THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapter 3)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
“Therefore, holy
brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider
the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus” (Heb. 3:1).
I’m Timothy Sparks.
Ben Bailey:
And I’m Ben Bailey. Welcome to our study of the Book of
Hebrews. These lessons are being brought to you by individual members and
congregations of the churches of Christ. The
Timothy Sparks:
In Hebrews 3:1-3, we read of “…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.” Here, we learn that Christ is greater than even Moses. While Moses was
indeed a faithful servant in God’s house, Christ is the Son of God Who is over God’s house. Yes, Moses was a noble servant, but Christ is
greater. Stop and consider for just a moment who Moses actually was. He was the
one God chose to take the message to Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” Moses, while
hesitant at first to do what God wanted him to do, finally acceded to God—and
in so doing, he became the one who (through the power of God) secured the
release of the Israelites from years of cruel Egyptian bondage and slavery.
There is some important imagery here, because Christ is the One Who helps us get out of the slavery of sin! Moses
could never do such a thing, because of his own personal sin (which even barred
him from entrance into the Promised Land—
Ben Bailey:
The original meaning of the word “apostle” is “one officially sent.” Jesus is the One Who was officially sent by God to bring us God’s Word (“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”—Jn. 1:17). Thus, the writer of Hebrews presents Christ as “one officially sent” by God to bring us salvation. Christ also is presented as our High Priest. The idea of high priest is a theme that pervades the Book of Hebrews. Christ is a better High Priest (Heb. 8:1) because He does not have to make a sacrifice every day (Heb. 7:25-27) for our sins. Under the Levitical system, the high priest had to do that. Every time sin raised its ugly head, the priest had to offer yet another sacrifice. Jesus does not have to do that. Jesus, as a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5-7) offered one sacrifice forever (Heb. 10:12). The terminology used here in Hebrews 3 is important. Moses was a faithful servant in the house of God (vs. 6). Christ, however, is the Son of God Who is over His own house. Who has more authority—the servant, or the Son? Of course, the Son does! The One Who owns the house has more authority than the one who is simply a part of the house. What is the “house”? Hebrews 3:6 provides the answer: “Whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” This type of imagery originates from Numbers 12, where the house represents the people of God. Paul told Timothy (1 Tim. 3:15) that the church is “the household of God.” Thus, while Moses was a great servant of God—and one who played a critically important part in God’s Old Testament plans—Christ has more authority, and is the Head of the household of God, the church. Moses was a servant; Christ is the Son of God (deity) Who came to give us God’s law. Chapter 3 can be broken into two segments. Verses 1-6 show the superiority of Christ over Moses. Verses 7-19 show that our faith must be superior to those Israelites who died in the wilderness.
Timothy Sparks:
We might refer to Hebrews 3:1-6 as the “carefully consider Christ” text. We need to carefully consider Christ because He is the Son Who is over God’s house. We might refer to Hebrews 7-19 as the “carefully cling to Christ with confidence” text. Because Christ the Son is ruling over God’s house, we can be assured that He will provide for us. Chapter 3 talks about how many of the Israelites were unfaithful to Him, even mentioned those who “go astray in their hearts” (vs. 10). This is a reference to the hardness of heart and rebellious attitude of so many of the Israelites. Verses 12-13, which very likely represent the key passage within this chapter, deal with the sin of unbelief. In those two verses, we read, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” This warning begs the question, “If we cannot fall from grace (as some today wrongly suggest), then why is this admonition provided for God’s people? Remember Hebrews 2:3—“How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation.” Hebrews 3:12 carries the same message: “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” Christians can leave God, and can fall into unbelief. We would urge those who adhere to the concept of “once saved, always saved” to read through the Book of Hebrews, and as you do, when you reach passages such as these, ask yourself “Do these texts teach ‘once saved, always saved’?” By the time you reach chapter 3, you will see that such a concept is not taught within the Scriptures. When an inspired writer issues a warning as stern as this—“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God”—and specifically mentions “departing from the living God,” it is evident that a Christian can fall from grace! One of the reasons for the Book of Hebrews is to ensure that Christians do not fall from grace, and do not depart from the living God! If you depart from God, you enter a state of spiritual death in which you are separated from God. Isaiah wrote: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isa. 59:1-2).
