Greater Than (2)
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Greater Than
Greater Than
Good morning. I am so glad you chose to join us today. Please continue to help us get the word out by liking or subscribing to our online spaces and sharing todays message with anyone you think would be encouraged or challenged by it.
Today we are continuing our journey through the book of Hebrews as we lay out the argument that there is nothing and no one greater than Jesus Christ.
Please turn your Bibles, phones, or tablets to Hebrews 2.
"The truth of Christ's supremacy over all the powers of the universe is one which modern man sorely needs to learn." — F. F. Bruce
Greater Than
Greater Than
Secular humanism states human progress, science and medical advances, and shared human experience is the thing that will lead humanity to the perfect society.
While many find value in religious traditions, a significant viewpoint is that cultivating a "humanist" approach—focused on shared human values, reason, and tangible good—is more effective for building a just and peaceful society.
Just and peaceful?
Let’s think about that:
In last 100 years -260 major wares killing 1.5 million
6.9 - 8.5 million live in extreme poverty / 1/2 of all are high poverty - $2.15 - $6.85 per day
2.2 billion lack access to clean water
50 million live in slavery
Just and peaceful??
There has got to be a better way.
Please stand with me as we read the most powerful words you will hear today.
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,
4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
14 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,
15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 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.
18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Let’s pray.
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Probably outside of the hymn Amazing Grace, my favorite thing that the author John Newton said was:
“Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Sin is a word we don’t always talk or like to talk about, bit effects us all.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Sin - hamartia - hata - miss the mark
Who taught you to lie?
We all miss the mark - no one is perfect, but that is the standard. That is how we were first created.
This is the first of 5 admonitions in Hebrews meant to encourage all the readers to pay attention
A great fall required a greater salvation.
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
A great fall required a greater salvation.
Because the greatness of the Giver and of the gift we have to give serious attention to this.
Look at the progression:
The Law was given.
We talked last week the importance the Jews attached to angels.
2 He said, “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand.
A great fall required a greater salvation.
The Law was spoken and the infractions were punished.
The Law is still the standard and we cannot keep it as they couldn’t.
If they were punished for that how much more are we held accountable for neglecting the gospel?
What Christ has done has stood the test of time.
God has shown it’s reality through the early believers and still today through the lives that are changed.
Freedom from addictions, Families thought to be to far gone restored, complete change of outlooks and attitudes, and on and on.
We are invited to join these stories through the gifts God has given us.
A great salvation required a greater Savior.
5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,
A great salvation required a greater Savior.
Did you know we were meant to have dominion over everything on Earth?
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
A great salvation required a greater Savior.
We lost this due to sin. We gave up our right.
Christ through his obedience and sacrifice got it back.
8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
A great salvation required a greater Savior.
Do you see that - nothing outside His control.
Jesus as fully human will restore what humanity lost.
How? Because He did what no one else could do.
The perfect eternal son tasted the consequence and price of our sin - death.
People have died for their families, for their country, for an ideal they believed in, only Jesus died for everyone and everything.
A great Savior provides a greater outcome.
There is only one outcome with our sin - death and separation.
But Christ changes that.
10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
A great Savior provides a greater outcome.
That word bringing can be translated as leading.
When we are lost and confused, we only want someone to show us the way.
Christ is the one way, only way for us to become who we were meant to be.
Not only does he give us the way as an outcome of His sacrifice, He provides a better place to belong.
12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
A great Savior provides a greater outcome.
We go form alone and orphaned to an adopted member of His family.
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
A great Savior provides a greater outcome.
Not only are we led in the way to go and to be, adopted as family, but Christ delivered us from the thing people most - death.
14 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, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
A great Savior provides a greater outcome.
No longer is it death and taxes, just taxes.
We have nothing to fear in life or death.
16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 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. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
This message was written to believers as warning:
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
It is easy to take things for granted after a while. This is why we must remind ourselves of who Christ is to us and what He has done.
Christian author Timothy Keller once wrote:
If we are saved by grace alone, this salvation is a constant source of amazed delight. Nothing is mundane or matter-of-fact about our lives. It is a miracle we are Christians, and the Gospel, which creates bold humility, should give us a far deeper sense of humor and joy. We don't take ourselves seriously, and we are full of hope for the world.
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
Great Sinner / Greater Savior
For those who are trying to make it through life on your own, aren’t you tired?
Nothing humanity will ever do will repair the damage we have done.
We are and were all great sinners.
Christ is a greater Savior.
Let’s pray.
