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Hebrews 3:1-6 • Jesus > Moses • Joel McCarty

New Eden Sermons

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  1. We're continuing in Hebrews and we're moving into chapter 3

  2. today, verses 1 through 6, therefore holy brothers and

  3. sisters who share in a Heavenly calling consider.

  4. Jesus the Apostle and high priest of our confession.

  5. He was faithful to the one who appointed him.

  6. Just as Moses was in all God's household for, Jesus is

  7. considered worthy of more Glory than Moses just as the Builder

  8. has more honor than the house. Now, every house is built by

  9. someone I'm one, but the one who is building who has built

  10. everything, it's God, Moses was faithful as a servant in all of

  11. God's household as a testimony to what should be said in the

  12. future. But God was faithful as a son

  13. over this household, and we are that household.

  14. If we hold on to our confidence and the Hope in which we boast,

  15. Welcome again. As I mentioned earlier, my name

  16. is Joel and I have the privilege of serving as one of the

  17. pastor's here is always, I'm just grateful to be a part of

  18. what God is doing in our midst. So, thank you guys for being

  19. here as far as intro goes. I'm keeping it super simple

  20. today. Full disclosure, I did not have

  21. as much time to prepare as I normally would like, you can't

  22. pray for me if you think about it.

  23. I'm dealing with some sciatica nerve issue, stuff that has

  24. flared up pretty painfully over the last couple days.

  25. And so at times impossible to concentrate So that's why Jared

  26. was carrying this up for me. I'm not bougie like that.

  27. Normally I can set it up myself so I kind of felt bad, but I'm

  28. trying to be mindful of what I'm lifting.

  29. So yeah, anyways, awesome. I'm asking for Grace.

  30. I know you'll be faithful to give that and the spirit is

  31. faithful to work even on our weaknesses and I know that.

  32. So as you can see, we're continuing in our series through

  33. the book of Hebrews. Remember, this letter is written

  34. most likely in a sermon like format.

  35. And so, This has the purpose of encouraging Believers toward

  36. faithfulness in the midst of both suffering and Temptation.

  37. And so the the means by which our preacher does, this is not

  38. by just telling them, hey, be faithful, he does say that at

  39. times but the primary means that he does this is to remind them

  40. of the all sufficient and the all glorious nature of Jesus who

  41. is more Supreme than anything else we could ever imagine.

  42. That's why the theme of Hebrews that We're going with is Jesus

  43. is better. We've seen to this point first

  44. week how Jesus? I guess second we didn't intro

  45. Jesus is better than the angels. We saw how he's the true and

  46. better human, we saw how he's the true and better older

  47. brother who makes us family. Last week, we saw how Jesus was

  48. greater than death and this week we're going to see how Jesus is

  49. greater than Moses. Who was this?

  50. Ancient servant of God who played a key part in Israel's

  51. Redemption. Story and so you just heard it

  52. red but our text is Hebrews chapter 3 verse 1 through 6.

    Hebrews 3:1–6

  53. We're reading primarily from the csb, feel free to make your way

  54. there so you can follow along. We'll also have the verses on

  55. the screen for you as well. So let me give you kind of a

  56. quick overview of our text. As we dive in the big picture

  57. idea in the six versus the author is communicating during

  58. this text is that? Yes, Moses was a faithful

  59. servant of God's household. But Jesus is greater because

  60. he's not just a servant in the house, he's actually the son who

  61. is over the entire house, who his also the foundation, the

  62. Cornerstone, he builds the whole thing, and this truth, if that's

  63. true, this has implications for us because the house that Jesus

  64. is building is not a physical brick and mortar house.

  65. We are the household, the people of God.

  66. And so this has implications for us.

  67. And so I'm going to kind of move through the text and three

  68. different ways. I'm going to jump around a

  69. little bit but I think it'll make sense.

  70. Three different movements were going to work through during our

  71. time and we're going to just use the same metaphor of a house

  72. that are preacher uses in the text.

  73. And so we're going to start by looking at the blueprints of the

  74. house, the blueprints of the house.

