Sermon Tone Analysis
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We’re Exiting the 3rd of 5 Warning Passages in the Book of Hebrews
The Author is Warned Against Spiritual Laziness and Immaturity
This Will Eventually Lead to Christians Abandoning Their Commitment to Jesus
But the Hebrews Author is Convinced that His Audience Hasn’t Gone that Far Yet
The Love and Service They Show to Each Other By the Authority of Jesus…
Has Convinced Him that They are Still Reconciled to God
Hebrews 6:9–12 (NIV)
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Hebrews 6:13–20 (NLT)
For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham.
Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.”
Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it.
And without any question that oath is binding.
God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.
So God has given both his promise and his oath.
These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.
Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.
It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
Jesus has already gone in there for us.
He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:11 (NASB95)
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
The Author Desperately Wants Each Member of His Audience…
To Continue to Demonstrate that Same Level of Eagerness/Zeal in Their Ministering to Their Siblings
Why?
Hebrews 6:11 (NASB95)
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
So that They Can Have Full Assurance of the Hope
“Full Assurance” is Only Found 4 Times in the NT - 2 Times in Hebrews
It Means to Have Absolute Certainty
This Brings Us Back to the Overall Purpose of the Book of Hebrews:
To Give This Hebrew Audience Confidence in Jesus
The Author Deeply Desired for His Audience to Be Absolutely Certain of Their Hope in Christ
And He Wanted Them to Be Certain of Their Hope “Until the End”
All the Way Up to Death and/or All the Way Up Until Jesus’ Return
What We Learn From This Verse is Interesting and I Think it Hits Home with All of Us
We Learned From Verses 9-10 that the Author was Fully Convinced of the Salvation of His Audience
But They Weren’t Fully Convinced of Their Own Salvation
We Can Be Like that Can’t We?
Convinced of the Salvation of Others, But Not Our Own
The Author Said, “I Can Tell Your Faith is Genuine By How Your Minister to and Love Each Other”
“And if Your Faith Remains Genuine to the End, Then I Remain Certain that You Have Hope”
“So You Should Be Certain of that Hope as Well!”
What is the “Hope” They are to Be Certain of?
Hope of Salvation From Sin and Death
Hope of Resurrection
Hope of Living Eternally with God
But Possibly More Specifically to the Context:
Hope of Having Jesus as Our High Priest in Heaven…
Who Makes All of These Other Hopes Possible
It All Comes Back to Jesus
Our Hope is Based Upon Him and What He is Doing for Us Right Now as Our High Priest
Summary of What We’ve Learned From this Passage So Far:
The Author is Convinced of His Audience’s Faithful Living…
Based Off of God’s Justice in Remembering Their Work and Love Toward Each Other
Therefore He Wants Them to Continue Ministering to Each Other…
So That They Can Be Absolutely Certain of the Hope Found in Jesus
Hebrews 6:12 (NASB95)
so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The Author Wants His Audience to Remain Diligent in Their Works of Love…
So that They Will Be Certain of Their Hope…
And So They Don’t Become Lazy
He Already Accused Them of Being Lazy Hearers in 5:11
But He Doesn’t Want Them to Become Lazy in Their Works
That’s Exactly What Happens When You Don’t Have Hope
When You Don’t Have Hope, You Give Up
But When You Have Hope (Confident Expectation)…
You Keep Striving for it
Hebrews 6:12 (NASB95)
so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Instead of Being Lazy, He Wants Them to Be “Imitators”
Imitators of Who?
Those Who Inherit the Promises Through Faith and Patience
We’ll See a List of Names in Chapter 11
It Takes Faith to Inherit the Promises of God
Essentially, it Takes Trusting that God will Keep His Promise
It Takes Patience to Inherit the Promises of God
God Rarely Fulfills His Promises Based Upon Our Timeline
One Aspect of Faith Throughout the OT is Waiting On God
Faith and Patience Go Hand in Hand
And They are Both Required in Order to Inherit the Promises of God
The Author Immediately Gives an Example of One Whom They Should Imitate:
Abraham
Hebrews 6:13–16 (NASB95)
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.”
And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.
For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.
God Made a Promise to Abraham and Then Swore By Himself
When a Person Would Want to Add Extra Strength to Their Word/Promise…
They Would Swear By Something/Someone Greater Than Themselves
As Fallen Humans, We Tend to Lie a Lot
So Swearing is Used to Reinforce Our Word so that Others Can Rest Assured that We are Telling the Truth
To Swear On “My Mother’s Grave”, On the Bible, On My Life, or “to God”…
Is to Wish Something Catastrophic Upon the Person or Thing We Swear On…
If We Break Our Word
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