A Greater Promise – Hebrews 6:1-20
Horatio Gates Spafford was a lawyer and businessman in Chicago in the late 1800s. He had some serious financial reversals in the great Chicago fire of 1871, and during the time of readjustment, he lost his home. He realized his family needed to get away for a vacation. Spafford decided to take his entire family to England. The four daughters were drowned, but Mrs. Spafford was rescued. She wired her husband, “Saved alone.” After that tragedy, H. G. Spafford wrote the song “It is well with my soul.”
What does Satan use to whittle away your faith? Your confidence in Jesus Christ? Doubt? Disappointment? Discouragement? The Hebrew audience was in danger of leaving Jesus Christ, doubting that He was the sole means of salvation (2:1; 4:11). In Hebrews 6, the writer tells us what we can do to overcome doubt.
In overcoming doubt, we need to…
MATURE IN OUR FAITH:
6:1 – We need to “press on to maturity.” We need to spend more time in Bible study and fellowship with other Christians. It will help us mature in our faith.
So, to deal with doubt, we need to mature in our faith…
KEEP IN MIND THE PROMISES OF GOD:
6:10 – God is not unjust to forget our work and the love we have shown toward His name, ministering to the saints.6:11 – Show the same diligence in order to “realize the full assurance of hope until the end.”
MAINTAIN FAITH AND PATIENCE:
6:13 – The Hebrew writer’s example to imitate is none other than Abraham. God could make an oath by none other than Himself and such He did with Abraham – vs 14.
IT IS ALL BASED ON THE NATURE OF GOD:
6:16 – Men swear by something greater than themselves. 6:17 – God swore with an oath – desiring to show to the heirs of the promise the “unchangeableness of His purpose.” In 1:2, the Hebrew writer had said that God appointed Jesus as “heir of all things.” (see also Romans 4:13; Galatians 3:29). Here, we are told that we can benefit from that same inheritance.
6:19 – Here’s our hope:
It is as an anchor of the soul.
It is both sure
It is also steadfast
It is enters into / behind the veil
6:20 – Into which Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us.
SOME OF THE PROMISES OF GOD:
John 14:1-4
Hebrews 13:5
Mark 16:16
Romans 8:28
Take home message: When you doubt, remind yourself that God keeps His promises.
–Paul Holland