"Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.." (Heb 3:1 NET)
Take note, be aware, of not just anything but Jesus. Take note how our High Priest lived whilst on earth. Why?...because we are partners with Him in a heavenly calling. Jesus came from the eternities or eternities to, as Hebrews teaches, bring "the message of salvation", and those who heard the message and communicated it, "God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will." (Heb 2:4 NET)
How could his be?...because "Jesus....now crowned with glory and honour....suffered death, so that by God's grace, he would experience death on behalf of everyone" (Heb 2:9 NET) so that, "both He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one," (Heb 2:11 KJV)
Did you catch that..."all of one"? Through His death, we are all made of one. That means the same, united, undivided, of the same origin, born from above, sons and daughters of the Most High God, called to be partners with God our Father, acting as one unit, to the heavenly calling as Jesus did.
How amazing that God our Creator, who made us "flesh and blood", should "likewise share in our humanity," (Heb 2:14) and that "through death He could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is the devil)." Because Jesus shared in the experience of our humanity, He qualifies as a compassionate and understanding High Priest before God our Father, for "He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted."
Incredible that Jesus suffered temptation but remained without sin. He was obedient to His call and remained obedient to His Father with whom He had a loving, intimate relationship. Jesus said in John's gospel that those who love Him obey His commands and this principle was clearly demonstrated in His own obedient relationship with God. Jesus testified of Himself, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his miraculous deeds." (Jn 14:10) and again, in case you missed it, "For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak." (Jn 12:49) Jesus only did and said what His Father commanded because out of their love and respect relationship, they moved as one unit with one heart and mind, to love on and bring healing and restoration to children who had gone astray.
So Jesus was fully obedient to the Father and because He "loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, so God, your God has anointed you over all your companions with the oil of rejoicing." (Heb 1:9). Obedience brings the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit to play in our lives even as it did in Christ's life.
Hebrews 3 talks of the faithfulness of our High Priest to God's calling, "faithful to the One who anointed Him." "But Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house. We are His house, if in fact we hold firmly to our confidence and to the hope we take pride in." (Heb 3;6)
So all of this is pointing to the fact that we too need to be faithful and obedient to the call on our lives, for as children of the Most High, and brothers and sisters in Christ, we too have a commission from heaven.
Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.The one who believes and is baptised will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; they will pick up snakes with their hands, and whatever poison they drink will not harm them; they will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.” (Mark 16:15-18)
Just a few things to note on this passage. Jesus commanded "Go". This is for all disciples of Jesus, that's you and me. This is not just for missionaries, priests, evangelists or preachers. How challenging is that. We can go into our community, workplaces or to family and sow seeds by explaining what Christianity is about when given Holy Spirit opportunity to do so. But we have to be willing, obedient and listening, even as Jesus obviously listened to God. We also need to get over our fear. There is eternity at stake...scripture out of Jesus' mouth clearly states that those who don't believe are condemned. There is no, "I'm a good person, so I will go to heaven". All of us are sinners and the bible is absolutely clear, sin separates us from a Holy God which is the whole reason a Holy God sent His only Son Jesus to die for us, so we can receive eternal life when we believe.
Lastly, for those of us who believe, signs and wonders will follow when we step out in obedience. Jesus promised, "I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (Jn 14:12-14)
There are broken and hurt people out there who desperately need the touch of a Saviour through our hands and words. Let us believe that, like Jesus prayed for us, "I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one." (Jn 17:11) and “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one – I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me. (Jn 17:20-23)
We are one with Him.
Take note, be aware, of not just anything but Jesus. Take note how our High Priest lived whilst on earth. Why?...because we are partners with Him in a heavenly calling. Jesus came from the eternities or eternities to, as Hebrews teaches, bring "the message of salvation", and those who heard the message and communicated it, "God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will." (Heb 2:4 NET)
How could his be?...because "Jesus....now crowned with glory and honour....suffered death, so that by God's grace, he would experience death on behalf of everyone" (Heb 2:9 NET) so that, "both He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one," (Heb 2:11 KJV)
Did you catch that..."all of one"? Through His death, we are all made of one. That means the same, united, undivided, of the same origin, born from above, sons and daughters of the Most High God, called to be partners with God our Father, acting as one unit, to the heavenly calling as Jesus did.
How amazing that God our Creator, who made us "flesh and blood", should "likewise share in our humanity," (Heb 2:14) and that "through death He could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is the devil)." Because Jesus shared in the experience of our humanity, He qualifies as a compassionate and understanding High Priest before God our Father, for "He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted."
Incredible that Jesus suffered temptation but remained without sin. He was obedient to His call and remained obedient to His Father with whom He had a loving, intimate relationship. Jesus said in John's gospel that those who love Him obey His commands and this principle was clearly demonstrated in His own obedient relationship with God. Jesus testified of Himself, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his miraculous deeds." (Jn 14:10) and again, in case you missed it, "For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak." (Jn 12:49) Jesus only did and said what His Father commanded because out of their love and respect relationship, they moved as one unit with one heart and mind, to love on and bring healing and restoration to children who had gone astray.
So Jesus was fully obedient to the Father and because He "loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, so God, your God has anointed you over all your companions with the oil of rejoicing." (Heb 1:9). Obedience brings the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit to play in our lives even as it did in Christ's life.
Hebrews 3 talks of the faithfulness of our High Priest to God's calling, "faithful to the One who anointed Him." "But Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house. We are His house, if in fact we hold firmly to our confidence and to the hope we take pride in." (Heb 3;6)
So all of this is pointing to the fact that we too need to be faithful and obedient to the call on our lives, for as children of the Most High, and brothers and sisters in Christ, we too have a commission from heaven.
Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.The one who believes and is baptised will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; they will pick up snakes with their hands, and whatever poison they drink will not harm them; they will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.” (Mark 16:15-18)
Just a few things to note on this passage. Jesus commanded "Go". This is for all disciples of Jesus, that's you and me. This is not just for missionaries, priests, evangelists or preachers. How challenging is that. We can go into our community, workplaces or to family and sow seeds by explaining what Christianity is about when given Holy Spirit opportunity to do so. But we have to be willing, obedient and listening, even as Jesus obviously listened to God. We also need to get over our fear. There is eternity at stake...scripture out of Jesus' mouth clearly states that those who don't believe are condemned. There is no, "I'm a good person, so I will go to heaven". All of us are sinners and the bible is absolutely clear, sin separates us from a Holy God which is the whole reason a Holy God sent His only Son Jesus to die for us, so we can receive eternal life when we believe.
Lastly, for those of us who believe, signs and wonders will follow when we step out in obedience. Jesus promised, "I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (Jn 14:12-14)
There are broken and hurt people out there who desperately need the touch of a Saviour through our hands and words. Let us believe that, like Jesus prayed for us, "I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one." (Jn 17:11) and “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one – I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me. (Jn 17:20-23)
We are one with Him.
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