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| Order Of Worship (Liturgy) Psalter 289 - The Unfailing Faithfulness of God (Stz. 1-4) TH 522 - My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less TH 109 - Lord, My Weak Thought in Vain Would Climb TH 94 - How Firm A Foundation |
Christ Assures and Anchors Us
Hebrews 6:11-20
As believers, we fall into sin. Why? Because we’re weak. Even when we think we’re strong. Peter thought himself bold and strong. When Christ walked on water, he asked to walk; but when he looked away from Christ to the choppy waters, he started to sink. So much for boldness. When Christ told the disciples they’d deny him - Peter said, “if others deny you, I’ll never. Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never deny you!” But he denied Christ 3 times. So much for his confidence. When Jesus predicted his death, Peter rejected this prediction. Jesus rejected Peter’s words as Satanic. Jesus warned him that Satan wanted to shake his faith and break him down - like the sifting of wheat. And it happened. Despite the warning, Peter fell. He knew and felt Satan’s power. That’s why he warned the church in 1 Peter 5:8 - “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Beloved, we conclude that all of us will be shaken, tried, and broken by temptation. Why? Because we’re weak. How many times have you fallen into sin in the last week, the last month, the last year? How bad has it been? Now, to acknowledge this doesn’t mean we excuse it. We have a king to obey! But we also have a priest, when we fall. And we’ll fall. Sometimes when we fall, we despair. We ask - how can we disappoint God and ourselves again! But sorrow is good; there’s a sorrow that leads to repentance. And strong words are used in Hebrews to evoke repentance. But there are also comforting words. Here, comforting instructions are given to those who’ve fallen. Firstly, follow tenacious Abraham who inherited God’s promises. Secondly, remember the immutable God who gives double assurance. Thirdly, remember the victorious God-man who anchors our soul.
Firstly, follow tenacious Abraham who inherited God’s promises. In verses 11-12, the writer spoke to these beloved brethren. He urged them to be diligent. “Push to the end! Be fully assured of your salvation. If you believe God, he’ll keep you. Imitate other faithful believers! They kept the faith! You can too! They inherited God’s promise. They went to heaven. So can you!” Dearly beloved, are you struggling? Have you fallen badly? What can you do? Look to the example of others who fell and continued on. Who especially? Abraham, verse 13. You can be strengthened like he was - he hoped until God’s promise was fulfilled. If he hoped, so can you. And it wasn’t easy! It was the impossible promise of salvation. Verse 13-14 - “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.” God promised Abraham to make him into great nation. Many nations would be saved by his descendent, meaning Christ. But this promise seemed impossible. Why? Abraham was old. When God instructed him to leave for a foreign country, he was already 75 years old. Why travel and start again when you’re old? There’s more to life than what’s here. By faith, Abraham left. Also, he was rich. Leave Ur for what? You’re so comfortable. You’re in a highly civilized city - Sumerian culture was the world’s most advanced then. Why would you want to abandon everything to start afresh? There’s more to life than riches. By faith, he left. But greatest hindrance to the fulfillment of this promise? He was childless. Abraham had no heir - no son. All the riches in the world can’t father a nation, birth a savior. And how could he at his age? Yes, many older men father children. But the problem wasn’t with him - it was with his wife. Genesis 11:30 says Sarah was barren. But they were one flesh. So how would God fulfill the promise to make him a great people, and bless the whole world when he had no son. It seemed like an impossible promise of salvation. How? By faith.
Abraham tenaciously believed. And here we see the incredible picture of determination. Verse 15, “And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Yes, it took 25 years. When Abraham was 100 years old, Sarah gave birth to Isaac. But it wasn’t easy. There were times when his faith waned. Sarah was impatient. She thought she could bring about God’s promises by giving Hagar to Abraham. But when Ishmael was born, God told Abraham he wasn’t the child of promise. Instead, Sarah would bear a child. And as we know, Sarah laughed. It was a laugh of unbelief. Like how some people scoff - God will never help me, or make me holy, he can’t fill my life with contentment and joy - how can he ever save me? She laughed in unbelief. But Abraham believed - he patiently endured. He waited 25 years. And God gave him a son whom he named Isaac - laughter. He brought joy. He’d bring the Savior. Yes, Abraham’s endurance imperfect. He fell at other times. He lied to Pharaoh that Sarah was not his wife. Why? He feared for his life. He did it again with Abimelech. Didn’t he trust God would make him a great nation and bless the world through him? Beloved, he wasn’t perfect, but note carefully that he was commended for his endurance here, not accused for his failures. As believers, we’re not defined by our failures. Yes, we call Thomas, Doubting Thomas; we remember Peter denied Christ three times. But in the end, Thomas fell down and proclaimed - my Lord and my God! Peter was restored 3 times. They were not defined by their failures. Neither are we by God.
