WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.919 Yeah. Well, good morning, Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church. I'm excited to be here. 00:00:07.100 --> 00:00:12.939 To say that a lot has changed since my last time with you would be quite the understatement. 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:20.240 And I'm not just talking about my sweet quarantine beard. A lot has changed. Over the last two 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:26.219 months, many of our comforts and conveniences and preferences that we love have been stripped away, 00:00:26.219 --> 00:00:32.119 or rather they've been chipped away. And we've been left with the things in our life that are the most 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:39.060 valuable. For some, you've realized how valuable your families truly are. For others, you've realized 00:00:39.060 --> 00:00:45.259 how valuable the natural world is, and you hope to continue your outdoor adventures once this 00:00:45.259 --> 00:00:52.899 quarantine ends. For some, you've realized the value of healthy home-cooked meals. And for others, 00:00:52.899 --> 00:00:59.659 you've realized just how fragile and how precious life truly is. If this pandemic has taught us 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:06.640 anything, it has taught us to appreciate what is truly valuable. Now, have you ever had something 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:13.759 that was far more valuable than you realized? Perhaps when you were younger, your parents took 00:01:13.759 --> 00:01:20.219 you on a vacation. And now that you've put a few years on, you look back on that trip, you realize 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:28.039 just how expensive that trip actually was. Or maybe you found a piece of jewelry on a hike, or maybe a 00:01:28.039 --> 00:01:34.180 gadget, and after washing it off, you realize that it was made of gold or silver, or it was some valuable 00:01:34.180 --> 00:01:44.400 antique. In 1992, my second grade self loved collecting X-Men cards. In my world, the comic book store was the 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:52.060 closest thing to heaven. Every week, I would go to the comic book store, and I would buy a pack of X-Men 00:01:52.060 --> 00:01:59.560 trading cards. And then I would spend hours just digesting all of the superhero stats on the back 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:06.800 of the card. I would memorize them to impress my friends. Don't judge me. Well, one day, I opened up 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:16.599 a new pack of X-Men cards, and I found this neat little hologram card of Wolverine. Okay? Well, last 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:22.300 year, I was home for Thanksgiving, and I was rummaging through my old room. My parents were trying to 00:02:22.300 --> 00:02:28.979 clean the house a little bit, and I stumbled across my binders. Yes, binders, plural, of X-Men cards. 00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:36.060 And I started flipping through the binders, and I came across this Wolverine hologram card, 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:42.199 and I realized that it was still in perfect condition. So, I did something that I never would 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:49.739 have thought of doing in second grade. I googled its value, and I came to find out that that one card, 00:02:49.839 --> 00:02:58.399 which I bought in a pack that cost me $1.50, is now worth $125. And it dawned on me that all of this 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:06.580 time, I had something that was much more valuable than I initially realized. Well, throughout this 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:13.920 quarantine, God has used the book of Hebrews to show me the true value of Jesus, to show me the high 00:03:13.920 --> 00:03:19.659 cost of our redemption. Now, when you open the book of Hebrews, it's like doing a Google search. 00:03:19.860 --> 00:03:26.140 It's like typing in the phrase, how valuable is Jesus? And then when you start to read the book of 00:03:26.139 --> 00:03:33.639 Hebrews, it's like seeing the answer to that question. Jesus is worth everything. Our passage 00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:40.339 this morning, it shows us that the work and worth of Jesus is infinitely more valuable than you could 00:03:40.339 --> 00:03:47.599 ever even begin to realize. And then it explains how understanding this truth will reorder your 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:54.439 priorities and just drastically change your life, even in the midst of a hardship or a quarantine, 00:03:54.439 --> 00:04:00.340 like we're currently experiencing. Now, the book of Hebrews is somewhat of a mystery. We don't know 00:04:00.340 --> 00:04:06.460 exactly who wrote the book, although there are many theories. And we also don't know exactly who it was 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:12.439 written to, although there are many theories for that as well. But we do know this about the book. 00:04:13.079 --> 00:04:20.159 It was written during a time of great hardship. It was written to Christians who were facing persecution, 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:25.880 who were being marginalized for their faith. And as a result, they were struggling to follow Jesus. 