I have, in the chapel services, been in the book of Hebrews for quite a long time, so chances are today you're going to hear from the book of Hebrews. We're actually all the way to chapter 9 where I work, but what I'm bringing today comes from, both this morning and this evening, comes from the latter part of chapter 6. and then all of chapter 7 tonight. So that's where we'll be. Chapters 6 and 7, beginning with verse 11 in chapter 6. Let me give a little bit of introduction to this as we get ready to read. Letter to the Hebrews. How do we know that it's to the Hebrews? We don't know that because the author said, hey, I'm writing to y'all Hebrews. That's not how we know that. It's just it's so clear given the issues of the letter. What's the letter about? And it shows a dramatic familiarity with the Old Testament for all readers of it. And so it's the issues that bring it up and make it clear that these are Hebrew people. It doesn't say which city it was written to in it. Many of the New Testament letters say that, writing to you all in the region of Galatia or writing to you at Ephesus, writing to you here and there. It doesn't say that, but there is at least one indication in the book that it is written to a place. not just a region, but a place. And that's from chapter 13, verse 23. It says, you should know that our brother Timothy's been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. Greet all your leaders and all the saints, those who come from Italy, send you greetings. Grace be with all of you. Those are the kind of words that you would use for a place. You know, the ones that are coming from Italy, they're coming to you, and all of that. So those are the kinds of words. It does seem to be written to a particular city. And in fact, in my estimation, it's my limited estimation, but in my estimation, it seems like Jerusalem. It does seem like Jerusalem, Judea. It just really seems like that. In one sense, it doesn't matter. The message is the same and the conflicts between Judaizers and believing Jews and all of that, that's all over the place. It really is all throughout the place, but it does seem, certain things seem to match with regard to Jerusalem itself. By the way, just after the Lord's resurrection in the first months and years of the Jerusalem church, do you have any Bible numbers in your head for how big that became? You don't have to say it out loud, Well, the number 3,000 comes to mind, right? For Pentecost, 3,000. But most of those are from outlying areas, and they would have traveled back home. Still, as early as chapter 4 in Acts, we have the number 5,000 men. 5,000 men. That's Acts 2.42. Oh, excuse me, not 2.42, 4.4. The number of men came to about 5,000. And when you think of gender, if that's men, that's a big church. 5,000 men, that's a big church. I was in Jerusalem last summer, and I thought to myself, I'm walking around first century Jerusalem, it was not Los Angeles. That's a big church for Jerusalem, when you think about it. And that's all mercy, it's God's faithfulness to his promises to Abraham. He brought the message to them first, and there was really overwhelming outpouring of redemption in the city of Jerusalem. But it doesn't mean that Jerusalem was a place with no conflict. Jerusalem had conflicts. It's all on record in there. When you think of the martyrdom of Stephen, that's all occurring. in a church that is just going crazy with growth. Martyrdom of Stephen in chapter 8 in Acts, just after that, says, There arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria except the apostles. For a church of what, 10,000? To have to flee Judea and Samaria. It's not all the way to, you know, not necessarily fleeing to North Africa yet, but you know, whatever it is, it's still a radical kind of persecution and a persecution. I'm not saying I know absolutely that it's Jerusalem, but in Hebrews itself at chapter 10, it mentions a persecution relatively soon after the enlightenment of hearing the good news. And it goes like this in chapter 10, recall the former days when you were after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with suffering, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, sometimes being partners with those so treated For you had compassion on those in prison. You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession, and abiding one, and therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." That just seems to match the situation of Jerusalem. And so that's why I make mention of it today. But it also sort of shows Why perhaps, wherever the situation like that is, I'm thinking Jerusalem, but why the book of Hebrews was written for encouragement. Hebrews says over and over again, hold fast, hold fast. And it's the knowledge that they had to hold fast in tough conditions. You think about the season of years during that time. Again, Saul of Tarsus, with that persecution, he gets converted and whatever. But it's not like the conflict is over. And I choose this example even way at the end of the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys. He comes for the last time to the city of Jerusalem. He comes for that last time, and he reports the good news of salvation among Gentiles and all of that. And then locals say to him in Acts 21-20, you see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. There's trouble in that last phrase. There's conflict. Judaizing and back and forth. And in that same chapter, chapter 21, that's where the riot breaks out at the temple because Paul is regarded by some as an enemy. Obviously there are those who never had accepted Christ at all. and whatever, and they're down near the temple, and they see Paul going in there, and he's a Gentile person, he works with Gentiles and everything, and they shout this, Acts 21-28, Men of Israel, help! This is the man who's teaching everyone, everywhere, against