Introduction:
Why Should I Trust the Lord? (Hebrews 6:13-20):
- Because His character is Unquestionable . (Heb 6:13-15)
Hebrews 6:13-15
Genesis 15:5 - "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them…So shall your offspring be."
Genesis 15:6 - And he (Abraham) believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
- Because His promises are Definitive . (Heb 6:16-18)
Hebrews 6:16-18
Numbers 23:19 - God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man that He should change His mind.
- Because His Son is Steady Anchor . (Heb 6:19-20)
John 14:6 - "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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01:01-01:34
All right, so you can open up to Hebrews chapter 6 verses 13 through 20 Hebrews chapter 6 verses 13 through 20 and I was told before I came up here that some of these bulletins may not be exactly fully correct So if you have the bullets that's not correct. You'll win a prize on your way out I'm not sure what it is, but now you really don't sorry. But anyway, why I should trust the Lord That's what it should be So if you don't have that there are some blank ones back there on the table, or you can scratch it out, pay attention, and fill it out as need be, all right?
01:35-01:40
All right, so I want you to raise your hand if you ever went to sleep-away summer camp as a kid.
01:41-01:42
Not as many as I was expecting.
01:43-01:45
Who never went to summer camp?
01:45-01:48
All right, you are my people, awesome.
01:49-01:53
It was a family tradition for us to go to Seneca Hills Bible Camp.
01:53-01:56
My brother went there, my sister went there.
01:56-02:00
I refused to go for several reasons.
02:00-02:05
First of all, it's maybe hard for you to believe 'cause I'm standing up here preaching a message.
02:05-02:08
I was a very shy and introverted kid.
02:08-02:10
I didn't really like talking to new people.
02:11-02:12
Those are two of the reasons.
02:13-02:16
But do you want to know the number one reason why I didn't want to go to camp?
02:17-02:20
I was afraid my parents were gonna leave me there.
02:22-02:22
(audience laughing)
02:22-02:25
I was afraid they'd be like, "Oh yeah, Taylor's not here.
02:25-02:26
It's pretty nice.
02:27-02:28
You should stay there.
02:28-02:29
That'd be fantastic.
02:30-02:33
All the parents in the room are like, why would you ever, ever think that?
02:33-02:37
I have no idea, but it even extends into other activities in my life.
02:38-02:46
Like VBS, in school, my mom will tell you she had to come right on time or a few minutes early or it would be a problem.
02:46-02:48
I would be really upset.
02:48-02:51
I remember one time at VBS, I went to my counselor, I'm like, can I call my mom?
02:52-02:54
Can I call my mom and make sure she's gonna pick me up?
02:55-02:58
My parents gave me no reason to doubt them.
02:59-03:01
They never once left me in a parking lot.
03:02-03:05
They never once left me on the side of the road to fend for myself.
03:07-03:11
But for some reason, I had a hard time trusting they would come through for me.
03:12-03:15
I had a hard time believing that they would pick me up.
03:17-03:23
You may laugh at me and my craziness as a child, but we all do the same thing with God, don't we?
03:24-03:27
We all struggle with trusting the Lord.
03:27-03:34
We all wrestle with believing that he knows what he is doing and he will always keep his promises to us.
03:35-03:43
We all have trust issues when it comes to God, even though he has proved himself faithful to us time and time again.
03:44-03:58
This morning, we're gonna study Hebrews chapter six, verses 13 through 20, and unpack three reasons why we should have a rock solid confidence the Lord, why we should trust in His many promises to us.
03:59-04:02
So I want you to answer this really important question.
04:02-04:03
It's very simple.
04:04-04:05
Why should I trust the Lord?
04:07-04:09
Why should I trust the Lord?
04:10-04:13
Number one, because His character is unquestionable.
04:14-04:18
Because His character is unquestionable.
04:20-04:23
Let's read verses 13 through 15 together.
04:24-04:34
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, surely I will bless you and multiply you.
04:34-04:39
And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
04:41-04:49
The author of Hebrews points us back to the example of Abraham and God making a covenant with Abraham in the book of Genesis.
04:49-04:54
To fully understand this passage, we kind of have to recap the life of Abraham.
