Let us turn again to the Word
of God, turning now to Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 6, and I'll read verses 18 and 19. Hebrews 6, verses 18 and 19, 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, which hope we have as an anchor of
the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within
the veil." In the context, the apostle is
speaking of the promise that God had made to Abraham concerning
his seed. And now that promise was confirmed
when God swore by himself those are the two immutable, the two
unchangeable things, the Word, the promise of God and the oath
of God. Now the seed being promised,
which we read of back in Galatians 22, sorry, Genesis 22, that seed
was of course Isaac, the promised son that Sarah must bear. But Isaac is, we know, a type
of the Lord Jesus. As we read in Galatians 3.16,
to Abram and his seed were the promises made, he said, not of
seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And so the promise, the promise
that is confirmed by the oath of God, really centers in the
person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. that gospel that
he has come and established and sealed now with the shedding
of his precious blood but as we come to consider these words
it's more particularly what the Apostle says at the end of verse
18 and in verse 19 concerning the believers hope that I want
to send to your attention upon tonight he speaks of those who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,
which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,
and which enters into that within the veil." It's that hope then,
the believer's hope, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ, the
promised seat that I want to take up as a subject for a while
this evening. More generally, in the previous
verses, we see how he has said something with regards to the
false faith of some. That solemn passage at verse
4 following, And it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,
and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers
of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away to renew
them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the
Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." Oh, that false
faith. He speaks of these who apostatize. They fall away if they shall
fall away. It is impossible that they should
be renewed again unto repentance and faith. That faith, that is
true faith, is the faith that endures, as the Lord Jesus himself
says in the Gospel. He that shall endure unto the
end, the same shall be saved. And that genuine faith, that
saving faith, that justifying faith, is the faith that is joined
to hope, the hope of which we read here at the end of verse
18. We have fled for refuge, he says,
to lay hold upon the hope set before us. The Puritan, Dr. John Owen speaks of that faith
which begets hope, and says it is to be feared that where there
is no hope associated with that faith, it is not a genuine faith. What does he say here in verse
Eleven, we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence
to the full assurance of hope unto the end. If faith is to
endure unto the end, so too must hope also endure unto the end. And I want us to consider the
Christian's hope for a while then this evening. Under just
two headings, first of all, to think in terms of the hope of
heaven, the hope that is set before the believer, that that
is being spoken of here at the end of verse 18. It's not so
much the grace of hope that the Holy Spirit works in the soul
of the Christian believer, but it is that heaven The believer
is ultimately looking for and hoping for the hope of enjoying
the presence of God at the very end and enjoying that presence
of God for a never-ending eternity. Look at what he says in the following
verses here. which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, he says, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth
into that within the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Heaven is that place where the Lord Jesus Christ is, that place
where the Lord Jesus Christ has gone before, and given that promise
in the gospel that he has gone to prepare a place for his people
that where he is there they also may be. Christ himself is that
one who has entered now within the veil. Later, in chapter 9 of verse
24, Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,
which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God for us. And there in that
chapter, of course, the Apostle has been speaking of the significance
of the tabernacle, and how the high priest is the one who, once
in the year, would enter into the Holy of Holies. But he is saying here that the
Lord Jesus Christ is that one who has not entered into some
earthly tabernacle, but he has entered into heaven itself. Remember the significance of
the tabernacle in the Old Testament as a remarkable type and the
promise that God gave to the children of Israel through Moses
back in Exodus 25 where he is giving all those instructions
and directions with regards to the furniture of the tabernacle,
and amongst those things that he speaks of, of course, we have
the Ark of the Testimony, and that covering which is the Mercy
Seat, with the cherubims, one at each end of the Mercy Seat,
and there God says He will come and meet with His people. There
will I meet with thee, He says, and commune with thee from between
the cherubims. Oh, it was the promise of the
presence of God there in the Old Testament in the tabernacle.
The psalmist says in Salem also is his tabernacle and his dwelling
place in Zion. This is where God desired to
be. This is where God delighted to
be in the midst of Israel. And when we come to the book
of the Revelation, We see there how heaven is in many ways described
in terms of the tabernacle. As you know, the Book of the
Revelation is a book that is full of symbols and signs. All of these things were signified
unto the Apostle John we read in the opening chapter. Various signs and symbols are
taken from the Old Testament Scriptures. And there in Revelation
21 we read of the new heaven, the new earth. Here we have a
description of heaven itself. And what does the apostle say?
