Hebrews 6:13-20 | None Greater

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Returning to our Hebrews series Pastor Jeff Rice Covenant Reformed Baptist Church Tullahoma TN February 20, 2022

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Our text is in Hebrews chapter 6, 13 through 20.
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Hebrews chapter 6, 13 through 20. Let's pray. Father, Lord, you are glorious.
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And Lord, I pray that you will help me to reveal your glory as we walk through this portion of scripture.
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And I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. So our theme for this
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Lord's day is none greater, because there is none greater than the
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God that we serve. We serve the one and true God, and outside of him, there is none, zero, absolutely none greater than him.
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The book of Hebrews is about the sufficiency of Christ, that he is greater than all things, that we look to him for all things.
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So in chapters one and two, we see that Jesus is greater than the old covenant prophets, greater than the angels, and he destroys the one who has the power of death that is the devil.
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And in chapter three, we see that Jesus is greater than Moses, and Jesus is greater than Canaan, this land that they were longing for to possess.
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Jesus is greater. In chapters four, five, and six, we see that Jesus is greater than the
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Jewish Sabbath. Yes, he is greater than the
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Sabbath, as well as he is greater than the Aaronic priesthood, and he himself is the greater sacrifice.
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And to offer any other sacrifice will be crucifying, once again, the son of God to your own harm.
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And we saw that that was a sin that only those in the first century could commit. Once the temple was destroyed in 70
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AD, they could no longer offer animal sacrifices at the temple, meaning they could no longer commit this sin that was crucifying, once again, the son of God to their own harm.
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But this was the abomination that causes the desolation. This was the reason why
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God in his providence sent Rome in to destroy them, because they would not stop sacrificing after the once and for all sacrifice took place.
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And so God put an end to it by sending Rome. Rome went because a rebellion started by the
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Jewish revolt, but God sent them for a different purpose. So look with me at our text,
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Roman, I mean, excuse me, Romans, Hebrews, chapter six, verses 13 through 20.
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Our text says, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself saying, surely
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I will bless you and multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
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For people swear by something greater than themselves and in all their disputes, an oath is final for confirmation.
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So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs the promise of his unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 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 to hold fast to the hope set before us.
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We have this as a sure, steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that has entered into the enter place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Mechizedek.
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In our outline today, we will see one promise fulfilled in two ways, the promise being the promise that was made to Abraham.
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We will see its earthly fulfillment as well as its spiritual fulfillment. And listen, as we transition, this is why we stop, we put a pin in it and took a break and we walk through covenant theology so that the language will be familiar.
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So I will not be saying anything that you are not familiar with, but I will be bringing to light and making it have a more full understanding.
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So we will first look at the promise of Abraham, it's found in Genesis 6, 13 and 14.
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So let's read that again, Genesis, excuse me, I'm not on the ball here today. Hebrews 6, 13 through 14.
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Hebrews 6, 13 and 14. For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself saying, surely
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I will bless you and multiply you. Now, turn with me to Genesis.
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Genesis chapter 22. I knew the
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Genesis was in there somewhere. Genesis chapter 22. I'm gonna be reading to verse 18.
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Very familiar story. After these things,
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God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham. And he said, here
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I am. He said, take your son, your only son,
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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
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I shall tell you. And Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and his son,
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Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and he rose and he went to the place of which
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God had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place from afar.
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Verse five. Then Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey.
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I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.
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And Abraham took the wood and the burnt offering and he laid it on Isaac, his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife so they went both together.
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And Isaac said to his father Abraham, my father, and he said, here am
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I, my son. Here I am, my son. He said, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?
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And Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.
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So they went both of them together. And when they came to the place of which God told him,
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Abraham built the altar and there he laid the wood in order and he bound
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Isaac, his son, and he laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
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Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
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But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said,
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Abraham, Abraham. And he said, here I am. He said, do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to harm him for now
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I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.
