The apostle had said to them
some very harsh things with regard to his judgment of apostates
and such like, and so now he comes to speak to the saints
of God, Beloved, verse 9, and following, but Beloved, we are
persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation,
though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to
forget your work and labor of love which you have showed towards
His name, in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we desire that every one
of you to 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. For when
God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no
greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely I will bless thee,
and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently
endured, he obtained the promise. For men barely swear by the greater. And an oath for confirmation
is to them an end of all strife, wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which
it was impossible for God to lie, He might have a strong consolation
who hath fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set
before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and steadfast, which entereth into that within the veil. For the forerunner for us entered,
even Jesus, made an high priest forever. after the order of Melchizedek. Now, what a great passage of
Scripture to the comfort of the saints. In the passage that is
before us here this morning, the apostle brings the long digression
to a close. He began at chapter 5, verse
11, and continues it until the end of chapter 6 to declare Again
in chapter 7 and following, the many things that he wished to
say about Melchizedek that he could not set before them because
they had reverted unto a dullness in their hearing. Now there is
a change of tone that is set before them here in verse 9 and
to the end of the chapter. He realizes that his previous
words in verse 4 through 8 particularly, may have seemed very harsh unto
them, and might have dispirited them, and might have aroused
terror and fear in their heart. And so, he says in verse 9, though
we thus speak, even though we have spoken in this harsh manner,
and said words that might bring trouble to mind, and prove very
unsettling to some who heard them or who read them. And then
some of the faithful, some who love the Lord and love the gospel,
might conclude that he is of the same mind toward them as
well, that he might be of the mind towards them as he was towards
the Galatians. In chapter 4, verse 11, I am
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed labor upon you in vain. I am afraid that all of my work
and all of my labor and my preaching and my prayer will come to nothing
in your behalf. But, Galatians 4, 19, of whom
he travailed in birth for them that Christ might be formed in
them. Yes, he travailed for those that
he labored among in the gospel of our Lord. Now there were some
in this epistle, some in that day, some that the apostle wrote
to who were clinging to the gospel, but yet who might take his words
the wrong way. That is, they might conclude
that he considered all of them to be in that category that he
had just described, lest they think the apostle therefore viewed
them all guilty with such as, in verse 6, had crucified a threshed
again the Son of God unto themselves, and put him to an open shame,
unless he think that they lump all of them in that same lump
together. The apostle therefore, as A. Saffer said in his commentary
on Hebrews, and I quote, hastens to comfort and encourage, lest
the Hebrews should be overwhelmed with fear and sorrow, or lest
they should think that their condition was regarded by him
as hopeless." Unless they think that this is the conclusion that
the apostle draws of each and every one of them, he addresses
those who are the faithful and the believers, and who cling
to the gospel, though they might have great temptations and trouble. Now notice, beginning in verse
9 and following, that his tone of one is one of affection and
of encouragement. And we see that in three things
here in the ninth verse. Let's look at them real quickly.
