More Than Moses
Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
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Last week we started our series by introducing the audience of Hebrews, and that was some Jewish believers who were beginning to face persecution. Because of this persecution, many were debating if they should in fact, be following the commandments of Moses, namely the commandments relating to the Temple sacrifices. Keep in mind, up until this time, the Church still resembled a Jewish Synagogue much more than it would resemble a modern church, and they would have been observing much of the same traditions that the Jews did. The writer of Hebrews goes on to explain the superiority of Jesus over the prophets of old, and then they talk about having been God at one point, it was necessary to be made lower than the angels so that he could come in the t I was a bit taken aback by this upon reading it further because my first thought was, Lord why were they following any of it? I mean didn’t Jesus come to release them from the law? So I asked God to help reveal to me why they did that.
The Moses Mystique
The Moses Mystique
Moses looms large in scripture for the Jews. He was the one who delivered them out of Egypt It was Moses who announced the plagues upon Egypt. It was at his command that the Red Sea was parted. The outstretched arms of Moses were what the nation of Israel gaze upon when they were losing the battle. He’s the one who called water out of the rock, and so by the time that this epistle was written Moses enjoyed an almost God-like reputation amongst the people. Moses laid down the pattern for worshipping God. Not only did God instruct them how hey were to worship him, he made it clear that they were not to deviate from it. Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lord when they offered profane fire before the Lord. They offered an offering to God, but God rejected it. We see the same thing happening right from the very beginning, when God rejects the offering of Cain. Why? Because from the very beginning God is establishing patterns for worshipping him. So it’s to this mindset that the writer of Hebrews brings his contention that Jesus is greater than Moses.
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house.
The author starts out by treading lightly. He commends Jesus and compares him to Moses, yet mentions Moses in a positive light, and why wouldn’t he? After all, Moses deserves the reverence that the Jews give him, right? But he goes on.
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. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,
He drops the bombshell on them. Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, but then he goes on to very logically explain to them why. Again he goes on to commend Moses’ faithfulness is commended above all in the house. In this case the house is the nation of Israel, but then he points out that Messiah actually built the house, and points out that the one who builds the house is obviously more honorable than the house itself. And Moses, being in the house, was a part of the house , Jesus having built the house, and being better than the house, is thereby greater than Moses. He ends by reminding them that not only did he build the house, he built all things. In fact, he points out in verse 5, Moses is but a servant in the house, whereas Jesus was its builder.
The House that Jesus Built
The House that Jesus Built
Here’s where it starts to get significant for us church, and where we need to pay attention, because there has been so much false teaching out there that claims that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan of things, and that we have no more need of them. Watch what he says next.
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.
Jesus as son (the same authority as the Father) over the house. What house? What house is he talking about in verse 5? He’s talking about Israel and their place and purpose in God’s plan.
How do we know this is what he’s saying? How do we know we’re still talking about Israel?
For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Paul says not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. Paul also is establishing the supremacy of Christ (and his sacrifice) over those established by Moses. But did Moses establish circumcision? No! Circumcision came before Moses it was established in Abraham when the covenant was made with him. But the key is in verse 16. that those who walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. It is one and the same church, it is one and the same. The church didn’t replace Israel, rather we were accepted into the house of God. We were admitted on the basis of a better sacrifice. But notice, the sacrifice still follows the pattern.
Jesus said that he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfil it.
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
How did Jesus fulfil the law.
Jesus the Passover Lamb
Jesus the Passover Lamb
I want to start out here by speaking to those who would say that we are not under the Law of Moses, and that all those rituals don’t apply to us. If that is so, then you have no part in Jesus or his salvation. I know that’s a controversial statement, but let me show you why. Let’s look at something very basic. The passover lamb.
Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
This day in which the Bible commands the Israelites in the Torah to select a lamb was commonly known as lamb selection day. The Sadducees would breed special lambs for sacrifice. Though not required by the Torah specifically, the fact that the lambs had been raised, inspected and certified by the priests as being fit for passover made these lambs special. So there is something you need to know about these special lambs. They were all raised in only one place in all of Israel. They were raise outside of a small town called Bethlehem. The shepherds watching their flocks by night were not ordinary shepherds watching ordinary sheep. They were priestly shepherds watching over holy sheep. They were present at the birth of every single lamb that was destined for sacrifice. Including the most holy and perfect of them all.
So back to this lamb selection day, the 10th of Nisan something of significance happened.
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
So here we are six days before the passover. If the Passover is celebrated on the 15 of Nisan, six days before makes it the 9th of Nisan. Keep that in mind. No go down to verse 9-12.
Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
On what day did Jesus enter Jerusalem? If my math is correct 9+1= 10, Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, and who’s birth was witnessed by the priestly shepherds that witnessed the birth of every sacrificial lamb, entered Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan, the very day which Moses had commanded the children of Israel to select their lambs!
