Jesus Is Greater. What Are You Trusting Him With? | The Follow Up | Hebrews 1:1–4

Why would you leave Jesus when you can't do any better than who he is?

Welcome back to the follow-up, a new season.

Okay, so before we even launch in, of course, we preached the first message in Hebrews this week, but I we need to tell our audience, because maybe there's some new people who've joined Spring Like, what is the follow-up?

I'd love to hear from you guys.

What what would you say?

What's the purpose of the follow-up?

You don't know.

You're just I send you a calendar request you have to show up.

And you show up and you respond.

I thought there was lunch included.

I just showed us I don't smell food.

Uh follow-up for me, for us, I think, is two twofold.

Number one is cutting room floor stuff.

What didn't we get to cover that we would have loved to have been able to hit on on a Sunday?

We have limited time, and scripture is a lot deeper than we can hit in a short window, which is also part of why we shortened the portions of scripture we're covering on a given Sunday.

The second piece is because three different people are speaking at three different campuses, there may be some places where, as I've either listened or we've talked through the message, where we can connect the dots in the way we approach things.

So I hopefully that's a that's a takeaway and a win for our life groups as well as someone who may have listened to one campus to get a different perspective from the other campuses.

For sure, for sure.

Anything to add to that?

No, I think I think just the opportunity to engage in the context of uh of a of a series like this or a sermon, I think it just helps with the retention, helps connect the dots to to application and and gives the opportunity for us with the study that we've done to just bring more insight to it, which is which is fun to do.

Yeah, yeah, that's really cool.

So if you're just joining us or maybe you've been part of this, one of the cool things is we've we've noticed Spring Lakers have used the follow-up in different ways.

Sometimes it's uh I just wanted to hear more about this passage and I want to go deeper in it, and it's for my own personal, you know, discipleship and to understand things more, hear what the pastors think about it, not on stage, but like as they talk with each other.

Um we've had life group leaders say, like, I kind of use this to like help me prep for my my life group coming up.

Like I watched the follow-up and it gets me back in the passage.

So that's another way to use it.

Um you could put it on in the background um while you're cleaning the house.

I don't know.

I don't know.

There's all sorts of ways you can use it, but sleep.

Working out.

Working out, yeah.

But it is a good way for us to like dig a little bit deeper and then for us to get to to talk because something people don't know.

I get this question all the time, by the way, is that we actually all sit down before we actually preach, and we come up with the outline together, we pray, we read the scripture together, we discuss the scripture together, and then we come up with a joint outline.

And so the cool thing about it is like we're doing this, we do that on the front end, no one sees that, and then the back end we get to kind of like come back together.

So that's kind of cool.

So one new segment before I before we dig into this weekend, one new segment that we're going to have is we're gonna do a deep dive every single follow-up this season, where one of the pastors, one of the speaking pastors, goes a little bit deeper on one of the concepts that comes up in the passage.

And so we'll do that in a little bit, but before we get to that, let's talk about this weekend.

So Hebrews 1, 1 through 4, we're launching Hebrews.

Um can one of you share, or both of you share, or we could just talk about what why did we call it greater than?

Because we're in the beginning of a series and we called it that.

So why did like what was the thought process in bringing that about?

Yeah, I think it's pretty clear and as we get more into the book, um it's what the entire book's about.

Like Jesus is greater than really any option in any area you're looking for, you know, whether it be um angels or covenants or the temple, you know, or any type of leadership, like Jesus is greater than.

So to me, it was an it was an easy fallback theme as you look at the whole the book as a whole.

Yeah, yeah, so true.

And and so I think just what's framed throughout Hebrews, that's what we're seeing.

But then also how that plays out in the application that we have.

That's where it's gonna be very relevant as far as in the in the day-to-day, we're always facing choices, this or that, and we're wanting to know what is best for us, what is gonna be of most benefit.

