Respect the Builder

Hebrews 3:1–6 ESV

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.

Moses-Jesus

Hebrews 3:1–6 ESV

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.

History

Jesus is Greater

Greater than angels - Chapter 1&2

Do Not Neglect This Salvation

How do we neglect this salvation?

Exchange the creator for the creation.

Romans 1:18–25 ESV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Paul began this section in Romans 1:18 by declaring that God's wrath is being revealed against humanity's ungodliness and unrighteousness. However, all of the verses since that one have simply

Described humanity's rejection of God as creator, provider, and Lord.

We need to be saved because God is angry with us. Because of our sin, humanity has rejected Him as creator and provider. We worship created things, instead. In response, God has given us over to indulge in all kinds of sinful practices that lead to misery now and His angry judgment later.

Here in our Hebrews verses, we see this point brought up again.

The Israelites were in danger of viewing Moses, the created, as better than Jesus, the creator

They were forgetting to respect the builder, not just the built.

So, what wrong with that?

It produces consequences.

In the verses in Romans we see a couple lessons we can learn here.

Romans 1:24 ESV

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

Only in the previous verse is God described as taking action against humanity for our sinfulness.

That action comes in the form of inaction: of

God simply getting out of the way and letting us do as we please.

At first glance, that action doesn't sound like a punishment. He is said to have given us up to our sexual lusts. In other words, apparently God stopped restraining the human impulse to control our sexual desires. To our modern ears, in our confused thinking, that almost sounds like a good thing.

The result, though, is untold amounts of misery as we have expressed our unchecked sexual desire in all its forms both with and against one another for generation after generation. We may not connect the pain with those actions, but God seems to do so. He seems to view allowing us to fully indulge in our sinful desires as a consequence unto itself.

And why did He do it? Paul writes that it was God's direct response to two things. First, unrighteous, pagan humanity traded the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:21–22). It seems Paul is saying we traded the truth that God is the creator for the lie that all of creation arrived in some other way.

Second, we began worshiping and serving the creatures God made instead of the One who made them all (Romans 1:23). God takes idol worship personally. The first two of his Ten Commandments to Israel are that they should have no other gods before him and not worship or serve any image of any created thing (Exodus 20:3-6).

Paul, apparently wanting to distance himself even from the idea of setting God aside to worship nature, concludes this sentence by saying that the creator is blessed forever!

Futile Thinking

Romans 1:21–22 ESV

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

We should not think too much of our own intelligence.

Debased Mind

Romans 1:28–31 ESV

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Romans 1:32 ESV

Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Respect the Builder

Because when we fail to do so, bad things happen. We start to actually think the created is better than the creator.

We can begin to think more of ourselves than we do of our God.

Jesus is Greater!

Israel need to know it and so do we.

We need to remind ourselves of it often.

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.)

Thank the Lord that we are His building, built by Him and for Him.

Let us remember to Respect The Builder

We can avoid the

Debased Mind

Futile thinking

We can avoid being turned over to our own desires.

Here I want you to consider the sin you struggle with internally, in chapter 12 of Hebrews they talk more about that. There, though, it is about internal and external sin.

But the same sentiment is clear.

Respect The Builder

Model Ourselves after The Builder, not after the built.

Hebrews 12:1–3 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Respect The Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith