Hebrews 3:1-6 Greater than Moses

“Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.” (Hebrews 3:1)

Fix your thoughts on Jesus, because He was...

1. Greater than Moses in What He did

1. 1. A More Miraculous Childhood.

Moses was miraculously preserved and nurtured from birth when, under the sentence of death, he was plucked from the bulrushes by Pharaoh’s daughter and given a noble upbringing, with his real mother attending him as nursemaid (Exodus 2:1–10).

Christ's birth was prophesied hundreds of years before he was even born.  Jesus conception was announced by angels, His conception was a miracle. He was born of a virgin. Even John the Baptist, while he was still in his mother Elizabeth's womb, leapt for joy when he came into the presence of the unborn Christ. His birth was announced by angels to the shepherds and accompanied by astronomical phenomena that even astrologers couldn't ignore.

1.2. A More Miraculous Deliverance

God used Moses to deliver Israel from physical slavery in this life. He used astonishing miracles  Exodus 7–12 tells us that God used Moses to turn Nile into blood—He sent plagues of frogs, gnats and flies swarmed upon Egypt—hail and boils blighted the people, the animals and the crops—and on the dark night of Passover, all the firstborn of all the Egyptians and their livestock who were not under the blood died. Moses parted the Red Sea and the Israelites passed through, walking on dry land (Exodus 14, esp. 3:21–22). Moses used his staff to strike the rock so all Israel drank (Exodus 17:1–7) and Moses provided manna in the wilderness for Israel to eat.

Jesus came to deliver us from spiritual slavery to sin and give us eternal life. Christ used astonishing miracles, to raise the dead, give sight to the blind, hearing to the death, speech to the dumb, food to the hungry. Rather than rain plagues down on a rebellious country, He brought blessings and mercy. He was the rock that was struck and out of Him flow the waters of life. He is the bread of life and He feeds His people with His own body. He traveled through death when He died and went to the tomb and He has permanently parted death's waters so that we we can walk through on dry land.

1.3 A More Authoritative Prophet

Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, and every other prophet's revelations had to harmonise with the revelations first given to Moses (Is. 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.)

Numbers 12:6–8: When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.

However;
Deut. 18:17-18   “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.  I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.

Jesus had greater intimacy with God.
John 17:5-8   And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

Jesus had more authority than Moses
John 12:48-50  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Jesus had divine authority to interpret Moses
Think of the way He interpreted 'you shall not murder' or 'you shall not commit adultery in Matt. 5. Think of the Sabbath controversies with the Pharasees.

2. Greater than Moses in what He built

Who built St. Paul's Cathedral? If you say Christopher Wren, you'd be wrong, because he was the designer. The company and the people who built it are long forgotten.


Heb. 3:3-4 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.  For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

2.1. Moses built Israel, but Jesus built His Church

Matt. 16:18 .. I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

2.2. Moses built the Tabernacle, but Jesus built Heaven itself. 

Heb. 8:1-2 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,  2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

Heb. 9:11   But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.

Rev. 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

3. Greater than Moses in who He is

Heb. 3:5-6 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future.  But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. 

3.1. Moses was just a man. He was a sinner, he sometimes lost his temper. He died. 

Jesus was the God-man. The sinless saviour who conquered death. 

3.2. Moses was "testifying to what would be said in the future."

Deut. 18:15, 18-19.  The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him... I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.  19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.

Moses testified to Christ:
In the priesthood. In the sacrifices. In his intercessions. In his own imperfections.

3.3. Moses was a servant, but Jesus was the Son, the heir. 

Therefore:
"hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast."