Better Promises : WK 2 - MON
(Hebrews 3:1-11)
And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.
But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
That is why the Holy Spirit says,
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
Celebrities capture our attention. Now before you go rolling your eyes I don't necessarily mean just those that we see in Hollywood. All of us have some level of celebrity that enthralls us, draws our gaze, if even for a moment. For some of us it's celebrities from Hollywood. Others of us love to follow musicians or authors or playwrights. Believe it or not, there are even religious celebrities.
The people of God had their own celebrities. Of course, Abraham was one of them. He was considered the OG Israelite. King David was a celebrity as well, considered the greatest king of all time, whose future lineage would produce the Messiah.
But very few Israelite celebrities could hold a candle to Moses, the man chosen by God to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. If Israelite children had trading cards Moses’ card would be a collector's edition that everyone would want to trade for. So you can imagine how the people who heard the message of Hebrews felt when the author stated that Jesus was greater than Moses.
These Israelites were considering abandoning Jesus and going back to what Moses had established, the old sacrificial system in the desert temple. But the author is very clear: if you go back to Moses you're going back to something inferior. Moses as great as he was is nothing compared to Jesus.
And all our spiritual celebrities. The people that we admire at our church, the leaders who have made such a difference in our lives, the pastors who have preached such inspirational sermons, these men and women who play such an important role in our lives are not unimportant but they can never take the place of Jesus.
And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.
But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
That is why the Holy Spirit says,
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
Celebrities capture our attention. Now before you go rolling your eyes I don't necessarily mean just those that we see in Hollywood. All of us have some level of celebrity that enthralls us, draws our gaze, if even for a moment. For some of us it's celebrities from Hollywood. Others of us love to follow musicians or authors or playwrights. Believe it or not, there are even religious celebrities.
The people of God had their own celebrities. Of course, Abraham was one of them. He was considered the OG Israelite. King David was a celebrity as well, considered the greatest king of all time, whose future lineage would produce the Messiah.
But very few Israelite celebrities could hold a candle to Moses, the man chosen by God to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. If Israelite children had trading cards Moses’ card would be a collector's edition that everyone would want to trade for. So you can imagine how the people who heard the message of Hebrews felt when the author stated that Jesus was greater than Moses.
These Israelites were considering abandoning Jesus and going back to what Moses had established, the old sacrificial system in the desert temple. But the author is very clear: if you go back to Moses you're going back to something inferior. Moses as great as he was is nothing compared to Jesus.
And all our spiritual celebrities. The people that we admire at our church, the leaders who have made such a difference in our lives, the pastors who have preached such inspirational sermons, these men and women who play such an important role in our lives are not unimportant but they can never take the place of Jesus.
- Who has played an important role in your spiritual life?
- How has God used your church to help you grow spiritually?
- How can you make sure that no one takes the place of Jesus in your life?
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