Would you turn to the book of
Hebrews chapter 3? Hebrews chapter 3. I'm going to just look at the
first verse. When this book began, Hebrews
1.1, it said that God at sundry times and in diverse manners
He spake unto the fathers by the prophets. He did it in different
ways, different times. But He hath in these last days
spoken unto us by His Son. Now, that truth ought to arrest
our heart and mind to this question. How is it, Lord, that you have
spoken? Now, we know the answer to that
question is through His Word. He speaks through His Word. Now
this Word is a letter, books, written by the hand of men but
inspired by the Spirit of God. This is the Word of God. All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God. So we know that this
Word is God's Word. Now this is what
I pray tonight. I want to read this first verse. I want to read Hebrews 3.1 and
then I want to make a few comments on it. Wherefore, what do you
mean Paul? Wherefore, what is that Someone
has said, what is it there for? What does it mean? What do you
say? Well, going back to Hebrews 2.14, it says, For as much then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. and deliver
them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject
to bondage. For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, and to make reconciliation for the sins of
the people. For in that he himself has suffered
being tempted, he is able to succor comfort them that are
tempted. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of
our profession Christ Jesus." Now, the word in that passage,
in that verse that really I would pray that the Holy Spirit might
give us some understanding and also the ability to do is the
word consider. Consider. We're never in greater company
than when we're alone with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you know
that. The heart of this passage right
here is one that I think is set forth or light is given of
when Mary sat at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and she
didn't say anything. She heard His Word. She mused upon what He said. She just sat there and she thought
upon, considered, That in itself is a great, great blessing. But that is something that we
are just not able of ourselves to do. Unless the Spirit of God
gives us heart to do that, we have so much that clouds our
mind. Things that just come up. We're
plagued. We're cumbered. That's what Brother
Scott was just talking about. No more trouble. No more confusion. No more trials. No more sin. All of that passage that I read,
for as much then as the children were takers of flesh and blood,
he likewise Let me ask you this. How many times have we heard
that? I'll tell you, we've heard it
to the point that often we just let it just go right over our
heads as if we just didn't care. I'm just being honest with you. And for a believer, it grieves
them because they don't consider as they ought. To be just taken
up. I'm talking about, wouldn't it
be wonderful to be able to be taken up? Taken up with Him who
is the Apostle and High Priest. To sit there and to muse upon
and to enter into such thoughts of wonder Grandeur and your heart
just, you know, burned with affection. Listen to these blessings. Wherefore,
holy brethren... Now here, he's talking to the
objects of God's mercy and grace. Those eternally loved and chosen
by God the Father and given to the Lord Jesus Christ. What a
secret! There is a God in heaven that
reveals secrets. That is one. Possessors of the imputed righteousness
of Christ, holy brethren, chosen to be holy, sanctified, set apart
as holy objects of God's mercy. The only difference in This lump
and another lump is the grace of God. Just think on that for a minute.
Just consider. Just don't say anything. Just, O Holy Spirit, help me
to do that. Because I'm telling you, I'm
going to think of something else. There will be something that
will enter into my mind and it will just Holy Brethren, for takers of
the heavenly calling, the heavenly calling, that holy
calling, that powerful calling, we will sit here and stop and
just think for a second now. Consider this. God Almighty has
called you by grace. God Almighty has given you a
new heart. God Almighty has given you a
new mind. He's written His law. He says upon your heart, law of faith. And He's revealed something to
you. I'm your God and you're my people. Just consider that. Consider
that. Peter says in 1 Peter 2.9, you're
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
peculiar, a purchased people that you should show forth the
praises, the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light. The Spirit of God called you
inwardly through outwardly preached message and blessed that message
to your understanding and gave you a heart that loves God. You now possess a love for Him
that you didn't possess before, a knowledge of Him. This is life
eternal that they may know thee. I'm not talking about knowing
about Him. It's a personal. When you call
upon the Lord, you're speaking to one that you know. Consider. Muse upon. Ponder. Ponder. the Apostle and High Priest of
our profession, Christ Jesus. Now here's what we're pondering. Here's what we're doing as a
body right here, just sitting and individually sitting just
like Mary sat at His feet and just listened, thought on, considered. Isn't it wonderful to think upon
one that you love? Just to think on them. Consider
them. Think about them. Consider. Weigh the dignity as
the Spirit of God teaches us through the Scriptures. Lord,
help me to consider. Help me just to consider the apostle of our profession. Now, here's what we want to consider. He is the ambassador from God. He's God's prophet. He's God's
apostle. He's the messenger and the message. He has come to proclaim Himself. We preach Christ. We preach Him. He preached Himself. He was a
preacher, a preacher, a prophet from God. Just consider, there was a woman at the well. The Lord said, I must go through
Samaria. There was a woman there and he
came to this well. The Lord was sitting there being
wearied, the Scripture says in John 4. This woman walked up to him and
the Lord said, give me to drink. And she said, How is it that
you being a Jew ask of me, a Samaritan? Jews don't have anything to do
with Samaritans. How is it that you ask me to give you drink? And listen to the words of our
Lord as He spoke to this woman. Then, John 4.10, then Jesus answered
and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God. Now here is
the consideration of the Apostle, the Apostle of our profession.