04:55-04:57
When we first meet this man, he's named Abram.
04:58-05:00
He's 75 years old and he lives in a place called Ur.
05:01-05:10
Eventually, God changes his name to Abraham to show that this man's identity, his purpose, has been radically transformed, radically altered.
05:11-05:14
From now on, we'll just refer to him as Abraham to keep things simple.
05:16-05:26
So in Genesis 12, the Lord first appears to Abraham tells him to leave behind all that he knows and step into a future that will be shown to him.
05:27-05:30
And God offers a fourfold promise to Abraham.
05:31-05:41
He offers him a family line, a land for his descendants to possess, a great name, and blessing that will impact the entire world.
05:42-05:44
It's a pretty awesome promise, right?
05:44-05:45
It sounds fantastic.
05:46-05:49
But what's the problem with this promise from a human perspective.
05:51-05:53
Abraham and his wife are not spring chickens.
05:55-05:59
Actually, later on in Hebrews, Abraham is described as good as dead.
06:00-06:02
Imagine putting that on a birthday cake for somebody.
06:05-06:08
On top of that, his wife Sarah is unable to have children.
06:10-06:16
So the idea that she will have a son that will carry on this family line seems slim to none.
06:17-06:19
Abraham still listens to God.
06:19-06:21
He obeys and he leaves behind everything that he knows.
06:23-06:25
But later on, Genesis 15, Abraham is struggling.
06:25-06:28
He is wrestling with trusting in the Lord.
06:28-06:32
He goes to the Lord and says, God, I know you've promised me a son.
06:32-06:33
I know you've promised me a family line.
06:34-06:36
I'm having a hard time trusting you.
06:36-06:38
How is this going to happen?
06:40-06:46
The Lord says, Abraham, look toward heaven and number the stars if you're able to number them.
06:47-06:50
so shall your offspring be.
06:52-06:53
This next verse is really important.
06:54-07:00
And Abraham believed the Lord and he counted to him as righteousness.
07:01-07:10
In that moment, even though Abraham still isn't seeing the evidence, he's not seeing the promise, he has faith.
07:10-07:14
He wholeheartedly believes that God will provide a son.
07:15-07:18
It's not the next day, it's not the next year.
07:18-07:23
Abraham had to wait 25 years for this child of promise to come.
07:25-07:29
He had faith, even though it looked impossible from a human perspective.
07:30-07:39
At this point, in Genesis 15, Abraham has to take the Lord on faith and believe that one day his faith will become sight.
07:40-07:54
So after this declaration of faith, God brings a deep sleep upon Abraham and he makes a covenant, an unbreakable agreement with Abraham to prove that these promises will come to pass.
07:55-08:00
You know, in 2023, we finalized deals by signing contracts or shaking hands.
08:01-08:03
That's not how it happened back in Abraham's day.
08:03-08:07
It was a much grosser process.
08:08-08:19
Two parties entering into a covenant in Abraham's day would cut an animal apart, they would take the pieces, and walk through the pieces to show that they would keep their part of the covenant.
08:20-08:28
And by walking through those pieces, you're saying, let what happened to these animals happen to me if I don't keep my part of the covenant.
08:30-08:32
Is anybody else glad that we don't do that anymore?
08:33-08:44
Imagine doing that at the car dealership as you're closing on a Honda Civic, or in the Howard Hanna parking lot, closing on your dream house, okay honey, let's walk through the animal pieces.
08:45-08:47
I'm so glad we don't have to do that anymore.
08:50-09:00
But in Genesis 15, God has Abraham cut animals in half, placed the halves across from each other, but he doesn't have Abraham walk through the pieces.
09:00-10:11
As I said, he puts a deep sleep upon Abraham, and God alone, in the form of a fiery torch a smoking oven passes through the pieces. Why did God do that? Why did God exclude Abraham? Because the keeping of this promise of this covenant depended fully upon God and not on Abraham at all. This was an unconditional covenant that the Lord fully took upon himself to carry out. In a sense, God made a covenant with himself. This covenant didn't depend upon Abraham's imperfect performance and faithfulness, instead it depended upon God's perfect faithfulness and performance. God owed himself the fulfillment of these promises. You know this makes sense when you think about it. Who can God possibly trust more than himself? Easiest question you'll be asked all day and the answer is, you can do better than that? The answer is no one. God could trust no one more than himself.
