Hebrews 6:9-20

If you joined us last Wednesday, you know we talked about saying you have faith but not actually living like you do. How you can’t just drink milk and stay immature if you truly profess Christ. You have to move on and exhibit that you are maturing. You need the meat.

One way that you do that is diving into God’s word, into the scriptures and getting to know God, His Characteristics, His attributes, who He is and how to live out your relationship with him in your daily life.

Last week I shared with you that the Main Idea of — God provides hope to help us endure in our faith commitment to Jesus

Tonight , we’re going to look at the last part of . We’re going to break it up into 2 sections. We’ll start in 9-12, and then 13-20.

Then the Supporting Idea of vv. 9-12 is “The Christian labor and love of the readers prove their genuine commitment to Christ.”

Hebrews 6:9–12 ESV

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 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.

If you recall the Supporting Idea of vv. 1-8 is “Believers must move beyond immature practices which lead to spiritual defeat.”

The Supporting Idea of vv. 9-12 is “The Christian labor and love of the readers prove their genuine commitment to Christ.”

We ended the last section vv. 1-8 looking at a warning that the author had issued. Now, he is offering his readers encouragement. He calls them “beloved,” or dear friends. Though he issued a warning, the writer appears to be confident that they are living lives that demonstrates things that "belong to salvation.” The better things are, in essence, the way that they are living their lives.

The

They are exhibiting this through the “works” they are doing—a concern for others, righteous living, and other Christian virtues.

This proves the “love” of the readers. They are living out the commandment of Love God, Love your neighbor. There is not just a past participation in this but also a present one.

These are by-products of divine grace. Not in a way that supports salvation by works but rather as the works as normal fruit of faith and a transformed life.

He also points out that through the justice of God, these are possible. These are by-products of divine grace. Not in a way that supports salvation by works but rather as the works as normal fruit of faith and a transformed life.

In 1979, Vladimir Bojev, a tough, hard-drinking Russian unbeliever, barged into a Baptist service in Russia and blustered, “I’m going to destroy you all. You are just religious fanatics.” To his surprise a beautiful young lady suggested that the believers gather around him and pray for him. Bojev said, “The next thing I knew, I was the center of a prayer circle. I had never before known such love.” The Baptists invited him back, and Vladimir returned to meet with the Baptists daily for two months. He received Christ, married the young lady, and became pastor of a Baptist church in Lipetsk, four hundred kilometers southwest of Moscow. Vladimir said, “Their love won me to Christ and I was converted.” Transformed lives convince others that our Christianity is genuine. Transformed lives attract others to Jesus.

Lea, Thomas D. Hebrews, James. Vol. 10. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. Print. Ho

Holman New Testament Commentary: Hebrews & James B. Evidences of Endurance (vv. 9–12)

In 1979, Vladimir Bojev, a tough, hard-drinking Russian unbeliever, barged into a Baptist service in Russia and blustered, “I’m going to destroy you all. You are just religious fanatics.” To his surprise a beautiful young lady suggested that the believers gather around him and pray for him. Bojev said, “The next thing I knew, I was the center of a prayer circle. I had never before known such love.” The Baptists invited him back, and Vladimir returned to meet with the Baptists daily for two months. He received Christ, married the young lady, and became pastor of a Baptist church in Lipetsk, four hundred kilometers southwest of Moscow. Vladimir said, “Their love won me to Christ and I was converted.” Transformed lives convince others that our Christianity is genuine. Transformed lives attract others to Jesus.

The writer now gives them some do’s and don’t do’s.

Continue to show the same diligence for the assurance of hope. Keep strengthening your faith through the practice.

Imitate those who exhibit the faith and patience to inherit the promises. Hero’s of faith. He’s calling them to “demonstrate a faith in God’s provision to them and a patience which refused to quit under pressure. These traits are what Paul listed as fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

We strive to have mature Christians in our lives who want to see us grow in our faith. Mature Christians who are friends that we walk through life with and that provide visible examples of faith in God, service to others, boldness in Christian witness, and stamina in the face of hardship. These are friends that can make us or break us spiritually. The writer of Hebrews wanted his friends to imitate the right examples.

Don’t become complacent or lazy.

Even though the author of Hebrews thought well of his friends, he gave them warnings and encouragements to hasten their progress toward the goal of full maturity in Jesus.

Lea, Thomas D. Hebrews, James. Vol. 10. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. Print. Holman New Testament Commentary.

Now, we turn to the next section and find an Encouragement for Those Who Profess Christ

Hebrews 6:13–20 ESV

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 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, 18 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. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Supporting Idea: God’s steadfast promises encourage us to hold our Christian hope.

Hebrews 6:9–20 ESV

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 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. 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 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, 18 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. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Vv. 13— Abraham is mentioned here to show the reliability of God’s promises. If you recall from the videos we’ve been watching from The Bible Project, Abraham, or Father Abraham, was the father of many. God made an oath and a promise.

vv. 14-15

The promise to Abraham involved the multiplication of his offspring and the blessing of the nations of the world through his offspring. Abraham saw the multiplication of his offspring. The blessing of the world was accomplished in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.