00:04:26.640 --> 00:04:32.640 They were struggling to see the value of the gospel. And so they were asking the question, 00:04:32.840 --> 00:04:39.879 is Jesus worth it? They were asking, how valuable is he really? Is he worth the persecution? 00:04:40.940 --> 00:04:48.180 Is he worth being marginalized? Is he worth possibly dying for? And the author of Hebrews, 00:04:48.180 --> 00:04:56.500 throughout this book, he responds with a resounding, yes, he is worth it. He is worth more than everything. 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:02.040 So fix your eyes on Jesus if you are to run the race that God has set before you. 00:05:02.740 --> 00:05:10.280 So during this pandemic, like these Christians a couple thousand years ago, we need an enduring faith. 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:16.699 We need a faith that perseveres. We need a faith that firmly believes that Jesus is worth it. 00:05:17.239 --> 00:05:22.639 We need a faith that holds tightly to the gospel because it is our most valuable possession. 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:30.379 And with that, I invite you to open your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 to 4. 00:05:31.099 --> 00:05:34.699 And let's see how valuable Jesus truly is. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.759 We'll be looking at Hebrews 1, verses 1 to 4. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:44.339 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. 00:05:45.379 --> 00:05:50.680 But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, 00:05:51.099 --> 00:05:53.259 through whom also he created the world. 00:05:53.779 --> 00:05:58.159 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. 00:05:58.620 --> 00:06:01.319 And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:07.459 After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:14.120 Having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:16.300 So let me open us up in prayer. 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:23.779 Gracious and good Heavenly Father, we pray during this difficult time that you would help us fix our eyes on Jesus, 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:26.000 our great prophet, priest, and king. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:28.620 The one who died the death that we deserve. 00:06:29.220 --> 00:06:33.660 The one who has covered all of our sins through his actions. 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:37.699 And we pray that we would rest in his work, especially now. 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:42.240 We pray that you would open our eyes, open our ears to hear your truth this morning. 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:43.920 And it's through Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:44.020 Amen. 00:06:45.780 --> 00:06:46.520 All right. 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:54.080 So in these short four verses, the author of Hebrews, he makes some astounding theological claims. 00:06:54.480 --> 00:07:00.780 Now, what we see in these first four verses is what theologians call nosebleed Christology. 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:06.259 Now, when I first moved to Colorado, my two older daughters, they kept getting nosebleeds. 00:07:06.259 --> 00:07:09.259 And we soon found out that it was because of the high elevation. 00:07:10.599 --> 00:07:14.279 Hebrews is like the Colorado of Christology. 00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:14.860 Okay. 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:22.180 The theological claims throughout Hebrews makes Jesus, that the author of Hebrews makes about Jesus, 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:25.579 it's meant to kind of shock your system. 00:07:26.039 --> 00:07:29.219 It's meant to kind of rattle you and you got to get used to it. 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:31.599 He's taking you to such great heights. 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:34.039 It's nosebleed Christology. 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:41.340 The author, he doesn't waste any time to tell you, to tell me how valuable Jesus truly is. 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:48.379 In the first four verses, the author introduces Jesus as the final and fullest prophet, priest, and king. 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:51.860 As our prophet, Jesus reveals God to us. 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:55.680 As our priest, Jesus reconciles us to God. 00:07:56.040 --> 00:08:00.840 And as our king, Jesus reigns over us as God. 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:05.500 So first, let's first fix our eyes on Jesus, the prophet. 00:08:06.299 --> 00:08:07.039 Verse one says, 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:22.140 And right off the bat, we are reminded that our God is a speaking God. 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:24.879 Our God is a communicating God. 00:08:25.020 --> 00:08:30.900 He speaks because he is a God who wants to enter into a relationship with us. 00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:35.659 And so, for thousands of years, he revealed himself through Old Testament prophets, 00:08:36.059 --> 00:08:40.620 through theophanies, which are manifestations of God, and through signs and wonders. 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:47.199 Now, revelation is how relationships are formed, both human and otherwise. 