The Glory of the Builder

The Superiority of Christ in Hebrews 1–3

Please stand when you have that for the reading of God's Word. Therefore holy brothers you who share in a heavenly calling Consider Jesus the Apostle and high priest of our confession who is faithful to him who appointed him.

Just as Moses also is faithful in all God's house for Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses as Much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone but the builder of all things is God.

Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant to testify to the things that were to be spoken later but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son and We are his house. If indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope you may be seated.

Dear Heavenly Father We come to you today asking for you to open our eyes. To open our ears and our hearts that we might receive your word in all its purity. That we would not reject the truths that are present for us here today.

We ask that you would help us to understand the glory of Jesus Christ. And that we would in embracing that glory Order our lives around it. And that we would correct that which must be corrected that we would Point our eyes to Christ that we would Be able to experience the truth you have given us in this passage in Jesus name.

Amen. Now to revisit this context of Hebrews this whole book of Hebrews is about the superiority of Christ that Christ is much greater than anything else and Hebrews 1 2.

Were.

Focused on Christ being greater than the angels. Hebrews chapter 1. Spoke in detail about how Christ is greater than the angels and then Hebrews 2 begins to address. Well, if that is the case and why was he made for a little while lower than the angels and it explains.

But then explains that he has been crowned with glory and honor and it was only a little while but he was lower than the angels and now in chapter 3 There's a transition made to speaking of Moses that Christ is also greater than Moses now in the previous two verses.

It spoke of Jesus being an apostle and high priest of our confession. It was faithful to him who appointed him just as Moses was faithful in all of God's house. So we have that comparison made to Moses, but here in these verses.

The comparison which was implicit before that Christ is greater than Moses is now made explicit that Christ is greater than Moses and Moreover is made explicit in which way he is greater than Moses. He is greater in glory.

And so we will be considering in this passage The glory of Moses the glory of Christ and the implications of these things for our lives. So considering just for a moment, what is glory. Glory is unobservable greatness.

Hey, God is great. He is glorious because simply because of his greatness and As he makes his greatness known he glorifies himself as we acknowledge and respond To his greatness we glorify him as why these things are called glorifying.

Now God is also inherently glorious. Someone might say well, how can God be glorious if there's no one to observe him? And his greatness. Well God anthropomorphically speaking is capable of observing himself.

And so he is still great even when no one is watching even before the world began. God is great and he is glorious in his greatness. Now there's a distinction to be made there between greatness that's just inherent awesomeness and power and majesty and then the glory of that the Observability of that the expression of that in glory.

It speaks of Jesus Christ in Hebrews chapter 1 talking of him as the radiance of the glory of God. This is something that is expressed and and observable. Now this passage also speaks of honor. Honor is a close synonym of glory now honor instead of focusing on the observable Expression of that greatness focuses on that greatness being demonstrated by or acknowledged by Gifts or or sacrifices words of praise and.

So these are these are close synonyms.

But.

Have different connotations one being on an observable demonstration the other being on Gifts and sacrifices and these are things that The author of Hebrews has combined before you notice in chapter 2 verse 7.

It said you made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him with what? Glory and honor in verse 9. Namely Jesus crowned with glory and honor. He's put these together before glory and honor so when he transitions from talking about the glory of Moses versus the glory of Christ and then transitions to the honor of the house versus the honor of the builder.

He does so without explanation because he has already tied the two together. One implying the other in the previous passage. Now it's very interesting that we should consider the glory of Moses because the glory of Moses is considered elsewhere in Scripture in 2nd Corinthians 3 and we'll be turning to that a number of times today as well as The next time that I'm in Hebrews because it applies to the passage after this as well in 2nd Corinthians.

What is in question is the glory of Paul's ministry? His New Testament ministry his new covenant ministry his apostleship and it is interesting that Here we have just spoken of Jesus as an apostle and so in 2nd Corinthians 3 There's a comparison made between the glory of Moses's ministry and Paul's apostleship and it's a very similar comparison That's made here in Hebrews 3 is.

