Jesus Is Better Than All of These Things
First B Jackson
2025-12-28

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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We're halfway through. We've got we've got six of em under our belt. We got six more to go. I considered it this morning but I wanted to end on a a new covenant Sunday, right? The prophets are looking forward to all of their old covenant guys who are looking forward to the new covenant in Jesus and so I thought what better book to go to than Hebrews.

Hebrews is a it it hasn't the argument in Hebrews at least is that Jesus is better than and so Jesus is better than as the argument and it is in the first few or the first 12 chapters we see that Jesus is better than the prophets. Hey, that's good. That's why we chose it this morning, right? Jesus is better than the prophets. He's better than angels.

He's better than Moses and the law. He's better than Aaron's priesthood. He's better than old covenant sacrifices. He's better than the old covenant and better than those sacrifices. Jesus's blood offers that once for all, perfect atonement, making the old system of the repeated sacrifices obsolete and inferior, just a shadow of things to come that came in Jesus and Jesus is better than the law and all of the traditions associated.

So, we're going to Hebrews and all of that has been said throughout the first few chapters. We've already heard in Hebrews the Hall of Faith and we've already gotten the practicality of 12 before we get to this. Really good, really practical advice from Hebrews 13. I'll read this first and try not to preach through the whole passage but I'm really going to concentrate effort on nine through 16. So, Hebrews thirteen one through 16 today but I'm going to read this first and then I'll preach through nine through 16.

So, practical advice. After you've heard Jesus man, Jesus is better than all of these things. Jesus is what, this is the way that God has called you into his kingdom of glorious light by the light. Jesus, man. Practical advice is, alright.

Now that you've been called out of your various tribes, now that you've been called out of your various interpretations, Jesus is better than all this. Now, let love of the brothers and sisters continue. Don't matter what their background was. We've been all called out of our affiliations and into this overarching affiliation with Christ. So, let love of the brothers and sisters continue.

It's a given that it's happening at the beginning of this chapter which is really helpful. Y'all love one another. Okay. How are they going to know that we're Christians? By our love.

So, y'all let love of the brothers and sisters continue. Don't neglect to show hospitality to strangers and outsiders. For by this, some of y'all have entertained angels without even knowing it. Now, I mention every time I mention angels over the Christmas season, I say, angels are messengers. Angels are those who carry a message and sometimes, when you open yourself up, when you open up your table for table fellowship or you open up your home for hospitality and you invite people in, you might end up receiving the message from those angels, those messengers and you might not even expect it.

You're trying to do your best to help them. I think that the angel tree is that way. Like, we think what we're doing but man, what a blessing it is to be a part of what's going on. Don't neglect to show hospitality, openness to strangers. For by this, some have entertained angels without even knowing it.

Remember, the prisoners. Remember prisoners as though you're in prison with them and those who are ill treated, since you yourselves are also in this one body, we know that we have brothers and sisters who are being persecuted in other parts of the world. Now, we are not. I don't feel like we are. We're not but there are places in the world where Christianity is is really under persecution and that's true and we should be praying for them and it should cause us some concern and it should make our hearts ache but we pray for them because God does provide and he will provide.

We pray for them that they'd be strengthen in the midst of it. On a local level and on the worldwide level. Locally, Jeff, Jeff Brown has just started going to the jail here and on a fairly regular basis, he'll be there and he'll be ministering to the people there for whatever it is that they need spiritually speaking, whatever he can help with their needs otherwise and he's going to be there unified with them. If they don't know the gospel, he's going to share the gospel. If they do know the gospel, he's going there to encourage them to hold on to the faith, right?

So, Jeff has started that. If you want to be a part of that jail ministry, talk to him. I'm sure he'd love to have help. So, as though you're in prison with him, since you're in the same body, marriage. Marriage is to be held in honor among all.

Prioritize marriage. Marriage is to be held in honor among all and the marriage bed is to be undefiled. For fornicators and adulterers, God will judge. He's saying, don't let the way of the world influence your way, brothers and sisters. Marriage is to be prioritized and upheld.

It's a it's a good thing. So, make sure that your character is free from the love of money. How are doing on that, Jackson? So, make sure that your character is free from the love of money. Don't be greedy.

