Hebrews 6:9-20 - God's Promise in Jesus is the Basis of Our Hope

When I decided to preach through the book of Hebrews earlier this year. I had no idea the amount of Trials and troubles you would all face this summer. We picked this book wanting to talk about the supremacy of Jesus as Leaders. The Jesus is better than everything and now we're in August and I've walked through some deep Waters with some of you this summer trials you facing that you've never experienced in your entire life and this passage that we're coming to here and Hebrew 6 before us God is appointed today in this passage to encourage your hearts. God's promise in Jesus is the bassist. Of Our Hope and it is Providence Our Father in Heaven ordained this day in this message on April 18th. And and I know for some of you probably all of you including myself. This is exactly what we need to hear today. You need to be encouraged today that the Father's Promise in Jesus is all of the hope that you need while we're going to see the author of Hebrews uses this illustration of Jesus being an anchor in the storm and anchor to the soul and then you think about that picture of an anchor when a ship is new and the captain is at his best. He might not need an anchor. He might decide to just sail through the storm and just keep going and you know, just make sure to line perpendicular with the waves and cut on through and Trust in the strength of the ship or the strategies of the captain, but when the ship is battered and the Sails are torn And the only thing that's keeping the ship from being destroyed and shattered on the rocks in the shore is the anchor that anchor Becomes of crucial importance and what the author of Hebrews does it takes that picture and says Jesus is the anchor of our soul. He's the one who is steadfast and firm. And so the question that the passage asks us today is where do we find Hope? Where do we find confidence? Where do we find constellation? And the answer to that is our hope our confidence our consolation is in God and not our circumstances.

So often we run to our circumstances after all we're going to mericans. This is life liberty and the pursuit of happiness and we can just pull ourselves up and we can just work harder and we can accomplish more and we can solve our own problems. Make more money. Get more friends work harder do more and yet those things fail us. Don't they?

You might be sitting here today. I know some of you are where you're at the end of yourself. Your soul is weary because of the circumstances you've gone through your worn out by the trials of life. You're you're not at the beginning of the marathon like we saw in the Olympics a couple weeks ago while everybody's excited and jumping up and down and doing jumping jacks getting ready for the the gun to go off your in the last half mile you feel like and you don't even think you can make it.

When we have the kind of hope that is offered in our passage we get a second wind to keep running and that's what I want to share with you today. So let's read the passage together Hebrews chapter 6 is going to be verses 9 through 20. Picking up in the middle of the author's thought but it is a new paragraph. He says though we speak in this way and I'll explain that in a moment though. He's speaking this way yet in your case beloved. We feel sure of better things things that belong to Salvation for God is Not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you've shown for his name in serving the Saints as you still do.

