More Glory Than Moses (Part A)

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, see, he is our high priest. We don't have a high priest among men anymore. We have Jesus. He is our high priest.

He is our apostle. He is the one that has all the authority. They're going along with this as they're hearing this. They're agreeing with this because they are believers, but he's not. He's going to challenge them.

He's going to challenge them over and over. He is doing a thorough work on the hearts of those that he cares for. We are in the book, or the letter, or the document, whatever it may be, of Hebrews. So if you have your Bibles, let's open to Hebrews chapter 3.

We will take verses 1 through 6. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him, who appointed him, as Moses also was faithful in all his house. For this one has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward. But Christ, as a son over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

I often have to fight the temptation to comment by reading. More glory than Moses, that would be an emphasis placed on this morning's consideration. Last session in Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 2, we discussed the captain of our salvation. And what we see is the writer to Hebrews is pouring into his Jewish audience the superiority of Jesus Christ. And he's doing it in layers.

He's laying on one layer, then he lays on another layer, and he's building this argument up. And it just gets more profound as we move through Hebrews. Remembering that our theme is, as we study through Hebrews, the superiority of Christ. That he is better than the old system. That he is the author of the old and the new, and he has fulfilled the old and brought us what we know as the New Testament or Christianity.

That he is superior even to Moses. That was a fact that his Jewish audience had to face. If they were going to be Christians, if they were going to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they would have to face that fact. I guess for us today, if someone's going to be a Christian, they're going to have to face the fact that they're a sinner in need of a Savior. And if they do not face that fact, they do not benefit from the salvation of Jesus Christ. It's not enough to acknowledge him as Lord. One has to also acknowledge their own sin.

They are born in sin. And that he alone is the Savior. Now as we go through Hebrews, you younger believers especially should come away with this understanding that Christ is superior. And that as you go into the world, there are going to be those sent by Satan or used by Satan, even if they're not aware of it, that are trying to tell you he is not superior, that there are alternatives. There are alternatives, and they lead to hell.

And it guarantees your place in hell if you go for it. If you go to your grave believing that Christ is not the only Savior. Now only the Holy Spirit could get a Jew to face this fact, and only the Holy Spirit can come alongside of an unbeliever and begin to woo their heart towards God. He does this in many ways, but in all the time he is leading that soul to the cross of Christ, which leads to the empty tomb, which leads to the throne of God.

We're part of that process. And so it is finished, the Old Testament law fulfilled in Christ. There's no barrier now between God and the sinner that Christ has not overcome. And once again, the Jew had to face this fact that Christ eclipsed all others, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, all of them put together. And that Calvary, the place where he was crucified, spelled an end to the law. Christ fulfilled the law and brought in the age of grace. So that's the introduction to this section, because that's where the writer of Hebrews takes us in this third chapter. He's bringing up Moses to these people. And we'll take that into consideration now looking at verse 1, Hebrews chapter 3. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. Now that therefore, that he begins what we know as the third chapter, connects it with the previous chapter. The thought is not broken.

It did join together. Let's look at Hebrews 2, verse 17 and 18. And he says, in all things he has to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation, that is forgiveness, a way to God, for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. Therefore, verse 1, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession. Consider who it is you are considering rejecting.

That's what he's saying. Remember, this Hebrew letter slash document, this thesis, is saying to the audience that among you are those that are thinking about mingling Christianity with Judaism. If you do that, you will be damned. You better think about what you're doing because this Jesus Christ, who you're thinking about mingling with, is superior. He's high above them all.

He is God the Son. That's the strength of this, therefore. We don't get the tone in the writing. But if the writer were preaching this, depending on his temperament, this would be a good place for him to get excited. When he says, therefore, because of who I just told you this Jesus is, this captain of our salvation, you better consider it. And he's going to be very firm as he rolls through the Hebrews. He is going to be hitting them very hard.

We're going to get someone, at least, this morning. But he says here in verse 1, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. These are Christians he's writing to. These are believers.

Everything he is saying. There are going to be those that you might read about or hear preaching that will say that, well, they weren't all saved. But he's saying that they're partakers of the heavenly calling.

There's no way to dismiss that. It's a two-fold description that makes it clear that these are converted people who are tinkering with spiritual truths. And that, again, will damn a soul. When we say damn a soul, we mean hell forever, where its worm does not die. An eternal judgment. The God of grace offers this grace to any who would receive it.

But he has nothing but wrath for those who thumb their nose at it, should it be any other way. This could only be applied to a people in God's family, those that are saved. And in addressing these who are saved, it is made clear, again, from the word partakers, which is translated partners in another section of scripture from the Greek.