First of all, that appellation, Beloved. He speaks to them under
the title of Beloved. He calls them Beloved. And this
is a special term in Scripture used by Paul, by Peter, by James,
and by John in addressing the children of God. And the word
means a deep affection, an abiding love. It is never used loosely
or insincerely, sincerity. This is the only time, however,
that this word appears in all of the Hebrew epistle. That might
surprise us to know that the word beloved is but this one
time in the large Hebrew epistle. Now, in spite of the severe admonition,
he calls them beloved. In spite of the fact that many
had turned away from the gospel and were doing so, yet he addresses
those Beloved. Now the second thing that we
notice, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you. Different
and distinct things of you, we are persuaded. Some read it,
the better things. We are persuaded the better things
of you. Better than those in verse 6. Better than those in verse 8. And to have a better and a different
end. And what are the better things,
therefore? Well, thirdly, we notice things
that accompany salvation. Things which, as Gil said, are
ingredients of salvation. Things that belong to the salvation
of the people of God. The more literal rendering, we're
told, out of the Greek is having salvation. We are persuaded better
things of you, beloved, having salvation, such as have salvation. For if he counts them beloved,
then he grants to them to be partakers of salvation, and vice
versa." Now, before we move on, let's compare and contrast a
bit, for that is sometimes very profitable in studying the Scripture. The two classes of professors
that are described here, A. W. Pink described or distinguished
them as two classes of professor. There are those bringing forth
herbs and those bringing forth thorns and briars and stickers
and such like. First we see the great contrast
between verse 7 and verse 8. Thorns and briars, nigh unto
cursing whose end is to be burned. And then those in verse 8, better
things, the better things we are persuaded concerning you. Second, those in verse 10 are
distinguished as having salvation. Now, look closely, maybe you
haven't ever done so, but those in verse 4 through 6, it is never
stated this of them, having salvation, and again in verse 8, so that
here, beginning in verse 9, true believers are distinguished from
the former. Despite their high privileges,
yet John Gill said something on Hebrews 6 that I have copied
for our use this morning. Number one, nothing is said of
those, John Gill said, in verse 4 through 6, but what may be
applied to hypocrites. Nothing is said in these verses
but what may in the end be applied to hypocrites and to false professors. Secondly, Gill said, they're
not said to have salvation in that they're never said or called
the elect or redeemed or regenerated or adopted or called or sanctified. None of those things are applied
to those that he is describing in verse 4 through verse 6. Now third, let's note something
else, and that is the change of the pronouns onto the third
person. Beginning in verse 9, the change
to the third person, you. He begins to address them as
you. Now let's go back and look over
the passage again. Going back to verse 4, those,
the ones. And then look at verse 6, they,
them, they, themselves. And then look at verse 8, that
which bareth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto
burning. So He speaks unto them in that
light. Those, the ones, they, they,
themselves, that. But in verse 10, the author addresses
you. And that change of tense, I believe,
is important. You, you having salvation. Better things I expect and are
persuaded of you. Now the apostle, therefore, expresses
both his goodwill and his judgment toward them, having salvation. And He exhorts them as children
of God, beloved, having salvation. And in verse 10, He gives the
ground of their better things, if we might read it again. For
God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which
you have showed towards His name, in that ye have ministered to
the saints and do minister. Now here with verse 10, We must
be very careful not to turn works into any kind of a merit, or
to make their salvation rest upon the works that they have
performed. For these works were not the
cause of their salvation, but the evidence of them having the
salvation of Christ. The herbs, the herb is the vegetation
that they produce, being blessed of God, having salvation, they
had a fruitful faith, and they brought forth good works to the
glory of God and the benefit of the saint, shown to the name
of his name in verse 10, the first part. And besides the sort
and the nature of their works, he gives in the end of verse
10, in that you have ministered to the saints Minister to one
another, and do minister, and continue to do so. Having ministered
past ten, ministering present, continuing action. You have ministered
and you continue to do so. Now, based upon his persuasion
in verse 9 and verse 10, and their past and their present,
a work and a labor of love. The apostle in verse 11 and 12
exhorts them to persevere us, those that he has persuaded better
things of. Having salvation, or exhorted
to continue and to persevere in the things of God after the
example of others who have gone before them. If we might, let's
read verse 11 and 12 again. 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 inherited
the promises. Now, he is still using you. You, verse 9, verse 11. Every
one of you. And verse 12, ye, or you, show
the same diligence unto the end. Go with the same eagerness unto
the end as you have in the past. Not being sluggish, but as being
imitators or followers of those who through faith and patience
and perseverance and enduring have received the promises of
God. God is faithful. Hebrews 6 and
verse 10. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 20. All the promises of God are in
Him, yea, and amen. Hebrews 10 and verse 23. He is faithful that promise. The promises of God will be realized
for God is faithful. And then in verse 12, the last
part, He writes of the examples unto them that he was set before
them, who through faith, who through patience and long-suffering
inherit the promises of God. That is, the promises come to
fruition, come to realization in their life. They, in faith,
believed in, hoped for the fulfillment of the promises of God. and in
patient long-suffering they kept on, and they persevered until
the promise to them became a reality. And what a joy and a blessing.
