Embracing Our Identity and Confidence in Christ

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In Hebrews chapter 3, beginning now at verse 1: "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. 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." [00:57:42]

I think it's helpful for us from time to time to just acknowledge the whole general context and flow of this letter to the Hebrews. Basically, Hebrews was written to Christians from a Jewish background who lived in the first century in the early days of the Apostolic Church. These Christians from a Jewish background were being tempted to either give up on their Christian life or to retreat back to what you might call a mushy middle. [02:09:60]

The writer of Hebrews won't do that, won't allow us to do that, I should say. He holds up who Jesus is and how Jesus works in our life so powerfully, so compellingly before us that he's just saying, no, you're not gonna retreat back to some mushy middle. Fly the flag high for Jesus Christ in light of all of who He is, in light of all that He's done for you. [03:55:20]

You are holy, and you are part of the Brethren. You are a brother, you are a sister in this great company before God the Father. And here we are standing together with our elder brother, Jesus Christ, saying, Lord, here we are, we belong to you. You are holy, you are a brother or a sister. [06:55:33]

Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. Now, first of all, he gives you someone there, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. The Apostle, who is that? Of course, that's Jesus. Now, don't be thrown by the word apostle. I know if you ever considered this, but here in Hebrews chapter 3, verse 1, Jesus is called an apostle. [08:01:06]

Jesus was perfectly faithful to God the Father, and we can take based on that, He's gonna be perfectly faithful to you and I. I want you to think about how faithful Jesus was in His entire life. He was faithful as a child, being so obedient to His parents. He was faithful as a youth, working as a carpenter. [14:00:93]

Moses was a great man, but Jesus, Jesus is different altogether, being the Son of God. And you'll see how he makes his point in verse 3. Take a look at that with me. He says, "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." [19:20:41]

Jesus receives more glory than Moses. Well, first of all, it's just a fact. Now, again, this is not the anti-Moses society. We understand that Moses was a wonderful man whom God brought much honor and glory to. When Moses went up on Mount Sinai and when his face shone with the radiance of God, was that not God glorifying Moses in some way? [19:38:29]

We are invited to join the house of Jesus, the community of the Messiah, if we hold fast. I think about it's possible today I might be speaking to somebody right now this morning, and you would say, and you know you would just be honest and say, okay, I'm not a Christian, I'm not a follower of Jesus Christ. [25:00:60]

We know that what we believe isn't just wishful thinking, but it's founded on genuine fact and reason that Jesus Christ really did live and walk this earth and that He really did die on a cross and that He really did raise from the dead. And out of those historical facts flow the implications for everything we are and everything that God calls us to be in the Christian life. [27:35:07]

I want you to hold fast to the rejoicing of hope to the end. In other words, there's some people who just seem to lose their joy, their happiness in living the Christian life. Living the Christian life becomes for you sort of a tired routine. You know, that may be you this one, and again, I don't take it personally. [32:58:19]

This whole thing of holding fast is so important to us that we've sort of made it our whole theme here through the book of Hebrews because it's a theme that resonates throughout the whole book of Hebrews. But this hold fast really can be understood in two ways. The one way is that Jesus is reaching down and holding fast on to us. [34:37:19]

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