God’s Word Affirms His Promises (Hebrews 6:13-15)
Oaths in ancient Israel were sealed by a person’s word. God’s promise or oath to Abraham was sealed and fulfilled by His word.
v.13 is a restatement of Gen 22:16-17 where God tells Abraham, “by myself I have sworn.” There is no greater name to take an oath to. By God swearing by his own name, He guaranteed Abraham and his descendants that God would indeed keep His promises. What were the initial promises that God gave to Abram? We see these in Gen 12:1-3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God reestablishes these promises with Abraham after the test on Mt. Moriah with Isaac.
God’s Character Assures His Promises (Hebrews 6:16-18)
v.18 “the two unchangeable things” refers to the absolute nature of God’s purpose and word. God never strays from the truth, God would cease to be God if He did.
Our Hope is Anchored in God’s Promises (Hebrews 6:19-20)
You see an image of an anchor, something that holds the boat from moving off course. You also see the curtain or veil that would have been to separate the different parts of the tabernacle or the temple. The anchor is a sure thing, only if it’s connected. You can have a billion anchors, but without a rope or chain that connects it to the boat, it would be just throwing heavy objects in the water. Our Anchor is Christ, our rope is faith, our boat is His sovereignty in our lives. Our boat is the will He has for us! The curtain has been opened through Christ allowing us to have a relationship with God.
What is the promise or promises that we are anchored to? We can go back to Heb. 4 in which we are invited to the promise of rest in Christ! We have the hope of Heaven!
These promises have to be written on our heart in order to be anchored in them. I love what the prophet Jeremiah says when he shares God’s promise. Jeremiah 31:33 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Holding the rope has to be done with the heart! We must ask for help! We were never meant to hold the anchor rope without others!
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Look at those who have ran the race for Christ and learn from them.
Look to those who are running the race for Christ and learn from them.
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Look to Jesus, his suffering for us, his love for us, his ability to relate to us.