Ben Bailey:
Verses 17-19 of this chapter stress that our faith must be greater than
those who followed Moses. The writer of Hebrews refers back to Psalm 95:7-11, and in
Hebrews 3:11 he says (referring to the people in the wilderness during
Moses’ day), “I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’” This is completely incompatible with the
idea that people cannot fall from grace. These were God’s people—but they
sinned against Him so grievously that He refused to let them enter His rest. They
did not receive what they were promised because they did not keep God’s
commands--thus the idea is that our faith must be greater than theirs. What
kind of faith did they have? I like to call it “practical atheism.” They believed in God, but they did not act like they believed in God! If you
had asked a Jew who had seen God’s miracles (like the plagues on
Timothy Sparks:
The bodies of so many of the Israelites fell in the wilderness because of their unfaithfulness. Those dead and decaying bodies provide ample evidence that a child of God can fall from grace—and so many of them did! We learn from 1 Corinthians 10 that in one instance, 23,000 Israelites fell. The writer of Hebrews is warning Christians not to follow in the footsteps of those who fell in the wilderness. Instead, we are admonished, “Exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Faithful Christians need to admonish other Christians not to fall away and leave The Faith. There will be no escape if a person neglects so great a salvation. Peter wrote:
“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit," and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’” (2 Pet. 2:20-22).
Throughout the New Testament, we find passages such as these to warn us against returning to sin, lest we lose our salvation. We also find in Hebrews 3 important information that helps sustain our faith by reaffirming our faith in the existence of God. There can be no denying the fact that we live in an age when atheism and agnosticism are commonplace. The psalmist wrote, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1; cf. Ps. 53:1-4). But in Hebrews 3:4 we learn, “Every house is built by someone, but He Who built all things is God.” God is the Creator of all things. Once, while I was in a library, I happened to overhear a conversation between a young lady and a young man. The young lady was trying to convince the young man that God does exist, but the young man was skeptical. The young lady kept looking over at me, and I finally grew bold enough to ask if I might make an observation. Both of them said that would be fine. I looked at the young man and asked, “Do you think that this library building ‘just happened by accident’?” “No,” he said. I asked, “How did it get here?” He responded, “Someone built it.” “Were you here when it was built?,” I inquired. “No, I wasn’t,” he said. “Are you sure, then, that it was built by humans?,” I wanted to know. “Yes, because I’ve seen other buildings similar to this one being built by humans,” he said. “That’s exactly right,” I remarked. “Now consider this statement from Hebrews 3:4 in the Bible: ‘Every house is built by someone, but He Who built all things is God.’ We know from the evidence that someone built this library. But who ‘built’ the humans who built the library?” Look at the Universe around us. The psalmist said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). God has never asked us to believe in something for which there is inadequate evidence (or no evidence). In fact, Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test all things; hold fast to that which is good.” God wants us to look at the evidence around us that documents His existence—things like the stars in the sky or the human body. We can observe things such as the human respiratory and circulatory systems, or the eye (upon which cameras are based), or the ear (upon which recording systems are based), and we can see evidence of design. Logically speaking, design requires a Designer! That Designer, the Bible designates as “God.” I heard a story once about some missionaries who were attempting to teach some Aborigines. As they communicated through translators, the Aborigines acknowledged their belief in a Supreme Being. When they saw the missionaries using the Bible, however, they wanted to know what “that book” was all about? The point is—the Aborigines knew, from nature itself, that a Supreme Being did exist. Hebrews 3:4 is an important passage when it comes to defending the existence of God.
