Would you turn to Hebrews chapter
three? I have entitled this message.
What is a Christian? And that is answered in this
verse of scripture, I'm getting ready to read. This tells us
of Jesus disciples. and their doctrine. What is a
Christian? Hebrews 3, verse 1, Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, Consider the apostle and high
priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. What is a Christian? And the only way to answer that
is from the Bible. No other answers are any good. And there are many scriptures
that give us a clear definition of what a Christian is. I thought
of 1 Peter 2, 9, where Peter said, you are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you should
show forth the praises of him that called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light. That's a beautiful definition
of a Christian and I thought of Revelation chapter 17 verse
14 where it says they that are with him speaking of the Lord
who is the Lord of lords and king of kings they that are with
him are called chosen and faithful it's a good definition of a Christian
isn't it called chosen and faithful. I believe our text is a beautiful
definition of what a Christian is. Wherefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high
priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. Now, the first word I'd
like for us to look at is the word wherefore. A Christian is
a wherefore. The word wherefore has to do
with the source and the cause. And, Clare, you helped me a lot
when you read that passage of Scripture, when you got to that
part in Philippians chapter 2 where it says, therefore, after what
he done, therefore God hath highly exalted him. And I like the way
you said that, because of that. Because of that, God hath highly
exalted him. Now, a Christian is a because
of that. And you can see that in Hebrews
chapter 2, why they are Christians. This gives the reason why a Christian
is a Christian. And we have to begin here, the
cause of a believer. Now look in verse 9, chapter
2. Just let me read these verses.
We looked at these last week. But this is why a Christian is
a Christian. But we see Jesus who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. crowned
with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man, for every one of his own, who all those
men are. It's not talking about every man with that exception,
but the men who are defined in this passage of scripture. Let's
go on reading. 4. It became him for whom are
all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons
unto glory. to make the captain or the source,
the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. That's
why they're Christians. He died for them. For both he
that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one.
Here's why they're Christians. Because they're one with him.
He sanctified them. He's made them holy. And they're
his little brothers, for the which cause he's not ashamed
to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto
my brethren in the midst in the midst of the church where I sing
praise unto thee, and again I'll put my trust in him, and again
behold I and the children which God hath given me." They're Christians
because God gave them to Christ. They're the elect. Verse 14,
"'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, that he took on him the seed
of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be
made like unto his brethren." The reason I'm a Christian is
because he was made like me. He took flesh, he was made sin
on the cross, because he was made like me as my merciful and
faithful high priest was going, reading, He had behooved him
to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation,
to make propitiation, to remove God's reason for anger for the
sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered,
being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
Now, because of that, wherefore? Because of that, holy brethren. Now that is what God calls every
single believer. What is a Christian? He said
because of that, because of what God has done, but because of
what Christ has done, he is a holy brethren. Because of their source,
every believer is holy. Holy. David said, I can't remember
which psalm it is, he said, I'm holy. I used to get so disturbed
whenever I'd read that. I'm holy because I don't feel
very holy. I don't feel holy. Yet, am I to believe the Bible's
telling the truth when it calls me a holy brethren? If God says I'm holy, I'm holy. I'm a holy brethren." You see,
every believer was set apart before time began to be holy. According as he has chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be what? Holy and without blame before
him. When Christ died on the cross,
I was declared by God to be holy. Hebrews 10 says that he had by
this one offering forever sanctified. Sanctified. I'm sanctified. I'm
declared by God to be holy. By the witch's will, we are sanctified,
declared by God to be holy through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. You see, Christ paid for my sins.
