We live in a very distracted age. Whether it's notifications on your phone shouting at you, "Stop what you're doing and look at me now!", whether it's you're trying to browse the internet to maybe buy your weekly shopping and pop-up ads invite you to visit pages that are nothing to do with the task at hand...
You choose to watch a single episode of something on Netflix, and as it comes to the end, you're told that maybe you'd like to watch this next – and unless you press stop, it just starts.
Or there's multi-tasking. I asked our young people earlier if any of them had ever tried, purely as an experiment of course, to complete a piece of school or college homework whilst watching a video on TikTok, whilst listening to music that was nothing to do with either the video or the homework. The number of hands that went up was not large, but neither was it zero. And I suspect if I hadn't had a few caveats like TikTok, and I'd allowed other video services, the number of hands may have been greater.
All of us these days are very easily distracted. It is a noisy age in which we live, and therefore we struggle to fix our thoughts on anything for any length of time.
Hebrews chapter 3 verse 1 says, "Fix your thoughts on Jesus," and I would understand if, as you heard that, you were thinking, "Why would I fix my thoughts on anything? I mean, flit my thoughts, yes – but fix? And why would I fix my thoughts on Jesus?" I mean, if you're here this morning as somebody still investigating whether the Christian faith is for you, I would think that's a perfectly fair question, isn't it? Why, in a distracted age where everything asks for my attention, would I give Jesus any of my attention – let alone my undivided attention?
And for those of us who are Christians, with all the distractions of life, we need to be reminded why it is that we should give Jesus our undivided attention. Well, the answer of this passage that is before us is that we do that because Jesus is trustworthy. One of the words that occurs repeatedly throughout this passage is the word "faithful". What that means is Jesus is deserving of our faith. He's deserving, worthy of our trust. He is trustworthy.
But we need to see specific ways that he is trustworthy if we're going to be persuaded to fix our thoughts on him without distraction. And it turns out it's all to do with Moses, who lived three and a half thousand years ago. Moses' name occurs three times in this passage, and each reference to Moses gives us one perspective on how Jesus is trustworthy.
1. Jesus is trustworthy to bring the word of God – just like Moses
So here's number one: Jesus is trustworthy to bring the word of God – just like Moses. Jesus is trustworthy to bring the word of God, just like Moses.
Let's take the reading from the top:
"Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house."
Now, I'm going to have to persuade you, I think, that this passage is about Jesus' faithfulness specifically in bringing God's word to us. That may not be obvious to you as we read it, so I'm going to show you that.
So the idea that Jesus is faithful – trustworthy – that comes at the start of verse 2: "He was faithful to the one who appointed him." But what it means for him to be faithful – how that fleshes out – comes in the bit before and after that short line.
So firstly, look before, where we're told that Jesus is faithful as our apostle and high priest. What's a high priest for? The job of a high priest was to bring heaven and earth together. The job of the high priest is to straddle heaven and earth, to bridge the gap, which means he needs to be appointed by God, and he needs to be close and accessible to us.
If he was all in favour with God but could not relate to us, the gap would not be bridged. If he totally got what it was like to be you and me, but didn't have God's stamp of approval, the gap would not be bridged. He needs to be both.
Now, the letter of Hebrews, as we work our way through it, will say a lot about Jesus being our priest. It's a big theme in the letter. The first mention of it in the letter came last time, in chapter 2, verse 17, where we're told that Jesus was a merciful and faithful high priest. See – there's that pairing: the bridge. He's merciful – he can relate to us. He's faithful – he's approved by God.
Now, most of chapters 3 and 4 will unpack what it means for Jesus to be faithful – to be trustworthy. And then, the end of chapter 4, start of chapter 5, the emphasis moves to Jesus being merciful.
Now, one more thing I need to just show you – chapter 2, verse 17 – Jesus, as our high priest, we're told he makes atonement for our sins. That's to say, he deals – he secures forgiveness – for us.
Now, there's one little bit of the writing style of the letter of Hebrews that you need to know, which is that the writer loves to introduce a new topic or word and then just utterly park it for a few chapters, do some other stuff, and then he'll bring the word back into play and go, "Time to talk about that." So that's a kind of writing style he deliberately adopts.
So, having mentioned dealing with your sins in chapter 2, verse 17, he goes, "Right, we'll come back to that." As it turns out – chapters 7 to 10. First, there's something else he wants to do with us.
For now, Jesus, we're told, is not just our high priest – he's our apostle and high priest.
Now, an apostle – that's somebody who's sent to speak on behalf of somebody else. It might be a little bit like the British government sends people to be ambassadors all over the world, and that person has the authority to speak on behalf of the British government in whichever foreign capital it is.
Jesus, of course, had twelve apostles, didn't he? They were sent to speak on his behalf. Hebrews isn't really interested in the apostles – there's one brief mention of them in chapter 2 – but here, Jesus is our apostle. He's sent by God to speak to us, and he's saying that's part of what it means for him to be high priest.
