Have You Considered Jesus?, Part 2

Amen. If you've got your Bible, Hebrews chapter 3. Hebrews chapter 3, verses 1 to 6. Have you considered Jesus? This is a great, great study. The book of Hebrews concerning the supremacy and the superiority and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ our Lord. It truly magnifies the person and work of Christ our Savior.

So, Hebrews 3, verse number 1, begins with the word therefore because it takes you back to his identity in chapter 1, his ministry in chapter 2, based on who he is. And what he's done, therefore, holy brethren, those of us who are believers, this is a review of last week, part of the heavenly calling. We told that call was a heavenly calling. It was a high calling according to Philippians chapter 3. It's a holy calling according to 2 Timothy chapter 1. So that high, holy, heavenly calling, those who have been called to be partakers of the fellowship of Christ now that we're holy brethren, he says these words, consider Jesus.

Consider Jesus. We told you last week it's a word that means to think deeply, sincerely about Jesus. And so many times we think superficially about the Christ. I wonder how much thinking you did about the Christ since last Sunday. How often have you considered him since last Sunday morning? The book of Proverbs tells us this in Proverbs chapter 2, verse number 1. "My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding. For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding. If you seek her as you would silver, if you search for her as for hidden treasure, then and then only will you discern the fear of the Lord. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

In other words, God doesn't just let you see Him. You must search for Him. You must seek Him as you would hidden treasure. You must put the effort into knowing the Christ. And that's why the writer of Hebrews says, Have you considered Jesus from His mouth, the Lord's mouth, we have the inspired word of God, the God-breathed word, come wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and instruction. All of it comes from the word of God. So you must seek and search desperately, diligently, deeply to know the Christ.

So I ask you, have you considered the Christ? What did you do with your time this week? How much time did you spend contemplating the Messiah, coming to understand all that He is? So we began last week by telling you what you are to consider about the Christ. And the writer of Hebrews tells us, he says, consider Jesus the apostle and high priest of our confession. He is the apostle. He is the sent one, used 133 times in the New Testament, 18 times in John's Gospel.

And so you ought to consider, number one, his prestigious mission. His prestigious mission because he is the ultimate ambassador. He is the ultimate sent one. He is the ultimate apostle. Because he is, and he has been sent by his father, you must consider his submission to the father and the salvation that he offers. His submission to the Father. How do you know you've considered Jesus? You submit to the will of the Father without any question. That's how you know you're considering Jesus. Because he submitted without question to the will of his father. "I have come to do the will of my father who is in heaven. My food, my daily sustenance, is to do my father's will. I have been sent by my Father to accomplish his purposes." He was completely submissive to the Father.

When you consider Jesus, the repercussions of that is that you are willing to do whatever the Father says, no questions asked. That's how you know you have truly considered the Christ. And the salvation that He offered, because He came to seek and save that which is lost, He was sent for a particular purpose. That's why we call it a prestigious mission. It was the most prestigious mission of all.

And yet we are engaged in that same prestigious mission. And I need you to grasp that. I need you to get a hold of that. I need you to understand that. Because having considered Jesus and his prestigious mission as the apostle, we have to understand that we are engaged in that same prestigious mission. John 20:21, "as the Father has sent me, so send I you." As I have had a prestigious mission, so now you have that same prestigious mission. Do you understand the implications of that?

And we told you last week, as we looked at John chapter 20, that our Lord, he was sent in person, in purity, in power, with promise, by excuse me, with purpose, by promise, to people for peace. And my son in the second service added, "Oh, Dad, you forgot to add for praise." He's right. For one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And in the book of Revelation, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive glory and honor and praise. Because he was sent that he would receive the ultimate praise.

But that prestigious mission as the apostle, having considered Jesus, we must realize that as the Father has sent him, so too now he sends us. We are engaged in the same prestigious mission. So let me explain that to you. If our master had a mission, and he was sent in person, then we are enabled by his person. In other words, we are able to do because of him. The Bible says in Colossians 1:27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." We are enabled by his person. Christ in you, the hope of glory. That's the whole mystery that was concealed in the old, revealed in the new. The Old Testament, they understood God with you, Emmanuel. They got that, that God will be with you. But they never heard or understood God in you until the mystery was revealed in the New Testament. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Think about that. We are enabled by the person of Christ Himself, who indwells us.

