II. ANALYSIS OF THE LETTER

I. The New Testament is better than and takes the place of the First Testament because its Founder, the Messiah, is better than (1:1–8:6).
1. The prophets (1:1–3),

because he not only affirms what the prophets say about what will happen, Jesus fulfills it

2. Jesus is God the Son,

heir of all things, not just some things

and creator of the universe which he has been sustaining and continues to sustain up to this very minute....


not just a radiant reflection of God's glory He is God

not just a great illustration of the essence character, nature of God, He is all these things himself

Not one possible Sacrifice that paid for sin (v. 3), but the best one, and the only one.......

So, if you want to reach out to someone because life has gotten a little crazy - Jesus is the best option out there

present tense - he has not stopped sustaining, supporting, maintaining, carrying, seeing plans through to their completion

all things - there is no category in our lives where the sustaining power of Jesus cannot make a huge impact.....of life .... there is no area where Jesus "does not belong"

That belongs in church, not in the lab, or at work, or on the soccer field etc.

That's a faith based opinion, not valid in this setting.....

(Illus. about ICR -

as one scholar (Weiss) puts it, “with the all in all its changes and transformations throughout the aeons.” It is concerned, not only with sustaining the weight of the universe, but also with maintaining its coherence and carrying on its development.


All things (τὰ πάντα) collectively considered; the universe; all things in their unity. See ch. 2:10; Rom. 8:32; 11:36; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 1:10; Col. 1:16.

Sustainer - For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

In Him......

Creator.....

Held together..... stand together

Hebrews 6:1 - Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God,

Bear Fruit - John 15:5 - 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

You want to pull it together?

Make progress, develop, grow in life?

Bear fruit, that lasts, has eternal impact, ....make a difference now and in eternity?

Early church leaders called this process - re-collection.....interestingly accurate description

(Illus. How to recollect yourself after a day that leaft you scattered and disillusioned....)

Follow Jesus

Words of this stem all have the basic sense of ability or capability, “to be able” in a general sense,

which empowers a can do attitude

“one who has ability or power,”

“one who is capable, and has the attitude to match

powerful, to have great abilityh mean “to give power,”

“to make strong or to strengthen.

All of this comes from Jesus.....

Mark 6:2 Miracuous ability Jesus had to discern men's hearts, raise the dead, heal the sick.....exercise of the power of God

As Jesus exercised this power over sin and the devil ......as depicted in Acts 10:38 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.


As a result....we have Peter;s sermon on the day of Pentecost where 3000 were saved in one day.......changing the very landscape of life in Jerusalem....and taht was just the beginning....
that explosion comes through the power of the Holy Spirit to "change the landscape of life" through healing, supernatural signs and wonders, and the effect of powerful preaching that leads to changed lives and strengthened faith.

The Powerful Word......

Is most effective when it is heard as Romans 10:17 - Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Profitable, useful, helpful -

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Big light, little light - light on the pathway creates confidence in knowing I am on the right path, helps us avoid tripping on dangerous rocks and tree stumps

Tastes Sweet - Ezekiel 's call - 2-3 - And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Read the Bible

Listen to good Bible teaching and preaching

Spend time in a small group discussing how the text relates
to you.....etc....

Read great books on the faith

(Illus. Examples....)

Jesus invites us today, to bring our scattered and confused lives to him

Seek Him for the power over sin, to accomplish his will for your life

Opens His mouth to speak, listen to Him today...

Because....

No one ever cared for me like Jesus....

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me,
All my heart was full of misery and woe;
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms about me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.

Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I’ll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.