And so, right off the bat, we're saying Jesus is greater than, and we're gonna see that how Hebrews is is really encouraging the believers then as far as what they were facing to hold on.

That what you have in Jesus is greater than anything else that you could consider pursuing, or the thought of even leaving Jesus.

It's like, why would you leave Jesus when you can't do any better than who he is?

Yes, yeah, that's a good point.

So, with that theme in mind, we had the first four verses.

What was it this week that maybe as you were preparing or even giving the message, you were like, oh man, this is the thing.

This is like, you know, I think there's all with preaching, there's always something where you're like, Yes, I love all of God's word.

Yeah.

But like this one thing is like, I was just really excited to share this, or something that affected you personally.

I liked so one of the learning things, it's one of those things where you when you start a book new, all the stuff you learned either back in college or the last time you taught on it or read it, like with a deep dive more than devotionally, you go, Oh yeah, that's right.

I had forgotten like all of the that first four verses introduction.

It's actually like one sentence in the Greek when it was written.

And I I kind of view it like in our modern day court when you have opening statements by lawyers.

You know, he is saying from the beginning, like he is stating his case, he's almost summarizing the book in one clear statement at the front end of the place and the authority and the power of Jesus.

So you can't go wrong when that's your springboard.

You know, like if it's not clear now, I mean I'm gonna make it more clear, but if it's not clear now, then then you need to pay better attention or or read better, because I think I think that's the clarity.

And the other piece for me, because I did a little different approach than what you guys did, was I I kind of who, what, when, where, why on the front end before going into the passage, and remembering like the temple was still around, their religious system was still around.

This is before the Romans went in.

And in even though Rome allowed for Jewish worship, did not, or Jewish practices did not allow for Christianity, they're about to flatten the temple and do away with pretty much everybody.

And for it, for us to be talking about that on the anniversary of the Twin Towers.

Oh, yeah, because it would have been as maybe even more devastating in Jerusalem, probably more devastating for the flattening of the temple and everything that it stood for in their relationship to God, their history, uh, everything God had done through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, all of that would have been just obliterated.

And to realize like what they were leaning into can can go away that fast, but Jesus doesn't.

You know, Twin Towers affected our our our finances and it was the economy center center of our country, and everyone in our country felt that.

They were about to relate to that, and yet Jesus is greater, he's not going anywhere when when our systems fall apart.

That's really good.

Yeah, yeah.

I think I think for me, you know, just looking at the background as far as why the author was writing this group and to understand what they were about to go through, like you're saying, the destruction of the temple, destruction of Jerusalem in that sense, and the the persecution that they were gonna go through, what he's encouraging them with, and then seeing these first four verses, it's just like he's he's laying out truth bombs.

Yeah, you know, where each one such small phrases and yet have such huge impact for the truth they convey and the impact for our lives.

So for me, I think there's that distinction in that Jesus is the originator, the creator of everything, that he's holding it together, and then where he just says after he made purifications for sin, he sat down.

Like, not only that he created and sustains, but that he makes it possible for us to have relationship with God, the significance of Jesus.

For me, in in my prep, just that personal aspect of worship that came into that, from you know, just seeing that and considering the context.

He's not just, you know, wishful thinking, floating some lofty things out there, but here's some things that really ground you and give you a foundation to hold on to when things get get tough.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's such a good point.

I I love that too, the focus on who Jesus is in this.

And it's it's not this like, oh, you know, he's he's this little thing over here.

It's like he's everything.

You know, like you see it right away in the first four verses of the entire book, you're like, okay, so but the thing is, if this is who Jesus is, then what does that mean for their situation?

And if it if it means that for their situation, what does that mean for us?

You know, because sometimes I think, um, I don't know if you guys ever like heard of this movie.

It was called Dogma, it was like a Kevin Smith movie.

Yeah.

Terrible movie, don't watch it.

It's awful, okay?

But before I was sanctified, I watched it when I was when I was a young man, okay?