There in Revelation 21 Verse 3 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 crying, neither shall there
be any more pain. for the former things are passed
away this is a description of heaven and it is spoken of in
terms of God's tabernacle being amongst men God's presence this
is the glory this is the beauty of heaven and later in that same
chapter verse 22 he says I saw no temple therein, for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." Although he
has spoken in terms of the tabernacle or the temple, which is that
that replaced the tabernacle in the days of King Solomon,
of course, although he speaks of the tabernacle being amongst
men, the significance of the symbol that he's using is simply
to show that it is God himself who is that tabernacle. It is
God himself who is that temple. It is the presence of God there
in heaven. But we know that ultimately,
ultimately, it is the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ of which
the tabernacle and the temple is really a type. And that's brought out again
in chapter 9 of Hebrews, verse 11, where we read of Christ being
come and high priest of good things to come by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say,
not of this building. All the human nature, the body,
the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ Remember how in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It is his human nature
that is really the antitype of the tabernacle and of the temple. He says there in John chapter
2 to the Jews concerning his resurrection from the dead, he
says, destroy this temple and in three days I will build it
again. And they with their carnal thinking,
their natural thinking, they think in terms of that building
that is standing there in Jerusalem, they don't understand that he
is speaking of his body. But after his resurrection we're
told how the disciples of the Lord remembered those words that
he had spoken. It is the presence of the Lord
Jesus Christ that makes heaven. And this is that hope that is
being spoken of here in the text. That hope that is laid up before us, which
hope, he says, we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whither
the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus." Well, Jesus is the
blessed hope of the Christian. And Thomas Boston makes the observation
that Christ is the center of the divine glory in heaven. The Lamb is all the glory in
Emmanuel's land, to use the words of Samuel Rutherford. This is
that hope then, that is being spoken of here, that is so intimately
associated with true faith, with saving faith. how these two come
together. And Paul says, therefore, at
verse 11, we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence
to the full assurance of hope unto the end, that ye be not
slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. And he goes on, of course, to
speak of that promise, but more than the promise, the oath, the
two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to
lie. Oh, this is the Christian's hope then. Again, look at the language there
in Revelation 21-23. It says, "...the city had no
need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
Christ the glory of heaven and even in this life the believer
would anticipate that glorious place where he will know an everlasting fellowship with the
Lord Jesus Christ the psalmist says whom have I in heaven but
thee there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee Well, this is what the believer
wants to be anticipating. He wants earnest of that that
is yet before him. He wants that blessed hope to
be continually encouraged by the Lord God Himself. Again,
the language of the apostle He speaks there in Ephesians 2,
6, how God has raised us up together and made us sit together in the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Even now the believer then can
have some earnest of that that will yet be his eternal possession. Faith and hope, they both center
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is that that experiences
the grace of Christ in this world, and hope is that that expects
the glory of Christ in heaven itself. Isn't that, here in Hebrews
chapter 11, the apostle speaks of faith. It is the substance
of things hopeful. the evidence of things not seen. It's bound up with hope. And
that hope, I say again, is the hope of heaven. And heaven, that
place where the Lord Jesus Christ is and where He has gone to prepare
a place that His people might there be with Him forever. But then, in the second place,
to say something with regards to the endurance of this hope
in this world. We have strong consolation, he
says in verse 18, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast. and which enters into that within
the vow. There is that that is enduring
then with regards to the believer's hope. It is that hope of persevering
to the very end. And how does his hope come? Well,
it comes by the experiences that God appoints for his people in
this life. In the world, the believer has
tribulation. We read much of the trial of
faith. In that passage that we read,
there in Romans 5, and verse 3 following, he says, Not only
so, but with glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation
worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. And hope maketh not us shine,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost which is given unto us." Oh, this is how the Lord teaches
his people what hope is. Remember the association with
faith. Faith is more than just a mental
ascent to the truth, as we have it set before us on the page
of Holy Scripture. Faith is not just notional, except
in certain doctrinal statements. No, faith is bound up with trust. The believer is that one who
casts all his cares upon the Lord Jesus Christ, all his trust
is placed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is forever rolling his
soul upon the Savior, and he feels daily that need of some
new experience of the grace of faith, that he might be found
ever looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith. And as it is with faith, so it
is with hope. The Lord, as we have it there
in Romans 5, he teaches his people, and he teaches his people in
that school of experience, and often they're bitter experiences.
