Hebrews 6:13-20 - Certainty in a World Full of Uncertainty
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Friends, we live in a world full of uncertainty. Just think of some of the areas of our lives that can cause us worry and concern.
Economic Uncertainly. Some days our economy seems red hot while others it seems bleak or unpredictable.
Governmental Uncertainty. We just saw this as our government shut down for the longest period ever!
The Uncertainty of Peace. Some days we have hope for peaceful resolutions among nations, and then the next day these hopes seem dashed to pieces.
Health Uncertainty. One day we receive great news about our health - yet we know that one day that news won’t be as good as our bodies will eventually fail.
Relational Uncertainty. Relationships can be amazing one day and then struggling the next. Being a sinner living among sinners means that there will be conflict at times.
But in a world full of uncertainty, there is one place where we can find steadfast reliability - and that is God.
God is unchanging. He is perfect and perfectly reliable. His promises are sure.
So as we go through our Scripture today: Rest in the promises of God. Trust in the promises of God. And stand on the promises of God.
Let’s read our Scripture for today.
Read Full Scripture:
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”
And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
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, a 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.
Prayer
Today we will see three ways that we can be sure of the certainty of the promises of God. The first is…
I. God’s Promises Are Certain Because of Their Source (13-16)
I. God’s Promises Are Certain Because of Their Source (13-16)
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
What promise did God make to Abraham?
In Genesis 12, we see the first call to Abraham. He will be made a great nation, and all of the families of the earth will be blessed through his lineage. This is further explained in a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15 and again in Genesis 18.
Moving forward to Genesis 21, God had fulfilled His promise to give Abraham and Sarah a son. Despite some definite hiccups along the way on the part of Abraham and Sarah (consider Hagar and Ishmael), Isaac had been born. The promised child had come.
However, God had a huge test for Abraham before this final promise sworn by His Own Name. This final promise would come after a test that foreshadowed what God would do to His One and Only Son Who would come through the lineage of Abraham.
In Genesis 22, Abraham is tested by God to take Isaac, now likely a teen or young man, up on Mount Moriah and sacrifice him unto the Lord.
Yet, just as Abraham reached out his hand to take the knife to slaughter his son, God intervened and provided a ram in the thicket. This obviously foreshadows Jesus Christ, Who died on the cross in our place. This is such a beautiful picture of the Gospel. We deserved death and yet God sent Jesus Christ to die in our place.
After this, we are told that the angel of the Lord comes with a message from God:
and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 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, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
God promises by His own Name which is above all.
God promises by His own Name which is above all.
How amazing is it that our God cannot promise by anything greater than Himself!
Again, we know that this promise found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The nations of the world have been blessed through Abraham because Jesus came through the line of Abraham through Isaac, down through Jacob, Judah, continuing onward through David, and ultimately through Mary and Joseph.
God’s promises are sure because of their Source.
In verse 15 we are told that Abraham patiently waited for the promised offspring. He was 75 years old when God first appeared to him. And it wasn’t until he was 100 that Isaac was born.
This reminds us of an important lesson in life:
God’s timing is not always the timing we expect or desire.
God’s timing is not always the timing we expect or desire.
Brothers and sisters, you may be waiting on God to come through in a certain area of your life. Maybe there is a gifting that you have that you have not been able to use for some reason. Maybe there is a call on your life, but the timing for fulfilling that call just hasn’t come yet. Maybe there is someone in your life that you see the Lord working on and drawing, but they just haven’t fully surrendered yet. Keep patiently waiting. Stay fervent in prayer. Continue in His Word. And continue to persevere despite the difficulties that arise. But know that the Lord is faithful. He hears your cries and sees your struggle. He is right beside you through it all.
Continue to trust God and His timing. His ways are perfect, and His timing will always be just right.
And in verse 16 we are reminded that the source of the oath and promise is of the utmost of importance.
Many people make promises. However, the source of the promise is the most important factor in whether the promise will be fulfilled.
Many people make promises. However, the source of the promise is the most important factor in whether the promise will be fulfilled.
Consider politicians. Politicians promise big changes as they campaign for a spot to represent you in government. Yet, how few of these men and women truly keep all of the promises that they make? Some of these promises may be made with malicious intent to try to buy votes to win. But likely many of these failed promises are a result of the fact that many of their promises are not fulfillable. They do not have absolute power to do their will.
But for God, He does have absolute power and control. He is sovereign, and thus His promises are sure.
How much greater are our heavenly Father’s promises? Do we understand the greatness of the Source in which these promises come from? This Source is the source of all life and matter in existence today. Everything was made through Him and by Him and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17). This Source, namely Jesus Christ - God-made-flesh, gave His life for us and has made salvation possible through His sacrifice on the cross. This Source is consistent, loving, and never failing. We can rest assured that the promises of God are certain because of the Source and also because of His steadfastness…
Scripture References: Genesis 12, Genesis 15, Genesis 18, Genesis 21-22, Colossians 1:16-17
II. God’s Promises Are Certain Because of His Steadfastness (17-18)
II. God’s Promises Are Certain Because of His Steadfastness (17-18)
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 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.