This comparison between Christ's apostleship and Moses's glory.

Now.

Many might say That glory is something in belonging to God is not something that humans should seek after. But the reality is that we have been built with an innate desire to not only experience the glory of God, but even to Obtain glory you see this throughout Scripture where Jesus commands even in John 5 that people are to seek The glory of God rather than the glory of man, and so it is something that is to be desired.

You know if we were to make You know a hierarchy of needs similar to the ones that people that people typically make where it's itself Actualization that's at the top. We might put glory at the top of our our hierarchy of needs.

This is what human beings long for most deeply is for glory to both experience it and to obtain it and It is right for us to desire this glory. The conquistadors were known for desiring gold God and glory, and I don't know if any of them actually Use that phrase or if that's the label that we've put on them after the fact but in considering that consider gold gold fades away and We are to store up treasures in heaven.

And what is that treasure in heaven? What is the glory of God? And if we are to desire God and what is That experience of God that we are to receive in heaven. It is as glorious as it is experienced in Jesus Christ and so rather than Gold God and glory it would be right for our battle cry to be glory glory glory.

This is something that we should desire. It is something that we should seek after as Christ commanded us to it is something that we should want and so Unlike the conquistadors that we're trying to find that glory trying to find the short path to India and heading all the way around the world the wrong direction.

We should know where is this glory that we should seek? What is this glory that we should seek in order that we might seek it rightly and not down the long path not down the wrong Path but down the path that we ought to Looking to Christ rather than to other distractions away from this glory of his.

The Glory of Moses in His Faithfulness to God's House

So let us consider each of these glories in turn both the glory of Moses and the glory of Jesus Christ so first of all the glory of Moses if you remember the last sermon that we That I preached here in Hebrews 3 I pointed out the significance of this phrase that Moses was faithful in all God's house.

If you remember that came from Numbers chapter 12 in Numbers chapter 12 God said and he said hear my words if there is a prophet among you I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision. I speak with him in a dream.

Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth-to-mouth Clearly and not in riddles and he beholds the form of the Lord so we talked about that importance of Christ as an apostle being one who is delivering the message of God to Be communicating with God face to face in a way that's greater than even Moses and that's the part of the comparison That's being made here Says not so with my servant Moses.

He is faithful in all my house with him I speak mouth-to-mouth clearly and not in riddles and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and he departed.

Okay, so Moses speaks face-to-face with the Lord. Christ is faithful in all God's house in an even greater way. And so he communes with the with the father more directly than even Moses did.

Now.

There is Something important to the passage that we are in these next two verses to about that communion because where was it? That Moses was communing with the Lord. It was particularly in the tent of meeting.

In.

Exodus in Exodus 33 verse 7 it says now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp far off from the camp and He called it the tent of meeting and everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting Which was outside the camp now throughout Exodus.

This tent is referred to variously and alternating between the tabernacle the tent of meeting and the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and So there's some debate as to whether or not here in Exodus 33 and at this point in Exodus whether or not it really refers to That tabernacle that was created later in Exodus because it would seem that this must be some different tense.

It comes earlier in Exodus however, it's quite possible that this is Spoken up just describing the activity of Moses not in any particular Chronological sequence of events and so I am of the opinion and lean towards the Interpretation.

This is actually referring to the tabernacle that he would later build in the in the chapters of Exodus but regardless the point is Moses communes with God in a tent of meeting and it is through This particular house of God as a tabernacle or a temple is a house of God that Moses is able to experience that glory of God and commune with him face to face and So this comparison between Christ and Moses continues Just in that notion of him being faithful in the house because to be faithful in the house is to experience the glory in the house communing with God in the house and So in Exodus 34 it speaks of this Speaks of this glory says in 34.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him. He would remove the veil so he would have a veil over his face And remove the veil until he came out and he put the veil back on And when he came out and told the people of Israel Well, he was commanded the people of Israel would see the face of Moses that the skin of Moses his face was shining And Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went in to speak with him And so there was a glory that Moses experienced and displayed even From this communing with God face to face from him being faithful in all God's house.

