HEBREWS-JESUS IS BETTER: The Truth of Jesus is Better

 The Truth of Jesus is Better Hebrews 1:1-3 The book of Hebrews is an important and practical book. And as our theme will remind us all through the book - Jesus is better. The question becomes, better than what and as we said last week in the introduction - that is the question indeed. The book of Hebrews is practical and relevant because it comes to a people whose faith is stretched, and it addresses the crisis of the faith through something maybe you’d says is elementary - but God says, you need a reminder, a detailed look, deeper revelation, greater insight - and so the medicine for their faith crisis is the gospel. And so, they’re encouraged to continue on in the faith, through the Gospel. Maybe you’re not sure this morning what the Gospel is, I pray by the end of today that will change and you’ll have a decision to make. Maybe some of you have your salvation secured in the Gospel but you’re stretched or even in a crisis of the faith - this is the book for you. Maybe there are things we think we know to be true, but through the course of the book of Hebrews, many of those things will be challenged - and addressed, and dealt with squarely. Then we’ll be constantly and consistently brought back to the same thing, Jesus. Because He is better. Let’s read today from the book where we’ll learn that the truth of Jesus is better than our feelings. Hebrews 1:1–3 (ESV) The Supremacy of God’s Son 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, This comes to a people who’d growing up knowing ceremonial law, and perhaps now they’re moving from Judaism into Christianity. Maybe and stick with me here, just maybe they didn’t feel completely satisfied by Christianity. Christian maybe you don’t either. Maybe you’re a believer today and thinking - I don’t feel spiritually fulfilled (because we have a notion in our heads that we should). These guys, they’re newish in the faith, but the world is newish in the faith. Christian culture wasn’t as matured as it is today - and so today, you can feel crushed by the overwhelming “Christendom” in the world that makes you feel like less of a Christian. We have whole problems pre-cooked up by Christian culture that says things like, I’m not being fed, I’m not growing spiritually, I’m not hearing from God, I’m not… insert extra-biblical example that I want to be experiencing. Perhaps the early church was feeling less fulfilled, too. Perhaps because they didn’t feel as futile as they wanted they’re going back to forms of religion that made them feel like things were OK, things were right. Perhaps we too can do this. Perhaps, and especially us in this church from our varying church experiences and backgrounds have past forms of thinking about Christian living, possibly even things that are wrong - these may seem to us like a natural way to know Christian life, but maybe they’re not, could these, if left unchecked, stunt our spiritual growth? And so this first verse tees the believers up to considering what they’ve known - long ago, at many times, and in many ways God spoke… OK, that feels like a setup, what next: 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. Wait - last days, His son, heir of all things, wait through whom He created the world?! We’re two verses in, God has challenged their thinking with Jesus. This book is about Jesus. Jesus is better… better than what? This week we’ll see that Jesus is better than what you thought you knew, because Jesus is truth. • Truth is true - even if you don’t feel fulfilled by it. Your feelings are a bad gauge of truth. • Truth is true - even if you don’t feel matured by it. • Truth is true - even if you don’t feel that you’re growing from it. My feelings are fickle, God’s truth, and God’s word is ultimate and I must subject my feelings to truth. Who is this Jesus: 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, The exact imprint of His nature. Philippians 2:5–6 (ESV) 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, Colossians 1:15–17 (ESV) The Preeminence of Christ 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Jesus is the fullness of the nature of God, to see Him IS to see the Father. We’ll continue looking at this in the coming weeks. For now let’s note that when we struggle or have crisis of the faith, we’re reminded in this authors book that proclaims Jesus Is Better, that Jesus’ nature is the fullness of God, that He is the exact representation of God, that Jesus’ bride the church is better, than ceremony or ritualistic worship, even IF we feel better with ritual - the truth of Jesus is better than our feelings. To follow our feelings is to follow after the wisdom of the great philosopher, Napoleon Dynamite, who said, follow your heart that’s what I say. God reveals in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart is deceitfully wicked and isn’t understandable. Church most of us eat 3 times a day, some of us more. That’s 21 meals a week. It’s a popular complaint to a pastor or of a pastor to say, I’m not being fed. Sounds high-order. I’m going to suggest to you that if you only came to church once a week to eat, even if we brought in a nutritionist and really planned the one meal a week - you’d die. Maybe spiritually some of you are dying because you’re eating once weekly - Church. That’s not enough. Don’t slog in the door on Sunday emaciated and exhausted having missed 20 meals, and hope to fix the damage in the next 22 minutes. You need the truth of God, His plan in Christ and constant pictures of His grace and sovereignty washing over you, daily. Maybe some of you feel like you’re dying. Church - maybe you need to step up to the dinner table at some of the other 20 meal times, pick up your fork, and do some work. The church isn’t to be the spoon feeding of your Christian walk the church gathered is a focal celebration, a distribution point of truth yes, but not truth’s only source, it simply cannot be - it isn’t enough. The church is the focal celebration and corporate hearing of the word. Maybe there is some element of your past that’s told you, you can only study on Sunday - maybe you need to be challenged. There are 24 hours a day - most of us need 6 hours of sleep to be fair a day - that leaves us awake for 18 hours. That’s 126 hours a week being awake. Here is now Neilson reports Americans watch Television: 2-11: 24 hours, 16 minutes. 12-17: 20 hours, 41 minutes. 18-24: 22 hours, 27 minutes. 25-34: 27 hours, 36 minutes. 35-49: 33 hours, 40 minutes. 50-64: 43 hours, 56 minutes. 65+: 50 hours, 34 minutes. Are you hearing from your Bible through me 45 minutes a week, and watching 20 hours plus of TV in that same week? Are you struggling to feel fulfilled in the Christian life? It’s easy to think it’s your church - but maybe it’s your pattern of living. Jesus is better, better than everything we thought we knew. Imagine as we let go of things we want to believe, and take direction from Scripture how our lives can change and how we can find real freedom. As we don’t give our time to idle things and spend time with God in His word. Try it. I’m not saying you have to give up your 20 hours a week of TV - gracious no. How else would you know Jack Pearson died #crockpotisinnocent But, what if you took time each morning or night (or get crazy and do both) to read this week. Maybe you’d find that God would give opportunities for growth because you had nutrition and not missed meals. Commit with me this week, to a daily meal, a daily reading. You don’t have to go nuts, and go overboard, but a daily meal. Perhaps someone reads a passage to the family at the dinner table - perhaps you pick a Psalm and read a verse a day, perhaps you start with Hebrews 1:4 and add a verse each day - and by next Sunday you’ll have read through verse 9. Church Jesus is better - and God takes us back to Jesus in the book of Hebrews as we’re challenged with our pre-conceptions and our temptations to go to other things for our joy and our satisfaction. As we’re tempted to blame even the church for our discontentment, God - brings us back to satisfaction in Christ. Maybe you haven’t placed all your fears, guilt’s, and struggles on Christ and your sins haven’t been crucified along with Christ - do that today. Your prayer is a simple admission of guilt before God and turning to Jesus, asking God will you forgive all my sin on Christ’s once perfect sacrifice then I’ll follow him, not my own understanding, but Him as Lord and live my life with you, in Him, led by your Spirit and be your child. Let’s be willing to be challenged by the book of Hebrews. Challenged by truth. Challenged by the many truths we’ll find in knowing: The fact of Jesus is better even than our good feelings. HEBREWS: The Truth of Jesus is Better Pastor John Weathersby Transcend Church 4 of 4 Sunday1/4/2018