Current SERIES NEW TESTAMENT LETTER of HEBREWS SURPRISE

Current SERIES: NEW TESTAMENT LETTER of HEBREWS

SURPRISE! TODAY – TALK ABOUT, HOPEFULLY ENCOUNTER JESUS! -as did the writer of Hebrews

HEBREWS DESCRIBES JESUS MANY WAYS: (1) • Kevin last week: o. Jesus - Reason for a PASSIONATE RESPONSE to GOD o. Jesus- Source of God’s Gift of Active, Now and Not Yet, Peaceful REST • Renee two weeks ago: o. Source of God’s Gift of COMMUNITY SUPPORT/God’s Family o The Source of God’s Gift of HOLY SPIRIT Guidance and Empowerment (Our Helper)

HEBREWS 3: 1 -5 -- Today’s assigned Text DESCRIBES JESUS AS – God’s Faithful One: (2) Therefore, brothers and sisters who are partners in the heavenly calling, think about Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. 2 Jesus was faithful to the one who appointed him just like Moses was faithful in God’s house. 3 But Jesus deserves greater glory than Moses in the same way that the builder of the house deserves more honor than the house itself…. 6 But Jesus was faithful over God’s house as a Son. We are his house if we hold on to the confidence and the pride that our hope gives us.

FAITHFUL? Some of how HEBREWS 1 has already DESCRIBED JESUS: (3) • “God speaking to us through a Son” • “Heir of everything” that belongs to God • “God’s light” for us • “Exact Imprint of God’s Being” = fulfills “image of God” • “Greater than the Angels” • “On God’s Throne” – “Sitting at God’s Right Hand” • Source of God’s future “Justice” on earth

FAITHFUL? HEBREWS 2 HAS DESCRIBED JESUS AS: (4) • “Crowned with glory and honor”- God always intended for humans – Psalm 8 • God’s message needing to be heeded • Reason for God’s gifts of Holy Spirit empowering • “tasted death” for every human by God’s grace • “not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters”

FAITHFUL? HEBREWS 2 HAS DESCRIBED JESUS AS: (5) • shares “the same Father with the rest of us” • “experienced human suffering” “tempted” – just like us • the one “leading us to God’s salvation and glory” • “like us” – “his brothers and sisters” (family) • “sets us free – from fear of death”

JESUS – many other Descriptors to come in Hebrews I pray that I, you, we will hear and take them to heart!

One further description of Jesus’ Faithfulness – often ignored Hebrews 2: 10; 5: 8 -9; 7: 22 -28 and 12: 2 – “made perfect/complete by God” (1) • 2: 10 It was appropriate for God, for whom and through whom everything exists, to use experiences of suffering to make perfect (Gr. teleioo = complete) the pioneer of salvation. This salvation belongs to many sons and daughters whom he’s leading to glory. -Jesus is experienced at living in our tough world -Jesus is the first human God has been able to “complete/perfect” living in this broken world. -He is God’s, and our, “Pioneer/Trailblazer” of God’s salvation

One further description of Jesus’ Faithfulness – often ignored - in Hebrews 5: 8 -9; 7: 22 -28 and 12: 2 – “made perfect/complete by God” (2) 5: 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. 9 After he had been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him. -God made Jesus the first completed/perfected human through Jesus’ faithful learning of obedience in a tough and broken world -that is why Jesus is God’s source of salvation if we obey— learn faithfulness

One further description of Jesus’ Faithfulness – often ignored in Hebrews 2: 10; 5: 8 -9; 7: 22 -28 and 12: 2 – “made perfect/complete by God” (3) 7: 22 As a result, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant…. 26 It’s appropriate for us to have this kind of high priest: holy, innocent, incorrupt, separate from sinners, and raised high above the heavens…. 28 …(God’s) solemn pledge, which came after the Law, appointed a Son who has been made perfect forever. - In completing/perfecting Jesus, God has a Son who can serve as o God’s guarantee – covenant with us o High Priest – mediating between the rest of us and God o The first human – “made complete forever” by God

One further description of Jesus’ Faithfulness – often ignored - Hebrews 2: 10; 5: 8 -9; 7: 22 -28 and 12: 2 -the trailblazer and perfecter of faithfulness (4) 12 2 …and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter (completer). He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. -God was able to “complete/perfect” Jesus because Jesus’ faithfully completed human life trusting God has a future for human hopes and human potential beyond this broken age!

This writer believed: • FAITHFUL JESUS – is God’s first fully glorified, fully honored, completed human • FAITHFUL JESUS – then became God’s guarantee that there is a way to this goal for us as well

An Insight for me from OUR SMALL GROUP LAST WEDNESDAY • Read these things in the Bible – “Isn’t that interesting!” • Sometime later again – “Isn’t that interesting!”

An Insight for me from OUR SMALL GROUP LAST WEDNESDAY • The Day it becomes “God’s Revelation” to me – “God’s Word” – a passionate response! • “Oh, you mean it’s not just interesting - I am supposed to ‘be like that’, ‘become like that, ’ ‘act like that, ’ ‘trust like that, ’ ‘think-pray-behave like that is reality? ’” • To be continued next week

TODAY: not just “interesting” - though it is interesting as well • LET’S PRACTICE IF THIS IS REALITY, NOT JUST AN INTERESTING IDEA • DRAW NEAR TO JESUS now, • or, consider the possibility -

TODAY: God Appointed the Faithful Jesus as God’s First Completed Human to be… (1) o. Our Merciful High-Priest – Mediator – our sympathizer and security as sinners who do not live up to our potential o. Our Model for Real Humanness – our challenge o. How can I/we be more like Jesus, and do more of what he did? – our question

TODAY: God Appointed the Faithful Jesus as God’s First Completed Human to be… (2) o. Our Guarantee that God will hang in there with us (our covenant) o. Our hope that we too can be completed as fully human (our future) o. Our Brother – who is not ashamed to call us “sisters” and “brothers” (our family - the household of God)

JESUS INVITES YOU TO MEET HIM AT GOD’S OPEN TABLE