God, Our Indwelling Strength

I. EXORDIUM:

Is CHRIST dwelling inside of you?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that CHRIST is inside of us both the Wisdom and Power of GOD for us.

IV. TEXT:

Hebrews 6:18 (Amplified Bible)

6:18 This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us].

V. THESIS:

CHRIST is dwelling inside of me, I have both CHRIST's Power and CHRIST's Wisdom inside of me.

1 Corinthians 1:24 (Amplified Bible)

1:24 But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.

VI. TITLE:

GOD, Our Indwelling Strength

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Date of writing: Before AD. 70

B. Style of writing: Best Greek style

C. Authorship: Not specific, but generally attributed to Apostle Paul. Can be also ascribed to Barnabas, Luke, Apollos

D. Audience: Hebrew Christians

E. Theme: Christ is superior to the prophets; Christ is superior to angels—J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

F. Purpose: The chief doctrinal purpose of the writer was to show the transcendent glory of the Christian dispensation, as compared with that of the Old Testament.—Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

G. Keyword: better

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. GOD, by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for GOD to be false and deceive us

"This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us,"

Two unchangeable things of GOD:

1. His Promise

2. His Oath

Hebrews 3:11 (Amplified Bible)

3:11 Accordingly, I swore in My wrath and indignation, They shall not enter into My rest.

Psalms 110:4 (Amplified Bible)

110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not revoke or change it: You are a priest forever, after the manner and order of Melchizedek.

Matthew 24:35 (Amplified Bible)

24:35 Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Numbers 23:19 (Amplified Bible)

23:19 God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?

Romans 3:4 (Amplified Bible)

3:4 By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written, That You may be justified and shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when You are judged [by sinful men].

GOD can't lie, when He promises something, it's guaranteed to be fulfilled and it's unecessary for Him to add an oath, but for our benefit He add an oath to His Promises.

B. We can come to GOD for refuge for GOD is our indwelling strength, strong encouragement and our Hope

"we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us]"

Colossians 1:23 (Amplified Bible)

1:23 [And this He will do] provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached [as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:27 (Amplified Bible)

1:27 To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (Amplified Bible)

12:1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

12:2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.