And in that movie, they have like Buddy Jesus, and that's like a character.

Like they come out, like the church comes out with Buddy Jesus, and he's like your best friend, and he doesn't like he's just always there for you and everything.

And you see these little like figurines that people are putting everywhere of Jesus, and it's kind of like Buddy Jesus, you know?

And so like sometimes I think we get in our head that Jesus is is just like this invisible friend that I have, right?

And I think this just comes right out of the gate with being like this is this is who created the whole universe.

This is um the the royal language used, he sat down in next to God, his right hand in majesty in heaven.

Like, this is the one who provided purification for sin.

This is the one who's holding all things together in this very moment.

This isn't Buddy Jesus.

Yeah.

And so I really appreciated that part too.

Yeah.

It's so funny you say that, Bill, because um I mentioned in my sermon how in the last two weeks, well, two weeks ago today, uh we we introduced a grandson into our family.

Um, but for months leading up to that, our granddaughter, who's three, when when we would mention Wesley, um she couldn't comprehend that there was a baby like in mommy's tummy.

Yeah.

So she started making up like names of imaginary friends that she had and she would interact with because she was just kind of playing along, not understanding that who we had been referring to is actually there.

Right.

And I think for so many people, the same analogy is we talk about Jesus and he's kind of this imaginary guy.

He's he's not really out there or he's a good example or whatever, but here Hebrews is grounding it, the foundation.

No, this is who he actually is.

Yep.

He's not just some guy walking the countryside telling people how to live a good life.

He is the creator, the sustainer, the very means by which we can have a relationship with God and the the truth of that that hits home.

So from now until April, as a church, as people who are teaching this, if we can anchor our faith even more so.

Because I know what I'm facing right now and the things that I trust Jesus with and the things I need to do better at trusting Jesus with, if we can have Hebrews anchor us even more firmly in the faith of He's greater than.

And I appreciated in the bumper video, like even there's the textual side of a greater than and the practical life side of greater than.

And he's all that, you know.

And one of the fun, I'm gonna throw this out there because none of us talked about it.

But for me, on the textual criticism side, I just see this entry so so different than anything Paul did.

So I think for me, I kind of struggle with Paul as the author, and I know some leave it in the comments if you disagree.

Um, but I just see there's there's there's two words that are used nowhere else in the New Testament.

And Paul's language is kind of consistent in all of his letters, but Hebrews is different.

Hebrews is different in the launch.

He never talks about his apostolic authority, which he does throughout his you know his own writings, and then two words that he doesn't that aren't used anywhere else in the New Testament.

So for me, that was part of the fun of uh of digging into.

Yeah.

Yeah, no, that is good.

Actually, something that helped me that kind of building off that is realizing that later in the book, it he actually like talk the author talks about it as a word of exhortation.

And that leads a lot of people to believe that like the way you should read it is kind of like a sermon.

Yes.

Like instead of a like presentation.

Yeah, like Paul does this thing where he's like using logic often, you know, like he'll he'll state something, give you illustrations and examples and break it all down.

But in this, it's like it's an exhortation.

It's it's meant for you to be it's meant for you to directly receive it as a listener.

And so you can kind of read the book and think about the book as a sermon.

And it that kind of that framing unlocked it for me a little bit.

Like, okay, I'm I'm not just studying this as a text or like trying to break down the thought process.

That's important.

I'm listening to this as like somebody is exhorting me to do something, right?

You know?

Yeah.

So And that's I think that's a really good point, Bill, because that even plays into how we would read a letter today or an email uh from someone.

You're not reading it going, you know what, I'm just gonna read the first few lines and leave it at that.

First time you get a letter, especially when it's a romantic interest, where you're reading through the whole thing and you're soaking up everything, and then maybe after that there's certain parts that you really want to hit on a little bit further.

And so as we read God's word to get that context and to be reminded, man, this is this is talking to certain people in a specific space and time, and it has impact for us today, it has application, but for them in particular at that time, what did it mean?

