HF181 - Hebrews 3:1-6 (The House of the Lord.)

To:  Hebraic-Foundations@YahooGroups.com
From:  "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008
Subject: Bible Study HF181 - Hebrews 3:1-6 (The House of the Lord.)

Hebraics,

In the study to follow we want to consider especially the distinction made between the 'house of Moses' and the 'house of the Lord Jesus.' We will also see why the early Christians were known as 'the people of the great confession.'

This is Bible Study HF181 - Hebrews 3:1-6 (The House of the Lord.)

Heb 3:1 "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; ...

The early Christians were known as 'the people of the great confession.' This is because to confess Jesus as Lord and Christ not only meant an admittance into the kingdom of God's Messiah, but it was a direct affront to the Caesar. It was the duty of Roman citizens to confess that Caesar was Lord. The great creedal confession of the church was 'Jesus is Lord.'

Of course the terms would different. For a Jewish person to confess that Jesus is Lord, was would be the same as confessing that Jesus was (is) the God of Creation, and in particular the God of Israel. To the Hebrew people, to confess Jesus as Lord was saying that Jesus was (is) Yahweh.

Being the Apostle of our confession speaks of Jesus as bringing into the world the gospel message. He was sent forth by the Father. Out of the cross came God's message from heaven, that whoever would call upon the name of the Lord would be saved.

As High Priest of our confession, this has to do with confirming the believer before the throne of God. The confession was to take place before men on earth. The confirming confession would take place in heaven.

Jesus said, "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." (Matt10:32,33 - Luke includes the angels as witnesses of the confession.)

The New Testament church is built upon this one factor, that is, the confession of Jesus Christ. Paul affirms this:

"But what does it say, 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' -- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom10:8-10)

v2 "... He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house.

Here Jesus is placed alongside Moses with regard to His faithfulness to God. The new covenant is not a matter disregarding the covenant of Moses as something without value. The Law had served its purpose in bringing the people to Jesus. Now that the Lord has come and the work of the cross has been completed, the Law no longer has any bearing as a covenant instrument. A new covenant had to come into place that would be suitable for God's new people.

vv3,4 "For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God."

The greater glory is that Jesus is both Son of God and thus God revealed. There is no question in the gospel story that Jesus Christ is truly God revealed in the Son.

The apostle speaks of Christ and the new covenant as 'the greater glory' when compared to the Law of Moses. The Old Testament types and shadows have been replaced by the antitype, that is, reality of what those types represented.

Thus the apostle writes:

"But to this day whenever Moses is read, (in synagogues), a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. How the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2Co3:14-18)

vv5-6 "Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house--whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end."

We will often find this same warning being played out to the Jewish peoples who have acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Messiah. In fact the one world that serves to weave the book of Hebrews together is the word 'better.' It is used twelve times in comparing the former covenant with the covenant of Christ.

It may do well to review the following Scriptures that use the word 'better' with regard to comparing former things with the new covenant:

Hebrews 1:4; 6:9; 7:19; 7:22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34; 11:4; 11:16; 11:35; 11:40; 12:24.

The study is open.

Blessings,

Buddy
---
Lawrence "Buddy" Martin
 email: Bro.Buddy <at> ChristianChallenge.Org
 Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org
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