Hebrews 3:1-6; Matthew 7:24-29
Christ Jesus asked His disciples, “Whom do men say that I am?” The disciples said people believed he might be any number of people, and then Jesus asked the disciples this question, “But whom say ye that I am?”
Replying to this question, Peter said, “Thou art the Christ.” Peter could have identified Jesus in several ways, but instead he specifically called him “the Christ,” revealing his own belief Jesus was the Messiah.
What each of us has to say about Christ Jesus is of the greatest importance, and it is what the writer of Hebrews has to say about the Savior that is before us this week.
Looking at the believers’ side of the relationship, we are called “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling.” It is our privilege to live as one with other believers in Christ and to be one with Him. We are called from heaven and we are led to heaven.
Christ Jesus is described as “the Apostle and High Priest of our profession.” God sent His Son to be the Apostle, and there is no need for more prophets and angels. As High Priest, Jesus is our Mediator and Intercessor who has reconciled us to God.
The faithfulness of Christ Jesus is compared to that of Moses, and while this might seem unusual, the comparison in Scripture is given because the Jews held Moses in such high regard. Moses was, after all, seen as a type of Christ. The Jews saw him as a deliverer, leader, lawgiver, and intercessor with God.
There is nothing wrong with having respect for the memory of Moses, and it is only right that we should value his memory. However, one who is far superior to Moses has come and that one is the Lord Jesus Christ, the builder of the church. Moses was saved by the grace of God in the way other people are saved.
Christ Jesus built the house, or church, and Moses is a servant within it. Jesus is the head of the house, so let us “hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”
Now, consider the house Jesus spoke about in Matthew 7. The man who believes in and follows Christ Jesus, builds his house upon a rock. The rains fell, the flood waters rose and the winds blew, but the house withstood it all “for it was founded upon a rock.”
There is also a man, Jesus said, who hears His words but does not really believe in Jesus. He is a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rains fell, the flood waters rose and the winds blew. The foolish man’s house fell, and “great was the fall of it.”
Whether we realize it or not, we are all building our own houses. The life you are building is the house in which you will have to live. Every house needs a sure foundation. A house may be spacious and elaborate, but it will eventually crumble if it is not built on a solid foundation. Rest assured, your house will be tested by the trials common to every person, and in the end your house will face death, its greatest test.
Be a wise builder. Heed the words of the Savior, who said, “whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.”
What is that rock? Listen to the Lord’s words: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” (Isaiah 28:16).
You will build wisely in only one way, and that is by building your life on Christ Jesus. What do you have to say about Jesus?
