Hebrews 3: 1-6

Introduction

If you grew up in the church you would have heard the story of Mosses perhaps seen a play or movie of the life events of Mosses. A young boy birthed in time of distress and culutral tension. His life was spared and grew up as the step-child of Pharaoh. Mosses would loose his status and gain a call of ministry to the Hebrews (Israel) to free God’s people. This is often where we stop as kids and never really encounter the deep theological truths of Christ being revealed as the greater mosses.

This is not a sermon of comparison but rather of greater revelation to you the people of God of who Jesus is. To recap briefly on chapters 1 and 2, chapter reveals the divinity of Christ, chapter 2 gives ear the very gospel message, and now in chapter 3 were going to start coloring in the pages of this very gospel.

Point 1: The Heavenly Calling

Verse one really takes us into the heart of the writer of Hebrews and the heart of the Christian calling. Look upon the heavenly calling for which you are partakers of. First to an outside reader this is a statement of confusion. What is this heavenly calling and how do we partake in it?

A. What is the heavenly calling?

Notice what the writer of Hebrews is addressing He is referring back to the previous statements of Christ divinity and supreme rule as creator. The writer of Hebrews mentions the High priest hood of Jesus (which will will tackle more in depth in later chapters.) In brief Christ is the mediator between man and God the Father. No man can come to the Father accept through the Son. That includes our prayers, confessions, and great need of redemption. Christ fulfills the role as Priest.

This heavenly calling is Christ himself, and the reader of this very letter hopefully by this point has come to that conclusion.

B. How is the heavenly calling lived out?

1. It is lived out in submission to Christ and His authority. He is the fulfillment of the law and it is His law that we submit too.

2. It is lived out in worship of Christ. The calling of Mosses was to worship the one true God and that is Jesus. This is your very calling. To worship the one true and living God who is Jesus. Not just on the Lord’s day, but throughout your entire life. It is not a call to be religious, but a call to be a true follower of Christ, a disciple, an ambassador of Christ.

3. It is a call to remain in faith, in the hope of His Kingdom which is here and not yet.

Point 2: Mosses, the Law, and the house of the Lord

The writer of Hebrews moves towards Mosses, remember for us today the story of Mosses is one of simple Sunday School lessons, but for the Jew Mosses is rightfully a hero.

Growing up as a child in Maryland, sports were everything to my Grandfather and I. If was not football season, basketball was on, if not basketball, baseball. No matter the sport we had our hats on and followed every moment of the team.

One of my favorite players growing up was Cal Ripken. I wanted to be like him, and I never had the athletic gifts to do so. However his character was to be admired. In that point in sports history athletes were a bit more behaved.

While Cal Ripken is not Mosses, for the Jews Mosses was their guy as for a 8 year old kid Ripken was mine. Mosses ministry can be summed up in three points, fighting for the Hebrews, leading the Hebrews, and giving the Law. The law is the house of Mosses, fulfilled in Christ.

The Hebrews were enslaved, the freedom that Joseph was able to give His people in Egypt has faded and the Hebrews are a disgusting, unliked people whose position in life was slavery. If a position lower than slave could have been given it would have been. Mosses in due process would lead the captives out of Egypt into the dessert in hopes of the promised land. This very promised land that was given to Abraham and his descendants. Mosses sets the captives free from slavery, Jesus sets us free from the slavery of sin. That is something Mosses could not do.

Mosses would lead his people in a dessert land proving them counsel, instruction, motivation, and correction. Mosses is a protector of His people, but Mosses falls short. He doubted God and could not finish the task. Mosses even if he entered the promised land, could never fully lead the people into the true promised land which is to come. Israel was but a shadow of the greater promised land. Mosses a sinner could never lead the Jews into the greater promise land and without the Lord providing Mana from the sky would have never fed his people.

Jesus is the better protector, provider, leader, sustainer, because He was there doing all those things for Mosses, so Mosses could do for God’s people. Jesus is the only way to the greater promised land of His Kingdom where His throne is.

3. God gave unto the house of Mosses the law of God. This very law of God is good and serves the people of God but is incomplete in the House of Mosses. Mosses’s house would be the one that provided Israel with the law but the house of Mosses could never fulfill the law. Leaving the house of Mosses incomplete. It is having the blue prints but no foundation built . In order to build a house one needs blue prints, but without a solid foundation those blue prints are but stone. As the law in the Covenant was on stone, but through Jesus the law becomes heart.