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Verse 13, and Abraham lifted his eyes and he looked and behold behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by the horns.
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And Abraham went and took the ram and he offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
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Verse 14, and Abraham called the name of that place, the Lord will provide.
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And as it is said in that day on that mountain, the Lord shall provide. And the angel of the
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Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven. And verse 16, and he said, by myself
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I have sworn declares the Lord because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
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I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven and as the sand of the seashore and your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies.
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And in your offspring, listen, shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.
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Now I wanna walk real quick through some of the promised blessings of Abraham. So it begins in chapter 12, just look at verses one through three only.
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Chapter 12, one through three. And the Lord said to Abraham, go from your country and your kindred and to your father and your father's house to a land that I will show you and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and I will make your name great so that you will be a blessing.
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I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you, I will curse.
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And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Now go to chapter 17, verses one through five.
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17, one through five. And when Abraham was 99 years old, the
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Lord appeared to Abraham and said to him, I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless that I may make my covenant between me and you and multiply you greatly.
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Then Abraham fell on his face and God said to him, behold, my covenant is with you and you shall be a father of a multitude of nations.
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No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be called
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Abraham for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
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And I pointed out that the name Abraham means father of a multitude of nations.
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And as we transition, all the nations, listen, all the nations of the earth will be blessed through this offspring.
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So the question is why? And they will be blessed because of Abraham's obedience.
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Not because the nations obey, but because of Abraham's obedience.
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Look at chapter 22 again, beginning in verse 16. God makes this declaration, by myself
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I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
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I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven and as the sand of the seashore, your offspring shall possess the gate of its enemies.
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And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, right here, because you, speaking to Abraham, have obeyed my voice.
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The nations of the world are being blessed through the offspring because Abraham obeyed.
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Not because we obeyed, because Abraham obeyed. Because Abraham obeyed the voice of the
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God, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. And that blessing is a spiritual blessing through a physical offspring.
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And my argument would be that this physical offspring is Jesus Christ, Jesus the
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Nazarene. Now let's go to our first point.
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Hebrews chapter six, we'll look at, the first point is the earthly fulfillment.
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Hebrews chapter six, verses 15 through 18, but I wanna just read right now verse 15, verse 15.
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And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
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The earthly fulfillment has two sub -points. Sub -point
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A, sub -point B. Sub -point A, the promise, sub -point
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B, the heirs. So let's look at our first sub -point. Sub -point A, the promise. The promise is found in verse 14 of Hebrews chapter six.
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The promise being that God will surely multiply him. Look at verse 14. Saying, surely
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I will bless you and multiply you. This is a direct quote from what we just read in Genesis chapter 22.
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This is what it's referring to. He is going to bless him because of this one act done by Abraham.
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The fulfillment of this promise is found in Isaac. The earthly fulfillment of this promise is found in Isaac.
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Look at what the writer says in verse 15. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
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The promise being Isaac, his son. That was to him all the nations of the world would be blessed.
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Abraham was 75 years old when God gives him this promise. He receives this promise at 100 years old.
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He waited patiently 25 years. We're on God's time clock, ladies and gentlemen.
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Matter of fact, Abraham was 100 years old. Imagine that, 100 years old having a child. Which is why
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Genesis 22 is so important that Abraham would be willing to obey and sacrifice his only son, the son of the promise, after waiting 25 years.
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And Genesis 22 five seems to be indicating that he knew that his boy would return with him.
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Verse five says, then Abraham said to the young man, stay here with the donkey. I and the boy are going over there to worship and come again to you.
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Seems to be saying that both will come. And then whenever our writer in Hebrew interprets it this way in chapter 11.
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You can turn there and see it with your own eyes if you wish. Chapter 11, verses 17 through 19.
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Hebrews chapter 11, 17 through 19. By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.
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And he who received the promises was in the very act of offering up his only son.
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Of whom it was said through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
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He considered that God was able to raise him from the dead, of which figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
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Now why Isaac? The scripture's clear, because God made the promise through Isaac.
