Hebrews 3:1
9 February 2025
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession,
So we're coming now to the next big argument in the Book of Hebrews. As we've already noted going through this entire book, it consists of a series of arguments that are being made by the author to a mainly Jewish audience, identifying, articulating and magnifying that Jesus Christ is superior. And we've already seen a specific argument in chapter one and a bit chapter two, dealing with Jesus Christ's superiority to the angels, to these celestial beings.
And now as we come to chapter three, we're initially dealing with Christ's superiority to Moses. But what we're actually going to be addressing over the course of the next eight chapters is the most comprehensive argument in Scripture that Jesus is superior to the Mosaic Law. So the first six verses are dealing with Jesus being superior to Moses. But this goes all the way to chapter 10, dealing with Jesus being superior to Moses, the Sabbath, Joshua, covenants, priesthood, all of these different subjects being covered. And it is rich and glorious in the years that we're going to take to work through this.
Now, when it comes to this specific section, the argument being made of Jesus being greater, Jesus being superior to Moses, it doesn't really begin to be an established argument until we get to verse two and specifically verses three to five or six. So today we're not going to be dealing specifically with this contrast between Jesus and Moses. It's good to have this in mind so that we're clear on the context and direction in which the author is going. Today, what we're dealing with is an introduction to the argument, but also a second exhortation to us, the reader.
And what do I mean, the second exhortation? Well, this is only the second time so far in the Book of Hebrews where we are being commanded to do something. If you just go back to chapter two, verse one, where we saw the first command, the first exhortation, where it says, pay much closer attention to what we've heard. So pay much closer attention to what we've heard, what we've studied about the Lord Jesus Christ. And now as we go to chapter three, verse one, we have the second command, the second exhortation, which says, “...consider Jesus…”
That's the second command that is being given in the Book of Hebrews so far, that we are to consider Jesus. So this entire verse, just as we can say this entire chapter, this entire Book of Hebrews, is about the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we consider the words of exhortation about Jesus, what we must be clear is that we do so by being renewed with the truth of God's word in our minds, in our hearts, and we're renewed with the truth of God's word by looking to Jesus, by seeking to grow in the knowledge of Jesus.
And as we look to Jesus, as we consider Jesus, as we are working through books like this, this has changed who we are. This is changing who we are. This has changed where we will end up. That is how significant it is to consider Jesus.
Now, for everybody sitting here that would profess to be a Christian, or even those who maybe don't, but have some degree of understanding about the Bible, commands and exhortations like this... Well, we would expect to see that in the Bible; we would expect sermons to be about Jesus.
But this is why when we deal specifically with these exhortations to consider Jesus, we have to also reconcile where often as Christians, we know we are not doing this. So we know, yes, I should be considering Jesus, but what's the reality? In your daily lives, in your weekly routine, folks, for some professing to be Christians, in your working week that comes ahead, you are a Christian. You've maybe spent a few minutes reading the Bible in the morning, but then you're spending most of your day, your evenings, most of your life not doing this very thing. The Lord Jesus Christ is not front and central in the applications and the way by which you live your life, in your workplace, maybe with your family, in how you prioritise church and other spiritual matters.
Or similarly, another way by which we're not considering Jesus... Maybe we are doing a lot of Christian things; we're involved in a lot of ministries; we're involved in a lot of good biblically grounded causes. But we're so wrapped up in these different issues and causes that we've forgotten we've left behind Christ at the centre of it all.
This is why, brothers and sisters, as complex as the arguments are that we're working through in the Book of Hebrews, the front and central point is absolutely clear and simple for everyone to grasp. And it's stated in these two words: Consider Jesus. That could be one of the ways in which the Book of Hebrews is summarised. And yes, we're finding out in great depth what it means and looks like to consider Jesus. But this is what we must do. This is not a part-time option. This is not something that can be a priority in certain parts of our lives. This is central and foundational to everything in your life. Consider Jesus!
And so this is what we're going to do once more as we work our way through this verse. Because what we're going to be seeing in this verse is it's framed, structured in two sort of parts. The first one, the first part, is dealing with who we are in relation to Jesus. Then we get this exhortation and then at the end we get specific teaching about who Jesus is that we consider.
First of all, we deal with who we are in relation to Jesus. And it begins with the word “Therefore”. Therefore. If we're thinking, consider Jesus, we've been doing a lot of that in chapters one and two in Hebrews. Yes, we have.
What have we already considered? What have we already seen of the Lord Jesus? We've seen that it has been decreed by the living God that in these last days, God would speak through the Lord Jesus. We've seen that the Lord Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, that the Lord Jesus is the One who has made purification for sins. He is the One who is before all things, who has created the world and everything in it. And He is the One who has conquered the sin and death of this world and is risen, exalted, seated on the throne. He is the One for whom it is said, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8).