He, without doubt, has in mind the patriarchs here as their
example, from which many examples could be drawn, people of God
of old, who after a while of enduring and patience and keeping
on, entered into the blessedness of the promises of God by faith,
seeing the promises of God afar off. And they persevered in the
faith, submission to the appointing of God's time, waiting, waiting,
waiting, expecting, expecting, and then receiving and inheriting
the very promises of God. So, having mentioned In the end
of verse 12, the patient receiving of the promises, the apostle
now does a very wise thing, and something that will carry great
weight with the Jews of that particular time, and that is
the apostle settles upon one particular example that he would
hold up before them, that in verse 13 through verse 15, God
making promise unto Abraham. who after enduring patiently
received the promise, that is, he saw it come to pass, he saw
it fulfilled in his life, the Word of God came to pass, the
promise of God filled full for Abraham's benefit and blessing
and the glory of God. Now, as he holds before us one
that we might imitate or that they might imitate, There is
no better case or example to use than the case of Abraham. He holds Abraham before these
Jews to enforce the exhortation in verse 12, that you be followers
of them, imitators of them, walk in the footsteps of them who
through faith and patience inherited the promise of God. Notice, promises
is plural in this particular place. in the scripture. Inherit
is in present tense, not even in past tense here, though it
regards those in times past. Promises are plural. Inherit is in the present tense. Now the promises, what are they?
The promises are simply the things that God did promise. Promises are the things that
God declared that He would do for them and unto them. They're
simply the things that God promised of all to bring to pass in their
life. The promise which He has made. The promise of God. And they
saw it fulfilled. Now, a promise is a promise or
a pledge to what? A promise is a promise or a pledge
to do something or to give something. Usually, it falls under one of
those categories. And in the case of the promises
of God, they concern a thing freely, graciously, and sovereignly
bestowed. And it is not a pledge secured
by negotiation. It is not something that we negotiate
with God to get this particular promise out of him, no, not by
negotiation. For God's promises are graciously
and sovereignly established, and he makes his promises according
to the good purpose or pleasure of his own will. I say promises
were not negotiated between God and the individual. Today, we
often see that a child will plead their case by saying to a parent
or an aunt, uncle, grandpa, whoever it might be, oh, but you promised. You promised me this. Well, if
they think you're going to back out of it, if they think it's
not going to come to pass, they'll say, you promised, and they'll
remind you a promise is a promise. And they'll do so very quickly.
Here's the point in verse 13. God made promise to Abraham. God gave Abraham a promise, and
here the word is singular, promise. So which promise is in mind? Which promise does the apostle
have in his mind as he writes of God making promise unto Abraham? For God made plural promises
to Abraham, both temporal and spiritual, some of them concerning
himself some concerning others, some concerning his posterity. He made promise to Abraham that
he would have an heir, that he would be the father of many nations,
and that his seed would be as the sands that do cover the shores
of the sea. But the next phrase here in Hebrews
6 identifies the promise that the apostle has in mind made
unto Abraham. For when God made promise to
Abraham, he sware by himself. And that focuses and that identifies
the promise that is in mind. God sware by himself. God sware by all that he is. He made promises. And in making
that promise, he also took an oath. He swore to the validity
and the veracity of the promise made unto Abraham. He sealed
that promise to Abraham with an oath of swearing. Now, if
I might go back just a minute to the example and practice of
children, I don't know about today, but oh, in the ancient
or the old days or the olden time, when we received a promise
from a fellow child, a playmate or something who promised to
swap his top for a knife or whatever it might be. We received a promise
from another playmate. We'd often say to him, cross
your heart and hope to die. And that's the way that we'd
make him seal up his promise. So the swearing is seen with
regard to Abraham in Genesis chapter 22 and verse 16. God's swear by his promise that
he made unto Abraham. But notice in verse 13 something
else. Because he could swear by no
greater, he swore by himself. That is, God swore by Himself. His oath and faithfulness, He
swore and took an oath upon Himself. By fetching up verse 16, the
first part, it is a practice even among men. The apostle recognizes
to swear by something or someone greater than ourselves. That's
a practice that is often seen among men. Men will swear, but
they will swear by or upon something that they claim to be greater
or have more dignity than themselves. In other words, you don't find
men swearing down. You find men swearing up. up to something higher in dignity. So they swear to give some credibility
to their oath. They swear that it will be done. They don't generally swear by
something or someone that they consider below or beneath themselves
or inferior to themselves, but someone higher in dignity and
in rank, thus in court. And inauguration, inauguration.
