THE HOPE OF GOD'S PROMISES

Good morning welcome to our online Service…We want to let you know that Pam and I will be away this coming week… If anyone needs anything ... you can contact our overseers team who will be available to help with anything that may come up.

This morning we are continuing our sermon series entitled, Way maker…

Over the past few weeks -- we have seen how God is our Provider - a couple weeks ago we looked Abraham’s obedience and when he laid down his son Isaac God provided a Ram as a substitute.. In the same way God provides for us … through the laying down of his only begotten son on the cross… Last week we saw Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee with his disciples in order to set one man free from demonic oppression... in order to reach 10 cities with a message of hope and salvation.. our God is a way-maker and a miracle worker..

This morning we are going to look at God our Promise keeper…

Throughout the narative of the Bible we find several covenants… with different individuals… with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David…and then we have the New Testament… what we learn from thee Bible is that that God is a covenant maker ---and a covenant keeper… and Bible itself is a book of Promise and fulfillment…

God’s promises are not obscure… they are given for a purpose and that is for the benefit of His children… … sometimes we are faced with difficulties and trials and during these times we can easily forget all the benefits, blessings and grace.. that God has poured out..

David in psalms 103.. Reminds us that we should look up and give thanks… that we should remember all the blessings..… He says... Bless the Lord o my soul forget not his Benefits..

In case we can’t remember ---David lists all of the benefits that God has given..

1. He Forgives our Sins

2. He Heals our Diseases .

3. He Redeems our Life from Destruction

4. He Crowns our lives with Grace and Mercy

5. He Satisfies our with Good Things

6. He Renews our Strength

One of the reasons we can forget all of these benefits that God has given us … is simply because we have are running our lives on empty..

How many of us have run out of fuel?

It’s happened to all of us at some point.. - we get busy running errands or on a road trip ....then we glance down at the dashboard and discover we are runnings on fumes… close to empty..

Thankfully car manufactures know that it is human nature ---to forget and ignore warning signals… and so they have given us some extra reserves....in order to get us to the next gas station..

If you have wondered how much gas you have in the tank… … there is a website you can visit called TANK-ON-EMPTY.COM.

All you have to do is type in the make and model of your car and it will give you how many miles you have until empty… Our Volvo has around 79 miles… then we dry.. …

Not only do we need fuel in the external world we need fuel in our internal world…

Every engine that moves forward requires energy…but once that energy is expended… it needs to be replenished… We know how fuel our external lives… but What about our inner lives?

Ray Johnson in his book Hope quotient talks about things that drain our energy… sometimes it’s life circumstances.... words that people have said to us or about us.. … or messages that we keep telling ourselves… these things can slowly drain us of energy

How do we refuel our tank?

One of the Primary ways that we fuel our spiritual lives is through reading the word of God.... When we meditate on the scripture it builds up the inner spiritual man and give us hope...

The Psalmist says in ...

Psalm 130:5 ESV

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

The word of God contains all of God promises.. all of his benefits towards us… and we meditate on His promises it strengthens us and gives Hope… I don’t know about your but after this last week … I could do with more Hope… we are living at a time when so much division and a world that is crying out for hope… but looking for it in all the wrong places..

When we talk about Hope — we not talking about blind optimism, or a vague sense that things will probably turn out all right. The bible teaches us that Hope is Secure.... that it is an anchor for the soul and that when everything falls apart…around us --- that anchor still holds…

The early church went through terrible persecution…and many of these first century Christians were martyred for their Faith…archaeologists have discovered in the Roman Catacombs Anchors etched into the walls as symbols of Safety, Security and Hope…

In others word they never gave up Hope...

HOPE is the confidence that we will experience the fullness of God’s goodness both in the present time and in the future…in the world to come..

Whatever we are going through…today we can hold on… because God is a promise maker and as a Promise Keeper. He will be Faithful to the very end..

T/S HOW DO WE FUEL OUR LIVES WITH THE HOPE OF GOD’S PROMISES? First… we need too.

1. DESIRE GOD’S PROMISES

Desiring God’s promises...- is all about having the right priorities...

Psychologist and sociologist tell us that the average person doesn’t regularly assess their daily routines. And what normally happens is get stuck in an autopilot mode and keep on doing the same things over and over… … year in and year out..

Harvard Professor.. Dr.Susan David said that during this time of quarantine ...many people recognize their priorities and values have been really petty… and on survey reported that 61 % of the people had significantly changed habits and routines…

If we are going to experience real change we need to know why.. (or the value of something) We need to know the Why before we do the What…

Desiring God’s promises is about knowing the value of the Promises that God has given…

Peter the beloved disciple of Jesus outlines the value of God promises in. 2 Peter 1:3-4..

