[0:00] The epistle to the Hebrews. Let's read verses 1 to 6. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
[0:28] For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath built the house hath more honour than the house.
[0:41] For every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after.
[0:58] But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end?
[1:11] Now, this writer was well conversant with what we call Judaism.
[1:24] Judaism was the religion of the Jewish people in the time of Christ. And with Judaism we associate the Pharisees, the scribes, and the Sadducees.
[1:40] And we must bear in mind that Judaism was not an Old Testament thing. Judaism was something that sprang up in what we call the intertestamental period.
[1:54] That is the period between the prophet Malachi in the Old Testament and John the Baptist in the New Testament. And between these two men, Malachi and John the Baptist, we have a period of 400 years.
[2:12] In which we know almost virtually nothing as far as revelation is concerned, that is, revelation from God is concerned.
[2:24] It's been called the dark period of Jewish history. And it was in that dark period of Jewish history that Judaism surfaced.
[2:35] And with Judaism there were the scribes and the Pharisees and the Sadducees. You see, always in a time of spiritual decline, you get a proliferation of sex.
[2:50] And that's what we find happening in our own times. We have the different sex. It may be Jehovah Witnesses, it may be Mormons, it may be this type or that type.
[3:02] But you have this proliferation of these various views that are being expressed. And so it was in the time just prior to the arrival of Christ on earth.
[3:13] So we have Judaism. And this writer was well-acquaint with Judaism. And not only was he well-acquaint with Judaism, but he was well-acquaint too with the Jewish people.
[3:28] He understood the Jewish people. He understood Jewish thinking. He understood the Jewish mind. And not only did he understand Jewish people, but he also understood, and he was very well-versed, in Jewish history.
[3:45] You only need to read through the whole of Hebrews to see how well-versed this writer was in the history of the Jewish people.
[3:57] And he also understood, and it was so clear to him, what Jewish culture was. Now, what is he writing about as he writes this epistle to the Hebrews?
[4:10] Well, you see, what he is eager to show to converted Jewish people is this. That their hopes and their trust have not been misguided or misplaced when they have put their trust and when they have put their hopes in Christ the Messiah.
[4:38] You see, as we have seen going through this epistle, the Jewish people were always looking back. And they were looking back to the prophets.
[4:51] The Old Testament prophets. The Old Testament prophets. They meant so much to them. And all the time they were looking back to the Old Testament prophets, to the old men of the past.
[5:04] Just as we are inclined to do, we are inclined to look back to the old days and think, Ah, the old days, they were the best days as far as the church is concerned. And so it was with these Jewish people, they tended to look back to the prophets of the past.
[5:20] But this writer shows to them this, the superiority of Christ Jesus over all these prophets. He says to them, go back to the prophets.
[5:35] Look at your prophets. But they pale into insignificance in comparison with Christ Jesus. And these Jewish people in the time when this epistle was written, they were also obsessed by the importance of angels.
[5:54] Oh, they were always thinking about these spiritual beings, the angels. They were always thinking about the importance of the angels in the administration and in the economy of God.
[6:10] And what this writer goes to show, what he sits down to show as he writes his epistle is this. How inferior all these angels are in comparison with Christ.
[6:24] The angels are nothing, he says. Because Christ is the Lord of the angels. And all these angels fade into insignificance in comparison with Christ Jesus.
[6:40] And now in chapter 3, he comes to another very important figure as far as the Jewish people were concerned, and that was Moses. And if you ever got into an argument with Jewish people way back in those days, they would immediately say, ah, but Moses said this and Moses said that.
[7:00] And they were so engrossed about the importance of Moses. And now here this writer comes and he says, you know, Christ Jesus is far superior to Moses.
[7:15] The prophets are nothing. Angels are nothing. And Moses is nothing in comparison to Christ. And so this evening what we want to do as we look at these verses is to consider, who is Jesus?
[7:34] And what is Jesus doing? And I want just to look at this, these verses under these two simple heads. Let's look at who Christ Jesus is.
[7:50] Wherefore, holy brethren, says the writer, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider. That's important. I want you, he says, to consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
[8:05] I want you, he says, to sit down now and consider the importance of Christ Jesus, who he is.
[8:18] He has addressed the people here as holy brethren. He says, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. Ah, he says, you are God's people, you converted Jews.
[8:35] And what has made you God's people is this, you have become a partaker of the heavenly calling. God from heaven has called you.
[8:49] And you have been called into the family of God. And you are now, he says, holy brethren. Oh, what a dignity has been conferred upon you, says this writer.
