Wednesday, September 17, 2014

9-17-2014 Vol. 9 Part 11 The Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 6:13-20)

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Psalms 135:1-9 Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD! You who stand in the house of the LORD, In the courts of the house of our God, Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant. For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure. For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries. He destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, Both of man and beast. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
Father God, we thank you for the rain, sunshine, and comfortable temperature. I ask that you bless and protect our loved ones. I ask that you unlock the hearts of those that read this and reveal to them treasures they have never before experienced before. We pray and ask for this in Jesus name, Amen!
Book of Hebrews 6:13-20 NKJV
This lesson Paul is driving home the sovereignty and promise of God. It is knowing the power of God that we can trust Him for all things. He is all powerful, all present, and all knowing. He is the answer to all things and we can set our anchor in Him. Paul is again referring back to the OT scripture to illustrate that Jesus is the Son of God and that faith through Him is the only way to Heaven.
13  For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,
For when God made a promise to Abraham; What is this promise that God made to Abraham? This promise is the one mentioned many times in the Bible referring to, “Inherit the Promise”. What this is, is the promise of salvation by faith. Abraham was shown what salvation by faith is all about by him being an example. Abraham believed in God and lived by faith on what God said to him. Just to mention a few examples of Abraham’s faith: to sacrifice Isaac; Sarah would have a child; Lot would be saved from the destruction of Sodom. It was only fitting that Abraham be used as an example for us so that we could learn what faith is and that Heaven can only be gained through faith and not works of our own or of religion.
So what was this lesson of faith for us to learn? It was when God told Abraham to take his only begotten son Isaac to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him. It was right then and there that God revealed part of His plan of salvation to the world that we are justified by faith and not works through the death of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 22:11-12 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Genesis 22:15-18 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,  16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—  17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.  18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Because He could swear by no one greater; This phrase is speaking of God. When you hear someone make and oath they always swear by a higher authority. This is so the higher authority will ensure this person keeps their oath. God is the highest authority, there is no other higher than He.
He swore by Himself; God’s word is true and steadfast. What He says is true and will come to pass with no altercations. God cannot lie and we can trust in His Word to be the truth, therefore there is no need for Him to swear by Himself.
14  saying, "SURELY BLESSING I WILL BLESS YOU, AND MULTIPLYING I WILL MULTIPLY YOU."
Paul takes this verse from Genesis when God is speaking to Abraham. Genesis 22:17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
SURELY BLESSING I WILL BLESS YOU; Abraham, the predecessor of the Hebrews, the first person to receive the Promise, the Father of faithfulness, is now used as an example. This blessing is salvation; “Justification by Faith”.
AND MULTIPLYING I WILL MULTIPLY YOU; This refers to all the children born to the lineage of Abraham becoming the nation of Israel.
15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
And so, after he had patiently endured; He meaning Abraham, and yes there is another lesson to be learn through Abraham and that being patience. Abraham had to wait several years before Sarah conceived and bore Isaac.
We must be patient when it comes to God and things in our life. As human beings we tend to be impatient and want something right away, but we need to wait on the Lord to provide what we need and at the right time.
Going back to Abraham and Sarah, Sarah was not patient and convinced Abraham to go in unto Hagar, which resulted in Ishmael being born. Have you ever thought about Satan having an influence in this situation? Do you think Satan planted the idea in Sarah’s head to have Abraham go lie with Hagar? Was Satan trying to mess up the plan of salvation? I think he was a very large factor in Ishmael being born. Satan desires that we give up and cave into our fleshly desires when it comes to us waiting on the Lord for something or us doing something that is God’s will. Faith must ever be tested, and great Faith must be tested greatly. Will we continue to believe God, despite circumstances? despite problems? despite difficulties? Or when facing these things, will we fold under the pressure and quit? Getting from the Promise to the Possession is never uneventful!
He obtained the promise; Abraham was patient and eventually received a son, and through Isaac  Jesus was born to complete God’s plan of Salvation.
16  For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.
For men indeed swear by the greater; As stated previously men or human beings swear an oath by someone that is superior to them to hold them accountable.
And an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute; This phrase is stating that back in ancient times a sworn oath was a contract between all parties. It is like a hand shake was at one time that an agreement was made and that all parties would uphold the stipulations of the agreement. In today’s times our society requires lawyers and mounds of paper with legal terms written on them, and then all parties sign the documents resulting in writers cramps. It is sad that our society has come to the mistrust and sue happy environment that it is.
17  Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,
If we would rephrase this verse it would read like this; God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly assured that He would never change His mind.
