Hebrews Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Heb 3:1-2  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Vs 1 repeating the first 2 chapters and what we have concluded about our relationship as brethren to God through Jesus our High Priest the one that made the sacrifice for our sins who is the go between from us to God. Vs 2 him is God. Jesus was faithful to God, God appointed Jesus as our High Priest. Moses is the first old testament example we see brought into Hebrews to use as an example for us to understand. I have mentioned before in a few blogs that the whole Bible being about Jesus has what’s known as type and antitypes. It’s like a term used in art… books, theatre, movies, etc. called foreshadowing.  It’s the point in a story line that points forward and when you get halfway through the story or towards the end your like…. Duh!!!! The other was trying to tell me all along. Lets continue and compare and see what I am trying to explain.

Heb 3:3-4  For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

For this man… who? Jesus… came in the form of a man, even though he is the son of God, he is God, he came into the form of man… didn’t pretend to be a man… was a man! Born as a baby, raised in a lowly setting, taught to work and study and lived a very earthly life.  An architect gets all the respect and credit for how beautiful a building is created, designed, built… not the building, correct? God is the author of eternal salvation (we will get to this in chapt 5) he is the architect, the creature, the designer.

  Heb 3:5  And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

In other words he was an example… in this study we are going to see great examples of faith. And really look into what faith is for us.

Heb 3:6  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.

We have these great examples, but we cannot forget they all point to Jesus. We are not baptized into Paul or Apollos etc etc we are saved through the only sacrifice ever needed for our sins. We do not need to do all the old rituals anymore of animal sacrifices, the old physical law the old testament all led to the one that was to come and that was Christ.

Heb 3:7-11  Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye 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 alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

The nation of Israel, God’s chosen, for those of you who may not be familiar with the old testament, turn from God time and time again. When God sent Moses to take them from Egyptian bondage to their own land he was to give them, the people rejected God and turned their backs on Him. He then led them around in the wilderness another 40 yrs until that generation had died off and the new generation was allowed to enter into the promised land.

Heb 3:12  Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

So this is a reminder the Hebrews author is giving us to take heed so that we don’t make the same mistake and turn our back on God. He will also not allow us to enter into the promise that he has made for us, which is eternal life with Him.  

Heb 3:13-14  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; 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 stedfast unto the end;

This is a good reason why we need to surround ourselves with fellow believers, I have found this to be soooo important in my walk with God.  If I day in and out have surrounded myself with those that do not uphold His teachings, I find it easier to forget those things which I am to focus on. It’s easy to slip into old habits and bad attitudes. When I have surrounded myself with others whom uplift and encourage me to remember the promise that has been made and that one day this earthly life will be finished but my true home with my Lord will forever remain it’s easier for me to smile and prepare, for me to want to tell others and uplift and exhort and encourage.

Heb 3:15  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

I found in college that when I associated with people who drank and smoked pot I found it easier to fit in to desire to try to join in and eventually I did. I repeat this story because I think it is so very important for us all to learn a lesson from it.  Had I never associated myself I would have never succumbed… and it doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a gradual change that takes place within your heart. I slowly made excuses for and eventually ended up joining. Our heart we have to guard strongly. At some point God is done and harden our hearts for us and we turn away. He doesn’t want lukewarm, he wants all or nothing, and we have to be willing to make that choice.

Heb 3:16-19  For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware 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.

Let’s take watch so this does not happen to us