Better Than Moses and the Law

BETTER THAN MOSES AND THE LAW Spring Valley Mennonite; September 22, 2019; Hebrews 3:1-6 One of my favorite types of Bible Studies is to look at one of the many people God used to advance His divine plan and program. If we list the most influential characters in the Bible, it would be difficult to find anyone more influential in Biblical history than Moses. Moses was the great liberator, leading the Jews out of Egypt. God preserved his life as an infant, giving him the advantage of growing up, not as a Jewish slave, but as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. God protected his life when he fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was abusing a fellow Jew. For 40 years God developed his gift of leadership on the backside of the desert as he kept the flocks of his father-n-law Jethro. A major turning point in his life came when God spoke to Moses in the burning bush choosing him to be the deliverer of the Jewish people. Through Moses God worked miracle after miracle, from the 10 plagues in Egypt to parting the Red Sea to providing rivers of water in the desert as he struck the rock. He spoke to God face-to-face—first in the burning bush, then on Sinai. Moses was the mediator of the covenant of the Law, receiving the tablets from the very hand of God. He also wrote the first five books of the Law, detailing the commandments regarding the workings of the priesthood and the Tabernacle. He supervised the building of that Tabernacle which formed the pattern for the Jerusalem Temple built by Solomon. There was no more important person to the Jew than Moses. He was the Lawgiver and held a position of respect and veneration like no one else in Judaism. The author of Hebrews is systematically presenting Jesus as superior to anyone else, especially to anyone or anything a Jewish person might follow. After establishing Jesus as superior to prophets and angels, he now considers Moses. The recipients of this letter were a mixed group like any church group is, from dedicated believers to those with divided loyalties to those just beginning to learn about this Jesus person. We can assume that most of these were Jewish in background. Some of these had one eye on Jesus and the other eye looking back at Judaism. To a Jew, Moses represented the Jewish religion at its finest. So how does Jesus compare to Moses? Read Hebrews 3:1. I. HOLY PARTAKERS OF THE HEAVENLY CALLING I believe these particular verses are written to those of this fellowship who were genuine believers; some portions of this letter better speak to those considering following Jesus, but not yet having solidified that decision. I see these verses encouraging believers because of the terms with which they are addressed. They are not only Jewish brethren, but holy brethren. Holy is not a term to be taken lightly. Holiness is a core attribute of God, and believers are designated as holy because of our saving relationship with God. Without holiness, one cannot have a relationship with a holy God. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit invades our life, and takes up residence. Each believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit; this is completely by grace, neither deserved nor earned. As astonishing as it may seem, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus. We are Holy in His eyes. This is what is called “positional truth.” When we commit our lives to Christ, claiming the forgiveness for our sins, we receive the righteousness of Christ, it is credited to our account. Then begins our process of growing in grace, what the Bible calls sanctification—becoming in this life what God has declared to be true. We are saints by proclamation, we are learning and striving daily to demonstrate what that means. We are to be growing daily in righteousness. This is not easy, but it is tremendously satisfying and rewarding. Someone has observed, “Holiness has no 10- step plan, but only a plan with 10 million steps.” In addition to being declared holy, through the finished work of Christ, they were “partakers of a heavenly calling.” These ones described have not only heard the call of God to salvation, but they have reached out and taken up the offer! I would point out that verse 1 of chapter 3 begins with the word “Therefore.” Based on what has just been written, then the following is true. These “holy partakers” have accepted the truth that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, humbled Himself and became their Substitute, their Author of salvation, their Sanctifier, their Satan-Conqueror, and their Sympathizer. And like them, as genuine followers of Jesus, we have not only heard the truth but have responded to that truth. We have been called to be citizens of heaven; this heavenly calling is a call from the Throne of God! Having our citizenship in heaven should have staggering implications of how we live each day. Let me give you one example: much is being said today about climate change and the dire consequences unless mankind immediately makes drastic changes. Whether we believe that any observable changes are the result of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels or whether the changes are natural fluctuations in the climate matters