Word of the Week: Better
Jesus is better.
This is our confidence. This is our peace.
Jesus is better. He is a better savior than the lifeless idols (money, sex, and power) of this world that cannot save from death.
He is the guarantor of a better covenant than the promises of this world.
On earth you may have land, but there is a better land, a heavenly one that will include the earth one day. On earth you may have happiness, but there is a better happiness that will intensify all earthly happiness. On earth you may leave a legacy, but how long will it last? There is a heavenly legacy that will take your story into eternity as part of Jesus Christ’s grand story.
This word “better” or “superior” shows up in the book of Hebrews so many times, more times than anywhere else in the whole New Testament. We should take the hint and consider what we think is good - and think about how Jesus is better.
It’s not obvious to us at first. How often do you actually sit down and consider whether or not something is better? We usually give up when we realize something is “close enough” or “cost effective.” It’s not often that we really grind out whether something is better, or whether it just suits our needs at the moment. More often we find out that something is better by accident.
A good pair of shoes lasts three years instead of one year, so we realize that they were better than the last pair we owned. One brand of kitchen cleaner cuts through grease faster and with less scrubbing than the last one we bought, so we realize it is better. But if we didn’t know this, then when we’re at the store we pick up the item that seems better in the moment solely because of cost or convenience.
Maybe that’s how you first came to know Christ? He seemed like a savior convenient in the moment, or a spiritual solution who was “cost effective”? If so, then I invite you to take the time to reflect as we continue to preach this series on Hebrews. Jesus is better. Here are all the places it’s mentioned in Hebrews: 1:4, 6:9, 7:7, 7:19, 7:22, 8:6, 9:23, 10:34, 11:16, 11: 35, 11:40, 12:24.
He is more effective. He lasts longer. His love for you is better than all other loves. Through all of life’s joys and trials and especially in the face of death - this is our confidence; this is our peace - Jesus is better.
In Him,
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