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:53.840 In order to have a deep relationship with a person, you need to know things about that person. 00:08:53.840 --> 00:09:00.540 The more you know about them, then the deeper and the more profound and the more fulfilling the relationship. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:06.180 Now, I may want to have the deepest relationship with my wife, 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:14.180 but our relationship is somewhat limited by the knowledge that she reveals to me about herself and vice versa. 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:21.220 The more we reveal to one another, the more vulnerable we are, the more that we know. 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:22.139 Okay? 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:24.940 And the more we know, the deeper our relationship. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:30.440 You see, knowing her doesn't come through my blind speculation about her, 00:09:30.580 --> 00:09:34.440 but through her revelation to me about herself. 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:39.060 Now, the same is true with God, but at an infinite scale. 00:09:39.660 --> 00:09:39.920 Okay? 00:09:39.940 --> 00:09:45.700 We can't know God through blind speculation, but only through divine revelation. 00:09:45.700 --> 00:09:53.980 We need a God who speaks, who enters into a relationship with us through revealing himself to us. 00:09:54.160 --> 00:09:58.060 In other words, it doesn't matter how smart you are or how observant you are. 00:09:58.180 --> 00:10:01.860 You can't speculate your way into a relationship with God. 00:10:02.120 --> 00:10:04.860 He has to reveal himself first. 00:10:05.300 --> 00:10:06.160 Verse 1 says, 00:10:06.920 --> 00:10:10.600 In the past, God has spoken to us in various ways. 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:15.159 Now, this word, various ways in Greek, is the word poloutropos. 00:10:15.560 --> 00:10:15.740 Okay? 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:18.180 And it literally means in pieces. 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:19.360 Okay? 00:10:19.420 --> 00:10:24.100 So, the author of Hebrews is saying, in the past, okay, during the Old Testament times, 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:26.320 God spoke to us in pieces. 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:32.460 Now, I want you to think of God's revelation like the assembly of a puzzle. 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:33.340 Right? 00:10:33.340 --> 00:10:40.060 It's as if God, throughout the Old Testament, he gave a few puzzle pieces to each of the characters. 00:10:40.519 --> 00:10:40.720 Okay? 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:46.820 And they were trying to figure out what God was like by looking at these pieces of the puzzle. 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:49.000 He gave Noah a few pieces. 00:10:49.139 --> 00:10:50.680 He gave Abraham some pieces. 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:52.780 He gave Moses a whole lot of pieces. 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:54.800 He gave David a few pieces. 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:56.440 And so on and so forth. 00:10:56.440 --> 00:11:01.940 And over the course of redemptive history, they have been trying, we have been trying, 00:11:02.040 --> 00:11:03.540 to piece it all together. 00:11:03.760 --> 00:11:06.180 To make sense of who God is. 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:12.520 But this text shows us that God revealed himself in Jesus. 00:11:13.020 --> 00:11:15.360 And the puzzle is now complete. 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:16.120 Okay? 00:11:16.180 --> 00:11:18.580 He no longer reveals himself in pieces. 00:11:19.780 --> 00:11:20.400 Verse 2 says, 00:11:20.400 --> 00:11:24.120 But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:28.879 You see, Jesus is, he's the climax of the entire Bible. 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:32.500 He is the fullest and the final revelation of God. 00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:35.379 In Jesus, the puzzle is complete. 00:11:36.500 --> 00:11:39.440 Now, I don't know about you, but throughout this pandemic, 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:43.500 I have felt confused as to why this is happening. 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:46.560 I've been angry at why this is happening. 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:53.279 And I'll be honest, in my heart, I have wanted God to explain himself to me. 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:58.960 In reality, what I've wanted is new revelation from God. 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:04.200 I've wanted him to tell me why this is happening. 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:10.659 Because I struggle to believe that Jesus actually is the fullest and final revelation of God. 00:12:10.840 --> 00:12:15.259 I feel like I need more than what Jesus has already given to me. 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.039 And I know I'm not alone in this. 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:22.500 We like to view Christ and his prophetic role as insufficient. 