little to we who are aliens and strangers. The Book of Revelation tells us how things are going to end up. Peter calls us aliens and strangers in First Peter 2:11. He also exhorts us that in light of how things are going to end up, “how then should we live.” My remarks on climate change do not mean we have permission to misuse or selfishly exploit God’s creation, but we do need to keep things in perspective. One very important application to having our citizenship in heaven is that Godly relationships will last for eternity. This is what Jesus encouraged us to do in Luke 16:9, “make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into eternal dwellings.” I take this to mean that as we invest in ministries of outreach and evangelism, there will be people waiting in heaven who are there because of our giving, investing and serving the Kingdom of God. One very important application of our heavenly citizenship is to hold on to material things lightly. As Peter tells us, it is all going to burn! And, because we are “partakers of a heavenly calling”, we also look forward to eternity in heaven, not viewing death as a negative, but a positive transition into eternity. It was last week that we explored the concept of how we should view death, and the freedom we gain from any fear of dying. As Holy brethren and partakers of a heavenly calling, we are told to: II. CONSIDER JESUS The word “consider” means to “direct one’s mind completely” or “to immerse one’s self in something.” As true believers, we are to compare Jesus to the greatest person of Judaism: Moses. Read vv. 2-5. I think the author has been building up to this point by considering prophets and angels—now he tackles the big issue: Jesus is better than Moses. He begins in verse 2 by recognizing that Moses made a faithful contribution. I’m sure that those receiving this letter would consider that an understatement! Who could compare with Moses? He was so identified with God’s commands that it was called the “Law of Moses!” No one was held in higher esteem in Judaism than was Moses. But even the honor and glory of Moses pales compared to Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. The example is given of the difference between the builder of a house and the house itself. The house itself is the work of a builder. To consider the house as more important than the one who built it is foolish. Judaism was the house, or the institution being considered. Moses served the house, he made a tremendous contribution, but he only served within the house. By contrast Jesus, the Son was over the house: within the eternal plan of the Trinity, Father-Son-Spirit, the calling of Abraham and the giving of the Covenants to the Jewish people was conceived and accomplished. So, the truth is established that as great as Moses was, Jesus was so much greater. And if greater than Moses, so would be the new covenant He instituted, the Covenant of Grace. Read verse 6. Notice that: III. WE ARE THE HOUSE OF GOD The metaphor of a house is used often in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 3 we find that Paul speaks of building on the foundation that is Christ: Turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 3; beginning in verse 10: (Read 1 Corinthians 3:10-16). So, Jesus is the foundation on which we are to build, and we have the choice of materials. This has implications for us as individuals and for churches. Verse 16 seems to be speaking of the local church, so we build together as a congregation something that will be tested by fire in the judgment. The church has replaced the Temple in Jerusalem, and instead of offering animals on an altar, we each are to be living sacrifices that serve. We are to be continually offering ourselves in sacrificial service, and through our church is one main place we serve. Chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians also lends to the discussion of being God’s house, only this clearly refers to we as individuals: 6:19 reads, in the context of immorality, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body.” The Holy Spirit indwells each believer just as God localized His presence, first in the Tabernacle and later in Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. By pointing out that believers are the house of God RATHER than seeing God as dwelling in the Jerusalem Temple, which by all indications still stood at the time of the writing of Hebrews, the author is clearly raising Christianity above Judaism. How much greater is God indwelling each believer than being isolated in one central place! Peter adds to the idea of being a dwelling of God by referring to us as living stones. 1 Peter 2:4-8: And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. It is clear that the Jewish people as a whole rejected Jesus. He came unto His own and His own received Him not. But there were many who did become followers of Jesus. And, although the temptation to revert to Judaism was strong, Jesus is “The Way, the Truth and the Life; no can come to the Father except through Him.” As those who have come to Jesus by grace through faith, we are considered holy. We are indwelt by the divine nature. We have been called to a life of serving Christ. May we rededicate ourselves to our holy calling.