Greater Than> The Challenge

Great than >Bumper video.

Introduction -

Angela Lee Duckworthy at 27 was a 7th grade Math teacher in public School in New York city. What she learned during this time was that the difference between good and bad grades in her class were not dependent on the child’s IQ but rather the student that worked hard enough learned the material..

After several years of teaching, she went on to Graduate school and became a psychologist.

She started studying kids and adults in super challenging settings… and what made them fail and what made them successful… She took a research team to West Point Military Academy and studied which ones stayed and which ones dropped out. She went to the National spelling bee and tried to predict which children would advance the farthest in the competition.. She studied rookie teachers working in tough neighborhoods.. asking who was going to be still there by the end of the year… who will be the most effective at improving the learning of the students? She Studied people in the market place those who would succeed…and those who would fail.

And one quality kept coming back in the research… That was - it wan’t the super intelligent that made it … it wasn’t the talented individuals who made it…it wasn’t the physically healthy… but it was those who possessed GRIT…

Angela describes Grit…as

“a passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint.” (Ted talks)

This morning do you have Grit?

Do you have this quality of persevering for the long Hall…

Most of us have times when we feel strong and other times when we feel like giving up.. There are several times in my life when things came to a screeching halt… Where I felt hopeless ...I felt like giving up...

The truth is that life can be hard… we do our very best and still fail… and so logic is why bother …why even try???

Here is the thing is God doesn’t give you and I the option to quit!!

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

How do we Persevere over the long hall? Day in and day out....

This morning we are starting a sermon series Greater than..we are going through the book of Hebrews…

The question that arrises in the book of Hebrew is … If God is so committed to our joy and our well being, if he loves us so much, why is our life so hard?

That’s what the book is about. Why is our life so hard? The answer of the book, in a nutshell...Life is not about the destination but about the journey...

Tim Keller tells us that the journey in Hebrews

“A journey from isolation into the city of God. The only way you’re going to get home is by fixing your eyes on Jesus.”

Life is not a sprint you are not going get home though shorts bursts but rather it’s being sustained and supported for the long term. But this is only happens by Fixing your sights on the Right things...

Spiritual Grit…doesn’t begin with us — pulling ourselves up by the boot strings… Spiritual Grit be begins with our view of Jesus. This is the message of Hebrews..

T/s A little bit of background of the book of Hebrews.

We don’t know exactly who the author of the book Hebrews is— There is no formal Greeting in the introduction of the book and the language seems to be different from the other of Pauls Epistles.. And so it is difficult definitively credit Paul as the author… Some have suggest Apollos, Barnabas others..

Hebrews is written to the second Generation of Jewish Christians who are struggling to hold onto their faith in the face of social pressures.…They were introduced to Faith by those who had known Jesus during His earthly ministry … They were true believers who were not merely professing Christ… many of these believers were being persecuted for their faith…

They are living in a pluralistic society like where there are many different beliefs, religions and philosophies.. Being a Christian meant you were part of this marginazied group…

So these Christians were tempted to give up…… they are in danger of Drifting..forgetting what they had been taught… encouragement to keep going …keep believing ..

Hebrews is the stark reminder that Every Generation has to come to terms with the place of their own faith… There has always been and will is always going to be hostility to Christianity…and.. We are always going to encounter pressure to conform to the values of the culture around us. There is the temptation for each of us to relax a little bit and let ourselves drift away with the tide of modern culture — But unfortunately at what cost? We could also drift from the very blessings we have in Jesus.

Every Generation needs to find the reason for believing… Why Faith… Why Christ in the modern world?

The book of Hebrews is really a passionate sermon …it is a reminder to these second Generation Christians to what they have received… What has been passed down to them.. To Remember what kind of Savior they have possessed… and to keep on going...

Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is still the best thing that church has to offer…

As Christians we are called to run the race with endurance, not to drift—to set aside everything that weighs us down and to run the race of endurance set before us..

T/S Hebrews begins with an introduced to God who has Spoken and is Still Speaking.

Hebrews 1:1–2 ESV

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.

T/S The question on these Christian minds is why continue… Society is teaching them one way… What is the point? The first reason is Given...

1. God has Spoken Clearer today than Ever Before..

We are told that God spoke in the past and that God is still speaking in these last days..

The word “spoken”… is laleo which means to express in speech…… It is a message that has been delivered by word of mouth.

This idea that God Speaks is what sets Christianity apart from other Religions..

God is more than a powerful Force in the universe… God more than a higher power out there..

God is more than the sum of subjective experiences… but GOD speaks...