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:23.480 Okay? 00:12:24.219 --> 00:12:30.299 We struggle to believe that we have everything that we need to know about God in Jesus. 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:33.919 The search is over, right? 00:12:34.079 --> 00:12:35.839 The puzzle is complete. 00:12:36.719 --> 00:12:38.599 The author continues in verse 3. 00:12:38.719 --> 00:12:39.039 He says, 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:41.360 Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:44.399 Now, the word radiance also means reflection. 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:50.039 So he's saying when you look at Jesus, it's like looking into a mirror of God himself. 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:54.800 Everything about God is reflected in Jesus. 00:12:55.100 --> 00:13:01.259 His attributes, God's character, his nature, his very being is reflected in Jesus. 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:03.600 The author then goes even further and he says, 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:09.860 Not only is Jesus the radiance of God, he is the exact imprint of God. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:12.060 This is nosebleed Christology. 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:17.759 This is a claim that Jesus is God incarnate. 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:25.580 So, first, in order for us to endure hardship, in order for us to get through these months ahead, 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:28.779 we need to fix our eyes on Jesus, the prophet. 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:34.159 In Jesus, the fullness of God has been revealed once and for all. 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:40.179 And so, instead of looking for new revelation or finding answers in other means, 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:47.059 we are to pay attention to gospel revelation and let Jesus speak truth into our lives. 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:53.679 The second thing I want us to fix our eyes on this morning is Jesus, the great high priest. 00:13:54.319 --> 00:13:55.299 Verse 3 continues. 00:13:55.299 --> 00:13:55.659 It says, 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.500 After making purification for sins. 00:13:58.779 --> 00:14:05.720 As our great high priest, Jesus has dealt with our sins fully and finally. 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:10.079 And as a result, we have been cleansed perfectly and permanently. 00:14:11.699 --> 00:14:17.579 In other words, we can stop trying to save ourselves or clean ourselves up 00:14:17.579 --> 00:14:23.100 because we are already saved and we are already clean through faith in Christ. 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:26.839 Now, this truth is absolutely liberating. 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:28.580 This will set you free. 00:14:28.780 --> 00:14:29.139 This will set you free. 00:14:29.139 --> 00:14:32.500 Hearing Jesus say from the cross, it is finished. 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:37.019 And letting those words sink deep into your heart and soul. 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:41.379 This means that Jesus is the great high priest. 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:46.340 This means that we don't have to prove our worth to God in order for him to love us. 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:54.580 We can stop working on our spiritual resumes and we can start resting in the finished work of Jesus. 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:58.259 Now, I know this is easier said than done. 00:14:58.259 --> 00:15:03.879 Last month, our RUF seniors, they graduated from the Air Force Academy. 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:11.220 And while every year the graduation is special and I look forward to it, this year I was really excited. 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:18.819 I've poured my heart and soul into these students for three years and I was just really excited about their graduation. 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:22.960 Well, part of my excitement wasn't just for the graduation ceremony. 00:15:23.180 --> 00:15:30.820 It was that three of our cadets had asked me to, at the beginning of the semester, if I would commission them into the Air Force. 00:15:31.400 --> 00:15:33.240 And I, of course, said yes. 00:15:33.260 --> 00:15:34.060 I couldn't wait. 00:15:34.180 --> 00:15:39.879 This was going to be the highlight of the year to bounce around commissioning ceremony, commissioning ceremony, 00:15:40.280 --> 00:15:43.240 getting to participate in something so special. 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:47.980 But then the coronavirus hit and threw everything into a tailspin. 00:15:49.159 --> 00:15:58.259 Now, it hurt not being able to attend their graduation ceremony, but not getting to attend their commissioning ceremonies was a punch to my gut. 00:15:58.860 --> 00:16:05.220 I so desperately wanted to raise my right hand and recite the oath of office for these cadets. 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:14.519 I wanted to see them proudly wear their service dress, standing a little taller than normal and puffing their chests out a little bit further than normal 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:18.820 as their second lieutenant butter bars were placed on their shoulders. 