HEY, I DON’T SWEAR BY YOUR NAME—GOD
Hebrews 6:12-20
September 6, 2008 Pastor Jim Bohrer.
Don’t you just love those white on black billboards someone started some time back that has God’s sayings on them?
12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hope Anchors you through difficult times!
The Foundation of Hope is the Faith God gives us!
ILLUSTRATION: EUGENE LANG is a man who knows how to give hope.
Mr. Lang, born of immigrant parents in 1919, grew up in New York City during the Great Depression.
In 1981, businessman Eugene M. Lang returned to his roots. He returned to give a speech to graduating sixth grade students at P.S. 121, the elementary school he had attended in East Harlem 50 years earlier. He intended to tell the students, "Work hard and you’ll succeed." But he had a life changing moment on the way to the podium. The school principal shared with Lang that three-quarters of the school’s students never finish high school. His heart moved and he made an impromptu costly change to his speech: he promised college tuition to every sixth grader who stayed in high school and graduated. Lang told the class about witnessing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington. He urged the students to dream, and promised to do all that he could to help them achieve their goals.
Lang proved good to his word and the students clung to the Hope he offered!
By August of 1985, all of Lang’s Dreamers were still in school. From that class Lang birthed the “I Have a Dream Foundation.”
The Hope he offered them sustained them in the struggles and trials that consumed 75% of the people before!
Their faith in his word made them believe that his promise would be valid. And the hope pulled them through 6 years of schooling. Hope made a difference in their lives.
Why did they believe them? Well, Eugene was one of them. He found a way out a succeeded. He came back to them and offered desperately needed help. The rest of the story is that he developed a personal relationship with the 60 plus students he made a promise to and helped guide them in their decision making and planning for life.
The truth is that you are stuck in PS 121. And left on your own, you are not simply 75% guaranteed to fail. You are 100% guaranteed. You cannot do it on our own. When in the storms and struggles of life, you need a secured way. A safe passage. And Someone to lead you to victory.
Christian Hope Grows Out of Faith (Heb. 6:12) We are admonished to be "followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (6:12). The distinction of Christian HOPE is that is an OUTGROWTH of Christian faith. Hope produces a full assurance that in turn stimulates eager discipleship (6:11), Hope is kept alive because faith endures all disappointments.
Hope can be cultivated by an increase of Christian knowledge; its lack is due to neglect of Scripture
The Bible is a book of great Hope because it is a book of great Promises:
If Bible is a book of Hope and Promises, “Why then do I struggle pastor?” Because you have lost sight of your hope by not building your faith in GOD’S PROMISE and PURPOSE: Abraham doubted. He slept with Hagar and had Ishmael. God had not moved fast enough in his life. He needed to anchor his hope for a son in faith in God’s promise. God gave Abraham an oath!
- Oath (6:16). God has bound Himself by His nature to keep His promise. The Gk. word horkos indicates a solemn, legally binding pledge guaranteeing that a person will keep a promise. If God were to break His promise, then He would cease to be God.
- We are all familiar with the legal swearing in of a witness. What do you do if you are God? Do you put your hand on the Bible and say:
I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help Me, ME!
- God can not swear by anyone else because no one is greater than He is and no one is as faithful as He is!
- So He has pledged by His own Name that He will keep his promises. And like those 60 kids at PS 121, we can bank on it, literally.
One of the most noticeable times when we see the work of God’s promises is during times of affliction; when we face affliction God promises…
- Brighter days ahead (Psalm 30:5) - Deliverance (Psalm 34:19) - The Comfort of God’s presence (Isaiah 43:2) - All things will work for the good (Romans 8:28) - Final deliverance from suffering and pain (Revelation 21:4)
In Class 101 Paul shared that his favorite verse was Romans 8:28. All things work for the good of those that love Him and are called according to his purpose. It does not say that all things are good or feel good, but they work for God’s purpose. Sometimes God will allow suffering in your life because you have put your hope in things that will fail and disappoint in the end. Sometimes you will struggle because God wants you to cling to Him tighter. Sometimes you will suffer for God’s glory that people may believe in Him. You know if Christians only had everything go their way what sort of faith would that be? But, when they hang onto Jesus no matter what, it shows that there is more to faith than meets the eye. There is something beyond the here and now.
Besides times of affliction there are some promises that we as believers can look forward to
- Physical sustenance (Psalm 37:3) - Unlimited blessings (Mark 9:23)- Answered prayer (Mark 11:24) - Removal of obstacles (Luke 17:6) - Divine heirship (John 1:12) - Power for service (John 14:12) - Help with temptation (Hebrews 2:8) - A way of escape (1st Corinthians 10:13) - Salvation (Romans 1:16) - Final victory (James 4:7)
My Son looks to me to guide him. Well not actually. He is all boy and he is ready to plunge headlong into danger without a thought or care. He is so small compared to the cars and trucks. And he wants to run to our van so often on his own. I have him hold my hand. He is safe not because he has my hand, but he is safe because I hold his hand.
There’s a song that Ray Boltz made popular a few years ago that is titled, “The Anchor Holds”. The chorus of that song says this:
The anchor holds, Though the ship is battered, The anchor holds, Though the sails are torn, I have fallen on my knees, As I faced the raging seas, The anchor holds, In spite of the storm
Sarah and I were walking downtown Indy last weekend and we saw the window washers zooming down the skyscrapers. And as I prepared for this sermon, I thought that is a better picture of the anchor we have. Our anchor does not drag us down into the stormy seas, but it lifts me up above the worlds problems because my anchor is upward—to heaven—not downward. My anchor is the Son of God who has gone beyond the veil, like a scout, he has made sure the way is safe and is leading us to our home. I am anchored, not to stand still, but to move ahead! No earthly anchor can give that kind of security!
Do you have that security? You have put yourself in the saddle of faith and attach yourself to the lifeline of heaven and be connected to the captain of your salvation Jesus Christ. Have you done that? Will you do that today? Maybe you’ve given up on God. Remember, He does not give up on you. He is faithful. Have you put your hope somewhere else? Turn back to Jesus get secured to the Hope He offers.
