SERIES: The Careful Considerations of Our Christian Confession—Hebrews 3:1-6; 7-17; 3:18--4:11; 4:11-13; 4:14---5:11
The Hebrews writer pressed upon his audience to further consider the intricacies of their Christian confession.
Christians, tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a further consideration of their Christian confession.
What challenges do Christians, tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in their Christian confession?
5 Challenges traditionists must face/reckon with in their Christian confession.
A—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
GREATER / LESSER STEWARDSHIP(3:1-6) Faithfulness
B— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...SINGULAR / DIVIDED HEART(3:7-17)
C— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...PERMANENT / TEMPORARY REST(3:18--4:11)
D— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...INVITING / FAILED SECRECY/Protection(4:11-13)
Tiger Woods--John Edwards--Jesse James, etc.
E— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...PERFECT / LIMITED/Grounded/Earthly PRIESTHOOD(4:14--5:11)
A-The Challenge of Choosing the Greater Stewardship—Hebrews 3:1-6
The writer to the Hebrews set before his audience a deeper/further consideration of Jesus’ Stewardship.
Christians, tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a deeper/further consideration of Jesus’ Stewardship.
What challenges do Christians, tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in the consideration of Jesus’ Stewardship?
4 Challenges traditionists must face/reckon with in their confession of Jesus’ Stewardship.
1—The challenge of choosing the greater Steward is accepting the...
FAITHFUL Over the House(:1-2)
Explanation:(:1-2)
:1—Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle & High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,”
“Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling”
The writer is speaking to holy people, that is people who are set apart to God. The Jews are set apart to God, but then so are those who are Christians of Jewish descent.
He is writing to those he considers brothers, which can be Jews as well.
In what sense are they brothers? Holiness, Lineage(Jews) or both? Probably both—judging from the overall content of the book.
The holy brothers He is writing to are brothers in the sense that they are “partakers of the heavenly calling.” What is the heavenly calling?....The formerly hopeless person’s personal acceptance of Jesus as their Savior. & thus they have been granted the privilege to hear & heed the call to heaven by faith in Christ. It is a present state in which they live.
“Holy”—agiov—Most holy thing, a saint. agiov has probably as its fundamental meaning separation, i.e., from the world to God’s service. This separation, however, is not chiefly external, it is rather a separation from evil & defilement. The moral signification of the word is therefore the prominent one. Strong—Sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):-- (most) Holy (one, thing), saint.
“Partakers/Share”—metocov—1) Sharing in, partaking; 2) A partner (in a work, office, dignity).
“Consider the Apostle & High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,”
“Consider”
“Consider/Fix your thoughts on”—katanoew—1) To perceive, remark, observe, understand;2) To consider attentively, fix one’s eyes or mind upon. Strong—To observe fully:-- behold, consider, discover, perceive. From —noiew—1) To perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding; 2) To think upon, heed, ponder, consider. ‘Through Thinking/Understanding.’
The addressed “holy people, are encouraged to “consider” Jesus. They had either not considered Jesus previously, which seems hard to envision, or more probably, they stood in danger of going back to Judaism.
Heb. 6:9—“But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.”
Heb. 10:39—“Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”
“The Apostle & High Priest of our confession”
“Apostle”(See “Christ” below)—apostolov—A delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders. Strong—A delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially A commissioner of Christ ["apostle"] (with miraculous powers):-- Apostle, Messenger, he that is sent.
The writer is including himself in the audience of “holy brethren” thru stating it as “our confession.”
Jesus is the Apostle, “of our confession.” He has been officially & uniquely sent forth with orders to save mankind. He is the supreme Apostle! 1)An apostle is sent to a specific situation which demands the sender’s involvement, 2)An apostle commands the power & authority of the sender, 3)An apostle speaks a specific message(to the situation) which is on behalf of the sender.
Lk. 4:18-21—““The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book, & gave it back to the attendant & sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””
Jn. 5:36—““But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--the very works that I do--bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
1Jn. 4:14—“And we have seen & testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.”
Lk. 19:10—““for the Son of Man has come to seek & to save that which was lost.””
“Christ Jesus,”
“Christ”(See “Apostle” above)—Cristov— “Anointed.” From —xyvm maw-shee’-akh—Anointed, anointed one.
Jn. 1:41—“He[Andrew] first found his own brother Simon, & said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).”
“Jesus”—Ihsouv—"Jehovah is salvation." Strong—Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua). From —ewvwhy yeh-ho-shoo’-ah— ‘Joshua’ or ‘Jehoshua.’
