Hebrews 6:13-20 The Basis for Spiritual Security

 

No one should misinterpret his exhortation to spiritual maturity; the writer ended this section with a tremendous argument for the assurance of salvation. All of us Christians are not making the spiritual progress we should, but we need never fear that God will condemn us. The writer gave three arguments for the certain salvation of true believers.

Gods promise (vv. 13-15): God’s main promise to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 22:16-17. In spite of Abraham’s failures and sins, God kept His promise and Isaac was born. Many of God’s promises do not depend on our character but on His faithfulness. The phrase “patiently endured” (v. 15) is the exact opposite of “slothful” (Heb. 6:12). The readers of this letter were about to give up; their endurance was running out. We Christians today have more of God’s promises than did Abraham! So what’s keeping us from making spiritual progress?…We don’t apply ourselves by faith. To use the illustration of the farm, the farmer does not reap a harvest by sitting on the porch looking at the seed. He must get busy and plow, plant, weed, cultivate, and perhaps water the soil. The believer who neglects church fellowship, ignores their Bible, and forgets to pray is not going to reap much of a harvest.

God’s oath (vv. 16-18): God not only gave Abraham a promise, but He also confirmed that promise with an oath. God did not do this only for Abraham. He has also given His promise and oath to “heirs of promise” (v. 17). Abraham and his descendants are the first of these heirs (see Heb. 11:9), but all believers are included as “Abraham’s (spiritual) seed” (Gal. 3:29). So our assurance of salvation is guaranteed by God’s promise and God’s oath, the “two unchangeable things” (v. 18). We have great encouragement concerning the hope set before us! Hebrews is a book of encouragement, not discouragement! The phrase “fled for refuge” (v. 18) suggests the Old Testament “cities of refuge” described in Numbers 13:9 and Joshua 20. We have fled to Jesus Christ, and He is our eternal refuge. As our High Priest, He will never die; and we have eternal salvation. No avenger can touch us, because He has already died and arisen from the dead.

God’s Son (vv. 19-20): Our hope in Christ is like an anchor for our soul. The anchor was a popular symbol in the early church. However a spiritual anchor is different from material anchors on ships. For one thing, we are anchored upward – to heaven – not downward. We are anchored, not to stand still, but to move ahead! Our anchor is “sure” – it cannot break – and “steadfast” – it cannot slip. No earthly anchor can give that kind of security! The writer then clinches the argument: this Savior is our “forerunner” who has gone ahead to heaven so that we may one day follow (v. 20)! Jesus Christ is “within the veil” as our High Priest. We can therefore come boldly to His throne and receive all the help that we need. But we must not be “secret saints.” We must be willing to identify with Christ in His rejection and go “without the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13:13). The Hebrew believers who received this letter were tempted to compromise to avoid that reproach. However, if we live “within the veil,” we shall have no trouble going “without the camp.”

Don’t miss the lesson of the past three studies: believers must go on to maturity, and God has made it possible for us to do so. If we start to drift from the Word, then we will also start to doubt the Word. Before long, we will get dull toward the Word and become lazy believers. The best way to keep from drifting is – to lay hold of the anchor! Anchored heavenward! How much more can you be?

Hebrews 6:13-20 Reflection Questions:

Are you progressing to spiritual maturity?

In what ways will you expand on your “spiritual maturity” journey?

Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort for God’s People

 

In order to appreciate what follows, we need to pause for a minute to reflect on the probable course of Isaiah’s life in his later years. The last time we hear of him engaged in public ministry is in 701 BC, at the time of Sennacherib’s invasion (chapter 37). By then he would have been about 69 years old. By the time Hezekiah died, three years later, he would have been 72. We can be reasonably sure he lived on for some years after his public preaching ministry had come to an end. As early as 712 BC, about 20 years before his death, he could see that the Babylonian exile was coming (39:5-7). It must have weighed heavily upon him. For most of the following 15 years the more immediate Assyrian crisis demanded his attention and, with the accession of Manasseh and the fierce repression that came with it, it would have been impossible for him to preach at all. The nation and its leaders were no longer willing to listen. It would only be after they have reaped the full consequences of their apostasy that they would become teachable again, and then the word that they would need would not be one of judgment, but of restoration. It is likely therefore, as the movement from 39:5-7 to 40:1-11 implies, that in the latter part of his life Isaiah was called to a new task: to comfort God’s people in words that his disciples would cherish and preserve in the dark days ahead until Israel was at last ready to hear them.

The opening part of chapter 40 is like the overture to a great musical composition. The first thing we hear is three stirring commands, like three trumpet blasts: “Comfort…Speak…Proclaim!” (vv. 1-2). The tone is urgent; it is as though we ourselves are being addressed, first by God Himself (v. 1), and then by the anonymous “voice” that rings out in verse 3.The Lord is about to visit Zion. His royal way will be across the desert, and it’s imperative that appropriate preparations be made. “Cry out,” says another voice (V. 6a). There is tension in the air, because an urgent call to action has been issued, and so far no-one has responded. It is at this point at which people begin to squirm in their seats and everyone avoids the speaker’s eyes. Then at last someone speaks; “What shall I cry?” he says (v. 6b). Isaiah is not so much volunteering as acknowledging that he is the one whom the speaker has had in mind all the time. Isaiah has stood in God’s council and heard God calling him to specific ministry which he now takes up.

Isaiah’s new message is for people whose whole world has been shattered. And for people like that, cheap comfort is not only a waste of time, it’s cruel. Comfort that is not grounded in reality is no comfort at all. But the word that Isaiah is commissioned to bring to them is not like that at all; it is based on truth at every point. The first truth is that they are God’s people (v. 1). The covenant that God made with their ancestors at Sinai still stands. God is not indifferent to Jerusalem’s plight, in spite of the disasters He has allowed to come upon her. He still has plans for His people which are tied up in some way with that special place (v. 2).