Be content with whatever it is that you have. That immediately makes me think of Paul's letter where he says, listen, I've learned how to be content whatever my circumstances. Whether I'm in plenty or I'm in want. Acknowledging that there are times when we're in need, right? He says, but I've learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

I'm thankful for whatever God has given me. He allows me breath in my lungs to be able to carry forth his good news and to be able to keep on going. So, be content with whatever you have and he gives a justification for that for he himself has said, I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you. I read a sermon on this passage that I'll never leave you nor forsake you passage and in Greek, they don't mind a double negative, okay? So, in English, if we say, ain't no way I'm doing that, you know, ain't no, that's that's a double negative and it just makes people bristle, right?

Grammarians don't like that at all. Double negatives, we feel if it's two negatives, then it negates the other and it means a positive. Wait a minute. In Greek, the more negatives, the better, the more you mean it and when Jesus says, I'll never leave you nor forsake you, it's a quintuple negative, okay? Ain't no way never, no, not never.

Okay, it's maybe I did sextuple right there but it's five times in that sentence. It's it's saying, I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to forsake you. I'm with you always. So, we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper.

I'm not going to be afraid. What will man do to me, right? This passage, the Lord is my helper. I'll not be afraid. I think of ordination ceremonies and I think we're heading towards one soon but an ordination ceremony when I was ordained, one of the things that the people did, they grilled me pretty good at a little presbytery session and they asked me a bunch of questions before time and when they decided to lay hands on and ordain me, what they ask were a bunch of questions that you endeavor to serve the Lord for the rest of your life come what may blah blah blah and the proper response to that instead of yes is as the Lord is my helper.

Yes. Right? Because the Lord is my helper, I can confidently say yes to that. I'm not going to be afraid. What's man going to do to me?

Remember, those who led you, it's kind of neat at the end of the year to look back and go, okay, there's been a lot of change in our church in this past year with Carl leaving, having somebody voted in, having somebody brought in, having new blood in here. Remember those who led you. Remember the ones who spoke the word of God to you and considering the result of their conduct, be imitating their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

And then it starts the passage I want to preach. Don't be carried away. Do not be carried away. Don't be carried away by what? Don't be carried away by varied and strange teachings.

My goal up here is always to just say what it says. We're doing it somewhat systematically, chronologically, whatever. We're trying to go verse by verse, paragraph by paragraph usually. And I try not to get into, okay, this is what the Southern Baptists believe about this. This is what the American Baptists believe about this.

This is not what the Methodists think. This is not Catholic, Protestant. What I try to say is just what it says. Give the context, Old Testament context, New Testament context, the political system of the time so that you can hear what the message of what it's actually saying. It's not a dispensational or reformed or whatever covenantal view.

Not that those are necessarily bad things, but why don't we just pay attention to what it says? Right? So don't be carried away by varied and strange teachings. The last time I presented from this passage from Hebrews was the week before we were all flattening the curve in 2020. Okay.

Don't be carried away by various and strange teachings. Would you say that was a time where there were some varied and strange teachings? Lord, have mercy. I mean it. Yeah, various of different colors and stripes of different diverse properly of various kinds, manifold.

There was a full spectrum of understanding and belief about what was going on during that time and the word of God did not change but we saw a segment of society only paying attention to what this said and we saw another segment was only paying attention to what this said and the truth is in the whole council of God's word, there's a lot of wisdom and let's just stay right there. Let's unify instead of diversify. Alien, new, novel, strange, foreign, outside influence. So that's don't be carried away by varied and strange teachings. Now, this is a warning.

It's obvious. At the end of this year, looking forward to the next year, I think it's appropriate to look back and say, what do we need to be looking out for? Be looking out for varied and strange teachings. You're going to hear all kinds of nonsense but is this unusual in the New Testament? Are there other similar warnings in the New Testament?

There are warnings, okay? So, are there other similar warnings? Can you think of any? I have a list. How about I read the list?

And there are a lot more than this but these are just the ones that I thought sounded appropriate with the context of this and there are a lot of em. Would you just get ready for a scripture bath? I'm going to just pour it on you. Matthew from the lips of Jesus. Matthew 24.

See to it that no one misleads you for many will come in my name claiming, I am the Christ and they will deceive many. I am the Christ. When he says Christ, that is the Greek word Christos that is translating the Hebrew word Meshiach which is Messiah. I am the Messiah. Really, in context, what Messiah means, what Christ means is I am the anointed one.

Many are gonna come saying, I'm the only one that can solve this problem. And they will deceive many. Don't go for it. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face.

