Well, we welcome you back to another episode of Struggling Well. If you listened to last week's episode, Suzi took us through the life of Moses as a great example of God's faithfulness to the children of Israel. Even though it was in a surprising way that he was faithful and Moses is really lifted up by the Jewish people as somebody to be honored, somebody to be praised. And yet when you get to the book of Hebrews and you see the whole thing coming to kind of a when I say conclusion, that kind of wraps it all up. he the author of Hebrews says this in Hebrews 3:3, "For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses." Well, that's a big statement, but the chapter begins with this understanding. and I'm going to read this from the message, Eugene Peterson's paraphrase u translation of the scripture because I love the way it puts it. It says this, Take a good hard look at Jesus. He's the centerpiece of everything we believe. Faithful in everything God gave him to do. Everything. He's the centerpiece. I love that expression of who Jesus is. Centerpiece of everything that we believe. It's we look at for example Moses. Moses was a great man that you God used in mighty ways. Moses also failed. Moses had some moments where cost him being allowed into the promised land. but that's not true with Jesus. He's the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. So, I just want us to think about that for a few moments, Suzi.
Okay, think away. You just caught me by surprise. I had my head down.
Take it away.
No, I just think it's a it's an interesting contrast and comparison between Moses, who we talked about last week, and Jesus who Jesus says or God says is the centerpiece of everything.
Well, in verse 5, it says, "Now Moses," and this is Hebrews 3:5, "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." In other words, if we're firm to the end like Jesus was, the difference is you know and this is where I think I don't know if this is where your thoughts were going to at all but yes Moses and you look at chapter 11 in Hebrews there's a lot of people the fa the faith chapter of you know what people did and how they survived their faith and by faith they did not survive their faith survive difficulty is by faith and it but it was faith in God. So these were men and women who by faith trusted what God was doing. But it was all pointing towards Jesus because a redeemer still had not yet come in their lifetime. They were waiting for the Messiah, waiting for the redeemer. And when Jesus came, there is no more waiting. He is like you said the centerpiece. He is when you think of about a table, a beautifully set table, the centerpiece of the table is where all eyes are drawn and that's the main focus of the table. All these men and women were the place settings to point to this centerpiece.
Yeah. And so I what I love about Hebrews is there are I think veiled and sometimes not veiled comparisons between Moses and Jesus. And so the book begins the author who begins by going long ago at many times and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. Many times in many ways I my mind there goes to Moses again. so Moses has this unique experience with God at a burning bush, a bush that's not concerned, but a bush that's on fire. And but then he goes on, the author of Hebrews goes on to say this, but in these last days, he's spoken to us by his son
who he appointed heir of all things. So, so if you were to say to somebody today, okay, which way would you like God to speak to you? Through his word, his written word, or you go outside your front door and a bush is on fire and it's not consumed and he speaks to you that way. I think most of us would say, "Well, I'll take the bush."
Yeah.
But that's the comparison and the contrast that the author of Hebrews draw us is this. In the past, yeah, God spoke many different ways, many different times through the prophets, through Moses, all those things. But in these last days, he's spoken to us through his son. And so I again go back to that word. It he has made Jesus the centerpiece. As you said, all eyes should be pointing towards him.
when in the New Testament when and I read this recently when John the Baptist came not he's not he wasn't Moses but he came as a forerunner for Christ and he also points to the need and the coming savior
and he says I'm not even worthy to untie his sandals and the one like he speaks about baptism that he did was for repentance but the baptism in of Jesus oh if I mess this up. I could I'm not good with all this doctrine. So, jump in anytime, Jimmy or Tim. it w it tell Let's talk about the difference between what John did and what Jesus did.
Well, yeah. I mean, what John did was again pointing people towards Christ,
right?
And who he was going to be, who he was.
And it's in I think it's in the Gospel of John where John says, "I must decrease so that he can increase." Right? So everything in scripture points towards Christ. He's he is the centerpiece of all of scripture,
right?
That we need to look to
without Jesus. All the prophets and the everyone that was in the Old Testament and even the New Testament. Well, there wouldn't be disciples without Jesus. Or maybe they'd be disciples of something. I don't know. I'm going way off my comfort zone here. Like way off. So if you are a theologian and heavy doctrinal genius just, you know, grace. That's all I need is grace. But, if it weren't for Jesus, we wouldn't be sitting here, right?
Number one, we would still be in need of a savior, of someone to redeem us, to pay the price that God demanded to have relationship with him again.
Moses couldn't do that. Moses intervened for us. Moses spoke with God and then brought back the message. What we have through Jesus is we have the spirit of a living God within us speaking to us and teaching us. He never leaves. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament would come on someone and could leave that person as well. But we have that in us forever and ever. So, we have no excuse as to or no reason why we think God doesn't communicate with us. Did I just take the train completely off the track? I mean, should No.
Should we call in 911? Tim. 911. No, I think the whole point of all this is that it all comes down to what you do with Jesus.
Yeah,
it really does. You can say, "I have you know, again, you can say, I have a problem with the parting of the Red Sea. I don't know that really happened. I don't know that it really is the way." Those are fantul stories.
Yeah. Fantastic sto stories.
Well, no, no, my point is that people can take issue with any one of those things, but everything in scripture points to one person, and that's Jesus,
right?
And so he has to be the centerpiece of my life and everything points towards him in my life and how I live is to pattern myself after the way he lived, not after the way Moses lived or the way David lived or anybody else that I want to look at as powerful as some of their lives were and still have things that I can learn from today, it all pales compared to Jesus
and everything and everyone pointed to the need for redemption. Even going through the Red Sea, that was a redemption from that moment, right?
But everything pointed to the need for a savior to redeem us once and for all.
Yeah. And that savior is Jesus. So as you go through life, this week as you go through your day this day. and there are many, many things that will come at you, many situations that you'll face, can you just keep in mind to take a good hard look at Jesus
cuz he's the centerpiece of everything that God promised and he was faithful in everything that God gave him to do. He is our redeemer.
And before we close today, I would just want to share that we have heard we hear from people periodically and So, I just think it would be it might be a nice thing to do to give a couple shoutouts. So, I'm going to do a couple shoutouts. So, I'm going to shout out to Bill. I'm not going to use his last name, but we just got an email from him that was delightful and encouraging. I'm going to say also another shout out to our friend Belva, who we've known for years and doesn't live near us anymore, but sent us a very encouraging email. And then I want to give a last sh out to someone who has become a sister through marriage. she is actually a sister-in-law through marriage, but we found out through one of our family members that she listens to our podcast and that's the beautiful Podad. So I want to say hello to her and thank you for listening. And if you want a shout out, man, it's easy. Just email us and we'll shout out for you. What?
Well, since you're doing the one to my own sister, my sister Beth.
Oh, yes. Your sister who listens and said something really encouraging about the podcast to her.
She did. So, all four of you that listen.
There's no
Thank you.
Oh, and with that, we'll leave you and I hope you have a great week.
Thanks for listening.