Hebrews 3

{3:1} Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus
Partakers of the heavenly calling. Doesn't that sound amazing.
Partakers.
partake (pär-tâk´) verbpartook (-t¢k´) partaken (-tâ´ken) partaking, patakes verb, intransitive1. To take or have a part or share; participate.2. To take or be given part or portion: The guests partook of a delicious dinner.3. To have part of the quality, nature, or character of something.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
To take part in, to share, to participate, to take a given portion, to have the quality, character of...the heavenly calling.
The heavenly calling.
We are ALL able to be partakers of the heavenly calling right? Jesus died to save all that would be saved, He died so we could all be partakers of the heavenly calling.
We need to consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
consider (ken-sîd´er) verbconsidered, considering, considers verb, transitive1. To think carefully about.2. To think or deem to be; regard as. See Usage Note at as1.3. To form an opinion about; judge: considers waste to be criminal.4. To take into account; bear in mind: Her success is not surprising if you consider her excellent training.5. To show consideration for: failed to consider the feelings of others.6. To esteem; regard.7. To look at thoughtfully.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
Consider, to think carefully about Jesus, our High Priest.Consider, to esteem Jesus, our High Priest.Consider, to take into account, our High Priest, Jesus.
Jesus isn't supposed to be thought of lightly, He is our High Priest, our Savior and Lord deserving of our consideration.
{3:2} Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses [was faithful] in all his house.
Jesus was faithful to His Father who appointed Him.Moses was faithful in all his house.
Moses was a revered man, highly esteemed, considered very thoughtfully, a Godly man, a man whose teachings were held very important and none would doubt Moses' faithfulness. Jesus was faithful as well. Jesus deserving of consideration, Jesus our High Priest was faithful to His calling.
{3:3} For this [man] was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. {3:4} For every house is builded by some [man;] but he that built all things [is] God.
Jesus worthy of more glory than the highly esteemed and revered Moses. Jesus the builder of all things.Moses was a creation of the Creator.The Creator is more worthy for His ability to create.
{3:5} And Moses verily [was] faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after{3:6} But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Moses was a faithful creation, a servant to the Creator. Moses faithful to God.Christ a son over His own creation, His own house.We are Christ's house- IF we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.We have to believe, we have to have faith, we have to rejoice, we have to have our hope firm to the end...to...the...end.
{3:7} Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice{3:8} Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness{3:9} When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.{3:10} Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in [their] heart; and they have not known my ways. {3:11} So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
History reveals that people can harden their hearts against God, people tempt God, people try to prove God. People see the miracles of the Lord their God and they still question Him. The faith is gone, it's lacking, they find that taking the stance that God has to prove to them His worth makes them somehow savvy and smart, some how on top of things so they're not duped and yet their lack of faith- their consistent lack of faith - is what roused God's ire. God knew that in their hearts they refused to know Him for what He was and so they were not allowed into God's rest. We can't harden our hearts like they have. It's possible, don't think it's not. We can't try God, we can't tempt Him, we need to trust, to have faith. We don't have to understand God's ways to believe in God. There are many, many things that we don't understand and yet we believe. God deserves that faith and trust more than any other thing in all the world.
{3:12} Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Evil hearts of unbelief.Unbelief is evil because it doesn't allow for the faith needed to belief in God. The hope needed. Someone who is always skeptical finds little happiness in life, they are too busy picking it apart to pieces having no faith in anything. People says they won't be duped, they want hard, cold facts not flights of fancy and yet when they cut out the faith and those flights of fancy they limit their imaginations, their belief that the unbelievable is believable and the impossible is possible. Without faith, without hope if THIS is all there is to life it truly is a sad state of affairs. We have to have hearts filled with hope, filled with belief in God allowing that we cannot understand everything, we just can't. {3:13} But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Daily we are to help each other in our lives, keeping our faith strong. Deceit is something sly and insidious it will slip in and harden our hearts to God and we can't let that happen- we can't! We have to believe and help others look beyond the trap that is spread all around us trying to snare us daily in its grasp to get us to lose hope and belief. Satan will spare nothing to encourage unbelief, to encourage our lack of faith, to harden our hearts to God. Satan will do everything within his power to decieve us, if he can get us to harden our hearts to God he's won another to his side. It's so real, all of this is so real and we need to help each other as much as we can.
{3:14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end{3:15} While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. {3:16} For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.{3:17} But with whom was he grieved forty years? [was it] not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? {3:18} And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? {3:19} So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief
We want to enter into God's rest. We want to enter the land promised to us. Not all will, but only those who believe. Without faith it is impossible to please God. We have to believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Heb. {11:6} Butwithout faith [it is] impossible to please [him:] for he thatcometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is arewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Faith we need faith, Lord I believe! Help thou my unbelief!
Amen!