where there is that tribulation, where there is persecution in
the world, where there is that all nature within and the believer
constantly wrestling with himself. As Paul says there in Romans
chapter 7, the good that I would I do not, the evil that I would
not that I do. He feels himself to be so wretched
as the flesh lost against the spirit and the spirit against
the flesh and he cannot do the things that he would. That's
an interesting statement that we have in 2 Thessalonians 1.3
where Paul speaks of your work of faith and labor of love and
patience of hope. The three primary graces of the
Holy Spirit. Isn't that so evident from what
he says to the Corinthians? Now abideth faith, hope, charity,
Christian love, these three, he says. And he speaks of the
three primary principal graces of the Holy Spirit there in 2
Thessalonians 1, 3, your work of faith, and labor of love,
and patience, or endurance of hope. What do we see then? We see that these are very active
graces in the lives of the people of God. Faith works, and love
labors. In fact, Galatians 5.6, Paul
says, faith which worketh by love. Faith works by law. And you know how these things
are brought out by the apostles. You know, James brings out the
importance of that work that is the justification of faith,
that shows the faith to be a genuine faith. James is not contradicting
the apostle Paul. He's not speaking of justification
by works, but he speaks of that that work that shows the faith
to be a genuine faith, faith which worketh by love. There in James 2, verse 17, it says, Even so faith,
if it have not works, is dead, being alone. 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. Thou believest
that there is one God, thou doest well. The devils also believe
and tremble, but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without
works is dead." There is such a thing as a false faith as Paul
is saying in the former part of this sixth chapter in Hebrews. Now, it's not only John, but
remember how John also speaks of the importance of those good
deeds. Writing there in his first general
epistle, in chapter 3, and verse 17, He says, Whoso hath this world's
goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his
bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God
in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither
in tongue, but in deed, and in truth. And in the same at the
end of chapter 4, if a man say, I love God, and hate at his brother,
he is a liar for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath
seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen and this commandment
have we from him that he who loveth God love his brother also
the work of faith the labor of love but in particular to say
something with regards to that hope that hope that endures that
we read of here at the end of verse 19 it enters into that within the
veil he says wither the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus
made and high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek
faith follows the Lord Jesus Christ that's what he is saying
faith follows the Lord Jesus Christ to heaven But it doesn't
just go to the place where Christ is, but it goes by the same way
which the Lord Jesus Christ himself went to heaven. were to be those who were looking
on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Well,
how did the Lord Jesus Christ enter into glory? He endured
the cross. He despised the shame. And how Paul reminds us of these
things here. In chapter 5, verse 7, he speaks
of him, this one who is a priest after the order of Melchizedek,
the Lord Jesus, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered
up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears
unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard
in that he feared, though he were a son. yet learned the obedience
by the things which he suffered." Oh, he looked unto his father. He lived that life of faith.
He spent whole nights in prayer. He was heard in that he feared.
He knew what he was to have in his heart, that fear of God,
that reverence for God, that waiting upon God. This is the
way that the Lord Jesus Christ went to heaven, and this is that
hope that the Apostle is speaking of here. That faith or that hope that
he said before us in verse 18, that we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. And
how are we to be those who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ? We must walk in His footsteps. And so, Paul can speak of the
patience of hope. The patience, literally there
in 1 Thessalonians 1.3, it's the endurance, the word patience.
