Nothing to say, yet
Transcription
The speaker starts by thanking God for the opportunity to study the Bible and specifically the book of Hebrews. They pray for guidance and ask for their hearts and minds to be receptive to the Word of God. They mention the importance of the Word of God in changing hearts and bringing about repentance. The speaker then discusses the passage from Hebrews 6:4-8, explaining that it refers to immature believers who have fallen away from their faith. They emphasize the need for believers to demonstrate their faith through their actions and service to others. The speaker also mentions the importance of believers loving and caring for one another. They conclude by discussing Romans 12:1-8, which emphasizes the need for believers to present themselves to God and use their spiritual gifts to serve others. Dear Lord, thank you so much for this time to give us to study your word and this study in Hebrews is just so exciting And so well, it's really a great book. I would put it right alongside Romans and Dear Lord, we pray that you'd help us to take Hebrews 4 12 seriously that the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword Divides to the soul in the spirit joints of the marrow the discerner of the motives and intents of the heart and this book is designed to Change our hearts that we come to repentance and we come to change our hearts To be devoted to you totally so dear Lord. I pray that you'd be with us guard our hearts guard our minds Help us to soften our hearts and minds so that we would listen carefully to your word And we pray these things for Jesus Christ our Lord Amen All right. Thank you All right, we're going to finish up chapter 6 and Get ready for McKenzie's egg next week All right, looking forward to that Yes, he was Yeah, according to God's Word Good enough for me. I didn't witness it, but I'm taking it for what it is. It's his word All right. So now we're going to finish up check six is this title of the lessons Jesus our hope and You'll see why I chose that here as you read through this you'll see the word hope several times so Let's start it at the top here. But beloved we are convinced of better things concerning you And things that accompany salvation though. We are speaking in this way now We're going to stop right there that but refers to Hebrews 6 48, which is last week's lesson And let's let's go back and let's read that. So I've got that on the handout on the scripture handout or in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heaven with give and Have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and Then have fallen away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they Again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame For grounds for ground that drinks the rain which has fallen on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those For who say it is also tilled receiving a blessing from God but if it yields thorns and thistle it is worthless and Close to being cursed and it ends up being burned Okay So that particular passage that we studied last week You might recall our our final thoughts on that was that It's referring to them an immature believer All right, and one who hasn't grown in Christ and the the words And have tasted the good word and the powers of the age to come and then have fallen away It's impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucified in themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame Those the word crucify and put are in or what's called a present participle and so in essence what it's saying is while they are Crucifying and putting to open shame the Son of God in the what they're saying and what they're doing While their attitude is that way Then that then they're not going to be in a in a place seeking repentance Alright, so that's what that's saying They're not going to they're not going to be When someone sticks their hand up into the face of God and says not this time Not this time Well, he's saying I'm going to control this not you So his attitude is I'm really not interested in getting myself right with you right now Now that normally happens When some type of an event that's occurred has shaken someone's faith down to the core If you're mature It doesn't matter what happens. You're going to hold fast to your faith if you're immature Then when you get shook Then you start going. Hmm. I don't know about this and Then perhaps you even rebel and that's what this is referring to that makes sense everybody with me okay, so Going back over to her tonight, but beloved We're convinced the better things concerning you referring over here to what we just talked about The author saying I'm convinced that who I'm writing to That is not you All right, if you're reading my letter, I believe that I believe better things about you than what I just stated Okay so So in what refers to that where the author warned the readers to not fall away, but by falling to mature By fainting mature in their faith thus living lives that bring shame to his name and producing works end up being burned You got these two words that indicate his belief that his readers are safe The first word is beloved That word beloved translates. I got the top which Expresses the highest form of relationship. It's used 60 times in the New Testament The first nine times God the Father is speaking of the Son And the rest of time he's speaking of believers that word beloved is never used for anyone's not a believer So right there. We know that this particular segment sure is referring to believers right Secondly, I will ask the question. What is the highest form of relationship based and I gave you the clue by the Greek word Agapitas Which