CONSIDER THE LORD JESUS - PART 10

MONDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2024

Our heavenly calling transcends all human aspiration, thoughts, desires, and comprehension. It denotes that we were chosen in Christ unto salvation, and so, the author of Hebrews exhorts us to consider Christ Jesus, who was given to die for us. So responding maximally to a consistent pattern of considering Christ is of pivotal significance, bearing in mind that He mediates a new covenant.

Reference: Hebrews 3:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

"Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession."

The last interrogatory segment revealed Jesus as the apostle and high priest of our confession. How does it apply to today's Christian?

Jesus, being the apostle and high priest of our confession, means that He is the emissary of God and the High Priest, who brought us the faith we profess. He is the supreme authority that represents us in heaven, and vested in Him is the full power and dominion in heaven and on earth.

Jesus is considered as the hope of our faith and eternal glory, meaning that the fullness of the glorious satisfaction of faith we profess is reserved for our future experience in eternity. Beloved, our souls prosper, and are made rich, when we have a clear knowledge of the truth of who Jesus is to us. When we not only believe with the heart, but are ever willing and ready, when required, to make confession of our considered terms and realities about Christ with our mouth, we function as true sharers in a heavenly calling. So our Spirit-led confessions must be rooted in the knowledge of Christ and our faith in Him, which we continually consider in the versified passages of the Scripture, and from the standpoint of His divinely-revealed presence and nature in times of our fellowship with Godhead. Are you with me?

For apostle Paul, his epistolary expressions are the transcribed form of his considerations about the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is in sync with or inextricable from the characteristics and memory bank of his mindset. In other words, it became part of the cache in His thought pattern. To that effect, he cultivated a self awareness of the gospel he proclaimed in accordance with Jesus' frame of reference. That's the main reason you hear "my gospel" in his sermonic conversations. To instantiate this verity, he stated in Romans 16:25, "Now to Him who is able to establish you in accordance with MY GOSPEL, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past..." (NIV).

We cannot disconnect ourselves and our manner of Christian living from the considerations we have established in our mental faculty about the Lord Jesus Christ. In the bodily exploration of the Word of truth, the knower - and - the process of knowing Jesus are always inseparable with considerations and contemplation of Him. Hence, pressing on in considering the Lord produces strong faith, promotes our self-esteem, and delivers a visible heartfelt earnestness seen or perceived in our good works.

In my riveting conclusion of this topic, I want us to look into further consideration of the Lord Jesus based on Hebraic awakening indication of our referenced Scripture, but in this case, in accordance with the New Living Translation:

"And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God's messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God's entire house. But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself" (Hebrews 3:1-3 NLT).

I believe the above versified reference is self-explanatory. However watch this: There are two more important significances embedded in the aforementioned passage: Firstly, although both of them were faithful to their missions towards God who sent them, we value Jesus more than Moses, in the same way we value a builder more than the house he builds.

Secondly, Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. In both significances, you will notice that the versified sentence is not far from the possibility of superiority. Somebody was considered superior to the other and that is the Lord Jesus Himself. Hallelujah! And indeed, the process of building a spiritual house which is the body of Christ is inseparable from the missional goal of an apostle and High priest (see 1 Peter 2:5), and Jesus' result analyses, as well as His correctness analysis are superior to that of Moses.

Hence, as our great high priest, He is better than Moses, because He created everything we see. As our advocate, He is better than Aaronic priesthood, because His atoning sacrifice was once for all times. And more so, He is better than the law, because He mediates a far better covenant. Beloved, there is more to gain in considering Christ than just receiving Him as Saviour and Lord. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Romans 3:24-26; Hebrews 9:21-28; 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:10-14.

Exuberant Declaration:

I continually acknowledge and confess that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of my confession, is supremely high-powered in the realm of glory, as the Lord of all. Blessed be God!