Now.

Many of us look at this and we see this as a Punctuated events where Moses would go in and his face would shine for a little while and then it would fade away. Now the reason why a lot of us see it that way is because second second Corinthians 3 often in Is often not translated as speaking of a glory that is fading away.

However, I want to show you something and I'm gonna be going back to Hebrews or excuse me to second Corinthians 3 quite a bit. So if you want to stick a bookmark in there or your part of your bulletin, that would be totally appropriate to do.

But here in verse 13 where it says not like Moses Who put a veil over his face of the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end? There's something here in Greek that you don't see and English and that is that Glory and all this passage It's about glory and repeatedly talking about the glory of Moses in his ministry and on his face is a feminine word.

Okay, glory is glorious feminine. English doesn't have as much gender as other languages but Greek has gender and glorious feminine and then when it talks about this being brought to an end it Uses an article that's either noun or sorry either masculine or neuter.

And so what's being spoken of here is not the glory that is Ending or being brought to an end. It's speaking of something else and I think it would be right for us to consider The the outcome of that glory or the outworking of that glory or something else other than the glory.

But the glory itself of Moses's face not ending in fact.

Jewish.

Jewish tradition claims that Moses's face continued to shine even after he was dead. Now that's not to say that that's true because what evidence do they have that that's the case. But what I'm saying is that what I'm pointing out is that Jewish tradition did not consider that idea at odds with their own scriptures.

Right that Moses's face would not shine just on punctuated events, but actually continued to shine throughout the course of his ministry and then even beyond his death now. Consider how artists depict Moses and consider How significant his glory must have really been?

Artists when they try to show Moses. How do they depict him either it'll be with the staff in his hand and his hand spread like this. So, you know that he's parting the parting the Red Sea. You know artists try to pick the most distinctive features of someone in order.

So, you know who they are what they are or he might be holding the Ten Commandments and that lets you know. Ah, this is Moses. He's holding the Ten Commandments. But how often do you see an artist depict him as having a shining face?

But for the majority of his ministry, this was his defining visible feature was that he was wearing a veil that was Covering up the shining that is coming from his face and There is one artist that has depicted him Close to this way one famous artist many of you may be familiar with Michelangelo's depiction of Moses where he has the horns.

You all know what I'm talking about the that that statue of Moses where he has horns by Michelangelo the reason that is is because the word for horn in Hebrew sounds very much like the word for shine and so in the Latin Vulgate and Exodus 34 that we just read it said instead of him coming down from the mountain.

They're coming out from communing with God with his horn with his face shining it says with his face horned and so so Michelangelo Depicted him in this particular way now. He was he was so close. Because I really think this is an excellent way to depict.

To depict Moses is with with that shining face not a horned face, but a shining face coming down. Coming down from communion with God. And so this really is the Distinctive feature of Moses this this comparison of the glory of Moses to the glory of angels.

It's not that the author of Hebrews is picking some arbitrary things at the that the Jews hold highly. He is picking the most glorious thing to the angels and all their splendor and brightness Moses in all his literal splendor literal brightness not just figuratively.

We're talking about here, and he's comparing this glory this visible glory To another visible glory this glory of Jesus Christ. And so what is the glory of Jesus Christ? Well as I mentioned a minute ago.

It said in Hebrews 1 3 he is the radiance of the glory of God. However, I believe there are reasons to not take this as referring to Christ's inherent glory that he has as the Son of God. So first of all it explains in Hebrews 2 10 That he Brings his many sons to glory so it speaks of him here and elsewhere in Scripture as sharing a glory With his people and yet in Isaiah 48 11 It says that God does not share his glory with any other so that glory that is inherent to God there's only his alone and That Christ has existed with for all eternity with as the Son of God.

I don't believe it's speaking of that glory rather it is speaking of the glory of The glory that he has in his office having been Having been glorified by God not something that he was born with but rather something that he was Granted by the father through his ministry and so let me let me show you a few passages that speak of this Revelation excuse me 2nd Peter 17 to 2nd Peter 117 says for when he received honor and glory From God the Father.

