Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome/Prayer

In Bunyan’s classic work - The Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character Christian, having set out on his pilgrimage to the celestial city and having passed through the slough of despond… encounters a man by the name of Mr. Worldly-Wiseman...

Mr. Worldly-Wiseman inquires of Christian’s journey and having heard of his experience and of where he is to go and of his desire to rid the burden off of his back… Mr. Worldly-Wiseman offers some advice…

He wonders why Christian chooses such a difficult path… why deal with such trials and afflictions?

Why the difficultly?

Surely, there is an easier way to achieve your end?

And so, Christian is enticed and wants to know what the easier way is...

Mr. Worldly-Wiseman goes on to explain to him a way found in the town of Morality, where he will meet Mr. Legality and his son Civility… both who would help him with his burden upon his back...

In order to get there, Christian must take a path that leads him to and up Mt.

Sinai… what he founds there is not what was promised…

For even before he reaches the town of Morality… Christian is overcome by fear and the ever increasing weight of his burden..

All because he chose to listen to the advice of Mr. Worldly-Wiseman instead of sticking to the advice of the Evangelist who told him of the path he must take to reach the Celestial City

And such it is for those who seek to live out their faith by the way of Moses and not the way of Christ...

This is the warning and argument we find in chapter 3 and 4 of Hebrews.

Which is where we turn to this morning… don’t worry, we’re not covering the entirety of both chapters this morning… we are actually going to break them into 3 sections for 3 different Sundays… with the first section for this morning being Heb 3.1-6

The author switches from exposition back to exhortation for these two chapters… though our text this morning is actually an expositional sandwich...

As verses 1 and 6 are hortatory… 2-5 are exposition, the meat of the sandwich…

Let us now become acquainted with this expositional sandwich by reading our passage… Heb 3.1-6

The author begins by connecting what he is about to say to what he has said previously… and he does so by using the obvious word of connection - “Therefore”...

But he does it also by his word choice - “brothers”… holy brothers at that… sanctified brothers...

If you recall from last week we read how Jesus was made perfect through suffering… for a purpose… to bring many sons to glory…

For He is the sanctifier, they are the sanctified, and as such, He is not ashamed to call them brothers...

Not only brothers who are holy/sanctified… but people who share in the heavenly calling… that is the world to come… which the author mentioned back in v. 5 of chapter 2…

In light of what the author has just spoken about in regard to the Son, and the relationship the Son has with believers...

He calls, he “exhorts” his audience to consider… to think about… Jesus..

But in a very specific way… the ESV translates the Greek in way that I think misses the emphasis...

In the Greek, this reads more literally...

“consider, the apostle and the high priest of our confession, Jesus”

It’s there in the English if you’re paying attention… but in the Greek it is more obvious… what the author calls to mind isn’t so much the name… but the office… the function of Jesus...

There is a particular aspect of Christ, we are to call to mind, that we are to reflect on…

That is He is the apostle and the high priest of our confession...

Now, what does it mean that He is the apostle and the high priest?

Apostle literally means “the sent one”...

Jesus is God’s apostle… He is God’s emissary…

High Priest refers to His atoning work upon the cross… how He is the propitiation for our sins… as previously discussed in chapter 2...

In short… the author sums up the ministry of Jesus with these two offices… it is similar to Paul using the expression “Christ Crucified”

The Anointed One… the Chosen One… the Sent One… The Apostle… Who died, who bled for our sin.

John teaches this truth as well in his first epistle 1 Jn 4.9-10

But let us not miss what the author ties the apostleship and high priesthood to...

“Our confession”… in this construct, both the apostle and high priest are connected to our confession...

So, we are to consider Jesus… who is the one sent by God and who is our high priest… of what we confess…

The author is appealing to the faith of his audience...

He is essentially saying… in light of what you believe… in light of what you confess… in light of your faith…

Think on… consider… Jesus… because He is the means and the ends of our faith…

He is the paragon of our faith… the prime example… the supreme image… of which there is no defect...

He is the way of which we obtain our heavenly calling...

