1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdik. I'm the pastor of Elevation 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 5 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 6 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: Just one verse to get us started today Hebrews chapter six, 7 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: verse nine. Though we speak in this way, yet in 8 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things. Somebody 9 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: shout better things. You shouted that, like you want God 10 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: to do something awesome in your life. Yeah, he said, 11 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: because the context is some are falling away, and some 12 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: are giving up on what they first believe, and some 13 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: are going back to old systems of thought because it's 14 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 1: too challenging. But he said, not you, not you. You're 15 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: not going to give up or burn out or fade away. 16 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: We speak in this way. It does happen. Yet in 17 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things, things 18 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: that belong to salvation. I want to preach to you 19 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: for a few moments today with God's help, on the 20 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 1: subject of when better feels backwards, when better feels backwards? 21 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: And I pray that this might encourage you. In fact, 22 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: let's pray one more time before we take our seat. God, 23 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: if I share my opinion today, it will be close 24 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: to worthless. And if I share from human wisdom today, 25 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: it'll have a short shelf life. But your word is eternal. 26 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: So speak now. We're listening. Give us open hearts to 27 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: receive the things that you desire to say. In Jesus' name, Amen, 28 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: tell the person next to you on your way down 29 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: to your seat, you've never looked better. If the Lord 30 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: has to forgive you for lion, you were just doing 31 00:01:55,120 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: what the preacher said. Yeah, because on the enneagram, which 32 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: is like the personality type, it's not new, but Holla 33 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: just discovered it a year or two ago. And she 34 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: told me she studied the different nine personality types. And 35 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: she said you're number one. And I was like, I know, 36 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: it's about time you caught onto that. I said, well, 37 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: what is it? And she said a perfectionist. I thought 38 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 1: at first she said perfection but she said ist. She 39 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: said a perfectionist. She said the motto of the number 40 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: one on the enneagram is it could always be better. 41 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: And I thought about how that can be such a 42 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: wonderful thing if you're trying to make something great and 43 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: create something special, but it can be such a horrible 44 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: way to approach her everyday life that it could always 45 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: be better. And you meet these people every once in 46 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 1: a while, don't you. I never forget the guy who 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,119 Speaker 1: got a raise and I congratulated him, and he said, oh, 48 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,399 Speaker 1: I wish my tax bill is about to go through 49 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,239 Speaker 1: the roof. One guy he saw us doing the baptisms 50 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: at the church, and we baptized over two thousand people, 51 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: remember Rick in two weeks. And when I told him 52 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,839 Speaker 1: about it, no listen this way, he said, Wow, your 53 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: water bill must have been through the roof, always looking 54 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: for how it could be better. And I relate to 55 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: this because, honestly, I think y'all ought to thank God 56 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: for all the perfectionists like me. I know we're annoying, 57 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: but don't you kind of want a perfectionist to design 58 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: the airplane that you fly in? Well, you want somebody 59 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: who just glued the wings on kind of halfway straight. 60 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: Give him more peanuts. They'll never notice. But the blessing 61 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: of seeking perfection may be progress, And yet the byproduct 62 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: so many times in our lives is that we can 63 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: often in our quest for perfection, fill our minds with 64 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 1: ways that it could be better when not realizing that 65 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 1: some of the best things in our life come through 66 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,919 Speaker 1: not the things that we asked or prayed for, but 67 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: the things that we are currently working through. The challenge 68 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: for the author of Hebrews is that he's writing to 69 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 1: a group of Christians whose lives are getting worse. They 70 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,039 Speaker 1: have accepted Jesus as the Messiah, and that caused all 71 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 1: of their Jewish counterparts to think that they were crazy, 72 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: that they had absolutely lost their minds to follow the 73 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: teachings of a carpenter who was crucified on a Roman cross. 