So this is a glory that's not inherent to him, but one he is receiving in his office through the baptism. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory.

This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased We heard this very voice born from heaven for we were with him on the holy mountain and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed. So it speaks here of Christ's glory being given to him by the Father.

And.

Then later on we see this glory at the transfiguration says in Matthew 17 Verse 2 and he was transfigured before them and his face shown like the Sun and his clothes became white as light. So here we have a visible glory displayed to the disciples showing What glory Christ is being given in this office and then later as his ascension he is lifted up and there's no explicit statement that.

Speaks of.

Of a shining but we do see later on in Revelation this description of Jesus Revelation 12.

Says.

Then I turn. Revelation 112 says. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And on turning I saw seven golden lampstands and The middle of the lampstands one like a son of man clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

The hairs of his head were white like white wool like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze Refined in a furnace and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

This is speaking here of Jesus Christ. And so as Hebrews said he sits down on the right at the right hand of the majesty on high that he's crowned with glory. And honor. These are things that happened out of the Ascension.

And then Revelation Explains the vision that John had of him. And how does he appear. He appears glorious visibly glorious. This is the glory of Jesus Christ. It is a glory. That's even greater than the glory of Moses his face shining to some degree Christ Absolutely bright.

His hair his face shining like the Sun his feet. Can you imagine? Looking at someone whose face is shining like the Sun you can barely look at the Sun, right? You shouldn't look at the Sun for extended periods of time, but To have that brightness up close.

Incredible. So we have here this comparison between the glory of Moses in this glory of.

Jesus and.

So beyond that it gives us more.

A.

Bigger description of that of that comparison. It says as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. So there's this comparison given. Well, what's the difference between the glory of Moses and the glory of Jesus?

Well, it's the difference between the glory of the house and the glory of its builder. What kind of glory does the house have and what kind of glory does the builder have? Well builder has a house, you know, a beautiful house has some glory.

The builder though has a greater glory because the builder is the one who created the house. The builder has the primary glory and The house has a secondary glory. Okay, the house is its glory is derivative of the builders glory as he has as he has created this thing and.

So the comparison here is not between two kinds of our two glories that are of the same species one being, you know Greater in quantity or quality or purity than the other rather. These are two species of glory one being Transcendent and a different category in a higher category than the other just as the builder of a house Has an entirely different kind of glory than the glory of the house itself.

You know in the same way Humans are made in a sense glorious because we are made in the image of God. But that is entirely different than God himself being glorious he's the category of glory is. One is derivative of the other God is glorious.

We in a derivative fashion may be called Glorious as we represent God.

Now.

What's being said here is that if Moses is Has the glory of a house and Christ has the glory of a builder of a house. This is a very very surprising statement because what do you think of Moses as Moses is the one who built the house?

Is he not?

Moses the one who built the tabernacle who made the place for God to dwell and Yet this is turning it around and saying that he's actually not the builder of the house. He is part of the house itself.

And this is how the Bible describes Describes the people of God. Later on in verse 6 it says. But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son and we are his house. What is the house that is being considered here?

It's the kingdom of God. It's the people a part of it. The elect of every age and that includes Moses that ultimately he is not the builder of the house. But he is rather part of the house says in first Peter 2 Verse 5 you yourselves are like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.

We're being built up as a spiritual house by Jesus Christ. He is the builder and we are we are. The building is being created and so one who might object and say well Wait, didn't Moses build the house?

What is in view here is a far greater house than the tabernacle. It is the congregation of the Living God. It is the church. It is people of God the elect of all ages and While I believe Hebrews 8 speaks of the incarnation.

It's worth observing rather than the the people of God. It's worth observing that Hebrews 8 identifies Moses's Tabernacle to only be a copy in a shadow of the greater heavenly one. That's true of Christ's body as he came and dwelt in Tabernacled among us and it's true of the church where he dwells as well.