He tells us that God has given us everything we need pertaining to life and to godliness.and

That His Divine Power has granted us His prescious and very great promises — so that we might partake of his Divine nature and escape the corruption of the world…

In other words… We have these Great promises in Christ…that… When we come to Christ we are partakers of the very nature of God…Before Christ we were promise breakers but in Christ we become new creatures in Christ… born again into a new and living Hope......we partake of Divine nature...

Then Peter says, in light of this, we are make every effort to live a life… that abides, partakes and participates in abundant life that Christ’s offers...

C.S. Lewis put it this way… He said ...

- we can get so busy playing in the sandpit and settle for making mud pies.. and miss that fact God offers us a whole beach…

Our text this morning is going to be Hebrews 6.. The book Hebrews is written young Christians who were facing persecution…and the writer of Hebrews was eager for these new Christians take their eyes off their immediate problems and fix them on the sufficiency of Christ…

lets read..

Hebrews 6:11–12 ESV

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.

These young Christian are encouraged to Earnestly desire full assurance of Hope… Hope is something that is to be desired... and to be pursued with intentionality..

They are told to earnestly to pursue the full hope of assurance.

… there is part of the Christian life which requires persevering that take faith…and effort...…

NT Wright says… “ the normal Christian life is one of energy, enthusiasm, faithful effort and patient hard work.”

For ABRAHAM and the Nation of Israel THE PROMISE was a matter of possessing the land.. they had been given the Covenant in Genesis 12…

…God said to Abraham that he was walk the length and breadth of the land because He was giving the land to him and his decedents.

Can you imagine that as Abraham walked on the land… God says… this is yours… that city or yours… that plot of land is yours.. that well is yours.....God had given all the land… that was a given.. but … it still had to be possesed..……

The lesson for us is that we have to take a hold of God’s promises for ourselves..

The Promised land was symbolic of Israel reaching the highest destiny with God ....and that destiny was really a perfect fellowship with God…

It was reaching the very place and purposes that God had designed.. a land flowing with Milk and honey… where God supplies every single need…

Here is the thing… that is still God’s plan … for us… the book of Hebrews tells us that the promise of rest still remains....

In Hebrews 4 the bible talks about a rest that remains for God’s people…that we as Christians are to pursue His purposes...

Hebrews 4:11 ESV

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

The promises are still for today where are to respond

The Writer of Hebrews .… doesn’t want us to be content with nominal faith… He says lest we become sluggish… sluggish… means not really engaged.. not really participating… not committed… lacking in power… to overcome…

Have you ever had it when your car just isn’t driving on all cylinders …and when you press the gas pedal.... there is no power…

just can’t get the speed. MOST US KNOW WHEN WE LACK SpiritualPower…

WE are sluggish…

We have no fuel...

We are told that we are to be diligent in our walk that we might have full assurance and know what kind of hope we have in Christ… WE strive to enter the rest through being intentional taking hold of God’s word and promises… We are to.....

B. Be Imitators of those who Inherit Promises.

One of the great examples in Scripture of Faith is .... Abraham… we looked at this a couple of weeks ago… Abraham demonstrated full confidence in the promises of God when he was willing to offer his son as a sacrifice to God.... Abraham showed his complete and utter dependance on God...

Abraham believed that Even if he had gone through with the sacrifice that God would be able to raise the Dead...

How did Abraham inherit the promise..

We are told that he did it

a. Through Faith

Faith is trusting God when it seems that all hope is Gone…

Paul captures the Faith of Abraham in the book of Romans — when he tells how Abraham held on to the promise of God..

Romans 4:19–20 ESV

19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

Abraham kept on hoping beyond hope.... He believed God…when things got worse — Abraham pressed in to God even more… He got stronger in his Faith...

and it was put to his... credit as righteousness..

Not only did Abraham Hold on by faith he also had patience...

b. Through patience..

We live in a culture of convenience… that does not put much value on patience…… Today if we want something we can get it on demand… download it on the internet… stream it… we get next day deliveries… we don’t even have to leave our homes…

Philip Brooks was a famous preacher from the last Century who was known for his poise, but and those who were close to him knew that he struggled with impatience..

One day a friend, seeing him pacing, asked, “What’s the trouble, Dr. Brooks?” The great preacher replied: “The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!”

If we are to imitate the faith of Abraham we are going to have to have patience… Abraham waited a quarter of a century for the fulfillment of the Birth of Isaac...