So Jesus brings heaven and earth together by telling us whatever God wants us to know – that's the little bit before where it says that Jesus was faithful.
Now let's keep on reading in verse 2:
"He was faithful, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house."
Maybe you're wondering, why is Moses so significant in this passage?
Partly, many of the Christians this was being written to were Christians who also were Jewish by background – and they loved Moses. They really respected him. They had deep respect, and Moses to them was the greatest spokesman that God had ever had, and was to be listened to.
And he's just saying, if you'd listened to Moses, well – listen to Jesus. He's like Moses, only even greater.
But if we come from a background perhaps that doesn't have quite the same reverence for Moses, there's a danger that we just think all he's saying is, "Think of your favourite YouTube motivational speaker. If you'd listen to them, you'd better listen to Jesus." Moses is important for more reasons than just that.
And this verse – "Moses was faithful in all God's house" – refers back to our other reading that we had from Numbers chapter 12. Now, if you were listening as Scott read us from Numbers 12, you'll realise that the issue in Numbers 12 is Moses and Aaron saying, "What's so special about Moses? I mean, sure, God speaks to him, but he speaks to us too – why is he so unique?"
And here's God's answer: "When I speak to Moses, I don't speak in riddles. I don't speak in dreams. I speak to Moses face to face." So Moses is faithful. Moses is trustworthy. Moses is appointed by me, the Lord, to speak my words.
And he's saying, Jesus is just like that. Jesus has access to the face of God.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus uniquely can speak God's words to us.
So, if you want to hear what God has to say – if you want to know what God is like – if you want to know how you can know him, secure his blessing, you need someone trustworthy. You need someone to bridge the gulf that is between heaven and earth.
Well, Jesus is our high priest and apostle. He sees the face of God. He hears the voice of God. He is the Living Word of God. He is the divine Son of God – and uniquely, he speaks to us. He's trustworthy – appointed by God.
2. Jesus is trustworthy as a builder of the house of God – so he’s greater than Moses
Second perspective on Jesus being trustworthy: he's trustworthy as a builder of the house of God – and that means he's greater than Moses.
He's trustworthy as a builder of the house of God – and that means he's greater than Moses.
Pick up from verse 3:
"Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honour than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything."
You see, we've said Jesus is like Moses – he passes on God's word faithfully. Now, he's greater than Moses. His role is far greater than that of Moses.
But how is he greater? Well, the answer is: he's greater just like the builder of a house is greater than the house they build.
If somebody makes something that is amazing, then how amazing it is sheds light on how amazing the person must be who made it. So, French artist Monet painted amazing pictures of water lilies. Now, the more you decide his pictures are amazing, the more you are saying that Monet must be amazing—after all, he painted them.
Jesus did not paint lilies; he built God's house. It's a common picture in the Old and New Testament—the church, the people of God, as the household of God. And you see, Moses belonged to God's people; he was part of the house. Jesus is not just part of it—he's the builder.
And then verse 6 says that we belong to that household too—the household of God down the ages, containing Moses, Abraham, David, faithful Israelites of old, Christians through the ages—us. We are God's household, and Jesus is the one who builds it.
And so the more you want to say that house is amazing—the household of God is amazing—the more we're being forced to say that Jesus must be amazing because he built it. We have the chance to hear the builder of God's household.
3. Jesus is trustworthy as the Son of God, so he’s greater than Moses
And then third: Jesus is trustworthy as the Son of God, which means he's greater than Moses.
Jesus is trustworthy as the Son of God, which means he's greater than Moses. The last two verses say this: Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
He quotes Numbers 12 again: Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house. Twice in Numbers chapter 12, God calls Moses “my servant Moses”. And this is a dignified title. This word for servant is not the word that would be used across the Roman Empire for a slave—different word. This is a word for somebody who would choose to give their service voluntarily to somebody else. It could even be used for the steward—the person who was placed in charge of the whole household. Think back to the days of Downton Abbey—Mr Carson.
Now, in Numbers 12, this was a big responsibility. Moses was the Lord's servant, trusted and appointed by God to speak on his behalf. But for all of his seniority, he was only a servant. Whereas, verse 6: Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. He's not just in the household.
Now, I have a friend who works at Buckingham Palace. That's his job—he works at Buckingham Palace. He does not get to speak on behalf of the King. He does not get to write letters on behalf of the King. No, this friend of mine works in the Health and Safety department at Buckingham Palace. And if you wonder if that's a big job, just think how old that building is, and how much old wiring and plumbing and everything else there is.
However, others do have the task of speaking on behalf of the King. Last year, King Charles III was sent slightly over 100,000 letters. He did not read them all himself. He did not reply to them all himself. He employs a team of private secretaries who read every single letter that is sent to him and write replies on his behalf. And they also decide what will get put in the King's daily red box to be read by himself, so that maybe, if he has an opinion, he can decide how he wishes to reply.
