Prologue

Prologue (1:1-4)

The letter starts with a glorious seven-fold proclamation of Jesus.  It is like the heralding of the Champion at a tournament - an announcement to all of who it is that takes to the stage.  Here the writer boldly proclaims Jesus as Prophet, Creator, Heir, Image, Upholder, Priest and King!  What a way to describe Him who is our marker; Him who we must keep our eyes fixed upon!

What does this prologue tell us about being fit for the Kingdom?  Firstly, it is an introduction to the superiority of the ruler of that Kingdom, and secondly, it reveals that being fit for the Kingdom is realising that our service is worthwhile; that the One whom we serve is worthy.  In essence it is a statement of intent.

God speaks.  “God spoke” - a statement asserted, not argued.  We must take it or leave it.  I would be so bold as to declare that this is the platform on which the whole letter is founded!  To be fit for the Kingdom of God is to live in the certainty of God speaking (through His various ways and means).  The problem we have is that we still want to live in the “former ways” - it is always a case of, “Speak to me Lord”; always desiring additional, or new, or the latest revelation for our life and circumstance.

Now through the Son an end has come to the imperfect.  It is a recurring theme in the letter, of the past things having given way to something better.  No doubt, there is value in a lot of things on their own merit, but only with Christ are things made perfect.  Christ has come to restore the full Gospel communication - creation, fall, redemption, completion - restoring the capacity for us to hear God speak.

When it comes to God revealing Himself to people, He is best seen in His Son and heard through His Son - if we cannot learn about God through His Son, then nothing else will convince us!  We need to let that establish our vision and underpin our personal and church theology.  It is useless to continue if God makes no revelation to us!

God manifests.  Jesus is the exact representation of God.  Here we have a statement of the Trinity - not explained, just stated.  Again, it is a statement of intent - we either accept it or we do not; either way, it stands as a revelation from God.  We have to learn to be comfortable with His majesty and authority, and to act accordingly in order to be fit for service.

God initiates.  God sustains and upholds.  He carries toward and forward.  We are carried forward by His Word, and He moves us inexorably toward His conclusion, by His Word of power.  We need to know, and be comfortable with knowing, that our ends are not ultimate ends: His end is far superior to all other ends.  God's end is to make us like His Son.  He will make us like Christ.  The problem is that many people (sadly including many Christians!) do not actually want that in this life.

One of the greatest modern needs is the need for nothing to go wrong in our lives.  What we actually need is a gospel confidence in the knowledge that God is carrying us toward a beneficial end.  Jesus is the “starter and finisher of our faith”; “He who began a good work…”; “I know Him to whom I have entrusted…”; “Faith and perseverance inherit the promises”; and, “The race is not to the swift but to those who endure”.

God saves.  What a wonderful statement of intent: God provides purification for sin!  How we need that to be proclaimed as a fact of our lives.  In the past we tried our own ways - as Donald Guthrie writes: "Wherever there is any sense of sin there is generally present a strong desire to be cleansed from it” - but we were never successful, nor could we ever be.  But now, this has been achieved in Christ: “He sat down” - the work is complete.  He is not standing up again and having to come and do it all over.  He is not leaving heaven and the Father's side (until the Father's time is fulfilled) to come again and re-die for our sins: once was enough, and His sitting down is a statement that "it is finished"!

God reigns.  Once again the writer states a profound truth very simply - Christ the Son has all the honour.  He has the superiority over all things (cf. Rom.11:36).  In a world (and in the Church) where God is taken lightly, it is worth making this statement of intent continuously and boldly, that our God reigns (cf. Act.4:24-31).  John Frame writes, "He is the almighty, majestic Lord of heaven and earth, and He demands our most passionate love and obedience".  [Frame, J. M., "The Doctrine of God", p.3]

To be fit for the Kingdom we need to keep the marker, Jesus, in view.  We need to have a confident certainty of the revelation of God, the Holy Trinity, through the Son; if we keep Him in view then we will receive revelation.  We need to be certain of our salvation and purification through Him, and to know His purpose.  Lastly, we must be confident in the King's majesty - He is worthy! 