He made me holy. And every believer is made holy
in the new birth when God the Holy Spirit gives them a holy
nature, a new nature that was not there before, a holy nature. Now, let me tell you, what this
holy nature is. It's a nature in every believer
that says and means, thy will be done. That's true of every single believer. Thy will be done, whatever it
is. Thy will be done. That's the essence of holiness. That's a holy nature. Not my
will. Yeah, I don't want my will to
be done. I really don't. I don't want anything to do with
that. I love what one lady who was
dying, a preacher came to her and said, well, do you want to
live or die? And she said, well, I just want
the Lord's will to be done. And he said, well, I know that,
but if you had your will, what would you want? She said, well,
I'd want the Lord's will to be done. And that's the way every believer
truly feels. Thy will be done. That's a holy nature. Every believer
is holy, a brother among many brethren. A Christian is part
of the family of God. God has a family, his son and
all that are united to him. So the first thing a Christian
is, because of what Christ has done for him, he's a member of
the family of God. He is a holy brother. And look what it says next in
our text. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. Now this is a special call of
God, not everybody's call of God, only God's elect, only God's
people. They are partakers of this heavenly
calling. When Paul said, and we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose, he didn't mean
everybody, only those that he calls. Whom he would in Mark
3, 13, you think about this. Heavenly calling, and this is
what gives such significance to the life of every believer,
you've been called by God. That makes that makes you special,
special to God, I know in and of ourselves, we're not special.
But in the Lord Jesus Christ, united to him, one with him,
every believer. has got a high and a holy and
a heavenly calling. It's a sovereign call. Romans
9-11, for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was a
sovereign call. It is a sovereign call. And it's
a gracious call. I love what Paul said in Galatians
115, when he said, Will it please God who separated me from my
mother's womb, and He called me by His grace? Now, when He
called me by His grace, that means He didn't have to find
a reason in me to call me. He didn't call me in response
to something, I'm going to call Him because He's this, that.
No, He did it because He's gracious, because He's gracious. Our God is gracious, and He calls
by His grace. And it's a personal call. Zacchaeus,
make haste. Come down. Today I must abide
in my house. You know, one day he said, Todd.
I didn't hear an audible voice. You know that. But by his spirit
in the gospel, he said, Todd, make haste. Come down. It's always a call down. For
today I must abide in thy house. Do you know he called every one
of his people just like that? A personal call. And it's an effectual call. You
see, when he calls, we can't say no. Lazarus! Come forth! He that was dead came forth. It's always an effectual
call. We're called to be saints. We're
called to peace. We're called to liberty. We're
called to fellowship with Christ. We're called to holiness. We're
called to share in the glory of Jesus Christ. He said, the
glory thou gavest me. I have a hard time with this. I believe it. The glory thou
gavest me, I have given thee. I'm called upon to be a sharer
in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you want to talk
about a high, heavenly, holy calling. Every believer is called
by God partakers of the heavenly calling. Now, let's go back in
our scripture, in Hebrews chapter 3, verse 1. Wherefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high
priest of our profession or confession. Christ Jesus, a Christian, is
a confessor. Every Christian is a confessor. We have a confession. We read that we're to consider
the apostle and high priest of our confession. Now, what's meant
by a confessor? What is meant by confession?
Now, the word Confession means literally to speak the same thing. It's what all believers believe.
You know, they all have the same testimony. Every single one of
them. God's dealt with us in different
ways. I realize that. Some of us were raised up under
the hearing of the truth of the gospel. Some of us were raised
up in false religion. Some of us were raised up in
no religion. We all have different stories to tell in that sense.
And we have different ways that God has dealt with us. But we
all have the same confession. We all confess that God saved
us by His free and sovereign grace. We confess that Christ
is all in salvation. We confess the Apostle and High
Priest of our confession. We're at agreement. You know,
I'm looking at some people who truly are at agreement with me. You agree with what I'm saying,
don't you? You agree that Christ is all and man is nothing. You
agree that he gets all the glory and salvation. You agree that
in and of yourself, you're nothing but a sinner. You're not offended
by that. You say, yep, that's the truth.