God's promises are unchanging and trustworthy because God is unchanging and trustworthy. When promising Abraham a son, God took an oath in his own name. The oath was as good as God's name, and God's name is as good as his divine nature. God does not lie, so what He says is true and will come to pass just as He said it will. This is why the Book of Revelation is so important and people need to know it and understand it because it will happen just as He says. If God lied then He would be an unrighteous God, but He isn’t, He is a righteous God and therefore a truthful God.
18  that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
That by two immutable things; What are these two immutable things? They are God’s promise and His oath. Without the promise to Abraham to multiply his seed, Jesus would not have come into this world to be our redeemer. With God stating this promise an oath was born because God does not say things He does not uphold. This promise to Abraham was a personal promise, but also carried a much greater promise of salvation for all mankind. What a promise and one we can rejoice in!
In which it is impossible for God to lie; God embodies all truth; therefore, he cannot lie. Because God is truth, you can be secure in his promises; you don't need to wonder if he will change his plans.
We might have strong consolation; Our hope is secure and immovable, anchored in God, just as a ship's anchor holds firmly to the seabed. To the true seeker who comes to God in belief, God gives an unconditional promise of acceptance. When you ask God with openness, honesty, and sincerity to save you from your sins, he will do it. This truth should give you encouragement, assurance, and confidence.
Who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us; This phrase is a great thing in the lives of the saved and unsaved. For the unsaved it gives assurance that if they humble themselves and come before Jesus with a repentant heart, admit they are sinners by nature, ask Jesus for forgiveness, and allow Jesus to reside in their heart, they will be forgiven and saved. For the saved it is assurance knowing that they are forgiven of their sins and now rest in the arms of Jesus. It doesn’t matter how grave the sin is in a person’s life, if they are truly sorry and seeking rest in Jesus, they will find it. What a great thing this plan of God’s is!
19  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul; This hope we have is salvation through Jesus Christ. Paul is telling his Hebrew listeners and us that it is Jesus death and resurrection that is the hope we must anchor our life/soul in for eternal life. The soul is our physical life/form and while we are physically alive here on earth we need to ask Jesus to redeem us of our sinful lifestyle. If we don’t, and die, then our eternity is in Hell. Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Both sure and steadfast; The phrase, “Both sure and steadfast,” presents the use of two adjectives to describe this Anchor.
“Sure” in the Greek is “asphale,” and means “not to make totter, not to baffle or foil.” It speaks, therefore, of something that cannot be made to totter when put to the test.
“Steadfast” in the Greek is “bebaian,” and means, “sustaining one’s steps in going.” Thus, it speaks of something which does not break down under the weight of something that steps on it. This hope which the believing soul has in the Lord Jesus is an anchor of the soul which cannot be made to totter nor break down when put under stress and strain (Wuest).
And which enters the Presence behind the veil; This phrase is referring to the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Holy of Holies. Paul is referring to the Holy of Holies of the OT for the Hebrew Christians to understand what our anchor must be fastened to. They understood that the inner sanctuary is where God’s presence was. If our faith is anchored in the works of the Cross, then that anchor goes into the Holy of Holies and is anchored to Jesus Christ. This is where we must be exclusively anchored for the reward of Heaven.
A curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, "God's inner sanctuary." This curtain prevented anyone from entering, gazing into, or even getting a glimpse of the interior of the Most Holy Place. The high priest could enter there only once a year to stand in God's presence and atone for the sins of the entire nation. But Christ is in God's presence at all times, not just once a year, but as the High Priest who can continually intercede for us. Hebrews 9:1-8
Did you pick up on the fact that Paul is using an example of a ship being tossed around in high seas, but when it is in port and anchored the high sea is no threat. Our life is like a ship being tossed around, but when we come to Jesus and are redeemed, then our anchor of life is hooked to Jesus, and if we will allow Him to control us, we can then rest in Him for all things.
20  where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Where the forerunner has entered for us; Who are these forerunners? They were the High Priest of the OT that entered the Holy of Holies. They were a type of Christ that offered atonement for sin.
Even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek; As stated previously this phrase presents Christ as not from the line of Aaron, but another order of priest that has no ending. Jesus is our Eternal High Priest. He is our fortress, our anchor, our rock; He is all we need now and for eternity!

Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The Lighthouse Full Gospel Church

Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord Jesus I know I am a sinner.  I confess my sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness of all of my sins.  I believe that only you can forgive sin.  I commit my life to you and ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life.  I believe that you died to set me free from my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my Savior.”  I believe this and have faith you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.”  (John 3:16,17; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom. 1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)

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