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God made the promise through Isaac. It's through Isaac I'm gonna bless you. Look at Genesis chapter 17.
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Chapter 17, verses 18 and 19. You see Abraham pleading with God.
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Chapter 17, Genesis chapter 17, 18 and 19. Abraham said to God, oh, that Ishmael might live before you.
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So he said that he patiently waited. And we see here, there was moments there, right? Where he's like, oh
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God, may Ishmael live before you. And God said, no.
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But Sarah your wife shall bear a son and you shall call his name
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Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant of his offspring after you.
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Now go back to our text in Hebrews. Verse 15, and thus
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Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
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To Abraham, Isaac was the down payment of the promise. It's like, you wanna guarantee that this is gonna happen?
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Here's Isaac. You who thought that you couldn't have a child with Sarah.
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Here's Isaac. This is your guarantee. This is the down payment of the promise that I am going to bless all the nations.
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The down payment that would lead to the nations being blessed. Now look at with me at verses 16 through 18a.
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And verses 16 through 18a is speaking about the covenant that was made with an oath.
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Verse 16, for people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes, an oath is final for confirmation.
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So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.
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So that by two unchangeable things, which it is possible for God to lie.
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And verse 16 is a truth that still carries today.
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When a man or a woman swears, they swear by something greater than themselves.
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We see this in courts. They put their hand on the Bible, and they swear by something greater than themselves.
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I can remember as a teenager being in a gang, and there was this thing that we would swear by, it was called the
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G. I know it's stupid, right? Sounds stupid. But if someone in this gang was to swear an oath on the
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G, and if you lied, if you didn't back up what you said, you were violated, and it was serious.
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Do not put it on the G, right? That's how we would, I'm stupid, right?
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I'm a teenager. To us, it was serious. Do not swear it on the
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G, and lie, or you would be violated.
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At this time, an oath was necessary for confirmation, as it is today with contracts. And in verse 17,
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I believe it's pointing us back to the contract that God made with Abraham in Genesis 15, where he had
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Abraham to take these animals and to cut them in half and to separate them, and to make like an aisle to where they would walk down it holding hands.
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So at this time, literally at this time, the two people, they would cut the animals, they would separate the body parts, they would hold hands, and as they walked through it,
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I'm not gonna spin in circles because of my vertigo, but they would walk through it spinning in circles, swearing that they would keep their side of the bargain.
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And Abraham cuts this. God causes Abraham to fall asleep, and God alone walks through the split, slaughtered animals in a theophany as a smoking pot and a flaming torch, confessing that he was going to keep the covenant, and that he was not gonna go back on his word.
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Also, in chapter 15 of Genesis, we are introduced to the heirs of the promise, which brings us to subpoint
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B, subpoint B, the heirs. Genesis 3, I mean, Genesis 15, 13 says this.
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You don't have to turn there. Then the Lord said to Abraham, know for certain that your offsprings will be sojourners in a land that's not theirs, and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years.
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That being Jacob and the 12 tribes beginning with his sons.
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Because his Joseph's brothers sold Joseph into slavery, a famine came,
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Egypt, Joseph had made it second to Pharaoh. He interpreted a dream.
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They saved up for seven years grain, and only Egypt wasn't suffering from this famine.
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His brothers, his daddy, all of them were suffering, so they had to go to Egypt and to buy grain.
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They eventually see that it's Joseph that's second in command, and they, the Israelites, move into Egypt.
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And by doing so, their descendants after them become enslaved when a
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Pharaoh raises up that knows not Joseph. That's a lot to dish out if you're a freewheeler, to understand all these free will choices in God's prophecies being done right before your eyes, right?
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But right here, it introduces us to the heirs, the physical heirs, beginning with Jacob, who's
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Jacob's father, Isaac. Jacob's sons are the 12 tribes of Israel.
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And I believe that the two unchangeable things in verse 18 are speaking about the character of God and the purpose of God.
