Turn with me over to Hebrews
chapter 3. Hebrews chapter 3. And look at the last verse in
this chapter. Hebrews chapter 3. Verse 19 says, so we see. Here is the conclusion of what
he is saying in this chapter, 19 verses. Here's the conclusion
of what he's getting at in this chapter. So we see. that they
could not enter in because of unbelief. Now, the heading of
this chapter, what I have on my page, and I know most of you
have it on your page, written at the top for this chapter says,
Christ more worthy than Moses. And it says the danger of unbelief. That's what the chapter is dealing
with. And the message of this chapter
is don't try to obey what Moses wrote in order to be saved. That's
the message of the chapter. Just believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Just believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Just trust Christ. Verse 1, Hebrews 3 verse 1, he
said, holy brethren. He's talking to
particular people. Holy brethren, those who are
holy in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the only way that
a person can be holy. They're not holy in themselves. They're not holy in anything
that they've done, anything that they are. Holy because they were
chosen to be holy in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only
reason. And that's all we can say. All we can be here is grateful. That's all we can be. We ought
to be the most grateful people on earth. I mean, we ought to
be the most grateful people on earth. God chose to put us in
Christ. He calls them in us in verse
three, partakers of the heavenly calling. That's called grace,
isn't it? Partakers of the heavenly calling.
He said, consider. Consider, let's fix our eyes
on the apostle. You see that capital a. The apostle
and. High Priest of our profession,
Christ Jesus. The Apostle and the High Priest,
Christ Jesus. He is the true Apostle. The true
Apostle. He's God's true Apostle. He was
sent of God to preach the message of deliverance. God sent Christ
to this earth to preach the message of deliverance. He's the one
who confirmed it. The apostles went out and confirmed
the word, didn't they? Signs and wonders. He is the
one who worked through the apostles. He is the one who confirmed it
and secured that salvation for his people. He is the great high
priest. He's the one who entered into
the holiest of holies. And I love the thought of that.
You know, you had the holy of holies. The holy place, and then
you had the holiest place. And he entered into the holiest
of holies. And he offered his own blood
and he made intercession for us. What an amazing thought that
is. And the writer, the apostle who
wrote this, which most believe, I believe, it's the Apostle Paul,
it doesn't say, but what he's saying right here is believe
on him. Believe on Him. Don't look to
Moses, look to Christ. Don't look to Moses, look to
Christ. Well, let me ask you this. Didn't
Moses write God's Word? Wasn't that not Moses' Word,
but God's Word? Didn't God say, I say, you tell
the people this? Wasn't that God's Word? Yes,
it was. He wrote God's Word. This is
what we must never forget. This is something that I have,
you know, we went through Galatians recently. And some things were
really confirmed to my heart as we went through Galatians.
And this is one of them. And I've mentioned it a few times
since then. And every time I mention it, it's like I get a hold of
it a little bit more. I enter into it personally just
a little bit more. God did not give Moses those
commandments to give sinners an opportunity to earn salvation. You know, people say you either have or
will hear this at some point. People will say, once they hear
what you believe, they'll say, well, everybody has a chance.
And that's what people naturally think. You ought to at least
have a chance. If you fail, you fail. That's on you. But everybody
ought to at least have a chance. People don't have a chance. They
just don't have a chance. There's just no chance. Everybody
is conceived in sin. I mean, this whole thing starts
in the womb. It starts in the womb. It's where
it begins. It doesn't start anywhere but
in sin. That is every soul on earth. The scripture says, we all come
forth speaking lies immediately. You know, children when they're
born, they have no idea they are alive. They don't know. I don't remember
much before the age of five. I don't remember much. And I
know at five I knew I was alive, but I don't believe at the age
of six months old or three months old or some age, I don't think
I knew I was alive. And then all of a sudden babies
start to learn things. They start to see things and
they start to By the time we all understand
that we're even alive, we've already committed enough sin to cast us into an eternity of
hell. Every time that baby cries, it's
rebellion. It's rebellion. It's absolute
rebellion. And in the flesh, man doesn't
have a chance. He just does not have a chance.
