THe Ultimate Supremacy

Good morning everyone, I am grateful to be here with your for worship this morning. Last week, I was able to go to Ironwood to preach at Woodland Church. Woodland is a church that has been without a lead pastor for some time and they are in need of brothers and sisters coming alongside them. Last Sunday, I was able to meet some wonderful people there. People who are committed to worshiping God, people who are committed to moving forward together. I celebrate that the Lord has sustained and is continuing to provide for them.

Their community of faith tells a unique story. Over the last 140 years, there have been seasons of great joy and seasons of struggle. If we spent time reflecting on our own journey both as a church and as individuals each one of us could relate. We can all identify high’s and lows and everything in between. Whenever we have opportunity to hear stories of others we often are encouraged. Our stories are powerful testimonies that reveal a fuller, more beautiful picture. As we learn to reflect and share our stories, we will find how God has moved. It is a picture of what He has done and what He is doing in the life of believers and His church.

Here at Grace, we want to be intentional about telling out story. We believe that in telling our story well, we are actually telling God’s story. It’s because a life in relationship to God is a life that is cultivated for His purposes. So we revamped our bulletin, to help share God’s story, through His people. It is now a monthly bulletin that communicates more than what’s happening around the church. It communicates who we are and what God is doing in this place. My prayer is that you will be encouraged, enriched, and inspired by each others stories. That you will recognize God’s power at work. Not only have we asked people to write out a testimony focused on a specific area of their life, but we are also asking them to share their larger testimony. I hope that you have had the chance to read about how God has cultivated a heart of worship in Stephanie. I also hope, you are excited to hear more of her story.

Add blurb about Stephanie's story.

Today, we are starting a new series in the book of Hebrews. Through the book of Hebrews, we are going to look hard in God’s direction, by focusing on the person of Jesus. What we are going to find in this book is that all of history tells Jesus’ story. Everything that came before Him, pointed to Him. Everything that came after, awaits the day when He will return.

I want to start with this premise; I believe that mankind is created to be in the presence of God.

That we have a deep yearning in our souls to be with Him. We can’t always explain it, in fact, many times we find ourselves searching our ambitions, looking for meaning, value and purpose. Trying to figure out if we are living the life we want to live. Or get a better understanding of why we are here. The problem is that our ambitions, our hobbies, our salary, have no ability to bring about fulfilment. They scratch an itch, but we were created with a strong desire for something more.

I also want to recognize that there are many who have tried out the “church thing” and left discouraged and unfulfilled. People who have longed for fulfilment in their lives but have struggled for one reason or another. It is possible that they have been found in God’s presence, praying before His throne, studying His word, and even living out the calling as they willingly serve His kingdom. Yet, they do not know what it means to live in His all fulfilling presence. They have had glimpses of it, but quickly forget. Or they burnout and give up.

As we enter into studying Hebrews, we coming acknowledging this deeper desire, a desire that arises from the depths of our soul and seeks the presence of God in our life. Psalm 42:7 “7 Deep calls to deep.”

We can’t make it happen on our own, in fact, trying to make it happen on our own is the very reason many have not found true fulfilment. In John 14, we learn that our daily life has to abide in Jesus. That in order four the depths of our soul to hear from the depth Jesus offers, we are going to pray again and again. We are going to seek to be filled with the Lord’s presence by submitting to His word, pushing out anything that needs to be removed. By confessing our sin, seeking forgiveness, and resting in His presence through prayer. Asking Him to meet with us day after day.

Through this study, we are aiming greater humility that leads to seeing God with greater clarity. In seeing Him clearly we will be left in awe of Him. It is from that place of awe, where we become reverant and we begin to worship Him rightly. So lets pray together that the Lord would so fill our souls with the presence of His Holy Spirit so that we might overflow with His joy, with His love, and step closer to His fulfillment in our lives.

Let’s pray before we dive in.

Pray.

Hebrews 1:1–3 “1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 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. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

When Laura and I started taking interest in each other we lived about 1,000 miles apart. We spen a year and a half just talking on the phone, only seeing each other one time. After graduating high school, she decided that she would come spend the summer on staff with me at Trail’s End Ranch. Then that fall we would both go to college together. One might describe both of us as being a little excited to finally spend time together in person. But there was one problem.....

I was a punk. As excited as I was, I was also terrified. I knew Laura was out of my league and I knew if I was going to have a lasting shot, I had a lot of growing up to do in a short amount of time. I remember her being amazed at how many staff member told her “I cant believe how different Jordan is from last year.”