I'll read it. Luke, chapter 5, verse 7. This is when the apostles had so many fish, they had to call for their brothers to come assist them in the other boat. Their brothers from the other boat to come assist them.

They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. That word partners. They are believers, as I mentioned.

No unconverted Jew or Gentile could ever be referred in such a way. Only the converted. You're emphasizing this point. Yes, I am.

Because it has everything to do where everything else is going. He is not speaking to unbelievers. He is speaking to church-going people. Believers who trust in Christ alone for their salvation.

They believe he was crucified for our sins. He rose again and sits at the right hand of God. And so he says, consider the apostle. Now, of course, we have to take a moment to talk about this word apostle.

You're saying observe carefully this one that is sent. Apostle means the one that is sent. In the New Testament, clearly there are given to us three examples of apostles, of those who are sent. There were the twelve and then Paul.

Judas forfeited his position. Twelve, then Paul, who were hand-picked by Jesus Christ as apostles and sent out. We know them as the apostles of Jesus Christ.

There are no more. Then there are any that are sent out from the church. For instance, if someone is sent out from the church into the foreign mission field or if they're sent out into the local mission field. In that sense, they are an apostle of the church.

They have this authority under the assembly to go out and conduct business for the kingdom, which includes oftentimes the church also. And then, of course, there is this one instance, the singular one, not plural, the apostle singular. Not apostles of the church, not apostles of Jesus Christ, but the apostle, the one sent from heaven to earth on behalf of those of us who are on earth, on behalf of sinners. The apostle Jesus Christ in that sense. What the prophets were to the Old Testament, the New Testament apostles of Jesus Christ are to the church, to Christianity, and to reaching lost souls. The Old Testament prophets, they came with a message that came directly from the throne of God to them for the people. That in contrast to the priest.

The priest did not come with a message from God. They came to God with a message from the people that the people repent. And that is the great distinction between the two offices of priest and prophet or apostle in the New Testament. They're also prophets.

I won't take too much time on this. We cover it when we were in Ephesians. But here's what Peter says in his letter. He says that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.

And so there Peter is linking. He's saying the prophets and apostles of the same office. Jude, verse 17. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we understand by looking at these cross references and taking the scripture into consideration that the offices of apostle are trifold. And of course Christ in his position is distinct. So when the writer says consider the apostle, consider the one sent from heaven before you think about jumping ship. Christ was sent by love. That's what sent Christ.

His own attribute, the Godhead. And for the sake of discussion, we say he was sent by the Father. That is true. But that is not all the truth behind it. The Holy Spirit is totally in agreement, too.

Totally a part of that process. So we look at, I'll just read it, Hebrews 1, verse 3. That he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of majesty on high. He has come to purge our sins. It says that he is the high priest of our confession.

He is the great mediator. There is no other, there's no higher, pardon me, there's no higher go between, there's no higher mediator between God and man than Jesus Christ. Again, apostles go to God, to men for God. Priests go to God for men.

One has a message coming from the throne, the other has the response to the messages coming from the throne. And so when the high priest, for example, on the Day of Atonement would enter into the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple, he would be bringing the repentance of the people, he would go in there not without blood, which was that facet of confession and sacrifice that was mandatory. And so Israel's high priest came from men to God, approaching the mercy seat of God with blood in his hand, representing the confession of sinners. Hebrews 9, into the second part of the high, pardon me, into the second part, the high priest went alone once a year, that is the Day of Atonement, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins. That's Hebrews 9, 7, then Hebrews 10, 19.

And there's so much more in between all of this, but these are the punchlines for the point. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holies by the blood of Jesus. See, he is our high priest. We don't have a high priest among men anymore. We have Jesus. He is our high priest. He is our apostle.

He is the one that has all the authority. They're going along with this as they're hearing this. They're agreeing with this because they are believers.

But he's going to challenge them, and he's going to challenge them over and over. He is doing a thorough work on the hearts of those that he cares for. When it came to this writer's attention that there were believers not satisfied with Christianity, but wanting to embellish it or add to it or prop it up or mingle it, he went to work on this. Verse 2, speaking of our high priest, our apostle and high priest, who was faithful to him who appointed him as Moses also was faithful in all his house. What all believers want, to be faithful to the one who appointed us. Of course, Jesus said, I always do those things that please my Father.

Satan has nothing in me. We'd like to say the same thing. We can't, but we spend our time and energy trying to be like Christ, Christlikeness, faithful to all that is appointed to us. And we can be faithful in the ministries in which we serve in.

We most certainly can. He says, as Moses also was faithful in all his house. Moses was faithful in the house of Israel, God's house of Israel.

