The Promise Keeper - [Hebrews 6:13-20]

The Promise of God in Hebrews 6

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

In seminary class, we had an ordination class, and we were required to know what was in every chapter of the Bible. In other words, if I were to say to you Psalm 23, you should say something like, �Oh, that�s about the Lord as shepherd.

If I ask you Exodus 12, you should say, �Passover. If I ask you Leviticus 16, you should say, �Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. If I ask you Isaiah 53, you would know, �The Suffering Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1, what would you say? �The Preeminence of Jesus. And the list could go on and on. John chapter 10, Jesus the great shepherd who lays down his life for people. Second Timothy chapter 4, what would you say?

Preach the word, �In season, out of season the last chapter Paul ever wrote. But what if I were to say to you Hebrews 6? If you�re in ordination exam or studying the Bible and trying to know what�s in every chapter of the Bible, and I said Hebrews 6, what would you be tempted to say?

Here�s what I would be tempted to say. It�s that really difficult passage in the Bible where some people teach you can lose your salvation. But that is so far off, that�s true. But Hebrews chapter 6, if you don�t read the rest of the chapter, you miss out on the glorious truth.

What truth is that? Student, Hebrews chapter 6, what is Hebrews chapter 6 all about? Answer, it�s about God who keeps His promises. And even though everybody else in the world might fail when it comes to promise keeping, and they might falter, there�s a God who�s a promise keeper.

You might have a fad that comes here 25 years ago, and here are seven promises to keep men, and then break all those promises. People break promises all the time. But when you trust the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins, He can be trusted.

All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus, and you can rest securely in spite of your sin, in spite of the world, in spite of trials, that those who trust on the Lord Jesus Christ have been promised by God to go to heaven.

God is a promise keeper. Let�s turn to Hebrews chapter 6 and look at this great passage today. God is a promise keeper. Of course the chapter starts off dealing with these difficult issues. But please beloved, do not miss this.

God keeps His promises and they are guaranteed because He�s perfectly full of fidelity and integrity. The promise of your eternal life through Jesus� high priesthood is secure. You can trust in Him. He�s never broken one promise.

Your security of eternal life is as good now as it will be in heaven. God keeps His promises. Not that long ago I asked someone, I was having coffee and I asked this man, �could you give me the gospel in 60 seconds or less

I like to ask that question. Sometimes for membership we ask or for your testimony we ask, and it�s amazing what people say. And they�ll say, here�s what they could say, �what�s the gospel Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

What�s the gospel? Repent, believe, trust, they say a lot of those things. Well, this particular gentleman, he looked at me, he said, �Jesus was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect life. He died on the cross, was raised from the dead.

He said, �that�s all I�ve got. I said, �that�s all you�ve got That�s a great answer. That is the answer. What this God-man did for you in your place on your behalf, that�s the right answer. You should have seen the smile on that guy�s face.

He thought he was going to have to get to heaven based on did he answer the question rightly. And when God has this great news of the gospel for sinful people, all sinners who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is secure.

You put your money in a bank that has certain letters after it, FDIC. What if there�s a nuclear bomb? What if Russia takes over? There�s all these kind of things where we think, you know, we want security.

And Jesus as high priest has secured and guaranteed your salvation. He is a promise keeper. I watch these shows where people are con artists and they call them flim-flam men and a sham artist and sometimes they�re called bunko men, hustlers and swindlers.

Friends, that�s not who God is. He�s the exact opposite. He�s not a hustler, he�s not a bamboozler. When he promises you eternal life based on your trust in Christ Jesus, he means it. And so when we come to chapter 6 in Hebrews, the writer has been systematically trying to tell you, I want you to rest and trust and believe in this great high priest that God has provided for you.

And he�s better in every way, shape and form. If you say, you know what, you�ve had this experience happen in your life, well, I have a better experience. You make this much money, I make that much money.

You�ve had this happen and you�ve got this education, I�m having even a greater education. And these people that always want to one-up you. But in a correct way, in a theological way, the writer is trying to say, no matter who you bring to the table for greatness, Jesus is greater.

You might think of an angel, you might think of a priest, you might think of characters in the Bible who were great like Moses, but Jesus is better in every way, shape and form. And then we come to chapter 6 where he�s giving you a warning and he�s saying, if you won�t simply trust in Jesus and rest in him, there are consequences.

And remember verses 1 and 2, the writer is saying, you�re not simply saved from your sins by doing religious things. Frankly, even if they�re good religious things. If they�re biblical religious things, you�re still not saved.