Follow after him and his way. That'll be good for you. Acts 20, I know that after my departure, this is Paul. I know that after I leave, savage wolves are going to come in here among you and they're not going to spare the flock. Even from your own number, folks will rise up and they'll distort the truth and they will attempt to draw away disciples after them.

Don't go for it. Romans 16, end of the letter. It's funny how awesome often comes up after all the theological underpinning and the application and then we get these warnings. Now, I urge you brothers and sisters, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances that are contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. Pay attention so that you can turn away from them.

That's not gospel I'm turning away from it. Second Corinthians 11. Why? This is I hear Paul's voice. Why?

Why? Because I don't love you. No. God knows I love you. But what I'm doing, I'm going to continue to do so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the manner about which they're both we're they are boasting.

For such men are false apostles. They exist. People have taken it on themselves to go out and deceive. They're deceitful workers. They disguise themselves as apostles sent out ones for Christ but no wonder because even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Therefore, it's not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness whose end will be according to their deeds. Not everybody that says that they're Christian or Christian. That's true but you, you pay attention to Christ. Turn your eyes on Jesus. Maybe I just say it like this, Jesus, man, right?

Jesus, man. That's it. That's one of my best friends. His testimony is that for the first few months, after Jesus had gotten a hold of his life, it changed the way he thought it, changed the way he acted, it changed the way he interacted with people, and a lot of times through tears, people say, man, you're different. What's the deal with you?

And he just say, Jesus, man. And I love that. That's the point of this message. Jesus is better than all of these other things. Here we go.

Back to this. Galatians one. Paul says, after he calls him foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? I'm amazed that you're so quickly deserting Jesus who called you by the grace of the anointed one for a different gospel. You're going back to the law instead of trusting in the grace of Christ.

It's really not another gospel. Only there are some of you of who are disturbing you and they want to distort the gospel of Christ. They want you to do these things in a certain way and you have to do everything just so in order to be saved. Paul says, but even if we, me, Timothy, even if we or any angel that you see from heaven comes down and preaches a gospel, contrary to that which which preached to you freely, freely, grace of God, that one is to be accursed. Just as we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you receive, he is to be cut off, a curse, anathema.

Outside, that is somebody that's stirring up trouble. The good old gospel way, it is about Jesus. Ephesians, as a result, we are no longer to be like children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine and by the trickery of men, by craftiness and deceitful scheming. Let no one deceive you with empty words. It's because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Therefore, don't be partakers with them. You will have voices on both sides. So, we've got a legalistic bitch. We've talked about this a lot. There's legalism that says, you must do these religious things in this order, in this way in order to be saved.

Good Christians act like this only. This is the way they are. If they don't act like us, exactly like us, then they're not here. They're not Christians and then we've got the folks over here. So, man, you know, I got all the liberty in Christ.

Do whatever I please. He made me with these desires. I'm just going to go for em. That's libertine, licentiousness. That's not the gospel.

The gospel is a gospel of grace. He forgives both of those and brings you into a place dependent upon his grace. Colossians, I say this so no one will delude you with a persuasive argument. I told this story in the first service and I I didn't plan to but I'm going tell it again in this one. So, when I first came out here as as an intern, Roseanne's Bible study that's been going on forever up at the senior center was being handled by Jean DeMarsh and Jean called me and probably her upper 80s and she's leading this service and there are bunch of little ladies in this Bible study.

Asked her, she said, would you come to that? There's this guy who keeps keeps on kind of upsetting things. He keeps on saying stuff that's not true and it's not based on anything. He argues against the Bible and he argues against stuff and he keeps on doing until all the little ladies in the room are just not in agreement with him and it breaks my heart and can you come and just see what you can do to help? And I said, well, she said, I don't have the I don't have the biblical like understanding to to negate what he's saying.

So, would you come in? I said, sure and I went and sat in a little old lady's Bible study when I was 40, man, you know, and the guy that was coming in was a man and he came in and when it would start, he'd wait for the scripture to be read and then he would start blasting the authority of scripture, the inerrancy of scripture. He would question everything that was said and he keep on talking and I saw what she was saying. He'd start and I'd say, hold on just a second. Hey, wait just a second and talked about the history.

That's not quite so and blocked him a couple of different ways gently, I thought and then, he was getting a little more and more testy and mad if that somebody was questioning him at all and I finally kind of said, hey, sir, this is a Bible study. Everybody in the room except for you believes that this is true. We're hanging on the word of God as if it's the very words of God because we believe that it is, and you're here just to throw shade on it and negate that time after time? I said, this is not really the place for that. You're welcome to speak up, but when you're trying to take the word of God and trash it, that's we're not gonna stand for that.

