2007 Book of Hebrews Series – “Resolved”
Hebrews 1:1-2
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – January 7, 2007

Prayer Introduction: How many of you made New Year’s resolutions this year? How many of you have already broken those resolutions? How many of you have stopped making resolutions, because you know you’re never going to keep them anyway?

            Wouldn’t it be great to make a resolution and actually keep it? Actually losing the weight; quitting smoking or drinking, getting out of debt, keeping up your devotions?

            This is the year you will do it. Before this starts sounding like an info-mercial let’s immediately recognize why this year will be different – because this year we are going to bring it to Christ.

            Our theme this year is 2007 – A Sabbath Year: A Year Set Apart for Holiness. The number “7” in Scripture often is a number meaning perfection, or completion, or fulfillment. This is 2007. In the Old Testament God had declared every seventh year to be a Sabbath year. Just as every seventh day is a Sabbath Day, so every seventh year was a Sabbath year – remembering that God rested on the seventh day of creation.

            The Sabbath is not just a time of rest; it is a time of holy rest. The 4^th commandment is “Keep the Sabbath Day Holy.” The word holy means, set apart. So to keep the Sabbath holy means to set it apart for holy rest – for the pursuit of holiness.

            And so 2007 is an ideal time for us to set this year apart for holiness. As such we will focus on the way God’s Word tells us how we can keep our resolutions – how we can have victory over those things, which continually plague us. This year we will not focus on sin, but on Christ’s victory over our sin – and how we can see that victory in our lives.

            One survey says that only 10% of people who make resolutions keep them. Why is that number so low? Because so few people realize the power of Jesus Christ – and how to call on His power to give them victory.

            The Book of Hebrews is one of the best places to go for this encouragement. The theme of the Book of Hebrews is the supremacy of the Christ. Jesus is supreme over all creation. Jesus is supreme over the angels. Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the final and great High Priest. Do you not think that the God of the universe can give you victory over any sin in your life? Of course he can; but how?

            Well that’s what we will flesh out this year. And we will do so beginning with the first two verses of the Book of Hebrews. Let’s begin with prayer…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!

READ Hebrews 1:1-2: From these verses I would have you see The Success of Failed Resolutions & The Failure of Successful Resolutions and then True Success in Resolutions.

I. The Success of Failed Resolutions

First I would have you see The Success of Failed Resolutions. In 2006 I had resolved to lose 40 pounds. Instead, I gained 10 pounds. How is this possible? How is it possible that I could have done this when I know better? I know what I need to do, to eat right and exercise right. I even know the spiritual truth behind this. I even started blogging about the sin of gluttony. If I know all of this how come I failed?

            Because knowing it, isn’t doing it.

            God’s Word (James 1:22) says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” I’m a pastor, who is well-trained in Bible and theology – which means that I can fake it better than any of you.

            I know how to say the right things, but do the wrong things. I even know how to say the right things about doing the wrong things.

            It’s called hypocrisy – knowing and saying one thing, but doing another. And I would be willing to wager that I am the biggest hypocrite in the house today.

            But I am incredibly thankful for last year’s failure. Last year’s failure has meant newfound success – in seeing some things that were hidden in my heart that God has now drawn out. Last year’s failure has meant seeing the way I tried to succeed on my own, rather than depending on Christ. It was this self-centeredness that was the hidden sin behind my gluttony.

            Last year’s failure took me back to the cross of Christ where I discovered how my faith was lacking – I wasn’t putting my faith into action.

            Don’t we all find this to be true? You know what you’re supposed to do, but that doesn’t mean you do it.

            I forget who said, “It’s easy to get up early the night before.” But wow isn’t that true? We can make grand plans. We can know what to do. We can resolve to do it. But when it comes actually to doing it we fall flat.

            Why? Because we fail to put our faith into practice. We show, in practice, that we don’t really believe God can help – that we think we’re on our own. We show that we don’t really believe that Jesus Christ has the power, or interest, in helping us with our gluttony, drunkenness, lust, finances…

            The Book of Hebrews extols a Savior and Lord who is much greater than we realize. Hebrews 1:1-2 starts it off: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”

            The Old Testament is filled with the revelation of God through Moses and Joshua and Samuel and David and Isaiah and Daniel and all the others. God revealed himself on mountain tops, and in valleys; through extraordinary dreams and visions. The revelations of God throughout the Old Testament are awesome! Yet they don’t even come close to the revelation of his Son.

            The Son of God – Jesus the Christ – is the one who has been appointed heir of all things. He is God in the flesh. All of Old Testament revelation points to Him. He is the one through whom the whole universe was created.

            Earlier this morning we heard the opening words of Genesis and the Gospel of John in which we see that God created the heavens and the earth – and that Jesus is God, in the flesh, through whom everything was made.

            Do we really believe that Jesus, who created the universe, can’t help us with our finances?