You�re not saved by your own power or will, verse 3, by this we will do and this we will do if God permits. That�s really the theme of the Bible, the sovereignty of God and God is in charge and when you hear people run their mouths and say, God, we permit you to be here and God, we allow you to do such and such and God, we give you permission, God doesn�t need any permission, he owns everything and everyone, even your salvation.

And this we will do if God permits. We don�t permit anything, he�s the permitter. And then verses 4 to 6, remember we saw this a couple weeks ago, things that you can have done in you or around you and experiences you can have but still not be saved.

He�s warning people so that they really trust in Jesus, so they don�t just walk all the way up to the Judas line and say, you know what, everything that Judas did, we�ve done but we won�t really trust, we won�t really rest.

And he uses, remember, illustrations of things that happened to Israel in the wilderness. That makes sense to me. He�s writing to Jews, what book of the Bible do the Jews have? Well, all the Old Testament and Jews knew that some people died in the land of Israel, they didn�t, died in the land of, not in the land of Israel, they died in the wilderness, they didn�t make it in.

Temporally they didn�t make it in and so you can see the pillar of fire, you can taste the manna, you can see what the Holy Spirit does, water comes out of a rock but still not believe, still not make it to the promised land.

And then we saw last week that there�s a response that each one of us has. Verse 9, Hebrews 6, though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, boy, everything changes there. We feel sure of better things.

What things are that? Things that belong to salvation. Those things in verses 1 to 8 don�t belong to salvation but these things do. And by the way, I�ve seen you and I see evidence of your salvation. Verse 10, for God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints as you still do.

By the way, do you see that verse in our church building anywhere? Where is that verse? It's above the kitchen sink by the way. When I saw that verse a few weeks ago, I thought, I'm going to preach that passage and we want to make sure that verse is in the right kitchen context.

So you can go look at that verse afterward and see if it's properly noted. Here's what he's saying, a lot of people come close and they don't believe, they profess but they don't possess. They talk a lot but they're not really Christians.

But I've seen you, he says, everything turns in verse 9, I've seen you and you serve and that's an evidence of your salvation. You love other Christians, that's an evidence of your salvation. God's not going to overlook that.

Verse 11, we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness, to have the full assurance of hope until the end. It's hard to have assurance if you're lazy, so that you may not be sluggish or numb but imitators of those who through faith, that is faith in the Messiah and patience inherit the promises.

Abraham and the Oath of God

Speaking of promises, we move into the next section. The promises of God and here's what we're going to do for an outline in verses 13 through 20. I'm going to give you six descriptions of God that make you remember, He can be trusted.

And everything's driving to verse 18, do you see verse 18? So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement. He wants you Christian to have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

That is the language of Hebrews 3. We are in trials and difficulties. This world isn't heaven. I went to a assisted living home this week and I just saw all the people and all their bodies breaking down and I just thought, A, if this is the end and there's no eternal life, what a sad end for all of us.

And B, I thought, you know what, I'm going to be in there one day or it's going to be my body one day. And I need encouragement to hang on. I need encouragement to keep going. I need encouragement to keep believing.

That's what this text says, might have strong encouragement to hold fast. These Christians were persecuted. These Christians who received this letter were losing their homes. These Christians would eventually die for their faith, many of them.

So how do I hold on? It's difficult. I'm walking by faith. That means I can't see things. So I need to be encouraged. So everything is driving to having strong encouragement. How can I have strong encouragement in a wild world like this?

I'm going to give you six descriptions of who God is that deal with His great character. And I'll just give you those six if I can remember off the top of my head. God is a promise keeper. He's an oath maker.

He's a truth teller. He's a refuge. He's an anchor. And He's a forerunner. That's what this passage is all about. That's why when I say to you, Word Association, Hebrews 6, I hope you just don't go, well, you know, it's impossible to renew their repentance, et cetera, et cetera.

I hope you go, this is all about God can be trusted. I can trust in this great God. This is resting in God for troubled Christians. The question is, can I trust God with my eternal soul? I'm all in for my salvation.

Are you? All on Jesus. If Jesus is sinful, if Jesus has broken promises, if Jesus isn't the son of God, I'm damned. But if He is the son of God, if He has been tested and tried and lived that life and died that death and was raised the way He was, I'm all in.

There's hope. You can trust God with your eternal soul. You can have strong encouragement. So number one, we're going to see that God is a promise keeper. By the way, I typed in promise keepers the other day.