  75. And this would be Moses and verse 5 of our text.

  76. This is what we read and says, Moses was faithful as a servant

  77. in all God's household as a Testimony to what would be said

  78. in the future. So the author's very clear Moses

  79. is a picture of what is to come. He is a foretaste, a type

  80. Shadow, whatever you want to call it.

  81. To use the example that our preacher uses, I'm going to call

  82. him the blueprints of the house, right?

  83. If you roll out blue prints, if you know what the if you've

  84. built houses before, you can kind of Envision and see the

  85. picture right? But it's not the real thing.

  86. The blueprints are Only just kind of showing the plan and

  87. giving an example of what is to come.

  88. It's not the actual product but it points toward the end

  89. product. Now for us, we might be a little

  90. bit more unfamiliar with whom Moses was for the original

  91. audience. He doesn't have to tell them

  92. about Moses. He doesn't have to recount his

  93. exploits and who he was and Israel's history.

  94. They knew him intimately Moses was revered by the Jewish

  95. people, but for us I think reviewing a little bit who Moses

  96. was might give us a little bit of Text because it helps us

  97. understand how Jesus is greater than Moses.

  98. I think this might be easiest by just jumping ahead to Hebrews

    Hebrews 11 chapter mention

  99. chapter 11, where we can see some of the primary acts of

  100. Moses that are actually briefly counted for us in the, the

  101. chapter about faith. And so Hebrews chapter 11, verse

    Hebrews 11:24–29

  102. 24 through 29, here it is on the screen.

  103. It says by faith Moses. So these are some of the things

  104. that Moses did when he had grown up refused, to be called the son

  105. of Pharaoh's. Pharaoh's daughter and chose to

  106. suffer with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the

  107. fleeting pleasure of sin. For he considered reproach for

  108. the sake of Christ, to be greater wealth than the

  109. treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward by

  110. faith. He left Egypt behind not being

  111. afraid of the Kings anger. For Moses persevered as one who

  112. sees him who is invisible. Oil by faith, he instituted the

  113. Passover and the sprinkling of the blood so that the destroyer

  114. of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites by faith, they

  115. crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land.

  116. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.

  117. Moses was a faithful servant to God's plan even to the point of

  118. suffering with God's people and because he had faith in this

  119. great God, he was able to be a part of Leading, the People of

  120. God, out of slavery, the Israel's history.

  121. One of the key like formative moments and stories.

  122. That was told over and over again was what was called The

  123. Exodus their exit out of Egypt, their Redemption out of slavery

  124. in into Freedom. It was Moses that while they

  125. were still enslaved in Egypt instituted.

  126. The Passover, when the blood of animals was was placed on door

  127. post, you might remember the story and it caused the angel of

  128. death to pass over the people of God and not take their first

  129. born. It was through the leadership of

  130. Moses that the people of God, exit, the Land and flee, the

  131. evil king Pharaoh, bringing them across the Red Sea safely.

  132. You remember the story and then the Red Sea swallowed up the

  133. Egyptians as they a chase them there.

  134. Not only that those are the some of the exploits we read about in

  135. Hebrews but some of the other things that Moses did, he was

  136. the lawgiver. He was the one that God chose to

  137. be the mouthpiece and distribute the terms of the Covenant that

  138. he made with Israel in numbers. 12 Moses is specifically Moses

  139. his authority is being challenged and God specifically

  140. calls Moses. A servant who is faithful in all

  141. of God's household and because God chose him, God would speak

  142. to Moses. Has directly.

  143. He could hear the voice of God. And so this also meant that

  144. Moses was not only the lawgiver. He was also the one who mediated

  145. on behalf of the people, he talked to God and then

  146. communicated to the people. He was also the one who time and

  147. time again, when God would rightly grow frustrated with the

  148. Disobedience of the people and he would want to start over,

  149. Moses would intercede and stand in the Gap remains.

  150. Minding God of his Covenant promises.

  151. What will everyone else? Think if you leave these people

  152. that you promised to be with Moses was also the one you might

  153. remember, he brought the people to the cusp of the promised land

  154. Moses himself, was not able to enter in, because he was

  155. disobedient to God, but he brought them to the edge of the

  156. promised land and showed them the road forward.

