Hebrews Study Our High Priest and Our Rest

Hebrews 3 - The Priest and the Rest

Hebrews, church family - Christ is Supreme. Christ is supreme over the angels and the prophets. Do not walk away from Him, walk to Him. Only Christ save save, and His Word is the authority in our lives.

We now move into the third argument for the superiority of Christ: Christ is better than Moses.

Moses was the great hero of the Jewish people. But how could these Jewish believers go back to Judaism when Christ offers so much more than what Moses could offer?

Does Jesus offer us more than Moses? If so, why do we want to go back to the Law?

Verse 1 - Holy brethren/church family… those who are partakers of a heavenly calling… That is you dear Christian!

Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.

The Apostle - The Sent One, the One Sent out from the Father and He is the One Who is sent to a people. John 3:16.

The High Priest - Stood before God, representing the people, offering sacrifice for sin, entered into the Most Holy Place, stood before God, made atonement for sinners.

Verse 2 - Jesus was faithful to the Father.

The Father was heard saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Christ was obedient unto death. Jesus finished all that the Father sent Him to accomplish… And Jesus said in the end, “It is finished.”

Verse 2-6 - Comparing Christ and Moses: Both were faithful people, but let’s look at them together.

Moses was called of God, man, a servant, a sinful but humble servant of God. Christ is God the Son sent by God the Father, the God-Man, perfect, and obedient until death.

Moses operated as a priest at times, but was never called the “high priest.” Christ is the ultimate High Priest.

What does a High Priest mean and what does He do?

A priest is set apart and he mediates for God. Priests stand in the gap and intercede on behalf of others to God. They offer sacrifices to God.

Every other priest is sinful and needed atonement for themselves. Christ did not. He was the sinless Lamb of God and He laid down His life once and for all His Lambs.

There is the only Mediator between God and man, the God-Man, Christ Jesus, and HE prays, He intercedes for His people, as He sits next to the Holy Heavenly Father (1 Timothy 2:5).

Jesus is greater than any high priest, He is the Great and Ultimate High priest… We do not need another. We sure don’t need to go back to the temple and to those imperfect, sinful priests… Christ is the Supreme and Sufficient One.

He Himself laid down His perfect life to make atonement, and ow lives to make intercession on our behalf.

Because of this: Now we can come to the Father, through the Son, and we can come boldly, without fear… For our High Priest is Christ the Lord, Our Elder Brother, Our Savior and Friend Who loves us. We will find mercy and grace, answers to prayer, and help for life, with Jesus as our High Priest.

Moses was a servant, but Christ was the only Begotten Son. Moses served in the house. Christ was Lord over the house, over the household of God.

All believers are children of Abraham, and servants in the Kingdom. Jesus is the Lord and the King over the Kingdom and the servants. There is a difference.

Moses was a prophet of law, but we have the Apostle of Grace. Moses gave the Law which shows our sin and leads us to repentance and to the Savior. Jesus is the Savior that satisfies the holy requirements of the law, and pays our penalty for breaking the Law.

In Moses, we have signs and symbols, types and shadows… With Jesus… we have the True Light and the fulfillment.

Jewish people, church people… Consider this Jesus! Consider Him again! Where are you going? Where can you go? Don’t consider going back!

*Next: Christ is Greater than “the Rest” that Moses/the Law brings.

The Jews were in bondage to Egypt, just as sinners are in bondage to sin today in the world. God redeems His people by the blood and promises a land/place of blessing.

God led Israel into the wilderness for an 11 day journey, which turned out to be 40 years.

But what happened? Israel rebelled and did not go in because of unbelief. They refused to believe God. And God chose to judge the nation in this way. A whole generation will die, except for Joshua and Caleb.

The nation would not enter into that promise, into that rest… because they would not believe God.

Verse 7-11 - This is what the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts… as they did back then… they did not enter into God’s Rest...

Warren Wiersbe shows us 3 different rests mentioned in chapter 3-4: 1. The rest of salvation. 2. The rest of victory in the midst of trials. 3. The future, eternal rest, or the heavenly rest.

Psalm 95 here reminds the reader of Israel’s hard hearts. They provoked God, tested God, and complained to God constantly as they traveled. They wanted to go back to Egypt, back to slavery! They wanted to kill Moses and their nagging drove Moses to ask God to take his life.

*Can verse 12 apply to believers? Yes.

What must people do? John 6:29 - We must believe. We must trust. We must lean on God and trust on Him. He is the only way for you to have rest for your souls. Hearts are restless until that rest in Christ for salvation.

Matthew 11:28 - Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you… and you will find rest for your souls.”

2. Those who practice the Word are blessed. Those who do the Word of God will not sink and be destroyed. Those who will keep their eyes on Jesus through the storm will not sink into despair. Some Christians are not leaning on Christ, they are trusting feelings, being led by something other than God’s Truth… and they do not have rest within.

Psalm 37:7 - Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

3. Those who will endure until the end shall be saved. Will a Christian lose their salvation? No. But how do you know you are saved?

Because I am still believing and trusting.

But how am I going to experience victory and blessing, and experience rest and peace as I walk through life? By continuing to trust in the hands and Word of God.

If you will endure… You will experience His rest.

But in the midst of life, through pain and trial… We will go anywhere to escape the pain. We will even go back into slavery.