It still exists. Did you know that? Bad evangelical fads die slow deaths, but I'm sure maybe some good things were taken through that, but I don't need seven more promises to break in my life. I break plenty of them throughout my life.

I don't need seven more. I mean, how many times have we promised things and we've not kept our word? Since Jesus, He's a man, maybe He broke His promises. God's promises are guaranteed by His own trustworthy character and you can trust Him for your eternal life.

Verses 13 through 15, God is a promise keeper. For when God made a promise to Abraham, oh yeah, it's a tie-in with the word for. It ties us back to what was going on, imitate people by faith. I think He's talking about Abraham.

And when God made a promise to Abraham, makes sense. He's talking to Jewish people. They know who Abraham is. Since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself saying, surely I will bless you and multiply you.

Literally blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. Do you see what's going on here? Abraham gets a promise from God, but it took a while to complete.

What do you do in the meantime between when God promises you heaven, forgiveness, eternal life, but you're not there yet? How do you wait? The answer is remembering who God is, remembering His character and rehearsing the thoughts of God and the promises of God and the love of God.

This author loves to talk about Abraham. John talks about Abraham a lot. Luke talks about Abraham a lot. But at the top of the list, after those other two books, this author loves to talk about Abraham.

He is the father of faith, true or false? True. Of course, you know the song and you've probably heard me sing it here before, Father Abraham. He had many sons, did he not? Many sons had Father Abraham.

I am one of them and so are you. So let's just praise the Lord right on, turn around, sit down, whatever we say to the kids. I hate the song or I could amend the song. Because this is not the fatherhood of God liberally and the brotherhood of man and we're just all together.

He's your father if you're a believer. Father Abraham did have many sons. I'm one of them and so were you if you trust in the Lord Jesus. He does, but that doesn't seem to rhyme. By the way, is it too hot in here?

You feel good. We turned off the air conditioner two weeks ago. You know, there is congregational voting in the Bible. They all voted to stone Stephen. Here's this letter from a Jewish man most likely to a bunch of Jews who were getting persecuted and he's reminding them about the Jewish God man, Jesus Christ.

And they're going through difficulties. And he's not a false teacher. He's not a word faith teacher. He's not a name it and claim it teacher. He's not a teacher that says when you come to Jesus, everything's peachy and keen and everything's glorious.

No, the way it works is this. There's suffering and then glory. There's the cross and then there's a crown. And anybody that tells you that it's the opposite is satanic. It is Satan that said to Peter and worked through Peter, forget the cross, just go straight to the crown.

So now we're in this time in between where we've trusted in who Jesus is, but life is difficult and I'm not in heaven yet. What do I do? In the meantime, Abraham has promised a son and it took 25 years for Isaac to be born.

What do you do in the meantime? And so when you're talking to Jewish people, they all know the story. Here's the first Jew. It makes sense that they, they are, they're focused on the person of Abraham and what God did in his life and God look at verse 13.

He made a promise to Abraham. Now the question you might ask is, did God keep that promise to Abraham? And of course we know the answer. He keeps his promises because he is holy and just and mutably so regularly.

Acts three, acts seven, Romans four, Galatians three. When you hear the promises of God regularly, they're attached to Abraham because this was a momentous promise. This was a, a magnificent promise. This was a promise that took the supernatural work of God to fulfill.

So he gives you that word there for in verse 13, kind of as a, as a grounds for what those blessings were in the last section. And the text says that God swears this. That's kind of amazing. He swears chapter three, verse 11.

He swore in his wrath. Chapter three, verse 18. And to whom did he swear that they should not enter his rest? Hebrews chapter four, verse three, as I swore in my wrath. God swears sometimes to validate his promise.

Now think about this very carefully. Is it enough for God to just say something and not give a promise? Is it enough for God to say, if you trust in my son, you'll have eternal life? You'll have forgiveness if you just trust in my son.

Is it enough? The answer is yes. So why does God give the promise? Why does God give the extra? Because he, he has to make sure that he, that he obeys. So he has to doubly make sure. No, here's the answer.

Because God condescends to us. It's hard for us to trust God. He just says, whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. We know that's true. So here, what does God do? He gives a promise.

He swears by himself. He has it all set up to accommodate weak, sinful humans, to make sure we know. Now who does he swear by? Caesar? Herod? Pharaoh? What's the text say? He swore by himself. That's amazing.

