Hebrews
5:11-6:20 (Part 3)
In Hebrews 6 the writer essentially instructs his readers
to do three things:
·
Grow
up (vv.1-3) – Don’t be satisfied with the basics of
Christianity…keep striving toward maturity
·
Watch
out (vv.4-8) – These are the most difficult verses in chapter
6 (and maybe in all of Hebrews!) to interpret…be on guard against being led
away from the truth…
·
Keep
on (vv.9-20) – Don’t grow weary of doing the right things…
Keep On (Hebrews
6:9-20)
Like the way
this paragraph begins...look at first part of v.9 - "But, beloved,
we are convinced of better things concerning you..."...notice how
encouraging that statement is...
·
Calls them "beloved" - One of the
NT's most meaningful words...expresses the highest kind of
relationship...refers to unconditional acceptance...used 60 times in NT and
first 9 times used by God the Father in speaking of Jesus, His beloved Son...this
is the only time this particular word is used in Hebrews…
·
“convinced” - The
verb indicates a past hesitation that has been overcome. Carries the idea of being persuaded. The writer here bases
his confidence on the past record of these Hebrew Christians. [1] Paul uses a form of this word in
2 Timothy 1:12.
·
“better things” – As opposed to the things
just listed in the previous verses.
Basically
writer saying, "I have confidence in you"...I have no doubt
you'll do the right thing...instead of raising doubts about them, expressed
confidence in them...needs be read in context of what is said in previous
verses ...had just talked about people who had fallen away, ceased to be
faithful, and were no longer productive in their Christian lives...writer says,
"Even though some have gone that way, I know you won't...I expect
better things from you"...
Growing up I
played organized baseball. Over the
years I had a variety of coaches with different leadership styles. The one I remember the most and who got the
most out of me had a saying that he would use when I made a mistake (especially
a mental mistake) on the field. Instead
of chastising, he would simply say “You are better than that!” That is kind of what the writer of Hebrews is
doing in this passage.
·
“things that accompany salvation” – Probably
a reference to the fruit of a Christian’s life.
This is what was previously referred to in that little parable we looked
at in the previous session in verses 7-8.
Verse 10 lists some of that fruit…”…you work..love…ministering t the saints…”
·
“we desire…each one…” – Denotes a
strong, earnest feeling for each individual.
This is an intensely personal statement.
·
“full assurance of hope” - Notice this is related to lifestyle action (cf. James, I Peter, and I
John). Assurance is not primarily a doctrine to affirm, but a life to live (cf.
Matt. 7).[2] The more we obey to more
assurance we have!
·
“…not sluggish…but imitators…” - "...in
other words, find people who are being faithful...find people who are sticking
with their commitment... find people who are worthy examples, and model your
lives after them...
Notice the
reference to faith (v.12), hope (v.11), and love (v.10) in this paragraph. This is the great Christian trilogy that
often appears in the New Testament. (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13; Colossians 1:4-5)
The
paragraph in verses 13-20 is basically an illustration of someone who “kept on”
even when it was difficult. Key phrase
in that paragraph is phrase in first part of v.17 - "In the same
way..."...in verses before that phrase writer points to God's
faithfulness in fulfilling the promise/covenant with Abraham in OT...and in
verses following the phrase "In the same way..." in
v.17 points to God's faithfulness in fulfilling the promise/covenant He made
with those who trust their lives to Jesus...
The basic
teaching of this paragraph can be stated in a single sentence ...God is
trustworthy...God is faithful...God is
dependable...you can count of God doing what He says He will do...
And in last
part of this paragraph writer uses three figures of speech which ultimately
describe Jesus and which tell us why we can and should trust our lives to
Him...want to share those with you today...
We should
trust Jesus because He is our refuge
1. Last part of v.18 describes
Christians as those "...who have fled for refuge in laying hold of
the hope set before us."...the phrase "fled for
refuge" is reference to the Old Testament "cities of
refuge"...in OT God appointed six cities, three on each side of the
Jordan, to which a person could flee if he accidentally killed someone...as
long as the offender stayed in a city of refuge, the family of the slain person
was not allowed to avenge the death of their relative..."cities of
refuge" were places of protection, of safety for someone who had made
a mistake...
2. That's one thing Jesus is for
Christians...He is place of refuge ...place of protection...place of
safety...to Him we have fled... in His hands we have place our lives...and as
one writer put it:
--When all about us the storms of life are raging, there
is refuge in Him for the faithful.
