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Sermon Details
- Pastor Name: Jonathan Cornell
- Date & Time: February 14, 2016 | 10:00am
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SERMON SERIES:
Jesus is Greater Than, Therefore
This morning, we begin a new series of messages that will take us through the next forty days and up to Easter. We will, in an even more direct way, reflect on who Jesus is and what he came to do. And to do this, we will read and reflect upon the book of Hebrews.
Now for this series, not only have we given this series a title—which I particularly like—but we even have symbols that describe the theme of our time together. I’ve asked Kari to create a graphic for us, which as usual she did a superb job. Each week, we will identify what Jesus is greater than, AND therefore, what that means for our lives.
Reading the book of Hebrews offers a unique challenge. We don’t know who the author of Hebrews was. Unlike other letters of the New Testament, the author isn’t named in the opening greeting. What becomes immediately clear, though, as we read is how deeply rooted in Old Testament tradition and theology the author is. Drawing numerous comparisons between the Patriarchs and Priests from the Old Testament, and Jesus of Nazareth, the author is constantly reminding us that Jesus is Greater than… Jesus is a more perfect…Jesus is the great high… In the book of Hebrews, Jesus is placed in such a high regard that scholars have called the Christology (the theology of Christ) of Hebrews “nose-bleed Christology.” Christ is so high and lofty, in the mind of the author, that we’re likely to get a nosebleed when we read Hebrews together.
So turn to your neighbor and ask, “Did you bring tissues?” Throughout this Lenten series, Hebrews is going to take us up into the stratosphere of the holiness and greatness of God. More importantly, though, Hebrews is going to draw us closer to gracious offering of the Messiah.
This morning, I want to begin by asking us to reflect briefly on priorities. Think about the equation of your life, each one of us has that greater symbol between us and the stuff of our lives. What direction is it facing? What’s on the left side of the equation? Is that equation flip flopped for you, are there things that are more important, greater than Jesus in your life? Instead of giving something up for Lent, I want to invite you to consider the way in which you might ask God to help you reorder that equation.
Download the entire transcript here: Hebrews 1 1-4 Jesus is the Greatest
Download the study guide here: Jesus is the Greatest SG