Our God knew that. The all-knowing God knew that
when he gave the law to Moses. He already knew that. The problem
is man doesn't know that. That's the problem. Man does
not understand that. Man is oblivious to the fact
that God only gave that law to show us how great our sin is
against him. If they did not post the speed
limit sign, I would never know I was breaking the law. If they didn't post the sign,
I'd never know. So God gave the law to show us
how great our sin is against him. And he gave us the law to
show us how perfect Christ is. The law is his character. That's all the law is, is it's
telling us this is the mind, heart, will, and deeds of Jesus
Christ. And you don't stack up. That's
what the law is, that's the purpose of the law. And so it's to show
us that this is how far we've fallen, this is how perfect he
is, and it's to show us what we are in him, what he has made
us to be in him. He's gonna redeem us back to
that perfection. So the writer here is saying,
don't put your trust in Moses. Understand what all this is about.
Don't put your trust in Moses, put your trust in Christ. Verse
2 says, talking about Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him
that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. Moses obeyed God and he delivered
the people like God told him to, but that earthly deliverance
out of Egypt That was just a type of an eternal deliverance. Verse 3 says, For this man, Christ,
was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who
hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. The one
who builds the house has more honor than the house. Hold your
place and go with me over to John 5. John 5 verse 45 says, Do not think that I will accuse
you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you,
even Moses, in whom you trust. And this is religion. This is the sad
state of religion. Moses in whom you trust, he said,
for had you believed Moses, you would have believed me for the
whole time he was writing about me. He was writing to describe
me and point you to me. Verse 47, but if you believe
not his writings, how shall you believe my words? Look with me
over at John chapter nine. John 9 verse 28 says, then they
reviled him and said, thou art his disciple, you're the disciple
of this man Christ, thou art his disciple, but we are Moses'
disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses. As for this fellow talking about
Christ, we know not from whence he is. They said we're sticking
to what Moses said. We hear what he's saying, but
we're going to stick to what Moses said. Do this and live. We're going to hold on to that.
Turn back with me to John 6. Now this is what Christ said,
the apostle, the great high priest, John six verse 37. He said, all
that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh
to me, I will in no wise cast out for I came down from heaven,
not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will,
which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up
at the last day." Where is Moses in all of that? He said, don't
put your trust in Moses, put your trust in Christ. Go with
me back to Hebrews 3. Hebrews 3 verse 4 says, For every
house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God. What house is he talking about?
Verse 5, And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as
a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be
spoken after, but Christ as a son over his own house whose house
are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope
firm unto the end. Moses was faithful over the house
he was given. the actual children of Israel. God put that into his care and
he led them out of bondage and he brought them to the promised
land. But he was only a testimony of things to come. Christ and
his own house, his wonderful house, whose house are we? And he says right here, if God
gives us faith to believe on him. If God gives us faith to
hold fast our confidence and our rejoicing in him all the
way to the end. And that faith is not the condition,
is it? That faith is not the condition,
that faith is the evidence. We see that over and over and
over again. It reveals who has been made
to be a part of this house. Now, as the heading says, Christ
is more worthy than Moses. Don't look to the law, look to
the one who fulfilled it. Look to the one who fulfilled
it. Don't miss Christ on your way to work. All right, that's
what he's saying. Don't miss Christ on your way
to work. Everybody's got to get to work.
They're headed to work. Don't miss Christ on your way
to work. Stop and consider Him. Consider the Apostle and the
High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. Believe on Him.
The reason he says that is because now he's going to tell us the
danger of not believing on Him. Look with me at verse 7. He said,
wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, today if you will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, in the
day of temptation, in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me,
proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore, I was grieved
with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart,
and they have not known my ways. So I swear in my wrath, they
shall not enter in to my rest." Right there, he is directly quoting
Psalm 95 verses 7 to 11, what we just read, directly quoting
it. And what he's telling them is, those were the Israelites. Who he's talking about right
there are the Israelites, the ones who profess to be God's
people. They were saying, we're God's
people. But they spent their time in unbelief. They were murmurers, that's what
it says about Israel, about God's, you know, what he's talking about
is, he brought them all out, but he said nobody over the age
of 20, is that what it was? 20? Nobody over the age of 20
is going into the promised land. And he said it's because you've
done nothing these last 40 years but murmur and complain and rebel
against my word. He said that's the reason, you're
not going in. He said, they would not hear, they wouldn't hear,
they would not bow to his word and they hardened their hearts.