74 00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: And so now this group of Christians in Rome is 75 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: being written to to encourage don't go back and just 76 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: look at somebody next to you, because they've been tempted lately, 77 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: tell him, don't go back. That's the temptation. Don't go back, 78 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: don't go back to the old way of doing it, 79 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:20,679 Speaker 1: because this way is better. And the Christians in Rome 80 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: who are about to face severe persecution from Nero. This 81 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: for anybody who's going through anything right now. It might 82 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: not be Nero persecuting you, but it can just be 83 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: the unfamiliar territory of trying to learn to live by 84 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: grace and faith when you are constantly being tempted to 85 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: live by logic and calculation. And what is fair the 86 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: temptation to control? When God is calling you to surrender 87 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: and there is a temptation to go back to the 88 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: old way, and he's telling them, don't go back. Jesus 89 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: is better. He tells him that thirteen times in the 90 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: Book of Hebrews. He uses this word that a perfectionist 91 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: like me really like. In the Greek the word is 92 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: chritone and it means better. Is translated several different ways 93 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: in English superior, supreme, but mostly is translated better, better 94 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: in quality, better in substance, better by comparison. Jesus is better, 95 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: and he's better because he made a better covenant than 96 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 1: the old covenant. A covenant is an oath. God didn't 97 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: make an agreement with humanity. He made an agreement with 98 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: his son. He knows that you have a hard time 99 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: holding up your into the bargain, So rather than make 100 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 1: an agreement with your fickle faith, he made an agreement 101 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,280 Speaker 1: with his faithful son, who was obedient even unto death 102 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: death on the cross. He did it better He says 103 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: that we have a better hope, not the kind of 104 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: hope that only works when things are going in your direction, 105 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: but a kind of hope that is like an anchor 106 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: for the soul. He Brew says it is a better 107 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: hope because an anchor only works when it hits the bobble. 108 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: There is a certain kind of hope that floats, and 109 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: as long as everything on the surface is going good, 110 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: you feel pretty good. And then there is a better hope, 111 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: a crytone hope, a hope that gets down to the bottom, 112 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: and it doesn't fully function and serve its intended purpose 113 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: until it is at that bottom place. If you've bottomed 114 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: out in your emotions, if you've bottomed out in your 115 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: bank account, if your health has bottomed out, if you 116 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: feel like the worst is happening to you, I want 117 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,679 Speaker 1: you to know that you have a better crytone hope 118 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: in Jesus, because he's better. Somebody shall better, better covenant, 119 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: better hope, better promises. The Bible says that Jesus had 120 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: a better ministry, not only a better ministry, but then 121 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: his blood speaks a better word. So when condemnation rises 122 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: up in your heart to tell you what you're not 123 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: remember for a moment who Jesus is, and if he 124 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: went into the Holy of Holies and shed not the 125 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: blood of bulls and goats, but the blood of his 126 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 1: very own perfect life for you your sake. When a 127 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: drop of his blood hit the mercy seat, it spoke 128 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: over your life, a future and a hope that is better. 129 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: And it doesn't matter what has been, because what's ahead 130 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: is better. But I'm getting ahead of myself. And these 131 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: Christians who have lost so much are left wondering if 132 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: Jesus is better, how come my situation is getting so 133 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:42,079 Speaker 1: much worse. See better is subjective, right. Some things are 134 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: just better than others objectively. Kendrick Lamar J. Cole. One 135 00:08:49,679 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: of those is better. iOS Android, some things are just better. 136 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,239 Speaker 1: I didn't even take a side, and y'all are booing me. Pharisees. 137 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: Some things are just better Clipson Tigers every other football 138 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 1: team this season. Chrispy Krean dunkin Donuts. I won't even 139 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: have the conversation. You cannot beat. I'm prophesying over your 140 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: future after church today, an original glazed hot dozen't I 141 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 1: prophesy over your life. The carbohydrates won't even count. Stop 142 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: buy and get one and see. If it doesn't melt 143 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: in your mouth, it will bless you. Leo horrible. Sorry, 144 00:09:55,559 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: things are just better. But when it comes to things 145 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: that really matter in life, I think all of us 146 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 1: know that better is a perspective. It's very subjective. You 147 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 1: know why you think some people's lives are better than 148 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: yours because you see the part that they show you. 149 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: They might have a better house, but I wonder what 150 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: goes on inside and see, you don't know which one's better. Oh, 151 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: if you live long enough, you will find out that 152 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: some of the people you spent so much of your 153 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: time envying were secretly miserable. Better is a perspective. Better 154 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: is not necessarily something that you can measure from what 155 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 1: you can see with your eyes. But we all live 156 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: in this world. Like you gotta get the iPhone? What 157 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: is it eleven that just came out? Well, I gotta 158 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: get it. I don't even like the text I get 159 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: now from people on the old one. No, it's better. 