Hebrews

1. Hebrews Persevere in Jesus LESSON XII

2. REVIEW • Let Us Persevere in Christ • Three main questions • Christ • Who is He? • Who is He not? • Us • What is our relation to Christ and God? • What should we do? • Persevere! • What does that look like?

3. REVIEW • God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:1-4 NKJ)

4. REVIEW • Let Us Persevere in Christ • Three main questions from vv. 1:1-4 • Jesus Christ is: • Prophetic (how God spoke to us) • Appointed heir & created through • God made flesh (If you have seen Me...) • Sustainer of everything • The One Who purged our sins • and sits at God’s right hand • He is better than the Angels. • We • are those who receive God’s word • hear from the Son • are those whose sins He purged

5. REVIEW • Let Us Persevere in Christ • And We must • give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. (2:1) • consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus (3:1) • hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. (3:6) • NOT harden our hearts (3:7) • take heed to ourselves and each other (3:11) • exhort each other daily (3:12) • fear lest any of [us] seem to have come short of [the promise]. (4:1b) • be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. (4:11) • hold fast our confession. (4:14) • come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (4:16) • And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (6:11-12)

6. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 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. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Heb 6:11-20 NKJ)

7. Under Oath 12 ...that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. • Now we are commanded to immitate on the basis of the promise. • that requires faith which God gives • and patience which grows out of it • And part of the content of faith is the CERTAINTY of God’s promise. • God puts Himself under oath • It is a very emphatic oath • “blessing I will bless” is a word-for-word Greek translation of a Hebrew idiom. It is the way Hebrew writers say “surely...” • The other empasis is the word we actually have translated “surely.” It is parallel to 3:11 where He swears on oath they will not enter His rest. • But notice how much MORE emphatic He makes the promise to Abraham! • And Abraham endures patiently

8. Abraham’s Patient Endurance 12 ...that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. • And Abraham endures patiently. For example: • His body was a good as dead and Sarah’s as well (at least in-so-far as child bearing) • that’s a little like our hearts in sinfulness • When Abraham finally has the boy, He endure’s God’s command to sacrifice him • does the work of even the DIFFICULT commands • He endures his pilgrimage through the pagan world around him • it’s a scary place; he’s not from around there—there is no fear of God

9. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 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. Oaths • What is an oath? • confirmation: a strengthening of whatever statement is given • that ends the argument • This is just the practice of mankind • even in the secular court • Now our author switches to apply God’s oath and promise and inheritance from Abraham to his readers—to us. • God wants to show us, wants us TO SEE how certain are HIS Word and His Promise. • This is for your comfort, Brothers and Sisters!

10. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The Anchor • A beautiful image • It’s too deep for us, we can’t touch the bottom • by ourselves we only drift away (2:1) • But Jesus goes INTO the deep—that is: behind the curtain, • where we cannot go • where we cannot reach • And He binds us to God with The Chain of Grace forever.

11. Homework Read Chapter 7 twice. Check a couple different translations if you can