would be what? Agape, right? God's kind of love. Thank you, Susan. Don't start already All right. They are greatly loved together by God and not only that what's really cool about the beloved Is they greatly love each other the same way? Isn't that the truth? when when you come to this place and There's not one person in this place. I don't see as a brother and sister in Christ And my love for them is beyond Compared to love for everybody else really seriously outside of family. I mean a family's got a familial love I'm talking about a brother and sister in Christ. I mean our love for each other is off the charts in this place in this place, so Anyway that word beloved. I love that word. So first of all, he says beloved the second thing he says This other word he uses is convinced He's convinced that their lives exhibited all the evidence of salvation in the way they live What are some of the characteristic traits seen in the lives of believers that convinces you they're a believer? Let me hear some feedback They're attitude towards the lost. That's a good answer. Attitude towards scripture another great answer What else you see? Love each other back to the whole point, right? They'll love for each other and that love spills out into what they do for each other, doesn't it? How they serve each other How they pray for each other How they care for each other, right? Anything else that you can think of that gives you a clue that someone might be a believer? Now when you've never met somebody before you and you meet them for the first time There's times when I know just by a conversation the words they say Tell me this a believer I'm talking to, right? You know a believer when you hear one, but when you see one You know now some people can play the game But you can see that too. If you're a true believer, you see right through that so Anyway, so there you go Our prayers our service our ministries our attitudes our priorities our witness and our testimony of God's mercy and grace in our own lives all those things convinced us That they're believers and it convinced this author that who he was writing to was believers So first of all, what refers to? Believers, all right secondly Believers demonstrate that they are saved by right dedicating their lives to Christian service a Godly purpose see what James says about that James 2 18 You have faith and I have not shown you faith without the work and I will show you my faith by my word. So the what they do right, it's what they do How about 1st Corinthians 1 2 go ahead and read that one too To the church of God which is at work to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus Thanks by call with all Who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ their Lord and I I? Got ahead of myself at 4 James 2 26 is for just the body. That's good. It's also faith that works No, no, it's me. So dedicating their lives to Christian service a godly purpose according to James You're you're you're going to show your faith by what you do right a Purpose is godly secondly who are believers to serve? Terry just read 1st Corinthians 1 2 to those who have been what? sanctified sanctified Saints by calling So believers, it's not that you don't serve Tom. I brought this up. We're talking about this on Monday You know, it's not you don't serve others. All right But you're going to take care of your home, right you're going to take care of your of your of your family You're going to make sure that your family has all their needs met. That's what this is referring to Saints sanctified and and call upon who call upon the Lord How are believers to serve? How are believers to serve? and and Tom brought up another one point Monday, which I didn't put into the handout If you Romans 12 1 & 2 says that you're to have what I Urge you therefore brethren by mercy to God that you what? Present present right. So so how are you to serve? First of all, you've got to present yourself to serve You got to say here. I am Lord Use me Ever how you choose use me, right? Present yourself this to be to serve All right, Romans 12 feet through eight tells you how you serve once you present yourself to serve Let's go ahead and read that in What should the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself And you're not to think To think so as to have some judgment as God is a water to each a measure of faith Just as we have many members of one body and all the members do not have the same function So we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us Each of us is to exercise them accordingly the prophecy according to proportion of this faith The service in a survey or he who teaches in his teaching or he who exhorts in his expectation with liberality He leads with diligence He who shows mercy And those we refer to those is what spiritual gifts So whatever giftedness God has given you use it To edify to build up right? I didn't put in all the other passages in 1st Corinthians 12 and in the Ephesians for you know, the other References to spiritual gifts, but use them to serve All right. So how do you serve with spiritual gifts Ephesians 618 another way to serve? I Got a sneak in suspicion that's a Joyce first That's What I thought You know, it it what is it? You know, what how do you serve each other you serve each other through prayer? through prayer right Absolutely can't all preach we can't all in support we can't all teach But we can love our brother we can pray for him and that's that is the best thing you do for someone else is Go to the father on their behalf. That's what it would and you know, when you look at Paul's letters He's always asking people to pray for him in him at the same time. He's always praying for