That's the truth regarding me. There's agreement. When we confess,
we admit to guilt. Guilty as charged. I love what
Paul said in Acts 24, 14. He said, This I confess to thee,
I confess guilty as charged, after the way which they call
heresy. So worship I, the God of my Father,
believing all things which are written in the law and in the
prophets. To confess is to declare openly. Our Lord said, Who shall confess
me before men? Him will I confess before my
Father which is in heaven, and whoso shall deny me before men,
him will I deny before my Father which is in heaven. You see,
when we confess, we confess openly. And to confess is something we
rejoice in. What we confess, as a matter
of fact, the same word confession is sometimes translated as giving
of thanks. What we confess, we're glad it's
that way. When I confess that God is absolutely
sovereign, I'm glad He's absolutely sovereign. When I confess that
Christ is all in salvation, I'm glad Christ is all in salvation.
When I confess that there's only one righteousness, that a sinner's
saved by the righteousness of Christ, I'm glad there's only
one righteousness, a sinner's saved by the righteousness of
Christ. But I know sure as I'm a foot and a half tall that I
have no righteousness in and of myself. I know that. I'm glad.
We rejoice in what we confess. And just what is it we confess? He says in verse three, wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
apostle. And the high priest. Of our confession,
you know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the true apostle. And
we talk about the twelve apostles, and I'm thankful for the twelve
apostles. God used these men to expound the gospel. We have
the writings before us, and I'm very thankful for the twelve
apostles. But you know what the twelve apostles are? They're
men. We just read back in the study
in Psalm 39, that man at his best state is altogether vanity. Now, I'm thankful for the apostles.
God sent them. But here's the apostle I'm truly
thankful for. The word apostle means sent one. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
sent one. He's the one that God sent. And this is what I confess. Our
Lord said in John 17, verse 3, And this is eternal life, that
they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. We confess that God sent him. Turn over to 1 John chapter 4.
Now remember, this is a confession. A believer is a confessor. 1 John chapter 4. Verse 1. Beloved, believe not
every spirit, But try the spirits, test the spirits, talking about
preachers, not talking about bodiless things, it's talking
about preachers there. You test the spirits, whether
they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into
the world. Hereby, know ye the Spirit of
Christ, every spirit that confesseth this open proclamation, pleading
guilty. Every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God, and this is the spirit of Antichrist. Now this is, we confess
he's come in the flesh. Now there's basically three things.
I used to look at that and thought that, sure, you know, is that
a believer's confession? That doesn't seem like there's
that much in that to me. But really, all the gospels in that
statement. Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. First, we confess
He was before He came. We confess the eternal Sonship,
the Deity, Jesus Christ as God. We confess He was before He came. We confess He came in the flesh,
and in making that confession, we confess He did exactly what
He came to do. What did He come to do? Thou
shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from
their sins. He did it. When He said it is
finished, the salvation of everybody that He died for was completely
accomplished. We confess salvation by a crucified
Savior. We confess that He actually saved
He didn't make salvation available. He didn't make salvation possible.
He actually saved everybody he died for, and we confess that.
We confess that he did what he came to do. Every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. Every spirit that doesn't make
this confession, they're not of God. Now, most people believe
his intentions were to save everybody. Isn't that so? If you would listen
to just about every preacher in Lexington, Kentucky, you would
say the intentions of Jesus Christ was to save everybody. Well,
if that were his intentions, he failed miserably. But you know, that wasn't his
intention. He said, this is the will of him that sent me, that
of all which he has given me, I should lose nothing but raise
it up again at the last day. We confess that he did what the
Father sent him to do, and we confess that he is the high priest
of our confession. We confess first he's the apostle,
God sent him, and he did what God sent him to do with our salvationism.
Totally, 100% right there. He did what the Father sent him
to do. And we also confess that he is the high priest of our
confession. Now, a priest is someone who
represents men to God. And I confess Christ as the high
priest of my confession. Now, this priest, the Lord Jesus
Christ, he had a will, he had an intention in his death. He
intended to save all the Father gave him. That's what this high
priest intended to do. And he died. And remember, a
will is not in force. until somebody dies. Now, if
Aubrey plays a card right, that's a bad way to say it, but I'm
going to leave her everything. It might not be much. There she is. You're
going to get it all. But I've got to die first. Until
I die, you get nothing. You just have to be my daughter
and baby and do what I say and all that kind of stuff. I mean,
it's got to stay that way. But when I die, it all goes to
her. But how many people have a will
and die, and their will is contested. And they put it in courts and
people fight and argue over who's going to get what, and it could
be that that one who dies, his will doesn't come to pass. But
this is what is true about our great high priest. He had a will
in his death, the salvation of everybody he represented. He
willed the salvation of Paul, Todd, and Albert. He willed my
salvation. And there's nobody to contest
this will because he was raised again and he ever lives to make
sure his will is done. Nobody can contest his will.