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full Assurance of Hope until the end that you may not be sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises for when God made a promise to Abraham since he had no one Greater by whom to swear he swore by himself saying surely have a blessed and multiply you and Beth Abraham having patiently waited obtained the promise for people swear by something greater than themselves and in all their disputes and oath is final for confirmation. So when God desire to show more convincingly to The Heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of its purpose, he guaranteed it with a note so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for Refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the Hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. I hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest Forever After the order of Melchizedek. So here's our passage before us the author of Hebrews is completing his thoughts that he had started in chapter 5 in into chapter 6. He says though we speak in this way beloved. Now. It was a couple weeks ago. I preached on the first 8 verses of chapter 6, but it was a warning to us to not grow sluggish and that idea of sluggish is the idea of not abandoning Jesus because that's what he was warning could happen is that this evil heart of unbelief would cause us to turn away from the Living God. and he had a strong warning and said that that if we grow sluggish and we turn away from the Living God that we will not inherit the promises and so now he's turning the corner and he saying I'm confident of better things concerning you beloved. He reminds them that their loved by God right after he gives this strong warning and wake up call of the danger of spiritual immaturity and laziness that can lead to apostasy. That is the falling away of Jesus and he says but there are things I'm confident about concerning you things that belong to Salvation. He says there and the fruit of genuine Christianity are these things now, what's interesting is we have this kind of list all over the place in the Bible. If you go to First John the Jason and I preached last year and you see that he writes that you would know that you have eternal life. And what is the the main indicator in first John? Will the main indicator is that we love one another that the love of God is in us because we love one another in and also oh by the way that we love God. And the proof that we love God is that we love one another and if we're loving one another we can be confident we have eternal life. If we go to other passages Jesus says the the demonstration that you are loving him is that you obey his commands for example over and over in the gospel here. It's a fascinating list that he gives us. He says really there's three fruits of this eternal life that we have that first week. We live for the glory of God this life of worship work. We're doing what we were created to do another words. The Westminster Confession of Faith was the the pastors who wrote the Westminster Confession. They wanted to make sure that the church is understood this so they wrote an accompaniment catechism that is a list of training questions. That would be taught to new church members to children in the very first question in the Westminster catechism. You may know this. Well, what is the chi end of man Why were we made? What is the end for which we were created in? The answer of course is to glorify God and enjoy him forever to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This is what the author of Hebrews is saying is that I'm confident of better things concerning you beloved things that accompany salvation because I know that you've been living for the glory of God. Do you see that there? First in God is Not So unjust. So as to overlook your work and the love you have shown for his name. So the work in love you Sean for his name. This is living for the glory of God by doing this work that would glorify his name and loving the glory of God loving it.

It is one thing to say. Well I'll work so that you know, I work for an engineering company named t y Lin and it's one thing for me to work so that we get more business and Cy Lynn's name become better known so that all have jobs stability quite another thing to say, I love the company and I want the name to be known whether or not we get more work. It is a mercenary way to live for the the glory or the fame of something, but then there's a genuine way which is love and that's what the author of Hebrews says. In other words. He's confident of better things because he knows they love God, they love Jesus and they love his glory. What Jesus taught us to pray? May your kingdom come? May your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven father, hollowood be your name. May your name be set apart as glorious in all the nations.

What a

intriguing way of talking about confidence because very often we want a list of things that will give us confidence. Right? We we want to know what is the measuring stick that I could check the box and know that I have Assurance in confidence and hope and hear the author of Hebrews says do you love God's glory? Do you love his name? Do you want it to be magnified? He says to these Hebrews. I'm confident of better things concerning you because you've been doing work and love the glory of his name. You love his name. You've been working towards his name being spread. There's evidence that you are in Jesus. Mini connects it to what so many Bible passages connected to your serving the Saints. Not only have you served the Saints in the past. You're still doing it. You have new love for others and it's seen an ongoing actions. Will what is the author of Hebrews getting at will he he's going to talk in verse 12 bit by faith and patience. We inherit the promises. He's got all of chapter 11 to tell us that our Salvation is by faith alone. He's got a whole laundry list of those from the Bible that walked by face who believe the promises of God and who were waiting for the kingdom that was to come this the new city and they were going to inherit these promises in Jesus. And so here he's kind of jumping ahead and he's he's saying I'm confident a better things concerning you than you a pasta sizing and falling away. No, I'm confident that you're going to remain because you have faith and patience in the promises of God. So we're saved by faith alone. But the faith that saves is never alone regeneration produces new life and that new life when we look at it. It should give us great Assurance. I am not what I once was I was a god hater. And now I love God. I didn't seek his glory. I wanted my name to be great. I wanted my name in lights over everything that I do. I wanted to be the center of attention in the room, but now I want God's name. To be in lights. I want the Lord Jesus to be the center of attention.