And he said, I was grieved with them. So he said, wherefore,
verse 12, take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. but exhort
one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you
be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers
of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto
the end. While it is said today, if you
will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation,
For some, when they had heard, did provoke, howbeit not all
that came out of Egypt by Moses." What he's saying is, recognize
who it was, he repeats himself, he said recognize who it was
that heard and provoked him. Recognize who it was, it was
the very ones he brought out of Egypt. Verse 17, but with
whom was he grieved forty years? Who was it he was grieved with?
He was the ones he showed kindness to. Was it not with them that
had sinned whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom
swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them
that believed not? So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief. He is saying as clearly as a
prophet can say it, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ now. Is that not what he just said?
Did we not just see what he said? Is that true? Is there not danger in unbelieving?
I don't think I'm going to believe that. Is that safe or dangerous? I'm just not going to. Is that
safe or dangerous? He said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Alright, now, we are not going
to leave this Bible study on that note. This is the reason why. Our faith
does not look to our faith. Okay, this is the most important
part. Do we hear what he just said?
He's like, I'm warning you. He pulled them out of Egypt and
they died in the wilderness. He delivered you out of the bondage
of religion and the bondage of yourself and the bondage of all
that stuff. And they died along the way.
They died before they made it into that promised land. And
he said, there's danger in unbelief. Don't look to Moses, you better
look to Christ. Is that not true? Oh, I hope
I have enough faith. Does that worry you at all? Oh,
I hope I, if I don't have enough faith, I'm a goner. Uh-uh. Mm-mm. Our faith does not look to our
faith. Our faith is not in our faith. What if I don't have enough faith?
Oh, what if I don't make it because I don't believe on Him like I
should? What if my good enough is not
good enough? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
or you're going to die in your sins. Is that not true? Is that
true or false? Our faith. Our faith in Christ
is not in our faith in Christ. Does that make sense? Our faith
in Christ is not faith in our faith in Christ. I want us to just very quickly
end this Bible study considering the apostle. We're going to end this trusting
the word of the great high priest. Go with me to John 10. John 10 verse 27 says, My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them
me is greater than all, And no man is able to pluck them out
of my Father's hand. They are in my hand. I am in
His hand. And nobody can pluck them out. Nobody. They're never coming
out. They can't jump out. They can't
rebel out. They can't sin out. They're not
coming out. Unbelief. If I am experiencing
unbelief, unbelief is trying to figure out how much faith
I have. Unbelief is trying to make sure
I have enough faith in Him. Unbelief is assessing my faith. That's unbelief. Belief is, true
faith is trusting whatever He said. That's faith. This is what He said. Go with
me to 2 Timothy 2. 2 Timothy 2 verse 13. He said, if we believe not, yet
he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself. If we lose every drop of faith
he's given us, the disciples always said, Lord, increase our
faith. I want more. And then he would say, you still
don't have faith? Are you yet without faith? Butterfingers,
why are you letting it slip through? I just put some in your hands.
If we lose every drop he has given us, We still can't be plucked
from his hands. Not if we're his. Not if he chose
us. Not if he bought us. Not if he's
keeping us. Not if he's going to supply us
with more faith. He cannot deny Himself. He is faithful. He is faithful. True faith completely
takes us out of the equation. True faith completely looks to
Him. True faith says it is irrelevant
how much faith I have, even if it's only the grain of a mustard
seed. I'm totally, totally trusting
Him. I'm just trusting what He said.
Let's just stay right there. Just stay right there. Don't look to Moses. Don't look
to yourself. Don't look to your faith. Don't
look to anything. Put all your hope in the Apostle. Put all your hope in the great
high priest. And we'll be safe. We'll be safe. All right, you're dismissed.