[9:03] You are holy brethren. You are just like Christ himself. Because you are his brethren.
[9:18] And now he says, wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider. The apostle and high priest of our profession. You remember how Moses said this to his people long ago.
[9:36] Thou, he says, art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. And why are you a holy people?
[9:48] Well, says Moses, because the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the nations that are upon the earth.
[9:59] And because of that, you are a holy people. And we who belong to this age of grace.
[10:11] And who have been converted. And who have come to Christ. And who know Christ as our Savior. We are now the children of God.
[10:23] We are now the brethren of Christ. We are now holy brethren. And that is how the writer addresses us. And he says this.
[10:36] I want you to consider Christ Jesus. He is the apostle of our profession. Now as soon as we come across the word apostle, we begin to think of the twelve apostles.
[10:51] Like Peter, James and John and so on. Now that's not what this writer has in mind at all. He's not thinking of the twelve apostles. He is thinking of the one great apostle.
[11:08] And that apostle was Moses. Moses. What is an apostle? An apostle is a man who is sent from God with the message of God.
[11:24] And with a task given him by God to do. And Moses was given that task, you remember, as we read together this evening at the burning bush.
[11:36] When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, God said to him, I want you to go to Pharaoh.
[11:48] You will be my apostle. Doesn't it say, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me, says God.
[12:00] And I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore and I will send thee unto Pharaoh. And you know that word, I will send thee unto Pharaoh, it's from, if you were to read this in the Old Testament, in the Septuagint version, you would read the Greek word that is used is the very word apostolo.
[12:21] Apostle. Apostle comes from the word apostolo. It is the word apostle that is used. I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
[12:33] Come now therefore and I will send thee, I will make thee an apostle unto Pharaoh. That thou mayest bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt.
[12:47] Now says this writer, do you recall Moses, the great apostle that we had, who went to Pharaoh to deliver our people out from the hand of the Egyptians, out of bondage?
[12:58] I want you now, he says, to consider Christ. Our great apostle. Who came to deliver us not out of an earthly Egypt, but out of a spiritual Egypt.
[13:18] Out of the bondage and out of the corruption of sin. You recall how we read tonight in the gospel according to Luke, how Jesus identified himself with this apostleship.
[13:35] In the synagogue at Nazareth he stood up. He took the book of the prophet Isaiah into his hands. It was given to him by the minister of the synagogue. And then he began to read, The spirit of the Lord is upon me.
[13:55] Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, says Jesus. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted. To preach deliverance to the captives.
[14:09] And recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty them that had bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Now, says this writer, See how faithful this man Jesus was.
[14:28] Consider him the apostle and the high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him. As also Moses was faithful in all his house.
[14:41] Oh yes, Moses was a very faithful man in his day, says the writer. But see how faithful our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was.
[14:57] And when Jesus came, he could say, To do thy will I take delight, O thou my God that art. I never did within my heart conceal thy righteousness.
[15:14] Christ Jesus concealed nothing. He has made known to us All that God wants us to know And all that God would have us to understand.
[15:25] Isn't Christ Jesus far superior to Moses? And that's what the writer wants these Jews to understand.
[15:38] And that's what he wants us to understand. And the question that must inevitably arise in our minds at this moment in time As we sit in this congregation here tonight.
[15:50] Are you listening to what Jesus is saying to you? He is God's great apostle.
[16:03] He has come to declare the whole counsel of God. And are you listening to what Christ is saying? And are you ready to submit to what he is saying?
[16:17] And to submit to what he demands? But then he goes on to say He's not only to be considered as the apostle of our profession But we must also, says this writer, consider Christ Jesus as our high priest The high priest of our profession Now you see This man's mind as he writes this And this is why I was saying at the beginning He knew the Old Testament so well You see, he's going back to the two famous men At the time of Moses Who were appointed by God For specific work to do The first was Moses And the second was Aaron Moses was not allowed to do the work of Aaron And neither was Aaron allowed to do the work of Moses
[17:18] They had two distinctive offices to perform And now he is asking us to think of Aaron The great high priest in the days of Moses What is a priest?
