1 00:00:05,652 --> 00:00:07,716 One of the clearest descriptions, I think, 2 00:00:07,716 --> 00:00:09,398 of what a true Christian looks like 3 00:00:09,398 --> 00:00:11,124 is found in Philippians 3:3. 4 00:00:11,124 --> 00:00:15,551 Who knows the three things that are said there? 5 00:00:15,551 --> 00:00:19,120 The true circumcision - what do they look like? 6 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,069 No confidence in the flesh. That's one. 7 00:00:22,069 --> 00:00:25,197 What are the other two? 8 00:00:25,197 --> 00:00:27,405 They glory or boast, 9 00:00:27,405 --> 00:00:28,889 some translations say, 10 00:00:28,889 --> 00:00:29,890 in Christ Jesus. 11 00:00:29,890 --> 00:00:31,321 What's the other one? 12 00:00:31,321 --> 00:00:33,235 They worship in the Spirit. 13 00:00:33,235 --> 00:00:35,919 But they boast in Jesus Christ. 14 00:00:35,919 --> 00:00:37,694 You know how you can tell 15 00:00:37,694 --> 00:00:39,606 the true Christian? 16 00:00:39,606 --> 00:00:41,406 They boast in Christ. 17 00:00:41,406 --> 00:00:43,152 Isn't that always a dead giveaway? 18 00:00:43,152 --> 00:00:45,594 When we find people that profess to be Christians, 19 00:00:45,594 --> 00:00:48,867 but you just don't hear anything about Christ, 20 00:00:48,867 --> 00:00:50,161 it's very suspect. 21 00:00:50,161 --> 00:00:51,530 Very suspect. 22 00:00:51,530 --> 00:00:53,147 People can talk about religion. 23 00:00:53,147 --> 00:00:55,377 They can talk about "God." 24 00:00:55,377 --> 00:00:57,099 You know, you listen to some people 25 00:00:57,099 --> 00:00:59,399 and they talk about God this, God this, God this, 26 00:00:59,399 --> 00:01:01,192 but there's never anything of Christ. 27 00:01:01,192 --> 00:01:02,738 I'll tell you one thing God does 28 00:01:02,738 --> 00:01:04,024 when He saves a person. 29 00:01:04,024 --> 00:01:06,690 He makes them a lover of Jesus Christ. 30 00:01:06,690 --> 00:01:08,879 Jesus becomes our all. 31 00:01:08,879 --> 00:01:12,427 And so, if we boil this down, 32 00:01:12,427 --> 00:01:15,818 consider Jesus to the end 33 00:01:15,818 --> 00:01:20,596 that you might become more confident in Him. 34 00:01:20,596 --> 00:01:22,617 But if we're going to add a little more 35 00:01:22,617 --> 00:01:26,491 to that summary, 36 00:01:26,491 --> 00:01:31,140 we might say this: 37 00:01:31,140 --> 00:01:35,364 Consider Jesus by comparing 38 00:01:35,364 --> 00:01:38,295 Moses to Jesus 39 00:01:38,295 --> 00:01:40,741 so that you might become more confident 40 00:01:40,741 --> 00:01:42,564 in Jesus. 41 00:01:42,564 --> 00:01:45,838 That would be a good summary, I think. 42 00:01:45,838 --> 00:01:48,805 But as I looked at this, I thought, 43 00:01:48,805 --> 00:01:52,299 but doesn't this raise the question. 44 00:01:52,299 --> 00:01:55,054 Look, whoever the writer of Hebrews is - 45 00:01:55,054 --> 00:01:56,622 some think it's Paul, 46 00:01:56,622 --> 00:01:59,474 some think it's somebody else. 47 00:01:59,474 --> 00:02:01,439 I don't think we can know for certain. 48 00:02:01,439 --> 00:02:02,348 But whoever he is, 49 00:02:02,348 --> 00:02:04,320 if we could get him here, we'd say, 50 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,571 hey writer-of-Hebrews guy, 51 00:02:08,571 --> 00:02:12,899 if you want us to consider Jesus, 52 00:02:12,899 --> 00:02:16,403 why introduce Moses? 53 00:02:16,403 --> 00:02:18,778 Doesn't that get in the way? 54 00:02:18,778 --> 00:02:21,188 I mean if you want us thinking about Jesus, 55 00:02:21,188 --> 00:02:23,006 don't tell us about somebody else 56 00:02:23,006 --> 00:02:25,538 because then that gets us thinking about them. 57 00:02:25,538 --> 00:02:27,297 If you want us thinking about Jesus, 58 00:02:27,297 --> 00:02:28,581 just tell us about Jesus. 59 00:02:28,581 --> 00:02:30,546 And I think the writer would say, 60 00:02:30,546 --> 00:02:34,729 well, that's not true. 61 00:02:34,729 --> 00:02:36,790 When I introduce something else 62 00:02:36,790 --> 00:02:39,130 and it's for the sake of comparing them 63 00:02:39,130 --> 00:02:41,145 to Jesus in order to show you 64 00:02:41,145 --> 00:02:43,456 how much greater He is, 65 00:02:43,456 --> 00:02:48,225 then it's a very useful way to get us 66 00:02:48,225 --> 00:02:50,457 thinking about Jesus. 67 00:02:50,457 --> 00:02:52,080 He doesn't want us just thinking 68 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:53,459 about Jesus in a vacuum. 