If you knew this is who He is, what are we considering about
Him? He is the gift of God. If thou knewest the gift of God
and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst
have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water,
if you considered, if you would muse upon, think
upon, realize if you knew the gift of God. This is what I'm
saying. Just muse for just a minute. Realize this. Lord, help me to
realize that God Almighty has given the Lord Jesus Christ the
gift of heaven to His people by faith. Consider Him, God Almighty,
the angel of the Lord, the angel of the covenant, the bread of
life, the chief cornerstone upon which the whole building of His
people, His temple, His church, His bride is built, built upon
Him, squared up on Him. Everything is off of Him. Consider the apostle. Consider
the one who came. He's the door. He's Emmanuel. He's the Lamb. He's the Messiah. He's our Passover,
our rock, our Savior. Wait. He's the faithful witness
of God. He told the Father Himself. praying in John 17. This is what
he said concerning giving the witness. Now remember,
he's the prophet. He's the one that spoke from
God to us. John 17, 6-8, I've manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine
they were, and thou gavest them me. And they kept thy word." Oh,
I'm telling you when I read that and I think, Lord, help me to do that. They have known that all things
whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given
unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received
them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they
have believed that thou didst in me." Consider that God has
spoken in His Son. God has spoken in Son. Just consider that. Just stop
for just a minute and realize. Consider the Apostle. And then
secondly, consider the High Priest of our profession. Consider that there is One. There
is truly One. We read of Him. We consider Him. We think on Him. But just stop
for just a minute. He's real. He's real. Somebody said, well,
sure He's real. That takes God to teach you that. The Lord told Peter, He said,
flesh and blood didn't teach you that. You're the Christ. Flesh and blood didn't teach
you that. Man by nature does not believe that He is. They've got a Jesus that they've
created in their mind, a God that they've created in their
mind. They've got a gospel that they've created, which is not
the gospel of God. There is a high priest, and we
need a high priest. We need for one to approach God
for us. We need one that can approach
God, that God has appointed, and that God will accept, and
that can approach Almighty God wholly. That Almighty God, for His sake,
for the priest's sake, accepts All that the priest represents. I cannot approach God, myself,
without a priest. I must have a priest. God will
only be approached in a priest. In Hebrews, let me read chapter
7, Hebrews 7, verse 23 and 24. They, that is the priest in the
Old Testament, truly were many priests because they were not
suffered or allowed to continue by reason of death. But this
man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. If your margin tells you what
that means, which passeth not from one to another. Wherefore, He is able also to
save them to the uttermost evermore that come unto God by Him, seeing
He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Here's what we realize,
and just consider. One came from God to speak to
us, to tell us of God's demand, God's counsel, God's will, God's
purpose. And in that revelation from God,
this is what he told all that he came to save. I've ever loved you. I've stood
for you. I live for you, died for you.
And now on his own merit, this high priest has made an offering
unto the Father. And here's the offering. accepted
by the Father, his own blood, he ever liveth to make intercession. This is what was demanded, obedience. And our great high priest, who
was made like unto his brethren, obeyed God, lived for Him and died for Him,
being made sin, and entered into the Holy of
Holies. After he rose from the dead, I believe you're right, Neil,
on that. We talked about it. When Mary couldn't touch him,
he said, You can't touch me. But later, Thomas did. Somewhere
in that, he entered in, I truly believe, entered into the Holy
of Holies, presented it. Whenever he did it, he did it.
and presented that blood, entered in. God accepted him. Almighty God, the high priest,
gives merit to that office. As a man, he is a proper representative
of the people. He died for his people, buried
for his people, raised for his people. ascended into heaven
for His people. I want you to consider this in
closing. Scripture says often He prayed all night. There was a time when He was
in this world and as the representative of His people, He lived by faith
exactly as they live, as they must live, just live by faith. And he prayed often all night. Now while you find yourself trying
to pray, and while you find yourself as you try to pray struggling
on what to say because the Scripture says we don't know what to say. You consider that there's One
who's praying for you right now that ever liveth to make intercession
for you. And He's heard of the Father.
And for His sake, Almighty God hears that intercessory prayer Almighty God who beholds that
blood that ever liveth, God Almighty in human flesh right now intercedes
for His people. And God Almighty will forever
accept them in the Beloved. He ever liveth to make intercession. for you. Consider. Just stop
and consider. One came from God to speak from
God to us, and one now approaches God as our great High Priest. And you and I had nothing to
do with any of it. It was all of grace for His honor,
for His glory, His praise, and for our good. Amen.