INHERITORS OF PROMISE—Hebrews 6:13-20
Attention:
A sister and brother are talking to each other when the little boy gets up and walks over to his Grandpa and says, "Grandpa, please make a frog noise."
The Grandpa says, "No."
The little boy goes on, "Please...please make a frog noise."
The Grandpa says, "No, now go play."
The little boy then says to his sister, "Go tell Grandpa to make a frog noise."
So the little girl goes to her Grandpa and says, "Please make a frog noise."
The Grandpa says, "I just told your brother 'no' and I'm telling you 'no'."
The little girl says, "Please...please Grandpa make a frog noise."
The Grandpa says, "Why do you want me to make a frog noise?"
The little girl replied, "Because mommy said when you croak we can go to Disney World!"
The kids wanted to bring about the inheritance of the promise.
Need:
CONTEXT:
Heb 6:9-12—“But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work & labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, & do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith & patience inherit the promises.”
The Hebrews were exhorted/urged to place their trust in the promises of God thru Christ.
God is utterly faithful to His promises & plan for mankind.
How do we receive our heavenly/spiritual inheritance?
5 building blocks of our promised inheritance.
1—Our promised inheritance is built on...
God’s MERIT(:13-14)
Explanation:(:13-14) Ability/Provision
:13—“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,”
‘Merit’(English)—‘The quality of being particularly good or worthy, esp. so as to deserve praise or reward.’
Merit that is not their own but God’s!
God’s Greatness/Ability/Authority
:12—The specific example of Abraham’s faith is made to illustrate a faith & patience that is worthy of imitation due to its bringing Abraham the very promises of God.
The promises of God are attained/secured by His servants, ultimately, because of God’s faithfulness to Himself. God does not make frivolous empty promises.
God did in fact make “the promise” to Abraham. In Gen. chapters 12, 15 & 22, God, upon calling Abram to leave his land & family, destines him for an unknown & unnamed land—“a land which I will show you.”(12:1) And in so doing is acting on His promise that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”(12:3c). God reveals the future(obviously beyond Abram’s lifespan) bondage of his offspring & their deliverance & recognition as a nation.(15:12-21).
:14—“saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU, AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.”
God’s covenant with Abraham was reconfirmed following Abraham’s attempted offering of his only son, Isaac. In this, God specifically stated, in:
Gen. 22:15-18—“Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, & said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, & have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, & I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, & as the sand which is on the seashore; & your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.””
...that He swore by Himself. God’s promise is always secure because there is nothing above Himself to use as collateral. Praise be unto Him that He is not a product of man & thus possess man’s recklessly self-driven actions.
God’s promise was essentially that God Himself would “bless” & “multiply” Abraham. This He did even though Abraham owned no land & had only one child(Isaac) thru whom the promise was to flow.
“Swear”—omnuw—To swear; Affirm, promise, Threaten with an oath.
“Bless”—eulogew—Lit.—“Well speak” or ‘Speak well of.’
“Multiplying”—plhyunw—1) To increase, to multiply—1a) To be increased, (be multiplied) multiply; 2) To be increased, to multiply. Strong—To increase (transitively or intransitively):-- Abound, multiply.
God is Able, Good, Truthful
Argumentation:
Deut. 32:3-4—“For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth & without injustice; Righteous & upright is He.”
Ps. 25:4-5—“Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth & teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”
Ps 31:5—“Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.”
Isa. 40:13-14—“Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult & who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice & taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding?”
—He is the source of it!
Ps. 119:68—“You are good, & do good; Teach me Your statutes.”
Mk. 10:18—“So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”
Heb. 11:19—“....God is able to raise men even from the dead; ....”
Isa. 59:1-4—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear....”
Gen. 18:14—““Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, & Sarah shall have a son.””
1Sam. 14:6—“Then Jonathan[Saul’s son] said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come & let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.””
Num. 23:19—Balaam proclaimed—““God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, & will He not do? Or has He spoken, & will He not make it good?”
1Thes. 2:13—“....we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
1Tim. 3:14-15—“These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar & ground of the truth.”
1Jn. 4:4-6—“You are of God, little children, & have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, & the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth & the spirit of error.”
Jn. 14:16-18—““And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you & will be in you. “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
As with God, so with Christians—Jesus said “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ & your ‘No’ be ‘No.’
Illustration:
Our State magazine’s write-up of Where You Can find Great Steaks in North Carolina/The article proffered the MERITs of our —2 top restaurants—The Angus Barn in Raleigh & The Beefmastor Inn in Wilson/Independent locally owned & operated steak houses/Both are recognized for the same thing...An excellent steak perfectly cooked to order with great service!/They do one thing well...Steak!/MERIT
Our God does all things well!
Application:
?Your promises built on God’s MERIT??
?You the recipient of God’s Promises?