Isn't that a miraculous change that happens? It's a marvelous change that happens. This is the encouragement when we see these signs of life that the spirits that were giving us assurance that we are loving the glory of God and we're loving our brothers and sisters and serving them. It's an encouragement to persevere and keep running. In fact chapter 11 when he talks about will get there when he talks about that all of those examples of face. He then starts chapter 12 by saying, oh all those examples there in a Coliseum you're surrounded by a cloud of witnesses there in the stadium. They're cheering you on To run the race with endurance they walk by faith and by faith and patience, they inherited the promises and you to run the race keep running and don't give up and don't grow weary in well-doing because you're going to inherit the promises as well one of these days, I would love to watch an English Premier League game in person. I haven't had the opportunity yet. I've been watching the Premier League for many years. I watched a couple games yesterday and a game this morning and it's just starting and so this illustration came to mind the home team the way they cheer and sing and chant in those games is so loud. The commentators are always mentioning it and it's like they're the 12th man on the pitch. They say that is the 12th teammates on the field with the team of 11. Why because home field advantage when you have a crowd like that makes all the difference in the world. And it go away and try to win add an away game when the whole crowd is cheering your opponents can be very discouraging and the author of Hebrews is going to take that picture now. It's the Roman Colosseum, but the idea is the same you're running a race and the whole crowd is cheering you on to keep believing to keep fixing your eyes on Jesus the author and Perfecter of your faith who for the joy set before him endure the cross despising the shame and is sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. To lay aside every encumbrance the sin that so easily entangles us and to run the race with endurance. This is what he's trying to just drive down deep into our hearts. Are you weary this morning this afternoon. Are you ready to give up just take a moment and reflect on your life. Have you given glory and worship to God? Do you love his glory and Majesty? Have you served the Saints? Do you believe that the words of Jesus are true? It's more blessed to give than to receive. Well, then keep running. Have hope have encouragement that your faith is not in vain. In fact verse 12 is is the key, isn't it? This is sort of the the hinge pin of his teaching. He says we don't want you to become sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises now he's going to then give us a couple of illustrations of how Abraham exhibited both faith and patience and how an anchor demonstrates both faith and patience two sides of the same coin, aren't they Faith by its very nature is believing in something you cannot see And patience is required because when you look at the things you can see they cause you to doubt your face. Have you had that happen before? I believe Jesus died for my sins. I believe he was buried. I believe he rose again. I believe he's seated at the right hand of the father. I believe he's going to come back and make all things new but he hasn't come back yet. And then I read the news. And then I realize I have to have patience with the evil of this world. I have to have patience with my co-workers. I have to have patience with the things I see and I wondered Jesus. Are you really going to make all things new or is this thing going to just go down into the toilet this whole world? I have to have patience. The God's promises are yes, and amen in Christ. And this is what the author of the Hebrews is saying is you need encouragement you need to be reminded of what has happened in the past in your life that demonstrates God's going to keep his promises in the future will what happened in the past believer? You were changed you were forgiven of your sins. You were given a new heart and a new nature you now have new affections and new loves maybe He restored your marriage may be restored relationships. Maybe he got you out of the misery of a life devoted to sin and enslaving addiction inhabit that you couldn't break in your own strength and Jesus broke it if that happened. This is what he's done in the past and that's a reminder that he's going to do it again in the future. He's going to make all things new remember Hebrews is a sermon on Psalm 110 and Psalm 110 is a promise that the father has ceded the Sun at his right hand and he's rolling with the greatest Authority and he's interceding for us as a high priest so that we can always draw near to the father. And so that's his application. Through faith and patience wait for all of the enemies of Christ to be put under his feet and The Last Enemy is death. But he said in Chapter 2 the Jesus came and destroyed him who had the power of death. That is the devil and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. So even the fear of death is broken in our lives. That's a great comfort when we have the very real threat of death day in and day out. We don't think of it. We're pretty oblivious at times. But we're frail and we're fragile. funerals happen every weekend cancer diagnosis come every week. And the worst is when there's health issues in their unexplainable in the doctors can't figure it out and it lingers on and on for years and years and there's no answers. I know some of you were facing that in this room.

We need Faith to believe the promises of God, and we need patience to wait for God's perfect timing.

Well, this is why the author in verses 13 to 20 says I want to encourage you by reminding you how certain God's promises are let me give you the example of Abraham verses 13 to 15. God basically says my promise is based on my own character. Now, this is a bit of a cheeky argument and the reason why is because what are we doing courtrooms when we want people to feel the weight of telling the truth. We have them put their hand on a Bible and swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God in other words. God is my witness. If I'm lying to you and me application is may he strike me dead or may he punish me or may he caused the truth to come out?