And he goes, if you'd let me just say my peace for five minutes, I'd get out of here and I'd never come back. I said, you have the floor. And he spoke for a little more than five minutes. He pointed his finger in my face and said, I apologize for people like you. Those who believe the gospel is exclusive to only Christians and only this and only that.

I said, listen, sir. I let him speak but God is communicating a way that all may be saved. He has an open invitation for anybody who would accept. The exclusivity comes by the will of the person that has presented with the gospel. And so, he did say his peace, dragged his oxygen tank, and left.

And he didn't come back. And so when I was up for being the next guy here, the board that was on at the time receiving letters from people, Jean DeMarsh wrote a letter that said, I saw him bounce somebody from a Bible study. Yeah. See So, to it that nobody deludes you with a persuasive argument. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy or empty deception according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of this world.

The one that I see as an elementary principle of this world, at least our world, is the capacity that we have for choosing sides. We almost always if you're betting on which bird's going to fly off a fence first, people will split into two different teams. The elementary principles of this world are deceptive. Christ is not. He's calling us into a unity.

He's calling us into oneness. Second Thessalonians two, I got to write on this one this for first being the Bible this week. That y'all not be quickly shaken from your composure. This is what I'm praying. That y'all not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, small s, or a message or a letter as if it was from us that is to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come.

Let no one in any way deceive or upset you. If you put your faith in Christ, you won't miss the last day. Okay? You don't have to figure out the Bible code to be figuring out that Jesus loves and he's calling us into the kingdom by his grace. First Timothy four.

But the spirit explicitly says that in later times, some will fall away from the faith. Don't be surprised by that. Paying attention to deceitful spirits and the doctrines of demons by means of the hypocrisy of liars who are seared in their own conscious as with a brand in our. Men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods. Those are strange and various doctrines.

Okay? They abstain from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. Don't be dragged aside by that. He goes on in first Timothy six. If anyone advocates a different doctrine than the gospel and does not agree with these sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, that person is conceded and understands nothing.

But he has a morbid interest in controversial questions. Do you know anybody that has morbid interest in controversial questions? There are a lot of folks. And they dispute about words, out of which arise envy and strife and abusive language and evil suspicions and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth. I think so often of the turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will go strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Leave all that other stuff behind. Everything that the world is arguing about is really answered in Christ and following after him. Those who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. He says elsewhere, yeah, there are folks who preach the gospel for the wrong reasons.

Ah, whatever. Oh, Timothy. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, the gospel. Avoiding worldly and empty chatter and opposing arguments and what is falsely called knowledge. You can figure out all kinds of different theological persuasions and you can argue them tooth and nail but ultimately, that is not the gospel.

Beloved, don't believe every spirit. Test the spirits to see whether they're from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Jude, beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I did feel the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For there are certain persons that crept in unnoticed. Those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny only deny our only master and Lord Jesus Christ.

A lot of these seem to be aimed at the legalistic ditch because I think that as Christians, as religious people, we tend to go for this ditch but this one's explicitly is aimed at this ditch, right? There are people that say, oh, it just doesn't matter. The grace of God covers it all. Why don't I just send more so that grace may abound? No.

It's for this ditch too, the gospel. These are men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts. When they feast with you without fear, carrying only for themselves, they're clouds without water, they're carried along by winds, they're autumn trees without fruit, they're doubly dead, they're uprooted. These are the folks he's talking about. The people who would delude you into thinking that, hey man, if it feels right, do it.

Or no, you must do it exactly this way. Both of those are covered by this. So, are there similar writings in the New Testament? We've only made it through half of one verse. The rest of it's pretty fast.

Yes. Yes. Yes. There are warnings throughout scripture that say, stick with the gospel. It's Jesus, man.

So here we go back to Hebrews. Do not be carried away by buried and strange teachings for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace. Amen. Grace is central. God's grace must be central.

If it's about religiosity, it's not grace. Okay? God's grace must be central. It's not foods, eating them in this perfect way through which those who were so occupied, they weren't benefited by doing that thing in the proper way, the way that they thought was right. That doesn't benefit them at all.