He's binding himself to his own word. That's language of Isaiah 45. I have sworn by myself. The word has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness and will not turn back. That to me, every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

God's word is certain. It can be trusted. And here God condescends and uses kind of human words, promises, and oaths so that we know he could be trusted. And what was the promise? Verse 14, surely I will bless you and multiply you.

That was given to Abraham. I'm going to do this for certain. I'm going to make Abraham a great nation. I'm going to give him so many sons. If you flip over to Hebrews chapter 11, you can see part of this promise that was there.

Hebrews 11, 12, Abraham is put before us so that we might see that God is faithful no matter what. And if he's faithful to Abraham, he's going to be faithful to us because he's always faithful. His faithfulness is great and unchanging.

And here, this faithful God promised to Abraham, children, therefore also, Hebrews 11, 12, there was born of one man and him as good as dead, remember he was way beyond childbearing years, good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number and innumerable as the sand, which is by the seashore.

How is this promise going to be guaranteed? Simple, the word of God. I said that I'm going to do it and I will surely bless you. 25 years after the initial giving of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12, Isaac is born.

No, no wonder Romans four says this about that. Abraham against hope, believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations. He obtained the promise when Isaac was born 25 years patiently waiting.

So if you go back to Hebrews chapter six, you see the tie-in from the last section. 613 says four, it connects, it connects to verse 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith in the promises of God and the nature of God and the character of God and God himself and patience inherit the promises.

25 years, despite all evidences contrary, despite circumstances, despite Sarah's age, despite Abraham's age, there's going to be a promised son and the descendants will be as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore.

And Abraham did what? Believed. He took God at his word. He just believed. God promised, I'm going to do that. Now this verse is from the old Testament. Can you see the notes there in verse 14? Maybe you have liner notes.

Mine says verse 14 sidebar sided from what passage? Well, Genesis 12, the Abrahamic covenant is initially given. It's repeated in chapter 15. It's repeated in chapter 17. And here it says Genesis 22. This passage is from Genesis 22.

Everywhere we go in the book of Hebrews, he quotes the old Testament. And when he does, I like to go there. So let's go there. Genesis chapter 22. We will probably finish our section in Hebrews this week and next.

It will take us two weeks to get through these eight verses. And one of the reasons is because I want to teach you more of the old Testament because it will help you understand the book. And my whole point to my sermon today is if you're not a believer, you have no hope except for Christ.

And if you are a believer, you will have no hope except for Christ. And things might be difficult, but God's promises never fail. Genesis chapter 22. I've read this several times this week and listened to it this morning on my Bible.

This is maybe the most amazing chapter in all the Bible, short of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. S. Lewis Johnson calls Genesis 22 the Old Testament's greatest scene. It's full of drama. I think it's the first time in the Bible the word test is used.

I think it's the first time in the Bible the word love is used. And you see that love within the context of a father and a son at Mount Moriah. And of course, many centuries later, you'll see the context of a father and son and love at Mount Moriah when the Lord Jesus Christ is crucified.

Everything about this chapter makes you read it and think, I cannot believe what I'm reading. John Calvin said, this chapter contains a most memorable narrative. For although Abraham, through the whole course of his life, gave astonishing proofs of faith and obedience, yet none more excellent can be imagined than the immolation of his son.

For other temptations with which the Lord had exercised him tended indeed to his mortification. But this inflicted a wound far more grievous than death itself. God makes the promise. I'm going to bless you through your son.

God says, kill your son. And this chapter is going to reveal that Abraham believed that and believe what God had said and believed his nature. And if you believe those two things simultaneously are true, that through your son, through my son, the world will be blessed.

And I have to kill that son. What is the only logical explanation if you're a believer in this Yahweh God? If you're not a believer, here's the explanation. God, you're pagan. Leviticus and Deuteronomy says, don't give your children and slay them and give them to the God of Molech.

God, how could you? God, how wicked you are. You give and you take away. You're capricious. You're greedy. You're vengeful. You're like every other pagan God. That's how we would all think. Unless you are a believer in this God and you trusted in this God.

And that God said through your son, blessing, kill your son. What's the only logical outcome? What did he think? Answer, God would raise him from the dead. God would raise him from the dead. That's Hebrews 11.

And so when we walk through this passage, I want you to see what's happening here. Because this is the passage that the writer in Hebrews 6 wants you to have in mind. To what degree will you trust God?