Fit for the Kingdom

When I was much younger (and some would say before the brain cells grew back!) I decided to take up marathon running.  In particular I wanted to run the Comrades Marathon, an ultra-marathon in South Africa of around 90 kilometers.  Before attempting it I started running shorter distances and races, and my boast was that I was fit and could easily run the Comrades.  I would get knowing looks from some of the veterans that I trained with!  How little I knew of what it would take.  How little I knew of the fitness and stamina that was required.  In fact, I began to wonder just how fit one needed to be; how would I know if I was fit enough?  The answer was simple: I would just have to get in the race!

When embarking on any journey in life the only way of knowing how fit we are, of knowing if we have the stamina to be able to endure, is to start on the journey.  As an ancient Japanese proverb states, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step". 

So it is with our Christian walk; our journey along the marathon of life.  Jesus said that if we don't endure, we are not "fit for the Kingdom" (Lk.9:62).  To be "fit" is to be well-placed; to be appropriate for service.  In order for us to pursue and persevere with Jesus, we need to be fit for the Kingdom.  And what is the best way for determining if we are fit enough?  Get in the race!  For example, how would we know if we are able to love like Christ?  Enter love!  We love others who may not love us back.  Whist running the risk of mixing metaphors…there has to be a time when we need to stop contemplating the field and actually put our hand to the plough.

Now ploughing can be a difficult skill.  I have never farmed, but I have watched programs where farmers plough the old-fashioned way.  Actually manning the equipment is difficult enough, but the most important skill required is keeping an eye on the mark.  They would use markers - during the Second World War they would plough at night and use people holding lamps to mark the way - so that the furrows would always be straight and parallel.  Without a marker the lines would go awry and the ploughing would be ruined.  If the ploughing was ruined then effectively the harvest would be too.  That is why Jesus said not to look back as we would lose sight of the marker and end up destroying the harvest that we each are meant to produce in our lives (Jn.15:8).

Just like a marathon, our journey requires endurance - to plough, plant and produce requires that we enter in and stay the course.  It can be difficult; it can demand some extraordinary effort; and sometimes we are in danger of giving it all up. 

This is the position that we find in the letter to the Hebrews.  The recipients were in danger of giving up; they had started the course and had lost sight of the marker.  The writer wanted them to get back on track; there was still a rich harvest to be gained.  He wanted them to be "fit for the Kingdom"!  His desire was to help keep their eyes fixed on Jesus (12:2), to help run the race marked out with endurance (12:1), and to receive the reward of the Kingdom that cannot be shaken (12:28). 

The letter to the Hebrews is no less important for us today.  This letter is written as a reminder of the marker, Jesus Christ.  Everything that we have ever learned or heard about is for those moments when we lose sight of Jesus; when we are tempted to give up, to look back and miss out on all that God has for us.

If I might offer a précis of the letter, in my own words, it would read like this:

“You heard from the prophets in the past; now hear from Jesus, the supreme one - Prophet, Priest and King. He is greater than angels; greater than Moses; greater than Joshua and Aaron. He is the great High Priest. So do not fall away but hold onto the promises you heard about from God.

None of the former things enabled you to enter God’s glory and rest; none of them could. You need something better - you need Jesus!

He is greater than the priesthood; He is greater than religious rituals; He is a better covenant - His sacrifice is above all others.

Don’t give up; don’t fall back; stay true. Remember all those heroes who have gone before: they made it, so have faith.  Endure with hope.  Live in love

Now that you are reminded of the superiority of Christ, live decently in accordance with all of who He is.

God will enable you...you can do it!”

  

In a world that desires to replace Jesus with whatever it can we need to be encouraged to stay the course, to make it to the end, to be fit for the Kingdom!