Consider Christ (Keep the Faith, Part 2)

 

Lesson Four

Consider Christ

Hebrews 3:1-6

 

Theme: Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is our Model of fidelity and is infinitely Superior to Moses. Therefore, hold firmly to your faith in Christ, God’s faithful Apostle and High Priest.

 

Bible Reading

Read carefully and thoughtfully Hebrews 3:1–19.

3. Why is Jesus worthy of greater honor than Moses? (Heb. 3:1-5)

Next to Abraham, Moses was undoubtedly the man most greatly revered by the Jewish people. To go back to the Law meant to go back to Moses, and the recipients of this Letter to the Hebrews were sorely tempted to do just that. It was important that the writer convince his readers that Jesus Christ is greater than Moses, for the entire system of Jewish religion came through Moses. In this section, we learn that Jesus Christ is superior to Moses …–W. W. Wiersbe

Jesus’ superiority to Moses (Heb. 3:1–6). Moses stands as an example of faithfulness to God in the Old Testament and in history. Not only was the written Word of the Pentateuch given through Moses, but God commended this faithful man. Yet Jesus surpasses Moses, for Jesus is the Builder of the house in which Moses was a servant! We, who are the “house” that Jesus is now building, are to fix our eyes on Jesus, not on Moses, and to give Jesus honor. –Richards, Larry

 

I.                 The Superiority of His Person Makes Jesus Worthy of Greater Honor (3:3-6).

a.      Jesus is Superior as the Son (3:4, 6).

                                          i.     Jesus is greater because He is God (3:4). Every house must have a builder. The One who built all things is God. This implies the Son’s role in Creation (Heb. 1:2, 10) and certainly His identification as God (Heb. 1:8). From John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, and Hebrews 1:2, 10, we learn the Lord Jesus was the active Agent in creation. The conclusion is unavoidable—Jesus Christ is fully God.

                                        ii.     Jesus is greater as The Son (3:6). But Christ was faithful over God’s house as a Son, not as a servant, and in His case, sonship means equality with God. God’s house is His own house (3:6).

                                       iii.     Note what is meant by God’s house today. It is composed of faithful believer-priests of the Lord Jesus: we are only a part of this priestly house if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.  (3:6)

1.      First Possible Explanation.

a.      At first this might seem to imply that our salvation is dependent on our holding fast. In that case, salvation would be by our endurance rather than by Christ’s finished work on the cross.

b.      The possible meaning is that we prove we are God’s house if we hold fast. Endurance is a proof of reality. Those who lose confidence in Christ and in His promises and return to rituals and ceremonies show that they were never born again.

2.      Second Possible Explanation.

a.      Paul used “we” and by doing so included himself within the scope of his admonition (3:6).

b.      He is concerned that some of his Christian “brothers” have an unbelieving heart to turn away from the living God (3:12). Should anyone do this, they would forfeit their roles in the Son’s priestly house, which is only maintained by holding firmly to their Christian profession (see also v. 14 and 10:23-25, 35-36).

3.      The author did not mean, of course, that his readers could forfeit their eternal salvation; it is an error to identify the word “house” with the body of Christ…. As the context and the Old Testament background show, the author was thinking in priestly terms. He was also thinking functionally. The exalted Son presides over a priestly apparatus which is an operative reality. As long as the readership held firmly to their Christian commitment, they also functioned within this priestly arrangement. But just as one who was a true Levite by birth could withdraw from participation in the tabernacle of Moses’ day, so too one who is truly a Christian by new birth may withdraw from his priestly role within the functioning household. It was precisely this danger which concerned the writer. —The Bible Knowledge Commentary

b.      Moses was only the Servant (3:5).

                                          i.     Hebrews extended its discussion of the superiority of the revelation of God in Christ to include Moses, the lawgiver, who was revered by Israel as one of the greatest men who ever lived. 

                                        ii.     Moses was the Hebrew prophet who delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and who was their leader and lawgiver during their years of wandering in the wilderness. Moses was a leader so inspired by God that he was able to build a united nation from a race of oppressed and weary slaves. In the covenant ceremony at Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments were given, he founded the religious community known as Israel. As the interpreter of these covenant laws, he was the organizer of the community's religious and civil traditions. 

 

II.               The Superiority of His Performance Makes Jesus Worthy of Greater Honor (3:3-5).

a.      Christ built the house (3:3-4).

                                                    i.     The Lord Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses because the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

                                                  ii.     The Lord Jesus was the Builder of God’s house; Moses was only a part of the house.

1.      We are the new household and Jesus is the One who cares for us.  Just as believers under the Old Testament are called the house of Moses, believers under the New Testament are called the house of Christ. And as Moses was faithful to an earthly household, Jesus is faithful to the heavenly household. –MacArthur, J. F., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary

2.      What exactly is the house? The word “house” is used six times in these verses. It refers to the people of God under the Old and New Covenants, not merely to a material building, though the tabernacle is included. Moses ministered to Israel, the people of God under the Old Covenant. Today, Christ ministers to His followers, the people of God under the New Covenant (“whose house are we,” Heb 3:6). It is also true that the Son has ministered to the “house of God” in all ages. See 2 Sam 7, where house means temple and family.  

b.      Moses served in the house (3:5).

