A Better Way

Hebrews 1:1-4

A BETTER WAY

Introduction

1. In life we are always trying to find a better way to do something. This unending search has created many inventions. The Car, Computer, the cotton gin, most everything that was invented was to find a better way to do something

2. What did Jesus invent? How did Jesus provide a better way? That is what we are going to look at today.

3. Hebrews is one of the two most "theological" books in the New Testament. The other one being Romans.

4. No one is sure of the author or the date. Many scholars have debated this and continue to try and figure it out.

5. The letter appears to be written to Hebrew Christian to try and prevent them from relapsing into Judaism, or as least of placing too much concern on the ceremonial observances

6. The chief doctrinal purpose of this letter is to show the transcended glory of the Christian age compared to that of the Old Testament.

7. The Key word in this book is Better. I hope that you will realize the number of things that are better about this Christian age. In Fact I will give you three things that are better today

1. Better Communication

2. Better Image

3. Better Position

I. Better Communication (1-2)

A. Explanation

1. Here is something to consider, back 100 years ago communication was

way different, imagine if you wanted to tell someone something that lived far away. This would take either take forever or cost a lot of money. This is not true anymore, you could email them, talk to them on a cell phone...

2. So image what it would have been like to talk to God.

3. God used many different prophets in many different ways.

4. But here is the Good thing, Because of God’s Gift of his son; we now

have a direct link to God. No dial up, no busy signals, no power failures, no computer crashes...Just instant access

B. Application

1. This is better!

2. We can talk to God any time. WE need to take advantage of that

3. It is totally useless to have the ability to do something and not do it.

4. We don’t have to go through a Priest or anyone else. We just need to

talk to God!

5. This is better communication!

C. Illustration

Have you ever been driving along the road and seen an Amish person? The simplistic lifestyle may seem attractive. However, I’m sure that you all have wondered sometime why they do that. You know that there are a lot of things out there that would make their life so much easier. But they don’t use it. That is the same way if we are not using our better communication!

II. Better image (3)

A. Explanation

1. We have a very distorted view of the image of God.

2. We know that we were created in the image of God. However, due to

our sinful nature that image has been completely distorted. I’m sure that

we have drifted far away from the actual image of God.

3. But Jesus never did. Jesus was and is the perfect image.

4. Jesus provided the purification of our sins

5. And now sites at the right hand of His Father.

B. Application

1. We have the perfect image of God

2. When God created man in his image, the image was Jesus.

3. We need a better image.

4. We need to strive and be like Jesus, the perfect image!

C. Illustration

Ok so you like to think that you are not worried about your image. Well as Americans that is completely false. Think about it, shopping malls, Houses, cars, Hair styles... Are all images. We are constantly trying to improve our social image. But do we ever spend time, money, and effort on our Heavenly Image?

III. Better Position (4)

A. Explanation

1. You could say that Jesus received a major promotion. He went from being a "human" to being a being far superior

2. Names were a lot more important back then they are now. Names today are just names; back then they meant something.

3. To be called the Son of God, was obviously a far superior term then even angel.

4. The author then uses this relationship with names and compares it to the position that Jesus has over the Angels position

B. Application

1. If Jesus is far more superior to the Angels

2. And Angels are more superior then we are.

3. Jesus is more superior then we are

C. Illustration

When your at work and the boss comes around, you try and make it look good. If you knew the health Inspector was coming you would clean the Kitchen extremely well. We always try to impress people that are further up the ladder.