Jesus fulfills the house of Mosses by fulfilling the law, the foundation of the law of God is Christ himself. Jesus did not come to abolish the law set on the house of Mosses, but to fulfill the very law of that which He gave to Mosses.

Point 3: Jesus the better Mosses and the House of thy Son

Jesus who gave Mosses his house and honor, is indeed the one with the better house and greater honor.

This past summer Christen and I celebrated our 10th year anniversary in the beautiful state of California. You may have seen pictures of Yosemite and are amazed by the beauty of those pictures. It is stunning and the desire to go and visit draws you in. You may have heard of the great vineyards and the unique culture of California. Indeed this is what drew my wife and I to go an visit.

Upon our visit we did the Yosemite adventure , and I will tell you to this day I have not seen anything that is so majestic that it takes your breath away other than the day my wife walked down the aisle. Yet still while those things are breathtaking in person and stunning by picture, it still leaves the soul thirsting for something greater.

Describing the house of Christ in this passage will only serve as a picture, it gets better when you experience it first hand, but at least here we don’t truly fully embrace it for all it’s worth. We must ask the question since Mosses is the lesser house of Christ, and the house of Mosses rightfully has honor; what is the house of Christ?

The house of Christ is freedom/Salvation beyond physical but encompasses freedom that brings a man to say I am better a slave in the house of God than anywhere else. It is so greater a freedom that when asked about the Kingdom, even the dogs who eat the crumbs from the King’s table are grateful. Yet for you who are in Christ you are beyond a slave, you are but the bride of Christ, a child of God, and heir of His Kingdom. The house of Christ is one fulfilled with greater freedom than you could ever imagine.

The house of Christ is your house as the bride of Christ, an adopted child of God, and heir of the Kingdom. You are not a roommate in a shared space, but you are rightful heirs of this very house as the bride of Christ who keeps you in His promise.

His house is a place where trial and death come to an end. The law of God could never be fulfilled by any man, and the disobedience of the law brings death , tribulation, and judgement. We see this in the house of Israel . In the house of Christ this is absent and will never be.

The house of Christ, the Kingdom of God is the greater promised land. The promises given to Abraham, connected in mosses, David, is fulfilled in Christ. The Kingdom of God has no end, the enemies are forever castled away, and the true off spring of Abraham (Jew and Gentle, one people) are forever at peace with God.

Point 4: Warning of departure

Under the house of Mosses was a great falling away and times of return. Mosses himself doubted God and was barred from entering the lesser promised land. In the same Hebrew Christian is warned do fall to unbelief. First if you are truly in Christ you will never loose your salvation, but you can grow hard. It is in the hardness that develops a spirit of unbelief in this period of time when were in the Kingdom but at the same time not yet.

Death is one of the most painful things to watch a man/woman go through. The soul of that person begins to yearn for death or fears it. Their former life of career, family, community, hobbies becomes that of the past. It is painful to watch and without Christ it is the sting of death.

The soul that wanders from the Lord as Israel did, is the soul of a man dying without hope, yet will wander in the wilderness for over 40 years. Israel wandered and in many times of their generations would rebel against, face exile, and loose battles. The writer of Hebrews rightfully now more than once give the warning of unbelief, neglecting salvation, and to turn your eyes to Jesus.

I preached to you last week on the neglect of salvation, so I warn you this week to not fall into unbelief as that from the house of Mosses did. Jesus is your hope and your reality, so stand firm in the faith and be warned of any departure from your soul.

Application

Embrace your heavenly calling, through Christ this is rightfully yours for today and tomorrow. Church your fellowship is not ending but yes it is changing. Do not let your heavenly calling be upon a location, a minister, or even each other. All three of those are good things, but they are not Christ and your heavenly calling. Remember your heavenly calling is Christ and He, and only Christ will sustain you in this heavenly calling.

2. Embrace the house Christ and the house of Mosses. There is a spirit of the law that can happen within the church. It comes in many fashions and traditions. The law can’t produce a change or earn salvation. Only Christ can, and it is only through Christ that one gains true freedom and salvation.

3. Perhaps you have fallen as a Christian into the hardness of life, you have wandered into the wilderness in search of things that will never satisfy. Today I give you the word of salvation, I present to you Jesus and call you back to your salvation.

Conclusion

Mosses a great man of faith, whose house is honored to this day. Mosses is not a Sunday school lesson, but a man who pointed us to the one is greater. Mosses gave the law of God to which enjoy today because it is fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is the greater Mosses, Jesus is your greater Pastor, Jesus is your greater hero, Jesus is your greater bridegroom, Jesus is your God. Enter His House today and be at peace.