They were lesser temples. Now another objection someone might have is they might point to Paul and they might see what it says of Paul and first Corinthians 3 and it speaks of him actually building the church and it says He who plants and he who waters are one and each will receive his wages According to his labor for we are God's fellow workers.

You were God's field God's building and so he places himself as God's fellow workers. So could it not be said that Oh Paul has the glory of the builder? Well, Paul is operating in a ministerial way, right?

Once again his he is it is a derivative glory just as the Master who runs a project might command a servant and the servant can be said to have built it in an instrumental way in a Ministerial way. He cannot be said to have built it in an autocratic or a magisterial way, right?

So Christ is the builder of the church, even though ministers of God may have some role and in building the church that is only in a secondary way in an instrumental way and Similarly if someone might object and ask well, doesn't it say that Jesus is the chief cornerstone in?

Ephesians 2 20 and elsewhere. Isn't he part of the church rather than the builder? Well, yes, he identifies with his brothers as it says here in Hebrews 2. There's no objection there. But that his glory in the house does not exclude his glory over the house as the master builder.

And so it's a wonderful thing that Jesus is both Identifies with the house and over the house as its builder. But this does not exclude his his glory as the builder of the house.

The Glory of Christ as the Builder of All Things

Now.

Continues on here and says for the glory. Let me back up for just a second. Consider consider what this means for your life, right if you are. There's a glory of the church and of this house. And it's easy to be distracted by that as they were in their time of the glory of Moses rather than glory of Christ.

What does that what does that mean for you and me? Well consider the various ways that someone might be distracted by the glory of the house rather than the builder. First of all, there is The kind of worship that we engage in.

Right rather than worshiping Christ we might be fixated on the various things that Christ has given us and many people in the past and even now have been distracted by. We talked this morning in Sunday school about baptism considering that something that that saves rather than Christ saving and baptism As a as a means of grace Accomplishing salvific purposes in our life.

But not actually being that which which justifies us and makes us right by God that appeal to God for a good conscience only through Jesus Christ. It's very easy to get distracted by those things and engage in sacerdotalism where you believe the thing itself is.

What is supplying with grace rather than God? Doing this through the means that he has appointed and consider also How people can be distracted by the various builders the various ministers? Right, you may get caught up in celebrity Christian culture and how many people do that how many people wrongfully put their trust and men rather than recognizing that they are just ministers their glory is one way less than Christ and rather than.

Rather than considering the glory of the one that they are supposed to be pointing to they are considering the glory of those particular men Themselves and they disappoint they so often disappoint. I'm sure many of you can think of several who have ended up disqualifying themselves for ministry and Really?

Devastating a lot of people now if your trust is in those ministers is in the these Ministerial builders rather than the great builder himself. Yes, you are going to be disappointed and there was even a There's you might know who I'm talking about there was something controversial recently or one pastor who's respected by many, you know.

Even here even in our circles. Who was advocating for attending gay weddings as a as a way to support your friends? And and that this would this celebration would not be at odds with what Christ has commanded.

This is a otherwise known as very good minister who recently said that if you're if your trust is in these ministers if your trust and your Hope is in them. You will find yourself very disappointed frequently and.

Then.

One more I'll throw in here is your finances a lot of you know, this is something that's dear to me finances a lot of times people will give to Ministries out of a sense of direct obligation to the ministry as though the gospel is coming directly from them.

But the reality is the gospel is coming from God and what is owed is owed to God and so When you give to give rightly not being distracted by the glory of a particular ministry but recognizing the glory of the one over that the master builder is to give out of an obligation to God and The implication for ministers then is to not charge for ministry as though that ministry is coming from you, but to accept the willing supply of fellow workers who Who are eager to work along with you and financially bearing that burden?

There's a big difference between those two and so you as you give. You know have that in mind that you're giving out of an obligation to God not out of an obligation to a minister or the ministry. Which is just distracting from the glory of that master builder and placing it on the house right who would go around and Praise a house.

No, I've I've seen falling waters before your famous that that famous house by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. And you know, there's some plaques places and stuff talking about him but To go around and you know, let's imagine someone might interview the house and say well, how do you do it?