Mt 1:21— “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
:2—“who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house.”
“Appointed”—poiew—Strong—To make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct):-- Abide, + agree, appoint, cause, commit, execute, ordain, purpose, Denotes "to do" & refers to merely productive action.
Moses was faithful in all ‘The House of Israel.’
Moses was faithful as are you & I, when the Lord calls us to a task. If we obey, we are faithful in our house(sphere of influence).
Jesus was faithful to God, in a similar but vastly greater sense, as He was faithful to being the means of salvation to all mankind.
“House”(Also :3,4,5,6)—oikov—1) A house; 2) The inmates of a house, all the persons forming one family, a household—2a) The family of God, of the Christian Church, of the church of the Old & New Testaments; 3) Stock, family, descendants of one.
Argumentation:
Mat. 3:16-17—“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; & behold, the heavens were opened to Him, & He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove & alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.””
1Cor. 4:2—“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
Illustration:
English Chunnel/31.4 Mi. connecting France & Britain/1991, Power Curbers chosen to produce Chunnel rail beds & sidewalks/A machine designed solely for task/No one else suited/No one else committed themselves/Chunnel officially opened in 1994/FAITHFUL Over the House
Application:
?You chosen the FAITHFUL Over the House or the Faithful in the house?
?You chosen the Greater Steward?
2—The challenge of choosing the greater Steward is accepting the...
BUILDER Over the House(:3-4)
Explanation:(:3-4)
: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.”
“Counted worthy/Found worthy”—axiow—1) To think meet, fit, right; 2) To judge worthy, deem, deserving.
This One is the Apostle & High Priest of our confession. Thus He(Jesus) is “worthy” of “more glory” than Moses.
*Moses was only a prophet, Jesus is God, Prophet, Priest & King.
Jesus was counted worthy—since He is Better than angels(1:4-14), Took on human flesh(2:8-9), Perfected thru sufferings(2:10), Took your condemnation in death(2:9), Justified you in resurrected life(2:10-11).
Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses. This is because Moses’ apostleship was of the temporary house of the law for the nation of Israel. He was faithful to God who appointed Him.
However, a builder of a house has more honor than the actual house which he builds. Much as the pot owes its existence & design to the Potter. The Potter thus has more honor than the pot. Any house continually proclaims the glory of the builder.
*Moses was—in & servant of(:5)— the house built by Jesus.
“Glory/Honor”—doxa—Glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective):-- Dignity, glory(-ious), honor, praise, worship.
“Honor”—timh—A value, i.e. money paid, or (concretely & collectively) valuables; by analogy, esteem (especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself:-- honor, precious, price, some.
:4—“For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.”
The builder of the house is God...& Christ, His Son, is over all,
Who is Jesus?...The Son of God & God the Son.
Jn. 1:1, 3—“In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, & the Word was God.”.... “All things were made through Him, & without Him nothing was made that was made.”
Argumentation:
Jer. 10:23—“O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”
Illustration:
My homeplace/Built in ’63/Daddy sought out a specific contractor—Ray Kepley, to build the house/Why?—Ray had a reputation for excellent work/Could’ve had the house built cheaply, but you get what you pay for/BUILDER Over the House
Our current house/Well-built/But we don’t know the builder!/
What a shame to enjoy the house(church & church people) but not the builder!
Application:
?You chosen the BUILDER Over the House or the House?
?You chosen the Greater Steward?
3—The challenge of choosing the greater Steward is accepting the...
SON Over the House(:5-6a)
Explanation:(:5-6a)
:5—“And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,”
Moses was faithful as a “servant.” He was faithful in all his house.
Moses faithfulness produced a testimony for the future.
His testimony was the foundation for the prophets after him.
His was the testimony which declared the coming Messiah!
Deut. 18:15—““The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,”
Lk. 24:27—“And beginning at Moses & all the Prophets, He[Resurrected Jesus] expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
“Servant”—yerapwn—N.— An attendant, servant: of God. The voluntary performer of services, whether as a freeman or a slave; it is a nobler tenderer word than doulow. Strong—A menial attendant (as if cherishing):-- servant. Used 1X. From—yerapeuw—V.—1) To serve, do service;2) To heal, cure, restore to health.
“Testimony/Testifying”—marturion—N.—Something evidential, i.e. (genitive case) Evidence given or (specifically) the Decalogue (in the sacred Tabernacle):-- To be testified, testimony, witness.
