HAVING displayed the glories of our High Priest, God the Spirit addresses us, through the inspired writer, as those who are called with a heavenly calling. As Israel was called out of the land of bondage to the land flowing with milk and honey, so are Christians called out of the world to the glad, sweet rest of God ; and as our Savior is so great, let us, the " partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession . . . Jesus" (Heb. 3:11Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1)).
OUR PROFESSION,
Our Christian faith, has for one of its component parts the High Priesthood of Jesus. This part of the Christian faith for centuries has been the especial aim of the enemy's assaults, and now in our own country it is being assailed with intense determination and vigor. When Christ was born king, man rejected Him as such, even from His birth, and nailed over His cross the inscription-" This is the King of the Jews." Now that He is High Priest in heaven, He is disowned as such. This Christian article of faith God bids us hold tenaciously. We need to grasp it with both our hands and with all our spiritual power. Jesus, the Son of God, whose throne the world denied to Him, has passed through the heavens into the holiest of all, and there He is the great High Priest. There He exercises His gracious service before God, and to lose sight of His great glories there is to let go a large part of our profession. The enemy would give us a priesthood of mere men, in order to deprive Christ of His glory as High Priest and His people of their blessing; the way to escape from the meshes of the net, which is being laid in churches and in chapels, is to consider Jesus. Let Him but possess our souls in His priestly office, and the pretensions of men calling themselves priests becomes utterly intolerable to us.
OURS IS A HEAVENLY CALLING.
Christianity is not an earthly system of religion or of hope. We are on our way to God, and are under the leadership of Jesus. Moses led Israel out of Egypt; he conducted them to the borders of the Promised Land. He was an excellent type of our Lord, officially. Also, Moses was the meekest of men, being fitted by a long spiritual training to gentleness and mercy. To him God entrusted the burden of six hundred thousand men, besides women and children, and most nobly did this servant of Jehovah fulfill his service. But on one occasion, when God in His grace would give rebellious, murmuring Israel water, Moses as he struck the rock cried," Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?" (Num. 20:1010And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? (Numbers 20:10).) He spoke unadvisedly with his lips, he communicated the gift of God to the people, but not in God's way, for the manner of His bestowals is as gracious as the gifts He bestows. Thus did Moses on this one occasion misrepresent his God to Israel; he failed in grace, and therefore was not fitted to bring them into The Promised Land. But our Apostle and High Priest never fails. He is perfect in meekness, and in patience; He is never ruffled by the most distressing murmurings of God's people; ever gracious and full of mercy, He bears upon His heart their thousands and thousands as they journey to the promised rest. Let us consider Him, who is worthy of more glory than Moses. He has entered into the land of rest; He will sustain and bear us to the end.
Aaron's service was a supplement to that of Moses, and Moses and Aaron together form the type of Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our profession. It was ordained by God that Aaron, arrayed in garments of glory and beauty, should bear into His presence in the holiest of all the names of all Israel engraven upon his breastplate, and upon his shoulder-pieces. Failing, erring Israel, from the eldest to the youngest, was to be carried, as it were, into Jehovah's presence on the shoulders of the high priest. Israel was to appear there, not in their own strength, but in that of their high priest, both of whose shoulders bore up the burden of their names in the presence of God.
And not only the strength, but the love of the high priest was to be exercised for Israel in the presence of God, for upon the high priest's heart was the sacred breastplate, whereon the names of the tribes were graven. Lovely picture of Jesus and His people! Let us consider the High Priest of our profession thus engaged for us. None can fall, none can be forgotten—our High Priest in power and in love is almighty.
But Aaron never entered into the holiest in these sacred robes—he failed. (Lev. 16:1, 21And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died; 2And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. (Leviticus 16:1‑2).) Jesus never fails. We see Him crowned with glory and honor, our weak names upon His shoulders, our worthless names upon His breast, as He has passed through the heavens and entered the holiest of all, where He appears in the presence of God for us.
Our heavenly calling is secured by our heavenly Apostle and High Priest. We shall gain the glory at last. It was necessary that a Moses and an Aaron should lead Israel to The Promised Land; it is the will of God that Jesus should lead and sustain us on our way to the rest of God
A WORD OF WARNING
is necessary. The circumstances surrounding Israel in the wilderness called for earnest exhortation to hold firm their confidence in Jehovah's word; but the spies brought a false report to them of the Promised Land, and the strong men of Israel disbelieved God's word, and they died by the way, while their little children entered the land. Our day has its difficulties and temptations, and tens of thousands in churches and chapels are being tempted away from the word of God to believe what men say! Alas, for the spirit of ornament and show which prevails so largely in religious matters! Strange enough it is, that the more men regard water, buildings, vestments, priests as holy, the less do they make of the great High Priest in the Holy of Holies of the divine presence. The more they teach the need of human intermediaries and preparations, the less do they make of the heavenly calling of the Christian faith. Earth and earthly things, sights, sounds, scents, fill the worship; heavenly things are removed to a distance, and seem too far off to be reached! As hope in benefits to be derived from sacraments and priestly services prevails, so does confidence in God's word diminish.
LET US CLEAVE TO CHRIST.
Israel did not hold fast their confidence in the sure word of God, they tempted Jehovah by accepting the false report of the spies and their mean testimony that He could not bring them into Canaan; hence “they could not enter in because of unbelief." Let us take heed lest we by unbelief in God's word provoke His wrath, as did Israel of old. The system of substituting the word of men for God's word, of human authority for divine, must result in God's judgment against the evil-doers.
Neither Moses the prophet, nor Aaron the priest, gave Israel rest; but what shall be said of David the king! The king upon his throne spoke of rest as yet to come. If Joshua had given Israel rest, then would not David have spoken of another day? No. God would take our thoughts from the most noted of His servants to fix them solely on Jesus, Prophet, Priest, and King. There remains a sabbatism for the people of God—into that rest Jesus, and Jesus alone, shall bring God's people. Let us, then, as partakers of the heavenly calling, be up and ready ; let us labor to enter into that rest under the assured leadership of our Lord.