The second truth is that they have been forgiven (v. 2). The penalty for their sins has been paid in full, and consequently they are to be released forthwith from hard labor. The royal pardon has come, the prison doors are flung wide open, and they are free! What good news this is; and no doubt the inner circle of Isaiah’s disciples long treasured these words. There is far more to this announcement of pardon than first meets the eye. There is a mystery here that will not be explained fully until chapter 53. But for now the announcement is allowed to stand alone in all its stark and bold splendor. You are forgiven! Your sin has been paid for! Your hard labor is over! What more comforting truth could there be for shattered people than that?

The third truth is that God will act to give concrete expression to the fact that He has forgiven them. He will not leave them where they are; He will bring them home (vv. 3-5). The processional way through the wilderness is not just the way for the Lord (v. 3), but the way for His people too, for He is going to take them with Him. He will tend, gather, carry and lead them as He brings them to Zion, like a Shepherd caring for His flock (v. 11). And as the watching world looks on, it will learn what kind of God He is; His glory…will be revealed, and all humankind will see it (v. 5). The Lord is a missionary God; what He does for His own, He does not for their sake alone, but that all may come to know Him.

The fourth and final truth is that God’s Word can be relied upon. It does not decay and fade away as we do, but stands forever (vv. 6-8).  The person who cannot rest his or her whole weight on the Word of God can never know peace, for in the last analysis it can be found nowhere else than in a trusting relationship with the God who made us and rightly claims us as His own. It is trust in a person who is committed to us and has all the resources necessary to care for us. It is the Word of our God that Isaiah speaks of, a word or message that arises from a relationship. And the truth is that God’s Word has the same character as God Himself. It is unchanging and reliable as the God who speaks it.

Such comfort is good news indeed, so good that it cannot and must not be contained. It must be shouted confidently and fearlessly from the mountaintops (v. 9). The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of Isaiah 40 transposed into a new, higher key. And it too, is far too important to be contained. It must be shouted from the housetops, not just for the cities of Judah, but for all the world to hear!

Isaiah 40:1-11 Reflection Questions:

Are ignoring God’s call for you? Take that first step of faith today!

How much do you rely on God’s Word? Do you apply it to daily life?

Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Are you reading God’s Word daily? How are you sharing the “good news?”

Who is the one being described in Isaiah 40:3 from the New Testament Gospel?

Hebrews 6:1-12 The Call to Spiritual Maturity

 

No one can escape coming into the world as a baby because that is the only way to get here. But it is tragic when a baby fails to mature. No matter how much parents and grandparents love to hold and cuddle a baby, it is their great desire that the baby grows up and enjoy a full life as a mature adult. God has the same desire for His children. That is why He calls to us, “be taken forward to maturity!” (v. 1).

It is a call to spiritual progress (vv. 1-3). If we are going to make progress, we have to leave the childhood things behind and go forward in spiritual growth. This means you don’t keep learning the basics. You use the basics to go on to better things. God enables us to progress as we yield to Him, receive His Word, and act on it. It’s normal for Christians to grow; it’s abnormal for them to have arrested growth. The writer lists six foundational truths of the Christian life. The first two items (repentance and faith) are Godward and mark the initiation of the spiritual life. The next two items (baptism and laying on of hands) have to do with a person’s relationship to the local assembly of believers. In the New Testament, a person who repented and trusted Jesus Christ was baptized and became a part of a local church (Acts 2:41-47). The last two items, the resurrection of the dead (Acts 24:14-15) and the final judgment (Acts 17:30-31), have to do with the future. The lesson of verses 1-3 is clear: You have laid the foundation. You know your ABC’s. Now go forward! Let God carry you along to maturity.

This progress does not affect salvation (vv. 4-6). These verses, along with the exhortation in Heb. 10:26-39, have given people cause for worry and concern, mainly because these verses have been misunderstood and misapplied. There are many verses in Scripture that assure the true believer that he can never be lost. In fact, one of the greatest arguments for security is the last section of this chapter! (Heb. 6:13-20; see also John 5:24; 10:26-30; and Rom. 8:28-39) Then what is the writer trying to say to us? It is probable that he is describing a hypothetical case to prove his point that a true believer cannot lose his salvation. Please keep in mind that the writer’s purpose was not to frighten the readers but to assure them.

This progress results in fruitfulness (vv. 7-10). This illustration of a field reminds us of our Lord’s Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-9, 18:23), as well as Paul’s teaching about the fire testing our works (1 Cor. 3:6-23). A field proves its worth by bearing fruit; and a true believer, as he makes spiritual progress, bears fruit for God’s glory. Note that the “thorns and briars” are burned, not the field. God never curses His own! Not every believer bears the same amount of fruit as proof that he is a child of God (Matt. 7:15-20). This is the fruit of Christian character and conduct (Gal. 5:22-26) produced by the Spirit as we mature in Christ. The writer listed some of the fruit that he knew had been produced in their lives: because of their love, they had worked and labored for the Lord; they had ministered to other saints; and they were still ministering. These are some of the things that accompany salvation. But he was concerned lest they rest on their achievements and not press on to full maturity and the enjoyment of God’s rich inheritance.

This progress demands diligent effort (vv. 11-12).While it is true that it is God who carries us along to maturity, it is also true that the believer must do his part. We must not be lazy but apply ourselves to the spiritual resources God has given us. We have the promises from God. We should exercise faith and patience and claim these for ourselves! Like Caleb and Joshua, we must believe God’s promise and want to go in and claim the land!

Hebrews 6:1-12 Reflection Questions:

Do a personal evaluation of your spiritual growth; are you progressing forward every year?