WEBVTT

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One of the clearest descriptions, I think,

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of what a true Christian looks like

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is found in Philippians 3:3.

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Who knows the three 
things that are said there?

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The true circumcision - 
what do they look like?

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No confidence in the flesh. That's one.

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What are the other two?

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They glory or boast,

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some translations say,

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in Christ Jesus.

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What's the other one?

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They worship in the Spirit.

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But they boast in Jesus Christ.

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You know how you can tell

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the true Christian?

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They boast in Christ.

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Isn't that always a dead giveaway?

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When we find people that 
profess to be Christians,

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but you just don't hear 
anything about Christ,

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it's very suspect.

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Very suspect.

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People can talk about religion.

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They can talk about "God."

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You know, you listen to some people

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and they talk about
God this, God this, God this,

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but there's never anything of Christ.

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I'll tell you one thing God does

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when He saves a person.

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He makes them a lover of Jesus Christ.

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Jesus becomes our all.

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And so, if we boil this down,

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consider Jesus to the end

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that you might become 
more confident in Him.

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But if we're going to add a little more

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to that summary,

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we might say this:

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Consider Jesus by comparing

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Moses to Jesus

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so that you might become more confident

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in Jesus.

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That would be a good summary, I think.

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But as I looked at this, I thought,

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but doesn't this raise the question.

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Look, whoever the writer of Hebrews is -

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some think it's Paul,

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some think it's somebody else.

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I don't think we can know for certain.

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But whoever he is,

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if we could get him here, we'd say,

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hey writer-of-Hebrews guy,

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if you want us to consider Jesus,

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why introduce Moses?

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Doesn't that get in the way?

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I mean if you want us 
thinking about Jesus,

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don't tell us about somebody else

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because then that gets 
us thinking about them.

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If you want us thinking about Jesus,

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just tell us about Jesus.

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And I think the writer would say,

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well, that's not true.

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When I introduce something else

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and it's for the sake of comparing them

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to Jesus in order to show you

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how much greater He is,

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then it's a very useful way to get us

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thinking about Jesus.

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He doesn't want us just thinking

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about Jesus in a vacuum.

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He wants us thinking about 
how much better Jesus is.

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Brethren, I'll tell you this.

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Comparison is a massively powerful way

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to use our minds in order to

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build up our confidence.

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Brethren, we need to be people

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who do this with our minds.

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We need to be people who are

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very studied in the art of comparison.

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We need to be that.

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Brethren, every time you feel

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an idol tug at your heart;

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every time there's something

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that competes for your affections,

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you need to be able to

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masterfully use Scripture

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to compare those things in your mind.

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Comparison is very powerful.

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When you set Christ side by side

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with anything else in your life -

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any possession, any 
love, any relationship,

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any money, any power, any person,

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any religion, any kind 
of philosophical thought,

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or the ways the world thinks -

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any of that - any of it.

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Anything.

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When you set it beside Jesus

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and carefully examine Him

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over against that thing,

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if you properly discern them both,

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you have to come away what?

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If you discern properly,

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you have to come away every single time

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thinking that Jesus is better.

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Why?

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Because He really is better,

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and if you see Him for what He is

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and the thing where you're comparing Him

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over against what it is,

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you have to see Him as better.

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And the writer of Hebrews know this:

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Any time you see Jesus

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better than that thing,

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you will not walk away from Jesus

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Who you think is better,

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for the thing you think is inferior.

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Right?

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It never happens.

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And so the Christian,

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in order to stay and stand

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and remain steadfast and boasting -

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brethren, people boast in the Lord

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when they don't have greater things

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to boast about.

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The guy that's always boasting in himself

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boasts like that because he thinks

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he's better than Christ.

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He may not admit it,

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but he thinks it.

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So brethren, comparison.

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It's weighty.

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We need to become masters at it.

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When you study Jesus

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and anything else,

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you come to that conclusion:

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Jesus is better.

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You don't abandon Jesus.

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That's the reality.

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That's the reality.

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Oh, brethren, consider Jesus.

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He is better.