The author of Hebrews says God can't swear by anyone greater. So, you know what he swears by himself. And what does he swear to do tell the truth God's promises based on himself and he says let's just take the life of Abraham and this is important for a number of reasons. God promised Abraham that he would inherit a land that he would have descendents like the stars and in particular one of his descendants would restore everything that was broken in the fall and that in this blessing Not only would this descendant restore that blessing in him all the nations of the Earth would be blessed Genesis chapter 12 now circumstances in Abraham's life develop that threaten the Fulfillment of those promises whether the barrenness of his wife Sarah, how am I going to have descendants that are like the stars if my wife can't even have a baby. The command to sacrifice Isaac. How about that now? My wife had a baby and he is the promised one, but now God you're telling me to go kill this young man on a mountain. and Abraham believed God

Abraham also had to wait to see the Promise verse 15th Abraham having patiently waited obtained the promise. So Abraham's used very briefly as an illustration that he believed God God reckoned it to him as righteousness Genesis 15. He had faith that God was going to do what he promised blessing you I will multiply you your nations of your your descendants will be like the stars and then he waited patiently for that. Remember how many years he waited for Isaac to be born for that promise. It was quite a while. Abraham and Sarah were past childbearing years by the time God for filled the promise.

The author of Hebrews is going to mention Abraham again in chapter 11, and he says verses 8 to 10 by faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place not knowing where he was going by faith. He went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land. He was looking forward to the city that has Foundation to designer and Builder is God. So this is the first example he says we're faith and patience leads to promises look at the life of Abraham. Then he reminds again. Oh, yeah. God keeps his promises. He swore by himself verse 16. That's what people do God Desiring and this guarantees it with an old tin verse 17 and then he says so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie and in our English, it's a little bit awkward. What are these two unchangeable things were these two and changeable things are his word his promise and then the oath to back it up and other words God promises and that should be enough. But God does more than promise. He backs It Up by swearing by himself. So what is the whole point of this God wants to convince you that all of these things are truly yours.

That is remarkable to me because God doesn't need to answer to us. Does he? He's the Creator where the creature.

I think of Jobe you remember the story of Jobe who's in this terrible misery is lost his family his children. His wife is said curse God and die. He's lost as hell if he's lost his finances. He's sitting on a heap of ashes and he's taking a pot to scrape away the boils that are itching his skin because of the misery. Jobe want an answer from God and when God finally appears to Joe been chapter 40 God answer is Jobe. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth? And it goes on and on for a whole chapter. You should read it. It's remarkable and jobs responses. You're right your God. I'm not I repent and Dustin ashes. What here in chapter 6 the author of Hebrews says listen beloved. God doesn't owe you an explanation. But what he does is he gives you his promises and then he swears by himself that he's going to keep them. He really wants you to know that these things are yours and then inverse 18e adds another statement. Oh, by the way, it's impossible for God to lie. That's dealing with his character. God cannot lie. Surely. The author was thinking of numbers 23 God is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should change his mind. He is fed and will not do it. He's spoken Willie not fulfil it. So what is our response we hold fast to this. Hope that's the response. That's the application. We hold on to this. Hope It's like holding on to those cables on the side of Half Dome. I done it twice climbed up there when you get to the very top there's these cables. That's all they got on the side of this mountain and you can bet I had a death grip on those cables. I wasn't Loosely holding on to those cables. I was clenching with all my mic so that my forearms were store by the time I got to the top. Or it's like going to the Eiffel Tower and going up to the top and then you get to the rail and you you look over in the minute. You start looking over your hands just gripped Tighter and Tighter why cuz it's a long way down. And all of us have this it's not so much the fear of heights is the fear of falling. M and N no matter what you go to you and you know what this illustration is, like is that when we know that were afraid of the falling we hold on tighter. We don't let go to whatever that safety is whether it's a rope whether it's a railing whether it's you know, your wife whatever it is. Hold on tights. I think if I go she goes to We're in this together, babe one flesh.

