Seven Reasons Forgiveness is Eternal
Hebrews 6:16-20
Purpose: To demonstrate that salvation is permanent.
Aim: I want the listener to gain a solid conviction that their salvation is secure.
INTRODUCTION: ➤ People need hope in order to live. Life is drudgery without hope. Any problem can be endured if there is hope that it will get better.
The world understands this idea. The problem is that most people are content with anything that gives hope, regardless of whether that hope is real or not. For example, it seems that everybody believes that a suffering person is better off when they die. How many times have you heard someone at a funeral say, “He (or she) was in so much pain that I’m glad they aren’t suffering anymore.” Is that true? Is someone not suffering just because we can’t see them suffer? The answer to that is based on what hope they had. Those without Christ have NO hope. Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ. . . having no hope and without God in the world. (NAU) Paul also talks about 1 Thessalonians 4:13 the rest who have no hope. (NAU)
➤Hope is essential and primary for our everyday Christian life, as well as for our next life. Earth is hell when we expect it be heaven. Hope, like faith and love, describes the very essence of Christianity. We should be able to explain what our hope is to those around us: 1 Peter 3:15 . . . always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; (NAU)
But, before we can explain our hope to others we need to understand it ourselves. My prayer for this message echoes Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (NAU)
Hope is something that we should grab onto and NEVER let go. Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; (NAU) Or, as it says in verse 18, “take hold of the hope set before us.”
Today I want to give you seven reasons we can know that forgiveness is eternal.
REVIEW:
5:10-6:8 I. A Warning to Those Who Claim to Know Christ
5:10-14 A. Beware of acting like an unbeliever [Claims without change]
6:1-3 B. Beware of religion without Christ [Shadows over substance]
Vs.4-5 C. Beware of missing the message about Christ [Words over reality]
Vs.6 D. Beware of belittling the Cross [i.e. the Cross isn’t enough]
Vs.7-8 E. Beware of fruitless religion [Religion that doesn’t’ change the heart is worthless]
Vs.9-20 II. Assurance to Those Who Do Know Christ
Vs.9 A. Christ’s work saves us “things that accompany salvation”
Vs.10-12 B. Our effort assures us “your work and the love”
Vs.11-12 C. The path to assurance
Vs.11 1. Focus on those who focus on God “through faith”
Vs.12 2. Follow those who follow God “and patience”
Vs.13-15 D. Abraham’s proof of assurance
Vs.13a,14 1. God’s promise of life and blessing “God made the promise”
Vs.13b,16 2. God’s oath of blood “He swore by Himself”
Vs.15 3. God’s provision if life and blessing “he obtained the promise”
LESSON:
➤Vs.16-20 E. God’s proof of assurance
➤Vs.17, 18c 1. God wants us to feel secure “would have strong encouragement”
God loves to bless His own. Deuteronomy 7:12-14 12 “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 “He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 “You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. (NAU)
➤Vs.17a 2. God’s Word promises eternal life “the promise”
What is true? God’s word! Jesus prayed to His Father and said, John 17:17 Your word is truth. (NAU)
What God determines to do will always happen. Isaiah 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, (NAU)
God has promised that sin can be wiped away completely. Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. (NAU)
Romans 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (NAU)
➤Vs.16, 17c 3. God’s vow promises eternal life “interposed with an oath”
God made a pledge or a vow to Abraham by swearing by His own name that He would fulfill His promise to make Abraham a father of many nations. God has also affirmed His promise of eternal life to us by giving us the Holy Spirit to live within us.
2 Corinthians 1:22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (NAU)
2 Corinthians 5:5 . . . God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. (NAU)
Ephesians 1:13-14 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge [this Greek word is used today of an engagement ring] of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (NAU)
➤Vs.17b-18a 4. God’s nature is eternal “unchangeableness of His purpose”
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (NAU)
Even before God created the world He promised the hope of eternal life. Titus 1:2 the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, (NAU)
➤Vs.18b 5. God’s forgiveness is for all who come to Him “we who have taken refuge”
The same word REFUGE here is used in the Greek OT for the cities of refuge in Israel. These were cities where those who were being hunted down for alleged crimes could come for safety. You will never really come to Jesus until you see your need to abandon the safety of your own goodness, your religion, and your own good works.
John Bunyan, the great preacher and author of Pilgrim’s Progress said, "There was enough sin in the best prayer I’ve ever prayed to damn the whole world."
Isaiah 64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (NAU)
Psalm 2:12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (NAU)
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You. (NAU)
What is “the hope set before us”? 1 Timothy 1:1 . . . Christ Jesus, who is our hope, (NAU)
➤Choose life! Run to Jesus for shelter.
➤Vs.19 6. God’s presence assures us “anchor…enters within the veil”
Just as an anchor has two prongs, God’s assurance carries with it the two-fold assurance of God’s promise and God’s oath.
Only a Jewish High Priest, a direct descendent of Aaron, could ever enter the Holy of Holies where God revealed His presence and where the Ark of the Covenant rested. He could only enter on one day a year, the Day of Atonement. He also had to go through an elaborate ceremony of purification for his own sins first, and then he would sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the Mercy Seat (the top of the Ark of the Covenant) to symbolize the forgiveness of the people’s sin.
Hebrews 9:8-12. 8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time. . . . imposed until a time of reformation. 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (NAU)
➤Vs.20 7. Jesus personally guaranteed our access to God “Jesus…a forerunner for us”
The writer has now come full circle. He began this discussion in Hebrews 5:10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (NAU) Verse 20 now introduces the subject of the next chapter which shows us that Jesus is greater than all of the OT High Priests because He is eternal and sinless. Look at the writer’s conclusion of why Jesus was a priest like Melchizedek, rather than the priests that later came from Aaron. Hebrews 7:23-28 23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever. (NAU)
Jesus is our forerunner which means that He has gone first with a promise of more to follow. Jesus opened the door to heaven and is keeping it open for us!
It is as if there is an unbreakable chain coming out of the very presence of the throne room of God in heaven. That chain descends through the vastness of outer space, and down through our solar system until it reaches earth itself. Then at the end of that chain is an anchor that is securely hooked into the heart of everyone who has fled to Jesus for refuge from the wrath of God against their sin.
If we are not anchored to heaven we will constantly be drifting here on earth. We will experience constant restlessness—always looking for something more. We will drift from place to place, from church to church, from person to person, always looking for a firm place to sink our anchor.
If we are anchored to heaven then we can have peace knowing that no matter what storms may come here on earth we will not lose what is eternally important.
CONCLUSION: ➤ "Wesley or Whitefield may preach the gospel better than I do, but they cannot preach a better gospel." Charles Spurgeon
