Sermon Brief
Date Written: July 23, 2008
Date Preached: June 29, 2008
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: A Journey Thru Hebrews
Sermon Title: The Faithfulness of Christ
Sermon Text: Hebrews 3:1-6
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 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. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 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.
Introduction:
What does it mean to be ‘faithful’?
The dictionary reveals to us that being faithful can mean…
one who is reliable or trustworthy… such as “Joe sure is a faithful employee.”
one who is devoted to an entity or person… such as “Joe sure is faithful to his wife OR Joe sure is faithful to his alma mater”
something is genuine… such as “the copy of this portrait is faithful to the original print”
someone is devoted to a cause, religion or faith… such as “Joe is so faithful to his walk in Christ”
The dictionary also describes the term ‘faithful’ as being one who is FULL of faith…
When walking the path that God laid out for Him, how did Jesus fare when we put these characteristics of being ‘faithful’?
We can see that Jesus walked a path that was surely the most reliable and trustworthy person to ever walk the earth, HE came seeking the lost to bring redemption and salvation…and He delivered. God gave Him a task and Jesus was reliable and trustworthy to complete that task…and on the Cross we find Jesus saying, ‘It is finished!’
We can see that the path Jesus walked revealed that Jesus was devoted to doing the will of the Father, so much so that He put the will of the Father over His own fears and doubts in the Garden of Gethsemane…when He said, ‘…not My will but Yours be done…’
In looking at Jesus’ walk here on this world we can see that it reveals that Jesus was genuine in His life, His mission and what He accomplished. Jesus never wavered from His mission here on earth, and was willing to die for that mission… which was to provide an avenue for humanity to be reconciled back to God. Never failed or faltered in the plan and purpose of the Father!
Finally we can see that the path Jesus took revealed His devotion to following the will of God as He willingly placed Himself on the Cross of Calvary… not for a religion, not for a cause, and not for His faith… but out of obedience to God’s will in the knowledge that He did it so we may know eternal life! This is why we see Jesus teaching in John 5:30, “I can of Myself do nothing…I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me…”
In our passage this morning we find the Bible sharing how faithful Jesus was in respect to Moses! The Jews highly regarded Moses and Abraham as the 2 most faithful witnesses of God. And when we look at Scripture we know that Moses was faithful to God and the plans and purposes God put forward to Moses.
And from Scripture we know that Moses WAS faithful in his words and in his actions!
We can see that Moses accepted his calling from God and went to Egypt to secure the release of the Hebrew nation.
We can also see that Moses acted on God call by doing what God called Him to do… Moses meted out God’s wrath in the form of 10 plagues on the Egyptian nation as per God’s plans…
Finally we find that regardless of the complaining and bickering by the Hebrews, Moses was faithful and always submitted to God’s plan and leadership and because of this he was able to lead the people across the Red Sea to the brink of the Promised Land!
Moses was trustworthy, Moses was devoted to God and to the nation of Israel, Moses was genuine and trustworthy, and Moses was obedient to God’s calling on his life.
However, we know that Moses failed God in the wilderness and disobeyed God when he struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock as God had instructed him. For this Moses was prevented from taking the children into the Promised La nd.
Jesus was faithful and true in ALL things the Father instructed, and even though Jesus prayed for a different path in the Garden of Gethsemane…Jesus still submitted in obedience to the plan and purpose of the Father. Jesus’ faith and action are examples of how we are called to live our lives today.
How faithful are we in our walk with Christ? Well preacher I come to church! I go to Sunday School. I eat at the Wed fellowship meal. I give my tithe… I give to Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong…
Understand me when I say this, ALL those things are good things, but those things are secondary to what God has called you to do… You are called to live the life God has planned out for you… You are called to live a life of FAITH and sold out commitment to the One who has saved you and has forgiven your sin!
Well preacher, if going to church, going to Sunday School, fellowshipping with others at our fellowship mean, and giving my tithes and offerings are NOT what makes me faithful… WHAT IS?
Preacher, how can I live a life as a faithful believers? Well let me say that going to church, going to Sunday School, giving of your tithes and offerings and fellowshipping with your fellow believers is a great start… but it is NOT all of what you are called to be as a follower of Christ!
We are called to live a sold out life of commitment and we are called to follow the example of Jesus? And with that in mind the first point I want to make this morning that reveals our faith is that we must…
1. Accept our calling from God
In the 2 examples of Jesus and Moses given in our passage of Scripture today we find 2 fantastic examples of accepting God’s call on their lives!
