Please note that this article is derived from a sermon series on Hebrews given in Bermondsey Gospel Hall, the audio of which can be found here.
Having previously worked through Hebrews 1 and 2, we return to the book again this week and start into the third chapter. As Hebrews 3 opens with a ‘Therefore’, it clearly builds on all that we have learnt in the first two chapters. For those who were not with us when we considered Hebrews 1 and 2, they can be summarised in two words: Revelation and Salvation. Hebrews 1 expounded upon the Name of the Superior Son. We seen that Christ was titled Divine Son, Eternal Son and Royal Son, meaning that he is a superior messenger than the angels. The revelation of God in Christ is so superior that we must pay attention to it. In Hebrews 2, we are shown the Role of the Suffering Son. Time and time again it refers to Jesus suffering for us, whether as our Forerunning Prince, Founding Pioneer or Faithful Priest. In each of those roles he accomplished our great salvation, fulfilling our destiny, pioneering a way and sacrificing himself.
Hebrews 1 tells us of the Revelation of the Son. Hebrews 2 speaks of the Salvation in the Son. Hebrews 3 focuses on the Congregation under the Son. If you read on in Hebrews 3, this is clearly the focus. From verse 7-18, Hebrews 3 zooms in on the story of the congregation of Israel in the wilderness, highlighting the disastrous faithlessness of God’s people in the past. However, even in verses 1-6 the emphasis is also there. It opens with a description of this congregation, ‘Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling’, in the centre highlights Christ’s relationship with the congregation, ‘…Christ is faithful over God's house...’, and closes with a challenge to the congregation, ‘And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope’. Hebrews 3 is all about the Congregation under the Son.
We are going to break Hebrews 3:1-6 down into those three separate parts, spending one week on each of them. In Hebrews 3:1, today, we will be Considering Christ. We will not only identify who we are, but more importantly who Jesus is. Next week, in Hebrews 3:2-6a, we will be Measuring Moses, comparing and contrasting him with Jesus to highlight Christ’s faithfulness and glory. And then we will spend the last week in Hebrews 3:6b, the last sentence of the paragraph, Observing Ourselves, thinking about this connection between Christ and his congregation. That is our plan for the next three weeks.
Regarding, Hebrews 3:1, the verse clearly breaks into two parts, ‘Therefore X consider Y’. We have a people (X) told to consider a person (Y). Both the people and the person are described in detail. The description of the people tells us of Christian Identity – We are a Holy Family with a Heavenly Future. The description of the person tells us of Christian Focus – We have a Heavenly Apostle and Holy Priest.
1. CHRISTIAN IDENTITY – We are a Holy Family with a Heavenly Future
What words would you use to describe Christians? That was the question asked in a recent survey in England. The majority of non-Christians said they could describe the Christians they know as ‘friendly’ and ‘caring’, with 46% using the word ‘good-humoured’ and 38% ‘generous’. On the other hand, the most commonly selected negative words were ‘narrow-minded’ and ‘hypocritical’ – with only 13% and 10% using those respectively. Despite these negative words being the stereotypical portrayal of Christians today, significantly more non-Christians have positive things to say about us.
So far in Hebrews 1 and 2, the author has used a variety of words to describe Christians. Starting back in Hebrews 1:14, he refers to ‘those who are to inherit salvation’. In Hebrews 2 Christians are referred to as those for whom Christ tasted death (2:9), as sons being brought to glory (2:10), those who are sanctified (2:11), brothers (2:11), congregation (2:12), children (2:13-14), those who were subject to lifelong slavery (2:15), offspring of Abraham (2:16), the people for whom Christ made propitiation for sins (2:17) and those who are being tempted (2:18). However, at the beginning of Hebrews 3, the author seems to draw all of these descriptions together and calls his hearers, ‘holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling…’. Christians are a holy family with a heavenly future. If you are a Christian, this is your identity. This is a description of who you are. Perhaps you have lost sight of these basic truths in your current circumstances, but I want to take time to remind you of them this morning. For our identity provides security in the midst of difficulty.
A. HOLY FAMILY – We have help in the present, you are not alone
The theme of family can be traced back to Hebrews 2:10, where we are told that God’s purpose and plan is to ‘bring many sons to glory’. Through the death of Jesus, the Father’s intention was to ransom, redeem, reconcile, sinful humans to himself, adopting them as his children and bestowing upon them the title and privileges of being sons of God. However, the focus here is less on the sonship from God, and more on the brotherhood between mankind. It isn’t ‘holy sons’, emphasising our relationship with the Father, but ‘holy brothers’, highlighting our relationship with each other.
I’m not sure what your experience of brothers has been like. However, regardless of any blood relations that you have (I had none), brotherhood has a broader meaning. The best example of this is probably the fraternities (or sororities, the equivalent for sisterhood) in many colleges (primarily in the US). A fraternity, a Latin term literally meaning brotherhood, involves groups of young men, who have left home to go to college, banding together for mutual support and friendship, often all even living together. While today they are infamous for getting up to a variety of misbehaviours, the primary purpose was mutual support.
