Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20101117.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Hebrews: The Superiority Of Christ To Errant Religions
Part III: The Superiority Of Christ To All Other Prophets
(Hebrews 3:1-6)
  1. Introduction
    1. Various religious groups honor various men or women as prophets or prophetesses, and they usually esteem one as God's supreme messenger above the rest: Judaism holds to Moses, Islam to Muhammad, Mormonism to Joseph Smith, Jehovah's Witnesses to Charles Taze Russell, etc. respectively as supreme.
    2. However, Hebrews 3:1-6 asserts and shows how Jesus is supreme above all other prophets (as follows):
  2. The Superiority Of Christ To All Other Prophets, Hebrews 3:1-6.
    1. The author of Hebrews introduced Hebrews 3:1-6 by exalting Jesus in relation to God's people, Heb. 3:1:
      1. He addressed his readers as "holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling," B. K. C., N. T., p. 785.
      2. This address recapped the Hebrews 2 presentation of Christ, showing the readers were involved in the "high privilege of being invited to participate in the future dominion and joy of God's King-Son," Ibid.
      3. Thus, the author of Hebrews wanted his readers to consider this Apostle and High Priest of their confession, Heb. 3:1b NIV. The term "Apostle" likely recalls Jesus Who was sent by God as "supreme Revealer of the Father" (Hebrews 1:1-2) and "High Priest" recalls His role in Hebrews 2:17-18. (Ibid.)
    2. Following this introductory exaltation of Jesus, the author of Hebrews related how Christ was faithful to the Father Who appointed him, just as Moses had been "faithful in all his house," Hebrews 3:2.
    3. This phrase, "faithful in all his house," recalled the Numbers 12:7 truth held in Judaism, and in any Jewish cult affecting the readers of Hebrews, that Moses was the greatest of God's mortal prophets (as follows):
      1. In Numbers 12:1-5, God had called Miriam, Aaron and Moses together to address the sin of Miriam's and Aaron's rebellion against the authority of their brother, Moses over the nation Israel.
      2. In that meeting, God explained how, contrary to other prophets with whom God revealed His truth by way of visions or dreams, Moses, "who is faithful in all mine house" (Numbers 12:7), was the only prophet of God in all His "house" of God's people with whom God spoke face to face, Numbers 12:8a. For this reason, God asked Miriam and Aaron why they had not been afraid to challenge the authority of Moses as they had done, Numbers 12:8b!
      3. Indeed, God was so angry at such disrespect for Moses that He struck Miriam, the apparent leader in the rebellion, with leprosy as white as snow. Aaron then pleaded with Moses to remove his and Miriam's guilt since they had acted foolishly in rebelling against Moses' role, Numbers 12:9-12.
      4. When Moses prayed for her, God healed and restored Miriam to Israel's fellowship, Num. 12:13-15!
    4. Moses' greatness as God's greatest mortal prophet seen in the "who is faithful in all mine house" phrase of Numbers 12:7 invites a comparison of Moses with Jesus in Hebrews 3:2, so the author of Hebrews claimed Jesus was greater than Moses in Hebrews 3:3a, and described that superiority in Hebrews 3:3b-6:
      1. Jesus is more glorious than even the great Moses in that though Moses was God's greatest mortal prophet, Jesus built God's house of people, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Hebrews 3:3.
      2. Since this house of God was also built by One Who is God according to Hebrews 3:4, the author of Hebrews implied that Jesus is God, making Him infinitely superior even to the great Moses!
      3. Then, Moses was faithful in all God's house, but only in the office as a servant of the Lord to tell of future things, a role actually mentioned in Numbers 12:7! ("My servant Moses") Yet, in superiority to Moses as God's servant, Jesus is the awaited Son of God over God's house of people, Hebrews 3:5-6a.
      4. In view of this vast superiority of Christ over Moses, the author of Hebrews writing to believers being lured by a Judaistic cult that held Moses as God's supreme prophet to leave Christianity for Judaism (Ibid., p. 779) urged them to hold to their courage and hope of which they boast in Christ, Heb. 3:6b.
Lesson: God's greatest mortal prophet, Moses, a man to whom God spoke face to face unlike His other mortal prophets, was only God's servant where Jesus was infinitely superior as God, Creator of God's "house" of the godly and Son of God over His house, so we must exalt Jesus above all other prophets.

Application: May we firmly hold to the divine supremacy of Jesus Christ over all other true prophets or false religious prophets of all religions, for He alone is God's Son and God, Creator of God's people!