We see that Men are asked to put their hand upon the Bible
as they take the oath. So help me God to do that which
is required by the law and the Constitution. But on the other
hand, many a bleary-eyed old drunk has sworn upon his mother's
grave that at last he is telling the truth this time. The poet
or the songwriter swears by the stars above in their poetry and
in their song. Often sinners say, I swear to
God, blasphemously I think. It's an ugly thing to hear some
say that when they're used in such profanity. But the point
is, swear up something greater, someone more dignity than they
have. But what did God do? God couldn't
swear up. There's none greater. So He swore
by Himself for the reason, in verse 13, there is none greater
than Himself. In promising Abraham, God swore
by Himself. Genesis 22 and verse 16, By Myself
have I sworn, saith the Lord, unquote. By Myself have I sworn
that this promise shall be realized and you shall know it. Psalms
89 verse 35, I have sworn by my holiness that I will not lie
unto David. A covenant he made with David,
yes, and the greater David. But he said, I have sworn by
my holiness, by all that I am in the holy character, that I
will not lie unto David. Amos 4 and verse 2, the Lord
has sworn by His holiness. So that if God lies or His Word
fails, He has, as it were, forfeited His holiness. So that as John
Brown wrote, quote, he sware by himself, appealing to his
own being and perfection, and pledging these for the truth
and the performance of the promise, unquote. By myself have I sworn,
saith the Lord God Almighty. This means that the promises
can no more fail than God can cease to exist. For God has pledged
the very veracity, the very holiness of his being, that his promises
shall also come to pass. And if they do not, God is the
loser of his perfection. Now the point of the Hebrews
here in chapter 6 is this. God promised Abraham. God made a particular promise
to Abraham. He sealed it by an oath of swearing. And then in verse 15, after Abraham
patiently endured year after year after year passed, and Abraham
not seeing the realization or the fulfillment of the promise,
but he endured, he kept on. He staggered not, Paul said in
chapter 4 of the book of Romans. And after he endured, he realized
the promise. And here's Paul's point to them.
And so will you. Having salvation, patiently enduring,
being diligent, imitating the Father's promises are made with
regard to the salvation of your soul, and they will be realized
patiently enduring. Now, let's shift our focus. to
the section from verse 17 down through verse 20. First of all,
noticing that verse 16, look at it if you might, verse 16
is a transition between the particular promise and swearing to Abraham
and to all of the heirs of promise. There was a promise made to Abraham. He endured, he received it. There
is a promise that is made to all of the heirs of promise,
all of the elect, all the people of God, every believer, every
genuine Christian. Now, verse 16 is a general summation
of oaths as they exist among men, and how in two things, two
things, they foreshadow the promise and the oath of eternal life. Two things in verse 16. Let's
look at them very carefully. Number one, men, even men, yes,
vain, proud, depraved men, swear by the greater. That is, they
swear up. They swear by something or someone
greater than themselves. Not something less than themselves,
but something greater. God swore by the greater. himself. Men swear by the greater. God has sworn by the greater
himself. Secondly, we notice oaths are
a way of ending contradictions and confirming matters between
men. Man makes an oath, another receives
it, shake hands, sign, whatever it might be. It is a way of ending
all contradiction between men. To confirm the sincerity of his
intention, or, as John Owens the Puritan described, O Samoan
men, I quote, the ultimate supreme and most satisfactory way of
giving assurance unto, or confirming what is spoken or promised, is
by oath, unquote. And what did God do? God swear
by an oath unto Abraham. So these two actions among men
just foreshadow what God has done in the giving of a promise
and of an oath, and especially if the oath of men involves the
name of God. Now just this note, if we might,
this shows that all oaths and all swearing among men are not
forbidden. You know, some are leery about
taking an oath in court, taking an oath, but if we study the
scripture and rightly divide it, it is clear that all oaths
and swearing are not unlawful and are not forbidden. But now,
notice verse 17. Based upon the two things said
about oaths among men, back in verse 16, the apostle now drives
home his point. that God would never change His
counsels towards His people. God will never change His counsels,
His mind, His intention, His purpose, or His pleasure toward
