Hebrews 6:13-20 - The Promise of God After the severe warning against apostasy in this chapter, the encouragement continues We will pick up again a few verses back Heb. 6:9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. Heb. 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. Heb. 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realise the full assurance of hope until the end Heb. 6:12 so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Heb. 6:13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself Heb. 6:14 saying, I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU. Heb. 6:15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. Heb. 6:16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. Heb. 6:17 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 Heb. 6:18 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. Heb. 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil Heb. 6:20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Of course, the chapter and verses markers or divisions are not part of the original Scriptures, and whilst ch. 6 has as the last word Melchizedek, the letter flows right on to tell us more about Jesus being a priest and king like unto 1 Melchizedek. In fact, Paul started to tell us about Jesus being a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek back in Heb. 4. But we are still not there yet - we must listen to and receive God s word from these verses today God makes promises. He made promises to Abraham. He made promises to David. The theme of God s promises runs right through the NT. It is major theme of Romans, 2Corinthians, Galatians, Hebrews, James, & 2Peter. Jesus Messiah is both the heir and the fulfilment of those promises. In fact, listen to this from Paul 2Cor. 1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. All of God s promises are summed up in Jesus. God makes some promises with an oath. 1 Heb. 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God Sunday, 9 October 2016 $ 1 of $ 6
It is one thing to make a statement, but it is a more serious thing to make a sworn statement. In English Law all practising solicitors are certified to be Commissioners for Oaths. That does not mean that they give permission to or disallow swearing. It means that they can witness a statement made under oath, and witness a written statement - an affidavit. In court, a witness gives evidence under oath I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Or I do solemnly and sincerely and truly declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 2 Lying in court is called perjury, and is a criminal offence. Two leading politicians in recent times went to prison for perjury. Now, this is what Paul is writing here - God did not just make a promise to Abraham but made that promise with an oath. He swore by Himself. Almighty God swore by Almighty God (Himself) that He would keep His promise. There are other places in Scripture where God does that: As I live, says the LORD sometimes comes at the start of a statement of God s declared purpose towards a person or a nation in the prophetic writings. When did God swear this oath and confirm a promise to Abraham? It was after Abraham had obeyed God in offering up Isaac - Gen. 22. The whole of that chapter of Genesis is full of prophetic foreshadows - Abraham offers his son, his only son just as God would in time offer up His Son, His only Son. God provides His lamb/ram for the offering in the place of Isaac, but Jesus is Himself the Lamb of God. Some scholars even say that the hill upon which Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac was the same hill upon which Jesus was 3 later crucified. God then swears His promise to Abraham: Gen. 22:15 Then the angel [Messenger] of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven Gen. 22:16 and said, By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son Gen. 22:17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. Gen. 22:18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. In a more literal version, the LORD says blessing I will bless you, multiplying I will multiply your seed The repetition points to a doubling or multiplying factor 4 Now, in Galatians, Paul points out that God did not make a promise to seeds - to many (a nation) - but to Abraham s Seed - to one direct descendant and heir. That heir is Messiah Jesus, and all in Him are co-heirs of the promise of God. The people of Messiah - the children of Abraham - will be multiplied like the stars of the heavens and the sand on the seashore, and will possess the gates of their enemies. In Jesus all the nations of the earth will be blessed. That is how the NT interprets this great sworn promise to Abraham. 2 Jonathan Aitken (1999) and Jeffrey Archer (2001-2003). Aitken became a believer during the period of his trial and prison time, and is now a Christian writer and speaker. 3 In Gen. 22:2 the LORD directed Abraham to go to the land of Moriah, where he would be shown a certain hill. In 2Chr. 3:1 we learn that Solomon built the temple upon Mount Moriah. To be shown a certain hill would point to that perhaps not being the obvious or highest hill in that area. It is possible therefore that Abraham s altar of sacrifice was in the land of Moriah, but on the hillside later called Golgotha. 4 Gal. 3:15-18 Sunday, 9 October 2016 $ 2 of $ 6
