As we look at this section of scripture before us today, it is important, as I underscored last week, that we keep these verses in context. That is, that we make sure we study this passage within the greater framework of what has been said so far.
And as I indicated last week, the context of this passage, I believe, is the spiritual maturity of the believer. Spiritual maturity so far in Hebrews has been likened to a house that is built up on a solid foundation, or a plant that has grown to produce fruit, or a person that has grown from a student to a teacher, or from drinking just milk to eating solid food.
Part of God’s purpose and plan in saving us is that we become spiritually mature and bear spiritual fruit. We are not born again to stay babies, and just receive the same instruction again and again but never grow. God has saved us and left us here on this earth that we might bear fruit, and that our fruit should remain.
In vs 7 the author makes reference to that fruitfulness or lack thereof as the two sides of spiritual maturity, saying, “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.” The application there is that we might be good soil, which drinks the rain, which is tilled, which brings forth fruit, and then receives the blessings of God.
Jesus said in John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” You can see by that verse that even our prayers being answered are tied to our fruitfulness. A lot of people question God’s justice and faithfulness by whether or not they think He is answering their prayers. Their attitude is that God doesn’t answer my prayers, therefore I don’t have much faith in God. But in fact, the opposite attitude is the appropriate attitude. “I believe in God, therefore, God answers my prayers.” The just shall live by faith, not by sight. Faith in God produces fruitfulness for God which results in answered prayers by God.
In vs11 we are urged to apply diligence to our faith, that we might imitate those who went before us, so that we might inherit the promises. (11) “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 you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
And as a supreme example of someone who lived by faith and not by sight, someone who matured spiritually, someone who received the promises of God, and someone who entered the rest of God, the author of Hebrews reminds us of Abraham, the illustration of faith and patience, two great virtues of spiritual maturity. In fact, Abraham is the father of us all, both Jews and Gentiles, in that He is the father of all who believe by faith.
Romans 4:9 says, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." ... 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.” So Abraham is the father of us all, both the circumcised, that is the Jews, and the uncircumcised, that is the Gentiles, though they are circumcised in their hearts. And Abraham was a certain symbol of maturity, who through faith and patience, Hebrews tells us, inherited the promises; the promise of blessing and fruitfulness.
So in what respect are we to imitate Abraham? Abraham lived a long life, and did a lot of things, and so we need to consider the text to determine exactly what God is indicating is worthy of imitating in the life of Abraham. Well, let’s look at vs 13 “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.”
Now if you look at your margin of your Bible, you should notice that this is a quote from Genesis chapter 22. Now that’s important, because God made promises to bless Abraham and multiply his descendants many times prior to this incident. But specifically this quotation is made after Isaac has already been born. So the promise that God is making at this point is not in reference to Isaac being born, but rather the people who would come about as a result of Abraham’s faith. And as we have already pointed out, that is a reference not only to the Israelites, but to Christians throughout the world. But at the time of Abraham’s death, that had not come to pass. The only grandchildren that he had prior to his death were Jacob and Esau.
So how was the promise fulfilled to Abraham? Because it says, “having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.” Well, the promise was fulfilled partially when Jacob had 12 sons, and they went to Egypt to escape the famine, and then they were there in Egypt 400 years, and by the time that Moses arose to lead them out they were a great multitude, numbering as the sand on the seashore.
But the promise did not reach it’s ultimate fulfillment until the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And Jesus said that Abraham, though he was long dead, rejoiced to see His day. John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw [it] and was glad.” He rejoiced because the promises that God had made to him while living upon this earth, the promise that from his seed would come one through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, was finally fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He was the promised seed of Abraham through whom the world would be blessed. He was the promised seed of Eve, who would crush Satan’s head. And so Abraham, though he was dead in the body, but alive in the spirit, rejoiced to see that day because that was the fulfillment of the promise made hundreds of years earlier.