  157. And so, because of all of this Moses is revered and he's

  158. revered for good reason. The preacher of Hebrews never

  159. disparages Moses. He doesn't say Moses was a

  160. horrible person. I Moses was flawed, you don't

  161. have to read much to see. That but he's remembered as

  162. faithful because of the work of God in his life and so our

  163. preacher elevates and acknowledges Moses his role.

  164. But he only does this to serve a greater purpose.

  165. He says, as instrumental apart of Israel story.

  166. Moses is as faithful as a servant he was Jesus is greater

  167. and that is the main point that our preacher wants us to see

  168. even in chapter 11 of Hebrews that we just read.

  169. Ed we're told that Moses himself was looking forward to a greater

  170. reward, so why would we just stop looking at Moses if he

  171. himself is looking to something greater Moses served as only a

  172. blueprint of the house, but the Builder is Jesus, and this is

  173. the second thing we see the builder of the house.

  174. This is really the point of our text.

  175. Moses is only a means to get us to the end of what he says at

  176. the beginning considered Jesus. Look at how it starts in verse

  177. 1. Therefore, holy brothers and

  178. sisters. This is 3:1, who shared a

    Isaiah 3:1

  179. Heavenly calling consider? Jesus, take a moment, stop and

  180. think. On Jesus, the Apostle and high

  181. priest of our confession, Gaze on him.

  182. Look to his goodness. He is the Apostle, he is the

  183. sent one, the Ambassador, the missionary who comes to lead, a

  184. better Exodus and an ultimate Redemption and he is the high

  185. priest will see this more throughout Hebrews, but he

  186. intercedes and mediates to redeem, his people from sin.

  187. And our preacher says, look to him.

  188. I'm only going to talk about Moses because I want you to see

  189. the greatness of Jesus. He is the one of our confession

  190. that we confess as Lord. And Savior.

  191. So if you think Moses was faithful, I got news for you.

  192. Jesus is better. Look at verse 3 and 4, it's what

  193. is what he says he says for Jesus is considered worthy of

  194. more Glory than Moses just as the Builder has more honor than

  195. the house. Now every house is built by

  196. someone but the one who built everything is God.

  197. And so our preacher uses this illustration or this analogy

  198. It's a pretty simple analogy. And he says, one who builds or

  199. maybe owns an amazing house is obviously greater and of more

  200. value than the house itself, the person is of more worth, the

  201. house is just evidence of the worth of the person.

  202. Okay, now this is before credit and debt and all that, but the

  203. idea is that if you could build this big house you at least had

  204. that much value and worth in and we know even greater value and

  205. worth And so he follows this logic and he says, Jesus is

  206. greater than the house that he's building and Moses was only a

  207. servant in the house. Now, this title servant in the

  208. Greek is a pretty high honor, but it's still just a servant,

  209. he's just actually one of the household, but Jesus is the

  210. maker of it. And so clearly, he deserves more

  211. Glory than Moses, verse for even goes further, just in case

  212. you're missing it, all things are built.

  213. By God and we've already seen in Hebrews, how the means by, which

  214. God created the world was through, God, the son, who spoke

  215. things into existence, Jesus as the Builder.

  216. It's just this flood of truth about how he's greater and more

  217. faithful than Moses, he is more glorious and worth more than

  218. Moses. And he also has a greater

  219. identity than Moses. Look at verse five and six.

  220. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house.

  221. I told, but Christ was faithful as a son over his household.

  222. The identity of the households Builder is that of son?

  223. He's not just a part of the house, he is the sun.

  224. This idea of sonship is, are he gets all the rights and

  225. privileges in the inheritance of the Father, the house is his, he

  226. is the Supreme one who Reigns over all, including the

  227. household of God. And, as I've already mentioned,

  228. and as we see described here, the household is the people of

  229. God. And what's crazy and contrast to

  230. the builder of the household. The people of God the household

  231. is anything, but faithful to go back to the story of Moses.

  232. If you follow it even right after the Exodus story 40 days

  233. later, they agree to the terms of the Covenant with God and

  234. they're cheating on God throughout the whole journey.

  235. Even though they're being cared for what do we hear?

  236. Grumbling and complaining and Disobedience?

  237. We're going to see that more next week but this Rebellion is

  238. why the people of God ever even needed a mediator.

