Hebrews: Greater Than Part 1: Jesus: The Ultimate Champion
Hebrews: Greater Than • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements:
SoulSisters will be meeting on Wednesday from 7PM-8:15PM and there will be refreshments
March Bible reading plan is online and will be on the table in the back next week
Worship:
Mighty Name of Jesus
2. No Longer Slaves
3. Tremble
4. What A Beautiful Name
Introduction:
Who is the ultimate champion in the:
NBA: Bill Russell (Celtics), Michael Jordan (Bulls, Wizards), LeBron James (Cavs, Heat, Lakers), Kareem Abdul Jabbar (Bucks, Lakers), Magic Johnson (Lakers), Kobe Bryant (Lakers)
NHL: Henri Richard (Montreal Canadiens), Mark Messier (EDM Oilers, NY Rangers), Patrick Roy (Montreal Can, COL Avalanche), Wayne Gretzky (EDM Oilers)
MLB: Yogi Berra (NYY), Mickey Mantle (NYY), Babe Ruth (BOS, NYY), Lou Gehrig (NYY), Reggie Jackson (Oak Ath, NYY), Derek Jeter (NYY)
NFL: Otto Graham (Clev), Jim Brown (Clev), Tom Brady (NE, TB), Charles Haley (49ers, Cowboys), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
MLS: Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Luka Modric
There are constant debates (and they will continue) offering facts, stats and other trivia nuggets to try to sway one person from one champion option to another. But no matter how many trivia facts and stats we can learn, it will rarely, if ever, change a person’s life.
We can also tend to do the same thing when it comes to God and His Word. We can learn a bunch of interesting facts and stats from the Bible, if that is all we do, it will have little effect on us as learning stats and facts for other subjects of discussion. It is only when we allow what we are learning from God’s Word to be applied to our lives that can bring about the change we are looking for and praying for in our life.
As we begin our series through the book of Hebrews (Hebrews: Greater Than), my prayer is we don’t just focus on the many different facts and truths we glean throughout the series, but we allow those truths to have an impact in our life and lead to changes in our life as we apply the truths of God’s Word.
Before we get started this morning, I want to go over some background information on the book of Hebrews.
Background:
The book of Hebrews was most likely written around AD 64-69, right before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. We know this because there is not reference to the destruction of the Temple but the author writes as if the sacrificial system was still in existence (Heb 10:1-2,11).
Because of the many references to the Hebrew customs and the Old Testament, this book was likely sent to a Jewish Christian community, possibly in Rome, who were experiencing persecution. They were experiencing two forms of persecution: 1) persecution for their belief in Jesus Christ and them not adhering to the Jewish Laws which could cause the Jewish Christians to want to go back to the Jewish faith, customs and law. 2) persecution from the Emperor Nero in Rome as he tried to abolish Christianity altogether.
The book of Hebrews main theme is that Jesus is greater than all things in the Old Testament (sacrifices, prophets, law of Moses) and anything in this world.
As far as the author of Hebrews, no one truly knows who it is. Even the well-known church scholar and theologian, Origen of Alexandria, had some ideas but even said, “But who wrote the epistle, truly only God knows.” There are many theories (Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, Clement of Rome, etc) but no one truly knows. What we do know is the important theological contributions it has made and has been considered inspired since the late first century which has continually been upheld.
Unlike other letters, this letter wasn’t written to a specific church or even have a preface at the beginning of it like most of Paul’s letters do (From and To).
So, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of recipients of this letter and ask ourselves this question:
What kind of encouragement would I be looking for in a letter like Hebrews?
Let’s read our passage this morning:
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The author doesn’t give encouragement but rather starts with theology!
In other words, he is telling them where to find truth.
Question:
When you are in trouble, where do you look for something secure; something to hold on to?
The author here, in essence, is telling the recipients of this letter to get your eyes off your circumstance and onto God (who never changes).
Question:
When you are having a bad day, things aren’t going well or your expectations are not being met, where do you look for comfort and stability?
The churchy answer is God (and I hope that is the case for us all the time!)
family, friends - people you trust and hope they have your best interests at heart
work, etc.
Whatever your answer is, most of the time, we go to anything and anyone other than God.
Illustration:
Have you ever had plans and the way things happened were totally not what you were expecting? When we are in situations like those, it is easy for us to get frustrated and tend to blame other people rather than ourselves. For instance, the waiter brings out your food and it is wrong so you blame the waiter or cook when, after being redirected/reminded, you realize you got what you ordered instead of what you thought you ordered (me and parmesan on pizza; booking a hotel room and not getting what you thought you were getting bc you failed to ask specific questions, etc).
You can fill in the blank as to your experiences, but that is what the recipients were doing as they were responding to the persecution they were getting from members of the Jewish faith they came from and from Rome. They were looking everywhere else except God which resulted in them leaving their faith and returning to the Jewish faith and Mosaic Law they came out of or leaving the faith altogether.
Transition: Question: Why should we put our faith in Jesus? Let’s look at what the writer of Hebrews tells us. First of all:
Body:
I. He is trustworthy (1:1)
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
We can trust God when the world around us seems to be crashing down.
He is constantly speaking to us in various ways and times.
He loves you so much He will do whatever He can to get your attention!
God spoke in the past through the prophets, then God spoke through Jesus and God speaks now through the Holy Spirit and His Word!
Jesus is our rock and our ultimate prophet and He is trustworthy!
Question:
What does it look like to believe in His promises when outside forces and circumstances are telling you to walk away from Him?
There is a lot of deconstruction happening in the church. I am not against deconstruction as long as it is done with looking to Jesus and His Word!
God is still speaking and He is trustworthy in what He says!
19 God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,
2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
Jesus is trustworthy because He does what He says He will do!
Transition: So, the first reason to put our faith in Jesus is because He is trustworthy. The second reason to put our faith in Jesus is:
II. He is our King (1:2-3)
2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
When we surrender to Jesus and ask Him into our heart, it is important to not only ask Him to be our Savior, but also our Lord/King.
If Jesus is our true Lord/King, then it will be seen by being obedient to His Word.
Jesus is co-reigning at the right hand of the Father right now in heaven!
When you hear the term: “king”, what do you think of? one who rules from a castle? has a crown on his head? orders servants and other people around?
Whatever we think of when we think of a king, more than likely we don’t think of Jesus.
Jesus is holy and glorious but He is also loving and kind, empathetic (knows our hurts and struggles)
Jesus is a king that came down to His people to live among them! To experience what they experience!
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
We have a king who has been tempted in every way as we are! He understands what you and I are going through!
Transition: So, we talked about Jesus being trustworthy and being our king, lastly, we should be our faith in Jesus because:
III. He is our great priest (1:3)
Hebrews 1:3 (in different translations)
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
3 This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words! After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God,
3 He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,
We can know God through Jesus because He is the mirror image of God!
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
Illustration:
It is easy to spot who my kids are because they reflect my features, mannerisms and behavior.
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works.
If you want to know what the Father does or who the Father is, see what Jesus does and who Jesus is!
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
Conclusion:
Question:
Is there anything in your life that you think Jesus is disappointed in and will not forgive?
People say you are a mistake? People keep reminding you how you fall short? Is the enemy of our soul, Satan, whispering in your ear not to confess what you did because people will treat you differently and shun you?
We have someone we can put our faith in no matter what circumstance or situation we are in. No matter what other people say about you! His name is Jesus Christ!
There is no one and nothing above Jesus Christ! He is the ultimate champion!
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.
Put your faith in Jesus!
He is trustworthy!
He is our King!
He is our high Priest!
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