--When the tides of adversity are sweeping over us, there
is encouragement in Him for the faithful.
--When the battles of life are going against us, there is
hope in Him for the faithful. [LBC, p.40]
3. Where do you turn when things
get difficult?...when life begins to unravel?...when you best laid plans begin
to come apart?...where do you turn for safety and protection?...the only sure
place of refuge is in Jesus...can't tell you how many times I've heard a person
say, "If weren't for presence of Christ in my life, don't think I would
make it through this time."...but His presence makes all the
difference in the world...
4. Psalmist said it so well in
first part of 46th Psalm: "God
is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth
should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea..."...why?...because
as says at end of the psalm, "The Lord of hosts is with us..." We should trust Jesus because He is with
us....has promised never to leave us or forsake us...He is our refuge...
We should
trust Jesus because He is our anchor
1. In verse 19 the writer
describes the hope we have in Jesus as the "anchor of the soul"...the
anchor was a popular symbol in the early church...in the catacombs in Rome,
that subterranean world where ancient Christians buried their dead, at least 66
pictures of anchors have been found...
2. A well know Greek Stoic
philosopher wrote, "One must not tie a ship to a single anchor, nor
life to a single hope."...but the early Christians would have
strongly disagreed with that... they had but one anchor...they staked their
lives solely and completely on the hope they had in Jesus...
3. In a couple of weeks Carol and
I are going down to Rockport on Texas Gulf Coast...I have gone there most
summers since I was a young child…in middle of Copano Bay near Rockport is a
shell reef known as Lap Reef...gets that name because when tide is low can see
water lapping over it...it's an excellent place to fish...fisherman will come
in their boats to Lap Reef, drop the
anchor, and get out of the boat and wade fish around the edges on the reef...on
occasion an anxious fisherman will leave the boat before checking to make sure
the anchor is secure...the boat will drift away from the reef, leaving the
fishermen stranded until another boat comes along...
4. When a boat is not anchored
properly, it will drift, usually causing trouble...and when our lives are not
anchored in Jesus, we too will drift into trouble...just as boat needs a secure
anchor, we need a secure anchor for our lives...notice what v.17 says about
anchoring our lives in Jesus...when anchor lives in Christ--
--have "sure" anchor...which means it cannot
break no matter how great the pressure...
--have "steadfast" anchor which means it will
not slip...
5. Nothing and no-one apart from
Jesus can give us that kind of security...in addition to trusting Jesus because
He is our refuge and our anchor...
We should trust Jesus because He is our forerunner
1. The word translated "forerunner"
in v.20...that word carries the idea of "pioneer" -someone who
goes before others, blazing a trail for others to follow...it also carries the
idea of "scout" - someone who goes ahead to see that the way
is safe for others to follow...
2. Where did Jesus go as our "forerunner"
or our pioneer and scout...last part of v.19 says he entered "within
the veil"... while that's strange language for us, the initial
Jewish recipients of this letter would have immediately understood what it
meant...
3. This is third direct reference
in Hebrews to this particular Jewish custom...in Temple the most holy of all
places was the Holy of Holies...it was where the Ark of the Covenant...this
place represented the very presence of God...was separated from the rest of the Temple by a
veil...once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would go beyond
the veil to make a sacrifice for the people...even on that day he was not
allowed to linger there...was required to make the sacrifice and immediately
leave the Holy of Holies...
4. But Jesus has gone beyond that
veil as our forerunner or pioneer...has blazed a trail for us to follow...and
because of what He has done for us, each of us now have the privilege of
entering and living in the very presence of God...
5. One writer summarizes this
part of Hebrews this way: "Under
the old Jewish religion no one might enter into the presence of God but the
High Priest, and he might only enter in on one day of the year; but now, Jesus
Christ has opened a way to the presence of God
for every [person] at every time.
The way that was closed is open.
The presence of God is there for all." [Barclay, p.64]
6. And, of course, Jesus
accomplished that through His sacrificial death on the cross for our
sins...three of the four gospels tell us that when Jesus died on the cross, the
veil in the Temple separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple
was torn in two...through Jesus' death on our behalf it is now possible for
each of us to enter the very presence of God...
[1]
Hacking, P. H. (2006). Opening up Hebrews.
Opening Up Commentary (38–39). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[2]
Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews.
Study Guide Commentary Series (65). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons
International.
