “The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”

New Testament Support

Colossians 1:16 — “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
Revelation 4:11 — “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Theological Implications

God’s identity as Creator establishes His absolute authority over all creation and distinguishes Him from all false gods. Through Christ, the eternal Word, God spoke all things into being ex nihilo (out of nothing), demonstrating both His unlimited power and sovereign purpose. Creation reveals God’s glory and wisdom, calling all humanity to worship Him alone.

Recognizing God as Creator transforms how believers view themselves and the world around them. We are His creatures, accountable to Him and dependent upon Him for every breath. This truth humbles human pride, fuels worship and gratitude, and reminds us that our lives have divine purpose, designed to glorify the One who made us.

Prayer

Lord, in the beginning You spoke, and out of nothing the heavens and the earth came to be. I stand in awe before You, for there is no power like Yours, no word like Your word, no wisdom like Yours that stretched out the skies and set the stars in their places. You are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, and You do not grow weary or faint. My mind cannot search out Your understanding, yet my heart delights to try.

I worship You, Jesus, through whom all things were created, things visible and invisible, thrones and powers and dominions, all things made through You and for You. Every mountain, every breath of wind, every beat of my heart exists because You willed it. You are not a distant maker who walked away from Your work; You uphold all things, and You hold me too, even now, in this moment of prayer.

I confess that I am Your creature, formed by Your hand, dependent on You for every single breath. My pride has no place here. I did not make myself, and I cannot sustain myself. Every good thing in my life flows from Your generous, creative hand. Teach me to hold my days loosely and my gratitude tightly, remembering that I was made for Your glory, not my own.

Worthy are You, my Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created. I join the song of heaven with my small voice today, declaring that You alone are worthy. Let my life, Your handiwork, reflect back the beauty of the One who made me.

Creator God, keep me in wonder. Keep me humble. Keep me worshiping You all my days.

Daily Devotional: 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

Sunday, October 11, 2026

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Reflection

Fear has a way of settling into the corners of your heart that you didn’t even know were empty. It shows up in the quiet moments when you’re tempted to think the worst about your future, your health, your children, your marriage, or your own usefulness in God’s kingdom. And once it moves in, it tends to rearrange everything. It makes you small. It makes you guarded. It makes you forget who holds you.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy, a young pastor who was tempted to shrink back, to let fear write the story of his ministry instead of grace. And Paul reminds him (and us) that the Spirit God gives his children is not a trembling, timid spirit. It is a spirit of power, because our strength was never meant to come from ourselves. It is a spirit of love, because fear is self-focused, but grace turns us outward toward others. It is a spirit of self-control, because panic never leads to wisdom, but the Spirit’s steady presence does.

Here’s the gospel comfort in this: your calling was never sustained by your own courage. It is sustained by the indwelling presence of God himself. He has not abandoned you to face today’s uncertainties alone. Christ’s finished work secures your standing, and his Spirit supplies what you lack.

So when fear whispers that you’re not enough, remember: you were never meant to be. He is.

Lord, when fear rises, remind me again that your Spirit lives in me, and that is more than enough for today.

Sources & attribution

Devotional from Morning Selah.

Attributes of God — Unfathomable

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Definition

God’s unfathomable nature means His being, wisdom, and ways are infinitely beyond human comprehension and cannot be fully measured or understood by finite minds. While God reveals Himself truly in Scripture, His essence and purposes remain ultimately beyond exhaustive human knowledge.

Old Testament Support

Job 11:7-8 — “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?”
Psalm 145:3 — “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.”

New Testament Support

Romans 11:33 — “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
Ephesians 3:8 — “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Theological Implications

God’s unfathomable nature is foundational to biblical faith, distinguishing the infinite Creator from His finite creatures. Scripture consistently affirms that while God has revealed Himself sufficiently for salvation and godliness, His thoughts transcend our thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth (Isaiah 55:9). This attribute humbles human pride and calls believers to worship rather than comprehensive understanding.

