Christ is Better, Boast in Him - Tim Conway

One of the clearest descriptions, I think,

of what a true Christian looks like

is found in Philippians 3:3.

Who knows the three
things that are said there?

The true circumcision -
what do they look like?

No confidence in the flesh. That's one.

What are the other two?

They glory or boast,

some translations say,

in Christ Jesus.

What's the other one?

They worship in the Spirit.

But they boast in Jesus Christ.

You know how you can tell

the true Christian?

They boast in Christ.

Isn't that always a dead giveaway?

When we find people that
profess to be Christians,

but you just don't hear
anything about Christ,

it's very suspect.

Very suspect.

People can talk about religion.

They can talk about "God."

You know, you listen to some people

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

but there's never anything of Christ.

I'll tell you one thing God does

when He saves a person.

He makes them a lover of Jesus Christ.

Jesus becomes our all.

And so, if we boil this down,

consider Jesus to the end

that you might become
more confident in Him.

But if we're going to add a little more

to that summary,

we might say this:

Consider Jesus by comparing

Moses to Jesus

so that you might become more confident

in Jesus.

That would be a good summary, I think.

But as I looked at this, I thought,

but doesn't this raise the question.

Look, whoever the writer of Hebrews is -

some think it's Paul,

some think it's somebody else.

I don't think we can know for certain.

But whoever he is,

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

hey writer-of-Hebrews guy,

if you want us to consider Jesus,

why introduce Moses?

Doesn't that get in the way?

I mean if you want us
thinking about Jesus,

don't tell us about somebody else

because then that gets
us thinking about them.

If you want us thinking about Jesus,

just tell us about Jesus.

And I think the writer would say,

well, that's not true.

When I introduce something else

and it's for the sake of comparing them

to Jesus in order to show you

how much greater He is,

then it's a very useful way to get us

thinking about Jesus.

He doesn't want us just thinking

about Jesus in a vacuum.

He wants us thinking about
how much better Jesus is.

Brethren, I'll tell you this.

Comparison is a massively powerful way

to use our minds in order to

build up our confidence.

Brethren, we need to be people

who do this with our minds.

We need to be people who are

very studied in the art of comparison.

We need to be that.

Brethren, every time you feel

an idol tug at your heart;

every time there's something

that competes for your affections,

you need to be able to

masterfully use Scripture

to compare those things in your mind.

Comparison is very powerful.

When you set Christ side by side

with anything else in your life -

any possession, any
love, any relationship,

any money, any power, any person,

any religion, any kind
of philosophical thought,

or the ways the world thinks -

any of that - any of it.

Anything.

When you set it beside Jesus

and carefully examine Him

over against that thing,

if you properly discern them both,

you have to come away what?

If you discern properly,

you have to come away every single time

thinking that Jesus is better.

Why?

Because He really is better,

and if you see Him for what He is

and the thing where you're comparing Him

over against what it is,

you have to see Him as better.

And the writer of Hebrews know this:

Any time you see Jesus

better than that thing,

you will not walk away from Jesus

Who you think is better,

for the thing you think is inferior.

Right?

It never happens.

And so the Christian,

in order to stay and stand

and remain steadfast and boasting -

brethren, people boast in the Lord

when they don't have greater things

to boast about.

The guy that's always boasting in himself

boasts like that because he thinks

he's better than Christ.

He may not admit it,

but he thinks it.

So brethren, comparison.

It's weighty.

We need to become masters at it.

When you study Jesus

and anything else,

you come to that conclusion:

Jesus is better.

You don't abandon Jesus.

That's the reality.

That's the reality.

Oh, brethren, consider Jesus.

He is better.