him, right? That's man. We we need to pray That's how we serve them and finally there's one other way we can serve whether one or the way I've identified there's more than one way Glacian 6-1 and this one's a little more difficult, but I think it was very important if we do it You were spiritual resource such a one in the spirit of gentleness Each one looking to yourself so that you too were not resented whenever you with love Engage someone that needs some encouragement in terms of their walk Okay Full understanding they put for the grace of God, right? That could be me But the idea is that you want to you want to bring the brother back? Into harmony with God and with each other, right? If God presents you with that opportunity you need to take it. That's how you serve your brother It's part of being a family When your children get out of line You you need to talk to them about it now when they're adults you do it a different way than when they're kids Right. I think with the people around you that you start with in church Yeah, that if they're having a difficulty and you went even if it's the wrong thing and you went through it and God brought you through It then for heaven's sakes don't be too proud To say look brother. I've been there. Let me tell you what God how God helped me. There you go Yeah, now that that's a way you can you can exercise Galatians 6-1 Just like you're talking about though. That's an example All right, so Believers demonstrate that they are saved by dedicating their lives to Christian service They believe they demonstrate that they are saved by loving what God loves In the way God loves for his glory It's a godly love. Let's look at John 21 15 to 17 Ron's favorite one of Ron's I know he's got a bunch of favorites, but Ron closes all the time. Go ahead Ron So When they had finished breakfast Jesus said to some of you Simon son of God son of John You love me more than days. You know, I didn't say the layout. Oh I'm sorry. He said I got that. Okay, go ahead. I got He said to them again the second time Simon son of John do you love me? And he said to him. Yes, Lord. You know that I love you for a oh He said to him shepherd my sheep And he said to him the third time Simon Son of John to you. Well, they owe me and Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time. Do you love me? At all, and he said to him Lord, you know all things. Do you know that I love you and Jesus said to him? Can my sheep so Peter doesn't really understand what Jesus is asking him not yet? No, but he does He hopefully does that He openly gets it and In there's there's one key thing that happens that enables him to get it. That's an axe chapter 2 Right. Yes If X chapter 2 doesn't happen, then we're not standing here today That's right. So that's to happen When the Holy Spirit got a hold of him his ability to love was transformed Right as it does us And when you're walking with him and maturing in your and growing in your faith in your love agape grows as well so I Believe Peter awfully got to where he got paid. What do you think? Him. Yeah, it was inside. Yeah so Loving what God loves you demonstrate that they're saved diligently pursuing God and the things of God That leads to maturity That gives them a full assurance of hope Look at verse 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 That full assurance of hope that means in and when I says the diligently It says so that in verse 12 so that you will not be sluggish So don't be sluggish or lazy But imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promise You pursue God not sluggishly but with faith and patience In your pursuit of God, have you always achieved the understanding or the? desired results instantly Right as anyone ever had. I mean, I've had some prayers answered pretty quick. Okay, I have Let me tell you the ones that I labored over for a long time No, oh, I'm just saying I learned as I labored and I stayed at it until he answered and Had he not answered I'd still be at it You see what I'm saying that debt That pursuit with patience Trusting him. I learned to trust him Understanding that it might be no is the answer Right, and that's okay. If it's no it's best, right? Or it might be not now And that's okay. If it's not now, there's a better time The point is to pursue the points to pursue answer continue to pursue You get an answer and then when you get an answer Accept the answer. Yeah, I can sometimes pursue and then he says no Wait a minute. That's not answer. I want it. Yeah We have I agree we pursue and we we ask him and and plead with them But when he tells us no with God, no means no Yeah, so it doesn't get it We may not even know the benefit for years, but you may look back years later. Thank you Yeah, I don't always like yeah, well, I know I Same here Okay, so the believers demonstrate their say by dedicating their last service loving what God loves and doesn't pursuing God God is faithful to believers by let's look at first He attend for God is not unjust so is to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward his name He never forgets his own never forgetting his own the work. They do the love they show their reverence for his name This verse right here when I studied death this week. It just jumped off the page. Look at Malachi 3 16 17 Susan in those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord gave attention and heard it and a book of Remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and who has changed his name They will be mine says the Lord knows on the day that I prepare my own Possession and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him Honey, I have I've got listen how many times I've read that verse over the