Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. – Hebrews 3:1-2.
The longer I walk with the Lord, the more at rest I am in the Lord. But I’m not talking about a lethargic kind of apathy, the rest to which I’m referring causes me to step out in victory and to walk with my Father confidently while abiding in Christ Jesus.
Keep in mind that the Book of Hebrews was written to Christians who had come out of a Hebrew, or Jewish, culture. They were believers in Christ; they were converted to Christ; they recognized Jesus as Messiah—but as the years went on, these Hebrew Christians were being drawn back to Judaism. After all, in Jerusalem they could see the temple. They could hear the trumpets. They could smell the incense. And the pull of tradition, nostalgia, and memories had to have been a strong one.
“Don’t go back,” the author of this book is writing. “Even though it’s tempting, even though traditions have a powerful pull, keep the foundation of your faith basic. Keep it focused. Keep it simple. It’s Jesus—nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.” That is why he says in chapter 3, “Consider the Apostle of our profession.” The word “apostle” means “sent one,” and upon reading this, the mind of the Jewish reader would immediately race to the Apostle of Israel, the one sent to deliver them from the bondage of Egypt.
Moses was an apostle in the truest sense of the word. He was sent by the Lord, on a mission for the Lord. “Thus saith the Lord, Let My people go,” he declared to Pharaoh. Almost everyone knows the story. This leader, this “apostle,” Moses, led a congregation of approximately three million Jews to the steps of the Promised Land.
Notice that they are told to consider not only the apostle, but the High Priest of their profession. Upon reading this, most Jewish minds would consider the first high priest, Moses’ older brother, Aaron. So beginning in chapter 5 of Hebrews, the author reminds his audience that not only did Moses fail to enter the Promised Land but Aaron also failed to enter in as well even though he was God’s chosen high priest.
It would be natural for anyone to be thinking, “I wonder if I will do the same thing to this great Apostle and High Priest, Jesus Christ.”
I’ve been a Christian for over fifty years, and as I look back on my life year after year, and I remember myself murmuring, as I remember my poor attitudes, as I succumbed to temptation and sin, my first thought is to say, “At over fifty years old in the faith, I should be a lot further along than I am. No doubt I’m frustrating my Great High Priest and Apostle Jesus Christ much more than the children of Israel frustrated Moses and Aaron. I wouldn’t be surprised if any day now, He’s bound to say, “How long is it going to take for you to get it right? I’m out of here.” But such is not the case, as I can attest. So, look at our text:
Who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. – Hebrews 3:2.
So, to whom is our High Priest faithful? Not to you or me, not to our congregation or denominations. He is faithful to the One who appointed Him. He is faithful to His and our Heavenly Father.
The overwhelming majority of Christians think that God the Father was and is holy, awesome and powerful, and so He is. But He was also understandably very angry. So Jesus shed His blood on the Cross, went to Heaven, and more or less said, “It’s okay, Father. Here’s My blood. It’s everything is satisfied now.”
Jesus did not come primarily for you or me although we benefited. He came to do the will of His Father. And understand this, it was the Father’s will to save us, to restore a broken relationship with His creation.
Biblical Christianity is not really about us, though we are in mind. It’s not about our prayers, or lack of them. It’s not about our devotion. It’s not about whether we’re good or bad, obedient or disobedient. It’s not about where we go or don’t go, what we do or don’t do. It’s about Jesus’ faithfulness to His Father. All of our failures only make His ministry to the Father that much more impressive.
You might be asking, “If that’s true, and if my relationship with God is not about my prayer life, my worship, my anointing, my ministry, then how do I fit in at all? Am I just a pawn, just a piece of the Lord’s eternal puzzle?”
For the answer, let’s consider what John wrote:
“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” – John 17:23.
What if we could really believe that the Father loves us as much as He loves His own Son? We would pray with confidence. We wouldn’t have to prove anything to Him or to ourselves. We would be at peace, at rest! We would find ourselves praying more. We would truly study the Word more. We would worship more—not to earn spiritual brownie points, but just to find joy in our the relationship with our Father.
Our Apostle and High Priest, Jesus Christ, will not fail and has not failed—no matter how many times we do or have—because His ministry is to the Father. The Father loves the Son and those who abide in His Son!
The real question is, are you abiding in the Son and have you made your life about Him?
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Someone has said very aptly: “Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.” First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.
