“…fix your thoughts on Jesus…” Hebrews 3:1

The reader is reminded of each Believer’s call to holiness… to be separate from the world (2 Corinthians 6:17). We are not to think or act as those whose minds are preoccupied by lusts of the flesh. Instead, we are to keep Jesus in the forefront of our thoughts. It is Jesus Who is The Apostle and High Priest Whom we confess as Savior and Lord. The Greek word used for apostle is APOSTOLON (Ἀπόστολον), which translated means messenger or envoy. It is Jesus, Heaven’s King, Who became Heaven’s envoy to earth with the good news of God’s love (v.1). Because we have received that good news and believed, we have welcomed the message and thereby recognize The Messenger as our High Priest.

The writer then compares the faithfulness of Moses and Jesus, declaring Jesus worthy of receiving greater honor than Moses. This was a bold declaration, as Moses was considered a pillar of Jewish history. The writer supported his argument by recognizing Jesus as The Builder (Creator) of everything (vv. 2-4). While Moses was faithful to lead Israel to The Promised Land, Jesus is The One Who faithfully built the church upon the bedrock of faith (vv. 5-6; read Mt. 16:18).

Then the writer presented believing Jews with a most convincing argument to persevere in believing that Jesus is truly the Christ, offering another warning to not fall away:

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried Me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astsray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared an oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” (vv. 7-11; Ps. 95:8-11).

The reader is cautioned that any unbelief will be counted as sin, just as in the lives of their forefathers who would not believe Moses (vv. 12, 15-19). The new Believers – Jewish Christians – were instructed to encourage one another so that, “…none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (v.13).

Any of us can be deceived into believing a lie, as well as being convinced the truth is false… especially in this day of memes and tweets, and political action groups seeking to mislead the masses into accepting propaganda as reliable news and truthful reporting. When it comes to timeless truth, God’s Word has not changed: sin is still sin, and every one of us is a sinner, deserving of death and hell. Jesus offers each of us a hope in a home He has prepared for us in Heaven (read John 14:1-6).

Don’t give up on the promise of His return. Don’t be misled into apostacy and disbelief… keep believing… keep trusting that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. This Sunday, join with other Believers in worship, and prepare your heart by fixing your thoughts on Jesus.

Have a blessed day and a wonderful weekend…