Can you imagine a world without Words… without Language? (pause)

Words engage every part of us… the mind, the heart.. without words we are left to feelings… and perception… God expresses himself… through words…

This is important point because... Speech is the major difference between false god’s and Judaeo Christian God… There were plethora of gods in the ancient world… but the problem with idols is they were man made....and inanmate objects don’t communicate… The psalmist says..

Psalm 115:4–6 ESV

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.

Idols are one dimensional…

In Contrast to the gods of the ancient world of this world the God of the Bible is one who Hears and speaks and has personality..

Hebrew tells us that God spoke in many ways.. From the Begining with Adam and Eve in the cool of the Evening and then continuing through the Patriarch period… God Spoke to Abraham , Isaac, Jacob… to the great Leaders of Israel Moses, Joshua, God spoke to the the Judges of Israel and to the Prophets and the Kings of Israel..

Not only at many times but also in many ways - God spoke through burning bushes, through Angels, through his still quite Voices, God spoke through divine … God even spoke in his silence…God spoke creation..like a painter displays his art the heavens declare his glory

These Jewish Christians knew that God had spoken but what they needed to hear is that God is still speaking presently…

Hebrews tells us that God is still speaking in these last days.

- Now the phrase “Last days”… is not so much Chronological time table as it is a theological concept… If you are looking at a timeline the last ddays would be from the Ascension of Christ…until the return of Christ.. tbetween the frost and second advent ...

Theologically — the writer is saying - from now until the end of time there is no fuller, no more final expression of God than Jesus. Full stop. No ifs, ands, or buts. Nothing further. This is it. Absolute.

In other word God is still speaking to us the same way as he did to those Second Generation Jewish Christians… through the Eternal Word of Christ…

God still speaks today..

The Theologian Henri Nouwen expresses it like this..

“God speaks to us not only once in a while, but always.”

In the past, when God used the prophets he sometimes gave them words directly (in oracles or visions), sometimes providentially led them through experiences they recorded, sometimes “spoke” through extraordinary events such as the burning bush: there were “many times” and “various ways” -

Now in the original text is different from some of the major translation

The Greek… leaves out the article “a - Son” — “the - Son” esv says expresses it as “his Son”

The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation… Think about the society pluralistic gods… philosophies and religions.. God has Spoken through ONE… God has spoken “in Son”—we might paraphrase, “in the Son revelation.”

The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial, in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son---

illustration..

The author Philip Yancy in his book on prayer… says that..

He had become more convinced than ever that God finds ways to communicate with those who truly seek him, especially when we lower the volume of the surrounding static,”

Yancey talks about reading the account of a spiritual seeker who interrupted a busy life to spend a few days in a monastery. “I hope your stay is a blessed one,” said the monk who showed the visitor to his cell. “If you need anything, let us know, and we’ll teach you how to live without it.”

—Based on Philip Yancey, “What 147 Elk Taught Me about Prayer,” Christianity Today (March

Implication

If God is speaking louder and clearer today then he did in the past.. There are huge implications....

One of the greatest possibilites presented to us is the possibility of Hearing God. Jesus taught that his sheep know his voice...

The second is that God has something to Say to us. What is God saying to us at this particular Juncture in History?

How do we Get the Revelation of the Son… Jesus has spoken through his Son… through the scriptures...

The theologian Soren Kierkegaard said...

When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, "It is talking to me, and about me."

ingression.

The sermon continues — not only has God spoken to us through Christ through his words but through his person...

Hebrews 1:3–4 ESV

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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

T/S Why is there this call to Perseverance — why should we develop Spiritual Grit and perserve?

1. God has Spoken Clearer today than he has Ever Before..

2. God has given us Full Disclosure to Who He is.

When you think about the OT believers they were looking ahead with expectation of the Messiah… The NT this Expectation is realized in Jesus… They saw types and shadows what was coming…

Hebrews tells us that Christ is the radiance of the Glory of God. Everything about Jesus radiates the Nature of God… With our Christ we God remains invisible… the Incarnation means became flesh or has been made visible…The invisible God is made visible

John 1:18 ESV

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Through Christ..God’s essence and nature becomes clearer to us . The prophets could only tell God’s people what they saw and heard. Jesus was God himself—his message was firsthand.

Christ is the ultimate expression of God —John Calvin said it like this that “that God is known truly and firmly only in Christ.”

We are told that

- Jesus is seen as the Creator - Radiance of the Glory of God.

Jesus has made the invisible God visible in his person. He has revealed God and made him known

- Exact Imprint of the Nature of God

Jesus is the exact Representation of God.