His people. Look at it. Where? In God. That is, since oaths are the
ultimate way of confirming promises, therefore for this reason, God
willing, and let's look at verse 17 again, if we might. Therefore,
God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by or with an oath. Very, very comforting words they
are unto the people of God. He has sworn by and oath, whereby
God to show the unchangeableness, the immutability, the irrevocableness
of his promise, therefore confirmed it by an oath of swearing." Now,
since oaths end contradictions, verse 16, even among men, God
promised with an oath. And this is the end of the contradiction. God promised, God swore. Therefore,
it cannot and it will not fail. Oaths are that which give an
assurance, and God, therefore, willing to show under the airs
of promise the immutability of His counsel, the unchangeableness
of His resolve, the fixed decree of His purpose. God took up the
same method as to His promise, that is, He confirmed it by an
oath. He confirmed his purpose toward
the heirs of promise by an oath. That is, he swears in regard
to the sureness of the promise that is made unto them. See again
the last text of verse 17. To show the immutability of his
counsel, what did he do? He confirmed what he said by
an oath. An oath of swearing. Nor is that
the final part of this truth that we are pursuing this morning,
for the promise or oath concerns not all. But notice, they who
are the heirs of promise. This promise of God that He took
with an oath of swearing is towards those in His particularity, the
heirs of promise. Now, who are the heirs of promise? In Romans 9, Paul makes a distinction
between the children of Abraham, children of flesh, children of
promise. All were children of the flesh,
not all were children of the promise. Again, in Galatians
4, verse 28, we are children of promise. We, the seed of Abraham
and the juniors of Isaac. Romans 9, verse 8, as I said,
the children of promise, are counted for the seed. Not the children of the flesh,
but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. I agree with John Brown, one
of my favorite old-time writers, that the oath in verse 17 concerns
what? It concerns the Melchizedekian
priesthood of Christ our Lord. For he sware by an oath to the
Son, thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."
So that this great promise that the Apostle is setting before
them now concerns Melchizedek, for the text and the context
concerns Melchizedek. Started in chapter 5, verse 10,
resumed in chapter 7 and verse 1. Now verse 18 we notice, "...continues
the confidence which the heirs of promise have only, in verse
18, he speaks of those who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon
the hope set before them. The heirs of promise who have
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the promise set before them. Which hope we have, etc., etc.,
as he continues, therefore, to exegete. But first, what are
the two Immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie
or to deceive. It is impossible for God to lie. The apostle has written here
in Hebrews chapter 6. Some say the two are the promise
and the oath. These are the two immutable things,
some say, whereby it is impossible for God to lie. Others say the
oath of promise made unto Abraham And that oath of promise concerning
all of the heirs of promise, too, immutable thing, such have
a strong consolation. For they have fled for refuge,
they have laid hold upon the hope that is set before them."
Set out this hope is in the gospel, in the promises of our Lord and
Savior, which referring to hope in verse 18, we have as an anchor
of the soul, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure
and steadfast. And this hope is set before us
in the gospel, and it anchors the soul. We hold by it. It is something to which we are
anchored. It is an anchor to the soul,
the hope that we have in the gospel in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's death and victory is
an anchor to the souls of His people. The gospel of salvation
is our hope, and it sets forth and expresses and declares our
hope. We are begotten, said Peter,
unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ again from the dead. This hope we have which reaches
within the veil. This hope is set before us in
the gospel, the glorious and wonderful gospel of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. And if we move along, let's look
what is said of this hope in verse 19 again. A. It is an anchor
of the soul, holding it, keeping it from making shipwreck of the
faith, as some have done. And then B. It is sure and it
is steadfast. It will endure. It cannot be
broken. It cannot come loose. It cannot
be dashed. It is an anchor, sure and steadfast. And look at the third thing.