Abraham endured the challenges of the trial concerning Isaac. He became an outstanding example of someone who obtained his inheritance by faith and patience (see 6:12). Abraham himself provided a pattern which the readers of Hebrews could profitably imitate.

Lea, Thomas D. Hebrews, James. Vol. 10. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. Print. Holman New Testament Commentary.

See, understand this, God’s Word itself is a foundation strong enough for our trust and confidence.

vv. 16-17

“Swear on my gma’s grave”

“Swear on the Bible”

Humans use oaths to back up their statements because the promise of a human is not reliable enough to trust. Jesus urged his followers to be so trughful that others could trust their “yes” and “no” ().

The writer here followed normal human conventions of requiring an oath to support a promise. People who make official promises need to swear an oath by someone in order to settle the issue.

Human beings respect the value of an oath. Catering to the needs of the human beings who heard his promise, God supported his word with an oath to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear. God’s use of an oath supplied evidence no one could doubt.

Whenever human beings offer oaths, they swear by someone greater than themselves. Since God had no one greater than himself, he swore by himself. He based his oath on his own great name, guaranteeing he would accomplish his purpose.

The Christian hope was a fulfillment of the promises God had earlier offered to Israel and not a departure from the promises that Israel anticipated as some Jewish opponents of Christianity may have suggested. What God had done through Christ was a necessary step for both Jews and Gentiles to make. The work of Christ was not a change from God’s previously announced plans for Israel. It was the confirmation of the hope of blessing the nations which he had earlier given to Abraham (). The heirs of that promise were the writer and his readers, who experienced in the gospel the reality of the oath God swore to Abraham.

Lea, Thomas D. Hebrews, James. Vol. 10. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. Print. Holman New Testament Commentary.

vv. 18-20

The strength of God’s promise provided hope and encouragement for the readers of Hebrews. This was done through the complete trustworthiness of God’s Word.

1- the complete trustworthiness of God’s Word. God, who cannot lie, supports his own statement with an oath, his followers find hope and encouragement.

2-The readers had their own tenacity in seizing the hope that was available. They had to understand and grasp the promises that the Father offered, fleeing to Christ for security and protection from the uncertainty of the world.

3- God’s promise provides a safe and secure anchor of Jesus, our High Priest. Our hope is solidified in the finished work of Christ on earth and the continued work in Heaven as our Great High Priest and intercessory to God. Christ is our Great High Priest now but also forever!

The author of Hebrews challenged the readers to take hold of the divine hope offered them and enter into God’s very presence. Jesus was already there as their high priest, and he would provide them unlimited access to divine strength and power.

4- the Christ, our Great High Priest forever! This we will look at more next week as we look at the relationship of Christ as a priest to the priest Melchizedek.

This we will look at more next week as we look at the relationship of Christ as a priest to the priest Melchizedek.

In the summer of 1996, electric power outages twice hit the western United States when high demand and unfortunate accidents combined to trigger massive blackouts. The first failure affected two million customers in fourteen states on July 2. The second blackout affected four million homes in ten states. One spokesman for the power industry said, “Under no circumstance should this [a blackout] happen, let alone twice in one summer.” But it happened. Customers wondered if they could trust their power suppliers when they could not provide uninterrupted service.

Jesus provides uninterrupted access to God’s presence for his children. We will never have an outage of divine power. His presence before God fills us with hope, encouragement, and stamina. With the strength we receive from him we can find the staying power to endure in our Christian commitment. Let us rise up and claim our heritage!

MAIN IDEA REVIEW: God provides hope to help us endure in our faith commitment to Jesus.

Sometimes people become so careless in their spiritual lives that only a shocking warning will get their attention. Anyone who turns away from Christ has no hope of entering God’s presence. However, it is equally important to provide hope for those who will listen to this reprimand and turn to God. Jesus is able to save us completely because he always lives to intercede for us (7:25). He is able to keep us on a path of obedience. Which path are you traveling?

Holman New Testament Commentary: Hebrews & James III. Conclusion: Warning with Hope

The author of Hebrews challenged the readers to take hold of the divine hope offered them and enter into God’s very presence. Jesus was already there as their high priest, and he would provide them unlimited access to divine strength and power.

Sometimes people become so careless in their spiritual lives that only a shocking warning will get their attention. Anyone who turns away from Christ has no hope of entering God’s presence. However, it is equally important to provide hope for those who will listen to this reprimand and turn to God. Jesus is able to save us completely because he always lives to intercede for us (7:25). He is able to keep us on a path of obedience. Which path are you traveling?

Lea, Thomas D. Hebrews, James. Vol. 10. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. Print. Holman New Testament Commentary.

Hebrews 6:9-20

Better Things for You