24th September 22

24th September 2022


Pray (ACts)


Read (Hebrews 3.1-6)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


In the previous chapter the Apostle made it abundantly clear that Christ was greater than the angels and yet for a little while He was made lower than the heavenly host. Jesus became like us in every way but was without sin. He suffered and was tempted and tried but His sacrifice was complete and has delivered the faithful from the slavery of death. Jesus Christ is our great high priest.


As we remember this, Paul adds another "therefore" (v1). The point being that in light of everything we have heard we are to respond by constantly considering Christ (v1b). We share in a heavenly calling and so we are to think upon Jesus who is both the apostle and high priest of our confession. What does this mean? Apostle means "sent one" and so Christ is the true Apostle who was sent by God to redeem a fallen people. Jesus is also our high priest and as we have already discovered, He made the sacrifice that has paid for the sin of His bride the church. When we speak about "our confession" we are describing that which we believe. Christ is the sent one and high priest of our confession. He has revealed to us the Gospel by which we are saved. He is the content of the Gospel by His most excellent sacrifice. We confess our belief in the Gospel and we confess our certainty that Jesus is the Christ.


Therefore we are to consider Jesus frequently. We do not move on from Christ and we will never master Him. When we are tempted and tried we are to consider Jesus and His faithfulness to God (v2). Just as Jesus is greater than the prophets and the angels, He is also greater than Moses. Christians coming from a Jewish background would have been well aware of Moses and would certainly have held him in the highest regard. He was unquestionably a man of faith and acted faithfully in God's service (v2).


Nevertheless, Christ is the greater Moses and counted worthy of more glory than the Old Testament leader (v3). To underline his point, the Apostle encourages us to imagine a house. When a house is built we walk around it and marvel at its beauty, but no house ever built itself. The house might be honoured by those who appreciate it, but the builder of the house deserves more honour still. He was the one who designed the house and shaped it by the sweat of his brow. God is ultimately the builder of all things and God is the builder of His house the church (v4).


In the house of God, Moses was a good and faithful servant who spoke about the things that were to come (v5). But Christ is worthy of the greater honour because He serves God's house as a Son (v6). The Apostle's language is interesting - Mose WAS faithful IN God's house, Christ IS faithful OVER God's house. Moses needed to be saved by the coming Christ and now the ministry of Moses is over. Christ came not to be saved but to save and His ministry over the church continues.


Jesus is greater than the prophets, angels and even Moses. We are His house and therefore we are to remain confident in Christ and boastful of our hope (v6). This isn't sinful, arrogant boasting but instead we rejoice in our hope and we speak of it frequently.


My brothers and sisters the Christian doesn't need to pretend that everything is okay. The Lord does not require us to put on a brave face or a stiff upper lip. If you know trouble, doubt and fear then there are two words which should be like honey to your soul...consider Jesus.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q61 What is forbidden in the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.
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