[17:38] Well it's interesting to notice that the Latin word for priest is pontifex It's where we get the word for the Pope Which is called the Roman pontifex And this word priest in Latin pontifex It means bridge builder And what a priest had to do was this He had to build a bridge From man to God That is the task of a priest To build a bridge From man to God But there is no man that can do that That's why we don't recognize the priesthood today Particularly the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church Only one great high priest could bridge this gulf Between man and God
[18:40] And that was Christ Jesus In the Old Testament Religion established by Moses As we have said Aaron was appointed the high priest And it was his duty Year by year To offer up appropriate sacrifices On behalf of the children of Israel And he did this until the blood flowed from these Jewish altars Because God demanded this As the price for reconciliation with himself When I see the blood I will pass over you a life for a life If your life is not going to be forfeited Then the life of the innocent victim Must take your place But ah these Offerings made by Aaron
[19:41] Aaron were so inadequate As were all the other offerings Made by the other high priest Who succeeded Aaron Until at last God sent his own son To be our high priest And when he offered up a sacrifice It wasn't a sacrifice Of animal blood No He offered up himself To God He immolated himself He placed himself there Upon the altar of sacrifice His blood was shed The blood of Jesus Christ God's son Cleanseth from all sin And that's what the sacrifices of Aaron Could never do And so this writer says I want you to consider
[20:41] Christ Jesus Who is the apostle And the high priest Of our profession And see how faithful he was To him that appointed him As also As also Moses was faithful In all his house Oh yes Moses was a faithful man He did fulfill All that God commanded Of him But he could do no more But look at Christ Jesus He has fulfilled All that was demanded Of him Even to the point Of giving his life A ransom for many However important To the Jews Moses might be And Aaron might be Ah Says this writer Christ Jesus Is superior to them
[21:43] Who is then Christ Jesus Well as we saw In our previous studies Christ Jesus Is the captain Of our salvation Not only is he The captain of our salvation But he is our sanctifier And through what he has done By the offering up of himself He is bringing many sons To glory Ah but he is also Our apostle And he is the high priest Of our profession And he has come To proclaim The acceptable year Of our Lord He has come To lead us Just as Moses Was sent to lead The ancient children Of Israel Out of Egypt To the promised land So here is Christ Our great apostle And our great high priest
[22:43] These two offices Is combined in one And here is Christ Jesus And he has come To lead his many sons Out from the slavery Of sin And the corruption Of sin And he has come To lead them To the promised land To bring these many sons To glory And one day He will say To his father Behold I On the children Whom thou hast given me But let us consider To what Christ Jesus Is doing In fact we have covered Some of that already But It's the What we are looking at Are the further verses That we have been Reading this evening And The writer now Speaks of it In terms of The building of a house
[23:44] And he says Moses was faithful In all his house For this man Was counted worthy Of more glory Than Moses Inasmuch as he Hath built the house Hath more honour Than the house For every house Is builted by some man But he that built All things Is God And Moses Verily was faithful In all his house As a servant For a testimony Of those things Which were to be Spoken after But Christ As a son Over his own house Whose house are we If we hold fast The confidence And the rejoicing Of the hope Firm unto the end Now he's talking The writer About a house That is being built By God And as he has Already indicated Christ And God Are one And so this house That is being built By God Is also being built
[24:45] By Christ And what is the house That is being built By God And by Christ It's this Magnificent Spiritual Temple It has been designed By God Christ Has been its great Architect And Christ Is its great builder The structure That is being built Is not a material structure It's a spiritual structure It's made up Of living stones It's constructed Of living people And who are the living people That are making up This temple They are God's Many sons They are God's Elect people And Christ Is bringing These many sons He is bringing These elect people To glory And when the last one
[25:47] Is brought home To glory The spiritual temple Will be complete Christ Jesus Is the foundation stone You see Way back in the Old Testament economy God said to Moses I want you to build A tabernacle In the wilderness It will be made up Of this It will be made up Of that It will be made up Of the other thing And later on The tabernacle Was replaced By the temple And the most costly Things were put Into the tabernacle And the most costly Things were put Into the temple And it was all Begun by Moses Who was faithful In all his house Ah but that was only These were only Material things It was only a Material tabernacle And a material temple Now says this writer