What was the significance of that?

And that letter approach, I think, is so helpful.

I love that.

Okay, I want to do our very first deep dive.

Do it.

Um and then afterwards, I have another question for you guys to end the follow-up for this week.

Um, so be thinking about this.

I'm gonna ask you like if you had to tell a Spring Laker what they should do because of Hebrews 1, 1 through 4, what would it be?

So be thinking about that.

And but let's also focus in, we're gonna do a deep dive.

And what I wanted to do for our first deep dive, because it comes up in this passage, is to talk a little bit about God's revelation.

And when I say that, I I could see a lot of people, when I said that on Sunday, because I mentioned it, people were like thinking about the book of Revelation.

And I was like, no, not the book of Revelation.

Yes, that is a book of the Bible.

No, when we talk about God's revelation, what we're really talking about is how does God reveal himself to us, right?

And there's this key concept, and it's this that um without God deciding to reveal himself, we we couldn't know God, right?

It's kind of like if you thought about like somebody created a video game and it's like this whole immersive world, and there's a character in the video game, how would they know anything about the creator of the video game, the programmer?

They wouldn't, unless the programmer could like come and like say something to the in like, you know, it doesn't work perfectly, but it's kind of the idea that you're supposed to get, yes.

So um, I guess the first concept is this that like God has actually always been speaking to us.

Um He it starts right away in creation, right?

And so like you see in Psalms that the heavens declare the glory of God.

And so creation does say something to us about who God is.

That think about what it says.

It says that like maybe God is a God of like beauty, he's a God of order, he's a God um who is immense and powerful, but it doesn't tell us specifically who God is, it just maybe shares that there is a God, you know.

You go all the way back, you go all the way forward into Romans, and we realize that because um we do know there's a creator, and it's evident that we're actually culpable for knowing that.

Like we're we're actually like God expects us to know that there that God exists.

And but it that information is not enough to actually save us, though.

Okay.

So that's kind of like that that's like the first thing that creation reveals who God is, that he exists, that he's eternal, that he's powerful, but it can't reveal his pardon for us, it can't reveal his covenant with us, it can't reveal his saving grace for us, it can't reveal who what his name is, any of those things.

And so in our passage, it said that God spoke at many times and in various ways.

So, how does God speak in the Old Testament?

Well, we just talked about creation, but then right after creation, we have the patriarchs, right?

We did a whole series on that.

Go back and watch that series.

Um, but you have Abraham, Isaac, you know, like those guys before you get to Moses and Exodus, all of those guys, like that's who God is speaking with.

And we have that written down and we can read about that interaction.

You have like all of those things, and then you have Moses, which is, you know, God saying, I'm gonna speak directly through Moses and I'm and Aaron, and I'm going to, he like, how does he show up?

As a burning bush, right?

So now you're getting God revealed a little bit more, and so then you have the Exodus and you see God's power.

This is another way that God speaks.

He actually acts in human history, he splits the Red Sea, does the plagues, all those things.

And then when you get past that, he speaks through the prophets.

And a lot of times through the prophets, he's speaking directly to Israel.

Like he's, here's the message, Isaiah, that I need you to take.

Here's the message, you know, that I want you to share.

And the whole point is that that revelation of God is actually meant to be progressive.

So you're like moving in a human timeline, and God is slowly revealing himself more and more over time until we get to Jesus.

And so that's the idea like that we're supposed to be thinking about when you hear God spoke in many times and in various ways.

Like this is how he's done it.

He's done it with direct speech, he's done it with prophets, he's done it with dreams and visions, signs and wonders, all of these things.

And um when we get to Jesus in this passage, you're supposed to realize all of those ways that God was revealing himself is culminating in who Jesus is.

And he is the act it says that he's the exact representation of God's being.

Like he is God, he is the Son.