He said, Father, I will that they whom you've given me be
with me where I am, that they may behold my glory for thy loveth
me from the foundation of the world. Now, we have a great high
priest. who ever lives to make intercession
for his people. I love this description of him
in our text, and back to Hebrews chapter 2. This high priest,
we read in verse 17, is a merciful and a faithful high priest. He's
He's faithful to always be merciful. What would happen to you if for
one second he quit being merciful toward you? It'd be over for
you, wouldn't it? But this great high priest is
faithful to always be merciful to his people. And if he represents
you, you're good to go, aren't you? If he owned your name before
the Father, does anything else need to be said? I love to think
that thief on the cross He said, Lord, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. If he remembers my worthless
name, I'm good to go. Now, that's what we confess,
isn't it? We confess he's the sent one of God. He did what
the Father sent him to do. And we confess that he is the
apostle and high priest of our confession. We confess a person,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess him. Now, don't miss
this. Look back at our text in Hebrews,
chapter three, verse one. Wherefore, holy brethren. That's
what a believer is, he's a wherefore. He's a holy brother. He's a partaker
of the heavenly calling. He's a confessor. He confesses
the apostle and high priest of our profession or confession,
Christ Jesus. But note this word. Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. Consider. Consider the apostle and high
priest of our profession, consider now that word means perceive. Clearly. Understand, a Christian
is one who perceives clearly. He's been given some understanding,
a perception that the world is an absolute stranger to. I have
an understanding, if I'm a believer, if I'm a Christian, I've got
an understanding, a perception that the world knows nothing
about. Now, I've got my concordance
out and looked how the word is used in the New Testament, this
thing of considering. And the first thing I came across
was a believer is one who does, in fact, consider the beam. In
his own eye. Remember where the Lord said.
You hypocrites, you. Don't consider the beam in your
own eye and you see the splinter in your brother's eye. A believer
is someone who does consider the beam the log in his own eye. And that makes a believer unable,
by the Spirit of God, by the grace of God, a believer is unable
to look upon himself as morally superior to anybody else. A real believer. He believes
himself to be a sinner. He's got an understanding He's
got a perception of that. And any time he judges somebody,
and we do it plenty when we should, you know, you do it. I do it.
I judge people all the time. And every time I judge somebody,
I hear a voice and you know what it says? Hypocrite. Hypocrite. You see, a believer
has a perception, an understanding that in and of himself, he's
nothing but sin. and is totally dependent upon
the Lord Jesus Christ for all things. A believer is someone
who considers the ravens. Our Lord said, consider the ravens,
how they're fed. They gather not. They don't have
barns to store in, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. A Christian is someone who understands
that everything they have spiritually, materially, emotionally, everything
they have is because of what the Lord has given them. They're
like those ravens. The Lord feeds me. The Lord takes
care of me. I am what I am by the grace of
God. I'm not what I would be by the
grace of God. I'm not what I was by the grace
of God. I'm not what I go on and on. I am what I am by the
grace of God. Now, not only does a Christian
consider the ravens, a Christian is someone who considers the
lilies of the field. Our Lord said, consider the lilies
of the field. They toil not, neither do they
spend, yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these." Now, people generally look at
that in light of the Lord gives us our clothes and our material
things, but I don't really think that's what the Lord's talking
about there. Consider the lilies of the field, how they're clothed.
They tore them up, they don't work, they don't spin. Yet I
say unto you that Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed
like one of these. That's talking about the believer
being arrayed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
my clothing before God. And I have some understanding. I have a perception, a God-given
perception, that Jesus Christ is my righteousness before God. Do you have a perception of that? Every believer does. You see,
believers consider. They have some understanding,
some perception. And I understand that. I love
when the Lord said, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. I know what He's talking about.
