When you see one thing, but are told another, or told one thing and see another, it can create confusion. Especially in children. If children saw their Dad hit their mom, but then heard their Dad preach a sermon on the subject of love on Sunday morning, that can create much confusion in that child. What is real? What is the truth?
I believe many of us over the course of our lives have had so many different things conveyed to us that we find ourselves confused about everything. Conflicting stories. Inconsistent lifestyles between behind closed doors and in public. Incongruent talk and walk that resulted in a fogged perception of what was real and what was facade.
When you have seen this regularly, it often leads to one of these things: 1) you live under constant anxiety, trying to pick what is right, 2) YOU decide what is going to be right for you and will not waiver no matter what evidence may prove otherwise, or 3) you numb out because it’s just too much to deal with and your psyche is exhausted.
Sadly, this has happened so often in the Church. Children of the Church have watched their parents say or act one way and then do something totally different, often times, opposite, and it has turned them away from the Church, with bitterness and even hatred toward the Church.
The recipients of Hebrews in the Bible were Jewish Christians who were once told one thing and now were being told another. They were watching the lifestyle of Christians and wanting to press into that more deeply, while struggling with all of the Jewish roots that had been instilled in them.
So he begins Hebrews saying that God spoke in the past through prophets, angels, and even a donkey, but from the birth of Jesus, until His return, “He has spoken to us by His Son”(Hebrews 1:1-2). And just so we would be well-aware of His oneness with the Son, God reminds us that Jesus is the heir of ALL things and partnered with God in creating the universe!!! (Hebrews 1:2)
Whereas God used various means to reveal Himself in the past, He was now funneling everything through His Son, who is “the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word.” (Hebrews 1:3)
Here’s what I want to encourage you with today: Jesus carries all the attributes of deity and also sustains all the assembled things that they created together.
Jesus is the creative power of God and the sustaining power of God.
Many times, we feel like we are coming apart at the seams. We don’t know what or who to believe anymore. Jesus is the exact representation of God. He is our only Source. Our only Focus. And,
If Jesus has the power to keep a universe from unraveling, He has the power to hold you together, too.
Paul says this in Colossians: “in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17)
So if you have found yourself confused because of the contradictions you have seen over the course of your life, you don’t have to chose to be consumed with anxiety over it, nor so dogmatic that you miss Truth, nor “numb out” due to exhaustion with it all.
You can simply come to Jesus, the One who is the exact representation of God, and open yourself up to Him, inviting Him to reveal Truth about who He is. It will sustain you and maintain you, no matter what goes on around you. Even when you feel like things are unraveling around you, He will hold all things together as you surrender yourself to Him.
Here’s an amazing song that we sang at The Deeper Retreat that I believe will encourage you as you worship today:
“Holds Us Together” by H.E.R. And Tauren Wells
Make plans to join us for the LOVE study coming in January! Get your books, DVD, and sweatshirt (limited quantity) and let’s press into God‘s love together!!! Here’s a link to the store: https://www.jenaforehand.com/shop
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