In Moses, we find that even though he was at first reluctant to accept his calling, he did ultimately submit himself to God’s plan and purpose.
At the time of Jesus, Moses was revered as the founder of the Jewish faith because of his time on the mountain with God and that God had chosen him to be the deliverer of the Law. We see this in Ex 19:20 [show Ex 19:20] “…then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. …”
Moses was also chosen be God to meet Him in the Tabernacle while the Hebrews were walking in the wilderness. As we read in Ex 33:9, [show Ex 33:9] “…and it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. Now you can just imagine why Moses was held in high regard… He had been in the presence of God!
To the regular Jewish man and woman, Moses was seen as the most faithful Hebrew ever…and the writer of Hebrews here was indicating that Jesus was more superior than Moses!
Moses was not easy to convince, but when Moses accepted the call of God, he was sold out and he gives us a great example of how we are to sell out for God in our lives!
Jesus was born into this world for a purpose! John 3:16 [show John 3:16] reveals God’s purpose for Jesus as Jesus was sent by the Father to bring eternal life.
In Luke 19:10 [show Luke 19:10] Jesus revealed that His mission was to seek and to save the lost. Jesus was sent to this world for a purpose and on a mission!
And the wonderful thing about looking to Jesus as an example is that Jesus accepted His role in God’s kingdom and did not fight it or reject it just because it may not be the most convenient or safe role to play in the kingdom.
Jesus accepted His role in the Kingdom in spite of being doubted, ridiculed, mocked, and beaten. Jesus accepted His role and submitted to the will of the Father while here on this earth. And even though in Gethsemane Jesus asked this role to change or take a different path, Jesus was quick to accept the Father’s will, whatever that meant for Him.
And just like Moses and Jesus… as believers, we are called to serve that same sold out and fully committed way. We are called to seek and know the will of God and to submit to His will and serve Him with submission of spirit and gladness of heart.
For the believer, we have experienced the joy of God’s forgiveness of our sin, and we have also experienced the thrill of knowing that Christ has come to dwell in our heart and has brought salvation to our soul!
But unfortunately that is where the majority of believers leave their Christian experience… they want ‘fire insurance’! They want to be sure they escape the fires of hell. As a pastor, I see many believers who want the benefit of knowing God but they do not want to accept the responsibility of the calling that God’s salvation brings to the life of the believer.
As believers, we need to be like the disciples that Christ called to follow Him… they dropped everything and left everything to follow Him! Look with me at Matt 4:18-21, [show Matt 4:18-21…follow me]
“…18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. These men gave up all they had to follow the Master.
Jesus teaches that we are not saved of our own…but we are saved because Jesus calls us to him… Look at John 6:44 [show John 6:44] “…no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws [or calls] him; and I will raise him up at the last day…”
So as a believer…you have been CALLED by God, and the question to you this morning is, “Since God has called you what have you done?” Have you forsaken all things for the sake of Christ? I am not saying that God is going to ask you to quit you job…but He may!
My brother in law was a successful car salesman with a large clientele, but when God called Him, he dropped everything and went to Russia to serve God! You may not be called to quit your job BUT you must make Christ THE priority of your life!
Serving God IS going to take us ALL out of our comfort zones… the question is, “Are we willing to make that leap of faith?” Are you ‘accepting’ your call today? Or are you making excuses as to why you refuse to accept His calling on your life! But accepting the call is only the beginning, once we accept the call we must continue on and…
2. Act on our calling from God
Looking again to the 2 examples we have from our passage of Scripture today we find that both were great example of ACTING on their calling from God!
Moses was initially reluctant to God’s call, but we find that he DID go to Egypt and he DID do what God had called him to do… Let’s look at Ex 3:10 to see what God asked Moses to do… [show Ex 3:10] “…Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt…”
Now can you just imagine how far outside of his comfort zone this was for Moses? God…The Creator of the universe was calling him to walk into a foreign country and demand its government leader to release critical resources… what a terrible fear that gripped Moses’ heart. We can only imagine what was going through his mind.
Now there is no doubt that Moses was chosen by God because of his knowledge of the government and the power structure of Egypt. And I am sure that Moses’ name recognition was a major factor as well...
We find that Moses was obedient to God’s call on his life and he marched into the Pharaoh’s presence and demanded that he let the Hebrew nation go…just as God had told him to do. [clear screen here]
Now I don’t know about you but I can assure you that I would not be very comfortable going to Iran today and telling them to give up Islam OR even just to have them set free all the Christians in their prisons. Could you see yourself in that position? Can you imagine how that would make you feel…afraid, scared, intimidated?
