Sermon Tone Analysis

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

*Commentary*

Having established from the Jewish Scriptures Jesus’ superiority over the angels, the author of Hebrews draws another conclusion in 3:1-6 much like the one in 2:1-4 with the word “therefore.”

The conclusion he makes draws from his previous discussion in Hebrews 1-2.

The audience is addressed as “holy brethren.”

The word holy means “to be set apart,” referring back to 2:11 where Jesus, the Sanctifier, made them holy through his death.

In so doing Jesus was able to call them “brothers.”

They were holy because Jesus sanctified them, and they were brothers because Jesus took on flesh, suffered, and died for them.

Their holiness spoke nothing of their /quality/ of life; rather, it speaks of their position in salvation.

The author clearly knew that some who read his words were not saved, but he addressed them according to their profession of faith, not based upon his own opinion of their spiritual condition.

The second way the author refers to his audience in 3:1 is as “partakers of a heavenly calling.”

Partakers is sometimes translated “partners” and sometimes as “companions” in the NT.

It speaks of one who is associated with others in a common task or circumstance.

In this context it speaks of professed Christians all associated with Jesus Christ – holy brethren.

And all those who truly know Jesus as Lord have received a “heavenly calling” – God’s calling.

This calling is a reference to God calling people for salvation.

It isn’t an invitation to receive eternal life; rather, it is a /summons/ to eternal life in the NT.

Over and over in the NT “calling” is indicative of God’s election and His predestination of a person to receive eternal life.

Though this can be a difficult concept to grasp, it fits nicely with the fact that Jesus accomplished all things himself.

He was born from a virgin, he lived a sinless life, he suffered as man suffered, he tasted death for mankind, and he was resurrected.

He did everything – even sanctifying his holy brethren.

So his calling is effectual in all of his true children, and because he did the sanctifying (2:11), he is to be given /all/ the glory for man’s salvation as well.

God calls, and His true children respond.

In light of this deep truth it is interesting that the writer would have to encourage his audience to “consider Jesus.”

Consider Jesus?

After all he has done why would anyone need a reminder or a rebuke to consider him?

The answer is that the audience was drifting (2:1) from their profession of faith and floundering in their commitment.

The command in Greek signifies urgency.

One cannot flippantly trust in Jesus and drift away without being urgently called back to living faithfully for him.

It’s urgent because the penalty for failure is so dire (cf.

10:26-27).

Of note is the fact that the writer continues to call Jesus Christ simply /Jesus/.

One of his main themes is Christ’s humanity.

He lived among us, suffered for us, died in our place, and prays for us (Rom.

8:34) as one who completely understands man’s needs.

No wonder the author follows up by calling Jesus “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.”

He’s the Apostle (literally “sent one”) because he was sent to mankind for mankind.

And he is High Priest because he bears all of man’s sins.

So Jesus is the author and center-point for the Christian’s testimony.

*Food for Thought*

            Life can be lonely.

Our situations sometimes beg for a good friend to be present to listen to us, but they are not always available.

Consider Jesus!

He alone knows /exactly/ how you feel, and he alone understands.

If you feel lonely in the midst of despair Jesus is only a prayer away.

/Consider him right now/.

Your family and friends are not apostles sent for you, and they don’t bear your weaknesses like our High Priest.

Consider Jesus as an urgency in your life today.

*Hebrews 3:2-4…* He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house.

3 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.

4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

*Commentary*

In defending the command to “consider Jesus” in 3:1 the author expounds on why one should regard him as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.”

As the Jewish audience the author addressed grew more and more weary of the persecution they received for abandoning Judaism in favor of Christianity, the writer attempted to convince them of the futility of turning back to Judaism as a safe haven.

In light of the fact that these Jewish Christians were being shunned by their families, forbidden to enter the synagogues, ridiculed for their faith, and even murdered for their faith, it makes perfect sense for the author to take time to defend Jesus over and against Moses – one of the most revered men in all of Judaism.

Jesus, like Moses, was “faithful to Him who appointed Him.” Moses was appointed by God to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage (Ex.

3).

Moses was faithful to the task, and he later became one of the greatest leaders over God’s people that have ever lived.

Although Moses was resistant to God early on, he did submit to God and served Him faithfully.

He delivered God’s Law to Israel – a Law ordained by angels (Gal.

3:19) – and governed Israel for 40 years.

All Jews knew this, but now the writer says that Jesus was just as faithful as Moses – even more so!

This is pertinent because many of the Jewish Christians being addressed were considering renouncing the Prophet that Moses told them to look for (Deut.

18:15), namely Jesus Christ, and moving themselves back under the bondage to the Mosaic Law which they were unable to keep.

Yes, Moses had been faithful in God’s “house” (i.e., with God’s people), but so had Jesus.

So how had Jesus surpassed the greatness of Moses?

The answer is in v. 3. Jesus is superior to Moses because Moses was merely a faithful /servant/ with God’s house – His people.

Jesus, however, is the actual builder of the house!

Moses served what God made, but Jesus is God, and He made the house itself.

He created the people for himself by dying for them and becoming brothers with them.

This is also why Jesus is greater than angels.

Angels serve God’s people (Heb.

1:14), but the Son of God is the Creator of God’s people.

So the Jews who had one foot in the door of Christianity and one foot out, so to speak, were in danger of choosing the inferior over the superior – the servant over the Creator.

For it is obvious that the builder of a house is to receive more honor as the builder than the servant is for simply serving in the house.

Verse 4 explains in no uncertain terms that all houses (all things in general) are built by someone in particular.

But the builder of all things is God.

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This is a clear and flagrant point that /Jesus is God/, making him without question far superior to Moses.

Moses was a man , sent to deliver God’s people from physical bondage in Egypt, but Jesus is God, sent to deliver God’s people from bondage under the devil (2:14-15).

Their ultimate destiny is “rest” (4:3, 9) – the salvation-rest of Christ’s redemption leading to eternal life in heaven.

*Food for Thought*

            The majority of Jews today reject Jesus as the Messiah.

They choose works over grace, religions and rituals they believe please God.

But this false belief system is not confined to Jews.

It is also found in the church today and in cults – religions that attempt to please God with works apart from faith.

But Jesus is superior to works-oriented religions.

He saves by grace alone apart from works.

To choose someone or something else is to choose a dollar over a million.

*Hebrews 3:5-6…* Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 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.

*Commentary*

A quick summary of Jesus’ superiority over Moses is given in vv.

5-6.

Whereas Moses was faithful as a /servant/ over God’s people, Jesus was faithful as a /Son/ over God’s people.

Of course servants are of far lower rank than sons.

And as God’s Son, Jesus carried all the rights and privileges of deity, authority, and inheritance.

Moses had none of that as a simple servant.

Beginning with God’s miraculous preservation of Moses as a baby, and ending with God’s mysterious provision for his burial, God worked through Moses in the interim in some astounding ways.

God spoke to Moses face-to-face, and the actual face of Moses was made glorious to the point of his having to wear a veil in front of the Israelites (Ex.

34:29).

Moses brought Israel out of Egypt, he gave them God’s Law, laid out the plans for the tabernacle, and he presented the blueprint for the Ark of the Covenant.

He was clearly God’s faithful servant.

Now a study of Moses as God’s Lawgiver and his faithfulness to God is a far deeper study than simple leadership.

He was actually a shadow of things to come – a precursor to the Messiah.