The Bible tells us in the book of John, the 14th chapter, these words: John 14. Verse number 16 says, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper. Not another of a different kind, but another of the same kind. That he may be with you forever. That is the spirit of truth. Whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. After a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me because I live. You will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you."

Wow. Talk about a prestigious mission. The master was sent in person to you and me. We are now enabled in our mission by that same person. Christ, as Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me." Do you understand that? Have you considered the prestigious ministry of the Christ as the apostle? Because the Master was sent in person, our mission is enabled by this person.

Because our master was sent in purity, our mission is enhanced by that purity. That's point number two if you're counting. Because our Master was sent in purity, he is a spotless, unblemished Lamb of God. Our mission now is enhanced by that purity. In other words, our lives and our mission needs to be as pure as Christ Himself is pure. That's why He said, "Be holy as I am holy." Remember David, 2 Samuel 12, after his sin with Bathsheba, his murdering of Uriah the Hittite? That when Nathan came to him and confronted him on his sin, he said to him, "Because of your sin, because of your sin, you have caused the enemies of God to blaspheme his name."

Can you imagine that? You've caused the enemies of God to blaspheme the name of God because, David, you sinned. Do you know that when you sin, you cause the enemies of God to blaspheme his name? That's why it's so important that we live pure and holy lives. Because our mission is enhanced by His purity. Listen, I say that because the Word of God never returns void. And God can use anybody to spread the gospel and preach the gospel. But that mission of presenting the gospel and living the life of Christ is enhanced when we are as pure as He is pure, holy as He is holy, perfect as He is perfect, living lives that honor and glorify His perfect name. So important to understand that. That's the way we are to live our lives.

When we gather together to partake of the Lord's table and to eat and drink in an unworthy manner because we have unconfessed sin or live impure lives only causes difficulty upon us. And what better way to check our lives than to realize, look, am I living the life Christ wants me to live because I have been cleansed in the blood of the Lamb? Am I living a pure and holy life? Is my life matching who I am and Jesus Christ, my Lord, my position? So important.

So if our Master, our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, was sent in person, our mission now is enabled by that person. If he was sent in purity, our mission now is enhanced with that purity. Living a pure and holy life. If he, number three, was sent in power, then our mission is energized by that power. Our mission now is energized by that power. That's why Paul would pray in the book of Ephesians concerning the power of God when he said, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of the inheritance of the saints. And what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believed these are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might, which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places."

Our mission is energized by his power. When he came, everything was about how he lived a life dependent upon the Spirit of God in order to operate in that power. So he would say in Acts chapter 1: "You shall receive power when the Spirit of God comes upon you." He says in John 20, he says these words, after he says, "as the Father has sent me, so send I you. And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit." But they didn't receive the Holy Spirit at that time. Because it was a promise, it was a pledge. They didn't receive the Holy Spirit until Acts 2.

But he says this: "if you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." Wow, what power is that? You can tell somebody whether or not their sins are forgiven based on how they respond to the Christ. You can tell them that you can tell them they're still in their sin based on how they respond to Christ. But everything about our mission is energized by His power. That's why we are to walk in the spirit and not walk in the flesh. That's why the Bible says very clearly that we are able to do greater works, John 14:12, than our Lord did, not in the kind of works, but in the extent of those works. Why? Because he dwells in us. And as he dwells in us, he's not located in one specific area, but spread throughout his people everywhere who are energized by his power.

I wonder how many of us have considered the Christ enough that as we went through the week, we truly were enabled by his person, enhanced by his purity, and energized by his power. How many times we live such impotent lives, such weak, tepid lives, instead of strong, vibrant lives. Because we don't live dependent upon the Spirit of God and the power of God. Christ in you, the hope of glory. "I in my father, you in me, I in you." Wow. "I will not leave you fatherless. I will send you another comforter." Just like myself, another same kind, the Spirit of God who indwells your life. And that Spirit will enable you with all the power, energize you with all the power you need to accomplish the mission that I've given to you because, "as the Father has sent me, so send I you," this great apostle of ours that we are to consider, we know that we have considered him sufficiently when we are enabled by his person, enhanced by his purity, and energized by his power.