  239. The first place because of their inadequacies and unfaithfulness

  240. they needed someone to stand in the gap for them.

  241. But here's what I want you to see, as faithful as Moses was to

  242. intercede on behalf of the people, and he was successful in

  243. one sense, he brought about a temporary stay of God's

  244. punishment on them. But here's the thing, he could

  245. do that momentarily, but he could not make these people into

  246. a new creation. If you read the story, Moses

  247. goes off the scene and even while Moses alive, the people

  248. continue to be unfaithful and rebellious.

  249. Even after the promised land is claimed, and they go in and take

  250. the promised land and have peace.

  251. They turn and chase after other idols.

  252. And where do they end up? If you remember our time and

  253. Daniel back in Exile, back in slavery, back to, where they

  254. started, And that trend has not changed.

  255. Humanity is Unfaithful and fickle.

  256. We are not good representatives of our creator.

  257. We chase after false idols. And we can try to go back to

  258. Moses and just say, well, we need another Prophet to come in

  259. and just teach us the law and we'll get it.

  260. Show us where we mess up. The problem is, is we looked at

  261. last week that doesn't deal with our slavery to sin?

  262. We need something better than Moses.

  263. We don't just need another lawgiver.

  264. We need a lawful filler something, that's utterly

  265. life-transforming. We need a savior.

  266. Someone who can redeem us. Not just once and then we go

  267. back into slavery, But ultimately.

  268. We bring us back from exile for good and that's what Jesus Does.

  269. See, Jesus is building a new Household of Faith and he is

  270. faithful to do the work. Even at Great cost to himself,

  271. think about it, Jesus in charge of the household but he becomes

  272. one of the household willingly becoming flesh.

  273. In his incarnation. He's greater than Moses because

  274. he was the word that existed with the father in the

  275. beginning. In the beginning was the word

  276. and the Word was with God that word is toward God.

  277. Jesus is literally face-to-face with the Blazing radiant.

  278. Glory of the father, Moses could get a glimpse of it.

  279. He could hear God's words but Jesus was the word, the logos.

  280. Jesus is the full radiant glory of God on display.

  281. And even though he has the identity of son in charge over

  282. us, he was willing. To Bear the report, the reproach

  283. of humanity rather than stay distant, he could have, he

  284. willingly becomes the suffering. Servant, better than Moses, the

  285. suffering servant of Isaiah 53, who is willing to Bear the

  286. reproach of our iniquities. And this bearing of our sin

  287. would lead him to death on a cross, where he would bear the

  288. Wrath of the father on our behalf.

  289. He is the true Passover and his blood is placed on a cross so

  290. that we might be passed over and receive life instead of death.

  291. He stands in the Gap to die for Sinners, so that we might escape

  292. the wrath to come. He is the true and final

  293. mediator between God and man, Moses could give a temporary

  294. stay on God's Wrath, but he could not turn children of Wrath

  295. in two sons and daughters. First Timothy 2:5 for there is

    1 Timothy 2:5

  296. one God, and one mediator between God and Mankind, the man

  297. Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.

  298. A testimony at the proper time. Jesus is the ultimate Exodus.

  299. The ransom for our sin, freeing us from our enslavement freeing

  300. us from the ultimate epitome of evil, which is Satan. and in the

  301. resurrection Jesus proves that he is greater than Moses because

  302. he deals with the Enemy once and for all Moses brought God's

  303. people through the Red Sea, you remember the story and the

  304. Egyptians chase them there to their own demise as the same,

  305. see that brought Deliverance for Israel, swallowed up, the

  306. Egyptian Army and in the same manner.

  307. Jesus meets us in our slavery and he leads us into the grave

  308. with him. And death tries to follow us

  309. there, but just like the Egyptian Army, it is swallowed

  310. up in Victory. As Jesus brings us safely out

  311. the other side into Resurrection Life.

  312. Moses brought the law, it exposed sin and death, but Jesus

  313. fulfills the law, on our behalf, which kills sin and brings life,

  314. he is the mediator as we'll see later of a new and better

  315. Covenant that pleads, the blood on our behalf and intercedes for

  316. us, Moses led the people to the cusp of the promised land, but

  317. because of his Disobedience, he could not enter in.