How far will you go to take God's promises at face value? And I'm telling you, friends, this is needed for us because here's how we trust. As far as our feelings will let us. As far as our emotions will let us.

And of course, we've discussed this many times, even the way we talk. Well, I feel this and I feel that and I feel that. Friends, if you're going to use feelings for these promises, it will never work.

Because evidence and circumstance and trials will make you feel in a different way. So we have to put our feelings on the sacrificial altar at Moriah, as it were. And say, I have to just think about this rightly.

I have to process this. God has promised that if I trust in the son's perfect life and death and burial and resurrection, I'll have eternal life. But bad things are happening. And I even do some of those bad things.

How do I process all this? Answer, I'm going to take him at his word that he will keep his promise. And now we come to the offering of his son, Genesis 22. How much proof do you need that a mortal sinful man will believe?

Here's the answer. After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, and he said, here I am. I don't know how he recognized God's voice, but he did immediately. I'm ready to respond. I'm ready for this.

No problem. Whatever you say, I'm going to do. Take your son. Oh, well, I have two sons, of course, Ishmael and Isaac. Oh, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer. I mean, I would be fine up to that point.

Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. And it's like lightning coming from the sky.

No advance warning for this. We don't know what's going through Abraham's mind. I do know in the last chapter, the text says that Isaac is the seed, the promised seed, the child of promise. Okay, I'll go.

But that part there, the one you love, that just almost gets you even more cut to the heart. Go to the region of Mount Moriah, by the way, three days to think about it, 50 miles to get there. I'm going to tell you even the mountain once we get there.

Kind of sounds like, you know what? I'm just going to call you in Ur and I'm going to tell you where to go in Genesis chapter 12. I'm not going to tell you any of the specifics. I see Abraham not debating here.

I don't see him putting out a fleece. I don't see him saying anything about God and his nature. He says, take, go and sacrifice. One man said, those are all knives cutting at Abraham's soul. It's time to give Isaac back to me.

And of course, people always say, would God ever require a father to execute his son? And of course, we know what happens at Calvary. So verse three, Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, took two of his young men with him and his son, Isaac.

He cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Full intentions of sacrifice. He's got the wood. Later, we'll talk about the knife. People say, well, you know, he got up really early.

Most likely he didn't fall asleep. Do you really want to tell Sarah on your way out? This is what I'm going to do. Off he goes on this heartbreaking journey. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

Verse four. He's there now. The journey's over. Maybe God will give counter orders. Then Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.

You think he's deceiving the people so that they don't come with him? So they might try to stop him. I don't think so. But here's his logic. Isaac is the child of promise. God commands me to slay him.

My only possible conclusion is Hebrews 11. He was tested, offered up Isaac, and he had received the promises, was in the act of offering up his only son of whom it was said, through Isaac shall your offspring be named.

He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead. Verse six, and Abraham took the burnt, the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son, Isaac. How old was Isaac at the time? Most people think 20 to 25 years old.

He's willing to do it. Josephus, the Jewish writer, it's not in the Bible, but he's just a Jewish historian. He said that Abraham explained to his son what he was about to do and why. And Isaac said, okay, I have no idea, but this is an amazing scene.

I remember once I said to Luke, I think he was 16. I said, you know, I think I might have to give you a spanking for what you've done. He's not here, so I don't have to pay him the dollar. He'll be interviewing.

I was so disrespectful and so egregious, I thought in my mind. And so we talked it out. And I said, well, I'm going to give you a different kind of punishment instead, because you're too old probably to be spanked.

Later on, I said to Luke, if I would have said to you, lay down and get a spanking, what would you have done? Because I mean, he could have probably Kung Fu kicked me or something, right? It could have been a fight.

And he said, I would have just laid there and took it. Here's Isaac. My guess is the father has said, God's going to raise you from the dead. We can trust in this God. So they both went together. Isaac said to his father, my father, here I am, my son.

Behold the fire and the wood. Where's the lamb for the burnt offering? That makes me think Josephus isn't right. Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. You just hear those words, my son, my beloved son, son whom I'm well pleased, the one I love.

So that both went together. Isaac is carrying the wood. God will provide. Where's the lamb? God will provide. Where's the sin bearing atonement? God will provide. Verse nine, so when they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there, laid the wood in order and bound Isaac, his son and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

I wonder how fast or how slowly he built that altar. I see nothing in the scripture about goodbye. I love you. You know, a couple of days ago, President Bush died. And it was recorded that one of his last conversations was with his son, George.