Book of Hebrews - Ch. 6, Vs. 4-20 (04/04/2021)

The Jews’ Advantages in Hebrews 6 and Their Inability to Save

Let us pray. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to come together into your house and worship you. Thank you for providing for us the Holy Scripture.

And thank you for providing the Holy Spirit to help us understand what the Holy Scripture has in store for us. And most especially, thank you for giving us your Son, especially on this of all days, that we may bring him to remembrance of all the things that he did for us and for you, that we may be with him eternally, with you.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Last Sunday, we looked at five advantages that the Jews possessed, oh, you are a sweetheart. I love it, yes, yes. Thank you very much. I just had my morning allotment of coffee.

I forgot my coffee. I forgot my coffee at home. Got halfway here and recognized that I didn't have it. It is not a good feeling. I reached for my coffee cup at least four times on the way to work, on the way to church this morning.

And so thanks a bunch. Okay, we'll get back to our service. Last Sunday, we looked at five advantages that the Jews possessed. These are advantages, however, that were not sufficient to acquire salvation.

We see them in verse four, at least three of them. They were enlightened. They had the scripture. They had the Old Testament scripture. Not only that, they had received instruction in the biblical truth contained in the scriptures.

And moreover, it was a truth that was accompanied by intellectual perception. That is to say, they understood what the scripture said. The second thing that they had, the second advantage they had, they had tasted the heavenly gift.

Jesus had brought healings. He had brought deliverance from demons. He had brought food that He miraculously created. The third thing mentioned in verse four, they were partakers in the Holy Spirit. This is a reference to unbelievers, who in spite of the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit, resisted without experiencing salvation.

Then in verse five, it talks of two other things. They had tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. And yet had not been regenerated. This in spite of all that they had heard and seen.

Now, John, at the end of his gospel in chapter 21, ends it this way. And there were many other things which Jesus did. The which, if they should be written, everyone, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

These Jews were repeating the sins of those who died in the wilderness. After seeing all the miracles performed by Jesus, actually performed by Jesus through Moses and Aaron. And after hearing the voice of God at Sinai, every day they saw at least two major miracles.

Food was supplied to them, enough for the army of four million people and their animals and water. A task that we couldn't do today with all of the technology that we have. Provided to them every day, a miracle, and they didn't see it.

We also last week looked at the events surrounding Palm Sunday and took note of the fact that even though many of the common people recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the leaders and especially the Pharisees did not.

Oh, they recognized Jesus was something special. They saw his supernatural powers. They heard his teaching. Not only did they see his power and hear his teaching, but they were expecting the Messiah. But in spite of all they heard and saw, they were unable to put it all together.

So they rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Now this morning, we're going to look at a sixth advantage that the Pharisees had. After the resurrection, many of the Pharisees saw Jesus. They saw Jesus alive and walking around after his death.

His burial and after the resurrection, but before the ascension. At one time, he was seen by over 500 men and many Pharisees saw him and they rejected him anyhow. Of all the miracles that they witnessed, and they witnessed one every day, this should have been a clincher.

But for many, it was not enough. Now, this is the week that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. And because of that resurrection, we can say along with Paul, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The Last Prayer of Jesus in John 17

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Now, we're going to proceed to read one of the Lord's prayers.

I started to just call this the Lord's prayer, but it's not the one that begins, our Father who art in heaven. That really should be called the disciples prayer. That's the prayer that Jesus prayed when the disciples asked him to teach them how to pray.

Rather to go to that prayer, we're going to go to John 16, verse 32, for a little context, and then to the last prayer that Jesus lifted up to the Father in the presence of all of his disciples. Now, this is not the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

That one, he prayed basically alone. He had three of his disciples with him, but they were all asleep. So this is the last prayer that he prayed that the disciples heard. John 16, verse 32. "'Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone.'".

I'm going to pause there a second and just tell you that Jesus knew when he prayed this prayer, what was going to happen to his disciples after the crucifixion. They're going to scatter and leave him alone.

"'And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'.

And now for his prayer, go on down to John 17, verse one. He just told them about all the things that are going to happen. And these things spake Jesus, and he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, this is his prayer.

"'Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. As thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him.'. Now, you might want to make note, not to everyone, to those the Father has given him.

You might also wonder, why is anyone given eternal life? No one deserves it except Jesus. And so why? Because that was in his plan from the beginning, that he was going to save a remnant. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.". I'm going to pause there a second also. He hasn't really finished all the work that the Lord has given him to do at this time.

