Jesus Christ Today

Tonight, we're going to begin studying the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a masterful document written to the Jews who were evaluating Jesus or struggling with this new faith. The message of Hebrews is that Jesus is better, Christianity is superior, Christ is supreme and completely sufficient for salvation. This book begins by emphasizing that the old (Judaism) and the new (Christianity) are both religions revealed by God (1:1-3). The writer of Hebrews identified Christ as the following:

Christ is Superior because Jesus alone can forgive your sins. He has secured your forgiveness and salvation by his death on the cross. There are no alternative or substitute. If you're struggling to find peace through material things, you will never find them. Only Jesus can because He is the Superior One.

Christ is the High Priest. He guarantees our access to God the Father (John 14:6). He intercedes for us so we ca boldly come to the Father with our needs. When we are weak, we can come with confidence to God for forgiveness and ask for His help.

Christ is the Sacrifice. He removed our sins, which barred us from God's loving presence and fellowship. We must accept Jesus' sacrifice for us by believing in Him, repenting and confessing our sins, be baptized to wash our sins away and live a Christ-like life. So many so-called "religious people" say they love God but continue to sin intentionally. We struggle with sin but His sacrifice clears the way for us to have eternal life.

Christ the Maturity. It takes time to process our lives toward spiritual maturity. Some of us spurt on fast! Some of us extremely slow because we do not understand things of God. Daily commitment and service produces maturity. You and I know if we do not, daily, seek God, we slow the process of maturity. If we do not seek His favor in class, worship and fellowship, how can one grow. It is similar to our body and food. When we stop eating, our bodies wither and dies. When we stop drinking fluid, the inside portions of the bodies dehydrate and shuts down the functions of each parts. When we do not seek God in His Word, we're dying spiritually. When we are mature in our faith, we are not easily swayed or shaken by temptation or worldly concern.

Christ the Author of Faith. If you trust in Jesus Christ for your complete salvation, He will transform you completely. A life of obedience and complete trust is pleasing to God.

Christ the Endurance. You can have victory in your trials if you don't give up or turn your back on Christ. Stay true to Christ and pray for endurance.

Whatever you're considering as the focus of life, Christ is better. He is the perfect revelation of God, the final and complete sacrifice for sin, the compassionate and understanding mediator, and the only way to eternal life. Read Hebrews and begin to see history and life from God's perspective. Then give yourselves completely to Christ. Don't settle for anything less.