Hebrews 3:1
"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus," Hebrews 3:1.
Today we want to look at the heavenly calling, and those who are partakers of this calling. "Partaker" is one who is a participant, i.e. a sharer, an associate. The partakers are the holy brethren. "Holy" are those who are purified and sanctified by the influence of the Spirit; a saint. "Brethren", one of the same faith; a fellow Christian. These are those scattered all over the earth. They are from every nation, tongue, people, and kindred. We live in different cultures, speak different languages, and our skin is a different color; but all who are partakers of the heavenly calling are holy brethren. These live to glorify the Lord. Their heart is fixed upon Christ. These "holy brethren" were not holy brethren until they were partakers of the heavenly calling. These holy brethren are the church. The word "calling" is to call; a call, an invitation to a banquet; the divine call by which Christians are introduced into the privileges of the Gospel. Simply put, this is the call to salvation. This is the call to turn to Jesus Christ. In this call there is the quickening by Jesus Christ upon us who are dead in trespasses and sins. John 5:21 tells us that Christ quickens whom He wills.
This calling is a heavenly calling. "Heavenly" means high. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts," Isaiah 55:8-9. The call to salvation is heavenly because that is where the call originates from. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day," John 6:44. "And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father," John 6:65. This call to come to Jesus Christ for salvation comes from our Father which art in heaven. God doesn't speak in an audible voice today. He doesn't say our names, and then we respond. God speaks to us today through His Word. His Word is also from heaven. "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven," Psalm 119:89. Turn to I Peter 1:18-25. What is the gospel? "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek," Romans 1:16. The work of the gospel is the manifestation of the power of God to all who believe. "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God," I Corinthians 1:18.
God uses the gospel to save sinners. When He saves us we are a walking talking miracle. We are a living testimony of the power of God. Only God can make alive those who are dead in trespasses and sins. Only God can take away our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. Only God can take away our sinfulness and place upon us the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Salvation is totally a working of God. This is a heavenly work. This is a heavenly calling.
This calling is an efficacious calling. "Efficacious" means successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective. We often refer to the call to salvation as an effectual call. The intended or desired result will be produced successfully. Turn to Isaiah 55:10-11. Remember that the word is inspired of God. It is successful in producing God's intended result. This takes us back to Ephesians 1:11 and John 1:12-13.
This heavenly calling is something that only God can do. Only God can call someone to salvation. We are to preach the gospel to all the nations, and God takes the preached gospel and quickens the elect so that they may see and hear, and be saved.
This calling to salvation is different than any other call. Most of us grew up here in the country. Many of us would be playing in the woods or in the fields and our parents would call us to come home. They would summon us. If we were hungry and it was a summons to come and eat we would come running. We may be playing at our neighbors and our parents would summon us to come home. I can remember being in high school and being summoned to the principal's office on what seemed like a regular basis. We all have stories we could tell about being summoned. All these calls are earthly summons. The call to salvation is a heavenly calling. We must not try and bring God's ways down to our ways.
Who is it that God calls? Remember, this call is a divine call to salvation. It is used with the gospel message which is the power of God unto salvation. God's word will accomplish that which He hath sent it to accomplish. When we start to bring these Scriptures together we begin to see who the called are, and that this calling results in salvation to all who are called.
God calls all for whom Christ died for. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it," Ephesians 5:25. The church is the ekklesia; the called out assembly. Look in Romans 8:28-30. Notice that those who were called were predestinated, and those who were called were also justified, and will one day be glorified. This says nothing about whether they accepted or rejected the call, that is not even an issue here. They were called, and they were saved because they were called. The question comes up; will anyone who is called to salvation not be saved? This is a good question. If you view man as being in control of his own destiny then you have a problem with the Scriptures we have looked at in this message. If you read your Bible then you will continually have problems with the Scriptures because the call to salvation is totally a working of God, and none of man. Remember, it is a heavenly calling. Let us answer this question with more Scriptures. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," John 6:37. All whom the Father calls will come to Jesus Christ, and will be saved. This Scripture is so plain. "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me," John 6:45. For us to hear and learn of the Father is a working of God's grace. It all comes back to God working everything after the counsel of His own will. Turn to Matthew 13:10-16. Blessed are all who have been called with the heavenly calling. We ought to be the most joyous people on this earth, and we should be proclaiming Christ to all. We do not know who will and will not be saved. This is why we are to proclaim Christ to the whole world. "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall," II Peter 1:10. It is great to know that you are saved. To God be the glory.