I know what Paul was talking about when he said, Oh, that
I may win Christ and be found in Him. When God comes looking
for me, there's one place I want to be found. I want to be found
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not having my own righteousness. which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. That's where I want to be found.
I don't want to be found any other way. I don't want to be
found preaching. You know, it's kind of a romantic thing to think,
boy, we need to be preaching the gospel, all of a sudden God
strikes again and you go, boy, wouldn't that be something, you
know? That's just self-righteousness. That's all that is. I'd like
to be, when God comes, when Christ comes back, wouldn't you like
to be reading your Bible or praying or witnessing? Oh, Paul says,
oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him. I've got some
understanding of that. Consider the lilies, how they
grow. I think of Peter's consideration
of the vision. There in Acts chapter 10, when
that sheep was let down with all kinds of unclean animals,
and the Lord said, rise Peter, kill and eat. And Peter said,
I'm not going to eat anything unclean. I've never eaten anything
like that. And the Lord said, What God hath
cleansed, don't you call common. Our Lord Jesus Christ cleansed
his people from their sins. Don't you call them common? I think of Abraham's perception.
Would you turn with me to Romans chapter four? Verse 17, as it's written, I
have made thee a father of many nations before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things
which be not as though they were, who against hope believed in
hope that he might become the father of many nations according
to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being
not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead. When he's about 100 years old,
neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He didn't consider either
of those things. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, he
was able also to perform. Now, I don't consider my sinfulness
and my inability. If God promised my salvation
through the Lord Jesus Christ, he's able, he's able to do. That's it. That's every believer's
consideration. True, I can't do anything. But
what's that got to do with anything? He can do all things. All things
are possible with God. With God, nothing shall be impossible. The Lord God, through the Lord
Jesus Christ, can take somebody like me or you and make me perfect
in his sight. And if he makes me perfect in
his sight, you know what? Because I am perfect in his sight. Not
positionally, but actually, I am perfect in his sight. And then
in Hebrews 10, we're to consider one another. To provoke unto
love and good works. Look in Hebrews chapter 10, verse
23. Let us hold fast the compassion
of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful to the promise.
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works. Now, we consider one another,
we understand one another, we've got some perception of one another.
You know, I understand you because you're like me. I know a little
bit about myself, and so I know what you're like. You're just
like me. I feel sorry for you. I really
do. I consider that. But I also have
some understanding of who you are in the Lord Jesus Christ. And who you are in Him is who
you really are. That's the real you. A believer has some understanding
of that. I'm looking at some very special people. You don't feel special, but you
are. You're the Lord's people. And
we're to consider one another, have some understanding of one
another. Next time somebody disappoints you, remember you're worse. Don't forget that. Don't forget
that. You're worse. Have a gracious
attitude. Consider one another and provoke
them, not the irritation, but to love and to good works. And most of all, we consider. The apostle. And the high priest
of our confession, we consider we have some understanding of
the sent one. God sent him. He's God. And we really believe he did
what the father sent him to do. That's our confidence. We have
confidence in him. We have confidence that he is
our high priest and that he ever lived to make intercession for
all those who come to God by him. That's our confidence. What is a Christian? Well, he's
a wherefore, he's a because of, because of that, because of what
Christ has done for him. He's a holy brother in the family
of God, truly holy. He's a partaker of the heavenly
calling. He's a confessor. He's one who considers, one who
perceives, one who understands. He's been given an understanding.
He's like that good ground here. Remember what the Lord said about
that good ground here that received the word in a... When he received
the word, the script says, he understood it. He understood
it. I understand. best as I can. I understand that Christ is all
in salvation. I understand that salvation is
all of grace. I understand that I have a great
high priest representing me before the Father, and he is all my
salvation. And I understand that my brothers
and sisters who I truly love are holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, confessors of the Lord Jesus Christ. That
is a Christian. And I'm one of them. I'm one
of them. Let's pray together.