That's important because of the point he's going to make. It's a distinction between the house of Jesus Christ, which is also Israel, but now the New Testament church of Gentile and Jew alike. Repeatedly we read in scripture that Moses did the commandment, all that God told him to do, and Moses did it. We read it again and again in the Old Testament. Yet Moses had his failures. Moses wrote down his own failures for all of us to examine, to see. He quoted them himself. But God doesn't remember it that way.

He could, but he doesn't. He opts to not remember the failures of Moses. The Holy Spirit impresses upon the writer of this Hebrew document to note that God thought Moses was faithful in all his house. That's what stood out to God and that's what God is going to do to each one of us who are covered in the blood.

He's not going to say, yeah, but you did this and you did that. Now there is, of course, a time of judgment for believers before the beam of seed of Christ where we will be judged for our service, but the sins are washed away. Isaiah 43 verse 25, I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Are we to be so foolish that that's only for the Jews and not for the church?

Of course not. Is it odd that Christians readily receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and they become Christians, we become converts, and then we walk around, not all of us, but some of us, with a sense of guilt as though we've not been forgiven. You're being set up. You're being set up by hell to tell you you are nothing in the church of Christ, in the body of Christ, that you're a loser.

It's a setup. God doesn't see it that way, and you shouldn't either. And so Moses also was faithful in all his house.

He's just warming up, though. The punch is coming. Verse 3, For this one has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who built the house has more honor than the house. Well, there it is. More glory than Moses. They had to face this, because Moses was way up at the top. None were greater than him amongst the Jews, the dominant figure in Israel's history. Now, when we finish our adult study, and next month we should if we stay on schedule, we begin the life of Moses, the servant of God.

And of course, I've been prepping for this for months, which is quite daunting, because you say, how am I ever going to remember to say any of these things? But in preparation, the magnitude of the man, if I could have just an ounce of that, is what you come away with in reading about his life. Moses, the servant of God, the dominant figure as I mentioned, he was told by God, however, that another prophet would come, and that prophet would be greater. And whoever didn't listen to that prophet would suffer judgment. Deuteronomy 18, I will raise up for them a prophet like you, human that is, from among their brethren, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them, all that I command him, and it shall be, that whoever will not hear my words which he speaks in my name, I will require it of him. That's Jesus Christ. God was telling the Jews that I'm not done yet, that this is not the end of my revelation that I'm giving to you through my prophet Moses.

I have a whole bunch more to do. This prophet, as I mentioned, clearly identified in the New Testament as Christ. John's Gospel, chapter 1, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, pause there. This is at the beginning of the apostles, when they were first being introduced to Christ. They knew nothing about him until John pointed him out, and then it kind of spread very quickly amongst his circle of friends. And when Philip goes to Nathanael, he's so excited.

We found him. Nathanael, on the other hand, my old man and reporter of the Daily Planet, has a different response. Can anything come out, good come out of Nazareth? And of course, Philip says, come see.

Come see for yourself. How many Christians don't want to say to someone, come to church with me? I don't want to go to church.

Why? All I do is ask for money. You got to wear a suit. Well, let me tell you what you're going to find in this church.

And you should come. And if you're not excited about Christ, don't expect anyone else to be excited through your testimony either. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph. Very, very moving. I get goosebumps standing here thinking about that moment that really happened long ago in Israel. Somewhere, somewhere on earth, that spot where their feet were standing is still there.

Nobody knows where. But it was real. And so the prophet names, the writer names the prophet better than Moses. As I've been saying, they had to face this fact, as does a sinner, when you come and say, listen, unless you are washed by the blood of Christ, you're dead in your sins. The wrath of God abides on you personally.

There's a way out. Rejection would send them back to a defunct religion. If these Jews said, yeah, I hear that he's greater than Moses, but I still want to offer up sheep.

They were going back again to a defunct religion. But worse, rejection would leave them rejected by God. God would say, how dare you?

You think I had my son to die on the cross and suffer all this stuff so you could bring sheep to me? And so to stay in Judaism is to offend God because he has opened up the second phase and he has closed the first phase's ceremonial systems. Not the moral law, still thou shall not kill, thou shall not lie, thou shall not commit adultery, still not covet.

Those things remain. They are the moral code. They were there before Jews came along. Malachi asked the Jews of his day, will a man rob God? They were robbing God of their tithes and offerings. They were withholding him.

Whenever a man robs God, that man is robbing himself even more. You've been listening to Cross Reference Radio, the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Yastin of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast, today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to crossreferenceradio.com. That's crossreferenceradio.com. We'd also like to encourage you to subscribe to the Cross Reference Radio podcast. Subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick. You can subscribe at crossreferenceradio.com or simply search for Cross Reference Radio in your favorite podcast app. Tune in next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on Cross Reference Radio.