[26:49] Christ Jesus He is not building A tabernacle like that Not a temple like that No Christ Jesus Is doing something That's more wonderful He is building A spiritual temple And he himself Is the foundation stone Upon this rock Will I build my church And the gates of hell Shall not prevail against it And as we have said It's people who constitute The edifice This is what Peter says In his epistle Ye also As lively stones Are built Up a spiritual house And holy priesthood To offer up Spiritual sacrifices Acceptable to God By Jesus Christ And that means
[27:49] That every Christian man Every Christian woman Every Christian woman Is a spiritual stone And Christ the great builder Is at work upon you And through his holy spirit He is shaping you And polishing you Until at last you are fit And ready to be put in To the edifice In glory And sometimes And sometimes This grand builder Has a great deal to do Sometimes a lot Has to be Broken off here And a lot broken off there And it's not easy To be subjected to the process Of the hammer The chisel And any other instrument That has to be used In the process of polishing
[28:50] The stone And this is what is happening In our sanctification And sometimes We feel hurt And sometimes We wonder Does God Have to hammer so much Does God Have to be As abrasive As we feel that he is In polishing the stone And this is what God Has to do In order to make us Perfect And in order To have us ready To be placed Into the niche That he has for us In his holy temple You know how Paul puts it In his letter To the Ephesians He says Ye are no more Strangers And foreigners But fellow citizens With the saints And of the household
[29:51] Of God And are built Upon the foundation Of the apostles And prophets Jesus Christ himself Being the chief cornerstone In whom all the building Fitly framed together Groweth unto an holy temple In the Lord In whom ye also Are built together For an habitation Of God Through the spirit And so Christian friend Are you one And you must be If you are A Christian You're one of God's Many sons You're one of God's Children You're one of God's You are being sanctified Just now And in the process Of your sanctification As we have already said It's sometimes Hard To stand up to it But you see
[30:52] God is Fashioning you And God Is moulding you And making you Just like his own son The foundation stone Itself And getting you ready So that when you are Complete You will fit Into His Holy structure That is what This writer Is talking about He is saying To these Jewish people You just think Of Moses You think Of Aaron The one Who was the Apostle Sent by God To Pharaoh The other Who was the Great high priest Who was appointed By God To intercede For my people For God's people Now says This writer You think Of Christ Jesus He is far
[31:54] Superior To Moses Far superior To Aaron Christ Jesus Is our Great apostle Who is Leading us Out of Our Spiritual Egypt To the Promised Land And not Only is Christ Our Great apostle But he Is our High priest The bridge Builder The one Who has Built the Bridge From us To God So that We can Cross over And not Only is He our Bridge builder Our great High priest But he Is the Great Builder Of the Spiritual Temple That God Is erecting Out of A fallen Humanity And he Is fitting Us And preparing Us To be put Into God's Spiritual Edifice And just
[32:55] This word And I Finish Moses Says the Writer Was only A servant In his Own house The house That he Built in His day But Christ Jesus Is not The servant In his House He is a Son Who presides Over the House And that's The great Difference Between Moses And Christ Moses Was simply A servant Christ Is God's Son Presiding Over his Own house Presiding Over the Over this Building Of God's Spiritual Temple And as The one Who presides Over his Own house We must Listen to Him We must Learn from Him We must Be obedient
[33:56] To him And this Writer Finishes On this Word He says In verse Six Whose House Are we If And there Is this If If We Hold Fast The Confidence And the Rejoicing Of the Hope Firm Until The End How do I know That I Am one Of God's Many Sons How do I know That I Am a Spiritual Stone Being prepared For God's Edifice How do I know That I Am one Of God's People Only If I Hold Fast The Confidence And the Rejoicing Of hope Firm Unto The End It's Only If I Do That That I Can Be
[34:56] Saved That I Can Know That I Belong To God's Household That I Am One Of God's Many Sons That I Am A Living Stone For God's Holy Temple Do you Know Christ I must Close on This note And it's Just to Introduce You to Christ This Evening We've Been Talking About Him His Superiority To Moses Or Over Moses His Superiority Over Aaron But do You know Him Yourself Have Have You Come To This Christ Have You Come To Jesus Have You Said To Christ Look I'm Just A Broken Done Sinner I Can't Do Anything For Myself But You Can
[35:56] Lead Me You Can Build The Bridge For Me You Can Shape Me You Can Mold Me You Can Prepare Me You Can Fit Me For God's Holy Temple And If You Come To Christ He Will Not Cast You Away He Will Say Yes I'll Take Your Broken Twisted Life I'll Fashion You I'll Make You Fit For My House For My Temple May It Be So Let Us Pray Oh Lord We Give Thanks To Thee For Thy Word Of Truth And For All That We Learn From It We Bless Thee Gracious God That It Makes The Way So Clear And So Plain
[36:56] And We Would Ask Thee To Give Us The Grace Of Submission That We May Say Indeed Come Into My Heart Lord Jesus Become The Apostle Of My Profession And The High Priest Of My Profession May We Ask Thee To Build And Make Us Into Thy House Make Us One Of The Stones That Will Adorn Thy House This We Ask We Pray In Jesus Name Amen