Abraham did not see his millions of descendants while he was alive, but he did have one son—the beginning of that fulfillment....

Patience is our part of holding on to his promise with confidence

How do we Fuel our lives with Hope?

T/S HOW FUEL OUR LIVES WITH THE HOPE OF GOD’S PROMISES?

1. DESIRE GOD’S PROMISES

2.GROW IN CONFIDENCE.

They say that practice makes perfect… When I was younger I learned to play tennis… but, I had never had a tennis lesson in my life… but just about every afternoon after school, I had group of friends that would play together…and I joined them and learned..

I learned to play through imitation and practice...... over time my game improved....and what I discovered when I played against someone a little bit better than I was I could improve my game…and I grew in confidence....Eventually, I actually made the school tennis team… My friends elevated my game.. .

HOW do we Grow in Confidence in God’s promises....

a. We consider the Source of the Promises.

Hebrews 6:13–17 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,

Making promises is very much part of life- When we make promises today we might get a third party… We might go to a notary to get signature to secure an agreement….

Every promise comes with some sought of oath to perform or fulfill what is being given…

but the Author of Hebrews - wants us to take a moment and Pause an think about who is giving the promise… The source of the covenant...

Hebrews 6:16–17 ESV

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,

When people make promises they appeal to some authority above them.. as a guarantee.. So that the promise would be backed up... When God wanted to guarantee his promises He gave us his Name as a Guarantee..

We are told that When God made a promise to Abraham there was no greater name to evoke then his own name..

Paul tells us in Philippians that when Jesus the suffering servant lay down his life upon the cross… He was obedient to the point of death… even death on the cross… the result was that God… has exalted Christ… He has been given the name above every name and every knee in heaven and earth will one day bow to that name.. and confess that Jesus is the Lord...

God literally backed his Promises with his own reputation -- God said to Abraham, I promise to bless you with everything I have…I bless you.....

This is a Solid guarantee — Why because God can't break his word... his promises don't change... they are unchangeable..

Here God not only promises to bless and multiply Abraham, but He also swears to accomplish it. Thus there is a double certainty. It is impossible for God to lie under any circumstances and certainly under this double guarantee. The promise is secure......

When we understand the Source and strength of God’s promises… We can have assurance and security!! We have something to Hold onto..

Heb 6:18b..

we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Those who are look for a refuge… those who have need of a promise… can take hold of God’s word with both hands…

How do we Fuel our lives with Hope?

1. DESIRE GOD’S PROMISES

2. GROW IN CONFIDENCE.

3. Continue with Perseverance

The book of Hebrews is a sermon Perseverance....It is why should we keep going… as Tim Keller says Hebrews is about the journey “from Isolation to the City of God…

like any journey there are going be bumps along the way…and in order to get through you have to push through..

He gives us Good reasons to Push through… we have seen why we trust in the promises… Then he talks about Christ Secure Anchor… Everyone is looking for Anchors… something to hold everything together…

Hebrews tells us there is a sure anchor.. steadfast anchor that is not going to disappoint… Real hope does not disappoint..

Hebrews 6:19–20 ESV

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.

Anchors are there to keep a boat from drifting....

A boat without an anchor is going to be tossed around by every single wave that hits the boat.... Every little thing that happens is going to cause us to drift further and further..

There are a lot of Anchors out there… there are anchors of self sufficiency.... Anchors of dependency and interdependency…There are Anchors in Relationships and Anchors in money… family… on and on…

We can live depending ourselves and looking for way to fuel our lives with Hope... We can chase after all the wrong things... Or we can put our hope in God's promises that are secure

But this anchor Holds.. there is a good reason… Because of the placement of this anchor...

Anchors belong on the sea bed, not behind a curtain! ...

What he is talking about is another realm - this heavenly Realm…

Every year on the day of atonement the High-priest would go behind the curtain into into the innermost sanctuary of the Temple, the ‘holy of holies’. There, on what they believed was the holiest spot on earth, the place where you were as close as possible to God himself, the high priest would make atonement for the people...

Anchor holds because it is secured in heavenly places….

we are tethered to Christ.. He is in us and we are in him… …

Conclusion

We have encouragement because we have Christ..08 forerunner

Jesus is the forerunner of our hope.

The term used here is one that describes the scouts who precede the troops. Scouts went ahead of the early settlers of our nation to look for safe passes, watering holes, and dangerous situations.

For us who believe, Jesus is our Scout, our Leader, who has run first this race and can take us through it safely and surely… He has gone before us and secured the way..

We as believers have been called into a living Hope... Hope means that we take hold of God's promise..

Benediction

Romans 15:13 ESV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.