Jesus/He's Everything

(NIV)

Jesus Greater Than Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.

Author of Hebrews… writing this letter to a group of believers…

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12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

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32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

Author of Hebrews… FIX your thoughts upon JESUS!! Don’t let your mind run away on you.... faced persecution… facing troubles every day… fix your THOUGHTS upon Jesus.

Jen/myself went to NYC… subway/train… jump on one and it takes off.... get on another and it takes you the other direction… sometimes this is how our thoughts are… fear… (Jesus walking on water/GHOST)… offense… anger… lust… before we know it our thoughts have jumped on connecting subways/trains/thoughts and we have lost control of what we are thinking about.

Author here… don’t do that. Fix your THOUGHTS upon how good Jesus is.

Last week… read this verse...

(NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

LOVE this verse… come back to this verse again shortly.

Now here’s one issue with what the writer is saying… 3:1 FIX YOUR THOUGHTS upon JESUS. 12:2 FIX YOUR EYES upon JESUS.

But he’s talking to a church/body of believers who had either forgotten how Good Jesus were… or maybe they just weren’t as excited as they should have been.

Have you ever been talking to someone and they are just lit up with excitement about a certain thing… event… and you have to fake it… “that’s AWESOME”.... lord help me get out of this convo.

Sometimes i feel like that with Christians.... SHOULD BE MORE EXCITED about who Jesus is and what he has done.

Let me show you an example this morning.

(NIV)

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

5:1–17pp—; 5:18–20pp—,

5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

everyone knew of this man… chained him up.... subdued…

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

demonic spirit recognized him… torture me… know’s what’s to come.

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

people came and saw the man who had been possessed… restored… healed.... miracle....

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

please leave.. get away from us… leave us alone… too life altering… you’re going to bring too much change. Please just leave…

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

these people had an experience… witnessed the power of God…

but the man… he had an encounter… difference....

look at the man’s response… “begged to go with him”

PLEASE… PLEASE… PLEASE…

too many people today settle for an experience… come to church… watch a great worship service… hear a good sermon… maybe see someone respond for prayer.... experience… but we don’t want too much change to happen.

encounter… we want more.

(NIV)

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

don’t settle for an experience… these people weren’t excited about Jesus because they didn’t even realize the power, magnitude, goodness, that was accessible to them. Imagine the life, freedom they missed out on.

fix your thoughts… hebrews 12:2 fix your eyes...

“i know the world is battling for your heart. eyes. thoughts. but Jesus is worth it. Jesus is greater. focus on him.”

It helps us understand the first 2 chapters of Hebrews even more.... he explains to them/ reminds them of who they serve.. how great Jesus is..

(NIV)

God’s Final Word: His Son

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

prophet

priest

king

EVERYTHING WE NEED.

exact representation of God… everthing is sustained through his powerful word.

creator, God, prophet, priest, king, he is king of king’s and lord of lord’s… he is the author and perfector of our faith.

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9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

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11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

Jesus… my hero… tasted death for me… took the punishment for me… HERO

unlike many other hero’s that are distant and not accessible… jesus wasn’t even ashamed to call us family! How great is this?

(NIV)

6 But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

a son of man that you care for him?

Jesus!! Prophet, Priest, King, Creator of the universe, all powerful, sustainer of all things, son of God, messiah, Savior, Hero, family… we have something to be excited about.

I told you… go back to want us to look/hear what the message Bible says for these two verses…

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed”

parasitic- infested by a parasite.

an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other's expense.

parasite- an organism that lives in another organism and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other's expense.

give an example of this…

lust… sin…

want’s to coexist…

grace… grace… grace…

Word tells us to throw it ALL off....

instead of coexisting.. FIX YOUR THOUGHTS… EYES… UPON JESUS… HE’S GREATER!! HE’S WORTH IT!!

Thief…comes to steal, kill, and destroy...

Jesus… life and give it to the full.

JESUS!!!! JESUS!!! JESUS!!! He is worth it!!

Story of … some of us are fine with an experience.. ok with watching… but we are not willing to invite Jesus in… we aren’t excited about what he is doing.. because we aren’t ok with the changed he will make. we are listening to the lies of the enemy.

Everything Jesus gives is better than what the world has to offer.

Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

Are we more like the man? Jesus let me go with you. Be with me.

Are we more like the crowd? Ok that’s cool… but can you leave me alone.