Part 2: A Superior Ministry
1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honour than the house itself. Hebrews 3:1-14
4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God s house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:1-14
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. Hebrews 3:1-14
10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways. 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, They shall never enter my rest. 12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:1-14
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:1-14
If we were just reading the Book of Hebrews, and we had no knowledge of the Old Testament, the Book of Hebrews would provide enough material that we could come up with an understanding of the old covenant of the Old Testament. - R. Albert Mohler Jr. -
The Jewish faith is about learning and the Gentile-Christian faith is about experiencing
1) Our Confidence in Christ (vs. 1-6)
1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honour than the house itself. Hebrews 3:1-14
4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God s house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:1-14
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. Hebrews 3:1
23 By faith Moses parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Hebrews 11:23-29
26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:23-29
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. Hebrews 11:23-29
Moses and Jesus are similar when it comes to faithfulness, however, Moses and Jesus are dissimilar when it comes to honour
Moses is good, and comparatively Jesus is greater, but superlatively Jesus is the greatest!
2) Our Criticism of Christ (vs. 7-11)
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. Hebrews 3:7-11
10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways. 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, They shall never enter my rest. Hebrews 3:7-11
A) Moses Experienced Rejection (Numbers 11-17)
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? they asked. Hasn t he also spoken through us? And the LORD heard this. Numbers 12:1-2
1 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Numbers 14:1-4
3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? 4 And they said to each other, We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt. Numbers 14:1-4
1 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. Numbers 16:1-3
3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD s assembly? Numbers 16:1-3
41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. You have killed the LORD s people, they said. Numbers 16:41
B) Moses Experienced More Rejection Than Moses (John 5:39-47)
39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39-40
Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say? John 5:45-47
3) Our Conviction in Christ (vs. 12-14)
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:12-14
More than our yesterday or our tomorrow, the Christian life is all about our today. - Each year of our lives is a series of todays.
The author of Hebrews is an excellent preacher. He preaches on a particular Christian doctrine and then follows it up by focusing on life application
One way we strengthen our convictions is by listening to biblical preaching
The author of Hebrews wants us to open the front door of the church wide, but shut the back door of the church tight
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits. 1 Timothy 4:1
Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today Hebrews 3:13