years But this week it just resonated I Was going my goodness. Look at that There's a book of Remembrance And my name's in it It's not just any book of Remembrance It's the book of Remembrance And it but it's not just but it's not just I'm saying I know that's the point The Remembers my goodness boy, how that minister to me Wow There's some of us in here like to get out of voice, okay, just just saying It's called my love language she does she knows this It's Just an attaboy thing Didn't it? No one No one that all I have done Out of love for him He's remembering it And it's lovely. Oh It's an attaboy. Oh My so good Hmm Never forgets his own. Thank you Lord, right? Thank you And then fulfilling his promises first 12 So do you not be sluggish? The in favor of him those who through faith and patience they inherit the promises he fulfills his promises as a future inheritance We've got an inheritance guys, and we had no clue how rich it is But it's gonna be off the charts It's gonna it's gonna totally shock us. I'm sure when we get there question Am I consistently demonstrating my salvation through my service to God and believers? My love for God and believers in my pursuit of God Becoming conformed images. And how can I improve this one of those self-examination questions that you I always encourage you to do How am I doing? In living up to what we just said All right, use their hope for those who are safe. He's their hope is God's purpose guaranteed 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 for men swear by one greater themselves and with him an oath given as confirmation As an end of every dispute in the same way God Desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the untangleness of his purpose interposed with an oath So the author assures the readers that they can rely on God to fulfill his promises and purposes He reminds them of the example of Abraham So we're gonna look at Abraham tonight What were the most significant promises God made to Abraham? Let's just let's just check them out. Genesis 12 1 through 3 Turn If everyone's taking a turn Anybody online on a turn Okay, it's gonna do it Go forth from your country From your relatives and from your father's house to the land, which I will show you And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great And so you shall be a blessing and I'll bless those who bless you And the one who curses you I will curse and in all and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed Okay. Yeah, yeah It is you go back and you look at that how all that transpired, right? And we ain't got time to go through all the context of that. It's a great study someday just a study. That's just Would be a great equip class you know, but You understand that God calls him out of her and he and he responds in faith not knowing where he's going and the purpose of that call Was for God to reveal himself to us he wanted the world his creation to see who he is and So he was going to do it ultimately through his son But his son can't be human unless he's got some human Heritage through which he can be born So God chooses Abram and Here's the promises God made to Abram. Look at this Here, I'm all this the ones I came up with you. You can't you see if you've got some others number one make a great nation this is one man and And later on Hebrews it said in him as good as dead When the when the son of promise is born he's 99 years old or About a hundred in him as good as dead, right? Anyway, I'm gonna make a great nation of you Too I'm gonna bless you now just that promise alone Works for me Right if it works for me number three, I'm gonna make your name great Number four, I'm gonna make it make you a blessing number five in Inu I'm gonna bless all the families of the earth Those are some fantastic promises Now there is the here's the the promise now, here's the test All right Ten chapters later about 35 40 years later chronologically God says to Abram. I'm gonna I want to see what's really in your heart And so let's read Genesis 12 point to one through 14 Now it came about after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham and he said here I am He said hey now your son Your only son whom you love Isaac and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt Offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you So Abraham rose early in the morning and tattled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son And he split wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told them On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and caught a place from a distance Abraham said to his young man stay here with the donkey and I and the lad will go over there and we will worship and return to you Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son and he took in his hand the fire and the knife So the two of them walked on together Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said my father and he said here I am son And he said behold the fire in the wood. So where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham said God will provide for himself the lamb for offering his son. So the two of them walked on together Then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood and found his Son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham Abraham and he said here I am He said do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide as it is said to this day in the mount of the Lord. It will be provided So How was Abraham's faith tested? Right And what is significant about that? His son was the son of what? promise son of promise God had promised I'm going to make of you a great nation God had promised that in you all the people of the earth would