Also fulfilling the prophetic pronouncement of Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
God provided for himself a lamb to offer up.
And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
The lamb was to be killed on the 14th. The day before the passover.
On what day was Jesus sacrificed?
Moses being but a servant in that house, and now the believers are also part of that house. With a huge caveat - we hold fast to confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. So let’s summarize.
“But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
OK, so we know this is happening around passover right? But let’s keep looking at scripture for clues.
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.
Those who were taking Jesus to Pilate did not enter his house because that would have made them unclean for one day and therefore not able to partake in Passover because Passover was the next day. Meaning that the trial and crucifixion of Jesus happened on the 14 of Nisan!
If you don’t think that your salvation followed a ritualistic pattern, then you don’t know scripture. Now let’s go back to the verse where we started this whole thing.
Jesus did not come to do away with the law.
Jesus did not come to do away with the law.
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
No jot or tittle of the law will pass from the law until all is fulfilled! Are you and I under the law? We are under the law that remains. The parts that were fulfilled no longer apply to us. What parts were fulfilled by Jesus? The parts that pertained to atonement and salvation. The parts that pertained to offering blood sacrifices. The very thing these Hebrews were contemplating returning to. The author of Hebrews is imploring them not to forget that this work has already been accomplished. But then this answers the question we had previously. Why did they continue to keep part of the law. Because Jesus himself says that whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But pastor we live under grace. And so we do, you see it doesn’t say there that the person who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men to do so will be excluded from the kingdom of heaven, right, because our salvation is secured by Jesus. It says that they will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But pastor, what commandments? Well how do we pick and choose? How about the command against murder? Is that a good commandment to keep or are we now exempt from that one? How about the command against adultery, yea or nay? Keep or toss? How do we decide? Who gets to decide? Only Jesus told us.
“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Jesus gave to the disciples the ability to bind and to loose. Now, again without understanding the original meaning of the words, we read that and think we know what it means. But without understanding the context of the words we are clueless and likely come up with an unbiblical doctrine that says we can go around binding demons and loosing people from demonic oppression because this passage gives us authority to do so. Well we do have that power, but it wasn’t given by this passage of scripture. This passage of scripture talks about binding people to the low of Moses or releasing them from it. The disciples actually did dispel some of the law off of Gentile believers. The first thing was they took away the requirement for circumcision. Next, they addressed certain prohibitions that were placed on the Jews by the law of moses which the Judaizers were attempting to force upon the gentile believers (dietary restrictions etc). What did they say?
Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment—it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell.
Did they loose them from all of the law? did they release them from the command to love the Lord your God with all you heart, mind soul and strength? Did they release them from the command to love your neighbor as yourself? Did they release them from the law against incest, or the law against bearing false witness, or the law against dishonest scales? Did they release them from the commandment to remember the sabbath day? Did they release them from the command to teach the Word of God to their kids?
They released them from some dietary laws and cautioned them against idolatry and from visiting the temple prostitutes. They were practicing the privilege of loosing and binding, but that was for Gentile believers only. The law still applies to Jews! How do we know?
On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law. But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
These were New Testament Jews, saved by the blood of the Lamb! Yet here they are doing the ceremonial things the ritualistic things that Jews do. These are the apostles, the brother of Jesus advising them to do these things and Paul and the other apostles agreeing! Look closely at last part of verse 24.
Acts 21:24b (NKJV)
... that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
PAUL! That’s the apostle Paul. The champion of the saved by grace not works KEEPS THE LAW!
So this surely confused the Hebrews! Should we keep the law or not? And if so, why are we not participating in the sacrificial offerings? The author will answer these questions in due time, but for the time being we are reminded of the majesty of Jesus and his faithfulness to becoming the fulfillment of the law.
Putting it All Together
Putting it All Together
We have learned that while Moses was indeed exemplary among men and that the pattern that he was given would endure to this day, the sacrifices that he was instructed to make were vastly inferior to the enduring sacrifice to which they pointed, but the remainder of the law (according to Jesus) endures forever. I know that this is a difficult teaching to understand in the light of all the teaching we’ve had over the years, but when we seek the truth, we don’t always get the answers we expect. I know that lately I have had to take some time to repent from some of the wrong doctrine that I had believed and even taught and allow myself to be corrected by scripture as directed by the Holy Spirit. This week I pray that the Holy Spirit opens your heart of understanding to really see what the weeks ahead have for us in terms of correcting out own. With that said, I want us to see how perfectly Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law and the pattern that was given to Moses. Church there is a powerful blessing when we follow the pattern that God puts out for us. To ignore it is to limit the blessing we can receive.