Let Us
January 31, 2021 • Pastor Jeff Ralph
Hebrews is a book written to encourage the people of Israel that Christ is who He says He is and that our identity is rooted in what Jesus accomplished on our behalf at the cross. Therefore, we can rest assured in our state before Him as forgiven and loved, and we can stand firm in our decision to follow Him no matter the cost. And the cost at that time was great.
People who were followers of Jesus were often persecuted. They were cut off from organized religion, rejected by their families, and sometimes even killed. Christians began to doubt if Jesus was worth the trouble. They began to lose heart and return to the safety of their former rituals and beliefs.
The author of Hebrews wanted to not only encourage these struggling Christians, but to lay out a compelling argument for staying strong in their new-found faith. He showed over and over again how Jesus fulfilled the Law and the writing of the prophets they dearly loved. The writer showed how Jesus was better than the angels, a high priest who was sympathetic to their struggles, the founder and perfecter of our faith who could be trusted with their fears.
With this foundation, the author then uses a simple phrase to build up the faith of his readers. Fourteen times the author uses the words “let us” to move his readers from a weak and crumbling commitment to Christ to one of conviction and action.
Let us strive…
Let us hold fast…
Let us draw near…
Let us leave…
Let us consider…
In this message, Pastor Jeff takes a closer look at five of the fourteen “let us” statements to encourage those of us who are admittedly struggling through difficult days. Listen and be helped by these words that have been giving hope to believers for over 2,000 years.
