A Heavenly Calling (4)

For this One [Jesus] has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. Hebrews 3.3

Fix your mind
The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that those who have begun to share in the really real heavenly calling from God must be in it for the duration. They must “hold fast” their conviction and hope, “firm to the end” (Heb. 3.14). If they do, they will know God’s eternal and blissful rest, but not because of anything they have done; rather, they will demonstrate that they are the very people for whom that rest has been prepared from before the foundation of the world.

But they must be willing and able to persist in this heavenly calling of being faithful to God through all the days of their lives.

So the writer urges his readers, as part of being faithful to Him Who called them, to consider Jesus, to strive for the glory of Jesus, and to fix their minds on Jesus as the key to knowing daily strength for faithfulness (Heb. 12.1, 2). Full faith grows, and we share more fully in our heavenly calling, as we consider Jesus.

What does this entail?

Is it really possible to look to Jesus? I mean, we can’t see Him now, in His exalted state. He doesn’t come into our communities like He did in Judea and Galilee in His day. We can’t really talk with Him like His first followers did.

Still, the Apostle Paul said that the glory of God can be seen in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4.6). There must be some means by which we can “consider Jesus” and thus find glory and sustaining power to help us continue in our heavenly calling all the days of our lives. So how shall we look to Him?

Where to look
The writer of Hebrews admits that he learned to look to Jesus by paying attention to those who had known Him, listening carefully to their words, and laying hold on them with faith (Heb. 2.1-4). As he heard the apostles and studied the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the “picture” of Jesus presented there began to become increasingly clear.

The writer saw Jesus being taught in the Psalms – such as Psalms 45 and 110. He understood Jesus was written about in such historical books as 2 Samuel, Genesis, and Exodus, as well as in several of the prophets. All these books of the Old Testament, he cites or quotes in the process of developing his own portrait of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The lesson is plain: Jesus is being revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. In fact, Jesus said that all the Scriptures speak about Him (Jn. 5.39). Wherever we read or study in the Scripture, Jesus is present, making Himself known. We grow in full faith, and we share more really and truly in our heavenly calling, as we read the Bible in such a way as to recognize what God is trying to teach us about His Apostle and our High Priest, Jesus Christ.

The need for discipline
Now it’s certain we will have a difficult time considering Jesus and striving to know the glory that abides with Him if we do not take the time to read and study Scripture regularly. The life to which we have been called by God involves letting His Word dwell richly within us (Col. 3.16), and especially, learning to see Jesus in all the pages and passages of the Bible.

This is hard work in any age, but in a day like ours, when reading is largely scorned, study is considered a waste of time by many, and unraveling the mysteries of Scripture and the revelation of Jesus Christ is a never-ending pursuit, many people who claim to believe in Jesus have not yet begun to consider Him as He is revealed in His Word.

Such people will find it difficult to sustain the pace of their heavenly calling.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable to equip us for our heavenly calling (2 Tim. 3.15-17). And all Scripture has something to teach us about Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. If we have begun to share in our heavenly calling, looking to Jesus in Scripture will be an important part of our being faithful to Him Who called us.

For reflection or discussion
1.  Meditate on Psalm 45. Can you see how the writer of Hebrews might see Jesus in this psalm?

2.  Now do the same for Psalm 100.

3.  What other passages of the Old Testament come to mind when you think about “considering Jesus”?

Next steps – Preparation: Meet with a pastor. Ask him to recommend a “minimum daily reading requirement” for getting to know Jesus in the Bible. Start right away to consider Jesus in all your Bible reading. Keep a notebook or journal where you jot down thoughts about Jesus as He emerges from throughout the pages of Scripture. Like the writer of Hebrews, share what you are learning with the people around you.

T. M. Moore

Your gifts to The Fellowship of Ailbe make this ministry possible. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Subscribe to The Week, T. M.’s daily insights to worldview issues, by going to the website and, when the pop-up appears, put in your email, click on The Week, then click to update your subscriptions. You’ll be sent an email allowing you to add The Weekto your free subscriptions.

This week’s ReVision study is Part 9 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “A Heavenly Calling” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.