JESUS THE BETTER WAY: BETTER THAN OUR FAMILY PEDIGREE
HEBREWS 3:1 – 4:16
Big Idea: Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself (Hebrews 3:3).
HEBREWS 3:1 – 4:16 (NIV)
Heb 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
Heb 3:2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.
Heb 3:3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.
Heb 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.
Heb 3:5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future.
Heb 3:6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
INTRO
I read about a preacher whose daughter keeps a daily notebook. On one page she had drawn a picture of her father and written carefully his name and address. When asked why, she explained that she had been watching a movie about amnesia. And then she said, "If I ever forget who I am, I want everybody to know whom I belong to."
Belonging is very important. And knowing to whom we belong is even more important.
In Jewish legend the achievements of Moses were magnified far beyond the Biblical account. That would seem hard to do I know (he was a great man) but some accomplished it none-the-less. Our writer records quite an impressive resume for the man; he justifiably holds Moses in very very high regard. You can begin to see Moses’ embellished achievements in writings like Josephus and Philo’s “The Life of Moses.”
• Josephus enlarges on Moses’ wisdom and even ascribes to him great beauty and stature. He also makes Moses a mighty warrior and credits him with a skillful victory over the Ethiopians (Ant. 2.230 ff).
• Philo (“Life of Moses” 1.20ff) credits Moses with making cultural advances in arithmetic, geometry, poetry, music, philosophy, astrology.
• Others, like Eupolemus, credit him with creating the alphabet and graciously giving it to the Phoenicians who then gave it to the Greeks.
• And there are others who also ascribe great accomplishments to him; including Homer and Plato.
Think of the average funeral. Regardless of the life / lifestyle of the deceased we oftentimes nearly deify them. This tendency to “not speak ill of the dead” carries over into stories and myths of the person long after they are gone. That is what continued to happen for thousands of years after Moses’ life. Joshua also, to lesser degree, gets in on the hit parade in chapter 4. And what we discover, in both instances, is that Jesus is superior / better than they.
“Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself” (Hebrews 3:3).
We often explain personality and even character traits by the family tree. Have you heard sayings like:
• “We are what we are because of those who have gone before us.”
• “X” is just that way because she is a “Smith.”
• “X” is just that way because he is “Italian.”
Did you ever see the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding?” I am often entertained by how many people say “That’s my family!” Being from Oklahoma (and spending time in Miami, OK which is the HQ of 8 Indian tribes) gives me the opportunity to see the connection, roots and identity that native American’s have with their ancestry. It, like the Greek family in the film, runs very very deep and has great influence on the identity and even destiny of family members.
Now your family tree may not define you but it has very possibly been used to shape you. And, the truth is, there is something reassuring and stabilizing about knowing who we are and to whom we belong. I gives us … identity.
Identity was / is a big deal to the Jewish race. It plays a role in shaping their character and expectations about themselves. Like Native Americans, even the names they were given were intended to shape them.
And the Jewish nation had a lot to be proud of too. You see, the writer does not disparage their pedigree. Moses and Joshua were “good stock.” He doesn’t refute the embellishments. This is a common practice with this writer. At every turn, as he shows Jesus to be superior, he begins by showing the best the comparison has to offer. Unlike our common political tactics – the author does not tear down Moses in order to Jesus build up. Rather he sets Christ against the virtues of the Old Testament hero. Christ’s merits are all the more impressive in light of Moses’ greatness.
But the writer does show that even Moses’ family tree has limits. Many failed. Moses and Joshua could not guarantee the safe passage of everyone. Under both men’s leadership some went astray, and there was personal and corporate failure (3:7-19; 4:8-13).
But in Jesus, things can be / are different. Jesus proves to be better … “greater than,” superior.
Jesus is better than the Jewish family pedigree (including Moses and Joshua) because:
1] HE IS SUPERIOR IN HIS PERSON (3:1)
2] HE IS SUPERIOR IN HIS PERFORMANCE {MINISTRY} (3:2)
3] HE IS SUPERIOR IN HIS POSITION (3:3-6)
4] HE IS SUPERIOR IN HIS PROVISION {SALVATION} (3:7 -4:13_
Jesus, you see, assures us of safe passage and a deeper sense of belonging. In Jesus Christ, you see, we belong to a new house (household – family 3:6). We are given a new name and a new pedigree!
Jesus has the ability to do what other family tree patriarch’s could not do – see us through to completion. The writer concludes his discussion about Moses and Joshua with these words at the end of chapter 4: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (4:14-16).
That is why we are encouraged to find our identity in Him in 3:1-6. Because regardless of how good your family tree is, being associated with Jesus’ household has greater benefit and potential to shape your character and person and destiny.
Maybe you identify more with the failures of the family tree than the successes. “That’s just the way we are” need not be true. Through Christ we do not have to be defined by the failures of the past. In Christ we can break the cycle and be victorious and receive the benefits not the curse.
Well, Jesus offers you a new start – a new household. And our text makes it clear how this happens. Listen to 4:1-3a: “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest …”
You caught it didn’t you? We enter into God’s presence (Promised Land) by faith; by trusting Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. No other family trees can guarantee you a successful future and good name but Jesus has already accomplished it! By confessing our need and sin and giving ourselves to Him the Bible says we are “born again” and we become part of God’s family!
That’s why it’s called “Good News!”
Would you pray “The Congregational Prayer from Hebrews” with me?
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
First Church of the Nazarene
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
www.banazarene.org
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Jesus: The Better Way
(A Congregational Prayer from Hebrews)
Leader: Heavenly Father, giver of all good gifts,
Leader: Because Jesus is better than our legends
All: We will look to Him for character
Leader: Because Jesus is better than our human potential
All: We will look to Him for strength
Leader: Because Jesus is better than our family pedigree
All: We will look to Him for identity
Leader: Because Jesus is a better mediator
All: We will look to Him for reconciliation
Leader: Because Jesus serves as a better guide
All: We will look to Him for direction
Leader: Because Jesus offers a better relationship
All: We will look to Him for communion
Leader: Because Jesus makes better promises
All: We will look to Him for assurance
Leader: Because Jesus ensures a better peace
All: We will look to Him for comfort
Leader: Because Jesus provides better possessions
All: We will look to Him for satisfaction
Leader: Because Jesus instills a better motivation
All: We will look to Him for purpose
Leader: Because Jesus establishes a better family
All: We will look to Him for belonging
Leader: Because Jesus awards a better inheritance
All: We will look to Him for our future
Leader: Because Jesus imparts a better life
All: We will look to Him for an example
Leader: In the name of Jesus, the Better Way, we pray.