That's the illustration he's going to turn to in verses 19 to 20. He begins bye talking about an anchor for the ship. Back to verse 6:19. We have this hope that he says in verse 18 as a sure and steadfast anchor of the so I hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.

Now we who fled Verse 18 for Refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the Hope set before us the holdfast. What's interesting is when he gives the illustration of an anchor fuel station of an anchor. He says this we have this encouragement to hold fast to this hope but then he talks about an anchor Inn. We don't really hold fast to an anchor buoy The Anchor Holds fast to us. That means ultimately are keeping is not in our grip but in God's but it still takes faith in patients because an anchor usually you can't see it when it's in you so you don't see it. It's at the bottom. It's steadfast. Nothing can dislodge this anchor in your believing that it's going to hold you in the storm. It's it's not like my father-in-law's anchor on a ski boat. He would always throw this pathetic anchor and then he would tell us to dive down and stick it in the mud for this and then you know, it's a pretty pathetic anchor when you're having to do all the work and then it never held because the ski boat within just drift with the tides by a bigger anchor Well, I don't need to talk bad about John my beloved father-in-law, but I did I guess though. It's already done as long as recorded send it to him. Our hope is in an anchor. The anchor is Jesus and it's an objective reality. It's an anchor. He says of the Soul. It's a perfect. Hope in other words. It's not just an anchor. That's a physical anchor. It's an anchor of the Soul. Our sins are forgiven. The author of Hebrews is going to talk about our conscience is cleansed. And we find rest in Christ. Jesus died for our sins. He was raised for our justification that we heard and Romans chapter 4 in the scripture reading and if we have been Justified that means we've been declared right not because of our own works, but because of the works of another when the father looks at you beloved, he no longer sees your sin. He sees the righteousness of his son. Because on the cross he took your sin and nailed it to his son. And Jesus Paid It All and it's washed away. That's what he's going to get out of these entered as a forerunner behind the bail to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. And then he makes this statement like a priest after the order of Melchizedek and I'm going to save that cuz chapter 7 next week. Is that whole thing we talked about it a couple weeks ago, but Melchizedek, the name in Hebrew is Melech King inside a crisis news. So this king of righteousness and Jesus is our righteousness who not only made a way for us to be righteous. He gives us his righteousness so that you can stand in the presence of God and draw near to him today and with boldness chapter 4 says approach the throne of grace and find grace and mercy to help in your time of need. It just said that two chapters ago and so he says hold fast to this hope Hold fast to this this anchor Christ. It's an anchor of the Soul. It's an anchor of hope that brings us into the presence of God. It's the reason for which we were created and why we desire to glorify him in love is Glory.

Jesus went into God's presence ahead of us as our 4Runner on our behalf who's interceding for us who is now giving us access to the father. He's a priest forever like no kiss attack. But we need faith and patience to inherit the promises don't we like Abraham We Believe God's promises are true, and we need to have patience to wait for their perfect timing in our lives. Charles Spurgeon said when God's promises finally come. They may seem like they're delayed but they're not the reason that they seem delayed is because the barge ship is heavy laden with more and more promises than you could even imagine.

I heard Pastor Frank say often that God is rarely early never late and always right on time.