be blessed and God Specifically when you go back to his 99th birthday right Specifically tells him a year from now the son of promise will be here That son of promise God says now go sacrifice him Wow How does that make sense? It doesn't make any sense It doesn't make it But The faith he had and we'll get to that in chapter 11 Next next semester When we get to chapter 11, we'll get to see what that looks like, okay I Wouldn't I wouldn't know if it's unlikely or not I was It was if it was in a mountainous area and there are wild You know packs of rams and sheep and goats and what have you so, you know But but what what was it? What was it? Expected I can say it that way was that a rain would be caught by his horns in a bush waiting for They're not weak animals no, no bush to hold it had to be the hand of God. Yeah Yeah, say that's that was what was it? That was God No, that was no accident that was God that's a great question great question Yeah, so Where are we, okay He was tested by Being told to sacrifice Isaac and he passes the test, right? What was God's response when Abraham passes the test? Read the rest of chapter 22 verses 15 through 18 In the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said by myself I have sworn if there's the Lord because you have done this thing and have not without your son your only son 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 Wow, right Shouldn't think I Went we wouldn't be standing. I don't know. I don't know for sure. What would but had Abraham not over right? But because he obeyed Look at what God said he's gonna do It's gone from blessed to what? greatly blessed Now, I'm not sure how you quantify that It's good You know, my goodness so But what's interesting is that he swore? That he will fulfill the promises that he made. I Asked the question is God fulfilled those promises Absolutely. Yes Why was this fulfillment guaranteed to happen? Let's look at Titus 1 2 In the hope of eternal life, which God who cannot lie Promise long ago long ages ago What about God did it say there? He what? He cannot lie. So he keeps his promise. He cannot lie Why was this fulfillment guaranteed to happen? He can't lie Well, God keep the promises he's made to those who trust in his son Absolutely. Yes, I Wrote down in my little notes here. He not only will keep them But he must keep them But that's his promise That's his nature and that's his character. That's who he is Unlike me Who has promised things before and not come through Can I hear a witness anybody I'm here. Can we all raise your hand on that? Right? All right. Okay. I just wanna try with alone. I need company here. Okay All right, God What was required for Abraham to obtain the promise verse 15, let's go back to the verse It says and so having what? patiently waited Patiently waited I go back to the point Genesis 12 takes place about 25 years or so before Isaac's born He patiently waited now. We know that there's a little hiccup in that process that Sarah wasn't quite as patient as Abram was and Abram listened to his wife when he shouldn't have All right, so they're both guilty All right But for the son of promise He never lost his faith He stuck with it He did question it a couple of times You get just as 15. He says hey this guy named lasers is going to be my error, you know Well, we're about to get to that. I got ahead of myself. Okay, anyway, so Where we at he patiently wait, okay the same way God made promises Abraham and guarantee they'd be fulfilled He has guaranteed believers that his purpose will be accomplished What's his purpose verse 17 it says in the same way desiring even more to show the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose What is his purpose? Why did he do all that to begin with? It all started in the garden and there was a mess up in the garden his purpose was for What's that shorter cabbage cast and say Ron about? the Purpose of man is to what? Oh That's a good purpose Romans 8 28 and 29. Yeah Yeah, cause it all things to work together for good to those who love God and our culture. It's just purpose, right? Yes, which is for whom he foreknew. He also predestined for us to be How are we going to have the ability to be conformed and how are we going to be able to be a part of that family Oh By the grace of faith, so the purpose was what? God's purpose all along was to raise up who a people for his own possession and that people had to be a people who were redeemed Because they couldn't be Part of his family based on their own merit All right, his purpose was to raise up a people for his own possession That making sense everybody with me on it. Okay. All right His purpose is to redeem a lost world his purpose look at this this word over here says the unchangeableness of his purpose the unchangeable his purpose is unchangeable and Then I know that he confirmed that word interposed he interposed with an oath that's Confirming his purpose with a note This has mean that God put himself in the middle of it and held himself hostage to guarantee it An example of that then we'll get to Genesis in seconds example of that is when Joseph Being a second-in-command in Egypt and all of a sudden his brothers show up looking for food Right And he doesn't reveal who he is. He recognizes him. They don't recognize him You might remember he was a little bit harsh with them in the way he treated him But he wanted to know that his younger brother Benjamin was still alive And so he says to them go bring Benjamin back so I can see him now They know why he wanted to do that and he said the one he's going to stay while you go And I remember who volunteer was Judah or is it Simeon or whoever it was one of them volunteered to stay and