Questions

1. Fill in the blanks below from Hebrews 3:1-6: Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a _______, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as a ____. And we are his house, if indeed we _____  ____ our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
2. Jesus is the __________ of God’s house, while Moses was part of the house.
3. TRUE or FALSE:  Our assurance is based on how strongly we hold onto Christ.
4. Christ is faithful over God’s house as a __________.
5. According to Hebrews 3, Jesus is greater than Moses primarily because:
6. Jesus performed more miracles
7. Jesus was more obedient
8. Jesus is the builder and Son over God’s house
9. Moses failed Israel
10. TRUE or FALSE:  Jesus helps those who are tempted because He Himself suffered temptation.
11. In Hebrews 3, Moses is described as:
12. The ruler of God’s house
13. The builder of God’s house
14. Faithful in God’s house as a servant
15. Equal in status to Christ
16. According to Hebrews 3:6, believers are God’s house if:
17. They obey perfectly
18. They never doubt
19. They hold fast their confidence and hope
20. They follow Moses
21. TRUE or FALSE:  According to John 10, believers can lose their salvation if their faith weakens.

Discussion

1. Read Hebrews 3:1-6 and discuss the following questions.
2. Why does Hebrews emphasize that Jesus is greater than Moses without diminishing Moses?
3. What does it mean to “consider Jesus,” especially during discouragement?
4. The sermon series is titled “Greater Than”; discuss the following questions in light of that theme and this link to video: Jesus secures us as the faithful apostle and high priest. (To timestamp 13:10 in video)
5. Read Num 12:1-16 and discuss how God confirmed his favor on Moses. How does the Lord say how Moses is different than a prophet?
6. Discuss the two roles of Jesus described in this section of the message: Faithful apostle and high priest- how are these roles greater than the role of Moses?
7. Discuss the meaning of the phrase from the message- “He comes to us from God, and He brings us to God”.
8. How do the titles “Apostle” and “High Priest” together give believers assurance?
9. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link: Jesus secures us as a faithful son over God's house. (To timestamp 22:12 in video)
10. What difference does it make to know Christ rules as Son over God’s house?
11. Discuss the practical implications for our faith and our lives in this line from Pastor Grimm’s message: “You cannot snatch yourself out of the Lord’s hands, and no one else can either. Your faith is not held together by the strength of your grip on Christ; it is held together by Christ’s grip on you”.
12. Discuss in what ways we may not put our trust and security in the grip of Christ. In what ways are we like Miriam and Aaron when they spoke against Moses? Are we holding ourselves up above the Lord in any way in our lives?
13. To prepare to answer this series of questions you can review this section of the message in this link: When my dad carried me back (To end of video)
14. How does the illustration of a father holding a child in water reflect the Christian life?
15. How does this passage speak hope to believers who feel weak or overwhelmed?
16. Application: Discuss what ways we can model this truth in our lives and tell with our words to those who may not know the security of the Lord?

Sermon Outline

Last week in Hebrews chapter one, (To timestamp 6:09 in video)

Last week we saw that Jesus is greater than the angels. Now, as we turn to Hebrews chapter three, we will see that Jesus is also greater than Moses. The author of Hebrews does not minimize Moses or his ministry; rather, he honors Moses for his faithfulness. Yet when we lift our eyes to Jesus, we behold One who stands above, even Moses. Jesus is greater—not because Moses was unfaithful, but because only Jesus can fully and securely bring us into God’s house with complete assurance of faith. With that truth before us, our text this morning calls us to hold fast to the faithful Son.

“I’ve got you, Matthew.” Those were the words my dad spoke as he lifted me up and carried me toward the deep end of the pool to teach me how to swim. I was only four years old. Around us, other swimmers moved easily through the water—diving, splashing, and swimming with confidence. But as the bottom disappeared beneath my feet, fear took hold. I knew that if my dad let go, I would sink.

But he never loosened his grip. He was the one taking me into the deep water, and he was the one holding me securely. In a calm, steady voice, he kept saying, “I’ve got you. Don’t fight me. Trust me. I won’t let you sink.”

Many of us feel that way today. We feel in over our heads. The world around us is troubled and troubling—wars and rumors of wars, constant conflict, endless arguments over who is right and who is wrong. It often feels as though everything is coming apart. And then the weight presses even closer to home: pressures at work, struggles within our families, tensions in our neighborhoods, responsibilities that feel overwhelming, and uncertainty about the future. Weariness sets in. Discouragement creeps in. And as our eyes fix on our circumstances, our confidence begins to slip. We start to wonder whether we have the strength to hold on—sometimes even whether we have the strength to hold on to our faith.

The original recipients of this letter knew that feeling well. They lived under persecution and social rejection. Day after day, they sought to remain faithful in a hostile world, and their confidence was beginning to waver. They were tempted to drift back to what felt familiar, comfortable, and safe.

That is why the writer of Hebrews exhorts them—and exhorts us—to consider Jesus, to fix our thoughts on Him. This is the central truth we will see this morning: because Jesus has secured us, we are called to hold fast to Him, to fix our eyes on Him, and to consider Him carefully. And the text answers the crucial question, How does He secure us? It gives us three powerful truths about Christ’s faithfulness: He secures us as the faithful Apostle and High Priest, as the builder of God’s house, and as the Son over God’s house.

