For those who may not know, one
of the themes running throughout the book of Hebrews is a comparison
and at times a contrast between the old covenant, the Old Testament
system of worship, the tabernacle and later the temple. It's a
contrast between that and the new covenant. what we have in
Christ. And we'll touch on that a little
in the course of our thoughts this morning. But in Hebrews
chapter six, I want to begin reading in verse 10. For God
is not unrighteous. We could stop right there, couldn't
we? For God is not unrighteous. He never messes up. He never
misjudges. He hadn't missed anything. He
hadn't forgotten anything. God is not unrighteous to forget
your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward
his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And 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. For 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 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 the 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, 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, whether the forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus, made in high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The thrust of this passage, the
purpose of it, the intent of it is to convince us that our
faith in Christ, be it ever so weak, is not in vain. Our efforts to live our lives
to his glory be we ever so failing in it is not vain effort. Not that we do such a great job,
but he's worthy. He's worthy that we honor him. And Satan comes to us all. It's
not just you, but may I say Satan comes to us all in trying hours,
in trying times, and ask us the question, is there really anything
to all this? And God's answer to us in His
Word is, yes. Yes. You're on the winning side. The enemy says, but you don't
believe enough. Remember our Lord said, if you
have faith, as a grain of mustard seed. That's enough to move mountains.
And though we don't see it, though we're so forgetful and so vain
in our thinking a lot of times, that don't have to talk about
literal mountains. I don't have any need for Mount
Pisgah to be moved down to Florida. No, not that. It's not literal. But you see, mountains in our
lives, places we couldn't get through,
couldn't get over, couldn't get around, impossible situations. God has moved many mountains
in my life and in yours to the extent that we're here today.
How miraculous that is. I didn't want to just read over
this passage. I certainly don't want to read
into it what it don't say, but I wanted to slowly read out of
it what the Lord would say to us this morning. And we already
commented in verse 10, God is not unrighteousness. And that's what all unbelief
is on our part. is charging God with being unrighteous.
That's what all our doubt is, is charging God with being unrighteous. But God is not unrighteous. To forget your work and labor
of love, which you have showed toward his name, in that you
have ministered to the saints and do minister. The Lord hadn't
missed anything. He don't miss anything. He sees
and he knows. And verse 11 here, the apostle
says, this is what we desire for you. That every one of you,
that is everyone who claims to believe on Christ, that you really,
really believe that you show the same diligence. to the full
assurance of hope unto the end. This is God's will for us. The
full assurance of hope. Not just hope so, or hope in
things, or hope in circumstances, or hope in other people, or certainly
not hope in ourselves, but hope in Christ. The full assurance
of hope. Simply put, believing that he's
enough. Do you have trouble with that? Believing that he's enough. Now, the religious thrust is
that you're not enough. Well, that's well understood.
Well understood. But let's look to the positive
side. He is enough. He is enough. And the desire of the writer
here is that we'd all have the full assurance of this hope in
Christ. Verse 12, that you be not slothful,
like the sloth. Y'all know what a sloth is. I
never heard much about wild animals until a few years back, but they're
noted for being very slow, not anxious. I don't know if
they ever get excited or not. Like a soap opera, you can turn
your head and look back next week and you'd still be right
there almost, barely moved. Be not slothful, slow, sluggish,
but rather be diligent in following Christ Even as others who through
faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no
greater, he swear by himself. Now God is God. He don't, he
don't need to swear or make an oath, but he speaks
this as stooping to the level of man doing what we need for
confirmation. Man gives a word and says, I
swear, this is the truth. I'm not lying. I'll stand behind
what I say. I'll take an oath. It's the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. God doesn't have to do that,
but He does. He does. Why? Verse 17, wherein
God, willing more abundantly. Willing exceedingly. Willing
more abundantly. This is God's will that he wills
so strongly, so exceedingly, so more abundantly. God really
wills that we grasp what? The immutability of his counsel. Now this is to the heirs of promise. Notice here in verse 17, to show
unto the heirs of promise, God's children. This is us who are met this morning, expressing our faith and trust
in Jesus Christ. God is willing more abundantly,
exceedingly willing. to show us something. What? The
immutability. That word means unchangeableness. The immutability of his counsel. The unchangeableness of God,
his word, his counsel, his promise. And he confirmed it with an oath. That by two immutable things,
two unchanging things, God's given us his word. That's one.