that's the in essence He's guaranteeing that they're going to come back He's being held hostage So they'll come back All right So that's an example of what this is talking about. But now let's see how he actually does it in Genesis 15 7 through 17 Someone will read that tackle that little passage right there And he said to him I'm the Lord who brought you out of the earth the Chaldeans To give you the land to possess it. He said Oh Lord God How may I know that I will possess it? So he said to him bring me a three-year-old heifer and a three-year-old female goat and a three-year-old ram And a turtle dove and a young pigeon Then he brought all those All these to him and cut them in two and laid each half Opposite of the other but did not cut the birds The birds of prey came down Upon the carpets and Abraham drove them away now when the Sun was going down a deep sleep Fell upon Abram and behold terror and a great darkness fell upon him God said to Abraham Said Abraham know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in the land That is not theirs and they say will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve and after that Afterward they will come out with many possessions as for you You shall go down to your fathers in peace and you will be buried at a good old age then in the fourth generation They will return here for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete He came about that when the Sun had said that it was very dark and behold There appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces now, I'm going to explain that Okay So what what we didn't put in there was what preceded that I'm going to summarize it for you. God appears to Abram First of all Genesis 12 is when he first appears to him and says here's the promises time elapses We're not sure how far but Genesis 15 happens This is 15 God reappears to Abram Abram says to God, where's the problem? Where's the son of promise right now? The error I have is the guy named me laser and Guy says that's not going to be your air. I got this And he said he says come here. He takes him outside says look up Yeah, and Abram looks up. He says if you can count those stars Right. That's how many descendants you're going to have What came next was a brief little description of Abram's response Abram what believed God and when he did that, what did God do? Credited him with righteousness Right there was Abram's moment of faith Okay so Abram then asked the question, but how can I know now? How can I know this is going to happen? God says, okay Now I'm going to explain the blood path We're going back in that day and for a long time and even today When a covenant is made they call it cutting a covenant and they sacrifice some animals in by cutting them in half Putting one half on one side of a trench and yet one half on the other side and the blood that flows flows down this pathway this trench and the two people entering into a contractor a coven it's not a contract a covenant as They enter into that covenant They both walk that blood path in essence They say as they walk that path if I don't fulfill my end of the bargain you can do this to me That's even done today in Bedouin wedding ceremonies The serious covenant That's a covenant That there's a covenant means it's not intended to be broken period. It's intended to be fulfilled Now what's interesting about this covenant that God makes? You see Abram walking the blood path. Oh Oh Everyone wants that blood there God in the form of a smoking oven Walks it and then when his Abrams turned to walk it in essence guys six out of his hands and no Now I'm going to walk this path. I'm going to guarantee I'm going to hold myself hostage to this And right then and there It's when he condemned his son to death on the cross Right right then and there Another way of looking at it you go to Genesis 20, I think it's 20 18 or 20 somewhere God says they will here's here's what I require of you. He said he said I want you to be blameless and walk before me now that was what was required for Abram to walk the blood path and In order to fulfill his end of the covenant, right? I Can tell you that was me if I stick my big toe in their blood. I'm a dead man Right And God knew that of Abram as well. He knew that man. He knows man. Well, he knows us So he knew he was going to walk that path for us As our only hope and he held himself to it told himself hostage Is that good? Yes He interposed his purpose with an oath And he put himself right in the middle of it and held himself hostage to guarantee it and ultimately He guaranteed it on the cross Do the words patiently wait to describe my faith in God? Well, maybe me. I said said the rewards patiently wait describe me. Anyways, they're Oh Boy sometimes it's hard to patiently wait in it No matter the challenges of life that I've experienced have I stayed steadfast in my faith in God his promises and purpose for me All right, finally anchors of the soul. So we're looking now again. Jesus our hope for those who are saved These are hopeless is God's purpose guaranteed Right going back to the blood path Jesus walked it for us in essence, right? He guaranteed it. Jesus our hope anchors our soul So there are 200 tangible things in which is impossible for God to lie We have taken refuge we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold the hope set before us This hope we have as an anchor of the soul a hope both sure and steadfast And one which enters within the veil When Jesus enters a forerunner for us having become a high priest forever According to order of Melchizedek. So what are the two unchangeable facts or things and why are they unchangeable in verse 18? That's right, so it's the