(16) Fixated on Jesus our Preacher and
Worship Leader - Hebrews 2:11-13 (p48f)
Fixated:
Advent Meditations from the Book of Hebrews
Tim Chester
10 of those, 2020 ISBN: 9781913278953 73pp
https://www.10ofthose.com/uk/products/26683/fixated
Some evangelicals have sometimes emphasised
the New Testament teaching that the church meets for mutual edification, for us
to build one another up. But we also meet to worship God and to meet with him
in a special way, to renew covenant with him. Jesus ministers to us as we meet.
We lift up our hearts and the Spirit unites us to Jesus who is in heaven. We
are in him.
The minister (duly ordained and called) speaks
in the Lord’s Day service not as a private individual offering best thoughts
from the Vicarage, telling some jokes and commenting on the news. He speaks as
the authorised representative of Jesus. When the Bible is preached, God’s voice
is heard. Jesus is speaking to us in his Scriptures and through his servants.
From The Second Helvetic Confession:
“THE
PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WORD OF GOD. Wherefore when this Word of
God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that
the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that
neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from
heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not
the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless
the Word of God remains still true and good.
Neither
do we think that therefore the outward preaching is to be thought as fruitless
because the instruction in true religion depends on the inward illumination of
the Spirit, or because it is written "And no longer shall each man teach
his neighbor..., for they shall all know me" (Jer. 31:34), And
"Neither he who plants nor he that waters is anything, but only God who
gives the growth" (I Cor. 3:7). For although "No one can come to
Christ unless he be drawn by the Father" (John 6:44), And unless the Holy
Spirit inwardly illumines him, yet we know that it is surely the will of God
that his Word should be preached outwardly also. God could indeed, by his Holy
Spirit, or by the ministry of an angel, without the ministry of St. Peter, have
taught Cornelius in the Acts; but, nevertheless, he refers him to Peter, of
whom the angel speaking says, "He shall tell you what you ought to
do."
(from
Chapter 1: Of The Holy Scripture Being The TrueWord of God, written by Heinrich Bullinger in
1562 and revised in 1564 ) https://www.ccel.org/creeds/helvetic.htm
Further reading: Hebrews 12:18-end
Song: Now in reverence and awe …
Jesus, let me meet you in your word (Graham Kendrick) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LvugGjJwhk
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