And so when Jesus does things like shows mercy, we actually see God's mercy in the gospels.

Like it's a it's God himself showing mercy, right?

When we see Jesus confront sin, that is God's holiness on display.

When we see Jesus die for us, that is God's display of sacrificial love for us, and that God is a God of love.

And so I wanted to connect those dots because I think you could read this passage that we read this week in the ways that God speaks, and you could think, well then do we really need like do we need the Old Testament?

Like we if we have Jesus now, do we need the Old Testament or the New Testament?

Do we need things written down if it all culminates in Him?

And the answer is obviously yes, we do need it, because it points us all towards Jesus.

It gives us context for who Jesus is.

But who do we run to when we need help with the sin that we're struggling with?

We don't run to our Bibles and hold our Bibles, right?

We don't run to um all of these other things.

We run to Jesus and because He's the culmination of all these things.

Okay, so that's the like little bit of a deep dive into Revelation.

What are your guys' thoughts on that?

Like anything to add or anything to Yeah, I think that's a good bill.

I and and to remind, I think for each of us to be reminded of when we want to hear from God, how we look to Jesus in that.

And so we wouldn't expect somebody to go out in the yard, start their bush on fire, and try to try to hear from God, or to try to go up a mountain to hear from God.

That um sometimes you hear people kind of kind of testing God, God, if you're real, you know, do this or make this happen or show me this.

Um, but ultimately he has revealed through Jesus.

I mean, there was a popular podcaster within the last couple of weeks who said he believes in God and he's Christ curious.

And so it is a matter of, well, to get to God, you you do have to go through Jesus.

That's that's the the way to go about it.

And so uh I think for each of us, the expectation then to to hear from God is we have to know Jesus, not our idea of who Jesus is, even that's grounded in.

Revelation, because that's where people can start getting off a little bit.

Well, I like to think of Jesus as just okay with my choices, or he always understands my choices.

So in going to Jesus, we're not saying go to your idea and just what you think Jesus is, but what does the Bible reveal him to be?

And if Jesus is God, therefore the characteristics of God, the attributes of God, what uh is passionate for God's heart is what we see in Jesus.

One and one and the same there.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's really good.

One of the readings this week was how all of the prophets and even the priests and kings gave us a snippet of the mind of God.

Jesus was the mind of God and the heart of God.

So kind of what you were saying, it's it's the bits and pieces that will get us to the whole.

So each prophet had a unique voice toward a unique topic at a unique time.

Jesus is the fulfillment of it all.

Yeah.

That's good.

And Jesus says, you know, I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but I've come to fulfill it.

And so he is the fulfillment of that.

And you know, sometimes I like to sit back and just think, like, we lived in s we live in such a privileged time in human history, don't we?

Yeah.

Like post-resurrection history is amazing because we get to know, we don't just get to hear bits and pieces putting it together for the Messiah that will come one day.

We get to know Jesus Himself.

We get to know God Himself, and that's a huge, huge privilege.

Yeah, and it's still the challenge of seeing in a mirror dimly, before seeing face to face.

Yeah.

So we know more than they did, but still less than we will.

Yeah.

You know, so I I that's an exciting time.

Yeah.

Well, I think too, even this passage, when we understand that, it helps us enjoy creation more.

I think so, yeah.

Because everything from whether you like astronomy or you are into plants or whatever it whatever it is around you, when you enjoy that, you can see that as, man, Jesus made that.

Yeah.

You're laughing.

Um I'm thinking birds are probably.

Well, you know, you could always take photos of birds.

You're a birder.

You're a bird.

If you wanted to, well, I don't consider myself for that, but I do take pictures of it.

I mean, I wasn't talking about Adam.

I mean, honestly, that's what I hear you.

I totally hear you.

I enjoy it.

When I when I take a snapshot and I can see the details of it, every detail, it's like, wow, God designed it.

I do not stand in awe of that.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, I had one just like yesterday.

