Event Calendar
Pentecost 1909– “We are His Faithful House.” Hebrews 3:1-6
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen. The text for our sermon meditation is taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the 3rd Chapter:
“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 3For 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. 4(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6but 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.”
So far the reading.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
How would you define the word faithfulness? What example would you give to explain your definition? We can grasp the meaning of some words better when there is an example to fill in the gaps of our understanding. Take for instance a math student or a science student who sits in class listening to the teacher explain the steps needed to solve a problem. Until an example is given, sometimes the students are unable to grasp the idea. Even with an example sometimes understanding is not reached.
For me, even though I first went to college to study math, thee are still problems that I do not understand. I cannot tell you where two trains leaving two different towns at different times and speeds will pass each other down the line.
With the word faithfulness, it is a different matter. The writer to the Hebrews lays out very clearly what faithfulness means. He uses a clear example for everyone to follow and understand. There are two people named in this 3rd Chapter of Hebrews to give us a clear understanding of what it means to be faithful. Moses is named and Jesus is named as the ultimate examples of faithfulness.
The dictionary defines the faithfulness as being loyal or trustworthy. A faithful person holds firm adherence to a promise or in the observance of a duty they have been given. It would seem that Moses and Jesus reveal this very well. Their lives of faithfulness encourage us to know what God desires when He called us to be His people through the Gospel.
With Moses and Jesus, there is an allusion to the building and maintaining of a house. You remember from the book of Exodus how Moses was appointed by God to lead the Children of Israel out of captivity in
Moses received the plans from the Lord and oversaw the building of this Tabernacle, so that the Lord might live among His people and they would hear his voice. Moses served in that Tabernacle as a faithful priest and prophet of the Lord. Moses proclaimed the Word of the Lord and served according to the Word of the Lord.
Jesus is the Word of the Lord made flesh. Jesus is shown no just to be in the house of the Lord, but over the house of the Lord. Moses’ authority and privilege were great, but Jesus’ authority and presence are greater. For, Jesus is God incarnate. Jesus is not only the planner, but also the builder of His house. You and I and all Christians are that house.
Every house needs a firm foundation. The foundation is a firm, secure, flat, level surface to build on. The foundation serves to keep the building from collapsing and gives integrity to the walls and roof as they weather the day to day elements – rain, snow, ice and wind. The house may become damaged to some extent by the forces of nature, but still it will be able to hold up in the face of such storms.
The church which our Lord built has a foundation as well. Scripture says, “you were built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus the chief cornerstone.” Truthfully, Jesus is both foundation and cornerstone. For, the apostles and prophets bear witness to the work which Jesus would accomplish to redeem us from sin and death. They bear witness to the truth that it is by faith in the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ we become part of the holy house of God. Built on this solid, firm, level foundation we are able to withstand more than the earthly elements of wind race, snow and ice. For as Scripture also teaches:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Consider the battle depicted for us in the Gospel reading from St Mark. The young man is seeking eternal life at the feet of Jesus. He asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Do you fully notice what Jesus said when answering the young man? Jesus sought to teach this man that he had built his life’s dream on sand. The man had kept the law in many ways, but one thing was still lacking. Can you discern what that one thing was? Why did Jesus tell the man to sell his possessions and give to the poor? Idolatry.
What idolatry have you built your life upon? What are you not willing to give up for the sake of serving your Lord faithfully? What will make you leave this house of the Lord in a sad state of mind because you will think it is too much to ask? Where is your treasure? Have you stored up the riches of self-service on earth at the expense of storing up the riches of faithful service to Christ in heaven?
We often think like this young man who came to Jesus. We say “I’m a good person. I don’t drink, smoke, chew tobacco, swear (too much), or kick the dog (too often). I treat everybody nice, except for the guy who rolled through the stop sign and almost hit me yesterday. I always use a pleasant tone of voice, even when mom or dad ask me to do a chore, or when the kids are acting up. I always count to ten or fifteen so that I can think of a way to turn the situation to my advantage.” I think you get the idea about the sandy foundation we often build upon. We are legends in our own minds. Like the young man, we do not keep the law of God perfectly, nor can we. We often go away sad because our egos are bruised and our righteousness is not accepted by the Lord. We are faithful to ourselves but not faithful to the Lord. As the epistles warns us:
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”
There is only one who is faithful, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is faithful even to the point of shedding his blood and giving his life upon the cross. It is this life and this blood that are the mortar which holds the building together. Each one of us here today is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ and joined to the mortar of Jesus life for the purpose of being built into His house. Baptized in the name of the Trinity, God marked you as His own and reshaped your life to be conformed to His will and for His service.
How is this done? Or perhaps what does this mean is a better question? Those questions are best answered by the following words.
“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Jesus Christ conforms you by empowering you to hold firm to your original confidence. At one time, your heart was hardened by sin. As scripture teaches God changes that heart of stone into a heart of flesh. He gives and creates living flesh where there was no life before. This is a lasting change that enables the sinner to live a truly righteous life of faith. Instead of turning away from the encouragement of God to repent of sin, the sinner in humbleness of faith kneels before the Lord saying teach me you way o Lord that I may not sin against you.
You will kneel in a few minutes before the altar of the Lord. After earlier confessing your sin, you will receive the very mortar and foundation for your faith. You will receive the body and Blood of Jesus Christ that fills your life and conforms your life to the will of God. How will you receive this precious gift? Will you receive in a mechanical fashion, keeping the command of Jesus to eat and drink, as did the young man who kept the letter of the law? Or will you receive this holy meal in faith asking the Lord of life to work through this means of grace to change your heart, renew your will and strengthen your faith to resist the idolatry of this world?
Men build many beautiful and palatial buildings. Some of these buildings are being build in the most extraordinary ways stretching the limits of modern technology. Dubai, an Arab, nation is constructing a series of islands from sand and rock for the purpose of building an exclusive man-made island community, named Palm Island. You can see the results of this construction as you search the internet. There is also a documentary on this construction on one of the cable channels. I watched some of the documentary and I immediately thought of one of Jesus’ parables. Perhaps you know which one?
What are we building here at Our Saviour congregation? What has God built through us here at Our Saviour congregation? We have a foundation much more substantial than sand and rock. We have the Rock, Jesus Christ as our foundation. We have been given opportunity in these last months to consider our high calling as servants of the Lord. At the end of the month, Saturday October 31, we will again meet to consider this high calling. We will be led to discern the will of the Lord and seek ways in which we can live in greater faithfulness to our Savior.
Our Lord calls us to turn from the eroding sandy foundation of human wisdom and stand firmly upon the foundation of the Son of God. Through the working of the Gospel we have been built into a living house cleansed and prepared for the service of the Living God. This same God who has washed you in the blood of Jesus Christ perfect in you His will that you may serve him alone in faithfulness to the glory of Christ and the salvation of your souls.
In the name of God’s faithful Son Jesus Christ. Amen.