is literally the word endurance, the endurance of hope. And so, here you see at verse
12 he says, Be not slothful, but followers of them, who through
faith and patience, or faith and endurance, inherit the promises. Is he not making a contrast in
this chapter? As I said, he speaks of those
who have but a temporary faith. There, at verse 4, following. And that temporary faith is not
true faith. Ultimately, we see that these
people are nothing but apostates. They turn away, and there's no
renewing of them. it's a solemn portion that we
have there at verse 4 following but he draws a contrast between
those who are falling away and he contrasts that with those
who are true believers who have a faith that is bound up with
this good hope or they are those who are not slothful or they
are those who desire and seek with all diligence to have that
full assurance of hope onto the end. And so what does he say
in verse 9? Beloved, we are persuaded better
things of you and things that accompany salvation. Though we
thus speak, though he speaks of these apostates in the previous
verses, Oh, he has a much better hope of these believers amongst
the Hebrews that he is addressing in this particular epistle. They have an enduring hope. They have a faith that works
by love. Again, look at the language.
that Paul employs in Romans 12 verse 12. He speaks of rejoicing
in hope, patience in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer. And there, of course, in that
twelfth chapter, we've come in the Roman epistle to that practical
part of the epistle. the practical outworking of all
the great doctrine that he's spoken of in the previous 11
chapters. And how he sums it all up in
that 12th verse. They are to rejoice in hope.
They are to be patient, persevering, enduring in their tribulations. They are to be constantly continuing
in prayer. That is the life that the Christian
is called to live. And so he says here in verse
9, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,
which entereth into that within the veil. He uses this figure
of an anchor being cast out of the ship, of course, in order
that the ship might be anchored to the bottom of the sea. that it might not be driven,
but it might be made secure. Well, the believer's hope is
that which ascends into Heaven, and there it is fixed in God
Himself. And this is what He is saying
here in verses 17 and 18. He speaks of God willing more
abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of
his counsel, the unchangeableness of his counsel, confirmed it,
confirmed his promise by an oath 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." All this hope, you see, it maketh not ashamed. And I remind you again, he's
speaking here in the context of Abraham. He's speaking of
Abraham who is the father of all them that believe. Verse 13, When God made promise
to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore
by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying
I will multiply thee. And it all has to do with that
seed. The quotation there in verses 13 and 14 is from Genesis
2, 16 following. And there we have Abraham's hope. Oh, he is not just the father
of them that believe, but what a glorious pattern of hope we
find in this man, Abraham. The language that we have there
in Romans chapter 4 and verse 18 this is Abraham
who against hope believed in hope that he might become the
father of many nations according to that which was spoken so shall
thy seed be and being not weak in faith he considered not his
own body now dead when he was about a hundred years old neither
yet the deadness of Sarah's womb He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he
was able also to perform. Therefore it was imputed to him
for righteousness." All that promise that centered in Isaac,
the type of the true seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, That promise
was imputed to Abraham for righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see,
when Abraham held that little baby, Isaac, in his arms, it
was only really a fuller enjoyment of what he had tasted before
in hope. Against hope, he believed in
hope. Now he enjoyed in possession what before ear-tasted by hope. It has been said that hope is
a present experience based on a future expectation. And that's
what we see with Abraham. All the expectation is that God
will fulfill his promise which he has confirmed with his oath. And what he says It is rooted and grounded in
that hope. And so again, writing to the
Romans, look at what Paul says in chapter 8 and verse 24. for it." Oh, this is the hope,
then, that is being spoken of by the Apostle as he writes here
in Hebrews chapter 6. It is a hope that is so intimately
associated with saving faith. They're twins. In fact, we can
say that we have this triplet of the graces of the Holy Spirit
that Paul speaks of there in 1 Corinthians 13. Now abideth faith, hope, charity,
these three. And the greatest of these, he
says, is charity. But here we're thinking more
particularly of that blessed hope of the Christian which is
altogether centering in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we might have
a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold
upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus, made and high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek,
even now as we come to pray. Oh, are we not to be those who
are looking unto Him who has gone before, who has entered
heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. He is the one in whom we hope. It is by faith in Him that we
expect God to hear and to answer all our prayers. Will the Lord
be pleased to bless these truths to us. Now before we do pray,
let us praise God as we sing the hymn 244 and the tune is
Jayser 164. Jesus is the hope of God. He works it by his power. It
holds the weak believer up in the distressing hour. 244.