"Sir, we want to see Jesus"
Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
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· 167 viewsSeeing Jesus for who is is - our Prophet, Priest and King
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How are we all feeling this morning?
How are we all feeling this morning?
((Smiley face slide))
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Have you come this morning, in the hope
that the church service is going to make you feel better?
Have you come, searching for a feeling?
Then, you are probably in the wrong church!
There are plenty of “feel good” churches out there these days
But, I hope you know this isn’t one of them!
Our church, friends, wants to show you something!
We might say, ours is a “show and tell” church,
rather than a “feel good” church!
In our church, I hope someone will tell you about Jesus!
… and someone will show you Jesus,
and then, you will, feel better!
But feeling better, is not the main task of the church!
… (Now that may come as a surprise to you?)
I don’t know about you, but, often on a Sunday morning
and again, very often, on a Monday morning
I often find myself thinking:
I’m feeling rather rotten!
I wake up, perplexed by the world, as I listen to the news.
Sometimes I feel guilty!
sometimes I feel sad, or lonely… or angry...
And then I don’t want someone to ask me how I am feeling!
I think … You can probably see how I am feeling!
(or I hope you can …)
We can certainly see how the world is feeling
Rather, give me something!
Give me something that I can hold on to ...
Give me a ray of consolation … of hope
That is why I come to church … often!
Like the song we sing ...
(Tell me the old old story // of Jesus and His love ...
SHOW ME JESUS!
PLEASE - SHOW ME JESUS!
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Like the men who came asking for Jesus,
shortly after he had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey
… not long before He would be crucified!
We find the background to this fact in John 12: 17
17 Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify.
You see that?
They had SEEN Jesus - and now they felt better
and could not stop talking about HIM!
And now these men, Greek, we learn,
wanted to see Jesus, too!
20 Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival.
21 So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
....
Friends,
and that is what the letter of Hebrews is all about!
It is a “show and tell” account of this Jesus I hope you have come to see!
So that you will escape your FOMO on personal feelings!
and reach true hope, and faith, and therefor - Peace!
Let me show you Jesus now,
and may you be blessed by seeing Him
(“Father, grant us eyes to see, and ears to hear
and lips and tongues to proclaim what you will have us see and hear now - In Jesus’ name - Amen!)
Our picture of Jesus comes this morning from Heb 13: 1-19
1 Let brotherly love continue.
2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.
3 Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.
4 Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.
6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by food regulations, since those who observe them have not benefited.
10 We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.
11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.
12 Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood.
13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace.
14 For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.
15 Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
16 Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.
19 And I urge you all the more to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.
An occasion to exercise Christian love
An occasion to exercise Christian love
1 Let brotherly love continue.
2 Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.
There is a picture of Jesus, you see?
Remember how Jesus showed His love, loved ones?
The Bible gives us a picture of that, too!
We were part of that picture last Sunday,
as we sat at the Lord’s table!
“From now on, as often as you eat the bread and drink the wine, remember me, and what I have done for you!
Remember!
Jesus so loved us, that He gave His own Life,
so that we could have peace
in this stormy valley in which we live
And so, Jesus showed us what love looks like
He drew us a picture!
A stark picture,
that hangs from necks and walls all over the world
_ there is one here, too! -
But
that is not the picture the world wants to see, friends!
That picture, that we say is a picture of “God is Love”!
But we blissfully deny the truth
that it is a picture of "God is Justice!”
And so, verse three follows verse 2 ...
3 Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.
Which gives us another picture, doesn’t it?
In this world there are laws … and law breakers ...
and there are consequences for breaking the law!
Prison! And in many countries, still,
even the death penalty!
But we have sterilised our thoughts of this concept,
when it comes to God, haven’t we?
Jesus loves us, we say, and he loves us
in spite of who we are, or how we live!
“Jesus even loves Hitler, and Obama,
some church notice boards proclaim!
No, friends, that is a picture of an imitation of Jesus,
painted in our own image!
The real Jesus, loves us because of who we are!
And we, by our nature, are nothing like Jesus!
We selfish, sinful, and self-righteous!
We deserve imprisonment, because
We do not “show love and compassion (V1)
And yet, Jesus calls all those who trust in Him, His everlasting brothers and sisters:
11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
12 saying: I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will sing hymns to you in the congregation.
13 Again, I will trust in him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave me.
In verses 4-6 we see a picture
of the way things are supposed to be
but are not!
4 Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.
6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
There is much in those verses, B&S!
There are pictures of marriage
juxtaposed with what it looks like in the times we live!
Marriage was meant by God to be a picture of His love for us
but instead
it has become about what makes me feel good
for a while!
The world has become enslaved by money
and trust in Jesus, has become conditional
of His blessing us with health and wealth!
NO!
Jesus is the same yesterday today and tomorrow
and ever since Adam and Eve,
we have been made to trust God
But we don’t … really… do we?
Our bank balance is a far more secure commodity
that we can trade
than Jesus - who calls on us to live lives of true love!
Long gone are the days that we would have verse 6 as a memory verse:
6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Friends, that is a picture of Jesus!
Escape your self!
Trust in your Heavenly Brother!
See His picture ever before you!
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And then, notice how verse 8 is right between verse 7 and 9!
:-)
Friends, perhaps one of the greatest losses of the 21 C
is the fact that very few true leaders remain!
Leaders, who, in this case,
consider there only task
to proclaim Jesus!
And yes, on the one hand, I am referring to church leaders!
But, in another sense, I am referring to all
who see there task as leading their homes, there friends
We all have all kinds of heroes, people in whom we trust,
persons we allow to teach our children.
But we have little regard for them
other than them serving our selfish needs!
The world of brave men and women
who we once trusted to lead us
because they represented truth and justice
and dignity for mankind
(I see Kanye West will be running for president in the USA)
those days are gone!
7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.
True leaders are known by their lives, not by what they say!
They too, are broken!
But they get God’s economy,
whereby we(all believers) are called to lead the world
in love and understanding!
Leaders are supposed to be pictures of Jesus!
But instead, many leaders these days, don’t imitate Christ
they do NOT speak GOD’s word,
but their own!
(and hence, the cults, the culture wars, the tyranny of
Pol Pot, and Stalin, and Lenin, and Hitler!
(Friends, look closely at people’s pictures,
when you consider whom you will give your vote too!
Which brings us back to verse 8!
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How are you feeling this morning?
Don’t you wish you could come across a picture
of one who could make you feel better,
not just for a while - but forever!
One who is able to do just that!
Well, look … look up, and SEE
See Jesus!
Heb 13:8
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
You see, our emotions are ever changing!
We feel Good the one day, and miserable the next
But in Jesus, we find rest, no matter how we feel...
if only we will open our eyes, and see ...
Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever!
Jesus our ransom!
Jesus our freedom from the chains that binds us!
Jesus our bread, and our brother!
May your picture of Jesus go ever before you
stay forever with you
until you and I will see Him face to face ...
Soon, B&S … Soon!
Amen!