Yet with all these things racing through Moses’ mind, we see that Moses was still faithful to God’s calling as he ACTED on that calling and went to Egypt! Believers, what about you today? Are you in submission to God and what He has called you to do… are you being obedient and acting on the calling you have from God?
Jesus came with a very specific calling and that was to seek and to save the lost! Part of that calling was teaching the people about God. This called for Jesus to reveal the religious leaders for who they were in the eyes of God… like He did in Matt 23:27 [show Matt 23:27] “…Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
You see the scribes and the Pharisees were the religious leaders of the Jewish nation and Jesus revealed that they had lost their true focus and direction and were just going through the motions and seeking to please themselves! [clear screen here]
The writer of Hebrews is simply telling his readers that Jesus is the ONE TRUE example we need to follow! Even tho’ Moses was called by God and the religious leaders held him high in esteem…Jesus is superior to Moses, and Jesus must be our example!
We may think we know where God’s calling in our lives is taking us, and I am sure that there are many of us who are afraid of where God is leading them! But the fact of the matter remains… we are still called to serve and to submit to God’s calling!
We are called to live a faithful life… and to be sold out and committed just as Jesus was! So ask yourself the question this morning… Are you living that faithful, sold out, and committed life for God today?
First of all have you accepted God calling in your life? And 2nd are you acting on that calling and doing what God has called you to do? Have you forsaken YOUR life to live the life God has called you to live?
We must accept our calling from God and we must act on that calling, but finally this morning I want you to understand that once we accept His calling, and we begin to ACT on His calling, we are called to…
3. Always live out our calling from God
Moses accepted God’s calling on his life, and then he acted on that calling and what we need to understand this morning is that Moses understood that it was a life time calling!
Likewise, Jesus came into this world with a lifetime purpose set forth by God. Jesus lived and died and rose again…all to serve the purpose of God for humanity!
We have seen so many people fully sell out to Christ and live their lives in a constant state of serving God… seeking His will… desiring to be obedient to His calling! Many of these people have given their lives for the calling of Christ!
The missionary William Carey toiled for seven years and lost one of his children to sickness in India before he saw the fruit of just one conversion to Christ! Yet he persevered… he accepted his calling, he acted on that calling and he realized that he was ALWAYS to live out that calling…no matter what!
This is one of the guiding principles that Carey formulated in his mission society and it was a guiding principle for him until he died in 1834… it reads, [show 2nd powerpoint slideshow here] “…We can never make sacrifices too great, when the eternal salvation of souls is the object, except, indeed, we sacrifice the commands of Christ...”
Another guiding principle of Carey’s mission society was, “…Let us give ourselves up unreservedly to this glorious cause. Let us never think that our time, our gifts, our strength, our families, or even the clothes we wear, are our own. Let us sanctify them all to God and His cause...”
Carey accepted his calling from God, he acted on his calling by going to India and he ALWAYS lived out his calling by staying faithful to that calling all his life! [clear screen here]
Conclusion:
Jesus was faithful to the calling that God gave Him in this world… He was faithful and a great example for us to follow! Are you being faithful to the calling God has laid on your life today?
God has really burdened me about this subject… God has convicted ME about MY response to His calling on MY life! I have accepted my calling… to this end I have NO doubt! I am acting on my calling as I have surrendered to the pastorate… but I am I ALWAYS living out my calling… each and every day… in all I do?
I pray that I am, but it is a constant struggle for me, and I must submit to God daily and do as Christ has called us to do in Luke 9:23-26
[show Luke 9:23-26… and follow me]
“…23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels…”
We are taught here by Jesus that if we are to be called His disciples… if we desire to be called true Christians… then we are to DENY ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him… and that if we refuse to give up our lives for His sake that we are going to lose… in other words we are NOT part of Him!
This is the constant struggle and plight of the believer! Are you denying yourself today? Are you taking up the cross Christ has given to you? Are you truly willing to be a follower of Christ! If you believe you are you must 1st answer the question, “Have you accepted your calling? If so have you begun to act on that calling? And have you come to the realization that God’s calling is to ALWAYS be at the center of your focus and life?”
Where are you this morning? Are you submitting to God? Or have you rebelled in your heart? Today as Bro Parker comes to lead us in our Hymn of invitation… I call on ALL believers here to come to this altar and surrender your hearts… and submit in obedience to God’s calling! Accept your calling… begin to act on that calling and begin to live out your calling in ALL you do and say! Come as we sing!