It was a simple B with all this pollen on it, but I'm like, all these amazing details that God designed it to operate the way that it does, where for me that just becomes an act of worship, even in something as simple as that.

Yeah.

Amen.

That's awesome.

Okay, so Hebrews 1, 1 through 4.

If you were to give one takeaway, I I think if you listen to this message, you should do this.

What would it be?

I would say the big thing is consider do you have Jesus in his proper place?

You know, as it comes to the news stories of the week, you know, the anxiety level that you might have, it could be dependent on where you have where you have Jesus and whether or not he is in control of that.

So I think the big takeaway is do I have Jesus in the proper spot in my life, or has he taken second, third place, or is he not even on the on the radar?

Yeah.

Yeah, I so mine would be what would you do with this message?

Listen to the rest of the messages.

Because it is such a, like I said, it's the opening argument to a court case where we are going to show you where, why, and how Jesus is greater.

I've been kind of uh reliving in in my personal quiet times, just Hebrews, over and over and over.

And each time you kind of take a deep dive in a different way.

And um there's something faith-building about understanding who Jesus is, no matter what you're facing.

And man, especially with the spirituality that's in our world and in our country right now, um and all over social media and and YouTube, like, man, when you get a hold of who Jesus is in light of these other things, it the world may be inside of a box, and our spirituality is in the function of the universe.

Open the lid of the box, you're gonna see that Jesus far outshines and uh uh overpowers anything that you've got inside that box.

So that's why I'd say the rest of the series I think is gonna spell out what we've just touched, you know, the tip of the iceberg on.

Yeah.

I would go like really practical and and I if you were downtown this weekend and we're part of the message, you heard this.

But um if this is all true about Jesus in these first four verses, like if he is really like heir of all things, he has created all things, he is sitting down at the right hand of God, he is holding all things in existence, he is By His powerful word.

Right, by his powerful word.

He has provided purifications for we can keep going, right?

Like, if Jesus truly is all those things, what is the one thing this week that I need to trust him with?

Because I think sometimes we self-limit.

Like, well, God can't help me with that, or or like I yeah, I love Jesus, but I'm doing life on my own sort of mentality.

But if it's true that Jesus is all of those things, there's no sin, there's no brokenness, there's no addiction, there's no nothing that you can't bring to him.

Right.

And so, like, it's a matter of you deciding, will I bring this to Jesus?

And will I bring it to him consistently, and will I bring it to him in faith of who he is.

That's so good.

And so, yeah, that's that's my one thing is like run to Jesus, you know.

Like, I think that's what this passage is saying.

So I think that's what the book is gonna be saying.

Yeah, go ahead, Sarah.

Well, and and in that where you see Jesus is not compartmentalized.

Like if he has created everything, sustains everything, made it possible for everything that's broken to be redeemed, he's not compartmentalized into just a separate box, and then you have all the creation because he's over all of that.

So if he's not compartmentalized, what are we compartmentalizing him to?

Like separating our life.

Well, there's there's this in my life, and my health, and my job, and family, and stress and finances, all these other things.

And then there's Jesus.

Right.

It's like, wait, Jesus is over all of it.

Yeah, and in all of it.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's really good.

Well, thanks so much for joining us for the follow-up.

Thanks, guys.

It's it's a dangerous game, really.

Every Monday, it's like you get three pastors sitting around the table who've studied this passage.

You don't know what you're gonna get.

You might just go forever.

So we probably went long today, but I don't care.

Um, but we want to thank you so much for joining the follow-up.

And of course, like every season, we'd love for you to share this with people, especially share it with other Spring Lakers because that's who's gonna benefit the most.

But you can share it widely.

Leave a comment on our YouTube page, we would love that.

And like the video, right?

I think you I think it's like a rule.

I like it.

Yeah, and I think it's a rule that if you have something on YouTube, you have to say all those things.

Okay.

So but otherwise, we'll catch you guys next week.