So we see that Abraham was patient, not just patient in that he waited 25 years since the promise that he would have a son, named Isaac. But he waited 1260 years to see the promise fulfilled. (Matt.1:17)
Now that is an important principle that this is teaching; that not all of the promises made to us as Christians will be fulfilled on this earth. But as Jesus said in John 11:26 “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Some of the promises made to us will be fulfilled at the resurrection, on the other side of the veil. But we that are saved have received eternal life, so that even now we have a life that will never end, but some promises are not going to be fulfilled until some point in eternity.
Let me make this point clear as well, and that is this; our faith is founded on the promises of God. Abraham did not conjure up this idea of nations of people coming from his loins on his own. He did not dare to imagine that all the nations of the earth would be blessed by his offspring. No, rather God had a plan to redeem the world, and he chose Abraham to come out from a pagan land, and go to a land that he would show him, and He promised Abraham a son, and the blessings that followed. It was God’s eternal purpose which prompted God’s promises, and Abraham believed God’s promises, and He counted it to him as righteousness. Abraham, the forefather of faith, believed in the promises of God.
For many, many years, I have had a school boy fantasy that I would own a Porsche 911. I think it started in 1978. Over the years that dream ebbed and flowed, sometimes stronger, sometimes more faint, but always there in the back of my mind. A couple of years ago, I guess I was going through a series of mid life crisis, and I reignited that fantasy by watching countless you tube videos about vintage Porsche 911’s. One day, my wife and I were at the gas station by our house, and an older man pulled up in a 1978 white Porsche 911 with a for sale sign in the window. It was all I could do to try to contain my enthusiasm. I think the guy felt sorry for me or something, so he offered to let me take it for a drive. My wife agreed, thinking that maybe that would get this fantasy out of my system. It didn’t work. I loved driving the car and it became even more a dream of mine to own it.
Now long story short, there was no way I could afford to buy the car. And yet, for some reason, the man still has the car, but has taken it off the market. I drive by his house once in a while and check to see if it’s still there. I sometimes park outside of his house and pray that God would give me that car. I feel a little guilty about praying for it, but I do it anyhow.
Now a lot of people would say that if I just have enough faith, God will give me that car. But listen, as much as I want that car, God hasn’t promised me a Porsche 911. No amount of faith, no amount of tears, no amount of pleading, is going to get the Lord to give me that car unless he wants to give it to me. But no matter how much I want it, I know that God has not promised to give it to me. There is not one scripture verse that I can point to as a promise of God. I might like to make some verse apply to that, like “he will give you the desires of your heart.” But that is a classic example of taking a verse of scripture out of context.
I tell you all of that silly story to illustrate something very serious. Our faith is founded on God’s promises. Not vice a versa. God’s promises are not founded on our faith. We aren’t driving the car, God is driving the car. We must trust in God’s word, and we dare not try to manipulate God according to our desires.
Speaking of men using God to accomplish their desires, the author says in vs 16 “For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.” In other words, men make promises and to give themselves credence, they swear by God. They realize perhaps that their word on their own is unreliable, so they add God’s name as a witness to try to convince men of their truthfulness.
But God isn’t like man. God cannot lie, because it is not in His nature to lie. But nevertheless, for our sakes, God added an oath to His promise to Abraham, and because He could swear by no one greater than Himself, for He is above all things, He swore by Himself. Vs 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, 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.”
In as strongest of terms possible, God has given His promises. He says God desired to show us, the heirs of the promise, that His purpose is unchangeable. He then adds, superfluously perhaps, it is impossible for God to lie. And he says all that, so that we may have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
What is that hope then that he is speaking of? Notice it says that there are two things, two unchangeable things sworn by God, by which we might lay hold of our hope. Now what two things has God sworn? Vs14, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” But aren’t they just promises to Abraham? No, for in the original text of Genesis 22 we read that the promises are made to the seed of Abraham. Genesis 22:17-18 “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. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” The promise to Abraham extends to his seed, to those who will be born in the future. So because we are the seed of Abraham, children of faith, we inherit the promises of blessing and fruitfulness.