2—Our promised inheritance is built on...
Our PATIENCE(:15)
Explanation:(:15)
:15—“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.”
—Abraham received the promise only after having “patiently waited”.
—Abraham obtained the promise—The birth of Isaac— & thus the promised first-fruits, as it were, of the promised multiplication.
“Patiently endured/Patiently waited”—makroqumew—To be of a long spirit, not to lose heart. From qumov Lit.—‘long(lasting) wrath/passion’
“Obtained”—epitugcanw—To light or hit upon any person or thing; To attain to, obtain. From a verb meaning ‘to hit the mark’.
Argumentation:
Lk. 2:25-26—“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, & this man was just & devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, & the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”
*Js. 5:7—“Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early & late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Php. 4:11-13—“....I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, & I know how to abound. Everywhere & in all things I have learned both to be full & to be hungry, both to abound & to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
This dedicated lifestyle requires Patience.
*Rom. 8:25—“But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
Illustration:
A Child’s desire to be a medical doctor/Must be followed by PATIENCE/They must finish High School—Undergraduate(pre-med)—Graduate School—Residency/These take Years of PATIENCE
Your Christian faith must be like this...Your PATIENCE is a true test of real faith.
Application:
?Your promises built on God’s PATIENCE?
?You the recipient of God’s Promises?
3—Our promised inheritance is built on...
God’s PLEDGE(:16-18)
Explanation:(:16-18) Interposition
:16—“For men indeed swear by the greater, & an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.”
“Oath”—orkov—A limit, i.e. (sacred) restraint (specifically, an oath):-- oath.
“Confirmation”—bebaiwsiv—From bebaiow— To make firm, establish, confirm, make sure.
“Dispute”—antilogia—Gainsaying, contradiction; Opposition, rebellion.
—With any of these “an oath”—verbal &/or written— superintends the promise. The oath is a legal confirmation which makes the decision final & accepted/trusted.
When men promise something they must “swear by” another who is “greater” than they are.
Examples:
—Bank loan per bank’s authority(They have the funds, I do not!) Paperwork confirms it—
—Procurement of goods per business’s authority(Pick-up by a representative(me) of Coastal Transport) & Paperwork confirms it.
With any of these “an oath”—verbal &/or written— superintends the promise. The oath is a legal confirmation which makes the decision final & accepted/trusted.
:17—“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath,”
God has a “desire” & that desire is that the “heirs of the promise” are fully aware of God’s integrity so that they will recognize His “purpose” is secure & unchanging through all time.
“Desiring/Willing/Determining”—boulomai—To will deliberately, have a purpose, be minded; Of willing as an affection, to desire.
“Counsel/Purpose/”—boulh—Counsel or purpose
“Interposed/Confirmed”—mesiteuw—To act as a mediator between litigating or covenanting parties; Act as a sponsor or surety. To intervene.
: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.””
“Two immutable(unchangeable) things”—His word & His oath(pledge).
The oath thus ensured that we may have strong consolation from the Lord in His promises. The encouragement in the heir’s security is by God’s word & by His oath given to individuals regarding the good of all.
This security is only for those who take it upon themselves to “flee for refuge” by appropriating for themselves “the hope” which has so dutifully been “set before us” by the One who loves us enough to send His only begotten Son to take our place.
His oath was the covenant to Abraham granted thru sacrifice...
His “oath” for you today is in the resurrection of Christ!
Rom. 4:23-25—5:2—“Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, & was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The ‘oath’ is also in the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit!
“Immutable/Unchangeable”(See :17)—ametayetov—1) Not transposed, not to be transferred, fixed, unalterable. Used 2X.
“Impossible”—adunatov—1) Without strength, impotent, powerless, weakly, disabled; 2) Unable to be done, impossible.
“Lie”—qeudomai—an apparently primary verb. 1) To lie, to speak deliberate falsehoods; 2) To deceive one by a lie, to lie to.
“Strong”—iscurov—Adj.—Strong, mighty. Strong—Forcible (literally or figuratively):-- Boisterous, mighty(-ier), powerful, strong(-er, man), valiant. From—iscuv—N.f.—Strength, power, (especially physical) as an endowment.
“Consolation/Encouragement”—paraklhsiv—A calling near, summons for hel, exhortation , admonition, comfort, or encouragement.
“Fled for refuge”—katafeugw—To seek safety by flight.
“Lay hold of/Take hold of”—kratew—1) To have power, be powerful; 2) To get possession of; 3) To hold. Strong—To use strength, i.e. Seize or retain (literally or figuratively):-- Hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain, retain, take (by).
“Hope”—elpiv—Strong—from a primary elpw (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); Expectation (abstractly or concretely) or Confidence:-- Faith, hope.
Argumentation:
1Pet. 1:18 -21—“knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish & without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead & gave Him glory, so that your faith & hope are in God.”