tangible things the two unchangeable things or his promise in his oath His promise in his oath are unchangeable and the reason they're unchangeable because it's impossible for God to lie Impossible to God alike. So we who has taken refuge in first the cities of refuge He would feed the cities of refuge in one. Let's see what numbers 35 1915 says We have a big study in the Old Testament Thank you Then the Lord said to Moses say When you cross the Jordan the land is clean You shall select for yourself cities to be your cities of refuge that the manslayer He has killed any person and unintentionally may be there The city shall be to be the refuge from the avenger So that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities that it shall be a refuge for the sons of Israel and for the aliens and For the sojourner among them that everyone who killed a person unintentionally may breathe air so city of refuge It was manslayers Who would flee to the cities of refuge in one manslayers for protection from the blood of injured? Notice, it didn't say those who intentionally murdered someone What would happen is? If there's a death then the person who was involved in And Unintentionally causing a death or intentionally either one They would head for the city of refuge And when they got the city of refuge there would be a trial basically There'd be the potential that the blood of injure could come and provide proof that it was intentional That the manslayer quote-unquote had done it intentionally And if they determined that it was truly a murder and not an unintentional Manslaying Then the murderer would get what he deserved Okay But when the manslayer unintentionally kills someone and he flees the city of refuge The blood of injure comes he can't take action once they determine. Nope. This was not intentional. He cannot touch him Now the manslayer has to stay in that city of refuge Until the high priest that's in office Passes away It could be a month or it could be 50 years If he ever leaves the city of refuge He's fair game. He's fair game so How does this relate to Jesus? Let's see. What is this? All right And whom two believers take refuge in why verse 18 We who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement take hold of the hope set before us Who do we take refuge in and why? God, right Jesus himself why Because God promised we can receive deliverance from the penalty the power and ultimately the presence of sin And what he promised Okay So Who and what provides strong encouragement in hope So this hope we have is an anchor of the soul, right? Who provides that kind of hope first Timothy 1 1? Who is our hope Christ Jesus, right? Colossians 1 5 So Christ Jesus is our hope and the gospel is our hope Christ Jesus is our hope and the gospel is our hope in Gospel Christ Jesus, right? But the gospel is the good news that if we place our faith in him We have our sins forgiven an eternal relationship with him, so How is this hope described in verse? 19 An anchor for this soul, what does an anchor do for a boat anybody in here a I Would think that Jeremy might have some examples of how anchors have been used in the Coast Guard. I Know he ever told you story about an anchor. I'm just curious. No, okay Well, it's my everything because I'm not a nautical guy It's my understanding that when you drop the anchor, right? the intent of the anchor is for the anchor to grab a hold of something on the floor of the ocean and When it grabs a hold of something it's going to hold fast who's got those books in right? So it's going to hold fast and The idea is to keep the boat from drifting Anchors do a good job except when hurricanes come around Right when hurricanes come around You see the devastation that it doesn't matter what the anchor was doing. It didn't work Because the tempest that came in was much stronger than the anchor that was holding What's cool about our anchor of the soul is it doesn't matter how strong the tempest is does it? It's holding it's holding so The big difference between an anchor on a boat and the anchor of the soul is Our anchor grabs and holds and secures eternally Where's this hope anchored? verse 19 within me Behind the veil Now you have to understand that's referring to the heavenly Holy of Holies remember the tabernacle in the temple had the holy place and then the Holy of Holies and we studied last week or two weeks ago whenever it was that the high priest could go in there once a year on the Day of Atonement and We went through all that a couple weeks ago, right? well Jesus The temple in the tabernacle were Patterns of what was the reality in heaven? Remember when God gave Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle. He says do what I showed you And he was showing him what it looked like in heaven This is this is the plan. This is how it looks. This is not the plan, but the the layout So now Jesus takes his blood and he goes into the heavenly Holy of Holies one time and He throws that blood on the heavenly mercy seat one time And he sits down Why the right hand of God the right hand of God why? Because his work was finished so our anchor is Inside the veil in heaven where the work has been finished it's unapproachable and unmovable and unchangeable, right you can't exactly so Therefore he's our eternal hope Who entered the Holy of Holies and serves anchor of our soul our eternal hope Jesus? Why was he able to enter the Holy of Holies in our behalf and the reason is verse 20? God declared him To be what a high priest forever After the order not his neck and we'll get to move to the next one What do you do for us in the Holy of Holies? That's our hope our confidence. Well, I just said it long ago He brought the blood