Ben Bailey:
Design demands a designer. Someone once suggested that the Earth happening by accident would be akin to a tornado sweeping through a junkyard and producing a Boeing 747 airplane. Who could believe that a tornado could go through a junkyard and produce something as complex and well designed as a jet airplane? There are many today who believe in the concept known as organic evolution—a concept that is clearly at odds with the teaching of the Bible. It is not the case that billions of years ago a “cosmic explosion” occurred that produced something out of nothing, and that as a result of that, you and I evolved to what we are today. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that where there is design, there is a Designer. God is that Designer. And the Bible is the book that tells us about Him. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 2:7 states, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” We, as humans, are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Hebrews 3 emphasizes that if we expect to live with God in the hereafter, then we must live faithfully to God in the here and now! This chapter emphasizes that our faith must be greater than the faith of the people who lived and died in the time of Moses. How does such a concept help those to whom the writer of Hebrews was addressing his remarks? If Moses gave the Old Law, but Christ—Who is greater than Moses—gave the New Law, which should I want to obey? Would we rather have something that is “good,” or something that is “better’? This is the point. We should go with “the better”—Christ and His New Covenant. That New Covenant can free you from your sins. The Old Law could not. Thus, we must not turn back to Judaism. We must continue to live faithfully under the New Law of Christ. Hebrews 3:19 is a sad verse, because it tells us that due to their unbelief, the people in the days of Moses were not allowed to enter into God’s rest. Yet this passage is not intended to discourage us; rather, it is intended to encourage us—not to go back, but to remain faithful to God and His New Law.
Timothy Sparks:
Today, we may not have to struggle with whether or not to return to Judaism. But there are things that can pull us back to the world from which we have been delivered. Satan is forever dangling temptations before us. John wrote,
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn. 2:15-17).
We must not let either peer pressure, or the world around us, pull us back to our old sinful state. Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). The Phillips Translation reads, “Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold, but let God reshape you from within.” We must not let the pressure of the world cause us to apostatize from God. And if you are not yet a Christian, do not let Satan deceive you into thinking that you are all right the way you are. In 2 Peter 2:17-19, Peter spoke of those who deceive with false promises. There are many in the world today who preach a false Gospel, who offer a “better-felt-than-told” message, and who will mislead you in regard to the plan of salvation. But you can come to the Word of God and know that your salvation can be secured through obedience to what you read there. God has given us a plan of salvation in the New Testament. You can read it for yourself. Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (Jn. 6:29). We come to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Then we repent—we change our minds, change our hearts, and change our lives (Lk. 13:3). We must be willing to conform our will to God’s will. We make the great confession (Rom. 10:10), that we believe that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of the living God. Then we are baptized, to have our sins washed away by the blood of Jesus (Mk. 16:16)). After that, we must live faithfully, that we might receive a crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
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Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. In Hebrews 3, we learn that Christ is even more important than a revered Old Testament figure. Who is that figure?
2. What does the word “apostle” mean?
3. Why did the writer of Hebrews refer to Christ as an Apostle (Heb. 3:1)?
4. Moses led the people of
5. There are basically two important themes that pervade the Book of Hebrews. The first is that Christ and Christianity are superior to the Old Law. What is the second?
6. Moses was a faithful servant of God in God’s house. Christ, however, is a faithful Servant of God over God’s house. What is that house, according to Hebrews 3:6?
7. What is the main emphasis of Hebrews 3:7-19?
8. In Hebrews 3:12-13, we read, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” What false concept in the religious world today do these verses refute?
9. The concept of “practical atheism” is applied in this chapter to the faithless people of Moses’ day. What is “practical atheism”?
10. Explain the connection between Hebrews 3:13 and Hebrews 10:24.
11. Explain the connection between Hebrews 3:12 and 2 Peter 2:20-22.
12. Explain the main thrust of Hebrews 3:4, “Every house is built by someone, but He Who built all things is God.”
13. Explain the connection between such passages as: (a) Psalm 19:1; (b) Hebrews 3:4; and (c) Genesis 1:1.
14. Design demands “something.” What is that something?
15. The writer of Hebrews spoke of those who “could not enter because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:19). To whom was he referring?
16. Some of the first-century Christians were thinking about leaving Christianity and returning to something. What was that “something”?
17. When it comes to offering sacrifices for sin, what is the main difference between priests in the Old Testament and Christ’s priesthood?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,