The Certainty of God's Promise (6:13-20)

Introduction

If you’re like me, before you buy something, especially something that is a bit pricy, you weed through the advertisements of how great this product is and look for the reviews. These reviews tell us about the experience a real owner had with this product and wether they recommend it or not. What we want to know is, does the promise given by the advertiser match the reality of the end user.

Up to this point in our study of the book of Hebrews, we have seen that Jesus, the very essence of the Father, begotten of the Father in eternity past, is superior to the angles, though for a short time he was made lower then the angles. And that Jesus was superior to Moses, because he was given a greater appointment then Moses. We saw that he was and is our Great High Priest, greater than the High Priesthood of Aaron. We also have been warned throughout our study that though all these things are true, there was and will be those from within the physical covenant community of believers who are pretenders, or apostates.

This we saw very clearly last week when Pastor Ray showed us from chapters 5 and 6 that the true believers are identified by their movement in their faith, desiring to grow in maturity, even if the movement is slow, and that no movement or abandonment is evidence of apostacy.

We ended last week with the writer of Hebrews expressing “Confidence” in his recipients because they were hard at work. But what evidence or reviews as it were, are there that help encourage those who are hard at work, seeking to grow in their faith, that they will inherit the promises made by the writer?

I believe that this is the message the writer of Hebrews is about to show us this morning from our text, as we look at The Certainty of God’s Promises to the readers through an example of one who had been there.

Text: Hebrews 6:13-20

Main Idea: Because the promises of God are inseparable from the character of God, we must believe that our hope to inherit these promises is certain.

What could be more fitting an example to the Hebrew recipients than for the writer of Hebrews to begin with...

I. God’s Promise to Abraham (13-15)

For - This explanatory conjunction connects us back to verses 10-12 in order to explain how we can know that the work we do is not in vain.

Hebrews 6:10–12 ESV

10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The demonstrative pronoun those, points back to an example in the past, in this case the writer is highlighting Abraham, the Father of the Hebrews.

A. God’s Promise to Abraham Was Validated By Divine Oath (13)

The blood oath was the most serious of all oaths that two parties would make to ratify an unbreakable covenant between them. The parties would take animals and kill them and split them with a pathway between the animal carcases in which the two would walk between. In doing so, they were signifying that the punishment of death would be due to the one who would break the covenant between them, in other words, what had happened to these animals, would happen to him. However, we see in Genesis 15, that God alone was involved.

Genesis 15:12–20 ESV

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

B. God’s Promise to Abraham Was Not Physically Tangible (14)

Surely I will bless you and multiply you - this was taken from Genesis 22:17

Genesis 22:17 ESV

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

What was Abraham’s condition when this promise was made, let’s see from the context of Genesis 22:

Abraham had only one child of the covenant, as Sarah, his wife, had given birth to their only son Isaac, as God had said.

Abraham was 100 years old, and had just been tested by God to sacrifice that covenant child.

Abraham was still a nomad and possessed no land, no property of his own.

C. God’s Promise to Abraham Was Realized Through Patience (15)

And thus, refers back to Genesis 15, stated above in order to make the point.

We continue in verse 15, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.

So when was the original promise given? I believe it was in Genesis 12: 1-3

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Here the promise was based on nothing tangible; Abraham had no seed for Sarah was baron, they had no land, and they were both old, Abraham was 75, and Sarah was about 10 years younger.

However, the promise of a seed did not become reality until Abraham was 100 years-old, some 25 years later. So the point is, the timing of God’s promises is known only to God, we are to trust the intangible circumstances to him.

The total fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant was not to be fulfilled in Abraham’s day as we will see later.

But why should we trust God? Doesn’t he give us a brain to calculate, formulate, and speculate so that we can come up with alternatives just in case what he said doesn’t happen. Well, that’s where we are going next in our text…it’s because,

II. God’s Promises Are Rooted in God’s Character (16-17)

A. God’s Promises Are Rooted in the Character of God’s Greatness and Immutability (16-17a)

In order for our word to be validated, we seek someone with authority, someone higher up to speak on our behalf.

God’s greatness speaks for itself. There is no one higher, there is no one greater, God speaks for God!

God’s plan is certain because God is unchangeable.

Numbers 23:19 ESV

19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Job 42:2 ESV

2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

B. God’s Promises Are Rooted in the Character of God’s Guaranteed Oath (17b)

The Hebrew mind would know the extreme importance of Oaths, putting teeth to promises, and making them unbreakable without consequences. We read for instance in,

Numbers 30:2 ESV

2 If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

It would have been enough for God just to promise, but that he also guaranteed it with an oath shows that...

III. God’s Promises Bring Assurance (18-20)

A. God’s Promises Bring Assurance Because of God’s Absolute Truthfulness (18)

by two unchangeable things - what are these two unchangeable things? I believe they are:

God’s promises that are rooted in his greatness and immutability

God’s confirming oath that guaranteed the promises.

it is impossible for God to lie - as a result of these two unchangeable things, we are assured of God’s absolute truthfulness.

These two unchangeable things are like the two required witnesses that brought confirmation to ones truthfulness as declared in the law:

Deuteronomy 19:15 ESV

15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

And in the NT:

Matthew 18:16 ESV

16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us - as a result of the impossibility for God to lie, we have:

encouragement - cheering one on to the finish line, to hold fast to the...

hope - faith directed towards the future, ie., set before us.

B. God’s Promises Bring Assurance Because of Christ’s Finished Work (19-20)

We have a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul because ultimately, God’s promises bring this assurance because they were fulfilled in the work of redemption through Jesus Christ.

The unfulfilled part of the Abrahamic covenant, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”, though still future in Abraham’s day, was now fulfilled in Jesus Christ!

His work, being better than Aaron’s High Priestly work, having to enter into the Holy of Holies, behind the curtain once a year to and offer the blood on the mercy seat, was a once for all work where Christ enters into the inner place behind the curtain.

Hebrews 9:12 ESV

12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Jesus high priestly office, though better then Aaron, was patterned after Melchizedek which Andrew John will tells us about next week.

So What?

When God promises us something, we can be assured that that promise will come true.

How will the fact that God cannot lie affect your trust in him to carryout his promises to you?

Think of some of God’s promises:

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

John 14:1–3 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Philippians 4:19 ESV

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God’s ultimate promise to Abraham resulted in the fulfillment of Christ’s work of redemption. Have you repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation?