Jesus Is Better - 4

Jesus Is Better - 4

Introduction

What do you think of when you think of home? Maybe you picture the house you currently live in. You might even think about your childhood home. Maybe when you think of home, you think of the smells that greet you when you walk into the door. Some of you can imagine the furniture situated around the living room. You know the way the pictures are hanging on the wall. 

In some respect, we think of home in terms of the things we find there. But, I think all of us recognize that there’s more to home than that. Home is not about our possessions. Home is about the people who live there. Home is the place we belong – the people we belong with. 

Home is not about the place; it’s about the people. When we had the two cross country moves within a year, we had to remind our kids of a core truth…Home is wherever we’re together. 

TS - This morning, as we get into , we’re going to discover that this same truth is true for God. God has a house. God has a home. Our Heavenly Father has a dwelling place. It’s not in any church facility or temple. God’s house is not a place; it is a people. 

- “…but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are His house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” 

God’s home is not a place; God’s home is a people! As the writer of Hebrews says, WE are God’s house. We are the place He lives! When God thinks of home, He doesn’t think of a church building or a Temple. He doesn’t think of some heavenly mansion. He thinks of us! This is a truth the New Testament loves to talk about in a few other places. We are God’s house: 

- “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

- “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

God has a house. God has a home. That’s us. He doesn’t live in this building. He lives in the people who gather together in this building. He lives in us individually through the Spirit He gave us. He dwells among God’s people as we gather together. We – you and me – are God’s house!

TS - If we are God’s house, then what is this house like? What are the qualities and characteristics of this home God is building for Himself? 

If you are selling a house, you do your best to clean it up. Make it look presentable. Want the house to look like a home. Unfortunately, some are better at this than others. Found some terrible Real Estate Listings this week: 

[pic-1] Sketch Fireplace

[pic-2] Murder Room

[pic-3] Kitchen Toilet

[pic-4] Jack and Jill Bathroom

[pic-5] Clown Dining Room 

The passage we’re going to look at this morning serves as a much more effective real estate listing for God’s house. Want to spend some time together walking through . As we do, we’re going to talk about THREE FEATURES OF GOD’S HOUSE. Helps us understand who we are, both individually and corporately.

CONSTRUCTED BY GOD

Writer of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that the home we are in is a home built by God Himself. 

- “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”

We’re told specifically that God is the builder of this house. He’s brought the materials together. He has assembled us together to be His home. God has done the work to make this house a reality. 

In fact, the author of Hebrews makes it clear that God has been working on this house for a long time. Tracks God’s work all the way back to Moses. Contrasting Moses’ work in the house to Christ’s work in building the house. 

Spent arguing that Jesus was greater than the angels. Changes focus to say that Jesus is now better than Moses. He is superior to the person of Moses. He is superior to the Law of Moses. Jesus is better than even the great OT hero.

But, I want you to notice that the writer of Hebrews doesn’t elevate Jesus over Moses by beating down Moses. Doesn’t have to cheapen what Moses did or put the Old Testament down. Author of Hebrews very complementary about the work Moses did. 

- “…Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.”

- “Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later.”

Moses was faithful. Moses did a good job. Moses took care of the things God asked him to do. The Law of Moses did a good job. It did the things God wanted it to do. It pointed the people towards holiness. It showed them their need for forgiveness and salvation. 

But, Moses wasn’t Jesus. The Law wasn’t Jesus. Jesus was better because of what He had come to do. He had come to offer salvation. Moses was just a servant. Jesus was the Son. Moses brought a great word from God, but Jesus brought the way to God. Moses was great, but his job was to point to someone better. He was paving the way for Jesus. He was a butler helping the house get ready for the Builder to arrive.

In case you feel like Moses would be insulted at that idea, keep in mind that Moses Himself said it. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses gave a final speech to Israel. In that speech, he promised them a greater prophet was coming! 

- “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen …The Lord said to me, ‘…I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.’”

Even Moses said that there was someone better coming. “Look for Him! Listen to Him! God is doing something. God is building something. He is making a people for Himself. Be on the lookout for someone greater.” 

So, there’s this reminder that God has built this house. It’s been His plan all along. He was building the house when He called Abraham to leave his home and go to Canaan. He was building the house when He told Moses to go back into Egypt and save the Israelites from slavery. God has been at work to make this home a reality.

This house is not about us. Not built by us. Not just for us. God has been at work for centuries inviting people to be a part of His home. Need this reminder that we are not the house of God because we deserve it or because we made it happen. We are God’s house because He made it happen. 

2. CHARACTERIZED BY OBEDIENCE

Like any house, this home has rules. It has expectations. In God’s house, those expectations center around His holiness. 

- “…Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are His house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”

Notice there’s a promise and a condition there in that verse. “We are His house...” Okay, that’s good news, right? We are this home that God is building. But, there’s a condition there: “We are His house, if…” If what? If “we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” If you are a part of God’s house, you’ll show that with your confidence and your hope. You’ll show you’re part of His home by the way you live! 

So, what does that look like practically? Writer of Hebrews goes on to tell us there. Quotes to talk to us about how we live with this confidence and hope: 

- “Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

Pretty lengthy quote there. But here’s the essence of what the author is saying with this quote: Confidence and hope look like obedience! They look like doing what He says to do: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” If you hear His voice, obey it! When God speaks, listen!

