Unlikely Nutrients for Enduring the Real Race | Hebrews 1:1–4

Title: Unlikely Nutrients for Enduring the Real Race

Text: Hebrews 1:1-4

Series: Christ-Centered Endurance

Date: Sunday, January 9, 2022

Introduction:

Image

Race-day hydration stations and pre-race foods...

Big Idea

The Triune God is the ONLY source of nutrients that will sustain us in this life.

Need

Life can be hard mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and practically. What does your mind, emotions, psyche, and living reveal as the source of your sustenance?

Citing a New York Review of books from 2016, Tony Reinke says, “we check our smart phones 81,500 times a year…app. once every 4.3 minutes....

Among the reason for this pursuit of distractions he goes on to say, “we use digital distractions to keep thoughts of eternity away.” [Reinke, Tony. 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You” (Wheaton: Crossway, 2017), p. 41, 44]

The difficulty of life can tempt us to look for something to sustain us or a way to cope or deal with these things. (both outside external pressures and internal).

Some of the original audience were being tempted to find sustenance for life in the Jewish religion — a reversion to religion. [dead cold religious observances] Hebrews 10:1

Some of the original audience were being tempted to find sustenance through autonomy — a hyper-individuality. [fearful withdrawing and neglect of body] Hebrews 10:38-39

Some of the original audience were being tempted to not consider carefully deep Christology — an adverseness to dogma. [a plea for practical and relevant rather than deep doctrine] Hebrews 5:12

Given the opportunity, the last thing we might pick from a long list of nutrients would be doctrine.

Am I being nourished by the only nutrient that will sustain my life?

Text

Hebrews :1:1-4

Preview

There is only one Source of nutrient that will sustain us in life, and that’s what these verses introduce:

If we will endure the race of life, we must be knowing God as He has revealed Himself (v. 1 - 2)

If we will endure the race of life, we must be submitting to the Supreme Son (v. 3-4)

Body:

Point [Statement of Idea]: If we will endure the race of life, we must be knowing God as He has revealed Himself (v. 1 - 2)

Illustration:

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine A. The Necessity for God to Reveal Himself to Us

The necessity for God to reveal himself to us also is seen in the fact that sinful people misinterpret the revelation about God found in nature.

Picture of the Sun - tells us there is Someone or Something powerful.

King Akhenaton (left) with his wife, Queen Nefertiti, and three of their daughters under the rays of the sun god Aton, altar relief, mid-14th century BCE; in the State Museums at Berlin [https://www.britannica.com/topic/sun-worship, Accessed: January 8, 2022]

Explanation (prove it):

God has revealed himself through his activities by the Son. Hebrews 1:1-2.

(1) Spoken

Ill: these last days - Stoppage time of a Soccer Match began with the Son’s finished work.

(2) Appointed - Genesis 1:26-27.

(3) Created

Example/Application

God wants to be known. [the Knowability of God]

Stoppage time. Our time is brief, even if you live out 80 years. Psalm 90:10

Psalm 90:10 KJV 1900

10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, Yet is their strength labour and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

If you have heartless practices, hyper-individuality, and practical/relevant teaching without God, you have nothing.

Point [Statement of Idea]: If we will endure the race of life, we must be submitting to the Supreme Son (v. 3-4)

Illustration:

Hydration Station: In the race, submission to the necessary nutrients requires several things: (1) An awareness of the magnitude of what is ahead (2) An honest self-assessment (not self deprecating/not-self-exalting) (3) An intentional move towards and receiving of the nutrients (chewing/digesting…etc). (4) a momentary pause to ingest and savor the nutrients...

Explanation (prove it): The Son is Divine Hebrews 1:3-4.

Who He is: He is the radiance of the glory of God. (John 1:14)

Who He is: He is the exact imprint of his nature. (Philippians 2:6)

What He does: He upholds the universe by the word of his power (that all things continue moving forward by Him).

What He did: He purged our sins/Sat down (Psalm 110:1 - sit) - Behind this teaching is the Day of Atonement.

