Tunnel Vision
Hebrews 3:1-14
Intro: How many basketball fans do we have here this morning? Do any of you know who the best free throw shooter in the world is? According to sports illustrated, the guys name is Tom Amberly and he set the record back in 1994.
Tom was a foot doctor. In 1994 this foot doctor set the world record by making 2,750 free throws in a row. Can you imagine that 2,750 free throws in a row. Guess how old he was; 71 according to the article. He was in a gym in California with all kinds of things going on around him. The article states that there was a volleyball team running around the gym while he was doing this. The article asks a question. “How did Tom Amberly set the world free throw record? It then answers that question. Focus, Focus, Focus. Tom says that I just stay in my routine of three bounces and focus. Tom didn’t miss number 2751 by the way; they turned out the lights and closed the gym on him.
. Tom had tunnel vision. A singular focus.
. Our scripture this morning speaks about tunnel vision and focus.
. In the first two chapters of Hebrews we have seen the divinity of Jesus laid out for the readers and his superiority over all created beings.
. In the first two chapters of Hebrews the writer laid out the proof that Jesus was and is God.
. He is one third of the triune God seen as the one we call God.
. In chapter 1 verse 9 we see where God is talking to Jesus and He says, “…Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you…”
. God is calling Jesus God, placing Him at equal status with Him.
. Don’t ask me to explain all there is to know about the trinity and how one can be three and still be The One. I don’t have all those answers.
. All I do know is in these first two chapters, the writer tells us who Jesus really is.
. Now in chapter three, the writer shifts gears and tells us that now that you know who Jesus was and is, This is who you should be focusing on. You should have tunnel vision. Forget all the other ways you have been looking at God and religion and look to Jesus.
. Focus of Jesus. Have tunnel vision where all you see is Jesus.
. Let’s read our scripture Hebrews 3:1-14
. 1And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest.
2For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.
3But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself.4For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.
5Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later.
6But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
7That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice,8don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled,
when they tested me in the wilderness.
9There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
10So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’ ”
12Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.
13You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
14For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
. When we have Tunnel Vision or focus on Jesus we see Him for who He really is.
. The writer says that if we focus on Jesus we will see him as Our Example, Our Executor and Our Eternity.
.Our Example
. Look at verse 1 through part of three again.
. 1And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest.
2For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house. 3But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses,
. The writer says that we who belong to God, we Christians need to think carefully or focus on Jesus.
. He is our example.
. He was faithful to God by experiencing the agony of the cross for our sakes.
. The writer compares Him to Moses momentarily for His faithfulness but then says:
. 3But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses,
. This would really hit home with His Hebrew or Jewish audience.
. You see, they had almost deified Moses. He was their Hero.
. Moses had led them out of Egypt.
. Through Moses God had parted the Red Sea.
. Through Moses God had given them the Ten Commandments and the laws that governed their society.
. Moses had seen God
. He was their hero but the writer says that when you consider this Jesus, when you focus on who should be your example, it’s not Moses.
. It’s Jesus. He is your Hero. He is the one you should follow. He is the one who sets the example.
. Now we don’t deify Moses like the Jewish people did, we have our own heroes though.
. We place Sports personalities and actors and singers as our heroes don’t we.
. We have the Beber Fever don’t we.
. I was watching one of the morning news shows this week about 6:30 one morning and they have this segment they call Normal or Nuts. They have this psychiatrist on who gets letters about strange behaviors and he gives advice and basically tells people if the things they do are normal or nuts. One guy wrote in that his girlfriend had this fixation on a particular singer and that was all she wanted to talk about. She would travel all over the United States to wherever this singer was. Spending all her resources and time fixated or looking up to this singer. Of course this doctor said that this wasn’t normal and maybe most don’t go that far but our society has a hard time picking our heroes doesn’t it?
. Who do we use for our example on how to live our life.
. Dr. Phil, Oprah, Dr. Oz
. Who do we look up to.
. Chipper Jones as some of you know is retiring this year. As I have watched the braves when they go to other cities to play, there is always a day to honor Chipper Jones. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with recognizing peoples accomplishments but we must be careful and not place him on a pedestal or use him as an example for our lives. He is a mere mortal just like you and I.
. There is someone who is worthy of being our example.
. The writer of Hebrews says that the one we are to look up to is Jesus.
. He was greater than Moses, the hero of that day and He is greater than anyone today.
. Jesus is our example and we need to focus on Him.
. Jesus is Our Example.
. Next we see that Jesus is Our Executor
. Look at verse 6 again: 6But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
. There was a lady over in Alabama whose husband died. She had the funeral and afterwards they had the usual get together of family and friends. The woman was walking around talking to some of the other ladies and they were commenting on how nice the funeral was. The woman whose husband had died said yes it was. She explained that her husband had taken out a $100,000.00 insurance policy and that she had spent all of the money. She told them how much the casket had cost and how much the plot was and all the other expenses and it totaled up to around &25,000.00. The ladies then asked how she spent the other $75,000.00. She said that she spent the rest on the rock. Shocked, one of the ladies said you mean to tell me that you spent all that money on a tombstone. The woman whose husband had died said no, I spent it on the rock and she held out her finger and there perched on her finger was a giant diamond. She said isn’t this a beautiful rock.
. It seemed that this lady needed an executor. Someone to take care of the details.
. The writer says that even though Jesus had died for us, He was also in control of everything.
. Even though He was dead in is Human body, He was still alive in Heaven and He was in charge of everything.
. He is the Executor
. Last Wednesday we started a study of 1 Peter and in 1:3-4 the apostle Peter writes:
… Now we live with great eexpectation,4and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
. Folks we have an inheritance which is our salvation and eternity in Heaven with Jesus.
. Jesus is unique in that He provides this inheritance through His death yet He also is our executor who is in charge of everything and He is holding everything in trust for us.
. Romans 8:15-17a says this: 15So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
16For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.17And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory…
. When we have tunnel vision, we recognize that Jesus is in charge of everything and we can depend and place our trust in Him.
. Jesus is our executor and He is in charge of God’s household waiting for us.
. What a glorious feeling of peace comes over us when we realize that Jesus is holding our inheritance for us.
. Thirdly we see that as we focus on Jesus, He is Our Eternity.
. Our Eternity
. Look at verse 14 again:
14For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
. Stay the course, the writer says.
. Look to Jesus and remember what’s coming.
. Stay focused on Him. The things that sidetrack you now are trivial compared to eternity.
. A pastor visited an older man. The Pastor said, “At your age you should be thinking about the hereafter.” The older man replied, “Oh, I do all the time. No matter where I am - in the living room, upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement - I ask myself ‘What am I here after?’”
. Folks when we have tunnel vision, when we focus on Jesus, we realize that in Him we find our eternity.
. The writer states that we will share in all that belongs to Christ
.What he is talking about is eternal life through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
. As I close this morning, I ask you, where is your Focus.
. Do you think carefully about Jesus or is He just an afterthought or someone we think about on Sunday morning.
. The writer says “think carefully about this Jesus.”
. There is an old hymn that sums up this tunnel vision.
. The chorus goes like thgis.
. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
. Focus on Jesus
. Let Him be your Example, your Executor and your Eternity.
. As we close, have you considered this Jesus this morning?
. Verse 7&8 says this:
... “Today when you hear his voice,8don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled,…
. Is the voice of God calling you this day?
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources:
The Holy Bible, NLT
Living In The Light Of Eternity, John Hamby
The Jesus Fixation, Jeff Strite