                                                    i.     God’s house in which Moses was faithful was a kind of miniature representation of “everything,” that is, of the greater house over which the Son presides at God’s right hand in heaven (cf. 1:3 with 4:14). The “holy of holies” in His earthly house was but a shadow of heaven itself where Christ has now gone “to appear for us in God’s presence” (9:24). Moses’ fidelity consisted in erecting that shadow house, the tabernacle, so that it could properly prefigure the future order of priestly activity which now has the universe itself as its proper sphere. This is the sphere where the exalted Christ sits faithful in all His current ministrations as well as past ones, functioning as a Son over God’s house (3:6a).—John Walvoord

                                                  ii.     Moses was a faithful servant in all God’s house (Num. 12:7), pointing men forward to the coming Messiah. He testified of those things which were to be spoken afterward, that is, the good news of salvation in Christ. That is why Jesus said on one occasion, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believe Me: for he wrote of Me” (John 5:46). In His discourse with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus began at Moses and all the prophets, and “expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).

4.  How can people demonstrate that they belong in God’s house? (Heb. 3:6)

“We are God’s house if we do not play the traitor and desert.” –Robertson, A.T.: Word Pictures in the New Testament

The “if” clause (Heb. 3:6) needs to be understood in the light of the total context, which is Moses leading Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. The writer is not suggesting that we, as Christians, must keep ourselves saved. This would contradict the major theme of the book, which is the finished work of Christ and His heavenly ministry guaranteeing our eternal salvation (Heb. 7:14ff). Rather, the writer is affirming that those who hold fast their confidence and hope are proving that they are truly born again.—W. W. Wiersbe

“If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Paul had a way of using “ifs,” not as a condition but as a method of argument and of logic. We would understand him better if he had said, “Since we hold fast the confidence.” In other words, if we are sons of God and if we are partakers of the heavenly calling, we will be faithful and we will hold fast. This is the proof that we are of God’s house. –McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary

 

I.                By Living Confidently in Christ (3:6).

a.      In the word “confidence,” the dominant idea is the boldness exhibited in freedom of speech, the unreserved, unfettered flow of language which is opposed to fear, ambiguity, and reserve. This boldness would characterize the Jewish believers’ behavior.

                                                    i.     Likewise we are to be bold in our profession of Christ as God’s faithful Apostle and our High Priest (3:1).

                                                  ii.     Such open and unreserved behavior, would soon disappear in the case of those merely claiming to be Christian, but have never really trusted Christ.

b.      The word “confidence” literally means “freedom of speech, openness.” When you are free to speak, then there is no fear and you have confidence.

                                                    i.     A believer can come with boldness (same word as “confidence”) to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16) with openness and freedom and not be afraid.

                                                  ii.     We have this boldness because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:19).

                                                 iii.     Therefore, we should not cast away our confidence (Heb. 10:35), no matter what the circumstances might be. We should not have confidence in ourselves, because we are too prone to fail; but we should have confidence in Jesus Christ who never fails.

 

II.              By Living Joyfully in Hope (3:6).

a.      Because of this confidence in Christ and this confession of Christ, we can experience joy and hope (Heb. 3:6). It is important to note that a spirit of rejoicing must accompany this spirit of confidence, stamping it as genuine, for a simulated confidence does not give rise to any real rejoicing.

b.      The writer exhorted these suffering saints to enjoy their spiritual experience and not simply endure it. Jesus Christ is the beloved Son over His house, and He will care for each member of the family. He is the faithful High Priest who provides all the grace we need for each demand of life. As the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Heb. 13:19–20), Jesus Christ is using the experiences in His people’s lives to equip them for service that will glorify His name.

c.      In other words, those who have trusted Christ prove this confession by their steadfastness, confidence, and joyful hope. They are not burdened by the past or threatened by the present, but are “living in the future tense” as they await the “blessed hope” of their Lord’s return. It is this “heavenly calling” that motivates the believers to keep on living for the Savior even when the going is tough.

 

III.            By Living Faithfully to God (See 3:14b, 16).

a.      The wandering of Israel in the wilderness is a major topic in this section. Two men in that nation—Caleb and Joshua—illustrate the attitude described in Hebrews 3:6. Everybody else in Israel over the age of twenty was to die in the wilderness and never enter the Promised Land (see Num. 14:26–38).

b.      But Caleb and Joshua believed God and God honored their faith. For forty years, Caleb and Joshua watched their friends and relatives die; but those two men of faith had confidence in God’s Word that they would one day enter Canaan. While others were experiencing sorrow and death, Caleb and Joshua rejoiced in confident hope. As believers, we know that God is taking us to heaven, and we should reveal the same kind of joyful confidence and hope.

c.      The proof that you are a child of God is that you hold to the faith. That doesn’t make you a child of God, but it does prove that you are a child of God. If you are a believer, you will hold on, not because you are able but because He is able to make you stand. (See 1 John 2:19)

Response

 

Use these questions to share more deeply with each other.

 

 

11.  Why should believers distinguish between faith and feelings?

 

 

 

 

Question 7. Be careful to maintain balance here. It's easy to get into a gender-related discussion about emotions. Because a person is emotional doesn't mean his/her faith is not real. Faith can lead to emotion. It just can't be based on emotion.

 

 

 

12.  How can you determine if your faith is real?

 

 

 

 

Question 8. Read James 2:14–17 (read through verse 26 if you don't mind a longer passage). Discuss current examples of faith without works.

 

 

 

13.  What can you do to ensure that your faith will endure?

 

 

 

 

Prayer

 

Father, we ask you to deepen our faith in you. Give us the strength to withstand temptation, overcome doubt, and remain loyal to you. At the end of our lives, may we hear your words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

 

Journaling

 

Take a few moments to record your personal insights from this lesson.

 

 

What steps can I take this week to strengthen my faith in God?