the people, against the law, and against this place there at the temple. All that conflict is in Jerusalem, constantly, all the way, even through the end of the Apostle Paul's missionary work. That conflict is there. And I think as a letter is written to Hebrew persons, in circumstances at least, that are similar to that, with always the message, hold on, hold on, hold on to Christ, they would have been persons needing some encouragement in holding on. Their circumstance. needing some encouragement in holding on. How hard would it be for a person of Hebrew descent who professed faith in Christ to hold on under such pressures from those who had perfectly rejected Jesus in one hand and those who were Judaizers on the other hand saying, why have you no care for the law of Moses? And all of that going on. And I think that's why Hebrews was written. Hold fast to the hope And part of the main thing that I hope to get across today is the encouragement of the fact that the Lord cares about that distress for people. You know, holding on to the hope. For human beings, that's difficult. And He cares and He reaches out to them. And in the letter to the Hebrews, He reaches out by giving them an example of God reaching out to encourage Abraham. And that would have made sense to them. Abraham struggled too, and God reaches out to him to help him And so we have verses 11 and 12, which go like this. We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit what was promised. So I got those inherit the promises is the wording there. God was concerned for them under their circumstance. He reached to them in this passage here at Hebrews 6 to say, think about my reaching out to Abraham for his help. And so we have verses 13 and 14 and 15 in Hebrews 6. When God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, Surely I will bless you and multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise." He's giving them an example of someone who had to wait patiently, but when waiting patiently, received what was promised at that point. Think about this. Since God had no one greater to swear by, God swearing an oath. I can ask a rhetorical question. Does God need to swear an oath to keep his word? That's a rhetorical question. Of course not. Our universe came into existence by the word of God. He doesn't have to back up what he says with an oath, but he's choosing to do that for Abraham's sake and for your sake. He's choosing. You can trust me, people. You can trust me. I swear to it. By my very self, I swear. I will. I'm going to keep my promises. and you can hold on to that. The promises are summarized here in just two little statements in those verses. I will bless you, and I'll multiply you. But you've got to know that's a summary. The promises to Abraham are a package deal. When I say it that way, I have evidence from the Scripture that the promises to Abraham really imply the promise to save in all the world. The promise to Abraham really is THE Promise, capital T-H-E, Promise, of the whole world. I think of that. I'll bless you. I'll multiply you. I mean, think of Genesis 12. God promised him a land, okay? He promised to multiply his numbers to make them nation size. Okay. He promised that he would receive honor and respect. A great name among the nations. Okay. Protection. Bless those who bless you. Curse those who curse you. But in chapter 12 you have this word that's just the beginning of revelation really. But in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. That's gospel. It really is gospel in you, all the families of the earth. So the blessing is more than material advantage. Yes, land is a material advantage. Yes, a lot of kids and grandkids is a material advantage. You get a tribe, that's a good thing. You know, like that. But it's more than that, and I think there's another place in Genesis where it comes through so clearly, and that is Genesis 17, 7. Listen to the wording. God said to Abraham, I will establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you to be God to you. in a world where virtually no one seemed to know the true and living God, he reaches out to Abraham and said, I will be God to you. And so the promise is a package deal that way. It has to do with redemption. It has to do with being received as the people of God. And it has to do with the whole world. It's gospel. The promise to Abraham is gospel. I'll give you another example of that. In Deuteronomy 7, and this is after the Lord really had raised up nations' size, it's even the second generation of nation for Israel, the Lord had raised them up. Listen to how He talks to them. Listen to how God talks to the nation He raised up, faithful to promise. He says to them at verse 6, You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. What's the promise to Abraham about? It's about relationship with God. It's about belonging to God as His treasured possession, a people holy to the Lord, set apart to the Lord. And then just one more verse. New Testament now. Galatians 3.29, If you are Christ's, that's for this room today, If you are Christ's, you are Abraham's offspring and heirs according to the promise." What promise are we talking about? And that's how our passage, I haven't even read the whole passage today yet, but that's how our passage will speak. The encouragements that came to Abraham are encouragements meant for you. Does that make sense as I say that? And it's going to come through in the passage as it's spoken. They are meant for you. But let me ask about Abraham. I realize we're only a couple of verses in, but we're getting there. Let me ask about Abraham. Did he show himself to be a person in need of encouragement? Abraham. The promise. It's kind of a crucial aspect of the promise that he had to wait a very long time for. Right? You can't much have a nation if you don't have a son. I don't have a child that way. And is there biblical evidence that it was rough for him? I think there is that. And let's do some Bible chronology here. This is Bible quiz time, okay? Bible quiz. Need a sugar hit. It's Bible quiz time. But you know, you don't have to say it out loud, but what's the region from which God called him out of? of the Chaldees, right? But did you know that after that he actually settled for quite some time at Haran, right? Actually, as you read it, it's Abraham and his nephew Lot and even his father Terah. Terah died in Haran, up there in Haran. So they had settled there for a while, up in Haran, the Lord's prospering, but he hadn't gone to the Promised Land yet. Here's the Bible quiz. How old was Abraham when he set out from Haran. Oh, there's a hand up. I would actually take it out loud if there's a hand up. How old was he? Seventy-five. Seventy-five years old. