Sermon Tone Analysis

13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

14 saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”

15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,

18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,

20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”

F.F. Bruce: In this way ought glory to be given to God; we must quietly hope for what he does not as yet shew to our senses, but hides from us, and for a long time defers, in order that our patience may be exercised.

F.F. Bruce: God performs what he promises, he testifies that he is not to be counted true and faithful.

And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise

Edwards: Obtained the promise.”]

This is an evidence that the saints in heaven are acquainted with the affairs of the church here on earth, and also that a considerable part of their happiness consists in seeing the dispensations and works of God’s grace towards the church on earth, and the discoveries of his glory therein.

For how could Abraham be said to have “obtained the promise” of multiplying his seed, after he had by faith expected it, and patiently waited for it, unless he had seen it, and so enjoyed it, or rejoiced in it?

For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

16 ‘These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.

17 ‘Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the Lord.

5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts

5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts.

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,

· Verse 17

“unchangeableness of His purpose” NASB

“the unchangeable character of his purpose” ESV; NRSV

“promise the immutability of his counsel” ASV; KJV

The truth- God’s character is immutable is the hope that the Christian has staked their lives on and their eternity.

18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.

Ø When we speak of God’s omnipotence, the meaning of his almightiness should be defined the entirety of Scripture.

There are some things that God cannot do, for to do such things would be a denial of his divinity.

When we speak of God’s omnipotence, the meaning of his almightiness should be defined the entirety of Scripture.

There are some things that God cannot do, for to do such things would be a denial of his divinity.

“God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent;

Has He said, and will He not do it?

Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

· God is not like us.

Notice how different translations speak in this verse?

“so that by two unchangeable things” NASB; ESV; NRSV; HCSB;

“That by two immutable things” KJV; ASV

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,

O’Brien writes, “Hope penetrates behind the curtain, that is, believers in hope may now enter where Jesus has already gone in reality, into the heavenly sanctuary.”

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

Edwards: Hope, in the New Testament, is often spoken of as a great Christian grace and virtue, and one of the main things that distinguishes a true Christian, which would be difficult to understand or account for, if by hope is meant no more than what we commonly understand by the word, viz.

his thinking well of his own state, or hoping well of his future state.

That is not hard to do; ’tis what nature is prone to.

But by hope they doubtless meant something more, viz.

an embracing the promises of God

20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Bruce: that his readers may be educated to maturity of faith and life