This clip is from the message “When Better Feels Backwards” To watch the full message, click here: https://youtu.be/Iojt-t9RufA

better is relative when the writer of
Hebrews says we are convinced of better

things concerning you brothers and
sisters he is writing to a tired church

under persecution dealing with
oppression and it’s not about to get

better
it’s about to get worse Nero hasn’t even

started his tyrannical games and
maniacal persecution of the Christian

Church in Rome and yet this very
eloquent experienced preacher writes

them a letter saying I am convinced it’s
going to get better that’s kind of hard

to hear when your situation keeps
getting worse you ever had somebody tell

you something that was meant to make you
feel better but it actually had the

opposite effect because when your life
keeps getting worse the last thing you

want to hear is is going to get better
and yet the consistent message of this

particular letter from the writer of
Hebrews is better that Jesus Christ is

better than worldly pleasures that Jesus
Christ is better than religious systems

that Jesus Christ is better than Moses
who was the leader that Israel knew and

revered that Jesus Christ is better he
uses that word better 13 times in the 13

chapters of the book of Hebrews the
Greek word sounds a lot like what you

put on a salad but it’s kreittón kreittón it’s used to describe the covenant

that we have because of the blood that
Jesus shed for us he says that the blood

of bulls and goats or sacrifice can only
make things better for a little while

and then you have to do it again but he
says that Jesus is a better High Priest

kreittón He’s better Jesus is better
because He has a better nature He has a

better ministry it says that because His
blood speaks a better word that we never

have to believe the voice of accusation
in our life no matter how bad

is what you did the blood of Jesus
speaks a better word kreittón because

He’s better than that and even though
sometimes you feel like you should have

done better
His blood was better than the worst

thing that you did so whatever His blood
needs to cover in your life today you

can have confidence to enter the most
holy place I am preaching in my

introduction like I’m on fire with the
Word of God it’s a better covenant it is

a better promise he says it is a better
hope kreittón better it’s like an anchor

for your soul it’s a better hope because
even when it hits the bottom it grips on

and it won’t let you drift it’s a better
hope some people have a surface-level

hope and as long as things are floating
along in their lives and everything is

moving in the direction of their
intention and their aspiration they have

great faith but the writer says that we
have a kreittón better hope somebody say

better see I know they made a movie
called hope floats but my hope is better

than that my hope doesn’t even kick in
till it gets to the bottom so for

everybody who has hit bottom in your
emotions this week or bottom in your

bank account or bottom in your body and
your physical health I want you to know

there is a hope that is better than the
passing pleasures of fleeting

aspirations of this world and he says
I’m convinced of better things

concerning you isn’t it wonderful to have
somebody believe in you when you don’t

believe in yourself have you ever had
somebody just see something in you that

you quit believing a long time ago it’s
a matter of trying to discern in my life

what purpose God has made me for and if
I don’t do that I will always compare

myself to the wrong standards in my
quest to be better so now I’m trying to

bear fruit that belongs on somebody
else’s tree but better is relative and

for all of us who are constantly trying
to improve ourselves when we read and we

study and we try and we
attend church at the 11:30 at Elevation

Ballantyne which means you have to fight
traffic to go into the parking lot but I

