Promises, Promises, Promises

Promises, Promises, Promises

Hebrews 6: 16-20

Intro: William Penn, the founder of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was well liked by the Indians. Once they told him he could have as much of their land as he could encompass on foot in a single day. So, early the next morning he started out and walked until late that night. When he finally went to claim his land, the Indians were greatly surprised, for they really didn’t think he would take them seriously. But they kept their promise and gave him a large area, which today is part of the city of Philadelphia. William Penn simply believed what they said.

. Have you ever heard the saying, “promises are made to be broken”. That seems to be the prevailing train of thought today. It used to be that a person’s word or promise was their bond.

. The power of a person’s word is not what it used to be. Today we have to have legalized contracts for absolutely everything; have you tried to buy a house lately. The amount of paperwork is staggering.

. Even with all the contracts and promises that people have, they still disregard them when they don’t like the terms that they originally agreed to.

. We are always hearing about sports figures that make an obscene amount of money to start with, decide that they want to re-negotiate their contracts. It doesn’t matter that they signed the existing contract. In essence they had made a promise but now they wanted to break that promise.

. Our scripture this morning is describing promises.

. Promises that God has made to those who have placed their trust in Him.

. We are back in Hebrews this morning. Hebrews 6:16-20

. 16Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.

17God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.

18So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

19This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

20Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

. The book of Hebrews is for me, and I believe for the Hebrew people that were the original recipients, a letter of reassurance and hope. The Hebrew Christians had been going through much persecution for their faith and they needed the reassurance that what they were doing, what they believed in was true and that they could rely on God.

. In these passages of scripture, the writer of Hebrews is reassuring them and us that we can rely on God’s promises.

.There is an old hymn that is in our hymnal called Standing On The Promises Of God. The chorus goes like this.

. Standing, standing, standing on the promises of Christ my Savior, standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

. In want to call your attention to three promises that can be found in our scripture this morning.

. The first thing we see here is that God promises that He won’t change His Mind.

. We have a promise of security.

. Look at verse 16,17,18 again:

. 16Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding.

17God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.

18So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

. He says that when people take an oath or make a promise that they usually call on someone or something greater than themselves to help them keep that promise.

. I’m sure you have heard people say that they would swear on their mother’s grave that what they were saying is the truth.

. You have probably heard people even say that they swear to God that something they are saying is the truth.

. We even do this in our court system today.

. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God.