5 We who trust in Jesus are blessed with faithful Abraham, and are indeed the promised children of Abraham. So, God swore with an oath this great promise to Abraham, but look - this happened, and is written, to show us something Heb. 6:17 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 Heb. 6:18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie Who are the heirs of the promise? 6 We are - if we are in Messiah Jesus. He is the Heir - we are co-heirs in Him. God desired to show us heirs of the promise that His purpose is unchangeable, and so swore by Himself It was not just for Abraham s sake, but for our sake too that God swore by Himself. What is the promise? It is actually a person. Jesus Messiah - the Seed of Abraham, through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. Let me say it again: all the promises of God are summed up in the Lord Jesus. He is the full and whole Promise of God. What are the two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie? Well, most commentators say His promise and His oath. But I m with the minority report on this one. Hebrews is really one long unbroken sermon, and some commentators point back from here to ch. 5 where Paul quotes from the OT two major statements concerning the Lord Jesus Heb. 5:5 In the same way, the Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father Heb. 5:6 also said in another passage, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. [HCSB here] That first quotation there is from Psa. 2, the second from Psa. 110. The first appoints Jesus as Son and King, the second as High Priest. 7 Both are in fact stated in Psa. 110 Psa. 110:1 Psa. 110:4 The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek. Remember - this letter to the Hebrews is all about Jesus, and that Jesus is better 5 Rom. 4:12, 16 & Gal. 3:6-9, 14-16, 29. See also Rom. 2:25-29 & Phil. 3:2-3. 6 Rom. 8:17, Gal. 3:29, Eph. 3:6, Tit. 3:7. 7 But it seems to me that the Apostle chose the Psa. 2 reference over Psa. 110:1 because the 2nd Psalm clearly shows the Messiah to be God s Son. Sunday, 9 October 2016 $ 3 of $ 6
Here s the minority report then The two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie are that He has sworn that Jesus (as the God Man) is His Son and Heir, and that He will rule as King until every enemy is under His feet, and He has sworn that Jesus is an eternal High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. That is the message of Hebrews. That is the context and the continued presentation of truth here. Jesus has been appointed as King and Priest by the sworn oath of the Father. It is utterly unchangeable. It cannot be broken. It is eternally so. God does not lie, and He has sworn by Himself that Jesus will rule us as our Shepherd King, and represent us as our great High Priest - forever! Heb. 6:18 [So] we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. Heb. 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil Heb. 6:20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. These verses in Hebrews are not to be taken as This is how to get hold of God s promises. The main point here is not promises but the Promise of God - Jesus Himself. Some people think that this faith business is how we get stuff from God. But faith in Jesus is how we get God Himself! We have strong encouragement - by the unchangeable appointment of Jesus as our King and our High Priest - to take hold of the hope set before us - of finally and eternally being with Him. If we suffer loss now, we cannot lose our inheritance in Him! 8 Jesus (our hope) is the anchor for our soul An anchor in fact within the veil (the thick curtain that in the tabernacle and then the temple separated the presence of God within from people outside) - that anchor is the Lord Jesus Himself. Let me remind you about the veil (curtain) of the tabernacle, and the High Priest, who entered that space just once a year, with the blood of the atonement sacrifice. He wore a robe which was trimmed around the bottom with metal bells and pomegranates, and they made a sound as he moved. Tradition says that he had a rope tied around an ankle. Why? So that if the sacrifice, or the priest, were not accepted by God and he was struck down, those outside the curtain would hear the bells stop, and his fall, and would pull his dead body out from there under the curtain. Jesus stands within the curtain, in the very presence of God the Father, totally accepted, and His sacrifice (His own blood) has been totally accepted. So, if there is a rope, it is not for us to pull Him out, but for Him to pull us in! A Man sits in the throne of God. That Man is the King of the Cosmos. He is in no way less than Almighty God, and yet He is also a Man. A Man stands in the most holy presence of God, and represents us there. That Man is Jesus, and His place in heaven is our anchor. He is our security of future life and inheritance. He is our King. He is our High Priest. There is much more yet to say about Him Let s think a bit more about an anchor. In my own experience an anchor is dropped from a boat just to keep it from drifting away. One off the bow (front) and another off the stern (back) of a boat keep it in position, so that when you go ashore for a meal or supplies the boat is 8 Notice soul. Those who differentiate soul from spirit would expect spirit here, but it has soul - meaning person. Sunday, 9 October 2016 $ 4 of $ 6