In fact, what do we remember most about Abraham? His incredible determination to trust God. After waiting 25 years, he had a son. Then God told him to sacrifice him - his joy, his laughter! And Abraham was willing to sacrifice that joy and laughter. Would you? Isaac was a now a young adult, nourished by Abraham for years. But Abraham obeyed. He took him to Mount Moriah. But there, he told his servants - “Stay here with the donkeys. The young man and I will go there and worship, and we will return to you.” Abraham was confident he’d return with Isaac, even though he intended to sacrifice Isaac. Why? He knew God’s promises. And don’t miss this - Isaac allowed his aged father to bind him. It means he too, trusted. Hebrews 11:19 says he believed God was able to raise Isaac up from the dead. After all, God promised he’d be a great nation. So he trusted. He knew Isaac couldn’t stay dead. And if you recall, just as Abraham was to plunge the knife into Isaac, God provided a ram as a substitute. What does this tell us? Abraham had a tenacious hope in God’s promises. He wasn’t perfect. He fell many times. But he pushed forward in hope, and saw God’s promise fulfilled. So, let’s follow his example to hope. Despite failure, let’s hope. Despite falls, keep the faith. One day, we’ll be in heaven. Don’t let your failures get you down. We can even experience unspeakable joy. Abraham had every reason to give up. But he didn’t. He trusted God to keep his promises.
Now, why did he trust God? Because he knew who God was. Secondly, remember the immutable God who gives double assurance. Verse 13 says when God promised Abraham to bless and multiply him, he swore an oath to keep his promise. So he promised, and then he promised to keep his promise. It was an oath - a serious vow. He promised to keep his promises. He vowed to keep his vow. While God’s promise was enough, he took an extra oath to keep his promise. We all do this - especially children - “I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” But God? Isn’t his word good enough? So why did he do it? To give double assurance to strengthen Abraham’s hope. You see, God already promised long before Isaac was born, that he’d bless the world through Abraham. Abraham believed. He didn’t laugh. And after the incident on Mount Moriah, God reiterated it again, but this time promising to keep the promise. Let’s see the words in Genesis 22:15-18 - “And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” I swear on myself that I’ll keep my promise to bless all nations through Christ. Why did God swear? To doubly assure Abraham - to strengthen his hope.
But this double assurance strengthens our hope too. We learn in our text that this promise and oath weren’t only meant for him but for us! Verse 17 - God bound himself with an oath, so we - Abraham’s heirs - would be perfectly certain God’ll never change his mind to save and bless us. Verse 18 says this double promise would emphasize a truth and produce assurance - “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 hold upon the hope set before us.” It emphasized the truth - God doesn’t lie. Numbers 23:19 - God’s not a man that he should lie or change his mind. God also did it to assure us doubly he’d save us. And how he swore should bolster our confidence. Verse 13 says he swore by himself - “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself.” Normally, we taken an oath in the name of someone greater. “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God” or some people would even say “I swear on the grave of my mother.” Why? Verse 16 says it’s meant as a confirmation - to put an end to all doubts and strife. If you swear on yourself, and if you aren’t reliable, your oath isn’t worth much. It’s like a career criminal who says, “You can trust me! I swear!” Or the serial gossiper - “I promise not to tell.” So you need to swear on something greater. But God swore on his own name, because there was nothing greater.
