Better Than...Everything!

We are comfortable with the known.

This is a fact of life. What we know is typically better than what we do not know; at least in our heads.

Sometimes we need a paradigm shift.

This happens not because what we are doing is “bad” but that something “better” is on the scene. We have seen this when Henry Ford built cars; the Wright brothers and flight; smart watches; telephone--->cell phones; the internet; etc.

We need encouragement to move towards better.

This is the situation the speaker of Hebrews was in and chapter 7 will go to lengths to help encourage the early church, and us, to continue to press on towards the better way of life. It is easy to slip up and go backwards, in part because it is familiar and comfortable.

Interpret Scripture with Scripture.

This is a foundational way of understanding Scripture. This is what the speaker is doing with the example of Melchizedek.

Interpret Scripture through Christ.

This means we understand Christ to be the source of Scripture, the theme of Scripture, and the point of Scripture. However, this does not mean we must look for a reference to Christ on every page. We understand the words of Christ when he said, “I have come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets” but there is power and benefit to understanding the OT for the words they are.

The old was good and better.

The Levitical system and the Law was a major change, dare I say a paradigm shift of the day. Sometimes we act as if the old is the best, we call it “the Good Old Days”. But here is the point sometimes, they were just that Old and good. Even as believers we can get caught up in the “doing” points of Scripture where we try to earn our way to Christ.

Christ is the best.

But Jesus is the best system of approaching God. In fact, He is the only way to approach God. Because he is the best it means I must be different.

Jesus saves completely.

There is never any wondering if Jesus can take care of our sins. He can. He doesn’t just do the job “good enough” for now. He does it once and for all; completely. We are not saved by Jesus and going to church. Or Jesus and reading the Bible. Whenever we add anything to Jesus we are not being saved by Jesus.

Jesus alone provides perfection.

This is sometimes called sanctification in the church. The perfection of Christ can start now and will be carried out unto completion in heaven. We will not be perfect until we are completely transformed by Christ in the future. But, we start the transformation now, today.

Jesus is the best hope.

Because of who he is, verse 26—holy, blameless, pure, set apart from us/sinners, exalted, perfect—he provides a better hope.

Where is your hope & salvation?

Do you need a paradigm shift today? Not because of what you are experiencing is “bad” or the worse way of living, though it may be awful and horrible.