There may be all manner of other sincere religious practices and we do baptism different from some other denominations. We do communion different. We do communion different. Half the time we do it here, don't do it the same way. There may be all manner of other sincere religious practices that really are not beneficial at all, and different different strokes, different folks.

God's grace must be central. If grace is not in the center of it all, then, it's not the gospel. Do y'all, are y'all with me? We have an altar, Christians. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

Now, of course, it's talking about the Jewish practices which at this time when Hebrews was written were still continuing. They'd only continue until seventy AD when that temple was torn down. All of those practices were pointing towards Jesus, the author of Hebrews is saying, Jesus, man, it's about Jesus. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place and it's a big show by the high priest as an offering for sin.

Those bodies are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also. Jesus also that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, the ultimate sacrifice. He suffered outside the gate. Remember the cross where that happened outside the gate?

So, let's go outside the gate. Let's go out with him. Let's go out to him outside the camp. Let's don't get hung up in religiosity. Let's go out there.

I'm gonna skip that. Bearing his reproach. So, right now, there are there's a division in our country and that's obvious. I won't talk about that. There's a division in Christianity.

Which is it? Is it the priority of proclamation of the gospel or is it living out the social gospel? Marry those two things together. Bring those two things together. Yes, it is about eternal salvation and it's about helping people now.

Both of those things matter. Be willing to bear Jesus' reproach. He did not do the religiously popular thing most of the time. He was open to people who were hurting. So, Jesus, be willing to bear his reproach.

Be willing to stand up for what you believe Jesus would do. For here, we don't have a lasting city on Earth. We're pilgrims and strangers here but we're seeking that city which is to come. In Hebrews 11, it talks about Abraham and says, that he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God and we should be thinking with a future mindset of we live in today for now in light of eternity. Through him then, that's Jesus.

Through Jesus then, let us continually be offering up a sacrifice of praise to God. That's the sacrifice that he's looking for. That is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name. It was a real blessing to me yesterday to just accidentally be here, right? Accidentally here when these two ladies came in and for them to do this, they didn't know anybody would be here.

Actually, Blake was up in the booth working on his part too but for them to come in and just say thank you to God privately. I got to pray with them before they left too. I'll mention them again towards the end. Through him then, let's continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is, let's have the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name.

This is God speaking in Psalm 50. If I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you. What are you going to do about it? The world is mine. All that it contains.

Should I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of male goats? No. No. Offer to me a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the most high.

Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I shall rescue you, and you will honor me. Ain't that sweet? That's literally what this little lady said yesterday. I was in a really tight spot, and I called out to God, and he delivered me. Don't neglect doing good.

Don't neglect doing good. It's not a religious exercise. Can't be. Don't neglect doing it though and don't neglect sharing. Take care of one another.

For with those kind of sacrifices, God is pleased. So, here we are. One more slide and this slide is just the same thing said a slightly different way. Don't get carried away. Good advice.

Calm down. Y'all look pretty calm this morning, honestly. Don't get carried away by various and strange teachings but Jesus, man, because of Christ, because you're saved by God's grace, and because you're sanctified by God's grace, because of that, do be ready to go outside the camp. Bring em in. Bring them in.

Bring them in from the fields of sin. Go out. Rescue the perishing. Care for the dying. Go to the jails.

Go. Go. Go. Be ready. Go outside the camp.

Bear the reproach of Christ and because of Christ, Jesus, man. Do continually be giving to God. It's not just the offering, right? It's not just that. It is that but it's not just that.

Do continually be given to God. Be given him praise. Be given him thanksgiving. What is his will for you in Christ Jesus? His will for you in Christ Jesus that you do this.

Be grateful. Whatever the circumstances. And do good to one another. Take care of one another. Do unto each other as you would have it done to you.

Take care of one another. Be generous and caring and hospitable. Do good to one another and share and call upon God in the day of trouble. He'll rescue you and you will honor him. He loves it when we do that.

This is the sacrifice that's pleasing to God. So, as we approach this New Year, I'll invite Judy to come back to the front. I'll leave the slide up there for a minute. All of this is only possible in Christ. Amen.

And so, I think we're going to sing come thou long expected Jesus and you just think that from the minor prophets to the author of Hebrews, that was a huge leap forward from the old covenant to the new covenant and so in our hearts, we pray is one of the lines in this. What we're praying for is that Jesus, the son of God, would come to bear on everything in our lives, on our decisions, on our level of gratitude, on our joy, on everything that Jesus would come to bear on that. Would you stand with me and we'll close with