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God guaranteed these things to take place with an oath by him walking through the slaughtered animals, him alone.
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I like the fact that it says it was a smoking pot and a flaming torch, because it's still two things walking through.
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And by doing so, God was saying, if God doesn't keep his side of the covenant, or if Abraham doesn't keep his side of the covenant, then what happened to these animals
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God will take upon himself. Abraham receives no curse.
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If Abraham doesn't keep this covenant, nothing bad happens to Abraham. As we see that Abraham can't keep the covenant.
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No one can keep the covenant, but one. As we transition, it's because there's no one greater.
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There's no one greater, right? The character of God points back to God saying that he can keep the covenant.
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If God doesn't keep this covenant, then it goes against his character. And God cannot lie.
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He is not gonna break his side of the covenant. It's against his character.
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And if Abraham breaks his side of the covenant and God doesn't fulfill it, then it goes against the purpose of God.
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If Abraham would have walked through that slaughtered lamb and broke the covenant, it would have went against the purpose.
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God purposed in eternity past that he would save a people through his son.
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That's why Abraham had this deep sleep fall upon him and God himself enters it because he is not going to break his character or his purpose.
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Point number two, the spiritual fulfillment. Hebrews chapter six, 18 through 20.
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So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope before us.
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We have this as a source and steadfast anchor of the soul.
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A hope that has, a hope that enters into the enter place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on behalf having become, on our behalf having become a high priest forever after the order of Mechizedek.
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I believe here in the text, the writer is trying to give people hope. He's trying to give people hope to those who are fleeing for refuge.
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Again, at this time you had the Jewish revolt is taking place. Persecution of Christians is taking place both by the
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Jews and also by Rome and they're getting it from both ways. All they have to do is go back to the temple, continue in Judaism and you won't die.
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And the writer here is trying to give them hope. Hope to those who have fled for refuge because Jesus is our refuge.
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And that's what he's trying to point us to. He's saying, those who are running from this persecution, who are, this persecution that's taking place, he's telling them, he is trying to assure them of the sufficiency of Christ.
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And he's calling Christ their hope that is set before them.
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Right there in verse 18, it says, we who have fled for refuge, we're running from our lives, we're running from our lives, might have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope.
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He is trying to encourage them to hold fast to the hope that is set before them and he is pointing that Jesus is their only hope.
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Their only refuge. So the writer is trying to encourage them to hold fast.
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He says, hold fast to the hope. And he gives an analogy of an anchor. And it kind of puts your mind, as having an imagination like mine,
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I'm thinking about a boat on the sea, it's storming, there's wind, there's waves all around and it's telling them to drop the anchor.
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And if you know anything about the anchor, the anchor goes into the water and it hits the ground and it grounds up and it tries to plant itself into the ground of the ocean to keep the boat from moving.
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So he's trying to give them this analogy that they have a sure hope, they have an anchor that has went in to the curtain.
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That's what verse 19 is telling us. We have this sure and steadfast anchor of our soul, a hope that has entered into the place behind the curtain.
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And it's telling us that Jesus has entered, Jesus being our anchor of our soul, and he has entered into the holy of holies.
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And because he, the anchor of our soul, has entered into the holy of holies, like that boat on the ocean is unmovable, we are unmovable.
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Because he has entered into the holy of holies with his own blood.
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He has passed through the curtain. The promise to the heirs and to the promise, the promise and the heirs seem to have a two -part fulfillment.
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On one hand, the promise is Isaac and the heirs are the 12 tribes. But on the other hand,
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Jesus also being the promised offspring and the heirs are those who have the faith of Abraham.
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Genesis, I mean, Galatians chapter three verse seven says this, knowing that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
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Speaking of the Gentiles. Not the Jews, not the physical descendants, but the spiritual descendants.