160 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:13,679 Speaker 1: It's got a camera that can see through people. It 161 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 1: can put X ray vision, it can it's better. Oh, 162 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: I gotta get it. It's better. You know that's interest 163 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: because the writer of Hebrews he goes all the way 164 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: back to get the people to move forward. He goes 165 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: all the way back to get the people to move forward. 166 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: He knows the only way that they're going to move 167 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: forward in their faith is if they go backwards. Go 168 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: backwards better. I thought i'd be better by now you are. 169 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:48,560 Speaker 1: Look where you started. You remember when you weren't even 170 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: going to church? Look at you? Now you gotta pin. 171 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: You're gonna steal it, but at least stolen from a church. 172 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: That's better. Tell somebody and say, I'm doing better. I'm 173 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: doing better. If you could see my bloodline, I'm doing better. 174 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 1: If you could see the thoughts that I didn't act on, 175 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: if you could see the temptations that I did resist, 176 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 1: I promise you I'm doing better. See a subjective, and 177 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 1: this relative better compared to what every time I preach. 178 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: I know, because I am a number one that the 179 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 1: sermon could be better. Of course, I'm speaking on behalf 180 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: of God. The gap between what he knows and what 181 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 1: I say will always be a pretty big one. So 182 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: I understand that it always be better, and that torments 183 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:08,440 Speaker 1: me sometimes, truly it does, because a lot of times, 184 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: you know, I get used to doing things a certain way. Remember, 185 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: these people that the author is writing to so eloquently 186 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: are not unfamiliar with religion. They came from a religious system, 187 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: not out of a meth lab. They're not being tempted 188 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 1: to go back to the world. They're being tempted to 189 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: go back to an old religious system and to drift away, 190 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,160 Speaker 1: or he says, fall away from grace. He makes an 191 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: argument that you should be further along by now. He 192 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: says it in chapter five that you should be teachers 193 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: by now, but you're still dealing with the basics. And 194 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: then he says that if you fall away from grace, 195 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,680 Speaker 1: that it's impossible to come back. When I read that, 196 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 1: I got depressed until I realized what he was really 197 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: saying is that if you ever really get grace, you 198 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: can't really fall away. And what he's teaching them Jerry, 199 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 1: is kind of like on tennis. He has to teach 200 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: them to switch their grip. When I first came to 201 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: get him to teach me, the first thing he said 202 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: to me was because I had developed my own unique 203 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 1: style of playing tennis. I wasn't good at it or anything, 204 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: but I had this certain way of getting the ball 205 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: over the net that worked for me, and as long 206 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:32,560 Speaker 1: as the person on the other side of the net 207 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: was less athletic than me, my way worked just fine. 208 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: Or even if they were more athletic than me. I 209 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: would only pick people to play against who I knew 210 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: had never played. It was good for my ego and 211 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,680 Speaker 1: my self esteem, but bad for my tennis skills. And 212 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: when I first came out to Robert Stevens, if you 213 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 1: want to look him up on Google, get him for 214 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: a tennis teacher. He's pretty good. But when I first 215 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: went out there, this made me mad because he said, 216 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,040 Speaker 1: let me see what I'm working with, show me your serve. 217 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: So I did what I do. You know, I had 218 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: this little thing. I put my pointer finger on the 219 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 1: racket like that. It's my grip. Okay, it puts the 220 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: ball over the net six miles an hour maybe, but 221 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: it gets over the net into the box. It works. 