came here because I want to be better
here’s what I need you to know better is

relative better needs a point of
reference in order to be judged but with

the things that are really important but
the things that really matter I wonder

sometimes do we confuse what feels
better with what is better when my dad

went in for surgery when they did his
liver transplant he felt better before

he went into surgery than he did after
they cut him open but he had a new liver

but the human body goes through
something called a rejection period when

something new is introduced the
challenge with the Church in Rome is

that they’re walking in a new covenant
but the old one feels better the

challenge for some of us as God is
moving in our life is that we are in a

rejection period where we are trying to
assimilate new truth into an old life

and an old mindset the temptation is to
go back to bad because sometimes bad

feels better
can I be honest with you I see a lot of

people who go back to bad relationships
because sometimes bad feels better it’s

true sometimes we go back to bad
patterns of thinking because they are

more familiar than new ways of faith and
opportunities that doors open sometimes

we go back to something bad and we go
backwards because what is new is not

working at first most of the things that
grace will introduce into your life for

the operating system called faith will
feel worse at first

and yet the writer of Hebrews says to
you and to me and to this beloved Church

of precious people who are striving to
follow the ways of Christ and yet their

life is good
worse he says don’t go back what you

have now is better yeah but if it’s
better then why is my situation getting

worse but if it’s better why do I keep
struggling with this it’s an interesting

thing about sin until you resist it you
don’t know how strong it really is when

you first start resisting a sin and
let’s don’t call out one that church

people love to talk about let’s do one
that doesn’t usually make the list

self-pity y’all thought I was gonna say
smokin and you were gonna be fine

because you quit twelve years ago no I’m
coming for the real one self-pity

feels better than owning and becoming
accountable for the things God is doing

in your life so now let’s say God is
delivering you from self-pity and then

you know you feel yourself pulled back
to self-pity don’t be surprised when you

go back to the old way don’t be
surprised it’s not because you’re not a

new creation it’s just because sometimes
backwards feels better when you’ve been

doing something wrong for long enough
the right way feels awkward y’all I wanted

a hobby so I went to play tennis Holly
started taking tennis lessons and I was

like well I mean I like the way you look
in the uniform so I’ll come out there

with you hey man I like the scenery amen
I’m allowed to that’s my wife

so when I showed up for the lesson
Robert said to me before we even got

started hitting the first ball and
see you need to know I have a style of tennis

that I had developed that was
independent of professional instruction

or expert input and it kind of worked
for me as long as the person on the

other side of the net
had never played tennis before I could

get it over the net and the first thing
he said to me was

show me your serve I need to see what
I’m working with show me your serve so

I was like okay I grabbed the racket
and the way I would control the racket

was with my index finger and I would
dink the ball over the net and it would

usually go in I’m telling you it would
you it would go in six miles an hour it

was slow but if the person on the other
side never played before they couldn’t

hit it back and I put it over the net
and I showed him my serve and it went in

and he said all right now I see what I’m
working with

let’s fix your grip he showed me I was
holding the racket the whole wrong way a

completely different way than it’s meant
to be held so he showed me how I’m

supposed to hold the racket the next 50
balls that I tried to hit over the net

either went over the fence into the net
or somewhere far outside the box I was

complaining because I thought I came out
here to pay you so you could make me do

better how many know that sometimes in
order to get better first you have to go

backwards this is so important I got out
the bed this morning to tell you this I

studied to tell you this sometimes in
your life you will feel as if you’re

going backwards and the temptation will
be to revert back to something that

worked I tried to turn the other cheek
and then they hit that one too and now

I’m gonna do what I know how to do I
tried to be generous I tried to

surrender control I tried to stop
manipulating people I tried to be still

and know that he was God it didn’t work
but God said this is a season where He

is fixing your grip you see all of your
life you’ve been doing it a certain way

and it worked for a little while but
you’ve entered into grace now this is a

better way this is a better covenant
this is a better High Priest

this is a better approach this is a
better resurrection

somebody shout better but it doesn’t
feel better the temptation is always to

go back to go back when you feel like
it’s not getting any better I mean I

used to have friends and then I joined
this church and my friends kicked me out

of the synagogue imagine what it would
have been like to be a new Christian in

the Roman Empire
the religion that you came from won’t

accept you the empire that you’re a part
of doesn’t recognize you and actually

wants to eliminate you imagine what it
would have been like and here’s the

writer of Hebrews saying is going to get
better let’s go get better he must have

a different definition of better than
what I see on Instagram he must have a

different definition of better than just
a situation improving I wonder what is

your different definition of better I
wonder what is your standard better is

relative oh well I’m not one of those
good Christians there’s only one good

Christian it’s the one with the name
Crist in the tian he put the Christ the

rest of us are just following one
failure at a time they don’t like me

over here
I must see what’s going on on the west

wing you hear me
oh well they’re a better Christian than

me they memorized all this scripture
no they’re a better memorizer that

doesn’t make them a better Christian

sometimes we get better backwards well
well if I if I was more famous yeah it

would be better we all have some idea is
is it’s like it’s like something that we