II. The Failure of Successful Resolutions

And so I would have you see The Failure of Successful Resolutions. We hear success stories advertised regularly. Everyone from Subway’s Jared to Will Smith’s “Happy” Chris Gardner. Oprah shares tears on her couch with people who have overcome addiction, failed relationships and financial woes. We love the rags to riches stories about athletes and other celebrities.

            But in virtually all of these success stories have you noticed the lack of Christ-centeredness? They will sometimes talk about how a generic god helped them; but the world embraces those who have succeeded – not with the help of Jesus – but who have succeeded on their own.

            The world gives us example after example of people who have amazingly strong wills – who overcome incredible adversity by their own inner strength; and we look at them and feel like even bigger failures, because we don’t have their inner drive.

            Let me suggest that these few people who have the inner drive to succeed, and do, are actually failures – because they have looked deeper within, rather than looking out to help from heaven.

            Hebrews 1:1-2 shows us not only the greatness of Jesus, but also reminds us that he was sent to us in order to help us. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick… For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13).

            What happens when you go to the doctor? You wait. You sit in waiting rooms forever, right? Jesus is the great physician – and we often think we must sit and wait for him to be ready to help us – but we don’t have to wait for him. He has already been sent. He has already come. We have already celebrated Christmas. And so we can celebrate the New Year – and the new life – that we can have in Christ.

III. True Success in Resolutions

How? I would have you see True Success in Resolutions. It begins by believing, in your head and heart, that Jesus really is who he says he is. Jesus really did live a perfect life. Jesus really did face every temptation we face, but never failed. Jesus faced all of our temptations and overcame them. And through his death and resurrection we can overcome them too.

            Secondly, let this belief – in your head and heart – be proved by your actions. Call on Christ to work in you. Philippians 2:12b-13 says, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” The New Living Translation puts it this way, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” God living in you, gives you the desire and power to obey him.

            What is your motivation for your resolutions? If your motivation is self-centered you will fail.

If the motivation for diet and exercise is to lose weight – to look and feel better, you will fail. But if you continually ask God to give you the desire and power to obey him then you will succeed.

If the motivation for sobriety is to live a better life you will fail. But if you continually ask God to crucify your sinful desires and to give you the desire and power to obey him then you will succeed.

            If the motivation for getting out of debt is getting out of debt then you will fail. But if you continually ask God to give you the desire and power to obey him then you will succeed.

            Now listen closely, because this is really important, if you try and do this on your own you will fail. That is the sin hidden beneath the sin.

So here is how Christ will give you victory over sin and temptation this year: Realize that you need Christ, AND that you need the help of those who will continually remind you that you need Christ.

            Do you know how long the human body can last without food and water? Less than 3 days.

            Do you know how long your resolutions can last without calling on Christ? Less than 3 days.

            And we all go through stretches of more than 3 days where we don’t call on Christ, and by day 4 we are back to our old habits.

            You need to have at least one person who will actively keep you calling on Christ. You need at least one accountability partner who will check with you regularly to see how you are doing.

This person needs to commit to praying for you and this person needs to commit to praying with you. This person needs to walk with you to the cross of Christ – to crucify the sinful desires over and over and over.

I had someone ask me why we can’t just do that once and be done with it. Why can’t we pray just once, “God take away this sin;” and have it taken away completely?

Because we would stop depending on Him.

Think about it. If today you prayed for God to take away all of your sin, and he did; how long would your thankfulness last – until you began to live independently of Him? For me it would probably be within the hour.

It is to God’s greater glory and our greater enjoyment of His grace that He wants us to continue coming to Him again and again and again.

During our worship services this year, you will be invited to give testimonies of the ways (big and small) that God is giving you victory over sin and temptations.

For example, as I was packing the car for our trip the day after Christmas, I thought I had it all packed up and Jen gave me another larger item that we had forgotten to pack. Grrr! I started muttering angrily to myself as I walked to the garage. And then I stopped. God helped me to see my anger and I asked myself, “What are you upset about? Is it that you think this will make you late – that’s pretty selfish. Is it that you don’t want to make the effort – that’s pretty selfish. Is it that you don’t feel that you are being appreciated for all your effort – that’s really selfish, especially since Jen’s done more work in packing than you have.” And I realized that I was being selfish – and that I had developed a habit of being angry about packing the car – for vacation! We’re going on vacation – this is supposed to be a joyous experience. And I asked God to crucify my selfishness and I started laughing – at myself. And the trip became a joy-filled time instead of a grumpy time.

If you would like to share a testimony of ways in which God gives you victory let me know, so that we can all rejoice together in the ways that God is at work in our lives.

So, put your faith into action by asking Him again and again to give you the desire and power to obey him. Put your faith into action by asking someone else to pray for you and with you to this end [that’s the first step].

Put your faith into action by not only believing the Truth, but by letting…

…THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE – AMEN!