The author then goes on to explain in v. 2-5 why his audience, and why we, should consider our paragon, consider Jesus...

Let’s look at them again Hebrews 3:2-5

To whom was Jesus faithful to here in verse 2?

God… His Father… and how was He faithful?

Through His obedient life and ministry… He accomplished the will of the Father… as John records the words of Jesus in John 17… John 17.4

And the appointing is referring to the exaltation of the Son… the inheritance of the name that is greater than all names…

The author then brings Moses into the argument… to use him as a contrast… now why Moses?

Moses, is the prophet… of the old age…

For the audience of Hebrews is clearly Jewish… and in accord with the teachings of the letter… they seem to be a group that is tempted to trust more in the ways of Moses than the ways of Jesus…

So, the author takes the founder of the old covenant and puts him against the founder of their salvation… Jesus.

In doing so, note that he doesn’t denigrate or insult Moses…

He honors Moses… He calls to mind the faithfulness of Moses… just as Jesus was faithful, so also was Moses faithful in all God’s house… this truth pulls from Numbers 12:7… where God rebukes Aaron and Miriam for their rebellious attitudes against Him and against Moses...

Now, in speaking of God’s house here in Hebrews, the author speaks of the people of God… think of the expressions.. “house of Israel” “house of Judah”… so forth.

In v. 3-6 the author brings out the contrast between Moses and Jesus by stating that Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses...

He does so by stating three truths...

The builder is worthy of more glory than the house itself

The builder of all things is God

Moses was a servant in the house, who testified about the Son who is over the house

Let’s look at the first one.. found in v. 3… the builder is worthy of more honor than the house itself.

Moses is not the house, itself… rather he is a servant in the house… and if house is to be understood as the people of God… then he is certainly a part of the house...

But Jesus is not the house… He’s the builder...

Think of 1 Chr 17.11-12 - the Davidic Covenant

A prophecy that spoke both of Solomon building a temple, a house for Yahweh… as well as Jesus… who would reign on David’s throne forever and who would build the temple, the house of God, that would last forever as well…

This ought to call to mind for us Matthew 16:18

So, as the builder… Jesus is naturally afforded more honor… more glory than the house itself

The second truth… found in v. 4...

Is that every house is built by someone… obviously…

But the builder of all things is God...

What is the author attempting to explain here?

He’s just stated that the builder of the house is worthy of more glory, more honor than the house...

And he states an obvious truth… that whatever is built is built by someone…

BUT… all things are built by God… so as the builder of all things… how much glory ought God receive?

How much honor should He receive?

Much more right?

How does this relate to Jesus?

The Son?

Look back to the start of the letter in the prologue… Heb 1:2-3

This divinity… this glory and honor… though explicitly connected to God… is also ascribed to the Son, whom the author has already mentioned as the creator of all things.

The author then goes on with the third truth in v. 5 & 6…

That Moses himself, who was faithful in God’s house as a servant… he himself… testified to the things that were to be spoken later...

But Christ… He isn’t a servant… nor is He in the house…

He is a son.. and He is faithful over God’s house...

Let’s look at this more closely…

What did Moses testify about that were to be spoken later?

Deut.

18.15, 18-19

See, Moses may have been a faithful servant… but that is exactly what he was… a faithful servant pointing to the Son of the house...

This language of the author in v. 5, should call to mind again, his prologue… specifically v. 1-2 Heb 1.1-2

God spoke through Moses… of which Moses was faithful… and in doing so, God spoke of the age to come, that is the age that we and the audience of Hebrews live...

The age of when God has spoken to us, not by Moses and the prophets… but by His Son...

Nor by other faithful servants of the house… but by His Son… the One who is over the house.

An important truth we need to be reminded of early in chapter 3, for the rest of chapter 3 and 4, will build upon that truth by the author warning us… therefore, when you hear His voice… listen...

And we’ll look at that warning in detail next week...

For now though… we need to pay attention to how the author closes this initial exhortation and exposition…

Let’s look at the end of verse 6… Heb 3.6