think will be so much better life only
so much better if it value more

followers and I have it be better really
would it really be better you ever you

ever met a miserable rich person I can
introduce you to a few they are more

miserable than a person who is miserable
wants to get rich because while you’re

trying to get rich you get to tell
yourself that if I get rich it’ll get

better
but then when you get money and you

still feel miserable because better is
not a byproduct of external

circumstances improving
it is a products of washes sometimes it

gets better sometimes it doesn’t and you
do this is the word LJ I don’t need any

organ I’m preaching so good I don’t need
anything behind this message

somebody shout better better and it’s so
difficult for us to believe that it’s

getting better when it feels worse it’s
so difficult for me to believe that it’s

getting better because I am comparing my
real life to somebody else’s fake life

see the reason you feel like everybody
is happier than you is because you’re

not seeing the parts that they choose to
hide from you

you are only seeing the version of them
that they want to broadcast so when you

really understand that better is
relative you can understand as a parent

that there is nobody better equipped to
raise that child than you yeah but I got

a temper
well they needed a strong hand then just

don’t kill them and we’ll be all right
amen amen there’s nobody better because

better is relative so if you walk into
Krispy Kreme it’s better than broccoli

unless you need to lose 30 if the
purpose of the food is nutrition give me

the broccoli if the purpose of the food
is to make my taste buds dance and shout

the Hallelujah Chorus I want the Krispy
Kreme doughnut better is relative I

walked into Guitar Center I was trying
to buy some software for my son to make

his beats and I asked Jamie who I’ve
known for years which one is better you

know he said get ready to shout over this he said depends on what you want to use it

for
I got happy because that spoke to all my

insecurities it depends on the purpose
which one is better for what God

intended you to do you’re perfect for it
there’s nobody better to do it there’s

nobody more qualified to do it there’s
nobody who can do what you do when God put

you where He puts you and you give him
what you got I’m better Wow I’m like the

Clemson Tigers I’m better I’m like
Adidas over Nike I’m better i’ma stop with

this but I want to speak to somebody
who’s been telling yourself that

somebody could do it better than you
that there’s somebody more fit than you

that there’s somebody who’s got more
knowledge than you sometimes God needs

somebody who is lesser so He can show
that He’s better

on what basis is my confidence that it’s
going to get better all the way back to

Hebrews chapter 1 where he takes him all
the way back you know sometimes you got

to go back to get better if some of us
compared our lives right now to where we

should be I mean you have no idea touch
somebody say you have no idea what’s in

my bloodline

so the fact that I’m even in church come
on shout angels the fact that I’m even

in church shout about it the fact that
I’m holding a pen and writing down notes

off of a Bible Scripture
come on the fact that I’ve got my hands

lifted right now I’m convinced He has
been better to me than I even know how

to be to myself so when I think about
how far I have to go it makes me want to

quit but when I think about how far he’s
brought me come on I’m so much better

than I was
I’m so much wiser than I was I’m so much

stronger than they said I would be kreittón you gotta go back to understand

better when’s the last time you
considered your testimony when’s the

last time that you considered how much
God has taught you when’s the last time

you rejoiced when’s the last time that
you thank God for what’s right in front

of your face rather than looking so far
out for something that would be better

what could be better than His presence
what could be better than peace with God

what could be better to be known by the
one who knows you completely and yet

loves you entirely what could be better
I only came out to preach the 1130

because Graham was out here that’s my
11 year old I like to chill on the front

row with him during worship the way I
preached this at 9:30 is the one I want

to put online I never can decide when
they ask me Saturday night 9:30

11:30 which one was better I don’t
really know how to tell I can’t really

pick because better is relative better
is subjective one girl told me this week

something I said seven years ago at a
9:30 service she said changed her life

she said they didn’t even put the 9:30
online I went to look for it it was the

11:30 the 9:30 was better
well maybe to you it was better you never

know what’s better you never know what
experiences are better sometimes you

look back over the things that afflicted
you and you realize those are the very

same things that developed you into the
person that you are better is relative

I’d rather have a a better sense of
appreciation than a better car I would

and if you have a better car but you
can’t drive I’d rather be with a better

driver in a worse car come on
and I know you want to go back sometimes

I know you want to quit because
depression is giving up on the belief

that it could ever get better that’s
what makes people end it all that’s why

we need faith that’s why we can’t let
that go no matter what that’s why we

continually have to tell ourselves it’s
already getting better I’m cut open

right now on the surgeons table but I’m
getting better and although it doesn’t

look better yet God is doing some of the
infrastructure work that is so important