This is the time just before he goes into the garden of Gethsemane. He's still got to die on the cross. He's still got to be buried. He's still got to be resurrected. He's still got lots of things to do, but he's looking past all of that.

He's looking past the cross. And he's asking to be returned to the glory that he shared with the father before the world began. Now, the sin debt that is earned by every man will be paid for in a few hours, and will be confirmed by Jesus when he is hanging on the cross, when he said, it is finished.

Kaleo, which means paid in full. Verse five. This is John chapter 17, verse five. And now, O father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. So where was Jesus before the world was created?

He was in, I don't even want to say in the heavenlies, because the heavens and the earth had not been created, but he was wherever God the father and the Holy Spirit was, that's where he was. Jesus, God the father and the Holy Spirit, the triune God, wherever they were, that's where he was.

And I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. I'm going to read that once again carefully. I have manifested thy name. I have made thy name open, visible, unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.

Did he make the name of the Lord of God manifest to every man? Or just to the men that God the father gave him? Well, it says it clearly. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.

Thine they were, and thou gavest them me. And they have kept thy word. Now they have known all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I gave unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee.

And they have believed that thou didst send me. Now verse nine, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. For they are mine, and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.

So who's he praying for? All of his. Is he praying for all the rest? He's not praying for the cosmos here. He's not praying for anything. He is praying for those men that the Lord gave him from out of the world.

And now I am no more in the world. Again, he's looking past the cross. Now he's even looking past the ascension. He's looking past all of the time from the ascension all the way through until Revelation 20.

He is in the world when he is praying this prayer. He will be in the world up until his death on the cross. He'll be away for a couple of days. Then he'll be back for about 50 days. Then he'll be out of the world again.

But his influence won't be. And his job will not really be over until Revelation 21, I believe, and we'll get there in a minute. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep them through thine own name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept. And none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Now you might wonder what that's all about.

Judas was preordained to be chosen as a disciple and to betray Christ. He was chosen, preordained to be lost. I'm sorry? I said what he wanted to. But he did what he wanted to do. That's always the other side of the coin.

We will do what God ordains and we will do it because we want to do it. Now what will determine what we want to do? Whether God has caused us to want to do what he wants or whether Satan has caused, I'm not gonna say us, them to do what he wants them to do.

But somebody will help control your choice. And now I come to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I thought it was really ironic that he would say this just now.

He is just about to leave and go into the garden of Gethsemane. He is just about to be crucified, to be separate from God the Father for the first time in eternity and the only time in eternity. And he talks about his joy, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Some of my joy, I want them to have some of my joy. He is still joyful, even though he knows where he is going. He knows what's going to happen. I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Yes, Jesus was in the world, but he was never of the world. Yes, we are in the world, but we're not of the world. Sometimes we think we are, sometimes we act as if we were or are, but we were never of the world.

And this is something that it seems now that we're reminded of daily, that we are not of the world. All of the things that are happening today, things that are just unimaginable, at least were unimaginable to me two years ago, things I could not possibly have imagined are happening.

And it seems like what we view as good, the world views as evil. And what the world views as good, we view as evil. We know as evil. It seems like we're reminded of that every day. But his prayer is interesting.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shall keep us them from the evil. And I think that should be translated from the evil one, protect them from Satan and keep them out of the hands of the evil one.

They are not of this world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. As thou has sent me into the world, even so I also sent them into the world. So God the Father sent Jesus into the world.

And what does Jesus do to the disciples and to us? He sends us out into the world. He can't take us back. We wouldn't fulfill what our destiny is to do. He's not gonna keep us out of the world. He's not gonna keep the world from hating us, but he's gonna leave us in the world.

And for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth, separated myself for the work of God. That's what sanctify means. Neither pray I for these alone. But for them also, which shall believe on me through their word.

Now whose word is he talking about now? Word, their word. Neither pray for I, now he's already said, I don't pray for the world. I don't pray for all the men in the world, just for those that you have given me.

I pray for them. And now he says this, neither pray I for these alone, the ones he's been talking about. But for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. Yes, kind of, but it's even more than that.

He has just talked about sending disciples, and in fact, sending you and me into the world to spread his message, that through their word, through the message that the disciples passed along, through the message that we pass along, I pray for those who will believe on me through their word, through the things that they say.

Now what this is talking about here specifically is Gentiles, as well as Jews. All of his disciples were Jews. He's sending his disciples out into the hostile world, and he knows that's hostile. He said, the world will hate them because they hate me.

You're not of the world. The world will think everything you say is evil, and what you say is evil, they will say is good. But not all of them. Some of the world will believe. And the ones that believe, he's praying for them too.