  318. But Jesus the perfectly obedient the true and faithful one,

  319. brings the true promised land to us as we see the new heavens and

  320. the new Earth come down. And he promises that we as his

  321. people will dwell with God forever.

  322. That's what the promised land is about Shalom.

  323. Rest Union with God. And he's promised to return and

  324. make all things new. He's building a house, I go and

  325. prepare a place for you. Write a place of wholeness and

  326. rest and then we are the people. And it's this beautiful Dwelling

  327. Place Like Jesus is the architect, the planner, the

  328. designer and the builder of the household of faith.

  329. It is his work from start to finish.

  330. Here's the thing because Christ started the work and he's

  331. promised to complete it. We can hold fast onto this and

  332. never let go. The table is set, the work is

  333. done. And so the invitation is to

  334. trust in his work. Confess that he is Savior and

  335. believe by faith in his life, death, burial, and resurrection.

  336. And you are welcomed with joy into this household of faith.

  337. We saw the blueprints of the house, the builder of the house.

  338. And lastly, we see the people of the house.

  339. I didn't have something to make another be so get a p.

  340. The people of the house. Look at me, the verse 1 again.

  341. Look at how he starts this. I love this.

  342. He says, therefore because Jesus is our faithful high priest as

  343. he sent the end of chapter 2. Holy brothers and sisters.

  344. How many guys think of your brothers and sisters that way.

  345. Holy brothers and sisters who share in a Heavenly calling.

  346. Consider Jesus, because Jesus is the one on whom this house is

  347. built because he is the Cornerstone and the foundation,

  348. and the completer and the finisher, the preacher of

  349. Hebrews can speak of those who are God's people in incredibly

  350. bold terms, holy and set apart. If you've trusted in Christ that

  351. as you right now, holy set, apart brothers and sisters.

  352. Is part of the family of God and he says they share in a Heavenly

  353. calling. They take part in this

  354. otherworldly Mission you are not of this age, you have a new

  355. identity, a new calling, In verse 6, he says that those who

  356. are of this household will prove it to be true by holding onto

  357. the confidence and hope that they boast in and what is the

  358. Hope like, what's the call here? It is to hold on to Christ Alone

  359. to not run back to Works to not run back to things of this age.

  360. But to hold on to Christ, those that truly are Christ, will

  361. prove it to be. So by hanging tight onto the

  362. gospel alone, We will not add to it, we will not run back to the

  363. law. And when we find ourselves doing

  364. that in the law beats us over the head.

  365. Those that are Christ, will say, I'm running back to you.

  366. It's all I got over and over and over.

  367. Don't let the language. Confuse you our Western Minds.

  368. We hear if the point here is not saying that if we're strong

  369. enough and hang on really tight, then we will make it in the

  370. perseverance of the Saints, which is an octave work.

  371. It's not this mechanical thing. That's like boom.

  372. All right, cool. It is as active work, that

  373. Christ, invites us to participate, but all it is.

  374. It's taking hold of what Christ has already taken.

  375. Hold of, as Paul says it in another way.

  376. As I've heard the illustration, it's what I pick up my daughter

  377. and I'm holding her and then she just wraps her arms around me.

  378. Like, she's not doing the work. I've got her, she ain't going

  379. nowhere, but she can respond and receive it.

  380. He's got you, you're just returning the hug because he

  381. saved you. The law kills, he brings life.

  382. And the Really the radical piece of this statement is that we are

  383. the household. That is crazy.

  384. We read about the Holiness of God.

  385. Holy holy holy worthy, are you once his enemies now seated.

  386. At his table, not a physical building.

  387. The household of faith is a people made up of every tribe

  388. tongue and Nation. It's why we want to see more and

  389. more people. It's why we send people to the

  390. ends of the Earth. We want to see that house filled

  391. with the people of God and entrance into this household is

  392. not based on rule, keeping on ethnicity on social.

  393. Status or your personality. It is based on Christ alone and

  394. when we begin to grasp that we are transformed as God's people.

