Hope in the Real Promise Keeper

We live in a modern age where someone's word really doesn't mean that much. It's an age of loopholes and broken promises. Between unfulfilled wedding vows and unfulfilled political promises, we have become skeptics. Our age is one in which human words are really considered as worth next to nothing.

Back in chapter 5, the author of Hebrews was writing about Jesus as our faithful high priest. If you will recall, in verse 11 of that chapter he let them know that there was more he wanted to say about it but they audience was too immature to take solid food. So he begins this digression of thought that goes into how they were still needing milk, like an infant. They had become dull to the Word and childish in their understanding. He progressed from warning about this problem of immaturity to, in the beginning of chapter 6, urging them to press on toward spiritual maturity. And just after this in verses 4 through 8 of chapter 6 he warns them about the dangers of apostasy and falling away. He moves through this warning of the very real danger for those who have never known Jesus but think they know Him. Then in verses 9 through 12, he says that for them he has hope for better things. He has great hope for them, hope for the things accompanying salvation. Today we get to the final section of this digression and find out why he has this hope for them and why we should also relish this sure and steadfast hope that we have in Christ Jesus, the Son of the Living God.

This is a passage containing a great assurance for believers.

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.

I. God makes promises.

Almighty God is a God who has made promises. We can look through the pages of scripture and see promises that He has made. I need to take a moment and say that not everything you read is a promise. There are some things in Proverbs, especially that are not necessarily promises but instead are principles. However, God does make promises.

We’re so used to not believing promises that we may be tempted to not believe God’s promises. We’re so skeptical when those on the television make very sure and assertive statements that it may often carry over into our spiritual life.

There is a difference between a man made promise and a promise made by God. Man’s promises have many different reasons for not coming true. But God’s promises have reasons that guarantee them.

Man, at best makes a promise and hopes it comes true. God makes a promise already knowing His decreed future. He knows that it is as good as fulfilled. Hear this: When God made a promises they were as good as already fulfilled. Therefore, we can trust Him. The author uses the example of God’s promise to Abraham so that his readers will hope in God’s promise. Let’s take a look at it.

For some context to verse 13, we turn to Genesis 22. As we look, we must ask why is this promise to Abraham the basis for them to have hope? The allusion here and quote is from back in Genesis 22. We are going to look at verses 16 through 18.

Genesis 22:16–18 (ESV)

16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

God makes this promise to Abraham and his offspring.

God’s promise is the basis of our hope. - His ultimate promise of rescue for His people - Jesus. This is why it is the basis of our hope because Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that promise.

II. God is the guaranteer of His promises.

God makes the promise and He guarantees it by putting His own name on it. Not only does God make a promise but He gives an oath. In ancient Israel oaths were very different from the oaths that we see taken today. They were not contractual as we see them today. They were sealed not with a signature but with the personal word of the person taking the oath. God sealed his oath to Abraham with His own word and by His very own name. There was no one greater for him to take the oath by so He sealed it with Himself.

Have you ever made a promise to your kids and then not been able to keep it? I remember when we first moved to Illinois. Javan was not thrilled with leaving his friends right before high school. He was super bummed. We moved and I promised him that he would be able to graduate from his new school. We had moved around a lot and I wanted him to be able to have that stability. Well, things didn’t work out at the church I was pastoring and we needed to move on. I had to break that promise. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances were because it was still a broken promise. My promise depended on lots of things that were outside of my control. It depended on choices made by other people, as well as by me. And I was not able to keep that promise.

And here is where God’s promises differ from our manmade promises.

God’s promises do not depend on our character or our ability. They don’t depend on what someone else does. They depend on His faithfulness. Hear that again:

God’s promises don’t depend on your character but solely on His faithfulness.

Abraham “patiently waited.” This is the opposite of the sluggishness mentioned back in verse 12 of the previous section. Remember that the Hebrew Christians who were the first recipients of this book of Hebrews were in danger of giving up. Their endurance was running low. They were worn out. The author wanted them tot know that they would obtain and enjoy all that God had promised if they were diligent in applying themselves to their spiritual lives. In other words, “don’t give up.” “Wait for the Lord patiently!” That means working on your life and your doctrine and watching in faith, not complacently or out of laziness. He had told them to move on toward maturity and bank on the promise that God had made.

III. God is the fulfiller of the promises that He has made.

God’s promises are ensured and fulfilled by Him. Every. Time.

God can be trusted.

God always keeps His promises.

You can stake your life on it.

You can stake your eternity on it.

The anchor for our soul that keeps us from drifting.

Anchor - hope provides security and stability for the soul.

He had warned them about apostasy or falling away but he clearly believes that they can have an assurance of their salvation.

Believers must go on to maturity. (connection to past messages) The guarantee that we have is that God has made it possible for us to do so.

Forerunner: a nautical term to add to the others used in Hebrews. The word used here appears nowhere else in the Bible. But it was quite a familiar activity in Biblical times.

Louis Talbot writes:

Hebrews An Anchor for the Soul

The Greek harbors were often cut off from the sea by sandbars, over which the larger ships dared not pass till the full tide came in. Therefore, a lighter vessel, a “forerunner,” took the anchor and dropped it in the harbor. From that moment the ship was safe from the storm, although it had to wait for the tide, before it could enter the harbor.… The entrance of the small vessel into the harbor, the forerunner carrying the ship’s anchor, was the pledge that the ship would safely enter the harbor when the tide was full. And because Christ, our “forerunner,” has entered heaven itself, having torn asunder everything that separates the redeemed sinner from the very presence of God, He Himself is the Pledge that we, too, shall one day enter the harbor of our souls and the very presence of God, in the New Jerusalem.4

Nothing can break the line to our steadfast anchor.

As I was thinking over this message, these verses from Romans chapter 8 came to mind and I want to read them over you today.

Romans 8:31–39 (ESV)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s promises are bankable. We can count on them. We can stake our lives and eternity on them. So the question before you at this very moment is this:

If God’s promises are so sure, as sure as if they were already done, then why won’t you do the things that He has commanded of His followers?

Why do we resist? Why do we doubt the promises that we have as a steadfast anchor of hope?

Conclusion and Call for Response:

Promises we have from God:

He who began the good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ Jesus.

God who saved you, will sanctify you.

He will grow you when you press in toward spiritual maturity.

He will be with you. If you are a Christian, He is with you.

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