The Gentiles, as well as the Jews, all who believe. That's who he's praying for. He's praying for all who believe that they may all be one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one.

I in them, thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Now, what world is he talking about now?

The world of those who believe. Those who believe, the ones that you gave me, that you have loved them as you have loved me. Verse 24, Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world.

Oh, righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known thee, that thou hast sent me. So who's known them? Who's known him? Those that the Lord sent. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

The Arrest of Jesus and the Chain of Redemption

Now, we're to verse eight, chapter 18. When Jesus had spoken these words, that is to say he's now completed the prayer, the last prayer that he uttered in the presence of his disciples, at least those disciples who were awake and with him, when he had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Sadron, where was a garden into which he entered and his disciples.

And Judas also, notice it rules him kind of out of the disciples, the disciples and Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place, for Jesus oft times resorted thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priest and Pharisees, come a thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, no surprises for Jesus, went forth and said unto them, whom seek ye? And they answered, Jesus of Nasseth. And Jesus said unto them, I am he.

Now, we're now gonna look at the final links in a chain of events that were determined much earlier. The next thing we're gonna see after right now is his betrayal. Judas is standing right in front of him with a band of soldiers and he's getting ready to betray him.

Jesus is gonna be arrested and questioned by Annias. He's gonna be tried before Caiaphas, the high priest. He's gonna appear before Pilate. Pilate is going to discover that Jesus is a Galilean. And he sees what he thinks is a way out of his dilemma.

So he sends him to Herod. Herod says, no thanks, and sends him back. Barabbas is gonna be released. When given the choice between Barabbas and Jesus, the mob chose Barabbas. Someone said, what would Jesus have done?

Who would Jesus have chosen had he been in the mob? He would have chosen Barabbas too. In fact, the very fact that he was there doing what he's doing is he's, he knew he had to. And so he would have chosen Barabbas as well.

Is Barabbas gonna be one of the saved? We don't know. We don't know. There's no way we can know. Jesus would have known, but he's gonna, he would have said, choose Barabbas anyway. Jesus is gonna be crucified.

These are some of the links in a chain of events that many Christians view as one of the greatest tragedies, if not the greatest tragedy of all history. What do you think? It is tough knowing what he went through.

But in truth, there are links in the greatest triumph in history. There are links in a chain that began long before the events that we just described in the Garden of Gethsemane. They began in another garden.

What garden did they begin in? They began in Eden, where Adam and Eve set it in motion by choosing to sin, eating the forbidden fruit. And Jesus said, I will put enmity between thee and the woman. Actually, this is God speaking.

And between thy seed and her seed. And it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. A chain of events that seemed to end with Jesus on the cross saying, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.

It seems to end there, but it's not really over until Revelation 21. I'm gonna read that again. And you're going to again hear the phrase, I believe it is finished. And I saw, this is John speaking about his vision of the new heaven and the new earth.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crime. Neither shall there be any more pain for all former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new.

And he said unto me, write, for these words are faithful and true. And he said unto me, you see the next three words? It is done. Now it's done. Now it really is finished. On the cross, he said, paid in full.

The price was paid there, but it wasn't done. And it won't be done until this verse. Write for me these words are faithful and true. And he said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. That is the final link in the chain of events, beginning in Eden, passing through the crucifixion and the resurrection and ending in a new heaven and a new earth.

It was a chain of events conceived by Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father at the determinant council before the creation of time itself. It was forged in time, link by link by Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Assurance, Faith, and Works in Hebrews 6

And now we're gonna go back to Hebrews nine and finish it off. We had a little discussion about this last week. I'm not gonna redo it in the interest of time because we, well, we got more time than I thought.

But beloved, we are persuaded of better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. Now the word beloved, and by the way, this is John MacArthur's work here. A couple of things I throw in, but I'll identify when I add something to John's work.

This term, beloved, shows a change in audience and a change in message, from a change of warning to a change of encouragement. I'm sorry, from a message of warning to a message of encouragement. That the address is to believers is further confirmed by the expression of confidence that better things could be said of them.

As compared to those who were being warned in the preceding verses. The things that accompany salvation are their works that verify their salvation. Now this is mine, but keep in mind, those works do nothing to earn the salvation.

Indeed, nothing can be done to earn salvation. It's a free gift of God. These better things are done because they're saved, not to somehow acquire salvation. Ephesians 2, verse 10 says this, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

When was the decision made that we would do the works that we do that verify our salvation? The same time the salvation was assured before time began, ordained before time began, that we should do the things that we need to do to verify our salvation.

