CONFESSION- Part 3

God’s House

Beginning in verse two of chapter three we see the analogy of a house. Still comparing Jesus and Moses, the author says Moses has honor for being the house, but Jesus has greater honor for being the architect of the house. This might seem a little confusing, especially since in a couple of verse Moses is referred to as the servant of the house. The easiest, yet most profound, way I can put it is that Moses represents the old covenant. He was its leader and founder. He served it vigilantly and was exemplary in his obedience. But regardless of his best efforts, it is still God’s covenant. Because it was designed by God it is still good. But he has the right, as the builder, to build something better. But not only is it God’s design, but Jesus’. All things are created through and for Jesus. He is the head of the house. What this means for us is serving God under some old form is still good because it is still a design of God. But the builder has built something better and has invited you to cohabitate with Him in it. But to take it a step further, the master plan was for you to live in the better house the whole time. The old house was supposed to be temporary. So, yea, it may be good and meet all your needs, but to refuse to move into the better house negates the master plan.

I am going to complicate it a little here. In verses five and six we discover it isn’t just a house that was built for us to live in, but that we are intended to be the new house. It isn’t just that God wants to bless us with more stuff, it is that he wants to perfect us just as Jesus was perfected in this life for a greater purpose. In the new house, a new identity, we can experience joy like we never have imagined and can understand pain with discernment. We can discover our destiny and know true intimacy. In verse five and six we see Moses was a servant of the house, but that Jesus is the builder of the house. From this we can learn that when we fix our eyes on Jesus, not behavior, blessings, the church, or anything else we will be perfected. By fixing our eyes on Jesus we will hold fast, we will not drift, we will be anchored deep, and we will know God. It is time that we reclaim the identity we are offered through Christ. That identity is not one of a radical church member, but as a radical disciple of Christ.

First Exposure

The author uses this chapter to begin to tell the reader what is expected from a relationship with God. Specifically, a relationship with Christ must eventually mature and move out of religious and self-benefiting behavior and into intimacy. The institutional church, however, is more of an arena for self-indulgence than an opportunity to mature. Very often, and probably more often than not, the institutional power structure has been filled by individuals who use their influence and power to meet personal goals and to exploit the resources of the church.

My first exposure to what happens behind the veil was when I was a sophomore in high school. I was the youth group president and was expected to attend administrative board meetings. The topic of the day was a heated topic about a certain Sunday school class in the church that was causing some to feel uncomfortable during worship. Our church hosted a class for a small group of mentally retarded adults who were very committed to being a part of the church. The class sat on the front pew. The adults in this class probably weren’t the best behaved people in the church, but the youth group that I was a part of which sat together was a much bigger distraction (as if that should even be a concern any way). The problem was that these individuals made others uncomfortable due to their mental retardation more than anything else. The individuals who were bothered by the presence of this class were glad to say their church hosted a class for adults with mental retardation, but just didn’t want to have to see them.

This form of ignorance and self-indulgence can be expected to be found in any group of people. But what bothered me most wasn’t that people felt this way (even though this did bother me), but that it was a topic that was being discussed in such a way that the group would eventually have to sit at the back of the church. Because those who objected to the presence of mentally retarded adults were influential and prominent leaders, justice and love were sacrificed. This wasn’t an example of everyone having a chance to share their opinion, but of those who gave money using that as a way to manipulate the ministry of the church.

Today

Beginning in verse seven of chapter three the author explores Psalm 95 to explain what we are to do with what we have learned. Within this section there are two words which are critically important for understanding our response to the invitation: Today and rest. Psalm 95, as references in Hebrews 3: 7-11 describes what has been the called the Israelites “inglorious history in the wilderness.” This might seem like a strange transition, but the purpose of this exposition is if under Moses people turned from God and it provoked God, how much more will it provoke God when we turn from Jesus? Remember, we just looked at Jesus’ supremacy over Moses, grace’s supremacy over the Law. The passage begins with a call to each of us, “Today…hear his voice”. Hebrews is no doubt a call to greater intimacy with Christ, but it is also a call to purpose. We are not merely called to a spiritual livelihood where we can boast of how well we know Jesus. The greatest evidence God is still at work in powerful ways today is in the ways Christians actively express love toward one another and beyond, advocate for justice and mercy, and are moved to care for the poor and sick. Unfortunately, as we saw at the beginning of this chapter in the statistics from George Barna, Christians are not prompted to this type of action as often as we would like to think. I blame the church for this.