222 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: And when he saw my grip, he said, okay, now 223 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: you need to hold it like this, and he switched 224 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: my grip. Let me tell you what happened when he 225 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: switched my grip. When he switched my grip, the ball 226 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: no longer went over the net. Instead, it went over 227 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: the fence. When he switched my grip, my percentage shots 228 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: that went in the box went way down. And I 229 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: looked at him, like, I'm paying you for this crap. 230 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: You switched my grip, but you didn't fix my serf. 231 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: But I didn't understand at the time that sometimes in 232 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: order to get to better, you have to go backwards. 233 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: Y'all help me preach if you have spiritual ears, sometimes 234 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: in order to get to better, you have to go 235 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 1: through bad. And I'm preaching this for somebody today who 236 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: has been feeling like things have been going backwards for you. 237 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 1: The thing about it is when God shows you a 238 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,480 Speaker 1: new grip called grace for a little while in your 239 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: life is harder for you because you're used to controlling 240 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 1: things and manipulate things. And when you get something new. 241 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: Have you ever noticed if you get something new, even 242 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: if it's better at first, it gets on your nerves 243 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: because you don't know how to use it. And the 244 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: temptation for us is watch this. God will do a 245 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: new thing in our life, and he'll be teaching us 246 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 1: to forgive, and he'll be teaching us to get over offences, 247 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: and he'll be teaching us to trust him, and he'll 248 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: be teaching us to find different ways to connect to joy, 249 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: and he'll be teaching us to not be so fake, 250 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: and he'll be teaching us not to live by our feelings. 251 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: But then we look at what he fixed on our grip, 252 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: and we see our shot going so far over the fence, 253 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: and I wonder if I would actually be better off 254 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 1: doing it the old way then the new way. So 255 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:07,919 Speaker 1: I go back instead of moving forward into better. He said, 256 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:17,919 Speaker 1: you can't go back. You you have something better. Better. 257 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:27,199 Speaker 1: When you get depressed, you stop believing that. When you 258 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:32,439 Speaker 1: get uncomfortable, you stop believing that. You start trying to 259 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 1: grip life like you used to. We got to go 260 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: backwards to get better. We got to go all the 261 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:46,680 Speaker 1: way back to get better. That means I have to 262 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:50,160 Speaker 1: be comfortable in some seasons of my life. I'm looking 263 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:51,919 Speaker 1: into the camera because I think this is for somebody 264 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: watching online. I have to be comfortable in my life 265 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: to accept that sometimes loss is the way to gain. 266 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,639 Speaker 1: I have to be comfortable enough in my life to 267 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 1: know that sometimes the most painful moments are the most 268 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: purposeful moments. I have to be comfortable in my life 269 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: to stop comparing myself so much with people who are 270 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 1: not meant to be the standard anyway. Jesus is better. 271 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,880 Speaker 1: I know some of you are intimidating because you don't 272 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 1: know if you're as good of a Christian as some 273 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:31,199 Speaker 1: of the other people in the room. But let me 274 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: tell you something about being a better Christian. You know, well, 275 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: they're a better Christian than me. Look, they've memorized all 276 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:43,960 Speaker 1: this scripture. They're not better at Christians. They're better at memory. 277 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 1: They just got a better memory. That doesn't make them 278 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,719 Speaker 1: a better Christian. The religious people that crucified Jesus had 279 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: a good memory. They could quote all six hundred plus laws. 280 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: They're not better than you. I wish you would tell 281 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: the person next to you you're not better than me. 282 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: Not when it comes to my purpose. See, better is 283 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: relative to purpose? Can I appreci this? So I walked 284 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: into a guitar center and I asked Jamie behind the counter, 285 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: which one is better? I was buying software for Elijah 286 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,679 Speaker 1: to make beats. Which one is better? He said, that 287 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:22,719 Speaker 1: depends what you want to use it for. That depends 288 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: how you intend to utilize the software. Better is relative 289 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: to purpose. Some of you think that everybody else is better, smarter, taller, 290 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 1: Maybe God need is somebody short enough to fit through 291 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,680 Speaker 1: that door. Have you ever thought about that? Maybe God 292 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: needed somebody ignorant enough to dislay his wisdom. Maybe God 293 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: need is somebody harmful enough to know that it is 294 00:19:49,119 --> 00:20:00,439 Speaker 1: not I but Christ in me. And besides, if Jesus 295 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 1: Christ walks in this room, none of us are gonna 296 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: have any fashion show to put on. None of us 297 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: are gonna roll out our righteous deeds. We all have 298 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,720 Speaker 1: sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And 299 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 1: grace is a way of life because you need Him 300 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: like I need him, and his flood that was enough 301 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,680 Speaker 1: for you wasn't enough for me. If it clints Billy Graham, 302 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:34,200 Speaker 1: it can hit me too, because he's better, because he's better, 303 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,119 Speaker 1: And the fact that he's better doesn't mean that sometimes 304 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: life won't get worse. So we need a new definition 305 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: of better. What if better is not always higher? What 306 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: if better sometimes is deeper? What if better is not 307 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 1: always a feeling? What if it's more like a foundation. 