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. But work with me on this. How old does that make Sarai? How much younger is Sarai than Abram? years. That means when they're first setting out to launch to the promised land, Sarai is 65 years old. But Sarai had never been able to have children. Sarai was unable when she was 19, unable when she was 23, or 31, or 46, 59. 65. They set out for the Promised Land when she was 65 years old. I'm going to draw your attention to an account. I'm actually going to ask you to turn, if you have Bibles there, to turn to Genesis 15. I'll turn here too and give you a second while I turn there as well. So all of this story in Genesis 15 is after Saria is at least 65. She could easily be 70 by this time, when this happens. And as we go to the very first verses of Genesis 15, there is evidences of God's faithfulness. In Genesis 14, He allowed Abram to triumph in a conflict that could have done away with him. an alliance of five kings that had captured Lot. That's, excuse me, chapter 14. We'll talk about that a little bit more tonight. But he had triumphed. And he was made such a powerful nomad, right? He's living in tents. I want to use the word chic, but I don't know if that's the right word to use for him. But he was a powerful man. many, many servants, fighters among his servants and those kinds of things. And the Lord had given him victory. I will bless those who bless you. I'll curse those who curse you in that way. He'd given him victory over an alliance of five kings. And the Lord approached him. How does it read there at the beginning? After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Fear not, Abram. I am your shield. Your reward shall be very great." It's the reiteration of promise. What does Abram blurt out in verses 2 and 3? You see it on the page? What does he blurt out in verses 2 and 3? But Abram said, O Lord God, what will you give me? For I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. And Abraham said, Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." Is Abraham showing his need for encouragement? And it was hard. Think of it. It's hard to wait like that. The Lord had made covenant promise. And yet it was hard to wait. Look how the Lord encourages him at verse 4. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, This man shall not be your heir. Your very own son shall be your heir. And he brought him outside. And he said, Look toward heaven and number the stars if you're able to number them. And then he said to him, So shall your offspring be. The Lord's reaching out to him to encourage him there. What's the result in verse 6? Do you see it in verse 6? What's the result in verse 6? And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. It's not a meritorious thing. It's a trust, you know, at that point. To trust was what was given to him and credited as righteousness. But I'm just showing you that there's some struggle there. There's some struggle. I mean, the Scripture is on record. Abraham believed God. Verse 6, it's in Romans, it's in Hebrews. He believed God. Even on this delayed birth thing, he believed God. But God reached to him to help him as he's working through all that, to walk in confidence in that way. That same chapter, Chapter 15. I'm not going to read the whole chapter. He worried, but I'm not going to do it. Same chapter. God reiterates His promise about the land. You will possess this land. And yet in verse 7, 15-7, how am I to know, says Abraham, how am I to know that I'll possess it? And when the Lord responds to him, in chapter 15, it is in a most dramatic way. A way that culturally we're completely unfamiliar with, but Abraham would have been perfectly familiar with. Perfectly familiar with. Because covenants, when they were made, agreements where I've got to make a commitment and I've got to swear on oath to it, were often made with blood. Blood promise. was often made. Abraham would have been perfectly familiar with that idea of shedding blood on promise, as it were. And what the Lord asked him to do, again, we're not culturally familiar. It's uncomfortable, to be honest with you. But the Lord asked him to slaughter a number of animals and cut them in halves and spread out the pieces to make a pathway The pieces are a pathway, and I can call it a corridor of death, for promise. Because people who walk the pathway on promise promise that the consequence of breaching covenant after that is death. That's how it is right there. That's confirmed, by the way, in Jeremiah 34. You don't have to look that up right now, but it's just the exact meaning of what was done is absolutely confirmed. Then maybe I can help by saying, picture persons making a treaty over a border, and one says, I promise I will not cross that border to harm you, and the other says, I promise I will not cross that border to harm you. Let's imagine then that they do what's listed here, that they slaughter an animal and create a pathway between pieces, a bloody pathway, that way, the meaning of that would