Partakers of a Heavenly Calling

​In the daily battles we face, against all the effects of sin, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture.  We heard of that in the meeting, this past week, between president Zelensky of Ukraine & our own president & vice president.  It turned into a shouting match even though all three of them are on the same side, against the dictator who invaded Ukraine & is responsible for the war. 
There are over a million casualties already.   Entire cities have been obliterated by missiles & bombs.  All this for Putin’s ego trip, & now Trump, Vance & Zelensky have fallen into a similar ego trap.  Their spiraling down into self-centered details caused them to completely lose sight of the big picture.   Fighting against Satan’s design is never easy. 
The point is to end the killing & to establish a more permanent peace.  Pride needs to be set aside.  Sacrifices need to be made.  Allowing a lack of gratitude to get in the way of that, is childish on the part of all three men.   Due to their personalities, they have allowed ego to blind themselves to the big picture. 
In the epistle reading, the author of Hebrews is trying to take our eyes off of our personal struggles & point us to the big picture.   His first point is that our personal struggles, every single one of them, are only temporary.   That’s not easy to grasp when you’re suffering with pain or heartache, with loss or loneliness. 
If you cut your finger, what happens to all of your attention?   Does it not immediately focus on nothing but the cut, & the blood?   Whatever else you were doing is completely forgotten.  It’s lost in the rush to examine the damage.   That cut is a very temporary event in your life, but any sort of big picture focus evaporates the moment you feel the blade slicing through your nerve endings.  
Moses & Elijah, both dead for over 500 years, appeared with Jesus at His transfiguration.  Both men had seen endless problems while serving God on earth, but now all those problems are long gone.   As Moses & Elijah appear on the mountain, with Jesus, they are living the big picture.  They are no longer doing battle against sin. 
In heaven, there’ll be no trauma left from any of our suffering here.  In heaven, it will be as if that suffering never happened – no more nightmares, no more flashbacks, no more anxious moments from fearing a repeat of your past ordeal.   That’s why the 3rd chapter of Hebrews addresses its audience in this way:
“Therefore, holy brothers & sisters, partakers of a heavenly calling…”   From our perspective, dealing with all the things that go tragically wrong in this world, you can’t get any more “big picture” than heaven.  And because it is The Big Picture, it’s easy to lose sight of it here, where Murphy’s Law rules the day.  On earth, anything that can go wrong – will. 
We tend to get wrapped up in those things that go wrong, either trying to fix them or surrendering to despair because of them.  Hebrews is telling us, “Don’t let the sinfulness of this world drag you down.”   Who you are is not defined by the tragedy & sorrow of this world.   As the saying goes, “We are in this world, but we are not of the world.” 
That saying brings balance to the picture.  We are in the world.  We should never deny that.  Jesus does not call us to live some kind of fairy tale existence.  In this world we will have tribulation, but Jesus tells us He has overcome the world.   That’s why Hebrews addresses its audience, “Therefore, holy brothers & sisters, partakers of a heavenly calling…” 
Who you are is not defined by the sinfulness & the brokenness of this world.  You are
defined by the call that the Creator of the universe has extended to you.   And that call is a heavenly one, even if you aren’t there yet.   Father, Son & Holy Spirit have called us to receive an eternal inheritance.   That is who we are already today.   Taking our eyes off that big picture is dangerous because what our eyes see here brings despair if we look at things honestly.  
I love these lyrics, from the song Time, that was performed by Pink Floyd, because the words so perfectly describe life as people see it even when they have faith in Jesus as Savior:
And you run & run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking;     Ecclesiastes 1:5
And racing around to come up behind you again.     Psalm 19:4, 6     
The sun is the same in the relative way   but you’re older;
Shorter of breath & one day closer to death.     Job 14:1-2
 
That is the harsh reality of life in this world – a creation that has been corrupted by sin.  And our lives here in the US are still pretty good compared to many places around the world.  Living by faith,   not by sight,   is living by the big picture that people who follow Jesus are partakers of a heavenly calling.  And that calling influences how you & I respond to suffering. 