He is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is greater than these magnificent celestial beings, the angels. Because Jesus Christ is the One who has defeated the evil one. He is the One who brings many sons to glory. He is the One for whom all adoration, all worship, all exaltation is deserving of His precious name. This is what we've already been seeing in the opening two chapters of the book of Hebrews.
When we begin in chapter three with the word “therefore”, it is on the basis of everything that we've unpacked so far in this book. So this is quite a mighty and majestic “therefore”. And it goes on to say, “Therefore, holy brothers,” (Hebrews 3:1) now speaking, addressing the reader, the predominantly Jewish Christian audience, but also this is in the word of God addressed to us here this evening. And how are we described? Well, we're described as holy brothers. Now, the word holy is often in Scripture translated as saint in the New Testament. And this is what we are, we're saints. This is a theological and spiritual truth. And the reason why we are saints is because we have been inwardly renewed. We are spiritually born-again, and therefore we are outwardly consecrated.
So take a moment to think what this spiritual reality means in your life. You have been inwardly renewed. The Lord Jesus Christ has done something. There's been a transformation in who you are which sets you apart from the world in its enmity to God; but you have been born again. And so, therefore, as a born-again Christian, you are outwardly consecrated, set apart by God and set apart for God. That's where the word sanctified, sanctification comes from. This is the basis for which and how we live our lives. This is why, as Christians, we are called to glorify God. And we know that this is an exhortation that rings true in the heart of the Christian because you are inwardly renewed. You have been changed, Christian, changed for a purpose. And God is that purpose. He is the One for whom you've been outwardly consecrated. The world is pulling in one direction and by the grace of God, you have been turned from that. You are no longer pulling in that direction. You have a new spiritual identity. And that identity is that you are holy, you are saints.
So, for example, you ever hear someone saying in a church context, or you find yourself saying, well, hey, I'm no saint, yes, you are. And it is not because you have been found to be especially righteous. The foundation of the gospel, looking to the Lord Jesus, is knowing how vile and wretched we are in our sin, and that it is only by Christ, by His saving blood, that we are inwardly renewed. And upon this foundation, the glory of the gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ, who we're exhorted here to consider. Because of this, you are saved. Christ is the reason. So let's not make a mockery of the gospel. Let's magnify its reality because we are the church. We are this bride that Christ came for, that He suffered, bled and died for. And we are cherished in His sight. We are holy and beloved, therefore we are saints. And this is how we're addressed here, therefore, holy brothers, therefore saints.
And what does it go on to say to us as saints? It says, “…you who share in a heavenly calling...” You who share in a heavenly calling. Now, it's interesting when we consider the word calling in Scripture, often rightfully, when we deal with teaching, preaching, on being called on the Lord's calling, our focus is upon salvation. The Lord calls us by name, by His grace, upon the saving work that Christ has done on the cross, our focus is salvation. We are called by God for His purpose. And we don't often consider it in the realm of the heavenly calling, but we should. Because when you were called by the grace of God through the saving blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, what is that calling for? It is for God. And where does that mean you will go? It's heaven. That's what you've been called for; tonight, as you sit here worshipping together as the Church of Jesus Christ. What is this a foreshadowing and pointing towards, what we will enjoy in heaven with our God? That is what He has secured for us brothers and sisters. And it is perfect.
This phrase “heavenly”, appears often in the book of Hebrews. And every time the word heavenly appears in the book of Hebrews, it is associated with God's perfect order. We have heavenly calling here. There's also the terms heavenly Jerusalem and heavenly home. And that is it, the reality for the Christian. What a comfort and joy this is. To take time in these moments now to know that whatever we face, whatever we endure, whatever we're suffering, whatever maybe we're holding onto in this world, what awaits us is eternity in glory with our God, which, as we've considered in Second Corinthians in recent months, will be no more sickness, disease, suffering and death. It will be being with our great and most glorious Lord. What a joy that is.
This is what has been prepared for us. Now this is something in the context of Hebrews. The Jewish Christians needed to grasp because one of the hang-ups that they had was that they were so busy clinging on to earthly rituals and Old Testament practices as we would understand them. But as we're going to see in the upcoming chapters, we don't anymore hold on to any of these man-made things as sacred and as purpose, meaning they were in a certain context because we have the real thing.
We have the real thing which is heaven. And Jesus literally said this in John 14:2-3, “In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have not told you that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” These are the words of the Lord Jesus. He has prepared a place for you. That's what He came to do in dying on the cross for sinners. We, the church of Jesus Christ, being these sinners, He was preparing a place for you. That place is in heaven, that is with Him. He will bring you to where He is in the loving warmth of His embrace. And that is in heaven, in the room that has been prepared for you undeserving sinner saved by His blood. That is what has been prepared. That is the heavenly calling that we can look forward to.