be, if I break promise here, then it is my life. You may treat me like we treated those animals. That's what's confirmed in Jeremiah 34. You may treat me as we have treated these animals. And, you know, it's a binding blood promise that way. What God did with Abraham in that familiar terminology is God himself chose to pass through the corridor of death. Abraham said, How will I know? You've made promise, but how will I know? God swears to it on blood oath that way. I mean, I realize that's culturally unfamiliar to us, but he would have understood. I mean, Abraham's dead out of sleep, seeing a vision, right? He's not the one passing between the pieces. He sees a torch and a glowing pot full you know, of embers and things like that, passing through. He knows exactly what that means. God is saying to him, you can count on my promise, because I swear to it on my very self, as it were. By the way, our passage is going to, you know, well, it has already mentioned, in Hebrews has already mentioned, he swears on himself or by himself. Maybe the most famous of those passages is later, Genesis 22. God uses those exact words, I swear, But I think Genesis 15 is the same. It's a blood oath promise. It's a life oath promise at that point. Finally, we're going to read the rest of the passage. 6.16 in Hebrews. People swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes, an oath is final for confirmation. When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Do you see how that's for us? The promise to Abraham, the oath to Abraham is about gospel. I will keep my promise. And he's put it that way for the sake of us who have fled to take hold of the gospel held out to us in Jesus Christ. And verse 19 goes on, we have this as a sure and a steadfast anchor of the soul. a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. What does that behind the curtain language stand for? Why is he using that with these people? That's day of atonement behind the curtain. Nobody goes back there except once a year. And only the high priest goes back there once a year. And that's the once for all kind of atmosphere that is part of what was being revealed of forecast Christ's coming. Jesus himself has gone into the immediate presence of God the Father to present his sacrifice there at the throne of judgment, if you will. I always picture that back room as representing the throne of God. Because you've got the box, right? Inside the box is the Ten Commandments and the jar of manna and the Aaron's rod that better than things that testify against the people, right? The Ten Commandments always testify if people broke them. This is the covenant. I call it the safe deposit box. We call it the Ark of the Covenant. Why? Because that's where the law is kept. This is God's call for the people in that box. But on top are the solid gold carvings of cherubim angels. They're not real angels. It's to show this represents the throne of God. He's surrounded by cherubim angels at His throne. And that's where mercy is going to have to happen. Do you know the box lid has a name? They call it two things. The atonement cover is one name. and the mercy seed, like this is the location where mercy happens. And on the Day of Atonement, with the law testifying against the people, with the law in the box, this is the Ark of the Covenant, and the priest has to show up, and that's testified against the people. Atonement is made, the place of peace. He covers over the law with the blood. And the thing about Jesus is, as Hebrews 7 says, and we'll get there tonight, He sacrificed for their sins once for all by offering Himself. And maybe part of the I swear upon my very self language, Christ actually entered into death for our sake in that way. Chapter 9 in Hebrews says, He entered the most holy place, not the earthly one, not that box room in the back. That's earthly, and chapter 9 goes all into that. But He entered the most holy place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. God wants to encourage you He wants you to know Him as trustworthy. All the redemption that we hope for, the promises about well-being now and forever, let's go to the forever part. We walk day by day sometimes floundering in our confidence for that. but he wants us to know that in the book of Hebrews they were at risk of sticking with the rituals and not with Christ. They were at that risk. That's part of the picture. But we can trust him for the fullness. Even those surrounded, I think, of the Jerusalem church, they might have said, Well, you're telling us Messiah has come. I don't know if it looks much like Messiah ten years in. You know what I'm saying? They might have said that. but the promise is so much greater than that. So reflect a little on your own walk of confidence in God's willingness to keep His Word. And mostly what I want you to know today is God is willing to reach to you, to encourage you and say, there is a hope that is an anchor for your soul. Think of Christ's willingness to offer himself and go to the very throne of God. It says at the Order of Melchizedek, we're going to Melchizedek tonight, Old Chapter 7, the whole thing, right? But think about it this way. Christ's representation of you with his own sacrifice for sin is never ceasing and undiminished. this afternoon, this evening, next week, next month, next year, next decade, forever. There is no break. There's no interruption in Christ representing you. Your sins are paid by Him, and He represents you there. Let's close with prayer. Lord, surely you've given these for hope. It's declared that it was your desire to show more convincingly to the heirs of what was promised, and we've been called heirs of what was promised. But we need it, and we do struggle, and I pray for this congregation, for my own soul, that we would walk strong because you are faithful. This we pray, in Jesus' name, with thanksgiving. Amen.