The Israelites were ready to go back to Egypt because of hunger pains.

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(Start Back Here: 6/26/24)

The Jews here are ready to go back to the Law.

Do not drift away. Do not turn away. Do not turn from Christ and His promises. Do not doubt Him. Do not go on in your hardheadedness. Do not be deceived. No one can give you what Christ has and will give you.

You and I might be ready to try something or someone else… given enough pain...

But who can give us rest? What can give us rest? Who can give us the salvation and the victory that is needed? Who can hold us safe and secure through it until the Promised Land comes?

Take heed. Stand fast. Beware. Take guard… All of you!

What do we do?

Verse 12 - Now you, (brethren) look out, be on guard against an evil and unbelieving heart that falls away from God...

Be on guard when the heart begins to doubt and says turn around and go back. Be aware of a complaining spirit, that grumbles and is bitter..

Be on guard against that heart that says… “It will be better if we do not do it God’s way. My way is best. The world has changed since Bible days and this does not apply to me. God has changed His mind… Did God really say that...”

Be on guard against excusing sin and justifying it. Be on guard if you are around those who do this. You are either going to have to preach to them, encourage them, or leave them… Before they take you with them...

Verse 13 - Encourage one another day after day… as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin...

Matthew 18 - Go after those who call themselves Christian and confront them.

James - 5:19-20 - If anyone wanders from the truth… go and work to turn them and save them from death and a multitude of sins...

Jude - Verse 23 - Go after people these people… and snatch them/pull them out of the fire...

As the church… we need accountability, regular accountability… make the most of our time together.

Ask questions, spur one another on, pray for one another, sharpen one another...

Daily?! Don’t forsake the assembling yourselves together. Call one another, encourage one another, strengthen one another daily… Daily. We need help daily...

We seek the Lord daily. We pray for our daily bread… daily. We need help 24/7… Church, we have some ministry to do!

Do not wait until Sunday. We are in ministry today. We are called to serve our people today. we are called to our church today...

Redeem the time! We are all battling the world, the flesh and the devil...

Your brother needs a call. Your sister needs a word. Our people needs our encouragement. We all need accountability.

How do I know I am saved? Because the Bible tells me so. Because, when I look at 1 John, and when I examine my life by the Word of God, and as I discern the Holy Spirit testifying to the reality that I am a child of God...

We should have great assurance if we have a love for Christ that changes our lives to live for Him, to serve Him… We desire to pray, read His Word, repent of sin, and love His people… This is a wonderful evidence that we are saved!

Amen!

God knows who are His! And you can have wonderful assurance, and a wonderful peace today...

But what if you are not believing today? What if you have turned away from Christ during this season of your life? Do you have peace? Do you have an ultimate peace that you are truly saved… if in this moment you are not believing?

Does your family have rest/peace of your salvation by looking at your life today?

How can we all live, day by day with peace and rest? By believing daily… and enduring day by day.

Verse 14 - Test: We have proven… to have become partakers of Christ… if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end...

We prove to have saving faith. When we keep on following. The true saints will persevere. God will cause/enable them to persevere. And we will continue to come back to God...

There are those who will be with us for a time. There will be those who will be baptized and who will make professions of faith. There will be those who will be in ministry, be pastors and deacons… and 1 John 2:19 - They will go out from us because they were not of us to begin with; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us...

We are to go after those who are among us, or were among us… and compel them. But if they do not repent… It may prove that they were not believers to begin with.

We can all be good fakers… for awhile. Trials, pain or disappointment will draw it out.

We can be deceived. We can be propped up for hell by a false Gospel. We could be hanging on to a dead religion, that produces no godly works… and you may even call Jesus “Lord, Lord.”

The tree will be know by its fruit eventually.

1. There will be wheat and tares, goats and sheep… until the end. We must test and examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. We must make our calling and election sure… (2 Peter 1:10).

Is the Lord your Rest? Are you resting in Christ alone?

Verse 15-19 - The picture: The whole group went out of Egypt, out of slavery… But the generation did not believe, sinned against God, and God did not bring those into the promised Land, into the land of rest...

Unbelief equals no rest. Following the Law equals no rest.

But for the Believer:

Chapter 4 - The Believer Has Rest

Verse 1-4 - The true believer unites the word of God with faith. They hear and put it to practice. They hear the word of God, believe it, trust in God and follow God.

Their faith, living faith, has works. They continue on until the end, living a lifestyle of faithfulness that promotes and grows peace in the believer’s life.

Verse 3 - For we who have believed… Have entered into God’s rest.

Jesus is our Rest. He is our Sabbath. He is our Peace.

You are either working to keep the Law or you are Resting in Christ.

Resting in Christ produces peace. Not Moses, not the Law, not by our performance, not going to church, nothing or no one else...

So, why are you going back? How can we?

Rest in Christ. Other religions will have you working to hell. Dead religion will have you exhausted for hell.

Christianity will have you resting in Christ forever.

Verses 3-11 - This Rest was ordained before creation with God. God then ordains a “day” for resting. And from then on… until this present day… Today… There is a spiritual rest to be found in Christ Jesus.

For whom: For whosoever will believe in the Son of God.

Starting… Today. Rest in Christ today. Be diligent to enter into this Rest… and do not ever turn away.

You have a Promise in Him.

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Stop.