Now, ask yourself this question: Was that evident in your life this past week? Or did you live an impure and unholy life? Were you unable to cope with circumstances and difficulties in your life? You see, you consider Jesus not just on Sundays, but every day of the week. You think deeply about the Christ every single day, not just once on Sundays. It should be our lifestyle. That's who we are. We're followers of the Christ, right?

So if our master was sent in person, our mission is enabled by that person. If our Master was sent in purity, then our mission is enhanced by His purity. If our Master was sent in power, then our mission is energized by that power. If our master was sent with purpose, then our mission is engaged in that same purpose. Our mission is engaged in that same purpose. In other words, he was sent as a savior of the world. He is the Savior of the world. That's who he is. "For unto you, this day has been born in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord."

Well, our mission now is engaged in that same purpose. And that is, we are engaged every day with the purpose of introducing people to the Christ, that they might see the Savior of the world. And that's what gives us purpose. If you have a purposeless life, it's because you're not engaged in His purpose. Because if you're engaged in His purpose, then you are engaged in the ultimate purpose dealing with man's destiny. That's so important.

This past week, I had the chance to speak at my son's high school. And I love speaking at Summit High School because I can say anything I want, and I don't get in trouble. And so we gather these students together, and I can tell them anything I want to say about the Christ. So I just preach the gospel to them. And at the end, as we closed out, I talked about the heart and how the Bible says, "guard your heart for out of it flow all the issues of life," and say, "This is how you guard your heart." And went through the gospel with them on how the gospel is that which enables us to protect the heart against sin. Went the whole thing with it.

And at the very end, I said, "Look, see, what you see on the outside is not really who you are, it's what's on the inside. It's what's on the inside that counts. Not the outside?" I said, "because I remember when I was 17 or 18, I was as good looking as you were. I used to be really good looking back when I was 17 and 18. I know it's hard to believe now, but I was. And I was just as athletic as some of you athletes are, and all that kind of stuff. But see, that's just the outward veneer. And what you see now in this old 60-year-old man. It's just the outside is the shell of a man. Because what's on the inside that matters."

And I told him, I said, "you know, because what's on the inside isn't half of it real anyway. I'm filled with titanium from the tip of my toes to the top of my head, so it's not really real inside anyway. But the real thing is my heart. That's what matters. And the great thing about the heart is that God transforms the heart. Because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." So I came to deal with their heart. That's all it matters.

See, when you engage in the purposes of the Christ, you have purpose. If you don't engage in his purposes, you have no purpose. And people wonder where their value is in life. Your value is wrapped up in Christ, your identity in Christ, who you are in the Christ. And when you do what Christ's mission is, the prestigious mission in life of submitting to the Father and bringing salvation to a lost world. You live out the ultimate purpose in life. I don't care what your background, I don't care what your age, I don't care what your job, I don't care where you go to school. We all have the same purpose. And that is to represent Jesus Christ our Lord. And when you do that, wow, life is filled with joy and excitement because you've represented the Christ.

Are you engaged in his purposes? Christ told them: "when you receive power, you will be my witnesses." How do you know you received the power? You're a witness. You're a testimony. You're willing to give your life up for Christ. If you're not willing to do that, you haven't received the power. If you haven't received the power, you don't know Christ. It's just that simple. It's not rocket science. And so he said, "You will be my witnesses, not just in Jerusalem, not just in Judea and Samaria, but to the uttermost parts of the world." You're engaged in my purposes.

I love how Peter says it over in 1 Peter chapter 2 when he says, "You are a chosen race. A royal priesthood, a holy nation." Wow. Those are people who give their life to Christ. "A people for God's own possession." We are the possession of God "so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." Then he says, "This: For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

In other words, before you became the people of God, what were you? Nothing. Nothing to write home about. But now you're the possession of God. Now you're a holy nation. Now you're a royal priesthood. You see, we have a prestigious mission. Because we serve the Apostle with the ultimate mission. Therefore, "as the Father has sent me," he says, "so send I you."

So if our Master, who was sent in person, then our mission is enabled by that person. Our Master was sent in purity, then our mission is enhanced by His purity. If He was sent in power, then our mission is energized by His power. He was sent with purpose, then our mission is to be engaged in that same purpose. Because he was sent by promise, our mission is equipped with his promises.