And he's sworn to the truth of it. That's two. In which it was impossible for
God to lie. We might have a strong consolation. That is comfort, contentment,
rest. without anxiety concerning what
God has testified concerning Himself and His Word and sworn
He's telling us the truth. When we have trouble with this,
it's because we're looking everywhere else except to Him and His Word. It's written to we who have fled
for refuge. You remember in the Old Testament,
cities of refuge. So many statements in the New
Testament reflect back to things in the Old Testament. You remember
those cities of refuge, a man guilty of involuntary manslaughter. He could flee to safety. any one of those cities of refuge. Here it talks about we fled for
refuge. We are all guilty of much greater
sin. We rebelled against our Creator and boasted of it even without
shame. But now brought to conviction
by the Spirit of God Himself, we have fled for refuge. Fled where? Not into a city,
but we fled to lay hold upon. And that means to embrace, to
cling to. We've laid hold upon the hope
set before us. This hope is Christ. Verse 19, which hope we have. Christ we have as an anchor of the soul. I don't
have to tell you about what an anchor is. The anchor of a ship
is that unseen security beneath that holds firmly. And Christ
Jesus, having walked this earth, lived,
died, risen, and ascended, he is now unseen by us bodily, and yet he's the anchor. He's
the unseen security of our souls. And the words here, descriptive,
say he's the anchor both sure and steadfast, strong and unmovable. And our faith, our trust entereth
into that, or we could say into that one that is within the veil. And this, you know, is an Old
Testament picture of the high priest. You remember in Israel
there was only one high priest at a time. And he died then upon
another. And he alone, the high priest,
could enter behind that veil, within the veil of the tabernacle,
temple. And then not without blood. And that not but once a year
on the day of atonement. He entered in, but none could
follow him in. He represented all the people
of Israel. No one could have a part in the
work of that day, except one, the high priest. You can go read
about it in Leviticus 16. Nobody else did anything that
day. Just the high priest. When he had by himself, purged
our sins, pointing to Christ. But coming to verse 20 now, and
here's where I want to get to. Whether, that is within the veil, And before I start this, and
I promise we're not going to be long this morning, but before
I start this, I want you to write down a statement and I'll go slow and let you
write it. I want you to get this. Because Christ has been where
we now are. That's the first line. Because
Christ has been where we now are, we shall soon be where he now is. Got it? Because Christ has been where
we now are, We shall soon be where he now is. Verse 20. Whether the forerunner is for
us entered. Even Jesus. Interesting is the title used
here for the son of God. Not Christ or the Lord, the King,
but it's Jesus, even Jesus. It's that despised name, that
hated name, that one who walked through hell for us in this life,
in this world. and suffered more than you and
I will ever suffer in all points. It's the despised name, hated
name. You remember early in the book
of Acts, the apostles were charged, don't speak anymore in that name. We hate that name of Jesus. This is his saving name. Matthew
1.21, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. He is the despised one, the hated
one that walked this road for us and walks it with us. And over in the epistle, 1 John
3.13, marvel not my brethren, if the world hates you. And Peter said, don't think it's
strange that everybody don't love you. And John 15, 18, Christ said,
if the world hates you, listen to this. You know, it hated me
before it hated you. And this is he, this is Jesus.
Peter said at Pentecost, here's what he said. You men of Israel,
hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth. They didn't want to hear those
words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by
the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God. ye have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up,
having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that
he should be holden of it." Talking about Jesus. This Jesus. He's
risen. He's ascended. He's entered within
the veil. In Hebrews 9, 24, Now, even right
now to appear in the presence of God for us. He has walked
where you walk today. He has faced what you face today and he's made it home and he's
received home with God's favor forever. Psalm 24, lift up your heads. Oh, you gates be lifted up everlasting
doors. The king of glory shall come
in. He's conquered. And he entered
back into the glory and he's on the throne today. Now here's
the one word I want us to get to in verse 20. Look at it. Forerunner. Whither the forerunner? This
is the only occurrence of this word in the Bible. What does it mean? Well, in ancient
times, before the news media, well, that sounds good, don't
it? Before the news media. Sounds real good. Before the
news media, when a battle was fought and the battle was over, a swift
young man, a good runner, a fast runner, was appointed to run
home by himself back to the city and charge into the city. and make the proclamation of
victory. The battle is over and we won. He's the forerunner. Psalm 24, referenced a moment
ago, implies that Christ charged through the gates of heaven. And the proclamation was It is
finished. I won. He's home and he's home with
approval. Now here's the real punchline in this word forerunner. I don't want you to miss this.
Unlike the old Testament high priest we talked about a moment
ago who represented the people. None could follow him. within
that veil. But this word forerunner means
that this one has entered ahead of the rest. He's not the only runner, he's
the forerunner. They're all coming home. Whether the forerunner is for
us, don't miss that phrase, for us entered. He's pioneered the way before
us. He's entered so we can enter
and certainly we shall enter. So get this message again. Because Christ has been where
we now are, we shall soon be where he now is. I'm so glad
that's a reality in my heart this morning. When you're young, you don't
think so much like this, but I promise you there's nothing
in this world worth staying here for. We do stay to honor our Lord
as long as He leaves us here. But as the old song said, this
world's not my home. I'm not counting on this forever. So understand that you're nowhere
this morning that our forerunner hadn't been. This idea of a pioneer, we find
it back in Philippians. In the old days when this country
was settled, and I'm sure other countries too, but when the West
was pioneering, people were going West, there would be scout, there
would be pioneers even, to cut away, to clear the way, to make
a path. Christ is our pioneer. He's our
forerunner. He's made sure there's nothing
out there. Not that it won't hinder us a
little bit and be a little painful as we pass through, but he has
pioneered the way and made sure there's nothing out there that's
going to destroy us. And he's cleared the way to make
sure that we make it. all the way home. He said, because I live, you
shall live also. Of all that the Father gave me,
I've lost not a single sheep. Isn't that a blessing? This is
such a picture this morning. If the forerunner don't make
it home, the battle's not over. And if he didn't make it home,
nobody will. But he did. But he did. The forerunner, even Jesus, has
for us entered. And his announcement is to all
of heaven, I'm home and they will be. The battle's over. And I repeat,
the thrust of this passage is, Believe it. Don't believe in yourself. What
a never ending problem that is for all of us. Believe in the forerunner, even
Jesus. And so I'm finished, but I'll
give you our statement one more time because Christ has been
Where we now are, we shall soon be where he now is. Thank you.