The author of Hebrews tells us that as Christians, we are part of a brotherhood/sisterhood involving mutual support and encouragement. We see this throughout Hebrews. Later in Hebrews 3, the author will remind them that they are brothers. ‘Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.’ (3:12–13) We are responsible for helping and encouraging one another, watching out to make sure none of us falter in our faith.
We are ‘holy’ brothers because as Christians we have had our sins forgiven and are set apart to reflect our Father’s character. However, we are also ‘holy’ brothers in that we are helping each other with our holiness. Part of daily discipleship as Christians is walking alongside one another, encouraging and equipping our brothers and sisters to live faithful Christian lives. Michael Horton highlights that while ‘Christianity is personal, it is not private.’ When you become a Christian, you get Christ. But you also get the Church. This group of brothers and sister, this family, whom you gather with locally, come alongside to support and encourage. A group of brothers and sisters who support and encourage you. That is the kind of fellowship, that we should be as a local church. Our Holy Family is a help in the present. You are not alone.
B. HEAVENLY FUTURE – We have hope for the future, you are heading home
Sarah and I have lived in London for four years. Over that time we have learnt that in order to get through busy or intense seasons at work or in church, we need to have something just over the horizon to look forward to. It could be a quiet night in together, a short trip home to see family, going on holiday or even people staying with us. Anything that breaks up the relentlessness of work, allows us to catch our breath, get a little more sleep than usual or spend quality time with each other. When things get tough, when we are worn out, when we feel like we have barely seen each other, it makes all the difference if we can look at the calendar and see a break coming up soon. We have found that hope for the future sustains us in the present.
In the Christian life, our hope for the future can sustain us as we live in the present. When our fight against sin is fierce, when our struggle through suffering is slow or when we are overwhelmed by sorrow, the ability to lift up our heads and look to a heavenly future is crucial for our survival. Paul shows us this is how he himself faced suffering and struggles in his own life, in Philippians 3:13–14 writing ‘one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ John Calvin would explain, ‘If we would courageously serve God, we must always have the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in mind.’
By identifying us as ‘you who share in a heavenly calling’, Hebrews helps us raise our eyes to the future, to look beyond the burdens of our earthly callings, whether in work or family, and to focus on our heavenly calling. It is heavenly as its source is heavenly, for that is where Christ is calling to us from. Our calling is from heaven. However, even more comforting, our calling is to heaven. Christians have a Heavenly Future, first in heaven alongside Christ, and then when this world has run its course, in the New Heavens and New Earth which God will transform this fallen creation into. That is the heavenly future that gives us our hope. Like Abraham in Hebrews 11, we can be content living in tents, as strangers and exiles on the earth, for we are looking forward to that better heavenly country, a homeland in the future, where God has prepared for us a city in which we will dwell with him. When we struggle and suffer in this life, we can take comfort with Paul when he says in Romans 8:18 ‘I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.’ Christians share in a heavenly calling. We have hope for the future. We are heading home.
Christians are those who have their Holy Family around them and their Heavenly Future before them. That is our identity as Christians. We have our family for help and our future for hope. However, what if you are not a Christian? If you have not turned from your sin and trusted in Christ for salvation, then this help and hope is not yours. We are so glad that you come along to our services and build relationships with us. We will do everything, anything, to help you, but unless you are a Christian, while you are our friends, you are not part of our family. Until you receive forgiveness from God for your sins, trust in Christ as Lord and Saviour and are adopted by the Father into his family, you are not a brother or sister. Even more worryingly, not only do you not share in our family, you do not share in our future. While you may walk beside us in this life, we are heading in two very different direction to two distinct destinations. Christians have a heavenly calling, a glorious and joyful future that brings hope in the present. But if you are not a Christian, then your calling is not to heaven, but to hell and eternal punishment. As Paul explains in Ephesians 2:12, if you are without God in this world, you can have no hope for the future. And so, as we move on to Considering Christ, what he has done for us, I ask you to consider once again becoming a Christian. Joining this family, sharing in our future, making a Christian confession. Listen, as we look and focus on Jesus, how he has made it possible for you to have this Christian identity, how he has died to forgive and overcome your slavery to sin, so that you can be part of this Holy Family, so that you can share in this Heavenly Future. For while the author highlights our Christian Identity, his ultimate aim is to point us to what should be the focus of all Christians.
2. CHRISTIAN FOCUS – We have a Heavenly Apostle and Holy Priest
While the author reminds us of our family and future, it is the figure of Jesus that he wants us to consider. The description of Christian identity is but to catch our attention, it upon Jesus that he asks us to fix our gaze. Look at Christ. Consider Jesus. That is what the author instructs us to do. Literally, ‘direct the mind carefully towards him’ (Donald Guthrie) or as the NIV translates it ‘fix your thoughts on Jesus’. The structure and language of the verse closely match the more famous sentence in Hebrews 12:1-2, ‘let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith’. The author is calling us to fix the eyes of your mind and of your heart on Jesus. Why? What does thinking about Jesus do?