Not to earn it, but just to indicate that we have it. Now, James says this, James 2, 18. Yea, a man may say thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.

So it's not that I have the faith by my works, but I will show you that I have faith by the works that I do. Thou believest there is one God, thou doest well. The devil also believe and tremble. What's the difference?

The difference is they know their destination as well as you do, as you know yours. You know your destination is heaven. They know their destination is hell. So they believe and tremble. You believe and are joyful.

O vain man, but will thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by his works was faith made perfect?

And the scripture was fulfilled, which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see then how that by works man is justified and not by faith alone.

Likewise was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as a body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. So it's the idea that if you have faith, you will have works.

Not that if you do works, you'll have faith. It's the converse. Back to verse nine just for a bit. We are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. This very statement, this is again John MacArthur, implies that the things described in Hebrews 511 through 6 -5 do not accompany salvation, but are indicative of unbelief and apostasy.

Though it was necessary to speak about judgment in the preceding verses, the writer assures the beloved, that is those who believe, that he is confident of their salvation. Look what he says. For God is not unrighteous to forget your works and your labor of love, which you have showed toward his name, in that you have ministered unto the saints and do minister.

Oh yes, you work, you labor, you minister, all because you have been justified. That is to say, because you are elect, not done to somehow become elect. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.

Now again, we have a switch in audience. He is once again speaking to unbelievers. But these unbelievers, he appears to intentionally distance from this particular group, from the particular group of would-be apostates of verses four and six.

He's distancing this group with the last group. The first group, John, was goats, or were goats. This group are lost sheep. This is a plea for the unbelieving Jews to come to Christ and to come to Christ immediately.

When these uncommitted Jews follow the example of active faith, when they are working out their salvation through the things that they do to indicate that they're saved, when they are doing that, like the previous group was doing it, they will obtain their salvation, or they will know that they have obtained their salvation.

They'll have full assurance of hope until the end. Verse 12, be not slothful, but followers of them through faith and patience, inherit the promises. I started it one word short. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

So don't be lazy. It's urgent. Yes, it's urgent. But you will inherit the promises. There's no chance that you won't because you're one of the elect. And how many of the elect will Jesus lose? None. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself.

The Abrahamic Covenant, God’s Oath, and the Anchor of Hope

Now, Jesus is encouraging the Hebrews who have not quite made up their mind, the lost sheep, the lost sheep of Israel, to encourage the Hebrews to rely on the faith of Jesus as opposing to holding on to the Levitical system.

The writer cites the example of Abraham who as a great model of faith should be imitated. Here's what he says in Romans 4 .1. What shall we say then that Abraham, our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. What's that saying is, if Abraham had been justified by the works that he did, then he would have received the glory.

But he wasn't. He was justified by grace. Therefore, the glory goes to God. And that's always the key to knowing to whom does the glory go. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Now to him that worketh is the reward reckoned, not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, the faith, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Okay, the story is recorded in Genesis, where God promises unilaterally to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven the second time. And he said, by myself, I swore, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, not only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thy seeds as stars of heaven, and as sands, which is on the seashore.

And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemy. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Bethshear.

And Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. Verse 14, saying, surely I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. The fact that God said it assures its fulfillment.

Now it's significant that the quote in Genesis is in context of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac, who was the immediate fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. God promised Abraham that in his seed was all the children be blessed.

He further specified that it would indeed be Isaac, it wouldn't be anyone else. And then he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Now, that was the fulfillment of his promise. That's the only part of the fulfillment of the promise that Abraham is gonna see.

He's not gonna live to see the rest of it. And he was willing to sacrifice Isaac. Ultimate fulfillment would take place through Isaac and his descendants. So Abraham was an example of the patience mentioned back in verse 12.

He received the promise in the beginning of its fulfillment by the birth of Isaac, but he did not live to see the promises fulfilled. Hebrews 11, 13 says this about all of the great saints. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Verse 16, for men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them the end of all strife, wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.

Now, the only reason he confirmed it by an oath is because of the nature of men. The nature of men is that they won't believe everything that's told them. They refuse to believe, and so usually they swear by somebody greater than them.

There was nobody greater than God, so he could only swear an oath. God's word does not need any confirmation from anyone else. It's reliable because God himself is reliable. People confirm their promises by appealing to someone greater.

Since no one is greater than God, he can only provide an oath for himself. By doing so, he is willingly accommodating himself to humans who desire the confirmation because of the characteristic unreliability of human promises.

You can be sure that if a human being makes you a promise, that there's a good chance he won't keep it. Verse 18, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay whole upon the hope set before us.