Jesus secures us as the faithful apostle and high priest. (To timestamp 13:10 in video)

The author begins by reminding us that it is through faith in Christ that we belong to Him.

Hebrews 3:1-2 – 1Therefore, 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.

We share in a heavenly calling. We are brothers and sisters in God’s family. And because this is true, we are commanded to consider Jesus—to fix our attention on Him. When discouragement settles in, when life overwhelms us, and when we are tempted to look at our circumstances and turn elsewhere—to our addictions, to our desire for control, or to the false security of other relationships—the author of Hebrews speaks directly to us. He says, do not turn back. Do not turn to lesser authorities or lesser saviors. Our instinct is to focus on our circumstances, but we are called instead to look to Christ and to remember who He is.

In this text, we are given two titles that help us do exactly that. Jesus is called the faithful Apostle—the One sent from God to us. That is what an apostle is: a sent one. And Jesus is the faithful One whom God has sent. He is also called the faithful High Priest—the One who represents us before God. In these two titles, we see both directions of His ministry: He comes to us from God, and He brings us to God. Together, they capture the fullness of Christ’s work—the revelation of God to us and the redemption of us to God—both meeting perfectly in the person of Jesus Christ. And as we will see, Jesus Himself speaks to this reality in His high priestly prayer just before He goes to the cross.

John 17:8 – 8For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

This is the language of the faithful Apostle—the One sent with a message from God. Jesus did not merely speak the words of God; He embodied them. He revealed the Father perfectly, fully, and faithfully, holding nothing back. He delivered the truth we need in order to endure and to be secure. As Jesus Himself says, “They have come to know in truth that I came from You.”

Our perseverance, then—the perseverance of the disciples and of all who follow Christ—does not rest on our own strength. It rests on the certainty that Jesus truly came from the Father, that He speaks the words of the Father, and that He faithfully leads us to the Father. When we consider Jesus, we remember that the One who calls us to hold fast is the same One who faithfully brought God’s truth to us. And Hebrews 2:16–18 deepens this picture even further, showing us that this faithful Apostle is also our faithful High Priest.

Hebrews 2:16-18 – 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Chapter two of Hebrews continues the theme of Christ’s greatness, but the closing verses of that chapter serve as a crucial bridge into our text today. They move us from Christ’s heavenly superiority over the angels to His incarnate, priestly faithfulness, introducing the categories of His true humanity, His priesthood, and His atoning work—His payment for our sins. These are realities Moses could never fulfill, and they are precisely why Jesus is worthy of greater glory in God’s house.

Jesus took on our flesh and blood so that He could stand in our place, bear our sin, and represent us before God. As verse 17 tells us, He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest. His full humanity was not optional; it was essential. Only by becoming like us could He offer Himself for us.

And verse 18 brings a deep pastoral word. Because Jesus Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. His sacrifice is not only the payment for our sin; it is also the proof of His ongoing mediation—His faithful, continual representation of us before the Father. The cross guarantees that He stands before God on our behalf. His suffering assures us that He truly identifies with us in our weakness, and His temptation assures us that He is able to help us in ours.

If our confidence rests on how we feel spiritually at any given moment, shaped by circumstances and pressure, it will always be fragile. Feelings rise and fall; they are unstable. But Jesus is both faithful Apostle and faithful High Priest. Our relationship with God does not depend on our ability to reach up to Him; it depends on His decision to come to us. Our assurance is not found in the firmness of our grip on Christ, but in the faithfulness of the One who stands before the Father on our behalf. And that brings us to verse 2, where we are told that Jesus was faithful—just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.

Hebrews 3:1-2 – 1Therefore, 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.

This high praise of Moses appears not only in Hebrews but also in Numbers.

Numbers 12:7 – 7Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.

Why is Jesus considered greater than Moses? In Hebrews 3, it becomes clear that the difference lies not in their faithfulness but rather in their roles or categories.

Hebrews 3:3-4 – 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.

The difference lies in their status before God. Jesus is worthy of greater glory—not because He was merely more faithful or more obedient, but because the difference between Jesus and Moses is not a matter of degree; it is a difference of kind. Moses was a servant within God’s house. Jesus is the builder of the house.

Jesus secures us as the faithful builder of God's house. (To timestamp 17:40 in video)

After affirming Moses’ faithfulness, the author of Hebrews makes a stunning claim. Moses belonged to the house, but Jesus is the builder of the house. Then, in verse 4, he drives the point home by declaring that the builder of all things is God.

Hebrews 3:4 – 4(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

This may remind us of Psalm 127, which states...

Psalm 127:1 – 1Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

The psalmist is not speaking about architecture, but about God’s covenant people—His dwelling place. Only God can build His true house. So when Hebrews declares that Jesus is the builder, it is making a profoundly theological claim: Jesus is doing what only God can do. And if we look ahead to verse 6 of Hebrews chapter 3, we see the implication of that truth—we are His house.

Hebrews 3:6 – 6And we are his house...

