C194 Hoping For Better Things

INTRODUCTION

A. Christians who might be straying away

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B. Christians who are warned about their own immaturity

1. They aren’t at a place where they can understand some deeper concepts (Hebrews 5.11-14)

2. They need to move beyond the basics of faith and doctrine, implying they have not left toward the deeper teachings due to laziness or disinterest (Hebrews 6.1-3)

3. If they don’t progress, they will backslide and could lose their salvation (Hebrews 6.4-8)

C. The Hebrews author has warned them, but now encourages them

1. Still hope for you (Hebrews 6.9-12)

2. Hope is solid (Hebrews 6.13-20)

BODY

I. Hope Based in Past Effort (Hebrews 6.9-12)

A. Hope: Better things in mind (He 6.9)

1. Better than what?

Than the warnings (Hebrews 6.4-8)

They are headed in the wrong direction if they don’t start growing…but their dire situation is not sealed

2. Notice the relationship: beloved

What does this imply between the readers and writer(s)?

The we might be (as per Guy Orbison, Jr. in Tackling the Text (TtT)):

-Royal or editorial “we”

-Multiple Christians with the author

3. The author still has hope for them

Has not given up on them

Is still rooting for them

They are convinced of better things

B. Past Reality: Their accomplishments in consideration (He 6.10)

1. This has to do with God’s character

Why appeal to God’s character?

What is the author reminding the people about God’s character?

2. God won’t forget their past

Our efforts mean something to God

What does this say about our current efforts?

Why would this be brought up in light of the warning and then the encouragement?

3. Their past efforts and work for the Lord

What is tied to their work?

Love...Love and work are part of the Christian life. When we love, we work. When we work, we are benefiting one another (the saints) [How? c.f. Hebrews 10.32-34]

God’s name…God’s revelation, and His character, and His people

C. Current Response: The past should fuel the future efforts (He 6.11-12)

1. They need to continue in faithfulness

What word is used to describe the type of life they need to live as Christians?

What does this word imply? How do we apply this to ourselves?

Also note, the each one of you, which implies this is an individual effort (your wife, husband, child, parent, congregation, elders, preacher, etc. does not dictate the success/failure of your faith)

2. With diligence, they will realize the full assurance of hope

What does full assurance mean? Why say it?

It is the realization of the hope they have directed their lives toward.

They haven’t finished until they have made it to the end

3. Get away from sluggishness

Sluggish means they are apathetic, not doing anything, just letting life go by without putting effort into their faith walk.

Does sluggishness suggest they are not doing religious things anymore?

Not necessarily (though He 10.26 might suggest some of them have begun to neglect the assembly)

They are still working through some things, the “basics” of faith and teaching (as we saw at the beginning of He 6.1-3). But their sluggishness has allowed them not to challenge themselves and grow in their faith…they like the milk of the faith

If they are to put forth effort, get away from sluggishness, how will they do this? Is it a cerebral (mental) game or an action game?

They need to act.

They need to be imitators of those who have already inherited the promises

How does someone inherit the promises?

…diligence…through faith and patience

Diligence: putting forth regular effort

Faith: Putting your active trust in God and doing what His word commands

Patience: realizing this is the “long game” of life, and not to give up due to persecution, boredom, distraction, fear, frustration, etc.

D. What about those promises? Can we rely upon them?

1. Why would this be a problem?

2. Why would the Hebrews author get into the question of promises?

3. God has given the full assurance by giving a promise that cannot be broken

II. Future Hope Based in Past Reality (Hebrews 6.13-20)

A. Past Reality: Example of Abraham (He 6.13-15)

1. Abraham is one of the faithful

Remember the criteria: through faith and patience

Did Abraham have faith and patience?

Absolutely

He had to trust in God to do something he could not do himself.

He did not receive the promises directly when they were given.

Further, the biggest promise (as per He 6.14) did not come to fruition in his life time (though he did see some of his offspring beginning to start their families).

2. God made sure Abraham had a sure promise

Why bring up the point of swear[ing] by no one greater?

B. Hope: Based upon God’s unbreakable promise (He 6.16-18a)

1. Men swear to make things solid

2. God swore to make things solid

But there was no one higher.

Why did God make such strong promises? What was the point? Does it make it more binding?

3. God made it solid with two things:

A promise to Abraham (and we are the heirs of the promise)

An oath

C. Current Response: Take refuge(He 6.18b-19a)

1. ...take refuge...

Shelter from life and other challenges

The result: we…would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us

We are looking at the hope, but we need to take hold of it...

How do we take hold of this hope?

Diligence…faith and patience...

The same way those before us have taken hold of it

2. We are anchored

Set firmly

What is the opposite of being anchored?

Drifting away (c.f. He 2.1)

Because of the promise, WHO made the promise and HOW it was made, we are firmly set in the hope we have

D. Jesus has realized this hope (He 6.19b-20)

1. Jesus is our forerunner

He has gone ahead

He has died, and entered into God’s presence

We follow in His footsteps

2. Jesus has enter[ed] within the veil

What is the veil?

What is the significance?

Did Jesus go inside the temple? Could He have done so?

3. How did He do this? As High Priest

This brings it back to the original subject left off in He 5.10

But how can Jesus be a High Priest? He is the order of Melchizedek

How does Jesus fit into this order? More to follow in Hebrews 7

CONCLUSION

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B.

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