“Church, we need to radically reconsider what we think of as practical theology. We all want three quick points that tell us what to do so that we can feel better about our spirituality. But the solution to the apathetic, discouraged, and downtrodden is a deeper understanding of the gospel and the person and work of Jesus. The solution is to take our eyes off of our own situation and consider the one who is more than willing and able to come to our aid, he who was equipped to be a merciful and faithful high priest through what he suffered, and offered himself as the atonement for our sins through his own blood. We must take our eyes off of our situation, however dire it may be, and direct them to Christ!“

“So church, listen this morning: wherever we are this morning, our problem is we do not understand how good the gospel is…”

“Why is there a whole chapter on how Jesus is better than angels?…His audience already knows that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. He is not just repeating the most basic doctrine of the church for posterity. The main point is that the message given to us by Christ, and through his apostles, the gospel, is far superior to the message which was declared by angels; namely, the OT law…”

“We do not have an altar here, because we do not perform sacrifices. We have a table of remembrance…The significance of a seated high priest is amplified in subsequent chapters, especially in vv. 10:11–14, where Christ is contrasted with the Aaronic priests, who remained standing because their sacrificial service was never finished. By contrast, Christ made purification for sin through his once-for-all death on the cross. The forgiveness he has won is permanent. His seated position shows that his work is finished. Church, Christ is now seated at the right hand of God because his work is done.”

“We know that Hebrews was a sermon by an exceptionally talented church leader, who was saturated in the Old Testament Scriptures, trained in rhetoric, familiar with both Jewish and Greek philosophy, and whose grammar and vocabulary is considered, by most, to be among the finest in the NT. This was a master preacher, utilizing deep understanding of the Scriptures with great style, to pastorally address the urgent issues facing his community…Hebrews speaks directly to those who are tired of service, tired of resisting temptation, tired of being hurt by other Christians, tired of being viewed as strange by non-Christians. Hebrews is for such people because it shows that Jesus and the covenant he has instituted are infinitely better than anything else we can have or could hope to have.”