where you left it when you return! But if (like Paul in Acts 27) you are in a terrible storm, you put down an anchor hoping that it will keep you from being driven by the storm onto rocks, and perhaps death. 9 10 The early Christians did not use the cross much as symbol, but a fish, [Gk. ichthus - the letters standing for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. ], or an anchor! To keep you from drifting, or to keep you from drowning, Jesus is your Anchor. His place there, ruling as our King, representing us as our Priest, is our anchor to deal with life here. If we do not see that connection, we will at least drift, and perhaps come to shipwreck of faith - as the people to whom this letter was addressed were in danger of doing. You need to know that you have an anchor, and our souls need to be fixed on and to our anchor. Sing it - and take hold of it! Jesus is also declared here to be our forerunner. When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. Christ alone; Cornerstone, Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love 11 Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all. A forerunner goes on before and prepares for the arrival of someone else. Presidents, prime ministers, monarchs, all have people who do that. John the Baptist was the forerunner and herald of Jesus Messiah. But here is an amazing and humbling statement: Jesus is our forerunner. His place accepted and glorified in the presence of God the Father will also be our place. Remember His words: John 14:1 Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. John 14:2 In My Father s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. On Thursday evening I found myself saying, (as preachers sometimes do, hearing the words as they come out of our own mouths), that the work of the Holy Spirit in purifying and sanctifying us now is so that when we stand before the holy light and fire of our Master and God we should be lit-up rather than burned-up. He prepares a place for us - and us for our place - so that we may be with Him forever. Jesus is our Hope, both in this life and for the life to come. Even now, we live in Him and for Him. He is our Life. The promises of God are not presented to us as a means of acquiring things - even answers to prayer - but as the means by which we lay hold of Jesus Himself, and then grow to become more like Him. 9 Picture: A Christian funerary plaque from the early 3rd century, showing two fish facing towards an anchor. 10 It is said that a Christian in the early centuries when travelling and meeting a stranger, the believer would stoop and draw on the ground one curve of the fish sign. If the stranger stooped and drew the other half, they walked on together as brothers in the Lord Jesus. 11 Cornerstone by Hillsong 2012. Verses from My Hope is Built on Nothing Less by Edward Mote (1834) Sunday, 9 October 2016 $ 5 of $ 6
2Pet. 1:4 By these [His glory and goodness] He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. [HCSB here] Notice - all the promises of God (which are yes and amen in Messiah Jesus) are given to us so that we may share in the divine nature. If our being blessed, or prospering, or even getting our prayers answered, is not leading us to become more like Jesus, they have no lasting value. It is all about Jesus. All the Scriptures. All the promises of God. All life and faith. In the end He is all we need, and all we will ever want - forever. So What now? What does this mean to us? What does God want from us? Take refuge in Jesus. Take hold of hope in Him. God wanted and found Abraham s faith and obedience. He is the model of faith: Trust and obey. Faith that trusts. Faith that prays. Faith that obeys. Faith that endures. That is just what God wants from us. To trust Him. To believe His word. To pray. To obey. To endure. Endure, persevere in faith, like Abraham, and indeed even like our Master Jesus Heb. 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us Heb. 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [Jesus] David Evans 330 Northbrooks Harlow Essex CM19 4DP Mobile: Email: Facebook: Twitter: 077 3990 8595 david.evans@light house.church www.facebook.com/harlow.puritan @HarlowPuritan All Scriptures unless otherwise marked are taken from New American Standard Bible Update (NAS95S) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation All rights reserved. Used with permission. Sunday, 9 October 2016 $ 6 of $ 6