2.28.2011

The Promise

"For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." "And thus Abraham,having patiently waited, obtained the promise.  "For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. "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,  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.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:13-20
I am finding much hope in these verses today! They are preceeded by verses about "falling away," which no matter what your understanding of that term is, they are a rather frightening thought. But the point of them, as stated in Hebrews 6:10-12, is that we may press onward and seek to be even more earnest in our faith, that we may be certain on our hope.The passage above compares our hope with that of Abraham's, as we have the same guarantee of our hope. God swore by Himself, though His promise alone would be unchangable, so that Abraham would come to understand WHO GOD IS, and that nothing He says will ever fall to the ground. When God says something, you can be sure that it will come to pass. But God swore by Himself, so that the promise of blessing was doubly-insured by the GREAT I AM, for Whom IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO EVER LIE. What is the result of this truth? Why does it matter?It matters because "we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain!" If those words do not fill your soul with a joy that could explode into song...you either need to read them again, or consider your spiritual state. 
We can hold fast to the truths we have been taught, because He who promised is faithful!This Holy Word is 100% true and accurate...GOD SAID SO. Nothing He says ever fails. He is Truth. When He says that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, it's true. When He says the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin, it's true.When He says that Jesus Christ ascended on high, and is interceding on our behalf, it's true.When He says that Jesus is preparing A PLACE FOR US, where neither moth or rust can decay, and where thieves cannot break in and steal, it's true.When He says that to him who overcomes, he will be given a crown of life, it's true.When He says that in heaven we shall have no sorrow, death, or pain, it's true.When He says that we will be forever at peace and joyful in the presence of our God and Savior, it's True!
We can trust Him, friends! Not only is EVERYTHING HE SAYS TRUTH, but HE IS TRUTH. And when He swears by Himself, well, you can bet your life that it will come to pass!And that's what we're called to do as Christians. Give your life as insurance that every word of God is true, that you are willing to live and die to proclaim the Name of Him who ransomed your life from destruction and in whom YOU HAVE ETERNAL HOPE.
We have this sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.

"And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Hebrews 6:11-12

3 comments:

All Things Lovely said...

A couple friends and I are starting up a new website/blog for set-apart sisters to connect and share. We'd love you to be a part of it! Blessings, Hannah Rose

dwellonlovely.com

Logan Vaughan said...

Hey, I'm not sure why but the text is different colors. Two posts previous, the text is white, but on the most recent post, it's gray. I can't read the gray at all, so I was just wondering what's up...

Sophie said...

Thanks for letting me know, Logan. I didn't know:)