  395. It does what Moses could never do.

  396. We're given new hearts. And now, the very spirit of God,

  397. dwells in our midst, it is his work that justified us as his

  398. work that will sanctifies. Look about how look, how Paul

  399. talks about the church in his letter to Ephesus the church at

  400. Ephesus. He said, so for through him,

  401. through Christ, we both have access in one Spirit to the

  402. father. So we see the Trinity there.

  403. So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers.

  404. This is who you are in Christ, but fellow citizens.

  405. With the Saints and members of God's household built on the

  406. foundation of the Apostles and Prophets their message of Christ

  407. alone with Jesus himself as the Cornerstone in him.

  408. The whole building being put together grows into a holy

  409. Temple in the Lord in him, you are also being built together

  410. for God's dwelling in the spirit.

  411. The people of God, have the spirit in them and so because of

  412. that, we can simply walk in the works that God has already for

  413. ordained for us to walk in. He's already prepared them for

  414. us. We can grow in the likeness and

  415. image of our Builder. And together, we do become more

  416. like Christ, but not to be trying hard to keep more rules.

  417. But by considering Jesus, and when our eyes are fixed on him,

  418. send begins to shed away the fruits of the spirit began to

  419. Blossom in our life. You can't force that to grow its

  420. gazing on Jesus and that's how we are transformed from one

  421. degree of Glory to another and we look up and over 10 years

  422. were like I actually have more patience than I used to.

  423. What a work of Christ. I didn't do that.

  424. It happens. Naturally, we're living out who

  425. God has already made us to be. And so what might this look like

  426. for new Eden Church? It might look like us becoming

  427. more willing to spend time pouring into others.

  428. Two instead of judging them empathizing with them as they

  429. face Temptation and praying with them, actually doing it, right?

  430. I'm I'm really bad about. Hey, I'll pray for you, but

  431. actually interceding like Jesus intercedes for us.

  432. It could look like being willing to sacrifice for the faith of

  433. others to see this household grow maybe sacrificing by going

  434. to share the good news across the globe as some from our new.

  435. Eden family is doing at the expense of the American dream or

  436. it might look like giving and sacrificing things of this age

  437. to give toward work both here and around the world.

  438. It might look like our gifts and our strengths and our talents,

  439. and our time, not being seen as our own.

  440. But rather as things Has to be used to build God's kingdom, not

  441. our own and none of this is possible in your own strength.

  442. We say this, the things Christians are called to the

  443. Heavenly, calling your culture, you can't do, and that's on

  444. purpose, you have to depend on the spirit.

  445. It's only possible by fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and

  446. finisher of our faith. And so, any growth and

  447. confidence that we have when people say, how are you.

  448. So confident in the face of this suffering, how are you willing

  449. to do this? We don't say because we're

  450. really awesome people and we make good decisions.

  451. We say it's Christ alone and feeling boast.

  452. We have that's the only thing we can boast in.

  453. Psalm 127 one says, unless the Lord builds a house, its

  454. Builders labor, over it in vain. Unless the Lord watches over a

  455. city, The Watchman stays Alert in vain, you can try to control

  456. your life, you can try to control everything that you have

  457. placed in your lap that you're responsible for.

  458. But if God's not building the house, we're literally just

  459. swinging a hammer for nothing. But here's the good news.

  460. God is building his church, that's freeing we get to just go

  461. along for the ride. We make up the Living Stones, as

  462. Peter calls them, the spiritual house.

  463. We might be rejected by people but we are chosen and honored by

  464. God. And even though we might bear

  465. reproach for a season in Christ, we will receive all the riches

  466. of his kingdom when he returns. Let me encourage you.

  467. There is more in store for you than anything you could ever

  468. imagine and anything you lose following Jesus will be so worth

  469. it. So, holy brothers and sisters,

  470. you who share in a Heavenly calling consider Jesus.

  471. He is the master builder upon whom the foundation of your

  472. salvation is built and he will complete the work. through many

  473. dangers, toils and snares, I have already come It was grace,

  474. that brought me safe, thus far. And Grace will lead me home.

  475. Hold fast to the gospel. The Life Death burial,

  476. resurrection of Jesus because that is all we have and that is

  477. all we need. The Life Death burial,

  478. resurrection of Jesus because that is all we have and that is

  479. all we need.