And that's why it is a focus and an emphasis in the New Testament. Philippians 3:14-15, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way and if anything of you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” Here it says, I press on to the goal of the prize of the upward call. What is the upward call? Well, it goes on in Philippians 3:20, “But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” That's our upward call. It's our heavenly call. It's our heavenly citizenship with the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
Now let me ask you, do you hold on to the earthly when we have the heavenly? Where are we this evening knowing by Whom we have been saved and for Whom we have been saved and set apart? Because we've been saved and set apart for the Ultimate Reality of our heavenly existence. And this is why in Colossians 3:1-3 it says, “If then you have been raised with Christ. Seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” This is the upward heavenly call. And it is the call that is placed upon those who are saved by the blood of Christ. It doesn't stop when you get saved by the grace of God. It doesn't stop by the grace of God when you die. Because we know that our dying here on this earth is simply falling asleep and going to that eternal destination that Christ Himself has prepared for you. That is our eternal calling. It is the heavenly calling that we share it.
So this is who we are in relation to because of Christ. And so therefore, holy brothers, saints who share in a heavenly calling, we are exhorted, we are commanded to consider Jesus. Consider Jesus. Now, this word consideration has a few different but related meanings from the Greek in the New Testament. So it can mean behold or perceive or to arrive at a fuller knowledge. So to consider could mean to behold or to perceive or to arrive at a fuller knowledge. So that is what is being called of the Christian in this verse.
Now, some people may read these exhortations and think, first of all, well, isn't it the unbelievers, those who don't know Jesus, who should be considering Jesus, who should be beholding Jesus? Well, absolutely. This isn't a passage that's dealing specifically with the call to evangelise. But yes, people need to know the Lord Jesus Christ. People need to hear the gospel. So we are commanded elsewhere in Scripture to go forth and proclaim the good news. That is absolutely an application. We long to see sinners being saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. So yes, with our words we proclaim the gospel, but also what is the witness of our lives? This is an exhortation to the Church, to Christians, to consider Jesus. And even in relation to what the world is knowing and seeing, is the world knowing and seeing a group of professing Christians who look like the world or who are considering Jesus and being shaped according to the truth of God's word?
This is the challenge. This is what we are exhorted to do, to consider the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a call to consider Jesus by beholding the One whose life we look to and remember in any situation. For He is on the throne and He is the Lord of our lives.
Now note this. We behold, we perceive. We're considering Jesus in every situation because He is the One who is on the throne. He is Lord over all. He is Lord of your life. He is the Lord of your life tomorrow morning as you go into work. He is the Lord of your life as you deal with the mundane circumstances in your family home. He is the Lord of your life when the next crisis situation occurs. So, we behold, consider Jesus for this reason. And also as we flesh this out, in beholding Jesus, we are beholding the One whose teachings can shape our morality, our sense of right and wrong in situations. We are to behold the One whose life and example we look to, looking to His character and His conduct. We are to fill our minds more with the Lord Jesus Christ as we think about Him more, as we dwell on Him by the grace of God, this brings about a supernatural change.
Now, do we believe this? Do we believe that as we think about, as we consider Christ, that this will bring a renewing of our minds, an ongoing shaping, changing, maturing of the very lives that we live? Because our thoughts, our attitudes, our daily routines, they are shaped, driven, governed more by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how increasingly all-encompassing the Lord Jesus Christ becomes in the heart, in the life of the Christian. It shapes our very identity. It shapes our very lives. Is this what you long for this evening, Christian? That your life would permeate the richness, the beauty, the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? That you have a deepening assurance in Him, that your mind is being increasingly occupied by Him?
Think about these things, the things in your life that changes you. Because we've got so many examples of miserable Christianity all around us, where we're eaten up by rituals, by right practices, needing to do things in a certain way. But we don't have Christ. And this is the problem. Where is the joy of knowing and walking with the Lord Jesus? Where is the joy in knowing that He is gracious and compassionate, that creates grace and compassion towards our fellow brothers and sisters? Where is the drive that it creates in us to proclaim the excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ to this lost and broken world?
If you want to get church, family, work, or any sphere of your life, right, precise, biblically-clear, then it is by considering Jesus. Without Jesus, it is utterly pointless. And it is certainly the opposite of God-honouring and God-glorifying - Jesus must be at the centre of it all. And this is exactly what is being exhorted in this verse. With everything that's been wrapped up in the first two chapters of this book, with everything we're going to be drawing out of the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Mosaic Law, we consider Jesus.
And so as we come to the final part of this verse, what do we find? We find a very brief, short, pointed summary of the Lord Jesus Christ. So far, it's been who we are in relation to Christ, the exhortation to consider Christ. Now we have more teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, where it goes on to say the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. Now we might be wondering, well, why Apostle and High Priest? So many things could be written about Christ.