I don’t know how close I got to pushing her over the edge, but what I do know is that I was able to limit my shenanigans enough and be intentional to mature enough that she stuck around! Over the years, we have both had the joy of what it means to let go of who we used to be in order to grab hold of a better future together. And I just have to say, it has been so worth it.

It’s true isn't it, that in order to build a strong relationship, adjustments need to be made. There are no two people who are just a natural fit. Anyone who has experienced a lasting relationship has had to cultivate healthy practices, let go of certain habits, and be intentional in new ways. We all have to grow, because we are often the cause of friction. So we evaluate our immatureties and seek to develop them for the sake of the other person.

But there are also traits that won’t change. Ones that reflect the very nature of our personality. People who love each other will learn how to accept those traits, to live with them and even appreciate them.... in time anyway. If we are unwilling to accept and appreciate those traits, our relationship will never last, because we have failed to adjust our own view of the other person.

Just as we do this with one another we must also do this with God. We must look to Him as the embodiment of perfection and holiness and aim to adjust ourselves to Him.

To many times we fall into the trap of rationalizing our immaturity’s. We don’t adjust to God but rather expect God to adjust to us.

Friends, if we truly believe He is God, that He is perfect in every way, why would we ever want Him to adjust to us? To do so would corrupt His very nature. Today, we are taking a hard look at Jesus and at the end I will ask you “to what degree should we aim to adjust to Him?”

The author starts by saying,

Hebrews 1:1–2a “1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”

Our attention is drawn to God’s consistency throughout history. God has always made Himself known to us. Through speaking to the prophets, specific people God used as messengers; God revealed Himself throughout history. Through the prophets, God consistently invited people to adjust to Him, by pivoting away from sin. He showed them how to step out of their cultural norms, their worldviews, and to live by a new paradigm. A paradigm that offers keys to a better life, one that is richly blessed by living in healthy relationship with God.

In fact, many of the prophets, brought warning after warning about what would happen if we fail to adjust. They continued to share about a full and rich spiritual journey with God. The first step is always to identify and repent from our sin. Immaturity’s that trust our way over God’s way. Not understanding that when we sin, it is damaging to our body, our soul, and our relationship with God.

The point our author is trying to make in these first two verses, is that everything the prophets warned us about, happened. When people continued to live life expecting God to adjust to them, judgement and punishment came. When we consider the prophets, we come to realize that they are nothing more than God’s messengers. People who simply delivered God’s word. How much more significant is it for us that we don’t hear from God’s messengers. We hear from God Himself?

Jesus coming as the Son of God is so much more significant than the prophets and all other forms of revelation that God has used. He became man, He revealed His very nature by living before us. He taught us all about the kingdom of heaven and what it means to adjust to God’s way of living.

As we consider this introduction, we find that we move from God’s promise to God’s fulfilment. He promised through His messengers and now, He delivered through His Son. There is no higher authority, there is no other authority for us to submit. He is the only one.

"Well, how significant is Jesus’ authority?” In verses, 2-3 we have 7 descriptions of Jesus’ authority.

Hebrews 1:2–3 “2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 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. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

First, we see that Jesus has been “appointed the heir of all things.”

Have you ever met a grandparent who truly delights in their grandchild? That person who will do anything, give anything to that child? I think of a man named Ray McCoy. Ray adores his grand kids. He wants to share what he has with them. He wants them to experience and know great joy. I wouldn’t be completely surprised if his written will leaves everything to his grand kids. There is something special about wanting to give to your lineage. To see them inherit and care for the very property and possessions that you have cared.

In a far greater way, the Father longs to give to the Son. He longs to put Jesus over all of creation. Jesus has proven himself faithful by submitting to the Father and now the Father generously gives all of it to Him. Jesus is the heir to all heaven and earth. Its not the type of authority we see or understand. His authority is over all the cosmos and beyond.

Which makes sense, considering “He created the world.” It’s because Jesus is the heir, its because He is the creator that we owe Him everything. Even if God wasn’t good, even if He wasn’t merciful, even if He never came to save us from our own sin, we would still owe Him our very lives. As the creating heir, He has given us everything we know and understand. But how much more should we give our lives to Him, knowing that He is good, He is merciful,that He offers us life to the fullest? It’s in Him we find true fulfillment in life.

Now, for many people, there is confusion about the person of Jesus and how He is connected to the person of God the Father.

Some believe that Jesus was created by God. Thus, He is different in essence, nature, or authority. But John 1:1-3 helps us to see this is simply not true.

John 1:1–3 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Others might think of Jesus as separate from God. That both Jesus and the Father are distinct persons therefore they must be separate Gods. But that is not how God describes himself in Deuteronomy 6:4 “4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Then there are some who have come to embrace the idea that Jesus and the Father are the same person acting in different modes, or reflect different aspects God’s personality. Yet, we see a distinct relationship between the two in John 17.