“Jesus is the sin purifier. His blood is the only cleanser that will take away the stains sin has left in our lives.” [Guthrie, Nancy. Hoping for Something Better, Tyndale, 2007, p. 10]

Who He is: Superior to angels, by INHERITANCE of name.

Author's favorite word "superior" (Hebrews 1:4, 7:7, 7:19, 7:22, 8:6, 9:23, 12:24, 10:34, 11:16, 11:35, 11:40.)

Example/Application

Are you stunned by the beauty of Jesus? When is the last time you read of Jesus and were stopped in your tracks?

Chewing on the deep doctrine of the Son sustains you better than pragmatic, shallow, relevant teaching.

One commentator outlines doctrines regarding Christ covered in the first three verses: Christ is the...

Son of God

Revelation of God

Fulfillment of God’s Revelation in the Old Testament

Heir of All Things

Agent of Creation

Radiance of God’s Glory

Expression of God’s Nature

Preserver of All Creation

Purifier of God’s People

Mediator for God’s People

[Moeler, Albert R. Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews, Holman, 2017, p. 12]

The doctrine of Jesus and the awe it inspires shows us that Jesus is beautiful, and we don’t have to pretty Him up.

True awe of Jesus is not produced by our antics but by pausing to adore and savor his beauty.

Novelty is not Necessary. We do NOT need a new word from God. We need to move towards and partake of Christ.

Christ is truly all-satisfying:

If Christ promised that those who come to him will never hunger or thirst again, then why are professing Christians trying to endure by reversion to religion, hyper-individuality, and adverseness to edifying deep Christology? John 6:35

Illustration: We often eat food that is unhealthy because of a few reasons (1) we are in a hurry (2) unhealthy food is most convenient and (3) we like it. The results of this unhealthy approach are unhealthy people.

In like manner, too many Christians are completely unhealthy. For one (1) there is too much of a hurry to savor Jesus (2) the unhealthy food of other voices are more convenient (3) we like the unhealthy food. The results are unhealthy Christians.

On the contrary, those Christians who are being nourished in Christ will endure to the end.

Bridge to Conclusion:

Am I being nourished by the only nutrient that will sustain my life?

There is only one Source of nutrient that will sustain us in life, and that’s what these verses introduces:

If we will endure the race of life, we must be knowing God as He has revealed Himself (v. 1 - 2)

If we will endure the race of life, we must be submitting to the Supreme Son (v. 3-4)

Conclusion:

Illustration:

There was a time of intense pressure in the life of the OT prophet/king David. It was a time after he had been anointed to be king but before he had actually been installed as king. I Samuel 21-22. He was on the run from the present King Saul, and he ran to Gath, which belonged to the Philistine enemies (I Samuel 21:10). In order to attempt to find protection, David did some unusual things. Listen to how one man summarizes David’s activities:

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Chapter 21

12–15 When David realized that he had been recognized, he panicked, fearing the worst from Achish, king of Gath. So right there, while they were looking at him, he pretended to go crazy, pounding his head on the city gate and foaming at the mouth, spit dripping from his beard. Achish took one look at him and said to his servants, “Can’t you see he’s crazy? Why did you let him in here? Don’t you think I have enough crazy people to put up with as it is without adding another? Get him out of here!”

Explanation:

It was in this time that David wrote Psalm 34:1-8. Only true faith in the Lord can sustain those under pressure. Psalm 34:7 is significant. Sometimes this is reference to angelic beings and other times a reference to Yahweh himself.

What David said about tasting of the Lord, we see played out in Someone who is greater than angels — the Son. John 4:34. Jesus lived a life of feasting upon the will of His Father. He showed us what it looks like to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Now, by faith in the Son, we too can truly taste and see that the LORD is good.

What is then to taste the LORD?

Tasting the LORD is hearing what He has said and exercising faith in His Word.

If we will endure, we must TASTE God through His Actions, Namely through FAITH in God's Speech by the Supreme Son.

The unlikely Nutrient for enduring the real race is the Supreme Son.