Hebrews (Page 3)
Superior To Angels
“In Defense of Being Average”, Mark Manson encourages his readers to accept that they won’t be extraordinary at most things they do, if anything. He writes: “There are over 7.2 billion people on this planet, and really only about 1,000 of those have major worldwide influence at any given time. That leaves the other 7,199,999,000 +/- of us to come to terms with the limited scope of our lives and the fact that the vast majority of what we do…
The Atonement and Enthronement Of The Son
In his book, Rejoice and Tremble, Michael Reeves makes the following insightful comment: When people, through misunderstanding, become simply afraid of God, they will never entrust themselves to him but must turn elsewhere for their security. In fact, it is when people have this confused fear of God that they turn to other gods. Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble One of the primary benefits of reading God’s Word and sitting under its preaching is that we might gain a sense of security.…
He Upholds The Universe
What is the area of your life that you feel you MUST control? How devastated are you when things don’t go according to your plan? Parents feel this pressure to protect every aspect of the life of their children to the point that their lives literally revolve around them. Fathers feel the the need to provide for their families to the point that their lives revolve around work. Single men and women get so preoccupied with finding a spouse that…
The Exact Imprint Of His Nature
C.S. Lewis has a famous argument called the Trilemma in Mere Christianity that prepares us for this morning’s sermon. Roman Catholic philosopher, Peter Kreeft, calls Lewis’ Trilemma “the most important argument in Christian apologetics.” US President, Ronald Reagan, used the argument in reply to a Methodist minister who didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God (I use the term ‘minister’ loosely). “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m…
The Radiance Of Glory
Every once in awhile I get a little controversial from the pulpit. I know there are some differences among us on very weighty issues, but please hear me out. I think we can all agree that music peaked in the eighties. And the only genre that really mattered in the eighties was soft rock. But narrowing down a favorite soft rock song is where it gets challenging. “The Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera has to be in the running.…
The Heir And Agent Of Creation
You’ve likely heard about the Marshmallow Test. Young children were given a giant marshmallow to eat, but if they were willing to wait for an unspecified amount of time, they would receive an additional marshmallow. Most of the children could not do it, but the few who did were creative at distracting themselves from looking at the prize. This example is often used to illustrate the value of delayed gratification. Most of us are willing to forfeit the best things…
God Had Spoken By His Son
Athanasius: Constantine Augustus and his sons wrote letters to St. Anthony seeking divine wisdom. Anthony told his disciples: “Do not be astonished if an emperor writes to us, for he is a man. Wonder rather that God wrote the law for man and has spoken to us through his own Son.” The first coming of Jesus was the climax of redemptive history and his second coming marks its culmination. This hybrid sermon-letter opens with a comparison between Christ and the…
God Spoke By The Prophets
Hellen Keller lost her ability to see and hear at 19 months (scarlet fever?). She learned about 50 signs in order to communicate with her family. When she was six-years-old, the family hired a visually impaired instructor named Anne Sullivan. The first thing she taught her was how to spell words. She gave her a doll spelling “d-o-l-l” into the palm of Keller’s hand. Keller didn’t realize that a different word was used to identify each object. After a month…
Jesus Is Greater Than….Part 2
We’re considering two things: 1. The Author 2. The Audience Why does this matter? They will have a significant impact upon our interpretation (hermeneutics). • Historical-Grammatical: Treats the Bible as God’s Word and understands that it conveys objective truth. Seeks to understand the original intent of the author. • Historical-Critical (Higher Criticism): Treats the Bible like any other text assuming no possibility of miraculous activity. Seeks to understand the author’s intended meaning. • Reader-Response: The Bible conveys subjective truth to…
Jesus Is Greater Than….
Jesus Is Greater Than… (Hebrews) It is anathema to compare two cultures and declare one to be superior. Cultural relativists will accuse you of ethnocentrism before you can finish your sentence. The author of Hebrews, himself a Jew, unashamedly argues that Jesus is greater than every prophet, priest, and king who came before him. He points to the supremacy of Christ over everyone and everything belonging to the old covenant. 1. Jesus > Prophets 2. Jesus > Angels 3. Jesus…