308 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: What if better is not always what God is doing 309 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 1: for you, but sometimes it's what He's doing through you. 310 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: They couldn't recognize Jesus when he came in the form 311 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 1: of a baby because they were waiting for something better. 312 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: They couldn't recognize Jesus when he was led away silently 313 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,679 Speaker 1: and didn't say a word before his accusers, because if 314 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: he's really the son of God, he should say something 315 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,959 Speaker 1: and come down. They expect it better. And is it 316 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: possible that better is right in front of us and 317 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: we don't even recognize it, so we don't receive it. 318 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 1: You know what. Some of us are so used to 319 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: bad that we reject better when it comes. Sometimes backwards 320 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 1: feels better, feels familiar. Sometimes we'll go back to bad 321 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: relationships because they feel better. Oh, I'm preaching now, he 322 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: got quaed when backwards I called the sermon when better 323 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: feels backwards? But what about when backwards feels better? I 324 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: think I'll just go back to this. I think I'll 325 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,400 Speaker 1: just go back to that. I think I'll just quit 326 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,359 Speaker 1: trying at this. I think I'll use my old grip. 327 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 1: I'm tired of waiting. That's what happened to Abraham. By 328 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:23,879 Speaker 1: the way. God told him he was going to do 329 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: it a certain way, but he thought he knew better, 330 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: so instead of waiting, he went in and slept with 331 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,520 Speaker 1: the servant of his wife Sarah. Her name became Sarah, 332 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 1: but Abraham went in and made a baby with her 333 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: because God had a promise and a timetable for the promise. 334 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: But Abraham, I know you never did this before, but 335 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:54,479 Speaker 1: he thought he knew better than God. And the Bible 336 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 1: even uses this illustration of Abraham in Hebrew six. He 337 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: reaches backward to show them how much better it is 338 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:06,280 Speaker 1: to wait for the promise of God. He reaches all 339 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,200 Speaker 1: the way back to Abraham that was like the progenitor 340 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: or the father of the faith of the whole nation. 341 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 1: This is what they came from. And now as they're 342 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,400 Speaker 1: attempted to go back away from what they're walking into, 343 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,199 Speaker 1: as their lives get worse, as their situation seems to 344 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: decrease and diminish, he reaches back to Abraham and he 345 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:28,720 Speaker 1: talks about how he patiently waited for the promise of God. 346 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: But that's not the whole story. See before Abraham patiently 347 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 1: waited for Isaac, the child of Promise, to be born 348 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: through Sarah, he got the word from God, and then 349 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: he went in did something that he thought was better 350 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: because he got tired of waiting. He had the right word, 351 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 1: but the wrong Wombo, and so he went in. Now 352 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: I know why he did this, because Abraham was from 353 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:02,840 Speaker 1: a place called Er of the Caldas, and so are 354 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 1: we not geographically and it's spelled differently. He was from 355 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 1: er you are, but ours is spelled er. Because anything 356 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:18,199 Speaker 1: that God does in our life, all we have to 357 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: do is go on our phones and find somebody who 358 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:31,159 Speaker 1: is er than us, better, er, rich er, strong er, happy, er, 359 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 1: thin er, ripped er, cute er. This is the one 360 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:40,679 Speaker 1: that'll break your heart. You think your kids are smart, 361 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 1: and then you get around some other kids and you 362 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 1: realize that your kids, by product of comparison, were better 363 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,119 Speaker 1: than their three year old brother but around the same age. Kids, 364 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: it's always this temptation. You don't have to do anything 365 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 1: but flip on a commercial and they will be pulling 366 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 1: you back to the land of er. It's better is better, 367 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:02,879 Speaker 1: And there are things in your life right now that 368 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,640 Speaker 1: you're like, it'd be so much better if would it really? 