See, it enters within the veil. Now, if we're not careful, we'll
think that he's talking of Christ who has entered in behind the
veil as a forerunner for us. But he said, Hope enters within
the veil. Hope which enters within the
very veil. This hope rests upon Christ who
is declared in the gospel and who has entered into heaven as
a forerunner for us, says the apostle. And this hope set in
the gospel and active in the heart of such as have fled for
refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us." The Lord
Jesus Christ is entered into the veil. Here's an allusion
to the Old Testament tabernacle where the high priest went with
the blood of a sacrifice in behind the veil, there to appear in
the presence of God, to sprinkle the blood upon the mercy seat
between the cherubim where the typical presence of God did dwell. It has entered within the veil. The Lord Jesus Christ has entered
into the veil. He's there in the very presence
of God. He has entered, not in the temple
or the tabernacle, but into heaven itself and sat down upon the
right hand of God. As our high priest, he's there.
As our advocate, as our intercessor, as our mediator, the Lord has
entered heaven to prepare a place for his people. I go and prepare
a place, and if I do, I will come again and receive you unto
myself." Now, what are we to make of all of this? What comforting
words of these to those who struggle with temptation, who are persecuted
for their faith, family and friends turn away from them because of
their adherence to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. What
application, therefore, can we make from this wonderful text
of Scripture? Well, the first and foremost
is this. We have a great high priest in
heaven. He's not in a booth on the earth. He is in heaven itself. Our great high priest has entered
into the heavens in the presence of God. And this great high priest
is not after the order of Levi, any of those, but after the order
of Melchizedek. And we may come to his throne
of grace and find mercy and grace to help us in time of need. And because of that great high
priest that has entered within the veil, and our hope entereth
there, because of that the souls of the elect cannot miscarry.
owing to the special work of our great High Priest, the Lord
Jesus Christ. If we sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the Risen. He is there to make
intercession for us. He is able to save to the uttermost,
or completely, because He ever lives to make intercession. Hebrews
7 and verse 25. Now one final point that we might
make with regard to this chapter and this subject, And that is,
God makes many things to meet in the perseverance of the saints
of God. The first, the greatest, being
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ is our great High Priest. Also
the work of the Spirit and power of adoption. For he that be done
a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians chapter 1 and verse
6. Again, God carries our perseverance
forth. in various ways. Our great high
priest, yes. The grace of God working in our
heart, yes. But God carries our perseverance
forward in other ways, by threats, by promises, by chastisement,
by putting his fear in our heart, by the hearing of the Word of
God to instruct us and encourage us and lead us along. By the
examples of apostates, God puts the fear in the hearts of his
people, by the example of such as Abraham, who though it was
years in him receiving the promise, yet he received it, who through
patience received the promise of God. And by the constant awareness
of our depravity, all these things meet together to work toward
our perseverance. And also the apostle now has
finished his digression. And he can now, in chapter 7
and verse 1, return to the many things that he wanted to say
about Melchizedek and his priesthood. Now, let me close with this,
the chapter and the message this morning. God said to the prophet
Isaiah, chapter 40 and verse 1 and 2, Speak ye comfortably
to my people. You know, often the prophets
were sent forth to chastise them, to rebuke them, to correct them,
But then there's also that aspect of the ministry, speak comfortably
to my people. Comfort them in their trials,
their troubles, and their sorrow. There is a time, there is a place
to speak comfortably to the people of God. Because, you see, a true
saint at times may sooner fear himself an apostate than the
apostate himself determines himself to be one. Yet we do not comfort
the one living in sin and open rebellion, but comfort for those
who follow the Lord, who believe the gospel, who love our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, and who have fled for refuge to that
hope that is even within the veil. And so, though some have
made shipwreck of the faith, and the book of Jude gives us
the awful consequences of those who became apostates. Yet the
apostle encourages us and exhorts us, comforts us here this morning. We are persuaded better things
of you, things that accompany salvation. And then to rest that
upon the fact that God is faithful. He will not disregard our labor
of love one towards another. He is faithful to his promise. And though we come through trial,
and our ships are put upon a stormy sea, yet the anchor holds, for
it is within the veil." And we have this hope in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We have this promise, the promise
of God made unto the heirs. So he comforts those after having
spoken of the awfulness of apostasy. May God bless these studies to
our heart as we move on to other and individual things now on
the Lord's Day morning.