Fixed!

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“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.”

Hebrews 2:9

Main Readings: Psalm 95:6-11 & Exodus 17:1-7 & Hebrews 3

Related Readings: Numbers 20:1-13

This chapter starts with, ‘Therefore…’  What’s about to be said, relates to what’s just been said.  In Chapters 1 and 2.  They told us that Jesus is God’s Son.  He’s the standout one in God’s new family.  He became fully human.  Like us.  But so much better.  Like us, he was tempted.  But where we fail.  He didn’t!  Our hope of relationship with God must be in him.  Not in our failure.  But in his success.  If we’re in Christ - by faith – then we are who we are because of him.  And only because of him.

So?  We wanna stay in relationship with God?  What’s the best way to think about doing that?  Same as before.  ‘Therefore, holy, brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus.’  Fix.  So, not something temporary.  But fixed. 

My wife once asked me to put a picture up on the wall.  Didn’t have much time!  Rushed it!  Kinda fixed it.  Next day, it fell down.  She said, ‘You didn’t fix that.’  The fact that I did - yesterday – was irrelevant to today.  I hadn’t fixed it.  Cos it wasn’t fixed.

That’s what we’re being reminding of - as believers.  ‘Fix your thoughts on Jesus.’  Don’t think – well I did that whenever.  Or, that’s what I did at conversion.  Cos this chapter’s not about them days.  But – as verses 7 and 13 and 15 state – let’s focus on ‘today.’  Cos that today – when these Hebrew believers received this letter – that wasn’t a good one! 

Previously their thoughts – and their lives – had been fixed on Christ.  But now, the vibrations of life around them, had worked things loose.  The picture of their lives in Christ looked like sliding down the wall.  This letter was God’s fix.  Designed to stop – and hold – and stick them fast.  ‘Fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.’

‘Apostle and high priest.’  Jesus is lots of things.  Why these two together?  High Priest?  That’s a job-role found in the Old Testament.  Apostle?  That’s from the New.  Jesus?  He’s both.  It’s like the whole of God’s word is revolving around him.  Cos it is!  But these two roles are related - to God – to us – to God and us together.

Cos ‘Apostle’ means ‘one who is sent.’  But not just sent.  Sent with something.  Sent with a message.  The New Testament, Greek word - here translated ‘apostle’ - is translated elsewhere as ‘messenger’ (see Philippians 2 25).  Jesus is our apostle.  Sent by God.  With God’s message of love and forgiveness in him.  ‘In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son’ (Hebrews 1 2).

What did a high priest do?  They performed a function in the temple worship.  These Hebrew believers – with their Jewish upbringing would know this.  The priest’s function was to bring us - what we are - to God.  And because of what we are - when they went to God, they took an offering for sin.

So, the apostle’s role is to bring God (and his message) to us.  And the priest brings us to God.  Jesus does both.  Christ alone is the message from God that can truly reach us – and save and satisfy our sin weary souls.  And Christ alone is the sacrifice for us, that can truly satisfy God.  Christ is the bridge – the only bridge – that crosses that huge span between us and God.  Fixed?  We must be!  We betta believe it!  Fixed?  We gotta keep on believing it!

And now, Hebrews has another compare-and-contrast bit, in verses 2 onwards.  We’ve had this already.  Chapter 1 - Christ compared with angels.  The conclusion?  Christ’s better - way better!  Now it’s Moses.  Christ compared with Moses.  The conclusion’s the same as before - the same as always.  Christ is better.  As verse 3 – ‘Greater honour’ is his.  He is more ‘worthy.’  But it’s so lovely, the way the writer to the Hebrews introduces Moses.  Cos, this wasn’t easy ground to walk. 

Sometimes, walks are like that.  Sometimes they’re not.  I went for a walk with my wife recently.  Along the prom at Mablethorpe.  Mile after mile of smooth concrete path.  I could look at the sea.  And the seabirds.  And whatever.  I rarely had to look down.  But then we turned off.  And walked through woodland.  I carried on looking around.  Nearly had it!  The path no longer smooth.  A tree root almost did for me!

So with this Hebrews letter.  It’s been getting believers to look up.  And fix their gaze on Christ.  But the writer’s aware that there’s a big tree root here.  That the writer themself could trip over.  A trip-trap called Moses.  And so they tread everso carefully!  Cos for Hebrews – people whose background was Jewish – Moses?  He was the man!

Verse 2 says the same as verse 5.  ‘Moses was faithful.’  There’s no knocking Moses here.  We could do.  We could read those Old Testament accounts - including those referenced by this very chapter - and pick holes in his life.  Cos there were times when God did that.  Moses was like us - broken.  Holes in his life?  He was like us.  Of course there were!  But the writer to Hebrews steps over that.  This is not about what Moses was - or would’ve been – left to himself.  Cos by God’s grace he wasn’t - left to himself.  He had faith.  ‘He was faithful.’