Hebrews says Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. That God’s glory shines with brightness. Jesus is the very radiance of the brightness. We might think of it like the sun. Here on earth, we don’t actually see the sun. We can feel the heat of it, we can see a form of its image by looking at it, we can describe it. But what we really see is nothing more than the radiance of the sun. We know about the sun because of its radiance. You see, it’s radiance is one in the same with itself. Because the sun is a hot ball of burning gas it radiates. If it were not a hot ball of burning gas, it would not radiate. The radiance of the sun is part of its very existence.

For Jesus to be the radiance of God’s glory is to proclaim Him as one with God. Also, it is to proclaim Him as Holy light of life. The giver of life.

Not only is Jesus the Radiance of God’s glory, but He is the “exact imprint of His nature.” We can think of an old signet ring. The top of the ring has an image engraved on it. They would take wax and melt it over an envelop to seal it shut. Then they would press the ring into the wax, leaving the exact engraved image as the ring.

You see Jesus and the Father are two persons in one being. Meaning God Himself came to earth. God Himself taught us about who He is, revealed Himself through teaching and miracles. Not only that, but because Jesus is the radiance, because He is the exact imprint, we can know the Father because Jesus has revealed the Father to us through Himself.

The claim of Hebrews is that Jesus is the all powerful, all creating, God of the universe who is equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit. That they are the only co-eternal being in all of existence.

Here is why that is so significant.... it means the most significant person in all of existence willingly came to wicked people to reveal fulfilment of the soul that leads to purified holiness.

Further, we read that “He upholds the universe by the word of His power.” It is by the power of the word of God that everything holds together.

So often, people will talk about what is real. They will point to a car, a tree, or food and talk about what we need. It’s what we can see, touch, feel, and smell. That’s what is real. Yes, that is the physical reality that we live. But the physical reality is subject to the spiritual reality. Jesus is so great in power that it is His very word that holds all of physical reality together. If He were to say “Be gone” everything would cease to exist. Now that’s power!

There is no power on earth that can compare.

Just as He holds everything together, He holds you together. I don’t know what you are facing, what trials have come your way. But if God’s word is enough to sustain all of creation, then He is certainly able to sustain you. Cry out to Him. Invite Him to be your strength, to provide your your needs. And know, He has already provided everything you truly need.

It is this all powerful Jesus, who is the exact nature of God, the heir of all things, it was the king of glory that lowered Himself to become a man, to die and to make “purification for sins.” Our sin is so deep and dark, that there is nothing we could do. We were completely lost, totally misguided. Without Jesus we are still lost, blind to our own wickedness.

it took a far greater power to defeat sin and death. Both of which had to be defeated in order to provide purification for our sin. Not only did it need to be a greater power, a perfectly pure sacrifice, but that that sacrifice had to be totally crushed.

Isaiah 53:10 “10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief.

Not only did Jesus come to reveal the very person and nature of God, but within the perfect unity of the Trinity, Jesus was crushed in death for our sin.

Meaning that Jesus not only can sustain you in your current struggle but will sustain you if you lean on Him. Because He has already paid the highest price for you. He has already gone the farthest that one is able to go.

Even in the midst of tragedy, we can praise God, because He has saved us from so much more than physical destruction.

Every one of these descriptions of Jesus point us to this last one. That “He is the only one worthy to sit down at the right hand of the Father.

Which simply means, He is worthy of everything!

You cannot give Him too much. You cannot serve Him enough. You cannot spend enough time in worship. You cannot dwell on Him for long enough.

There is no point in time where we can say with integrity I have given enough of my time, energy, or resources. You see, all of eternity will be us giving Him more praise, exalting His name higher, spending year after year in His presence.

Because of who He is, the Son of God, the Worthy one who died for us, He invites us to bring heaven to earth, by living in light of eternity today. We don’t have to be distracted by our ambitions, we don't have to give in to our urges. The call of Jesus is to experience fulfillment by abiding in Him. He is the only one able to provide it and His call for you and for me is to abandon anything that distracts us from our union with Jesus in heaven. Jesus the Christ, the Son of God has provided for every one of our spiritual needs and that is all that we will ever truly need from Him. Because the Spiritual realm is far more significant than the physical.

The only reason we can know or step into the spiritual is because Jesus is the fullness of God revealed, to all of mankind.

With that in mind, “to what degree should we aim to adjust our life to Him?”

Or maybe we should ask “What adjustments do I need to make, today?”

Whatever you may think or believe is important, ultimately, Jesus is superior.