Hebrews 3:1
"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest Whom we confess."
This may seem like a preacher's transition phrase. However, if you want a good one-liner about the book of Hebrews, I think you have it here.
The writer has just finished in chapter 2 telling us that Christ named us as his holy brothers: see verse 11. God brought us to glory; Jesus wrote our salvation.
There's no more heavenly calling than this!
Then the author concludes his however: "fix your thoughts on Jesus." This is what his lesson is about. It started with Jesus in Hebrews 1:2 and it concludes with Him in 13:15 and 21.
Jesus is the apostle sent by God--this the author has been telling us since chapter 1. ("in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son..." 1:2)
Jesus is also the high priest appointed by God. This is what the author is about to get into.
Watch the word therefore in the book of Hebrews. It occurs 16 times in 13 chapters; it seems to be the author's favorite transition word. It builds up from the first chapter, a prophetic quote applied to Jesus: "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has set You above Your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy," and goes on to the final therefor in chapter 13: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess His name."
Maybe we should foster some therefore in our lives today... How often do you go through the day, reacting to the day as it unfolds? Do you sometimes find yourself "just getting by" through the day? It happens to me a lot.
But the book of Hebrews is all about the greater therefore: the Impetus to which we should be reacting every moment of every day. God created us, therefore we should praise Him--but He didn't stop there. God saved us in His Son Jesus Christ.
God saved me today through Jesus Christ. What will my therefore be?
This may seem like a preacher's transition phrase. However, if you want a good one-liner about the book of Hebrews, I think you have it here.
The writer has just finished in chapter 2 telling us that Christ named us as his holy brothers: see verse 11. God brought us to glory; Jesus wrote our salvation.
There's no more heavenly calling than this!
Then the author concludes his however: "fix your thoughts on Jesus." This is what his lesson is about. It started with Jesus in Hebrews 1:2 and it concludes with Him in 13:15 and 21.
Jesus is the apostle sent by God--this the author has been telling us since chapter 1. ("in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son..." 1:2)
Jesus is also the high priest appointed by God. This is what the author is about to get into.
Watch the word therefore in the book of Hebrews. It occurs 16 times in 13 chapters; it seems to be the author's favorite transition word. It builds up from the first chapter, a prophetic quote applied to Jesus: "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has set You above Your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy," and goes on to the final therefor in chapter 13: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess His name."
Maybe we should foster some therefore in our lives today... How often do you go through the day, reacting to the day as it unfolds? Do you sometimes find yourself "just getting by" through the day? It happens to me a lot.
But the book of Hebrews is all about the greater therefore: the Impetus to which we should be reacting every moment of every day. God created us, therefore we should praise Him--but He didn't stop there. God saved us in His Son Jesus Christ.
God saved me today through Jesus Christ. What will my therefore be?
posted by ionathas78 at 5:21 AM
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