A Mediator Greater than Moses
How Jesus Restores Our Relationship with God
Aaron Lee | October 27, 2024 | FCBCW Children’s Worship | Hebrews 9:15
Introduction
How do broken relationships get restored? Sometimes my wife Jess and I get into arguments. Our relationship is broken. We need to fix it. It sometimes helps when there is a friend who can stand between us, in the middle, and help us fix it – this person is called a mediator. This person can help us fix what was wrong, forgive, and move on.
Our biggest relationship is our relationship with God. The Bible tells us that our relationship with God is broken, and it also tells us how our relationship with God gets restored. Today we’ll look at Moses from the Old Testament to help us.
1. The Misbehavior
Moses had led God’s people out of Egypt, and he would go talk to God on a mountain. This would sometimes take a long time – it is climbing up and down a mountain after all! Here’s what happened one time while the people were waiting:
When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!” (Exodus 32:1)
I’m labeling this section misbehavior – but we can also call this sin. The people told Moses’ brother Aaron to make gods. This is idolatry. The Bible says that the Israelities would continue to misbehave, breaking what we call the first covenant. A covenant is a contract or an agreement – that’s one way to look at the 10 Commandments. The Israelites would receive blessings if they obeyed, but they could not do it. Sometimes when we misbehave, we don’t treat it like a big deal. But our misbehavior, even if it was a mistake or we didn’t mean it, is a very big deal to God. It is sin – and the punishment for sin is death.
Application
Recognize that we also misbehave and sin by making and worshiping idols in our lives. An idol is anything we love more than God.
2. The Mediator
God is holy and does not tolerate sin. God’s relationship with his people was broken. They needed a mediator to meet with God:
7 Now Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a distance from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Moses until he entered the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. (Exodus 33:7-9)
God did not have to give the people a way to have a mediator. God could have struck down everyone instantly for their sin. But God gave them a way out. He would allow Moses to go in between.
Application
Remember that God wants to have a relationship with us, but we need a mediator. Our sin does separate us from God, but God’s children always have a way back to the Father through Jesus. The Bible says that God is patient with the world right now, not wanting anyone to perish because of their sin and giving them more time to trust in Jesus.
3. The Message
Moses was an imperfect mediator. He could not truly atone for the sins of the people. The point of his story is to point us to the Gospel. The message of the Gospel is that Jesus died the death that we deserved from the first covenant – the commands that were given to Moses:
Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
The new covenant cannot break – because it is based on Jesus. The new covenant is called the covenant of grace.
Application
Run to Jesus as your true and better mediator. This is the Gospel. Admit you are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for your sins, and confess him as the resurrected king over your life. You will be adopted into God’s family, wanting to follow him on this earth and follow him up into heaven.
Big Idea
Jesus is a mediator greater than Moses because he truly restores our relationship with God.
Conclusion
How do broken relationships get restored? We sometimes need help from someone else to fix what was wrong, forgive, and move on. I realize that even with Jess and myself, Jesus is a mediator for us as well. When we let Jesus come between us, we know that we are wrong, we see how to forgive, and we’re given encouragement to move on. May Jesus be your mediator with God and others.
References
Christian Standard Bible by Holman Bible Publishers
Who Is Jesus? 40 Pictures to Share with Your Family by Kate Hox and Joe Hox
Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion
Can you think of a time when you misbehaved? How did it make you feel?
What are some things that can become idols in our lives? How can we tell if we’re loving something more than God?
Why do you think it was important for the Israelites to have Moses as a mediator? How does it feel to know that Jesus is our mediator with God?
How does knowing that God is patient with us change how you view your sin? What does it mean to you that God wants a relationship with us?
What do you think is special about the new covenant through Jesus? Why is it important that this covenant is based on grace?
What does it mean to “run to Jesus” when we sin? How can we do this in our daily lives?
Can you think of a time when you helped restore a relationship with a friend or family member? What did you do to make things right?
Why do you think forgiveness is important in relationships? How does Jesus help us understand forgiveness better?
How can remembering that Jesus is our mediator encourage us when we have conflicts with others?
What is one thing you can do this week to strengthen your relationship with God? How can you make sure to put Him first in your life?