What's your secret? You know this it's it's bizarre to think of and yet that is what a lot of people are doing in the house of God. You know, they are praising the house as though it were the builder and they're exchanging one glory for another.

And it's very very confused. So it says here for every house is built by someone. But the builder of all things is God. Every house is built by someone that the builder of all things is God so the point is that if the build if every house is built by someone there's someone greater than Moses if Moses is part of the house and All houses are built by someone then there must be someone greater than Moses.

The idea being from this previous section that well, maybe A house only has less glory than its builder if it has a builder. Right, and there are some houses that don't have builders and then he corrects that and says no every house has a builder.

And so if something is part of the house and you acknowledge that Moses is part of the house. There's something that is greater than him. And what is that? That's greater than him. It is the builder that is greater than him and the builder of all things is God.

Well, how does God build all things? He builds all things in that way that I have said it magisterially using other things as his instruments. But ultimately he is the one who is building so first Corinthians 3 5 says what then is Apollos?

What is Paul? Servants through whom You believed as the Lord assigned to teach. I planted Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything but only God who gives the growth.

He who plants and he who waters are one and each will receive his wages according to his labor. So the one who's planting and the one who's watering those are instruments. They are not God who is giving the growth.

God is the one who is actually building this house and then it you know that analogy of Agriculture it then transitions into talking about the building. God is the one who is ultimately building that building.

It says in Psalm 127 unless the Lord builds the house those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city the watchman stays awake in vain. And so you might think of your own work as Being as coming from your power.

But ultimately it is only as God works through people that their power has any any advantage any success? So here and In Hebrews when it talks about this house and God building the house Speaking of him as being the ultimate one that blesses these various works whether it be Moses or any other minister or any ministry and It does have in mind in particular This house of God.

It's not speaking of God as creator of all things. Although it's true. He's created all things. He's built all things but the particular word Greek word that's used here Kind of school also that refers to in particular construction.

And so the idea here is not just that God makes everything but any work of man any construction of man is something that ultimately has been brought about by God's work through others and so if this is the case then Moses does not have this great glory that people might imagining envisioning him You know as being bright and visibly glorious.

But rather Christ has that greater glory him being the one who created. Now you might see this and be confused because it says. But the builder of all things is God. Well, how does that advance the author's purpose unless when he says God he is speaking specifically of Jesus Christ?

And a lot of people who say the Bible never calls Christ God directly. It's not true. You just have to just have to look a little and it Is very direct. It's this argument does not make the same kind of sense if this is speaking of the father.

It's only really makes sense if it's speaking of Christ why is Christ greater than Moses. Because he is the builder the builder of all things as God is Christ who is building and This shouldn't be surprising because in Hebrews 1 8 speaking of Christ, but of the Son he says your throne Oh God is forever and ever.

The author of our book here is not he does not shy away from directly calling Christ God so this is speaking here of this of This that Christ has done to the house. Now I would like to consider What this means for us and in the glory and what kind of glory we should be obtaining.

Well, first of all The glory of Moses is not unobtainable glory. It's not something that we should be looking for. You see in 2nd Corinthians 3. It talks about him wearing the veil over his face basically making it inaccessible to others.

This is not this is not a glory that is that is for others. But rather Christ his glory is one that is that is for us. It's one that he shares with us according to chapter 2 verse 10, it's one that he shares with us according to Romans chapter 8.

It's something that is that is actually attainable this this glory that he has been given in his office. It is something he offers those and so if you have the heart that you should have that seeks after the glory of God.

You should be looking for glory from Christ not for Moses not for man not from any human ministry. But rather from the builder himself from God himself. You should be looking for that glory. And so, how do you find this glory?

Well, first of all, you turn to Christ you turn to him. It speaks in Scripture of Turning to him in order to see this glory here in 2nd Corinthians 3 it says. But their minds were hardened. For to this day when they read the Old Covenant that same veil remains unlifted because only through Christ it is taken away.