The house that Jesus builds is not a tabernacle, not a temple, and not any physical structure. His house is the people of God—those who are united to the Son by faith. God’s dwelling is not made with human hands; it is made of people given to Jesus. And Peter picks up this same imagery in his first epistle.

1 Peter 2:4-5 – 4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the living stone—chosen and precious. And as we come to Him, we are being built into a spiritual house, formed together as a royal priesthood. The Builder is not constructing walls; He is constructing a people for Himself. He is shaping us as living stones, fitting us together, and forming us into a dwelling place fit for His very presence.

Our security does not rest on our strength or our ability to build. It rests on the faithfulness of the Builder. We are not trying to construct our own salvation; we are being built by the One who has both power and wisdom to complete what He has begun in us. Holding fast, then, is not a matter of gritting our teeth and trying harder. Holding fast is trusting the Builder—even when the renovation is painful.

When we walk through trials—whether disease, job loss, or the loss of a relationship—and it hurts, the question is whether we trust that the Builder knows what He is doing. Do we trust Him when progress feels slow, when the work seems hidden, when it feels as though God is saying, wait? Even when we cannot see the blueprint or understand how it will all turn out, we are called to trust that the Builder of the house is faithful. And so, in those moments, we consider Jesus. And as we do, we are reminded again—just as Scripture said of Moses—that faithfulness matters, but Christ’s faithfulness is greater still.

Numbers 12:7 – 7Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.

Notice that Scripture says Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant—and Hebrews affirms that. But when we lift our eyes to Christ in verse 6, we see something far greater.

Hebrews 3:5-6 – 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.

Moses served within the house, Jesus rules over the house. Moses was a servant, but Jesus is the Son. And that brings us to the third and final truth about how Jesus secures us.

Jesus secures us as a faithful son over God's house. (To timestamp 22:12 in video)

From the very opening of the letter to the Hebrews, the author has been preparing us for this moment, when he says…

Hebrews 1:1-2 – 1Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

The Son does not merely work within God’s household—He owns it. It is His inheritance, and He governs it. His authority is not borrowed, His rule is not temporary, and His reign is not fragile.

And yet, when the pressures of life come—when trials and temptations pull at us and urge us to turn toward lesser authorities, fragile substitutes that promise help but ultimately fail—we are often tempted to look elsewhere. Addictions may offer a quick fix, but they are temporary and empty. Control may feel reassuring for a moment, but we soon discover that our hands are weak and our authority is limited.

What we need in those moments is not another substitute, but the Son Himself. We need to look to Jesus—the One with true authority, the One who is trustworthy, the One who rules over all things. And it is with that authority in view that Jesus begins His high priestly prayer in John 17, when He says…

John 17:1-3 – 1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

The One who rules over all things is the One who keeps His people. The One who holds the universe together is the very One who is holding us—and who even now stands before the Father, praying that we would be kept. His authority is not a threat to our security; it is the foundation of it. And that is why the author of Hebrews says…

Hebrews 3:5-6 – 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.

Our confidence and our hope are found in Jesus. To hold fast to our faith is to consider the authority of the Son. Listen to how Jesus speaks of Himself and of His relationship with the Father—the confidence and security this gives us—in John chapter 10.

John 10:27-30 – 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

Notice the personal pronouns—I, Me, and My. The relationship between Jesus and the Father holds everything together, since the Father and the Son are united as one. Then Jesus makes this promise: “No one will snatch them out of My hand,” and “No one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” As Paul declares in Romans 8:39, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are held secure in that love.

And no one includes you. You cannot snatch yourself out of the Lord’s hands, and no one else can either. Your faith is not held together by the strength of your grip on Christ; it is held together by Christ’s grip on you—and that is a strong grip. Holding fast, then, is not fear-driven clinging. It is rooted in rest, assurance, and trust—knowing that He remains with us and we remain with Him. We persevere not because we are strong, but because the Son is faithful. We remain in the house because the Son who rules over the house keeps us there. And we hold on to Him only because He first—and forever—holds on to us.

When my dad carried me back (To end of video)

toward the deep end of the pool, he didn’t tell me to hold on tighter. He simply said, “I’ve got you, Matthew. I’ve got you.” He wanted me to be assured of his presence, to consider him, to trust him, to know that he would not let me go. And as I began to trust him, I was free to move. I could stretch my arms into the water, pull, make strokes, and kick my legs. And whenever I began to sink, he would gently lift me back up.

I wasn’t focused on how tightly I was clinging. I was trusting the one who was holding me. My security rested entirely in him, and because he was there, I grew in my ability to swim. And that is the Christian life. Our confidence is not found in the strength of our faith, but in the faithfulness of the Son who secures us. Jesus has you. And if you have been given faith to trust in Him as Savior, He has you—and He will not let you go.

Our invitation today is not to fix our eyes on the circumstances of life. When we feel the pull to turn back—to place our trust in lesser authorities, lesser builders, and empty promises that cannot deliver—Jesus meets us in the book of Hebrews and says this: the Son who holds all things together is holding you.

“Consider Me. I am the faithful One. No one will snatch you out of My hand.”