369 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 1: Are you sure? Yeah? Yeah? If I was famous, that 370 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: would be amazing. I would be significant if people knew 371 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: my name. Oh really, that would be better. You never 372 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 1: saw celebrity commit suicide? Are you sure it would be better? 373 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: Is that what better really is? Well, if I had 374 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,040 Speaker 1: this amount of money, I wouldn't have any problems. Are 375 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: you sure about that? You never met a miserable rich person. 376 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: I can introduce you to a few. It's not like 377 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 1: this is new. It's not like it's only for the 378 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,119 Speaker 1: church here in Rome that is being persecuted for their faith. 379 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 1: We are all drawn back to the land of earth 380 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:54,840 Speaker 1: of looking around and never feeling really enough, and comparing 381 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: ourselves to things that were never meant to be our standard. 382 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: The only standard world of your comparison is the full 383 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:09,439 Speaker 1: potential of Christ in you, the hope of glory. And 384 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: I want to declare over some of our lives today. 385 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,480 Speaker 1: We don't even realize how good it already is. We 386 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:23,359 Speaker 1: are forgiven, set free, redeemed, breathing, clapping, walking, talking, examples 387 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,919 Speaker 1: of the miracle working power of God. I release this 388 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:31,480 Speaker 1: over your life. It's already better. You can already rejoice. 389 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: You can give thanks right now for His goodness. Chriton better, better, better, better. 390 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: Don't let the quest for better in your life make 391 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: you miss the grace of God that is already present. 392 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,840 Speaker 1: I'm preaching to every enneagram right now. It could always 393 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: be better, but it already is. Look what I deserved, 394 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: and look what he did. He did not treat me 395 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:14,600 Speaker 1: as my sins deserve. It's already better. I'm gonna walk 396 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 1: around saying that all week. It's already better. It's already 397 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna declare it by faith on things that I'm 398 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: waiting for God to do. It's already better. It's already better. 399 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: It's already better. It's already better because once you give 400 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:30,119 Speaker 1: up the hope that it can never be better, the 401 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: only option is to go back. And yet I'm so 402 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: interested in how this writer constructs his argument better better. 403 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 1: He starts the whole book of Hebrews talking about Jesus 404 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 1: Christ in his glory, and he doesn't give an introduction. 405 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:57,400 Speaker 1: He just gets right to business. He grabs the mic, 406 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,679 Speaker 1: starts talking about long ago at many times, in many ways, 407 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 1: God spoke to our fathers by the prophece. He's going backwards. 408 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:06,920 Speaker 1: He's giving them what so many of us desperately need 409 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,120 Speaker 1: in our lives, a frame of reference. You know, when 410 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: the devil starts speaking to you, you lose all sense 411 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: of where you really are in your life, and you 412 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,639 Speaker 1: lose all sense you're drifting now you're falling. Now you 413 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: forget how good grace is because all you can think 414 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: about is how bad you are. So he brings them 415 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: all the way back. He rewinds it all the way back, 416 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 1: and he says, long ago, in various times, various ways, 417 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:36,680 Speaker 1: God spoke through our fathers, the prophets, give me the 418 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:40,480 Speaker 1: next verse. But in these last days He has spoken 419 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 1: to us by his son. Now he's beginning to construct 420 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:50,600 Speaker 1: the argument cry tone. Everybody say criytone, not crouton. But 421 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: I'm gonna help you remember it. Cry tone better. He's 422 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,480 Speaker 1: going to introduce that word for the first of thirteen 423 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 1: times in this epistle letter declaration that he said, I'm 424 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 1: convinced of better things concerning you, Well, how do you know? 425 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 1: You don't know me like that. You don't know what's 426 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:12,720 Speaker 1: going on in my life. You don't know what I'm 427 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:15,680 Speaker 1: actually dealing with. You're up here preaching all this stuff. 428 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 1: You don't know. My mom is sick and in a 429 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: nursing home and I can barely afford to pay for it, 430 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: and I haven't been to visit her, but once this year. 431 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 1: You don't know gup, you're talking about better? Well, the 432 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,840 Speaker 1: writer of Hebrew says, Let's go back long ago. In 433 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 1: various ways and at various times, God spoke through the prophets. 