of his perfect sacrifice He sprinkled it on a heavenly mercy seat. He satisfied God's wrath against our sin forever He sat down as ever interceding in our behalf and since he is eternal get this City of refuge right city of refuge when the high priest dies It's no longer city of refuge this high priest for what never die Never die. All right. We're pretty safe. I'd say we're locked in baby. We're locked in Since he is eternal he is our eternal refuge as I experience the challenges of life Do I show the confidence that Jesus is the anchor of my soul Yeah, I Want to encourage you to be able to say yes to that Let's do that arrest with a fool So we're gonna finish early really early Because Jesus our only hope right we all agree and the only other thing that we want to remember is in Leviticus 17 11 so life is in the blood and it's the shedding of blood that makes atonement for our souls Now we did that yearly every year the high priest had to go into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of all of the people and also for himself but now that Jesus Shed his blood on the cross once and for all See the last time we studied about the fact that can you lose your salvation if Jesus did that and if you believe that And you walk away say I've had it this Christianity stuff is not worth what it says and I'm walking away I don't believe in God's into word anymore Now we have the stamp of God's approval on our hearts of God does have an eternal eraser He doesn't does he because we're written in the Lamb's Book of Life forever That's why this is in lesson is so important you know, he is he is our only hope in our general hope and that's why because Jesus Christ now is the anchor of our souls He's the anchor of our souls for now until eternity So that's the nice thing that to remember so I don't have much to To share about what David is shared because the only hope that we have Like he talks about reminds us in Colossians Is that the secret and mystery of life like Colossians? Well Colossians 115 says Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. Why? Because he's our anchor of our soul and then in Colossians 127 He said the secret and mystery of life is Christ in us here. Oh Hope of glory see there we go. There's what a hope is so when we come to Nitty-gritty of life and come to the end of ourself and say Lord What can I do? Do I say I'm going to leave you I'm not going to believe in you anymore You know, there are Christians to do that. But do they lose their salvation and the answer is absolutely positively no never Because he is tempest in his lens look of life in our hearts were stamped forever So when we come to the judgment seat of Christ Jesus sees that and because he's the anchor of our souls. He's our eternal hope So now what do we do? When we come to the messiest things in life Romans 5 to be thankful in this suffering because suffering produces perseverance perseverance produces character character produces hope which never disappoints Because of God's love agape that's bound to support and build our hearts by the power of this Holy Spirit Now when you talk about the Holy Spirit, we're talking about the trying God You know where'd he got the Holy Spirit's God, but it's three in one Now the father now the son now the Holy Spirit back together So that he changes our hearts. So what do we do? when push comes to shove Jesus says come to me all your worry and heavy laden and I'll give you rest Take my yoke upon you learn from me because I'm gentle and humble of heart and you'll find rest for your souls Because he's the anchor of our souls Because this yoke is easy. Now, what do we do with it? I Give it. He says I give this to you. I give you my love I got they You know, I got their love all you women know this, you know, first Corinthians 13 or to a love is patient Love is kind not envious not boastful not proud not rude not self-seeking Not easily angered keeps no records of wrongs is not a lot maybe vote but rejoices only in the truth Always protects always hopes always trust those perseveres this kind of love never fails ever ever He's the anchor of our souls so we can come to him Who give us rest not only for today? But forever and ever and ever Ever a man our lesson is he is simple and we're finished 20 minutes early It gets better though, the best is yet to come Because we're going to study what the high priest in the order of baptism that he is all about. Yeah, it's all about Jesus You know, they don't know where he came from. Don't know where he went He just came and went but Jesus came and he went to heaven to sit at the right hand of God But he will never go away. We know where to find him Right here and there How can he be everywhere? Because he's our sovereign God Yeah, let's pray Dear Lord. Thank you for the fact that you are the anchor of our souls Who gives us rest not only for today, but forever So dear Lord help us to remember That the secret mystery of life is Christ in us the hope of glory like you tell us in Colossians 1 27 So therefore help us dear Lord Help us walk with you humbly so that we can proclaim you teaching and admonishing everyone with all wisdom Because you ask us to do this so we can help everyone that we meet greet and served To be perfect and complete in Christ Jesus Because you promised it you tell us that your word is living and active and sharper than any choice of sword Divides to the soul and the spirit joints in the marrow the discerner of the motives and intents of the heart You intend for our hearts to be anchored in you dear Lord Help us to do that this day and forever. We'll pray these things to Jesus Christ our Lord Amen. Well, thank you all you get it all a day plus to infinity