So why was Moses so revered?  Why was Moses the man? - in the eyes of so many Hebrews?  Cos he was so used by God - ‘in God’s house.’  What’s that mean?  Cos 6 times in these verses 2-6 we have that word ‘house.’  And it’s talking about ‘God’s house.’  What’s that?

Well, I have a ‘house.’  It’s my house.  What defines that place relative to me?  Why’s it myhouse?  Partly, cos I’ve got an ownership interest in it.  But just as much, it’s cos I live there.  So, with God.  ‘God’s house’ is his people.  His people – he’s got ownership interest.  But just as much, it’s cos he lives there.  God lives in people.  People are what ‘God’s house’ is.

And Moses was faithful to people – ‘God’s house.’  In his day, he’d done amazing things for people.  Moses’d led people out of a hugely long, hugely difficult, period of their history.  They’d been slaves in Egypt.  For years.  And years.  And years.  And then.  One night.  That history was – well - history.  Their past.  Past over.  As God past over.  And they were set free.

And Moses’d been the man - through whom God gave his law.  That framework to govern Hebrew life.  Moses told them how their lives could be better shaped.  But he also told them something better than that.  He told them clearly he wasn’t the man.  He told them that God’s main man was still to come.  In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.’  And Acts 3 – if you wanna check it later – confirms that Moses is talking about Christ.

And here in Hebrews, that’s what the writer wants these Hebrews to hear.  Moses did a good job in God’s house.  But don’t get your religious fix from Moses.  ‘Fix your thoughts on Jesus.’  Verse 5 confirms that ‘Moses was… bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future.’  When?  When God spoke ‘by his Son’!  That future.  Was now.  These Hebrews were tempted to go back to their past.  This letter’s saying stay in the present.  Stick with God’s present - God’s gift - God’s Son.

Verse 5, ‘Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house.’  ‘But’ – verse 6 – ‘Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house.’  It’s like it’s saying to these Hebrews – ‘Yeh!  I agree with you.  Moses did a good job.  A really good job.  Faithful he was.  But only as a servant.  The job that Moses did in God’s house was just servant stuff.  He cleaned up a bit.  Straightened a few things out.  But he was just getting God’s house ready.  Getting people ready.  For the arrival of the Son.  In ‘your thoughts’ let go of Moses.  And ‘hold firmly’ to Christ.

That’s the phrase in verse 6 – ‘hold firmly.’  That’s what they needed to do.  That’s what we need to do - with Christ – ‘hold firmly.’  Verse 6 says, ‘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.’

How do we become part of God’s house – his people?  By reaching out and grasping Christ as God’s Son and our Saviour.  How do we remain God’s house – his people.  By holding firmly to him – Fixed! – Christ as our only hope and confidence – ‘in which we glory’.  All the way to glory!

Fixed thoughts – hope – confidence.  These are attitudes of heart and mind.  These words don’t describe things that are being done.  But things that are being believed. And this sets up the remaining part of this chapter.  Which is a warning against doing the opposite.  A warning against unbelief.

And again, the writer to these Hebrews is wise in where they now tread.  Cos these Hebrew believers were slipping back to their past – how it used to be.  And it’s like the author of this letter goes. ‘OK.  You started it.  Let’s go look.  You think your history might hold good answers.  Let’s see.  And see how bad it was.’

Verses 7-11 and then verses 15 onwards are that review of Hebrew history – Israel’s past.  It highlights some really bad behaviour!  Stuff they got really wrong.  But it’s important we don’t get this wrong.  It mentions lots of bad – things they did.  But those things aren’t the main problem.  They’re just symptoms of the big issue.

When I was younger, I had Chicken Pox.  How did I know?  Well, I felt lousy.  I also had physical symptoms.  And that’s what troubled me most.  That spotty rash on my face.  And them spots were itchy.  Even though I got told not to scratch them.  I couldn’t stop.  I looked at what I’d become.  In the mirror.  And I didn’t like what I saw.  Hey, it was even worse than usual!  I complained to my mum.  I wanted her to cover it up.

Now she could’ve done.  I didn’t like how my condition made me look.  She could’ve dealt with that.  She had some make-up.  She could’ve applied some foundation, and some of that colour-stuff.  Until those spots were hidden.  And I looked ok again.  But she didn’t.  Cos that would’ve only masked the symptoms.  I’d’ve still been sick.  And even though I wouldn’t’ve seen them spots.  I’d’ve still so desperately wanted to scratch them.

So here.  In Israel’s past.  All those spots on the face of Israel’s history.  Take a look.  Verse 8 – hard-heartedness and rebellion.  Verse 9 – testing and trying God’s patience.  Verse 10 hearts astray – all over the place.  And ignorance of God’s one true way for life.  And then verse 15 – more hardness.  Verse 16 - more rebellion.  Verse 17 – who were they? - ‘those who sinned.’

