My Morning Meal

The guy who introduced me to Jesus ended up cashing in the faith. If I look back on anybody being the one who spiritually fathered me, it was him . . . and my buddy ended up walking out on the family. At the time he first opened the Scriptures to me, over 35 years ago, he was on fire for the Lord . . . devouring the Scriptures . . . evangelizing constantly . . . even ending up behind the Iron Curtain with a missions team . . . eventually doing missions work in the Sudan. But after his return from the mission field, something happened . . . don’t know what exactly . . . but over time he ended up turning his face from the kingdom of heaven and instead pursuing the things of this world. He came to mind this morning (I’ll again pray for him) as I read Hebrews 3 . . .

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. . . . Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.    (Hebrews 3:1-2, 12-13 ESV)

Falling away from the living God . . . the phrase makes me shutter. It can happen . . . my buddy’s a reminder. It’s seeded by an unbelieving heart. The things we believed to be true when we were first saved, we’re less convinced are true today. The walk of faith we embraced in the early days, giving way to a walk by sight . . . less convinced of the hope that lies beyond this world, and so getting all we can, while we can, while we’re here.

The unbelieving heart becoming “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Standards we once deemed imperative, somehow get tagged as legalistic. The narrow gate that Jesus talked about (Matt. 7:13-14), somehow gets wider. Grace in everything, somehow gets twisted into “anything goes.” The life of self-denial giving way to the pursuit of self-determination. I don’t think my friend woke up one morning and said to himself, “Self, we’re done with this holy calling stuff. Today we’re going to fall away from the living God.” No, it was subtle . . . starting with an unbelieving heart . . . getting sucked into the deceitfulness of sin. Can anyone say, “Crash and burn!?!”

So, if it could happen to him, how do I keep it from happening to me?

Two words jump off the page in my reading this morning . . . Consider Jesus.

Behold . . . observe . . . understand . . . discover . . . consider attentively . . . fix your eyes or mind upon . . . the blessed Son of God . . . the Second Person of the Holy Trinity . . . the Savior of the world . . . the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

The words of Hebrews 1 echo . . . in these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son, the radiance of God’s glory, the exact imprint of God’s nature. And the Father thunders from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matt. 17:5). Hear Him . . . seek Him . . . pursue a relationship with Him . . . consider Jesus.

Sounds simple as a preventative prescription to avoid apostasy . . . but I’m thinking it’s a pretty solid starting point.

O’ that I might never stop beholding the Lamb of God, being reminded of the price paid for my sin . . . that I might never lose sight of the Bridegroom, marveling afresh at the garments of righteousness He has clothed His bride with . . . that I might never cease to wonder at the High Priest of my confession who died, rose again, and lives to ever bring me into the most holy of holy places.

Consider Jesus . . . and keep on keepin’ on . . . by His grace . . . for His glory!

Sometimes you can get so caught up in the journey, you forget about the destination. In the midst of navigating airports and running to get to your gate on time, it’s easy to lose sight of what awaits beyond the flight. When entering your nth hour of driving and the kids are coming apart, you might wonder why you ever loaded up the car in the first play, . . . that is, until you get there.

And so, I’m reading the latter part of Hebrews 2 . . . a wonderful reminder of “the Founder” of our salvation . . . of Him who sanctifies by becoming our “merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God” . . . of Him who destroyed the power of death by making “propitiation for the sins of the people,” by offering Himself as the means of reconciliation between sinful man and a thrice holy God. In order to do so, He partook of flesh and blood . . . He was made like His brothers and sisters in every way, yet without sin . . . He Himself suffered and was tempted in order to help those who are being tempted. The passage is so about Him.

But it’s also a little about us. Those He is not ashamed to call “brothers” . . . those He owns as “the children God has given to Me” . . . those who, through fear of death, were once subject to lifelong slavery . . . those who are in need of help as they suffer and are tempted . . . those “who are sanctified.”