Acts 2:22-24—Peter stated—““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know-- “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, put to death; “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
Sign of the prophet Jonah
2Cor. 1:21-22—“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
Eph 1:11-14—“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Illustration:
Occasionally, Ellinor gets out of line regarding respect for her parents/I promised she would be grounded for a month/PLEDGE
Sam to tell Matthew to turn His music down/Matthew balks & questions/I holler down the hall/PLEDGE
Application:
?Your promises founded upon God’s PLEDGE?
?You the recipient of God’s Promises?
4— Our promised inheritance is built on...
Our REFUGE(:18-19)
Explanation:(:18-19)
:18—“in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us.”
“Consolation/Encouragement”—paraklhsiv—A calling near, summons for help, exhortation , admonition, comfort, or encouragement.
“Fled for refuge”—katafeugw—To seek safety by flight.
:19—“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure steadfast, which enters the Presence behind the veil,”
The “hope” which God offers—& which believers hold to—is “an anchor of the soul”. This hope is an anchor because it is one that is “both sure & steadfast”. It is thus not fleeting or tentatively couched in hesitation or uncertainty. This hope literally “enters within the veil”(the veil being that portion off limits to all excepting very specific arrangements. Takes us into God’s presence
“Anchor”—agkura—1) An anchor; 2) metaph. Any stay or safeguard.
“Soul”—quch—Strong—Breath, i.e. (by implication) Spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only)-- Heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.
“Sure”—asfalhv—Firm(that which can be relied upon; Certain, True; Suited to confirm.
“Steadfast”—bebaiov—Stable, fast, firm; Sure, trusty.
“Presence/That/Inner sanctuary”—to—1) This, that, these, etc.
“Within/Behind”—eswterov—Strong—Interior:-- Inner, within.
Argumentation:
Ruth 2:12—““May the LORD reward your work, & your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.””
Ps. 5:11—“But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And mayest Thou shelter them, That those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.”
Ps. 18:2—“The LORD is my rock & my fortress & my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield & the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Ps. 46:1—“(For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song.) God is our refuge & strength, A very present help in trouble.”
Ps. 118:8-9—“It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”
We must find Refuge His knowledge & wisdom, above that of the world...
Col 2:1-3—“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you those in Laodicea, for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom knowledge.”
He must direct our steps...
Ps. 119:133—“Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.”
In Him we find freedom...
Jn. 8:31-36—“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Gal. 5:— “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
In Him we find healing for our deepest hurts...
Isa. 53:4-5—“Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
1Pet. 2:24—“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
Illustration:
A huge part of strength & bravery is knowing when to run for protection!
Young man exploring the edge of the High Rock Lake/Did not see the hornet’s nest above him/Run to truck/REFUGE
A child runs to mommy in times of trouble/REFUGE
Application:
?Your promises founded upon Our REFUGE??
?You the recipient of God’s Promises?
5— Our promised inheritance is built on...
Our PREDECESSOR(:20)
Explanation:(:20)Forerunner
:20—“where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus Himself entered within the veil as it were in that the veil of the temple was torn open for us at His crucifixion after the sacrificial offering of His death was finished for mankind.
Having accomplished this freeing payment for us, Jesus had thus “become a high priest forever”. He had become this in the pattern/type provided by Melchizedek.
“Forerunner”—prodromov—Lit.—Forerunner—To run before.
Argumentation:
1Cor. 15:20-25—“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God & Father, when He has abolished all rule & all authority & power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
Jn. 3:13—“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”
*Jn. 14:1-6—“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come again receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Illustration:
Christopher Columbus/Left on 1st journey Aug. 1492 & sighted land Oct. 1492/Probably landing at San Salvador, Bahamas/He completed a total of 4 round-trip voyages from Spain to the Americas between 1492-1503/Changed the way the world viewed itself/PREDECESSOR
In 1803, PresidentThomas Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery, & named U.S. Army Captain Meriwether Lewis leader, who selected William Clark as his partner/Their goals were to explore the Louisiana Purchase(Central portion of the US), establish trade & U.S. sovereignty over the native peoples(>24) along the River Missouri/The 33 person entourage left May 1804 & returned 1806/Explored our potential as a nation/PREDECESSORs
Davey Crockett/ PREDECESSOR
Daniel Boone/Explored the frontier of Eastern US/ PREDECESSOR
Jesus as our Forerunner has changed the world!
Application:
?Your promises founded upon Our PREDECESSOR?
?You the recipient of God’s Promises?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Our promised inheritance is built on...
God’s MERIT(:13-14)
Our PATIENCE(:15)
God’s PLEDGE(:16-18)
Our REFUGE(:18-19)
Our PREDECESSOR(:20)
Presented 01/23/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
Presented 06/20/04pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 39897