Notice back in our text, in vs 17, it says that God wished to show the heirs of the promise. See that? Who are the heirs of the promise? According to Romans 4 which I quoted from earlier, it is those of us who have faith in Jesus Christ. Notice that the writer changes the subject from Abraham, singular, to the pronoun “we” in vs 18 and 19. The promises are to us, the promises of blessing and fruitfulness.
We are promised blessing from God, that is all the benefits of salvation; eternal life, having the Spirit of God with us, having the righteousness of Christ, having victory over sin and death, and we are promised that God will multiply us. That simply refers to fruitfulness. God’s blessings of salvation on our life causes us to come to maturity, which produces fruit in our life, causing us to bring others to salvation.
So our hope is our faith and trust in the promises of God for blessing and fruitfulness. And we are strongly encouraged to take hold of that hope, and hold on to that hope, and persevere in that hope. Paul said in Romans 8:24-25 “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he [already] sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
Folks, this is the way of sanctification, this is the way of maturity, that we persevere, we lay hold of our hope and do not waver, do not let go, do not drift away. We continue to be obedient to that hope until the end, through life’s ups and downs, through trials and tribulations, knowing that our hope is not in this world, nor even in the resolution of life’s circumstances to our satisfaction now, but in hope we follow the Lord in obedience and faith and in the light of His word, trusting in Him to bring all His promises to fulfillment.
Vs. 19 says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul. Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. Our soul is the tempest in a teapot. It’s the battleground of our faith. Our soul is where our faith finds it’s footing. Our soul must be tethered to an anchor to keep us from reeling to and fro like a ship without a sail in the midst of a blowing gale. Our soul is where doubts arise from the deep and cause us to harden our hearts. Our soul is where passions rise up from the depths and try to sink us. Our soul is where false doctrines blow here and there and toss us like the waves of the sea. If our soul is going to be preserved, to be kept from falling, to be kept from drifting away, then it must be anchored to a firm hope, which is our faith in Christ.
And we can be sure that our anchor holds, because it is tethered not to just empty philosophy, but it is anchored to the Rock, Christ Jesus. And He is unchanging, He has been shown victorious sin and death, He is eternal, He is standing at the right hand of the Father as our mediator, as our intercessor, as our great High Priest. He remains there as our High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. And because He has overcome the world, we will overcome the world. Because He is blessed we will be blessed, because He is fruitful, we shall be fruitful.
Notice that it says He has entered into the Holy of Holies, that is what behind the veil refers to. He has gone into the holy place where the priests went to make atonement for the sins of the nation. Jesus has gone into that Holy of Holies, and He remains there, because His sacrifice was sufficient for all time. His blood avails for us there continually. He doesn’t go out again and have to come back next year. But once for all He shed His blood for the remission of sins, and our faith is in His continual, perpetual sufficiency as our atonement.
And finally, notice it says He has entered there as a forerunner for us. He has gone before us into heaven, into the presence of the Father. He has gone before us through the veil that separates the physical from the spiritual. And where He has gone, He will one day bring us. Jesus said in John 14:2-3 "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. 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.”
That is the anchor of our soul, the promise of Jesus Christ, the eternal, immortal, Lord of All, to return for His bride, and to take us to be with Him to live forever. The promise of eternal life with the Lord is the anchor of our soul. That is where we find our rest. We find our rest in Him and by trusting in His promises.
Let me ask you this question. Do you have that anchor of the soul? Have you placed your faith and trust in the promise and atonement of Jesus Christ? Have you trusted Him as your Savior and Lord? The scripture says, that Abraham believed God and He counted it to him as righteousness. Faith in Jesus Christ transfers your sins to Jesus, and His righteousness to you, so that you can be saved and know the hope and peace of His salvation. The invitation is open and available for everyone who hears; believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
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