If You Think Moses Was Great...

Context

Hebrews 2 - The angels (messengers) declared a message that Jesus proclaimed; the Gospel

God stepped into humanity, lived a life we couldn’t, died a death we deserve, to restore a relationship he didn’t reject

This Good News; This Gospel when believed and trusted brings us into the family of God

We become sanctified; that is to be set apart

We are instantly set apart as members of God’s family; but that does not mean we are perfect

Sanctification is both instantaneous AND progressive

We are immediately set apart the moment we encounter Christ; again not perfect but God does begin to change our desires

Its with this news that the writer of Hebrews picks up in chapter 3

Exposition

Hebrews 3:1 ESV

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

Therefore - adverb that links what the writer is about to say with what he has already said; as a consequence or in light of

Holy brothers - the writer addresses his readers as Holy and brothers; but I am not holy; if you are a believer you are in God’s eyes because of what Jesus has done; you are part of the family of God and thereby get to be included in the inheritance of heaven

Jesus high priest of our confession - The High Priest was the person that got all cleaned up, and went into the temple once a year and sacrificed on behalf of the entire people

The High priest served as an intercessory for the people; he represented the unclean people in the presence of a Holy God

EXAMPLE - When we went swimming and forget to bring out towels; we’d have to send in a representative to get us towels; we were too wet to be in the presence of my aunt in the house; the dry representative would spare us all the wrath of my aunt and get us all towels to be clean and dry the alternative would be to dry off in the cool air which, on some days, was miserable

The people could not approach God; they weren’t clean enough and they were too afraid

Jesus is our intercessor; we pray to Him, he intercedes for us

Not a saint

Not Mary

Not a deceased loved one

Jesus

Hebrews 3:2 ESV

who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.

Moses - Was the go-between God and the people; the writer makes a comparison;

Jesus and Moses

Moses was faithful but...

Hebrews 3:3–4 ESV

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.)

Jesus is incomparably better

The writer makes a comparison that helps his hearers comprehend how much greater God is than man

EXAMPLE

Some of you have really nice houses

A house can be a great house; but its greatness comes from being a great house; it was built that way

But how much greater is the one that built it; the one that had the idea and then put it to reality; The one that had to first imagine it?

Moses was the vessel that God used to reveal His message of redemption which is pretty great but...

The one who the message comes from is much greater

Hebrews 3:5 ESV

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

Moses - The Hebrew people viewed Moses as a great father of the Jewish faith; The name Moses brings to the Jewish mind a couple things

He was a great leader and is revered as a great leader; He led the Hebrew people out of captivity

It also is a name that refers to the law

Jewish tradition teaches that the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Numbers) has Mosaic authorship

So when they refer to the book(s) of Moses they are generally referring to the Law

The writer here is saying that Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant TO TESTIFY TO THE THINGS THAT WERE TO BE SPOKEN LATER

In other words; Moses was great

But his purpose was to establish the law AND point to the fulfillment of the law

Hebrews 3:6 ESV

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.

Christ is faithful - Jesus is faithful over and through the law

Our boasting does not come from our own ability to keep the law

Rather we boast or have confidence brought about by the hope Jesus gives in that HE kept the law

The Law of Moses תֹּורַת מֹשֶׁה

Can you imagine a world without law?

No speed limits might be nice but think deeper than that

Humanity unrestricted; able to fulfill whatever desire the individual has at any cost

This law is written on our hearts Romans 2:15

Without it we do not posses the ability to care about anything

Like a lion in the Serengeti that can kill an eat a baby antelope in front of its mother; without the law we would be left to live out our own sinful desires to the detriment of the entire creation

The law is that great

Its that important

But

The law can only condemn

It cannot repair, restore, or replace

The law can only show us our iniquity

Which is the gap back leading back to God

In cannot bridge that gap

The law is like a mirror (James 1:23-24)

It can show me my face is dirty, but it cannot clean it

Moses is great but Jesus is greater

Jesus and Grace χάρις

God gives Jesus who brings unmerited favor

Giving us what we don’t deserve

Because He is merciful

And not giving us what we do deserve

Moses was great in showing us just how far we have fallen from a perfect God

But

Jesus is the greatest for picking us up from our fallen state and bringing us back into relationship with our creator

Lets thank him for that

Amen! Amen!