00:16:20.560 --> 00:16:26.860 If I'm being honest with you, there's another reason why I was really excited about these commissioning ceremonies. 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:35.639 Not only was I looking forward to seeing them in their service dress, but I was really looking forward to wearing my service dress as well. 00:16:36.560 --> 00:16:44.620 I was excited for my cadets, who had never seen me in uniform, to see all my ribbons and decorations on my chest. 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.960 I wanted to impress them with what I had done. 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:51.759 I wanted to show off my resume. 00:16:51.759 --> 00:17:01.539 Now, while missing their commissioning ceremonies was hard, this insight into my prideful heart was even harder. 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:06.440 For me, this quarantine has created an enclosure, right? 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:11.299 We're stuck at home, but it has really been more of an exposure of my heart idolatries. 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:23.919 If I felt the need to show off my accomplishments to impress my cadets, how much more have I felt the need to show off my accomplishments to impress God? 00:17:25.379 --> 00:17:31.079 I realize that I have a tendency to treat the things of this world as my great high priest. 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:42.179 I tend to view my ribbon rack on my chest as my great high priest, as the source of my purification, as the thing that says you are worthwhile. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.079 And I know I'm not alone in this. 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:49.559 Everyone is looking to something to find worth. 00:17:50.259 --> 00:17:54.139 Everyone is looking to something to mediate on their behalf. 00:17:54.140 --> 00:18:01.580 Everyone is looking to something to plead their case before God, to say this person is worthy of salvation. 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:10.400 Everyone is looking for something that communicates to other people, and especially God, that we are worthy of love and acceptance. 00:18:11.800 --> 00:18:12.860 But here's the thing. 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:21.680 When we do this, when we treat anything but Jesus as our great high priest, we are denying the value of Christ's priestly role. 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:26.100 We act as if Christ is an insufficient high priest. 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:31.320 And my friends, Jesus has already made purification for your sins. 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:35.400 Jesus has already washed your sins away forever. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:41.539 You see, if something dirty is going to get clean, something clean has to get dirty, right? 00:18:42.620 --> 00:18:48.660 Jesus, our sinless Savior, was perfectly clean, and he dirtied himself to clean us from sin. 00:18:48.660 --> 00:18:55.820 Because of Jesus, we can take off our ribbons and still stand tall. 00:18:56.779 --> 00:19:03.680 Because of Jesus, we can joyfully place our accomplishments at the foot of the cross and not look back. 00:19:04.840 --> 00:19:09.820 Because of Jesus, we can come to God with his resume instead of our own 00:19:09.820 --> 00:19:16.800 and actually experience the rest that our great high priest gives. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:23.980 Listen, Christian endurance is really hard, especially during hardship like a quarantine, a pandemic. 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:27.799 It's especially difficult when you neglect this truth. 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:33.319 It is difficult to run the long race that God has set before you to run 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:39.619 when you're still weighed down by all your sin because you're looking to counterfeit priests to bear it. 00:19:39.619 --> 00:19:46.739 But when you fix your eyes on Jesus, who has already made purification for your sins, 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:55.199 all the sins that weigh you down are cast aside so that you can run through life unburdened and with joy in your heart. 00:19:56.199 --> 00:20:00.119 When you fix your eyes on Jesus, our only high priest, 00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:05.439 the pressure and the stress to prove yourself is replaced with gospel rest. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:08.779 So fix your eyes on Jesus, the priest. 00:20:08.900 --> 00:20:13.299 And third and finally, if we're to survive this difficult time, 00:20:13.360 --> 00:20:16.279 we need to fix our eyes on Jesus, the king. 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:19.500 Jesus is the king of all things. 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:21.440 He created the world. 00:20:22.120 --> 00:20:23.440 He upholds the universe. 00:20:23.840 --> 00:20:27.240 And he is sitting at the right hand of God on his throne. 00:20:27.360 --> 00:20:29.779 And he is ruling and he is reigning forever. 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:37.279 However, I think that our appreciation of Jesus as the king of the universe is far too small. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:42.940 If it weren't for Jesus, the universe would cease to exist. 