“Spoken/Said”—lalew— “lalhyhsomenwn”— “Would be spoken afterward”—To talk, i.e. utter words:-- preach, say, speak (after), talk, tell, utter.
:6—“but Christ as a Son over His own house,...”
Mk. 1:1—“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Lk. 1:35—“And the angel answered & said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, & the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Jn. 1:32-34—“And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, & He remained upon Him. “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, & remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ “And I have seen & testified that this is the Son of God.””
Jn. 1:14,18—Joh 1:14 “And the Word became flesh & dwelt among us, & we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace & truth.”.....“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
Argumentation:
Jn. 8:31-36—“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. “And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Jn. 20:30-31—“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, & that believing you may have life in His name.”
Acts 9:20—“Immediately he[Paul] preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”
Mat. 21:33-44—READ—““Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard & set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it & built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers & went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, & stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, & they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him & seize his inheritance.’ “So they took him & cast him out of the vineyard & killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, & lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you & given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.””
Illustration:
My Father’s holdings/Executor was the Son/Family holds sway over the family’s property/SON Over the House
Application:
?You chosen the SON/Heir Over the House or the Servant in the House?
?You chosen the Greater Steward?
4—The challenge of choosing the greater Steward is accepting the...
CONFIDENCE Over the House(:6b)
Explanation:(:6b)
:6—“but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence & the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”
*We(the faithful) are the house of Christ.
We are only the house of Christ, if....
We hold fast our confidence.
We hold fast the rejoicing/boast of our hope—Everything we receive in Christ.
We hold to what we have firmly & must do this to the end.
Have you ever been tempted to question your faith?...God?...Reality?
To have nothing physical to lay your hands upon except what you know is in your heart of hearts?
Endure the mocking voices of your neighbors, employers, co-workers, schoolmates, society, culture, etc.?
Unable to voice your faith convincingly before those who oppose?
2Pet. 3:2-9—“that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, & of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord & Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, & saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, & the earth standing out of water & in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens & the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment & perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, & a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
Heb 10:35--11:1—“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Jn. 20:29—“Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen & yet have believed.””
“Hold fast/Hold on to”—katecw—Strong—To hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively):-- Have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, X make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.
“Confidence/Courage”—parrhsia—1) Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech—1a) Openly, frankly, i.e without concealment, 1b) Without ambiguity or circumlocution, 1c) Without the use of figures & comparisons; 2) Free & fearless.
“Rejoicing/Boast”—kauchma—1) That of which one glories or can glory, matter or ground of glorying;2) A glorying or boasting. Strong—a boast (properly, the object; by implication, the act) in a good or a bad sense:-- boasting, (whereof) to glory (of), glorying, rejoice(-ing).
“Hope”—elpiv—Expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence:-- faith, hope.
“Firm”—bebaiov—1) Stable, fast, firm; 2) metaph. sure, trusty.
“End”—telov—Strong—properly, The point aimed at as a limit, i.e. (by implication) the Conclusion of an act or state (termination [literally, figuratively or indefinitely], Result [immediate, ultimate or prophetic], purpose); specifically, an impost or levy (as paid):-- + continual, custom, end(-ing), finally, uttermost.
Argumentation:
1Jn. 2:19—“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”
Mat. 10:17-22—““But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils & scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors & kings for My sake, as a testimony to them & to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, & a father his child; & children will rise up against parents & cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Rom. 11:22—“Therefore consider the goodness & severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”
Lk. 24:53—“& were continually in the temple praising & blessing God. Amen.”
Acts 1:14—“These all continued with one accord in prayer & supplication, with the women & Mary the mother of Jesus, & with His brothers.”
Acts 2:42—“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine & fellowship, in the breaking of bread, & in prayers.”
Acts 13:52—“And the disciples were filled with joy & with the Holy Spirit.”
*True inner joy is bred by Confidence in Christ!
Illustration:
The young couple with 3 children/Unfaithful wife & Faithful Husband/He needed to decide whether to let her go/She remained unfaithful & defiant/He could not place the CONFIDENCE needed in her/Now happily remarried!/Renewed CONFIDENCE
Application:
?You chosen the CONFIDENCE of the House Christ built?
?You chosen the Greater Steward?
CONCLUSION:
SERIES: The Careful Considerations of Our Christian Confession
Action:
A—The challenge of choosing the greater Steward is accepting the...
1. FAITHFUL Over the House(:1-2)
2. BUILDER Over the House(:3-4)
3. SON Over the House(:5-6a)
4. CONFIDENCE Over the House(:6b)
Presented 05/30/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