But those things aren’t the main issue.  They’re just symptoms.  Of a terrible.  And terribly deep-rooted illness.  And to find it we must look deep into them.  And deep into this chapter.  Right down deep to the last four words.  Why did they look like they did?  ‘Because of their unbelief.’

And, as we look into the mirror of Israel’s past & see their failure to do right.  Do we see ourselves?  And wanna do something about it?  Don’t be tempted to do what I wanted done when I had Chicken Pox.  Don’t be fixated on the symptoms.  Our religious mindsets do this so easily.  We list the sin-symptoms - what’s wrong with our lives.  And vow.  Tomorrow, I’mgunna deal with that.  That rebellion – gone.  I won’t be so hard-hearted.  I’ll be steadier.  Not so all over the place.  Or worse, we cover-up… our lives with the foundation of pretence.  We can’t make it - so we fake it!  Others can’t spot our sin spots.  But we still feel sick.  And so desperately wanna scratch that itch.

Friends.  Don’t be fixated on the symptoms.  And don’t try and fix your life by covering it with pretence.  Fix your thoughts on Jesus.  Believe in God’s fix.  By trusting in his Son.  Moses was faithful in leading people out of slavery in Egypt.  But only Christ – in our hearts by faith – and through the follow-up work of his Spirit in our lives – can really deal with our inbuilt slavery to sin.  Don’t try to fix yourself from the outside in.  His fix is better - from the inside out.  Fix your thoughts on him.  Believe in Christ – that’s your bit.  And let God do his bit.  Believe – Cos unbelief was the real sickness.  And he’s the cure for that.  Not just when we first come to faith.  But all day - everyday.

That’s why this word ‘Today’ gets repeated in this chapter.  In verse 7, and verse 15 it’s a direct quote from Psalm 95.  And that Psalm is referencing an incident in Israel’s wilderness-wandering history, that’s found in Exodus 17.  That ‘today’ in Exodus, was another bad one.  The Israelites were thirsty.  They couldn’t find water.  They’d forgotten where to look.  Not just for water.  But for everything.   They’d forgotten to look to their God.  Instead of asking.  They started quarrelling.  With Moses.  And with God.   They asked a question, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’  ‘Or not?’  Unbelief.  How painful must that question’ve been to God?  ‘Is he… or not.’

Does that pain us?  But more?  When our lives run drier.  And we ask the same thing.  Let’s not cover this up.  We can do.  Or at least.  I know I do.  ‘Is the Lord… or not?’

Unbelief.  And these verses seem so severe.  And they may trouble us.  Like – ‘I wanna believe.  But what about my doubts and anxieties over life.’  I wanna grasp all God’s promises in his Son.  But my grip’s not so good.  I’ve always got my arms outstretched towards him.  Is that enough?’

Friends.  These verses are serious.  But they aren’t written to condemn those with their arms outstretched – palms open and up - ready to receive.  These verses are written to warn those whose arms are out - pushing Christ away.  Those who don’t want God’s fix.  And those who believe they can fix themselves.

Mark 9 has that wonderful coming to Jesus.  Of a man just like us.  Jesus had said, ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’  And a man who heard that believed.  But knew he needed more.  And he knew where to look & fix his thoughts.   ‘Immediately (he) exclaimed (to Jesus), ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’   Need help to overcome ours?  Go to that same Jesus.

And go to church – keep coming.  Cos there’s a wonderful resource highlighted in verses 12-13 of Hebrews 3.  God’s house – his people now.  ‘See to it brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.’  ‘See to it that none of you…’  There’s collective responsibility. 

Remember my walk in the woods.  And that tree root that nearly had me.  It would’ve done.  Had not my wife shouted, ‘Watch out!’  Church gives us that.  And let’s not cover this up with pretence.  Sometimes life’s not easy.  Sometimes Israelite life wasn’t easy.  Sometimes church life isn’t.  But don’t give up on this resource that God’s given.  People who’ll shout, ‘watch out.’  When we need them to.  And people who’ll encourage us to stay on our feet and keep walking – focused and fixed on Christ. 

Encourage – but I often doubt myself.  I wanna send a message of encouragement.  But is it the right time?  Will it be received ok?  And so  - often – I don’t.  I love verse 13.  With it’s helpful – helpfully simple - two step plan.  ‘Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today.’’  Is it the right time to encourage?  Step 1:  Check your calendar (Paul).  Is it called ‘Today’?  ‘As long as it is’ then Step 2: (Paul)… do it ‘today’!

So, what’s the conclusion?  This time it’s easy.   We’ll just end as we began.  In verse 1.  With the God’s main man.  Christ brings God to us.  He brings us to God.  ‘Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus.’