00:20:43.700 --> 00:20:46.980 If it weren't for Jesus, everything would collapse. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:51.240 If he were to take his hand off of creation for even a moment. 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:53.899 You see, Jesus is the source. 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:56.779 He's the sustainer and he is the goal of created reality. 00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:58.779 He is the king. 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:06.940 I love it that the author of Hebrews, he won't let us get away with a shallow Christology, 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:08.539 with a shallow Christianity. 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:13.819 He wants us to see Jesus as the king of the universe. 00:21:14.019 --> 00:21:16.759 From the start and all throughout this book, 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:20.299 the author desires to press into our head and our hearts 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:25.319 the infinite value of Jesus that we often overlook. 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:26.339 Right? 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:31.440 I once heard Tim Keller give this illustration and it has stuck with me ever since. 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:32.619 He said, 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:37.960 If the length between the earth and the sun was measured as a single piece of paper, 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:46.079 the distance between the earth and the next nearest star would be a stack of paper 75 feet high. 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:48.180 And then he takes it even further. 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:48.619 He says, 00:21:48.619 --> 00:21:56.759 Now, the distance between the earth and the edge of the galaxy would be a stack of paper 310 miles high. 00:21:57.359 --> 00:22:01.579 And our galaxy is just a speck in this universe. 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:07.379 A universe that Jesus holds together millisecond by millisecond by the word of his power. 00:22:07.380 --> 00:22:09.960 Now that, my friends, is a king. 00:22:12.040 --> 00:22:19.860 Does that sound like someone that you would casually invite into your life to be your personal assistant or your traveling companion? 00:22:19.859 --> 00:22:25.779 No, you can't hire the king of the universe to be your personal assistant. 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:27.019 Right? 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:34.660 We need a much bigger view of Jesus as the king if we hope to have an enduring faith in the midst of hardship. 00:22:34.660 --> 00:22:43.380 We have to see Jesus as the one who is sovereign and in control, the one who is good, the one who is reigning on his throne forever. 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:47.220 So in closing, let me ask you again. 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:52.220 Have you ever had something that was far more valuable than you realized? 00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:58.420 Now, if you're a Christian, the only answer is a resounding yes. 00:23:00.100 --> 00:23:02.100 Jesus is worth everything. 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:06.059 He is the invaluable gift of God. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:09.179 He is our treasure and our great reward. 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:12.419 He is our cup that never runs dry. 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:15.899 He is our great shepherd who will never leave us or forsake us. 00:23:15.939 --> 00:23:19.559 And he is our joy and our hope in the midst of hardship. 00:23:20.139 --> 00:23:30.599 So if we are to endure hardship, the first and only thing that we need to do is fix our eyes on the prophet, the priest, and the king. 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:36.259 To see Jesus as the most valuable thing that we hold in our hearts. 00:23:36.879 --> 00:23:37.399 Amen. 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:42.740 Now, at this time, I'll offer the benediction. 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:47.500 So I invite you to raise your hands from home and participate with me. 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:54.000 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, 00:23:54.220 --> 00:24:00.019 by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:06.319 working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:07.039 Amen. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:07.140 Amen. 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:07.200 Amen. 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:07.220 Amen. 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:07.240 Amen. 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:07.259 Amen. 00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:07.279 Amen. 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:07.319 Amen. 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:07.339 Amen. 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:07.359 Amen. 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:09.319 Amen. 00:24:09.319 --> 00:24:09.339 Amen. 00:24:09.339 --> 00:24:09.359 Amen. 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:09.380 Amen.