We have a faithful High Priest who is ready, willing, and able to draw alongside those He has redeemed and assist them in the journey. But it was the reminder of the destination that also sent my spirit soaring this morning.

For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.     (Hebrews 2:10 ESV)

While the itinerary for every believer might be unique . . . though the routes may vary . . . though the stops along the way might be different . . . the destination is the same. His intent is to bring many sons, and daughters, to glory.

It’s a reminder that this gig is just an opening act. That what lies ahead today isn’t the main event. That any plans and goals I set for this life are not the prize. This is the journey. The destination is glory.

Our destination is the place of glory, heaven. The finish line for the believer is the beginning of eternity in the mansions He has gone to prepare for us (John 14:2-3). We anticipate a city where the streets are gold . . . where a river of the water of life flows abundantly from the throne of God . . . where all things are new . . where there will never again be “mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” (check out Rev. 21-22)

Our destination is the possession of glory, the putting on of immortality. Where what has been sown perishable is raised imperishable . . . where what is sown in dishonor is raised in glory. Just as we bear the image of the first Adam, people of the dust of the earth, so too will we bear the image of the second Adam, the image of the Man of heaven . . . bearing a glory after the nature of Him who is glorious. (check out 1Cor. 15:42-49)

But most importantly, our destination is to be with the Person of glory, Him who is seated on the throne and the Lamb in the midst. The surroundings will pale . . . and our new bodies will become common . . . but forever we will delight in the presence of His majestic glory. Though we will be face to face, we will go facedown in awe and worship. Though we walk the streets of gold our gaze will be set on Him who replaces the sun and moon. We will know His glory up close and personal!

In the meantime, we do the journey . . . through His help and by His all sufficient grace. But let us not lose site of the destination . . . bringing many sons to glory . . . what a day that will be! Amen?

Ever watch something floating down a river? You’re standing on the bank and your eye catches a leaf or a piece of wood floating towards you. You eyes fix on it and you watch it as it, literally, goes with the flow. The river’s current carries it where it likes. That piece of wood might bump into rocks jutting out of the river and then be swept around them. Or, it might get lost in the foaming waters of some rapids, eventually to resurface. Perhaps, it gets caught up in a small eddy by the shore, going around and around, making no progress at all. Tranquil? . . . Maybe. Aimless? . . . Definitely. Out of control? . . . Absolutely. Headed nowhere? . . . Yeah, I’m thinking. Such is what comes to mind as the writer to the Hebrews warns his readers about “the drift.”

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?   (Hebrews 2:1-3a ESV)

“Therefore” . . . what’s it “there for?” These first verses in Hebrews 2 are in light of what has been declared in Hebrews 1 . . . that is, that God has spoken to us in these last days through His blessed Son . . . the Son who is the “exact imprint” of God’s nature . . . the Son through whom God created the world . . . the Son who Himself made purification for our sins . . . the One who is superior to angels. Therefore, pay close attention to what God, through His Son, has spoken to us.

The message delivered by angels concerned what we needed to do for God, but the message delivered by the Son has everything to do with what God has done for us. It is the message of a “great salvation.”

Of a salvation past . . . saved from the penalty of sin . . . atonement made . . . reconciliation between man and God possible . . . all through the finished work of Christ on the cross. Of a salvation future . . . to be saved from the presence of sin . . . when the redeemed are gathered to the Redeemer, the sheep to the Shepherd, the Bride to the Bridegroom . . . to inhabit places being prepared for us even now . . . to receive an incorruptible inheritance laid up for us in His presence. And, of a salvation present . . . being saved from the power of sin . . . being transformed by the renewing of our minds through the sanctifying work of the Spirit who indwells us . . . given the tools we need to grow into our new spiritual DNA as we learn to be led by the Spirit and to put to death the old man . . . being conformed, more and more, into the image of the Son. Can I get an “Amen!” for such a great salvation?

But, beware the drift. It is possible to “neglect such a great salvation.”

