The Upgrade

The Upgrade

1. Prioritize the Real Thing

For generations, God spoke through prophets, through promises, through shadows and symbols. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God revealed Himself through partial glimpses. The Law was given. The sacrificial system was established. The prophets called the people back to righteousness. Each played a role, but none carried the full picture.

All of it pointed forward.

Then something changed.

In these last days, God has spoken by His Son. Jesus is not merely another messenger. He is the message. He is what everything before Him anticipated. What once came in shadows has now come in substance. What once came in fragments has now come in fullness.

It makes no sense to cling to pictures when the person is present. It makes no sense to settle for substitutes when the real thing has arrived.

Life before Christ was preparation. Life in Christ is fulfillment.

Checklist religion may feel simpler. Ritual may feel familiar. But relationship is greater. Following Jesus is not about completing tasks to ease a conscience. It is about giving your heart to Him and walking in daily fellowship.

Choose the substance over the shadow. Prioritize the real thing.

2. Focus on the Radiance of God

Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.

Radiance is not a reflection. It is light streaming directly from its source. To see the radiance of the sun is to experience the sun itself. In the same way, to see Jesus is to see the Father. When Jesus speaks, God speaks. When Jesus acts, God acts.

If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.

When He touches the leper, you see the compassion of God. When He forgives the guilty, you see the mercy of God. When He confronts sin, you see the holiness of God. When He calms storms and commands creation, you see the power of God.

He is not a lesser copy. He is the exact imprint.

He created the world. He upholds the universe by the word of His power. Nothing exists outside His authority. Nothing continues apart from His sustaining word.

There is no deficiency of compassion in the Father. There is no deficiency of power in the Son. Open your heart to the full picture of who God is.

Do not reduce Him. Do not divide Him. Fix your eyes on the radiance.

3. Rest in the Finished Work

After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices were repeated. Lambs and goats were brought again and again. The priest never sat down because the work was never finished. Sin was covered, but not removed.

Then Jesus came.

He offered Himself once for all. His sacrifice did not need repetition. His work was complete. He became the Lamb who was slain so no other sacrifice would ever be required.

And then He sat down.

Sitting down is the posture of completion. It is the declaration that nothing remains undone. The cross was sufficient. The payment was full. The victory was secure.

He is now exalted, superior to angels, possessing a name more excellent than theirs. This is only the beginning of the argument: there is nothing greater than Christ.

Do not drift back to what is incomplete. Do not return to shadows. Do not settle for rituals when redemption has been accomplished.

Rest in what He has finished.

Life in Christ is the upgrade.
It is greater than anything before it.
It is greater than anything beside it.
It is greater than anything you could choose instead.

Do not live in low resolution when the fullness of Christ is available to you.

SERMON DETAILS

Speaker: Jeff McNicol
Series: Greater Than
Sermon Title: The Upgrade
Date: Feb 22, 2026

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

• Hebrews 1:1–4

• John 14:9

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