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The writer of Hebrews is calling out to the Israelite community, telling them that the old covenant is closing in fast and they need to hold fast to the hope, to Jesus, to the steadfast anchor that has entered the holy of holies.
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And again, since Jesus has entered, he is this anchor that has entered that we, you, should be unmovable.
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And ladies and gentlemen, that is the job of every preacher that is in the pulpit today.
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They are to be calling out to you, telling you to hold fast, that no matter what's going on, hold fast to the hope that is set before us.
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Why? Because we have a steadfast anchor. The anchor of our soul that has passed through the interplace behind the curtain.
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And yet people say this chapter teaches that you can lose your salvation. What garbage?
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It says here that Jesus is the anchor of our soul and he has passed through the curtain.
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And just like an anchor holds the boat from being taken down, Christ is holding us, keeping us unmovable.
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He is at the right hand of God. He is on the throne of David. And listen to me, there is none greater than him.
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There's absolutely none greater than him. And God proved this by providing the lamb.
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Genesis 22, 14 says, on this mount, the Lord shall provide.
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And it is that very same mount where Isaac was bound and laid on that wood.
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And whereas the acts of Abraham's wrath was coming down to slaughter his son, the angel of the
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Lord, which is a Christophany of Christ, called to him, showed him the ram caught in the thicket.
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And that very angel that stead the hand of Abraham was born of a virgin and he suffered under the hands of Pontius Pilate.
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And ladies and gentlemen, it was God's hand that was raised against him.
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Isaiah chapter 53 says that, it pleased the Lord to crush him.
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And listen, and as God's hand was coming down to crush his son, no one stayed his hand.
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The very angel that stayed the hand of Abraham was born of a virgin and his father, the only true
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God, slaughtered his son in our place. The Lord has provided the lamb.
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And because of that sacrifice, there's no more need of an earthly Jewish temple for animal sacrifices to take place.
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That age had come to an end. With the life of Christ, the life that he lived, he saved us from the wrath of God.
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So as that hand was coming down to slaughter, that hand would not slaughter us because of the life that Jesus Christ lived.
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Romans chapter five, verse 10. And because of the death he died, it reconciled us to God.
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Romans chapter five, nine and 10. So the call of repentance and faith is this, is to trust in the character of God.
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I know it's hard to do. It's to trust in the character of God. And it's to trust that God will accomplish his purpose.
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I know we look around us ourselves today and we wonder how will
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God accomplish this purpose, that God purposed to save a people.
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And in doing so, he became the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.
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And it's through that message of what Jesus Christ has done that stays the hand.
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It's through that message that Jesus Christ will bless, that God will bless all the nations.
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But that message has to be preached.
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It has to be proclaimed. It has to be told. Those who know it have to speak it. And it's a hard task.
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I was out there yesterday preaching. It's not easy, but that's how it happens.
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The call of repentance and faith is to trust in the character of God, that he will do what he says.
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It's according to his nature. That's his nature. He will keep his side of the covenant and to trust in his accomplished purpose that even though we can't keep it, we couldn't keep the covenant, he's still gonna keep it.
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It will be accomplished. So today, if you have not listened, if you listen, listen to me.
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If you have not received Jesus by faith, if you have not turned from your self -righteousness to God by trusting in Jesus Christ, I pray today that you will.
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If you need me, I am available. Pastor Cal as well, we would love nothing more than to talk with you.
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Please join me as we pray. Father, Lord, we love you.
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Lord, we ask that your grace and your mercy will help us to walk out these doors today and live our lives for you.
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And God, we know that your word tells us that when we mess up, and we will, to confess our sins and to know that we have an advocate who is at your right hand, plead in our case, and that this advocate is our propitiation.
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He is the payment for our wrongdoing. Help us not to forget these things.
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Lord, I pray over your supper as the congregation is preparing themselves to partake.
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Lord, that you will bless us through it. And as we partake in the body that was broken for us and the blood that was shed for us, which is what these elements represent,
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Lord, we're trusting that you will grow us into the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.