But let me explain why there's a completeness about these two declarations about Jesus. By declaring that He is the Apostle and High Priest, this means Jesus is the Word from God and that Jesus is the way to God. He comes to this earth as the Apostle, He is the Word from God. He is that Word. And He comes as the High Priest, He is the way to God.
Think about where we are in our lost and cut-off state. There is the One true, majestic, mighty and glorious God. And we are so far, so alienated from God in our sin. And who is it that we need? Well, we need God. And we need God to come, to bring us to where He is - this heavenly calling. This is the Lord Jesus as Apostle and as High Priest.
Now, as you will likely be aware, both of these declarations require much in-depth teaching. And especially the subject of Jesus as High Priest is something we will be dealing with in much depth as we work our way through these chapters. So what we're doing in these minutes is just introducing these glorious truths first. Then when we have Jesus being described as the Apostle in John 13:16, it says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent Him.”
Brothers and sisters, Jesus is the Messenger having been sent by His Father. And the Gospel of John is full of this focus of Christ having been sent by His Father. John 20:21, Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so, I am sending you.” Jesus is the Messenger. He is the One who has been sent. That's what this word apostle means.
But let's be under no illusion, as if to think, oh well, he's just another one of the ones sent. We've got apostles in the Book of Acts. They're very special. Why are they special? Because they were commissioned by the One that they saw. The Risen and Exalted One, which was the Lord Jesus Christ. As we've already considered in the book of Hebrews, Jesus Christ is not simply the next in a long line of prophets. He is the Prophet; He is the Word; He is the Apostle. That is who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Because this word is now spoken through Jesus. Jesus is this Word which is revealed in all its glory and all its fullness. That's what we have wrapped up in the declaration that He is the Apostle.
And also we then read that He is the High Priest. He is the High Priest. Now, just as we see apostle means messenger, this term priest means basically, it's like a sort of bridge builder. And this is what Christ has done. The bridge is built to bring a togetherness between us and God. That's what Jesus secures, because He has come to where we are as the representative of God to His people. He comes as the Apostle to represent God to His people. He comes as the High Priest to represent His people, us, to God. And He does this by becoming the sacrifice for sinners. So He comes to reveal God by coming to this earth as the Apostle. And in coming to this earth, He lays down His life. His blood is shed. He is the sacrifice. And so therefore He can represent the people He has shed His blood for to God.
Now think about this. At the beginning, we are cut off. We are alienated from God. We can't in any way, in our own works, our own sense of righteousness, be able to get to heaven to be acceptable before God. So what has God decreed? He has decreed that He will send His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle, to where we are. This is God clothed in human flesh, coming to us, coming to represent God to this people. But this people are far from God. And so what Christ does is He lays down His life on the cross for this people, this undeserving people, which is the Church. This is the Gospel. And because of His blood shed on the cross, because of His sacrifice on the cross, because of His death and resurrection and ascension, He is now seated on the throne as our intercessor. And He represents us, the Church before God. Isn't this glorious?
This is why you are called saints. This is how you can have a heavenly calling. Because of Jesus Christ and what He has done and what He has secured for you. And if you do not have the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord and the Saviour of your life this evening, then you are cut off from God and you are destined for hell. It is literally this black and white. It is the contrast between light, which is Christ, and darkness, which is a separation from Christ. And this is why the verse ends by saying, “…the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” And this is what is required by the grace of God, by the Spirit of God doing a regenerating work in the hearts of undeserving sinners. We are called to repent and believe the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to confess with our lips upon the belief we have in our hearts that Jesus Christ is Lord. As we saw earlier from Romans 10:9, “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.”
Is this your confession here this evening? Do you confess with your lips that Jesus Christ is Lord? And as we thought about with the exhortation to consider Jesus, this doesn't mean treating Jesus like a big part player in your life. So many people who've made their commitment or their recommitment or they've bundled up an altar call once upon a time. They live as though Jesus is just a fashion accessory, or as if he's something to pull out when we're desperate or something for a Sunday morning, but not the rest of our week. Brothers and sisters, our confession is that we are vile and wretched sinners in desperate need of His grace. And the only way that we can be saved is by repenting of our sin and believing in Christ as the Lord and Saviour of our lives. This is the Gospel, and this is what we confess. This is what has changed our lives, and this is the means by which we consider Jesus. It is all-encompassing and it is transformative.
And it's why Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” We do not waver. When the storms come, when the trials and afflictions are what we face in our lives, we know and we consider Jesus. He is the Lord of your life in the greatest pain and in the greatest joy. He is the Lord of your life in any and every circumstance. You know your heavenly calling. You are a saint because you've been inwardly renewed and outwardly consecrated. Because Jesus Christ is the Apostle and High Priest, and He is the One that we consider and look to. He is everything in our lives, our lives, which belong to Him.
And this is what it means here in Hebrews 3:1. “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus…” Consider Jesus. Behold, perceive Jesus, “…the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.”