Oh the danger of, having known “salvation past” and counting on “salvation future,” to go into auto-pilot when it comes to “salvation present.” Of making light of God’s purposes in salvation through those He desires to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ . . . through those He seeks to live in a manner worthy of their calling.

Instead of pursuing the things of the kingdom, they float down the river of this world. Rather than experiencing the “abundant life” Jesus came to give, they go around in circles, caught up in some eddy, until they are sucked under. Far from navigating the white waters of this life, they are instead caught up, crashing against the rocks, just hoping to keep their head above water. Not only does the drift result in loss of blessing to those God has called to be His children, but it also results in the loss of opportunities for glory to be given to God.

By the very nature of it being a drift, it tends not to be intentional . . . but the result of not paying close attention and being negligent. Reading God’s Word? . . . if I feel like it. Communing with God through prayer? . . . if I have time. Meeting with God’s people? . . . if I don’t already have some other activity planned. Just drifting . . .

We don’t power our way to salvation . . . by His grace, in His Son, through His Spirit, He provides the power. But I do think we are to need to provide some purpose . . . though feeble perhaps, some determination . . . some desire to not just go with the flow . . . to not neglect our salvation . . . to pay closer attention . . . and, by His grace and for His glory, to avoid the drift.

No messing around with greetings . . . no words wasted on customary introductions . . . the writer to Hebrews just gets at it. There is an anticipation every time I enter this book . . . a looking forward to the writer’s masterful arguments concerning the supremacy of Christ and the life of faith it evokes in those with ears to hear and eyes to see. What grabs me this morning, as I read these opening verses, is how one of the attributes of the Son, in a sense, stands out in stark contrast to the rest. Amidst that which describes Him in all His deity, is that what which reminds me of His humanity . . . against the backdrop of that which speaks of His mighty strength, is that which speaks of His meekness . . . in these opening verses are the highs and the lowly.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  
(Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV)

Chew on those words and be lifted up to the consider the high and lofty. God has, in these latter days, spoken to us by His Son. The Son who is appointed heir of all, not just some, but all things . . . the same Son through whom God created everything about us . . . the Son who radiates God’s glory . . . the Son who embodies the very nature of God Almighty . . . the Son who, through the very power of His word, bears all the workings of the universe–yes, the universe. He is the Son who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high . . . the Son, who being God, very God, is superior to angels . . . having been given the Name above all names.

Talk about grandeur . . . talk about greatness and power . . . talk about nothing coming close to comparing . . . those are the mountain springs the writer wants us to drink deeply of . . . the highs of the Son we are to consider.

But amidst them is this phrase, “after making purification of sins.” The Son made purification of sins. If you didn’t know the rest of the story, you might think that He might have commanded it into reality . . . that, perhaps, He had planned it and had others make it happen. If you didn’t know the rest of the story you’d never guess that the mighty, majestic, Son of God, as the NKJV translates it, “had by Himself purged our sins.”

By Himself He made purification for sins.

Wrapped up in that simple phrase is the miracle of the incarnation, God become flesh, the Son relinquishing His eternal glory to enter this world in the form of a man . . . His kingly authority exchanged, for a time, for the very nature of servant. In making purification for sins by Himself, the Son of God willingly became the Lamb of God . . . the once for all sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In order to declare men righteousness, He who knew no sin, became sin for us (2Cor. 5:21).

He left heaven’s splendor in order to bear a Roman cross up a hostile road to a hill called Calvary. He who had been exalted by angels, willingly allowed Himself to be nailed upon that cross and lifted up for men to deride and mock. He who, in the beginning, spoke the created world into being would, in the apparent last hours of His life, cried to heaven, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). He who was with the Father from eternity past would know a separation beyond what we could comprehend . . . “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). The high and holy Son of God became the meek and lowly Jesus that He, by Himself, might make purification for sins.

O’ what a Savior! Blessed be His Name . . . His high and holy Name!