434 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 1: But now in these last days he has spoken to 435 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of 436 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: all things. Somebody say better, Come on, I need full 437 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 1: participation on every location. Say better. Jesus is better. The 438 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: prophets were good. Jesus is better. The old way is good, 439 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: the new way is better. Duncan Donuts is good, but 440 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:57,479 Speaker 1: chrispy Kreme is hot. Now I see the sign preaching 441 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:01,480 Speaker 1: Pastor Ferditt. In these last days, he has spoken by 442 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:05,560 Speaker 1: his son, whom he appointed, is a better operating system 443 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,560 Speaker 1: because he is the heir of all things, through whom 444 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: he also created the world. He is the radiance of 445 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 1: the glory of God. It doesn't get any better, and 446 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 1: the exact imprint of his nature. It is perfection in flesh, 447 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. 448 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 1: Somebody shall better Verse four, and I'll leave you alone, 449 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:36,480 Speaker 1: says this, having become as much superior to angels as 450 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,280 Speaker 1: the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 451 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,720 Speaker 1: Now what surprised me about that verse was not that 452 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:47,080 Speaker 1: he chose to say that Jesus is better than the angels. 453 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: Of course, the creator is better than his creation. He 454 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 1: made the angels. It stands to reason that he's better 455 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: than the angels. There is nothing in your life that 456 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: God has given you that he is not greater. Don't 457 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: worship the gift, Worship the giver. The giver is the source, 458 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 1: The gift is the resource. He's better. Somebody say he's better. 459 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,120 Speaker 1: That's the Greek word he translates. He says, having become 460 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:18,440 Speaker 1: as much verse four, superior, cry tone better. It's the 461 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:23,720 Speaker 1: same word better, covenant, better, word, better, promise better, ministry better, better, better. 462 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,200 Speaker 1: Jesus is better than the angels. And I'm not surprised 463 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 1: whatever you put in the next blank. Jesus is greater 464 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:34,719 Speaker 1: than He's better than popularity. He's better than man's praise. 465 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: He's better than a high you can get from some people. 466 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:40,280 Speaker 1: He's better than what you can put in your body 467 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: and feel good for five hours. He's better, better, better. 468 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: That's not what surprised me. What surprised me is when 469 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 1: it said in verse four, Pardey having become because he 470 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: already was perfect, So how did he become better? I 471 00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:00,320 Speaker 1: know from my study of the Word of God God 472 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:05,320 Speaker 1: that he did not improve in character. I know from 473 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 1: my study in the Word of God that Jesus didn't 474 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:15,000 Speaker 1: go into the gym and get gains bro I know 475 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: from what I know about his immutable which means unable 476 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,720 Speaker 1: to be changed nature, that he didn't get better like 477 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: people get better. So in order to understand when that 478 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,200 Speaker 1: shocked me, that just stopped me, I said, I know 479 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: he's better, but he didn't become better. He was already better, 480 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 1: and I had to go backwards to understand better. I'm 481 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 1: appreciate to y' all. Three in verse three, it describes 482 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: this process by which God became a man. What's better 483 00:32:56,520 --> 00:33:02,960 Speaker 1: a God or a man? So right answer, ding ding ding, 484 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:10,400 Speaker 1: gold star God. But it said he became better. He 485 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 1: didn't get better. He was revealed as better. And how 486 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,920 Speaker 1: did he do it? Because how we think of better 487 00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: is we climb up. But Jesus is not drake. He 488 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:31,520 Speaker 1: didn't start from the bottom. My God, this word is 489 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 1: just blessing me enough to subscribe to the podcast. He 490 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: started in a celestial space that is untouched by the 491 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:44,240 Speaker 1: temporal He started in eternity and came into time. He 492 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 1: started robed in divinity and glory and entered into flesh 493 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 1: and shame. Watch verse three. It says he was the 494 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,560 Speaker 1: radiance of the glory of God. He didn't become that 495 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 1: he was, that he was the exact imprint of his nature. 496 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,760 Speaker 1: He didn't become that he was that he upholds the 497 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:03,560 Speaker 1: universe by the power of his word. That's not what 498 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 1: he did. That's who he is. So how did he 499 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 1: become better? He made purification for sins and then sat 500 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:18,000 Speaker 1: down Jesus. I need you to hear this for everybody 501 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 1: who is dealing with shame and you feel like you've 502 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,399 Speaker 1: been going backwards because you keep slipping and you keep 503 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,799 Speaker 1: stumbling and you feel like I'm going backwards. I want 504 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:31,960 Speaker 1: to tell you Jesus went backwards so we could see 505 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,719 Speaker 1: that he was better. Now I need en seconds a 506 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:40,760 Speaker 1: praise from the church from a Nairobi to Caston County 507 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:45,399 Speaker 1: and Balentine in the back section. Give him praise. If 508 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:55,279 Speaker 1: you know he came down to left me out. And 509 