This is so good. He was sent by promise. And it was fulfilled. All the promises of God are yes in Jesus, right? So now our mission is equipped by his promises. I mean, this is, he says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Right? And then we said in Matthew 28, when he says, "go into all the world and preach the gospel. Lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age." I'm going to be with you. If you're engaged in my purposes, then you are equipped with this promise: I will always be with you. You will never lack for an understanding of who I am and what I've done for you. As long as you're engaged in my purpose to go into all the world and make disciples, then I'm going to equip you with this promise. "Lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age."

He said, He said in Hebrews 13: "I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you." On top of all that, he says these words in the book of Romans. He says. "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword? Just as it is written, for your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

In other words, we are huper nike. We are super nike people. We are the ultimate overcomers. Remember the promise in each of the churches in Revelation chapter 2 and 3? It was a promise given to the nikao, the overcomer, right? The victorious warrior, to him who overcomes, to him who is the victorious warrior. And who is the victorious warrior? 1 John 5:4. That the one who believes in Jesus. Who gives his life to the living God? That man, that woman, is an overcomer. But Paul says. You are a super overcomer. You are more than a conqueror. That's a promise that God gives to those who love Him and those who serve Him and those who believe in Him because of who He is.

How can we not be victorious warriors when we serve the ultimate victorious warrior who lives in you and me? You see? Talk about a prestigious mission by the great Apostle Christ. The ultimate sent one who says, "as the Father has sent me, guess what? Now I send you." Wow, that's amazing. Can that actually happen? Yes. Based on the fact that we, in our mission. Are enabled by his person, enhanced by his purity, energized by his power, engaged in his purposes, and equipped with his promises.

If our Master was sent to people, then our mission is extended to all people. If our master was sent to people, which he was, then our mission is extended to all people. There isn't anybody we don't present the gospel to. We are to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Because in the end, in the book of Revelation, there are people there from every tribe, every nation, every tongue. And because he was sent to people, just think about this. He was sent to people. He told his disciples: "listen, you will be my witnesses." Throughout the world, we have heard the gospel because they were engaged in a prestigious mission. And now we've heard that gospel. And we are engaged in that same mission that's extended to all people.

And if our master was sent for peace, then our mission is essential for peace. Our mission is essential for peace because we are ambassadors begging people to be reconciled to God. You know, to be reconciled means to turn the face toward. Okay, when you're unreconciled, the face is turned away. But when you're reconciled, the face is turned back again. It's turned back one to another. So to be reconciled means to turn the face toward one another. We've been reconciled to Christ. We were once his enemies, but we've been reconciled to Christ. Once his face was away from us, now his face is toward us. Once our face was away from him because we were the enemies of God, but now our face has been turned toward him.

That mission is essential for peace, for man to be reconciled to God. We are actually in the process of preaching the gospel that turns the face of people toward the living God. That's what we do. Because their face is turned away from God. And we want them to be reconciled to God. And if our Master was sent for praise, then our mission ends in praise. It ends in praise. It will not be over until the ultimate praise is given to the living God. It's all about the glory of God, the praise of God, the honor of God. That's what it's about.

So when we consider Jesus, the great apostle and high priest of our confession, we are considering his prestigious mission and all that it entails. And you only know, listen carefully, you only know that you are daily thinking deeply and considering the Jesus when you are engaged in that prestigious mission. And if you're not, you're considering something else other than the Christ. You're thinking deeply about something else or someone else other than the Christ.

So, my challenge to you, to me, to all of us, is that truly, as the writer of Hebrews says, that we would think deeply about the Christ. And one of the ways we can do that is to move from his prestigious mission to number two, his priestly ministry. Not just consider Christ the apostle, but the high priest of our confession. Remember Hebrews chapter 1, verse number 3? "Having made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God the Father." He, as the ultimate priest, sacrificed himself on the altar. Shed his blood for us. Now sits down at the right hand of God. And you know what he does? He lives, Hebrews 7:25, as our high priest. To make intercession for you and me. Talk about an incredible ministry. But we'll consider that next week as we begin to understand the Lord's table and his sacrifice for us this week.

Let me pray with you. Father, we thank you for today and the opportunity to be in your word. As brief as it is, we are reminded of the beauty of your mission and ministry. And that in your sovereignty, you have called us to be a part of that mission. And we are grateful. May we be submissive to our Father who is in heaven. And be engaged in that mission. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.