The fact is that a response to a greater calling is waiting. This is a calling that goes beyond what your occupation will be. It is a call to identify yourself as a child of God. How that works itself is completely secondary. Your identity is as a child of God, not as a minister, missionary, or any other activity. It is out of this identity we minister. And this is not about heaven and hell. If you narrow a calling to know and serve God down to some form of divine prestige then you can never serve out of a genuine identity that is rooted in Christ. This new identity is about becoming what we were intended to become. That is the funny thing. It isn’t even about becoming more than we were intended to be. We were intended for this type of communion with God and purposeful living. And, this is critical, when we live as we were intended to be it may be ignominious. It can either be being seen as a weed by Christians and non-Christians alike or it could mean blending into the landscape. When our identity is rooted in Christ alone, not our ministry, we are subject to whatever Christ has called us to.

This passage still might sound a lot like hellfire and brimstone, but in fact, this is a great call to worship the true God. The time in the wilderness for the Israelites was called by one of my references, “The Great Bitterness”. For the Israelites, the time in the wilderness was for testing to see if they would trust God. Thomas Merton called the wilderness holy because humans have no use for it. He claimed the wilderness is considered holy because by the Israelites because since people have no use for it then God is able to use it for whatever He pleases. The desert is uncontaminated by agendas, theology, and personal baggage. The longer one spends in the wilderness the more they are reduced to their basic and natural self. For the Israelites, it took forty years to get to a place where they could let God work the way He wanted to. For those of us who have been burdened by the agendas and theology of the institutional church who want a way out, it requires a time in the desert as well.

When I began this journey of my own I thought it was going to be the freedom I longed for. I thought I had been rescued from an island of depression. In many ways it was the rescue I longed for, but after three years I still have a lot of baggage I am turning over to God. Every time I came to some peace with what this transition means new areas of the old covenant are revealed. I didn’t think it was going to be difficult. In many ways it is the happiest I have ever been, but especially as I look for a career I want to retreat to what is safe and predictable. But it isn’t just leaving the institution that is harder than I thought, but embracing the new covenant. It is hard to learn to let my identity rest in Christ alone. It is hard to be completely vulnerable while at the same time feel completely empowered. It is hard to know God and to be known by God. But I also know this time in my life is holy and I will treasure one day what it meant to me.

In the midst of this message on seeking God is a warning. The message is that grumbling prevents rest. The author says to either worship God (even in times of trial) or run risk of missing out on rest. The Israelites in the wilderness describe what many today feel as they seek to know God with deeper communion. Assuming you don’t give up somewhere in the process, it is a cycle of wholeheartedness in the beginning. It then moves to a period of grumbling. To say it is just a time of struggle takes the blame off of us. It is us that make intimacy difficult. Despite our grumbling, God then gives us enough provision to make it another day. Eventually we get back to a place of passionate beginnings again. Seeking forgiveness during times of grumbling and backsliding is important, but it is ultimately God who provides for us despite our failure. That is to say, it is sticking with it that builds a relationship with God. It is what we do after we confess our sin and seek forgiveness that produces maturity. Forgiveness already exists. By seeking forgiveness we are simply accepting the forgiveness. Repentance follows forgiveness, not the other way around. Contemporary Christianity, on the other hand, claims seeking forgiveness is the biggest part of the equation. Dealing with our sin is dealing with the road bumps that are a part of maturing, even if those road bumps are enormous.

With that, I encourage you to enter your personal wilderness in confidence. It is often when we do this that God is revealed. Deal with sin that needs to be dealt with. Seek a community that will nurture your maturity. Discover your purpose. But above all else, know that your time in the wilderness has a purpose of its own. Don’t try to hurry out it and don’t listen to people who tell you that it isn’t God’s will for you to be in the wilderness. With confidence, allow God to work the way He wants to work with the knowledge that on the other side is intimacy and purpose.