“I know you can do this!” Hearing words like these can make a profound impact in your life. They are words that express confidence and give hope. When a father or mother or mentor blesses a child or student with these words, it almost always guarantees success. These words instill the drive and endurance that are necessary to achieve a goal. These words cause a person to graduate even if it takes four hard years of study. These words cause a person to bring a company from bankruptcy to solvency with energy to spare for years of successful operation. These words can even cause a person to step out into thin air.

It is God’s desire that His children, “heirs of the promise”, receive strong words of encouragement that create the type of hope that endures to the very end. In the latter example, one cannot be confidant absolutely because burden of success still rests on them. They know there are gaps in knowledge, strength, and understanding.

However, in this weeks text, Hebrews 6:13-18, God promises with an oath, “I will do this!”  God has no weakness and lacks nothing. God cannot lie. He swears with an unbreakable oath. Therefore our confidence in God is absolute. He will do what He promises. By the Blood of Jesus Christ, through the Power of the Holy Spirit, God will see to it that all who “take refuge” in Him, be birthed out of this broken world and live with Him in Glory for eternity!

A means by which He accomplishes this is HOPE!

HOMEWORK:

Read Romans 4:13-25 (This is another account of Abraham’s faith)

Verse 13 declares that Abraham, and everyone else that has the faith of Abraham (vs 16),  is heir of something. What is it?

Verse 17 states two things (or workings) of God that would give us cause to place confidence in His promise to us. What are they?

Abraham is not weakened in faith as he considered how old he and his wife Sarah were. Why is this? (verse 21)

Is this account of Abraham’s faith told only for the sake of Abraham? (verses 22-24)

The following is a definition of hope; circle all the important words and discuss them.

An expectation or belief in the fulfillment of something desired. ^[1]

God reads the heart. Outward actions and expressions can fool the average observer, but God knows the underlying motivation for everything you do. This week the author of Hebrews encourages the reader, picturing a bright future, even though the reader has just been told they are not were they should be in the knowledge of God. Even though our author admonishes for drifting and being dull of hearing, the heart is still producing outward evidence of a born again life of sanctification.

Even though we don’t feel we desire the things of God, which includes His Word, Prayer, Worship, and community with the Body of Christ, the new heart that God placed in us when we placed our faith in Christ alone by His Grace is still beating strong. You feel dry as toast, but the heart in your chest is dripping with anticipation of a closer walk with Jesus.

This heart, a Grace Gift of God, is the key to our standing before Him. Though unseen, it is branded with the fingerprints of the Creator. It longs for God. It longs for righteousness. Even though it must battle daily our sin nature, our corrupt understanding, our lack of knowledge, and our bent forward selfishness, in the end our heart, autographed by God and sealed by the Spirit, WILL have its way.

The Apostle Paul describes a heart like this as “In Christ”.  In Christ you are a new creation and a child of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 3:26) In Christ we become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) We can rejoice because our God knows who we are even when we doubt.

In Christ Alone Our Hope is Found…hey, someone should write a song…

HOMEWORK:

Read Matthew 25:31-46

How does the description of Jesus match that of chapter one of Hebrews? (Verse 31)

The final judgment takes place in verses 32 to 46. Jesus, the Great Shepherd, separates the “sheep’ (the children of God) and the “goats” (the children of wrath).

How did Jesus say he knew that the sheep where really the children of God?  (Verses 35-36)

Did the children of God (the sheep) totally understand the type of life they lived? (Verses 37-39)

What were the ‘eyes of the heart’ of the sheep able to see that the heart of the goats couldn’t? (Verse 44)

In this account of the final judgment, did Jesus judge according to a single moment in time or over the entire lifetime of the sheep and goats?

Being “thin-skinned” can be lethal. Our culture doesn’t take kindly to criticism in many cases. Sometimes even healthy criticism is labeled hate speech. To have your boss criticize your work and automatically assume “my boss hates me” can result in leaving a position for which you are well suited and severing a valuable relationship. Your boss recognized your value when hiring you and simply wants to see you get it right and be successful. Everyone who has our best interest in mind will always be found in the painful process of correcting our faults.

Thus far in our study of Hebrews, the author has warned us that we are “drifters”, “dull of hearing”, and “in danger of being burned up like a field of thorns and thistles”. The author either hates us or like a loving father gives us what we need to be successful. I suggest the latter. As we continue our study next week, we pick up with chapter 6 verse 9 and the knowledge that we are “beloved”. It becomes obvious that he does not believe that we will fall away and be lost. He is hopeful. He believes that we will hear the warnings and instead of filing a “hate speech” lawsuit, we will respond by saying thank you for keeping us alert to how fragile we can be in this culture of self-pity and self-indulgence.

We can say thank you to a loving author who reminds us to fight the fight of faith. We say thank you to one who reminds us to reject the promises of sin and hold fast to the promises of Christ.

HOMEWORK:

Read 2 Peter 1:3-15

How does Peter describe the Christian life of fighting for faith in verses 3 through 7?

What is the result in your life if the fruit of faithfulness in present and increasing?

(verse 8-10)

How sure is Peter that you will not fall away? (verse 11)

What does Peter see as a duty as he teaches and lives with fellow believers? (verses 12-15)