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:59,439 Speaker 1: so if you've been going down lately, if you haven't 510 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:03,920 Speaker 1: been feeling lately, if some things have been subtracted lately, 511 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:10,240 Speaker 1: I wanted to declare you're getting better backwards. God's gonna 512 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:16,600 Speaker 1: do it in you. He is preparing you. Stand up 513 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:19,440 Speaker 1: and let me pray for the people. God says, sometimes 514 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:23,240 Speaker 1: you gotta get better backwards. Sometimes you got to switch 515 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 1: the grip and understand that it's His grace and mercy, 516 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,120 Speaker 1: not your effort and your ability to walk in perfect fame. 517 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:41,800 Speaker 1: I'm getting better backwards. I'm getting better through the power 518 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,200 Speaker 1: of the things that I endure, and I refuse to 519 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:50,799 Speaker 1: go back. I refuse to go back when what I 520 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:55,400 Speaker 1: have is better. Make that declaration, say what I have 521 00:35:55,560 --> 00:36:01,480 Speaker 1: is better. D O. Moody, the Great evangelist, was talking 522 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:05,239 Speaker 1: one time to a critic. The man didn't like his 523 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:10,319 Speaker 1: preaching because he made too many grammatical errors, and the 524 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:14,680 Speaker 1: man knew better English than D. L. Moody. But just 525 00:36:14,719 --> 00:36:27,360 Speaker 1: because you know better English doesn't make you a better preacher. Amen. Amen. 526 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:32,520 Speaker 1: And even though the man criticized him, he responded with humility. 527 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:37,040 Speaker 1: And then the story that was told of him said 528 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:40,239 Speaker 1: that when a man approached him and said, Hey, I 529 00:36:40,239 --> 00:36:43,879 Speaker 1: don't like the way that you give invitations. I don't 530 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,680 Speaker 1: think it's I don't think it's good. And he was 531 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,359 Speaker 1: used to bring so many people to Christ right This 532 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:52,319 Speaker 1: was back in the day when you couldn't leave a 533 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:54,880 Speaker 1: comment on somebody's YouTube. You had to tell him if 534 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 1: you didn't like them, straight to their face. These were 535 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: better times, no internet courage back then. He said, I 536 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:08,520 Speaker 1: don't like the way you do it, and dal Moody said, 537 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:12,040 Speaker 1: neither do I. I'm trying to find a better way. 538 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: Then he asked the man. He said, uh, how do 539 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:22,040 Speaker 1: you do it? And the man said, I don't. I 540 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:26,960 Speaker 1: don't have a way. D L. Moody said, I like 541 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:36,759 Speaker 1: mine better. Then I like mine better. I know it's 542 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:40,920 Speaker 1: not pretty sometimes, and other people's progress can make you 543 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,480 Speaker 1: tempted to revert to past ways of thinking when you 544 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:47,800 Speaker 1: compare yourself to the wrong standard. But in the presence 545 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:50,000 Speaker 1: of God, in the presence of Jesus, who is greater 546 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 1: than all things, and the eternal Christ, whose word has 547 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:56,040 Speaker 1: spoken not only from eternity, but from time, from Him 548 00:37:56,280 --> 00:38:00,600 Speaker 1: who knew no sin, who became sin, that we might 549 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:04,880 Speaker 1: become the righteousness of God, he says, don't get discouraged 550 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:09,520 Speaker 1: in your life. Don't get discouraged by your marriage. Don't 551 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:13,960 Speaker 1: get discouraged by another people's another person's marriage. Bad grammar, 552 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:18,399 Speaker 1: good theology, I feel your dl moody. He said, don't 553 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:21,120 Speaker 1: get discouraged by what you don't have that they do have. 554 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:24,719 Speaker 1: But instead I want you to declare over your life 555 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: today that relative to my purpose, there is not a 556 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:34,759 Speaker 1: better person to be on the earth, in position on assignment, 557 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:37,439 Speaker 1: humbled before the presence of God. You know what makes 558 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:40,479 Speaker 1: you better for the job than anybody else. The fact 559 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:43,359 Speaker 1: that you know that you can't do it on your own. 560 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:53,600 Speaker 1: That's what makes you better in this world of improving, 561 00:38:54,960 --> 00:39:01,279 Speaker 1: in this world of approving, and it could always be 562 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:08,520 Speaker 1: er Er. Don't miss what is on the way to 563 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:12,080 Speaker 1: a place called er. God's name is not the great 564 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:20,399 Speaker 1: I Er, He's the great I Am. I need six 565 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: hundred people to celebrate this word right now. The blood 566 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:32,600 Speaker 1: of Jesus speak so better a word. Thank you for 567 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,239 Speaker 1: joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give 568 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:38,200 Speaker 1: generously to this ministry. Is because of you that this 569 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,120 Speaker 1: ministry is possible. You can click the link in the 570 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 1: description to give now, or visit Elevation Church dot org 571 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:48,880 Speaker 1: slash podcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, 572 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:51,880 Speaker 1: you can subscribe. You can share it with your friends. 573 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:54,480 Speaker 1: You can click the share button. Take a screenshot and 574 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:56,640 Speaker 1: share it on your social stories and tag us at 575 00:39:56,640 --> 00:40:02,920 Speaker 1: Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.