Interesting to tie confidence and hope to obedience, but it absolutely makes sense. If I’m confident that God is who He says He is, then I’m going to want to listen to Him. If I’m confident that God is going to do what He has promised to do, then I’m going to obey Him. Confidence and hope spur obedience. 

When we disobey God, it’s because we’ve misplaced our confidence in Him. We’ve put it in something else, thinking that something else will fulfill us. We don’t have confidence that God is enough and think we need something else. When we disobey God, it’s because we’ve misplaced our hope in Him. We’re not sure He can deliver on His promises, so we try to take something by force. Move our hope away from what He has for us so we can get what we want for ourselves.  Most disobedience comes down to an issue of distrust. We don’t trust God to be who He is or to do what He’s promised to do. Confidence and hope look like obedience. 

Emphasis on obedience has been pretty clear throughout chapter three. The first six verses used the word “faithful” four times. The faithfulness of Moses and the faithfulness of Jesus help spur our own faithfulness. But, it’s the first sentence of this chapter that’s really noticeable: 

- “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession…”

Want you to notice the two titles given to believers here:

The first is “holy brothers.” ‘Holy’ carries the idea of being set apart for God, of being righteous and pure. Author of Hebrews says that’s what we are. Through Christ’s sacrifice, God has made us holy. Taken away our sin. Declared us righteous. 

There’s this encouragement to live up to what we have been given. God has made us holy, so be holy! Be who God says you are. Aspire to be who God has made you to be in Christ.

The second title is “you who share in a heavenly calling.” We tend to think of this as a promise for the afterlife. We are called to go to heaven where we will spend an eternity with God. And that’s great! But, that’s not all this means. It’s not just about dying and going to heaven. It’s about living for heaven now. Going about your day with a heavenly mindset. Living today for God’s Kingdom and not your own. Being a part of this house is about pursuing holiness. Focusing on Christ. Not just living with Him, but living for Him. The house of God is characterized by the holiness of God. 

3. CONSERVED BY FELLOWSHIP

This house is maintained by each of its members taking an active interest in each other’s life. More than that, the members of God’s household watch out for each other. 

- “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”

Lots of phrases here speak to our corporate responsibility to take care of each other. In fact, it’s right there in the first two words of these verses: “Take care.” Watch out for each other. Make sure that no one has an unbelieving heart. Then, there’s that final sentence: “…We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence…” Note the repeated use of “we” there. It’s not a singular pursuit. Writer of Hebrews not telling us to keep our head down and mind our own business. Hold onto each other. 

We live in a day and age where faith has largely come to be seen as a individual pursuit. Gather together once a week, sure, but most of our spiritual lives lived in isolation. No encouragement. No accountability. Not the picture we see here at all. Faith isn’t something we do alone; we’re all in this together. 

The best picture of this comes in verse 13 - “But exhort one another every day…” The word translated as ‘exhort’ is an interesting one, biblically speaking. It is derived from the Greek word ‘paraclete,’ a word that was used for an advocate, or counselor. It’s the same word Jesus used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in ! 

The Holy Spirit is our Helper, our ‘paraclete.’ Writer of Hebrews telling us to ‘paraclete’ each other every day. Encourage one another. Counsel one another. Help one another. Walk alongside one another. In a sense, we’re supposed to do for one another what the Holy Spirit has done for us. Be each other’s advocate. When you see a brother or sister worn down and exhausted, when you see another believer at the end of their rope, come alongside them and pick them up. Help them keep going. 

Writer of Hebrews seems to think that the Spirit can use us to help one another in those ways. We can encourage each other and advocate for each other. Take care of God’s house by taking care of each other. 

This is part of the reason why division in the church is so dangerous. Why the New Testament speaks so strongly against it. Because we are supposed to be holding each other up. We are supposed to be encouraging each other. When we attack each other, it’s not just divisive – it is disobedient to what God wants us to do. 

Look around you for just a minute. These people are God’s house. These people are God’s home. That means they are your home. Looking for a place to belong? To be? To live?  You found it. Welcome home.

Conclusion

In his book Prodigal God, Timothy Keller reminds us why the idea of home has such a unique power over us. Why we spend our days searching for a home – a place we belong. 

Timothy Keller - “‘Home’ exercises a powerful influence over human life.  Foreign-born Americans spend billions annually to visit the communities in which they were born.  Children who never find a place where they belong carry an incapacity for attachment into their adult lives.  Many of us have fond memories of times, people, and places where we felt we were truly home. However, if we ever have an opportunity to get back to the places we remember so fondly, we are usually disappointed… Home, then, is a powerful but elusive concept.  The strong feelings that surround it reveal some deep longing within us for a place that absolutely fits and suits us, where we can be, or perhaps find, our true selves. Yet it seems no real place or actual family ever satisfies these yearnings, though many situations arouse them… We are all exiles, always longing for home.  We are always traveling, never arriving. The houses and families we actually inhabit are only inns along the way, but they aren’t home. Home continues to evade us.”

God wants to give you a home. This is why he created the church.  This is what God has been doing throughout history in saving people.  You can come home.

BELIEVE/REPENT/CONFESS/BAPTIZE

COMMUNION