Whom exactly the letter of Hebrews was written to isn’t certain.  A fairly good guess is that the recipients were a small group of people who had renounced their former allegiances to the pagan Roman culture of the day.  This new allegiance would have brought them into conflict with the people around them.  They likely experienced:
Slander, social discrimination, physical abuse, exclusion, imprisonment & confiscation of property.   This would have been done in order to shame them & bring them back into line with the dominant social order.  By eroding their status & reputation, this social pressure threatens to weaken their commitment to Christ. 
The letter to the Hebrews seeks to counter the moral & spiritual lethargy that would have come from being publicly rejected & shamed.  Hebrews was written to encourage the people of this congregation as they faced their daily battles against all the effects of sin.    All God’s children face those daily battles, & quite often we lose sight of the big picture & forget which side we’re on.  We forget that all of us in this room are on the same side against the dictator who brought sin into God’s perfect creation.  Pride & ego were born in Satan’s heart. 
You & I are bigger than that by virtue of the heavenly calling we’ve received from Jesus.  Yet, we do not live a fairy tale existence & sin still has its way with us.  Hebrews makes the point   that Jesus knows full well the struggles we face, & He will never abandon us.   The 12th chapter of Hebrews recorded these words of encouragement:
“…since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, & sin which clings so closely, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder & perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (12-1-2) 
For true encouragement, it doesn’t tell us to look to our commitment to Christ.  It doesn’t tell us to look at the good things we do for others.  It doesn’t say, you’re such a good person with a kind heart.  The word of God says, “looking to Jesus, …who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the same, & is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” 
Talk about a heavenly calling, & Jesus did that for you.   That’s how much the almighty God wanted you to experience your heavenly calling even here on earth.   He knows that you need to grasp something of the big picture already now to help you realize that you are an integral part of something so much bigger than you can see with your eyes. 
“Therefore, holy brothers & sisters, partakers of a heavenly calling,” has been the focal point of the sermon.  The heavenly Father wants us to know of our lofty status because the devil is constantly trying to convince us that we are lost & damned.  Satan is lying.  However, the 2nd part of the sermon text is also key: “…consider the Apostle & High Priest of our confession: Jesus.”   God knows that you & I will lose our way in this world.  Even though we are partakers of a heavenly calling, in this life we are still corrupted through & through.  We cannot help but sin & that gives us plenty of opportunities to be discouraged. 
As a result, even though we are partakers of a heavenly calling, here & now,   you & I continue to fall short of God’s will.  So, the author of Hebrews does not point us to ourselves for hope.  He does not point us to our goodness nor to any sincerity in our faith.  He points us to Jesus!  That is where all our hope rests – in the almighty Son of God. 
And that is why Jesus was transfigured before three of His disciples, so that when the proper time came, they could share what they saw with the others.  At the time of the transfiguration, they had not a clue, that Jesus was sharing with them a glimpse of heaven.   The author of Hebrews is teaching you & me that we are partakers of that glory already even now. 
Faith in Jesus is not just about healing & comfort in this life.  It also looks to a day when God will make all things new again.  As the text from Hebrews comes to an end, it says, “Christ was faithful as a Son over His house – whose house we are.”  As His children, we are the house of God.   The Holy Spirit lives within us.  Could God ever abandon His house in heaven?  
The answer is “No.”  And neither will God abandon you.  Amen. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
How can I thank you,  Lord,  for all Your loving-kindness,  that You have patiently borne with me in my blindness!   When dead in many sins & trespasses I lay, I kindled, holy God, Your anger every day.    It is Your work alone that I am now converted; over Satan’s work in me You have Your power asserted.   Your mercy & Your grace that rise afresh each morn have turned my stony heart into a heart newborn.    Grant that Your Spirit’s help to me be always given lest I should fall again & lose the way to heaven.  Grant that He gives me strength in my infirmity; may He renew my heart to serve You willingly.  Amen.  LSB 703:1-2, 4.