Introduction

Jesus, as Son of God, is shown to be greater even than Moses, the faithful servant of God.

Verses
1Therefore, holy brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession: Jesus,
2who was faithful to him who appointed him, as also Moses was in all his house.
3For he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, because he who built the house has more honour than the house.
4For every house is built by someone; but he who built all things is God.
5Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken,
6but Christ is faithful as a Son over his house. We are his house, if we hold fast our confidence and the glorying of our hope firm to the end.
7Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you will hear his voice,
8don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness,
9where your fathers tested me and tried me,
and saw my deeds for forty years.
10Therefore I was displeased with that generation,
and said, ‘They always err in their heart,
but they didn’t know my ways.’
11As I swore in my wrath,
‘They will not enter into my rest.’ ”
12Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there might be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God;
13but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today”, lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence firm to the end,
15while it is said,
“Today if you will hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion.”
16For who, when they heard, rebelled? Wasn’t it all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?
17With whom was he displeased forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
18To whom did he swear that they wouldn’t enter into his rest, but to those who were disobedient?
19We see that they weren’t able to enter in because of unbelief.

Questions

1. Why was God displeased with a particular generation?

v 8 to 10 don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness,
where your fathers tested me and tried me,
and saw my deeds for forty years.
Therefore I was displeased with that generation, ...

2. What does the writer tell us to beware of?

v 12 Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there might be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God;

3. Why weren't the Israelites able to enter God's rest?

v  18 and 19 To whom did he swear that they wouldn’t enter into his rest, but to those who were disobedient? We see that they weren’t able to enter in because of unbelief.

Summary Points

  • v 1 to 6 Moses and Jesus are described as faithful in their houses. Faithful believers are part of Christ's house
  • v 7 to 19 The history of Israel's failure to believe God's promises, is given as a warning to hold firm to the end and not to lose faith

 Timeline 60 AD

Audio