Sermon Tone Analysis

Who likes better things?

A better snow shovel?

A better car?

A better tax plan?

A better recipe?

A better job?

A better lifestyle?

A better marriage?

A better _____ fill in the blank.

If we’re honest, in moments or seasons of discontent, we probably spend a lot of time thinking about how things could be better.

We spend a lot of time thinking about how things are broken, or outdated, or worn out, or dusty, or dull, or boring, or, well, just not ideal.

Right?

The issue with our thinking about things being better is that even when the better thing comes, it doesn’t take long before the cycle starts over again and we, yet again, want something better…

Perhaps this is displayed most clearly in children - now, I know that many of you probably look at me and say “You’re still a kid” - My mom would say, I’m still the baby of the family - but let’s assume for the time being that I’m a perfectly reasonable and mature adult.

(Lizzy, don’t say a word.)

But think of a child - a toy wears out, or is surpassed in grandeur by the new toy they see at the store, or a friend’s house, or on a commercial, or wherever.

And, they have to have it!

Well, I guess adults do that too, don’t we?

Anyways!

So they get the new toy, or electronic device, or power tool… and its amazing!

That is, until it is not...

See, our concept of better is flawed because with us, there is always room for improvement.

There are always bugs to be worked out, innovations to make, technological advancements, scientific discoveries, and most of all, discontent.

What does this have to do with Advent?

As Pastor Steve and I sat down to talk about what we would speak on for advent season, we were reminded this - Advent is all about the incarnation - Jesus coming.

With that in mind, Hebrews is all about how Christ is Better.

Better than Angels

Better than Moses

Better than Joshua

Better than the Aaron, the High Priest

And he brought in a better covenant.

Today, we want to look at the Supremacy of Christ.

His superiority.

His betterness.

Only, I want us to clear our minds of our 21st century consumer minded understanding of better.

When we say Christ is better, we are not watching for the next best thing out of the corner of our eyes.

When we say Christ is better, we are not watching for the next best thing out of the corner of our eyes.

When we behold Christ, we behold the supreme.

When we see the person of Christ, we see the supreme being.

When we see the work of Christ, we see the supreme work.

When we examine the message of Christ, we are examining the pearl of great price - the ultimate treasure.

Last week, Pastor Steve examined the shadow of the old testament.

You looked at the foreshadowed Christ.

So today, I

We’ve seen the shadow, now we want to examine the substance.

In the Old Testament, God was speaking -in types and shadows, fragments and pictures, here and there, giving hints, insight, and while it was beautiful, it was incomplete.

We want to look at the Complete.

The Full.

The Fulfilled.

The Perfect.

Christ is the fulfillment.

Today, and through the next several weeks as well, we want to see in what way the coming and message of Christ is better.

The Son Dispels the Shadows

The Son Declares the Substance

As we examine him today, let us

Behold God’s Revelation in the Supremacy of Christ.

1.

The Son Dispels the Shadows

Christ was foreshadowed in the times past.

We could go through dozens of prophecies and messianic scriptures, each giving a shadow, a portion, a snapshot - but none giving the full view.

God was speaking.

is a great paradigm shift - a great clarifier - a great mountain peak of revelatory gold.

God was speaking, but God has spoken.

(repeat)

You see, all those shadows, all those snapshots, all those incomplete pictures?

Christ dispels the shadows.

Two aspects of this

A. God’s Plan Unfolding

P.T. O’Brien

Hebrews begins with a magnificent opening that sets the program for the whole discourse.

The author moves from God’s past revelation, from his word to the Old Testament ‘fathers’, to his definitive and final revelation in his Son, Jesus Christ.

What God has spoken in the Son is continuous with and the climax of his word uttered in earlier times.

One way we could say it is this.

“God has spoken - first to the fathers though the prophets, and finally in His Son.”

The big picture is that God has not remained silent - He has revealed Himself.

The focus here is that he has revealed Himself finally in His Son.

In these last days

This phrase contrast with “in the past” in verse 1.

When a Jewish listener would have heard this term, they would have undoubtedly gone in their minds to the idea of the promised Messiah.

The Rabbi’s in times past had a very strong concept of “this age, and the age to come.”

And that is exactly the message the writer is trying to convey.

He is conveying the unfolding of the plan.

The continuing of God’s Work.

Again, it is types and shadows in the Old, but a clearer, brighter view in the New.

The light of Christ and His radiance drives out the dimly lit past.

For instance, Paul gives us a great insight in .

Pastor Steve mentioned this passage last week, and I want to highlight it again.

Colossians 2:13-

Notice those words - Shadow and substance.

The Law was a shadow.

It showed how Holy God is, it showed some of the essence of His character, it displayed His otherness.

But it wasn’t the complete - In His wisdom, He put His holiness on display in the face of man’s sinfulness - that is the debt that Paul was talking about.

But the Law was not God Himself.

Just a shadow.

God, who is timeless, outside of time, is revealing Himself by acting in time.

But Christ, He is the substance!

He is the fulness!

The Old was true, but incomplete.

It was Good in what it was, but it was not the totality of all God would reveal.

A term you may have heard is Progressive Revelation.

This is another way to speak of God’s Plan unfolding.