The stamp vividly presents the picture of an image or superscription on a coin or medal. It exactly and perfectly matches the picture on the die.

Communication experts say that 48 percent of our message is communicated through tone of voice, 45 percent through body language, and only 7 percent through the words that are actually spoken. It’s not that words aren’t meaningful—they’re immensely meaningful!—but their meaning is found in relationships. Theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer put it this way a generation ago when encouraging the exchange student program: “The best way to send an idea is to wrap it up in a person.”

In The person we Have full disclosure..

In his person we see that GOD is in control.

- He upholds all Things.

All things are held together in a coherent or logical way, sustained and upheld, prevented from dissolving into chaos. He propels all things toward their predetermined ends that His will and purposes might be accomplished. He does all of this work by means of His spoken will, His powerful word.

In his person He completes everything .. God is the author and the finisher of our faith…

He sat down

The imagery of Jesus sitting down and completing the priestly duties of making atonement for sins… made sense to the. Jewish hearers

The Old Testament priest’s work had constantly to be repeated because it was only temporarily beneficial. The priest stood because his task was never complete. He could never hope to bring it to the moment of final achievement. Only Christ’s sacrifice could be eternally effective. He sat down to indicate that the work was finished.

Jesus’ death had accomplished what all the animal sacrifices could never do—it cleansed people from the stain of sin. This statement reveals the central theme of the letter: Christ’s superior sacrifice for sins.

ingression...

Hebrews 1:8–14 ESV

8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” 10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” 13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

T/S Why is there this call to Perseverance — why should we develop Spiritual Grit and persever

1. God has Spoken Clearer today than he has Ever Before..

2. God has given us Full Disclosure to Who He is.

3. God has made known his Eternal attributes

We are told that Christ if Greater than the Angels.. He is Superior to the angels having inherited because the name he has inherited is more excellent than His…

Why would this of Angels even come up In the conversation?

Jewish teachings during New Testament times said that angels brought people’s requests to God and interceded for them. Because of all these beliefs about angels, the Jews honored them highly. However, Hebrews emphasizes that Christ and his work far surpass angels and their work.. Angels are ministering spirits and they have their place in the scriptures…

Christ has inherited a Greater Name..

What is this Name? … Remember at the Baptism of John the Holy Spirit Descended upon Christ.. and God.. spoke this is my Son who I am well pleased with…

This is not a New Teaching…If you go to the OT… you will never find...God never calling an Angel a Son… God only Reserved the Name for Son of God for Jesus..

Then he unpacks this for his Jewish Audience… look at .. Psalms 104:4

Angels are called winds and his ministers a flame of fire…

But when the Psalms talks about the Son of God… it talks about The throne of God which is forever… That he rules with righteousness. and justice.. It talks about the anointed one anointed above all other companions..

Psalms 102 Tells us that Son laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning…the heavens are the work of your hands...

Psalms 110 tells us that the Son is seated at the right hand… until… he finally puts his enemies under his feat..

In Contrast to the Brilliance Christ… being the Glory of God and exact imprint of God...

vrs 14 Angels are simply ministering Spirits..served those who are to inherit salvation?

Instead of being above Man to be worshiped the serve mankind..

The OT points to the Eternal attributers of Jesus… He was from the begining and His Kingdom.. will never end… We have parts of the pieces of the Puzzel… but the full revelation in Jesus.

We have a clear view of the Eternal Attributes of God.. The Church Father Augustine said...“The New is in the Old contained, and the Old is in the New explained.”

Augustine explained it like this..

The Old Testament is like a fully-furnished but darkened room. All the ‘furniture’ of God’s rescue is present, but it is only perceived dimly and in shadow. The gospel turns the light on so that we say, ‘Ah, now I can see what God has been doing and how he has been doing it!’

Conclusion

Christ is a better Revelation...

When we face times of doubt and fatigue, we still have a source of hope: We will never find anything better to anchor us than Christ.

How Do you live with Spiritual Grit… Keep your focus…on the right things.

Our hardships should not be the primary object of our focus—instead, we are called to turn our focus on Jesus. Fix our Eyes upon Jesus… not upon the Trial..

He is worthy of our full devotion;

N.T. Wright put it this way, very well. He says, “How can you live with the terrifying thought that the hurricane has become human, that fire has become flesh, that life itself came to life and walked into our midst? Christianity either means that, or it means nothing. It is either the most devastating disclosure of the deepest reality in the world, or it’s a sham, a nonsense, a bit of deceitful play-acting. Most of us, unable to cope with saying either of those things, condemn ourselves to live in the shallow world in between.