God desired to show something to the heirs of the promise.
Who are these heirs? Us (if we are in Christ)!
Who are these heirs? Us (if we are in Christ)!
Listen to Paul teach this in Galatians 3:29:
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
This promise to Abraham has continued to find its fulfillment in those who would repent and trust in Christ. We are now grafted in as offspring of Abraham - heirs according to promise (Romans 11:11-24).
The purpose of this promise to Abraham was to bring about the Messiah - Jesus Christ - who would die and offer salvation to the world.
Think about this for a moment. When God made this promise to Abraham some 2,000 years before Christ and some 4,000 years from today, you were a part of that promise.
If you are in Christ, that promise was for you as well some 4,000 years ago!
For those who aren’t saved, that promise is available for you today! If only you will repent, which means turn away from your sins, and place your faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation. Then you can also be an heir of this promise - adopted as a son or daughter of the King of Kings.
There is no work you need to do in order to be saved. There is no price that you need to pay in order to be adopted by the King of Kings. You only need to repent and trust in Christ. It is a free gift of God. He paid the price. He did the work.
Looking back at verses 17-18 we see something else that is important to note…
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 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.
People will often ask ridiculous questions like what can God not do. The simple answer is evil. God is antithetical to evil. Whatever evil is, God the exact opposite.
Evil is selfish, God is sacrificial.
Evil is hateful, God is love.
Evil is stingy, God is generous.
Evil is corruption, God is purity.
Evil is deceitful, God is truth.
Evil is unjust, God is just.
Evil is ever changing, God is consistent and steadfast.
We are told here that it is impossible for God to lie. That means we can bank on every promise that He gives as a guarantee. His promises are certain.
Because of God’s consistency, His promises need no oath. However, in order to strengthen man’s faith, He offers an oath here as well.
God guarantees these two unchangeable things - namely His promise and His oath - by His unchangeable character.
God guarantees these two unchangeable things - namely His promise and His oath - by His unchangeable character.
God’s character and steadfastness is what gives us the ability to place our hope and trust in Him. He is truth. He is trustworthy. We don’t have a blind faith or a blind hope. Our hope is founded on our unchanging and steadfast God.
Because of our steadfast God, we can run to Him as our refuge as the end of verse 18 assets…
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.
Where better to take refuge in and set our hope on than Christ?
Lasting and true hope is not an attitude that we have. It isn’t based on our feelings. It is based on the object of our hope.
Our hope is not a dead hope. It is a living hope in Christ Jesus as Peter states in 1 Peter 1:3. Jesus is our living hope.
And He is our refuge.
The imagery of God being our place of refuge is filled throughout the pages of the Bible - especially the Psalms.
In the Psalms, God is portrayed as a place of refuge some 13 times.
In the Psalms, God is portrayed as a place of refuge some 13 times.
A refuge is a safe place of shelter for one who needs protection.
Where do you run for refuge?
When you get stressed and worried, when you become fearful, where do you turn?
When the storms of this life are brewing, where do go for comfort and protection?
Friends, as we live in this world of uncertainty, we need to flee to our God of refuge who remains steadfast.
He offers us His loving arms of protection.
Listen to Psalm 91:2 show us the power of God…
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
He is not only our refuge - but He is our fortress. Our sovereign God is in control. We can trust Him.
So far we have seen that we can trust God’s promises because of the Source and because of His steadfastness. And lastly, we learn that…
Scripture References: Galatians 3:29, Romans 11:11-24, 1Peter 1:3, Psalm 91:2
III. God’s Promises Are Certain Because of His Son (19-20)
III. God’s Promises Are Certain Because of His Son (19-20)
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a 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.
We discussed the steadfastness of God in our last point. Now we see why we can rely on our steadfast Savior. He is the anchor of our soul.
What is the purpose of an anchor? It is there to keep a ship from straying and floating away. It is to provide stability.
If a ship does not have a sure and steadfast anchor, it will eventually crash onto the shore and be destroyed - broken into pieces.
As important as a ship is, our soul is even more important to be safely and surely anchored. Sadly, many souls out there are not anchored to the Savior. They are drifting aimlessly along the waves of this world. They struggle to find peace and hope in this world because there is no peace or hope apart from Christ.
Yet, for us who are in Christ, we have an amazing sure and steady anchor.
When we have our anchor in Christ, we can be sure that we are safe in Him.
Who or what is your life anchored to?
Who or what is your life anchored to?
Is it to your money? Do you find your security and stability in that?
Is it in another person? Do you have someone that you anchor your life to? Is each day good or bad depending on the stability of that person?
