Naracoorte Presbyterian Church

Scriptures readings

• Numbers 12:1-16
• Hebrews 3:1-6

Introduction

There is a real danger for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to substitute His complete and comprehensive salvation with self-righteousness. Let’s allow for a few moments of reflection in which you answer this questions: 8

• Are you a child of God? 
• On what grounds can you say that you are a child of God? 
• In other words, are you sure you will go to heaven? Be honest.

These questions are not to drive you into a corner. Rather, they will help you to take stock about your standing in the Lord.

Your answer to any of these questions might include something like, I hope so! One never knows! I try my hardest! Or, God is loving and will not send a sinner to hell. Now, what do you think is the best – and only valid – answer that will count when you face God to enter eternity?

Such answers do not stand on unbiblical foundations, and somewhere behind them might lurk some self-righteousness. The only ground for our salvation is not based on our contributions. We cannot earn God’s love and forgiveness. It only lies in Christ’s comprehensive righteousness. It stands on what He did for us to satisfy God’s punishment on sin. 

In about all the pastoral letters of the New Testament, we see new Christians inclined to revert to old worship practices. This was before Jesus gave His life on Golgotha’s cross to end the ceremonial laws. There was this idea that because God called them to be His people, for as long as they live by the law, they are okay with God. This is what Paul struggled with in Romans 10,

“I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.” (Romans 10:2–3) 

What they did not understand was what Paul preached in the next verse:

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4 

And then he continues, 

“But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)” (Romans 10:6) 

When the Pharisees and the Scribes confronted Jesus and claimed that they are children of Abraham, our Lord replied, 

“I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.” (John 8:37) 

What Jesus said to them next must have contributed to them wanted to kill Him. He said, 

“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.” (John 8:42–44a) 

The project developer

Paul indeed refers to the ministry of Moses, and reveres him as a faithful prophet of God. What he says about Moses is important. Moses was a servant of God. Let’s refer to Moses as the project developer. He laid down the foundations upon which Jesus would build, not the tabernacle made with hands, but a tabernacle in heaven. So, the ministry of Moses was extremely important. God gave him the ceremonial laws. These laws made God’s people a special people, set aside to live to the glory of God. The sacrifice and the blood of animals did provide a basis on which God forgave their sins. But it had to be repeated over and over again. 

Moses built the house of God. In its strictest sense, this house referred to the tabernacle. It taught God’s people that God is holy, that He is forgiving and gracious, and that God wanted to communicate with His people. Moses was God’s mouthpiece. Of this ministry Paul writes, 

“For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.” (2 Corinthians 3:9–11) 

The ministry of Moses was glorious. In what he did the glory of God shone even to the point that the face of Moses shone radiantly every time he met with God in the tabernacle. 

In all of the ceremonial laws there was this constant longing for something lasting and perpetual. Indeed, there was a longing to enter and eternal rest. 

In essence then, Moses was the faithful project manager. But Moses, according to our reading of Hebrews, was “a servant in all God’s house.” He laid the foundations, but he did not complete the project. He received instructions from God. Moses had to obey those instructions to the finest of details. And in the end, that house had to be pulled down to make room for something better. See, the building regulations changed. What was applicable at the time was binding. But Moses was the project developer, he was not the owner-builder. Someone else had to build another permanent house. This time, the building was not temporary. It was not a house of brick and mortar. It was a spiritual house, more spectacular, strong and lasting.

The Owner-builder 

Right through the letter to the Hebrews, the author focuses the readers on that pivotal moment when Jesus entered history. The main thrust of this letter is to direct readers to focus on Christ. He is the One who came to fulfill God’s promises made during the Old Covenant. Indeed, Jesus is the New Covenant. He turned the shadows of the Old Testament into the reality of the New Testament. The writer of this epistle presented Christ to them as the unparalleled Mediator between God and man. 

There was this ever-present inclination to return to incomplete the worship of the past. There was the tendency to regard God’s forgiveness as something one had to work for. That’s what self-righteousness by good works is.  It is a religion of achievement, and not of grace. The author of Hebrews, like he did in chapter 2 urges the people to fix their eyes on Jesus. He provides the ground for salvation by grace only on very firm grounds. 

Christ is more and better than the apostles and high priests. They looked forward to see Him, but He is here!

Christ’s faithful sacrifice was enough to reconcile us to God. It made us holy. Through Him we are made God’s family. In Him we are brothers and sisters in God’s family.

He is the Owner-Builder of the house of God. It is no longer a tabernacle or a temple of brick and mortar. It does not sit on some mountain far away. We are part of that house, because the Church is now that temple. 

Where Moses was a servant, Jesus is the Son of God who is the redeemer of God’s people.

For all these reasons the Bible here urges us not to turn our backs to slavery of self-righteousness again. Self-righteousness is not only foolishness, it is sin. It is to say to Christ, “Your work is incomplete”. It is to say, “I will go my own way.” “I see that I get to heaven, I’ll just try hard and do my best.” 

Listen to Hebrews 3:6

“Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Hebrews 3:6) 

Turning from away from what He has done, or as Hebrews 2 states it, “neglecting that great salvation” and we have no hope, courage and confidence.

On the other hand, fixing our eyes upon Jesus gives us courage and hope. We should not focus on our own miserable efforts to please God. More, even if the going gets tough, we wear the badge of Christ’s Name with honour. I think that’s what’s meant by our “boasting.” Think of the martyrs over the centuries. Begin with the apostles who, apart from John, died gruesome deaths. They proudly walked up the steps to the scaffolds. They thanked their Saviour for the privilege to suffer for His sake. 

What is our confidence? What is your confidence? It can’t be any one of anything that Jesus Christ and His complete and comprehensive work of atonement. This is our confidence. It is only if we hold on to Him that we are part of God’s house. 

I want to read from the book “Men of the Covenant.” This book records the days of persecution of Presbyterian Scots by the Church of England. 

Five men were led outside and ordered to prepare for death. A certain Mr Gibson was allowed to pray. So familiar and tender and appealing his prayer was that, in spite of themselves, the very mounted soldiers were moved. He sang part of the 17th Psalm and read aloud the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of John. His sister and, after her, his mother for their home was near at hand were permitted to speak to him. He told them that it was the most joyfull day ever he had in the world. He charged them that they must not yield to tears, but must bless the Lord on his account. Then they were thrust back; and from the firearms death came, rapid, sweet, a blessing and not a curse. His four comrades were shot together. The volley killed three; but the fourth, although he was fatally wounded, was still conscious. One of the soldiers saw it and ran to him with his sword. But the resolute witness bearer could give his testimony. “Though every hair of my head were a man”, he cried, “I am willing to die all those deaths for Christ and His cause”.  And so he died, singing. That is but one recital of martyrdom for which James Douglas, the brother of the Duke of Queensberry, was responsible; there were many like it.

These true Christians looked at Christ, their Saviour who made them holy and brought them into the family of God. They had courage, hope, and most of all, they bore the Name of Christ with pride.

Amen.