After seeing that, I will never be the same again. That is what people say after they have seen something that has had an impact on them. It could be something sudden and traumatic like a car crash. Or something less sudden, like watching the recent wildlife documentaries on the impact of climate change on the planet. Sarah and I watched a number of them recently, and it has undoubtedly had an impact on how we live and think. This effect can be seen all around us. The whole point of advertising is that by capturing our eyes and drawing our thoughts, we can be made to desire a product or service. News programmes all compete to tell us their slant on the events of the day, skewing our perceptions and shaping our viewpoints. What we see, what our minds are fed, can change us. It changes our aspirations, our inclinations, our desires and emotions. What enters our eyes and passes through our minds will impact our hearts. The Bible confirms this is true.
What we consider can change us. Over time our thoughts can transform us. John Piper points out that during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, Jesus says to his followers, ‘do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on….Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them….And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin...’. In order to overcome anxiety, Jesus calls us to direct our eyes and minds to God’s care in creation. Seeing that will have an impression on us. Why is it that Paul will tell the Philippians in 4:8, ‘Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.’ Is it not because dwelling on such things will have a positive impact on their mind and hearts? As Christians, we have a duty to set our mind on good and godly things. As Paul calls us to do in Colossians 3:2, ‘Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.’ If we are looking for good things to set our minds on, what better object of consideration is there than the figure of Jesus Christ? If we were to think about, dwell upon, look to, concentrate on Jesus, what kind of impact would that have on us? Paul tells us exactly what kind of impact it has, ‘And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.’ (2 Corinthians 3:18) Do you want to become like Jesus? Start by setting your mind on him, studying him, thinking about him. Consider Jesus, and I guarantee that you will never be the same again.
Looking at Jesus will change what we see in everything else. John Owen explains, ‘On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world.’ Do want this world to be crucified to you? Do you want to see it as it really is? Gaze at glory of Jesus. ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.’
Is that not exactly what we have done this morning? Yes, we gathered with our Holy Family, to encourage and help one another. Yes, we may have thought about our Heavenly Future, which gives us hope in the present. But what has been the focus of our service this morning? As we have prayed, sung, listened to God’s Word and shared in the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper, we have been considering Jesus. Soon we will go back outside, to meet the challenges and struggles we left this morning when we came, but with renewed strength and determination to remain faithful and steadfast. In the Christian life, we must ensure that our focus remains on the figure of Jesus. For we will find everything we need in him. It is in him that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Look to Jesus. Consider Christ.
What are we to consider about Jesus? The author highlights two aspects of his work and in doing so once again draws the two main themes of Hebrews to our attention. If you remember, the two great themes of Hebrews were revealed in its opening four verses: ‘Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.’ The Message and the Ministry of the Superior Son, those are the two great themes of Hebrews. Jesus is a better message than the prophets of the past. Jesus performs a better ministry than the priests of the past. These themes are interwoven throughout the book and are given a beautiful expression in our verse: ‘consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession’.
The term apostle literally means ‘messenger’ or ‘one sent out’. It is almost always used to speak of Jesus’ disciples, whom he sent out to spread the gospel after he rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. However, this is the one occasion in the Bible that Jesus himself is called an apostle, one who was sent out. It reminds that before Christ could send out his disciples, he himself was sent out. In fact, Jesus himself tells us in John 21:20, ‘As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ However, despite the similarity in language, Hebrews makes clear that Jesus was superior to the prophets that went before him and the apostles that came after him. He wasn’t just sent from God to tell us about God, he is God. The image of the invisible God (Col 1:15). The Word that was with God, was God (John 1:1). Jesus explained, ‘Whoever has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9). Everything you ever need to know about God has been communicated to you in Jesus Christ. So consider him, study him, think about him.
But not only did Jesus bring God to us, Jesus can bring us to God. He is both apostle and high priest. A priest who stands in between God and man, who offered up a sacrifice that would cover our sins and rebellion. A sacrifice that extinguished God’s eternal wrath against us for it was a sacrifice of eternal value, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered up to the Father so that you could be forgiven, join God’s Holy Family and share in that Heavenly Future. Consider Jesus, our Heavenly Apostle and our Holy Priest.
The apostle and high priest of our confession. If you are a Christian, this Jesus is your Jesus. This Saviour is your Saviour. This apostle and high priest is the one you confess. Consider him, think upon him, look to him and you will find an eternity of joy, strength and satisfaction. He is a river that will never run dry. Drink and feed upon Jesus, and you will never hunger or thirst again. If you are not a Christian, will you consider Jesus? How perfect an apostle he is? How he is able to tell you exactly what God is like? Show you precisely how you have sinned against him? How excellent a priest he is? How he has opened up a way for you to be right with God? To have your sin forgiven? To be freed from your bondage to Satan? To call you to him in Heaven? Jesus is the apostle and high priest of our confession. If you confess him, as we thought about last week, he will save you. ‘If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’ (Romans 10:9) Therefore, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.
ALEXANDER ARRELL