Now, if you write to the King, apparently you're guaranteed to get a response—you know, unless your letter is asking him to resolve a personal squabble or is on a political matter, in which case he can't help, so you'll get no reply.
How different it would be if your response said, “Would you like to come to the palace for a personal audience with Prince William?” This is the King's eldest son. One day, assuming he lives longer than his dad, he will be King. He is second only to the King—the most senior, important person in the entire royal household. You would not be speaking to a servant. You would not be hearing the opinion of a private secretary. You would be speaking to the King's son. And that is what happens when Jesus speaks.
So, Jesus is trustworthy. Jesus is approved by God as his word to us—just like Moses was, only far greater than Moses. This is the builder, not the house. This is the Son, not the servant.
How do we respond to this Jesus? There are two things in this passage to do with our response. One is an explicit command, and the other is implied.
⇒ Fix our thoughts on him
Start with where we began: fix your thoughts on him.
There is a lot of difference between looking at something and seeing it—like looking in a drawer for something, looking straight at it but not seeing it. I said to Lee just before the service, “Could you go and have a look for this thing for me upstairs in the unit?” I said to him, “You have to realise…” I'll go and have a look. “You have to realise, I do have man skills—looking for things—this ability to see straight through the thing that you're looking for.” Or like looking at a scene with a camouflaged animal and just not even seeing that it's there.
Now, the word here—fix your thoughts on Jesus—it's intensive, it's deep. It's saying look at him intently. Peer at him. Study him. Gaze at him. Notice him. And fix at doing that. Do not be distracted.
You see, I think there is a danger for a lot of us that you've been coming to church for a while, and you get to the point where you think, “Yeah, okay, that's about Jesus. Yeah, I think I know that stuff. Read that before, got it. All the sermons here—they do start to sound very much the same. I kind of know what the preacher is going to say. This is the stuff I've been hearing every week. Yeah, okay, Jesus—got him. He's great, forgives me, loves me, adopts me as his child. I'm going to glory, I'll live for him—great, lovely.”
No. No. Stop. Slow down. Just look.
Either get the magnifying glass out—look more closely—or zoom right out and go, “Let's get the big picture. Let's see not necessarily what I've never seen before, but let's just stop and let the details catch my eye and make me marvel—even if they are details I've seen a thousand times before.”
In a moment, we're going to share bread and wine together. Okay, how do the prayers that we say heading into that part of the service start? Not an all-age teaching slot, so I will tell you the answer to that rhetorical question: “Lift up your hearts.” Why? Up, where Christ is—seated at the right hand of God.
This is a sensory opportunity to fix our gaze, raise our thoughts on Jesus. And in a distracted world, doing this will be hard. And that means a lot of things, but one of the things it means is careful attention at the written word of God—as much as we can—because this is where we meet the living word of God, the Lord Jesus. Whether it's in small groups, your own personal Bible reading, on Sundays—memorise the scriptures, read them, pray them in, notice them. Don't assume that you know what it says. Just keep the deliberate focus on the Jesus that we meet here.
That's the explicit command.
⇒ Hold fast
What all this means for us, the beginning of the passage and the end—in the final verse—there's an implicit response for us. And that is to hold fast.
We are his house, verse 6—if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
People often ask, “Can Christians fall away? Can a Christian stop believing in Jesus and cease being a Christian?” That's a question with many angles. I'm not going to answer that for you this morning. The answer is kind of yes and no. The answer is a unqualified yes and an unqualified no. So let's not assume that's a trivial question. But it's a question the letter of Hebrews is going to confront us with again and again. Actually, there's several times when that question rears itself straight before us.
This is really helpful, because it helps us to start to build an answer—not a complete answer, but it's a useful building block.
So notice, in verse 1, he writes to these people as holy brothers and sisters. He's writing to people who are Christians. He's not writing to unbelievers. And so verse 6 says, we are his house. As Christians, we're part of God's household. We're part of the royal household. But then there's an if.
We are that now if—if we hold firmly. It's not that we become genuine Christians—kind of levelled-up Christians—by keeping going. That if you keep going for 10 years, you move to the next level. No, no, no. You are now a real Christian, part of the household of God, provided you keep going—which means if you don't keep going, you never were (assuming you don't come back).
Conclusion
So, Jesus is our confidence. He says, “Hold firmly to our confidence.” Jesus is our confidence that God loves us. Jesus is our confidence that we know God truly. Jesus is our confidence that God hears us when we pray. Jesus is our confidence that God forgives us. And Jesus is our hope.
Jesus is the rock we stand on that gives us certainty that the future will turn out to be very, very good. And so, because Jesus is faithful—trustworthy, dependable—as God's word to us, we need to hold fast to him, our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
And to do that, we need to fix our thoughts on him.