So we need faith and patience. I want to share with you. I've been prepping to get ready for the fall quarter at the Seminary and I'm teaching church history again. Like I do every year and I was reminded in my notes of the martyrdom of polycarp polycarp. It's that actually the oldest written account of a martyrdom of a Christian outside of the New Testament around 1:55 a.d. Almost 1,900 years ago and this martyrdom of polycarp. It records the pursuit the arrest the trial and execution of this 86 year old pastor at the church of Smyrna and when the armed soldiers came to arrest him, here's how the account goes they found him in bed in an upstairs room in a small cottage and though he still could have escaped from there to another place. He refused saying may God's will be done. So when he heard that they had arrived he went down and talked with them and those who were present marveled at his age 86 and his composure and wondered why there was so much eagerness for the arrest of an old man like you and any earlier in the account. It was a whole group of soldiers. They thought they were taking you know, it was the SWAT team coming to take this 86 year old man. And the police captain named Herod and his father niketas came out to meet him and after transferring him to their carriage and sitting down to his side. They tried to persuade him saying why what harm is there in saying Caesar is Lord and offering incense and other words to this effect. So they wanted polycarb to take incense and burn it at an altar and give worship to Caesar and say Caesar is Lord. Note 1st to give them no answer but when they persisted he said I'm not about to do what you are suggesting to me. So they failed to persuade him. They began to other threats and made him Dismount in such a hurry that he bruised his hand as he got down from the carriage and then he was led to the stadium and is he's going in there's this uproar at the stadium so that no one could even be heard. Finally. They settle down the crowd resume the story there for when he was brought before him. The proconsul asked if he were polycarp. The proconsul is like the governor of the area who's giving this trial when he confessed that he was polycarp the proconsul tried to persuade him to recant saying have respect for your age and other such things as they're accustomed to say swear by The Genius of Caesar a genius has those those busts of Caesar. So the the statue of Caesars Head. It was a representation of Caesar in 22 Square by the G. This would be to offer worship to Caesar repent say away with the atheist. Ironically Christians were considered atheist in Rome because they didn't worship idols. So they didn't believe their God exist. They thought they were atheists and so they're asking polycarp to recant atheist. So polycarp solemnly looks around the whole crowd of Lawless Heathen emotions towards them and says away with the atheists in the magistrate persisted swear by the ocean. I will release you polycarp replies for 86 years. I've been his servant and he's done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? What an amazing thought he's about to die. And how could I blaspheme my king who saved me so then they threatened him with wild beasts. They end up two-side deciding to have him burned at the stake. He gives some great responses to about if the beasts eat me. No big deal. If the fire burns me no big deal. They decide to burn him at the stake. They didn't hear the account resume. They did not nail him but tied him instead then having placed his hands behind himself and having been bound like a splendid Ram chosen from a great flock for a sacrifice a burnt offering prepared and acceptable to God. He looked up to heaven and said, oh Lord God Almighty father of your beloved and blessed son. Jesus Christ through whom we have received knowledge of you the God of angels and powers of all creation of the whole race of the righteous who live in your presence. I bless you because you have considered me worthy of this day an hour so that I might receive a place among the num. Of the martyrs in the cup of your Christ to the resurrection to eternal life both of soul and a body in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. May I be received among them in your presence today as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, if you've prepared and revealed beforehand and have now accomplished you who are under sieving and the true God for this reason indeed for all things. I praise you I bless you. I glorify you through the Eternal in Heavenly high priest Jesus Christ your beloved Son through whom be glory to you with him and the Holy Spirit both now going for the ages to come. Amen. What a picture of endurance from almost 1,900 years ago. Just Savor 86 years. I've been a servant and he's done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? Where do we find Hope? Our confidence our consolation is in God and not our circumstances. I feel polycarp understood. That's what the author of Hebrews was reminding us. Is that our hope is in a risen savior who seated at the right hand of the father who is our high priest who is interceding for us who's our righteousness who gives us access to the father and we can find grace and mercy to help in our time of need and so our application today is to hold fast to Jesus to look to him to run the race with endurance. To know that this hope is not an empty. Hope it's a hope that will never disappoint. It will never fail us because Jesus has accomplished it. He's a high priest forever father. Thank you for this time and your word. May you encourage my brothers and sisters. May you Minister by your spirit your peace that passes all understanding to guard their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus. Our hearts and minds are guarded because we are in Christ because Jesus is our savior our high priest at your right hand interceding for us and he's able to completely cleanse us from the state of our sin and he's able to completely Deliver Us from all of our tribulations and bring us safely into your beloved Kingdom. We believe it. But we need patience to wait for the promises. And so father in the waiting. Would you grant us Power by your spirit? To keep running to hold fast to Jesus our anchor and to never be moved in Jesus name we pray. Amen.