Bible Study Time Introduction (7-17-11) (Introduction to a radio Bible study.)

Welcome to Bible Study Time. We come to you each Sunday morning on behalf of the Peace Church, and we want to invite you to join us for any of our services. We’re located 8 miles south and a half a mile west of Indiahoma, and we’re just 12 miles east of Manitou right on the Baseline Road. If you’d like more information about the Peace Church, you can find that on our website, which is www.ok-peacechurch.org

Today in our Journey Through the Scripture, we will see Moses coming to the end of his life. Moses was a great servant of God. Hebrews, Chapter 3, says: Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, (even) as Moses also was faithful in all His house. (Hebrews 3:1-2 NKJV).

When it says that Moses was faithful in all His house, the writer was not talking about the house of Moses. He was talking about the house of God. So Moses was faithful in all the house of God, and his faithfulness was even mentioned in comparison with the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John said: For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17 NKJV). Here again we see Moses mentioned in comparison to the Lord Jesus. What a tremendous commendation by the Holy Spirit of God!

Of course, what the Holy Spirit said was absolutely true. Everything that is written in the word of God is absolutely true. However, if we meditate upon the words and think about the circumstances of the Jewish people, we can also see why the Holy Spirit might want to emphasize the importance of Moses and his ministry.

All of the Jews valued Moses. They all knew that Moses had been used by God to part the Red Sea, bring water out of a rock in the wilderness, and bring victory in battle by simply raising his arms in the air. They knew that God had spoken to Moses face to face, and that God had given the Law through Moses at Mt. Sinai. The Jewish people loved every thing they had ever been taught about Moses.

So the Holy Spirit was able to use that to make a beautiful point about Jesus Christ. He did not say, you think Moses is so great, but really Moses was nothing compared to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is full of grace and truth. He is full of compassion and empathy. He understands our tendency to love and adore human beings even more than we love and adore our Savior, who died on the cross for our sins.

In the past, Christians have argued with one another over the scriptures, and because we know that Christians aren't suppose to fight, we may try to claim that those who disagree with us are not Christians. But you see, when John and the writer to the Hebrews were making their appeals to the Jewish people, they were kind and gracious. They knew that many of the Jewish people had rejected the claims of Christ, but we see them trying to make a connection with the Jewish people on the basis of common ground.

They said, yes, you are right. Moses was a great servant of God. Moses was faithful in all the house of God. But now, let's talk about Jesus. If you like Moses, you're really going to like Jesus because Jesus too was faithful over the house of God. But Jesus was even more so because the house of God was His house. As the Son of God, Jesus was the rightful heir of the house of God.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians about their testimony among unbelievers, he said: Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. (Colossians 4:5-6 NKJV).

When Paul spoke with the pagan Gentiles in Athens, he saw that one of the altars was dedicated To the Unknown God. Well, he could have chastised them, saying, don't you people know any better. There is no unknown God. If you knew the first thing about the Bible, you'd know who God is. But no, Paul spoke with love and compassion and said that the God who made the world doesn't dwell in temples made with human hands. Then he said, God is not far from any of us, but He is in fact calling out to us to repent for the day of judgment is coming. What gracious speech, seasoned with the salt of compassion and love.

Well, we can learn a lot by looking at the life of Moses and comparing those things to the things that we learn in the New Testament. So now, let's return once again to our Journey Through the Scripture with Pastor James Roberts.