and I’m getting better come on if that’s
your testimony give God praise that He’s

making you better

and he said to the suffering Saints in
the Roman Empire that long ago this is

Hebrews 1 verse 1 long ago at many times
and in many ways he’s going all the way

back to show them how much better it
really is how much better it is than

they can recognize he said God used to
speak through the prophets and that was

good
but now in these last days He has spoken

through His son what could be better
than to know the Incarnate son of God

now the reason that the people missed
Jesus when He came is because they were

looking for something better but yet God
snuck into Bethlehem looking like a baby

in a manger I got a question are you
looking at better but haven’t recognized

it yet has God allowed your eyes in this
season to be right in front of something

that your spirit has not yet ascertained
some of us don’t know how good we have

it in the reason I mentioned Graham is
because I slipped him a piece of paper

the other day and said list five things
that could make our life better and he

wrote back this was three years ago he
said they’re about as good as they get

I said thank God that my son recognizes
what my experience has caused me to

forget some of us need to go back to our
first love I don’t know who I’m

preaching to today but if you would go
back you would realize that God has made

you so much better that He has treated
you so much better than your sins

deserve kreittón is better it’s better
mercy is better than sacrifice you know

what one writer said he said it’s better
to have a little crust with peace than a

house full with strife some of you I don’t
have much but the crumb I have is better

I’m grateful for this piece I’m grateful
for this little bit it’s better and he

said He spoke through His son and we
missed Him because we deemed Him

insignificant just like we missed some
of the best moments of our life because

we’re waiting on something better
he said He’s spoken through His son the

word became flesh that’s Jesus He is the
heir of all things through whom He also

created the world next verse He is the
radiance of the glory of God and the

exact imprint of His nature and He
upholds the universe by the word of His

power and after making purification for
sins He sat down I don’t have this

memorized I’m reading it off the screen
at the right hand of Majesty on high the

next verse tripped me up because I
couldn’t understand it it said having

become as much kreittón better
translated here superior as much better

kreittón as the angels as the name He
has inherited is more excellent than

theirs how many know His name is higher
how many know He has the name that is

exalted above every name how many know
every name you can name has to bow to

that name when I speak the name and it
says that the Creator is better than

what He created never worship the gift
and forget the giver He’s better and

their lives are getting worse and maybe
I can’t understand why that as God is

doing something deeper in me while my
spirit is getting better

why is my situation getting worse

and so I had to go back to understand
what verse 4 says because it doesn’t

just say that Jesus is better put it up
real quick it’s gunna blow your mind

can I show you this you yeah yeah I’m
gonna show you cuz you look like you’re

hungry for the Word of God and when I
was reading this out loud I know my kids

thought I was crazy I was walking around
the house preaching it chest-bumping the

Holy Ghost just running into nothing oh
I was excited cuz it said He became did

you see that having become now that that
that made me stop how could He become

better when He’s already perfect and in
order to understand not that He is

better I believe that I believe God is
greater than any situation any angel how

many believe that God is greater than
you I advise you to raise your hand real

high even if it is pit-stained or
something

raise it all the way up okay He’s
better right but how did He become

better we read verse three so it can’t
be that His character was improved He is

the exact imprint of the image of God
you can’t get any better than that it

says that He sustains the world by the
power of His word you can’t get any

stronger than that so how did He who was
without blemish from the foundation of

the world become better and it’s right
there in the verse it doesn’t say that

He improved look at verse 3 it says that
after He had made purification for sin

He sat down He got better by coming
lower

I’ll know what’s going on in your life
today it seems like it’s going backwards

kids getting crazier bills getting more
expensive everything in your life seems

to be more and more out of control could
it be that God is making you better by

taking you lower here’s what I read in
my Bible that He will exalt the humble

that if I will humble myself see I don’t
understand how Jesus could become better

but the way He became better since He
was already high and lifted up it

doesn’t get any higher since He already
inhabited eternity since He couldn’t be

raised any higher the Bible says that
Jesus came lower watch this Jesus went

backwards so you could get better let’s
praise the name come on jump up if you

know mercy is real let’s praise the name
of the one who stepped down out of

heaven looking like a man who died on a
cross and who is glorified forever

somebody shout I’m getting better

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