Christ's Supremacy and Our Faith

September 11, 2020

Christ's Supremacy and Our Faith

Hebrews 1:1

Sasha Thomas

Central Truth

Christ's sacrifice was the complete fulfillment of the law and proves He is enough for us. Our faith in His sanctifying work on the cross enables us to face trials and stay true to God when things get hard.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

The Supremacy of God's Son

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were being persecuted on all sides by Jews and Romans alike. They needed to be reassured that Christianity was true, that Jesus was the Messiah, and that they had to live by faith even in trials. They needed reminders:

that Christ was completely sufficient for salvation (Hebrews 7:25)
to not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13)
to hold fast and not give up the faith (Hebrews 5:11–6:6, 18)
to grow in maturity of their faith (Hebrews 5:14)
to spur one another on in love and good deeds, not to give up meeting together, but encourage each other (Hebrews 10:24-25)
to throw off every hindrance and sin that entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for them (Hebrews 12:1)
that endurance has a promised reward (Hebrews 10:36)

The struggles the early Jewish Christians faced were the same as we face today. As we walk through difficult times when things don't go as planned, or when the hard reality of sin hits us and shakes our confidence, do we trust Him? Is He really enough? Do we hold fast to our faith and persevere? We need to be reminded that His love and sacrifice for all the people of the world (past, present, and future) fulfills the law: the perfect Lamb sacrificed for you and me, to bring us into fellowship with God forever. There is no other way (John 14:6), and no other way is needed.

When hard times come—and they will—let us press into them with faith that we have all we need in Him, for He tells us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9a) Jesus is "the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) "Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." (Hebrews 13:15)

1. Is there a trial or pain in your life right now that you are struggling to believe Christ is enough to see you through? Have you asked God to help your unbelief?

2. In what ways can you take ground in giving this situation over to God and letting Him have the outcome?

3. If not, is there a time you can remember His faithfulness in seeing you through a difficult trial?

4. How has God used that situation in your life to encourage others through difficult times? Are there ways you could be serving the body in which this experience could be used by God to help others?