So what does this mean to us? Are you struggling? Do you fall into sin? Are you weak? God had us in mind thousands of years before we were ever born or ever were saved. He made this double promise - a promise and a vow to assure us. Not only can he not lie, not only was the first promise binding already, but he vowed to keep it! On his own name. He staked his reputation on it. He loves those who’ve run to him for salvation. Are we strongly encouraged by that? Do we believe that all these promises to Abraham are ours? God promised him salvation, joy, happiness, eternal life, a heavenly country. These are ours too. Galatians 3:29 - “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” And verse 18 reminds us - these are the promises given to those who have fled to God for refuge. If you’re saved, cling tightly to them. Are you experiencing sin? Are you discouraged that you’re still falling into sin? Cling harder to the promises. You’re not saved by how perfectly holy you are. Abraham fell many times. But he clung to Christ. He was willing to sacrifice his joy and laughter. We must cling to Christ, when we fall. In choppy waters, we cling to the boat, willing to sacrifice all other valuable things. You’re struggling with sin? You’ve fallen hard? Like Peter? Like Abraham? Give up sin but don’t let go of Christ. Don’t leave the faith. Why?
Because thirdly, you must remember the victorious God-Man has anchored our soul. Trusting God and his promises anchors our soul. Beloved, we’re incredibly anxious at times. We look left, we look right, looking for the right path to take. We’re unsure if this job, or person, or school, or direction will give us peace and security. But the thing that gives us assurance is Christ’s heavenly position. Verse 19 says, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” Where’s Christ now? He’s in heaven. He entered into heaven with the veil. He’s at the right hand of God’s throne. After all his suffering and temptation, he’s there - body and soul. He passed from this world and from our sight into the skies. Then he passed from the skies into outer space, and passed from that into the third heaven. Just like the High Priest on the Day of Atonement went through the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies to the Ark of the Covenant, covered with the mercy seat topped with golden angels; Christ as the Great High Priest has entered into the very throne room of God, surrounded by angels, and sat down at God’s right hand. There, he has no more temptation, no more suffering.
And he’s waiting for us. The fact that he’s there guarantees our destination. As verse 20 says, Jesus is our forerunner. The one who has gone before. In fact, Christ is the first man - glorified body and soul - to have gone to heaven. And the fact he’s there anchors our soul. If he’s there, we’ll be there. We’ve anchored our souls to him. And that’s a wonderful picture. Anchors of ships are thrust down, so they aren’t tossed to and fro, or left and right, during a storm. But the anchor of our soul is thrust heavenward, behind the veil. And it’s anchored in heaven. So how’s our hope strengthened by knowing he’s there? As our forerunner, he hasn’t abandoned us. In heaven, he functions as our High Priest - praying for us. When we sin - he appeals to the Father - I’ve saved him. When we despair about our circumstances here, the Lord assures us, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” His presence there guarantees our own presence there one day.
And this gives us peace and hope. A new submarine was once being tested. As part of its test, it remained submerged beneath the ocean’s surface for a long time. During that time, a powerful storm passed through the area, causing a great deal of damage. When the submarine returned to the harbor, the captain was asked how the storm affected it. The captain said - “Storm? What storm?!” The reason for his surprise was because the submarine was so far beneath the surface it reached an area known as “the cushion of the sea.” While the surface had terrible waves, the waters in that “cushion” were not even stirred. Ships on the surface were damaged, but the submarine was safe.
Beloved, have you fallen? Are you overcome by some sin now? Like Peter, were you once confident, but you’re sinking under some distress now? Peter wasn’t defined by his failure. Neither are we. Our salvation is secure, if we trust in Christ. He’s anchored our soul in heaven. And we know it - if we hate our sin, if we’re willing to sacrifice all other sinful joys here; if that double promise thrills our souls. In the midst of all of our failures, Christ’s our anchor. Let us desire heaven above all other things. And this affects us now - we can stand secure and pursue holiness. So don’t be overcome by your falls. Keep on fighting. Keep on believing. At the end of the age, the Lord Jesus will welcome us into this kingdom - “thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into my rest.”
1. Follow Tenacious Abraham Who Inherited God’s Promises
A. The impossible promise of salvation
B. The incredible portrayal of determination
2. Remember the Immutable God Who Gives Double Assurance
A. Double assurance strengthened his hope
B. Double assurance strengthens our hope
3. Remember the Victorious God-Man Who Anchors Our Soul
A. His heavenly position
B. Our guaranteed destination
Conversation for Change:
1. Do you have assurance of salvation? What is it based on – your decision to follow Christ or the promises in the Scripture? Evidence of a living faith is perseverance in hope and perseverance in holiness. Which do you struggle most with?
2. Why would this Christian hope help you in pressing on in Christ even though you don’t have happiness and joy now in life? What is the happiness and joy you’re looking for that can’t be found in Christ?
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2025, Rev. Mark Chen
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