Recognizing God’s unfathomable nature produces appropriate humility in the Christian life, preventing presumption and cultivating reverent trust. When facing suffering or unanswered questions, believers rest not in their ability to explain God’s ways but in His revealed character and promises. This attribute invites continuous wonder, deeper study of Scripture, and confidence that our infinite God is wiser than our finite understanding.

Prayer

Lord, You are higher than my thoughts can climb and deeper than my mind can reach. I ask with Job, who can find the limits of the Almighty? And I find none, for You have no edges, no boundaries, no place where You run out. Your greatness is unsearchable, and still You let me praise it. I come to You not to master You with my understanding, but to marvel at the One I will never finish discovering.

Oh, the depth of the riches of Your wisdom and knowledge. Your judgments are unsearchable and Your ways past tracing out. I confess how small my mind is before You, how quickly I reach the end of what I can grasp. Yet this does not frighten me, it humbles me and makes me glad, because I was never meant to hold You in my hands. I was meant to kneel before You.

Thank You that though You are unfathomable, You are not unknown. You have spoken, You have revealed Yourself in Christ, and You have given me, least of all Your saints, the unsearchable riches of Your Son. I do not need to comprehend every depth of Your being to trust the goodness I have already seen in Jesus.

When life brings questions I cannot answer and sorrows I cannot explain, let me rest not in my explanations but in Your character. Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts, Your ways higher than my ways, and that is my comfort, not my complaint. I would rather have an infinite God I cannot fully understand than a small one I could.

So I worship You, unsearchable Lord. Keep me humble, keep me hungry for Your Word, and keep me in wonder all my days.

Our Daily Bread: A Sound Mind

Saturday, October 10, 2026

As a player for the San Francisco Giants baseball team, Drew Robinson knew mental highs and lows. Whenever injuries demoted him to the Giants’ minor league affiliate, he’d fall into a depressive state. Will I be replaced? Will I recover? At home, watching teammates playing on TV, “I just felt completely isolated, alienated and lonely.” After a suicide attempt during the pandemic, he shared his troubles with the Giants’ team psychologist. He got so much help he urged other players to come forth with their mental struggles. Now he’s the Giants’ full-time mental health advocate, urging physically tough players to seek strong mental health too. After surviving his worst, Robinson believes his purpose is to encourage others.

The Bible regards a sound mind as a wise goal but also a gift from a loving God. In song, the prophet Isaiah said of Him, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (26:3 nlt). …

Read the full text and listen at Our Daily Bread Ministries: A Sound Mind

Sources & attribution

Daily Devotional: Psalm 40:1–3 (ESV)

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Psalm 40:1–3 (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.

Reflection

You probably don’t like the word “waited.” It feels passive, like something you endure rather than something you do. But here is David, pulled out of a slimy pit, standing on solid rock, and he tells us how it happened: he waited. Not in resignation, but in hope. He cried out, and he trusted that God would eventually turn to him. That kind of waiting takes everything you’ve got.

Maybe you’re in the pit right now. Maybe it’s grief, or a relationship in ruins, or a sin pattern you can’t seem to break, or just the slow grind of a hard season that won’t let up. You cry out and it feels like heaven is silent. Here’s the good news: God’s timing is not God’s absence. He heard David’s cry, but he didn’t necessarily rescue him instantly. There was waiting involved. And in that waiting, something was being worked in David that only waiting could produce.

Here’s what anchors this psalm, and what anchors you this morning: the solid rock under David’s feet is a shadow of the Rock who would come. Jesus himself was plunged into the ultimate miry pit, the pit of our sin and God’s wrath, so that you could be set on solid ground forever. Your feet are secure not because your waiting was perfect, but because his suffering was complete.

So keep crying out. Keep waiting. He hears you, and he will give you a new song.

Lord, when I’m in the pit, remind me that you are near, even in the silence. Thank you for Christ, my solid Rock.

Sources & attribution

Devotional from Morning Selah.