Is it to your prominence in society - namely your reputation? When people think highly of you then you experience stability. However, when others are critical of you, you experience great turbulence and instability.
My friends, it is extremely important to have a solid anchor. When we try to replace Christ with money, another person, our reputation or anything else - our anchor will not hold.
It is extremely important for the anchor of a ship to be heavy and able to maintain the ship’s position. The anchor of things and people in this world do not have the ability to stabilize your life. These things do not carry the eternal weight needed to stabilize you. Church, there is no true stability in this world apart from God.
Our world teaches self-help ways to find balance and stability. Modern psychology likes to assert that we can find a state of steadiness and balance in our world from within ourselves. We can just put some ideas into practice such as mindfulness and behavioral modification, and we can get ourselves to a stable place.
But brothers and sisters, we must always remember…
Only Christ has the sturdiness and steadfastness to give us certainty and stability.
Only Christ has the sturdiness and steadfastness to give us certainty and stability.
We must find our stability in Him alone.
Instead of trying to find peace in this world, we must find peace in His Word.
Instead of trying to find peace in this world, we must find peace in His Word.
This is why Biblical counseling and discipleship is so important. This life is difficult. We all have times in our lives where we feel tossed around by the storms and waves of this life. However, we must remain anchored in Christ. It is paramount that instead of looking first to the world to give us answers on how to deal with the problems in our lives, we should look to the Word of God. His ways are higher than our ways. There is no better place to turn for stability and truth.
Our anchor is sure and steady in Christ. He upholds us by the power of His Word (Hebrews 1:3).
Our anchor is sure and steady in Christ. He upholds us by the power of His Word (Hebrews 1:3).
There is power in the Word of God because the God of the Word is all-powerful!
Be sure that you are relying on the only lasting anchor - Jesus Christ.
And continuing on in this understanding, we see here that not only is our anchor in Christ sure and steady, it also keeps us anchored in the right place!
Being anchored is important. But we also must but be anchored in the right place. If a ship puts out its anchor in the wrong place, it will stay grounded in the wrong place.
For those in Christ, we see that our anchor is in heaven, at the right hand of the Father! Jesus Christ has given us an eternal anchor in heaven.
And He did this by defeating sin and death on the cross.
Listen to the author tell us how great our Savior is and how secure our anchor is!
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a 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.
As we have discussed in the past, the Jewish temple consisted of an inner location called the Holy of Holies. This place was a sacred place in which the Ark of the Covenant was kept. It was so holy that only one man, called the High Priest, was able to go into this place. And this only occured once a year for a very short period of time - just enough time to sprinkle the blood of an animal sacrifice on the mercy seat of the Ark and burn incense. This event was referred to as Yom Kippur - also known as the Day of Atonement.
All of this pointed to Jesus Christ, who after His crucifixion went into the inner place behind the curtain to be our high priest forever (we will be discussing Melchizedek during our next two sermons).
When He did this, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Listen to Matthew 27:51:
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
The curtain has been torn from top to bottom - thereby showing that it was God tearing the curtain and not man. And since He has torn down the dividing curtain, we can now approach our Heavenly Father through the blood of Christ.
We can trust all of God’s promises, including salvation, because of the sacrifice of His Son.
We are told that Jesus went as our forerunner on our behalf. A forerunner is one who goes before another. Jesus had forerunners that were sent before Him. The most notable of these was John the Baptist who prepared the way for Him (Matthew 3:3).
However, Jesus let us know that He was going before us when He walked this earth. Listen to Him in John 14:2-4:
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? 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. And you know the way to where I am going.”
He has gone and prepared a place for us. And He has opened up the ability for us to go to this place - namely heaven - by defeating sin and death on the cross.
Christians are often called Christ followers. He has run before us and prepared the way. In John 14:6 Jesus even lets us know that He is the Way! We are to follow Christ by faith as we live this life.
We are to obey His commands, model His conduct, and trust in His completed work.
We are to obey His commands, model His conduct, and trust in His completed work.
For us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ - our hope is anchored in heaven by Christ.
May we always remember that the promises of God are certain because of the wonderful work of His Son.
Scripture References: Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 27:51, Matthew 3:3, John 14:2-4, John 14:6
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, we have seen the surety of God’s promises.
Hs promises are certain because of their Source. They come from the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. There is no one more powerful, no one higher, no one more true and trustworthy.
They are certain because of the Lord’s steadfastness. Our God is immutable - meaning that He never changes.
And lastly, they are certain because of the Son. Jesus Christ has confirmed the promises of God regarding salvation. He has provided a way that we all can be saved. I pray that each person here has repented of your sins and placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. His promises are sure.
And may we always remember that despite the unsteadiness of this world, despite the countless times that the things and even people of this world fail us -
We are always steady and secure when standing on His promises - namely standing on the promises of God.
We are always steady and secure when standing on His promises - namely standing on the promises of God.