69 00:02:53,459 --> 00:02:56,432 He wants us thinking about how much better Jesus is. 70 00:02:56,432 --> 00:02:58,437 Brethren, I'll tell you this. 71 00:02:58,437 --> 00:03:03,252 Comparison is a massively powerful way 72 00:03:03,252 --> 00:03:06,265 to use our minds in order to 73 00:03:06,265 --> 00:03:10,271 build up our confidence. 74 00:03:10,271 --> 00:03:11,998 Brethren, we need to be people 75 00:03:11,998 --> 00:03:15,094 who do this with our minds. 76 00:03:15,094 --> 00:03:19,292 We need to be people who are 77 00:03:19,292 --> 00:03:23,972 very studied in the art of comparison. 78 00:03:23,972 --> 00:03:25,588 We need to be that. 79 00:03:25,588 --> 00:03:26,986 Brethren, every time you feel 80 00:03:26,986 --> 00:03:28,507 an idol tug at your heart; 81 00:03:28,507 --> 00:03:29,884 every time there's something 82 00:03:29,884 --> 00:03:31,919 that competes for your affections, 83 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:33,927 you need to be able to 84 00:03:33,927 --> 00:03:36,690 masterfully use Scripture 85 00:03:36,690 --> 00:03:40,283 to compare those things in your mind. 86 00:03:40,283 --> 00:03:44,221 Comparison is very powerful. 87 00:03:44,221 --> 00:03:45,799 When you set Christ side by side 88 00:03:45,799 --> 00:03:47,397 with anything else in your life - 89 00:03:47,397 --> 00:03:50,027 any possession, any love, any relationship, 90 00:03:50,027 --> 00:03:52,020 any money, any power, any person, 91 00:03:52,020 --> 00:03:54,685 any religion, any kind of philosophical thought, 92 00:03:54,685 --> 00:03:56,443 or the ways the world thinks - 93 00:03:56,443 --> 00:03:58,617 any of that - any of it. 94 00:03:58,617 --> 00:03:59,429 Anything. 95 00:03:59,429 --> 00:04:00,885 When you set it beside Jesus 96 00:04:00,885 --> 00:04:02,954 and carefully examine Him 97 00:04:02,954 --> 00:04:05,499 over against that thing, 98 00:04:05,499 --> 00:04:08,211 if you properly discern them both, 99 00:04:08,211 --> 00:04:13,386 you have to come away what? 100 00:04:13,386 --> 00:04:16,754 If you discern properly, 101 00:04:16,754 --> 00:04:18,848 you have to come away every single time 102 00:04:18,848 --> 00:04:21,167 thinking that Jesus is better. 103 00:04:21,167 --> 00:04:22,515 Why? 104 00:04:22,515 --> 00:04:24,462 Because He really is better, 105 00:04:24,462 --> 00:04:26,211 and if you see Him for what He is 106 00:04:26,211 --> 00:04:28,153 and the thing where you're comparing Him 107 00:04:28,153 --> 00:04:29,694 over against what it is, 108 00:04:29,694 --> 00:04:31,262 you have to see Him as better. 109 00:04:31,262 --> 00:04:33,533 And the writer of Hebrews know this: 110 00:04:33,533 --> 00:04:34,895 Any time you see Jesus 111 00:04:34,895 --> 00:04:36,932 better than that thing, 112 00:04:36,932 --> 00:04:39,151 you will not walk away from Jesus 113 00:04:39,151 --> 00:04:40,540 Who you think is better, 114 00:04:40,540 --> 00:04:42,953 for the thing you think is inferior. 115 00:04:42,953 --> 00:04:44,204 Right? 116 00:04:44,204 --> 00:04:45,905 It never happens. 117 00:04:45,905 --> 00:04:47,415 And so the Christian, 118 00:04:47,415 --> 00:04:50,145 in order to stay and stand 119 00:04:50,145 --> 00:04:53,535 and remain steadfast and boasting - 120 00:04:53,535 --> 00:04:55,854 brethren, people boast in the Lord 121 00:04:55,854 --> 00:04:58,040 when they don't have greater things 122 00:04:58,040 --> 00:04:59,715 to boast about. 123 00:04:59,715 --> 00:05:01,727 The guy that's always boasting in himself 124 00:05:01,727 --> 00:05:03,617 boasts like that because he thinks 125 00:05:03,617 --> 00:05:05,590 he's better than Christ. 126 00:05:05,590 --> 00:05:06,666 He may not admit it, 127 00:05:06,666 --> 00:05:09,582 but he thinks it. 128 00:05:09,582 --> 00:05:12,377 So brethren, comparison. 129 00:05:12,377 --> 00:05:13,736 It's weighty. 130 00:05:13,736 --> 00:05:16,013 We need to become masters at it. 131 00:05:16,013 --> 00:05:21,377 When you study Jesus 132 00:05:21,377 --> 00:05:24,023 and anything else, 133 00:05:24,023 --> 00:05:25,570 you come to that conclusion: 134 00:05:25,570 --> 00:05:27,333 Jesus is better. 135 00:05:27,333 --> 00:05:30,921 You don't abandon Jesus. 136 00:05:30,921 --> 00:05:32,981 That's the reality. 137 00:05:32,981 --> 00:05:36,294 That's the reality. 138 00:05:36,294 --> 00:05:42,305 Oh, brethren, consider Jesus. 139 00:05:42,305 --> 00:05:43,246 He is better.