10:13-11:04
As I mentioned earlier, God finally kept this promise. A miracle son is born, Isaac after 25 years of waiting. Years go by and as of 22, something unexpected happens. God tells Abraham, "I want you to sacrifice your one and only son." Put yourself in Abraham's shoes. What that must have felt like. I imagine him just being like, "God, what do you mean? What are you talking about? This is the child you promised me. Why? How could this possibly fit into your plans?" But Abraham obeys and just as he's about to sacrifice his son, the angel of the Lord stops him and points to a ram that will be sacrificed as a stand-in for Isaac.
11:05-11:09
And the Lord reaffirms his promises to Abraham in that moment.
11:11-11:16
And we hear that he swears an oath that he will keep these promises.
11:17-11:20
And the author of Hebrews speaks to this in verse 13.
11:20-11:28
He says this, "For when God made a promise to Abraham, "since he had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself.
11:31-11:36
When someone made an oath in the ancient world, they would swear by something or someone greater than themselves.
11:37-11:41
In the New Testament, people would often swear by the altar in the temple or by the high priest.
11:42-11:46
But who could God possibly swear to that is greater than Himself?
11:47-11:51
Again, another easy question with a very easy answer, no one.
11:52-12:01
This covenant and this oath shine a spotlight on the absolute trustworthiness and credibility of our God.
12:02-12:07
His character, his integrity are unquestionable, then disputable.
12:09-12:12
Who in this room would say that they like to work ahead on stuff?
12:14-12:18
All right, the other end of the spectrum, who's a big procrastinator and you wait to the last possible second?
12:19-12:21
I don't understand the second group at all.
12:21-12:22
I don't know how you live your lives.
12:22-12:29
I don't know how you go every single day being like, "Yeah, I'll do it eventually." I remember in college, almost all of my friends were like you.
12:30-12:31
They loved to procrastinate.
12:31-12:32
They would study at the last second.
12:33-12:38
I had one friend crank out a 10-page research paper in the 45 minutes before the class that was due.
12:39-12:41
I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it.
12:41-12:48
I watched him with mouth agape, just like, "Are you kidding me?" Now, he got a C on the paper, but hey, that's pretty good for 45 minutes of work, right?
12:49-12:51
I couldn't live that way.
12:51-12:56
Living that way, thinking about it, made my skin crawl with anxiety.
12:57-13:02
So instead, in college, I developed a weekly schedule that I would follow.
13:02-13:06
And because of this schedule, I never once stayed up past 11 p.m. doing homework.
13:07-13:09
I never once pulled an all-nighter.
13:10-13:15
As many people have told me, I don't think you really went to college then if you never pulled an all-nighter.
13:16-13:30
But I remember one particular class in my sophomore year, There was a public speaking class, and this class was notoriously difficult, and the professor relished the fact that her class was really, really hard, and that her tests were impossible.
13:31-13:39
People told me, "Taylor, if you want to do well "on these tests, you really have to study." So I listened, I poured over my notes for hours and hours and hours.
13:39-13:42
I take the test, get it back the next week, and I got an A on the test.
13:43-13:56
I was really excited, but then the professor says, "Taylor, I want to talk to you after class." And then she proceeds to ask me one of the most offensive questions I've ever been asked in my entire life.
13:57-13:57
Are you ready?
13:59-14:05
She said, "Taylor, you are the only student "who got an A on this test in the entire class.
14:05-14:10
"You cheated, didn't you?" It felt like she had punched me in the face.
14:10-14:11
I couldn't believe it.
14:12-14:17
I tried defending myself, but she kept digging in her heels and she said, "Taylor, I know what you did.
14:17-14:25
"I can't prove it, but I'm gonna be watching you "for the rest of the semester." I walked out of that classroom in a daze.
14:26-14:31
I went back to my apartment and I told my friend, Seth, about this experience, and he was very angry.
14:32-14:44
Said, "We're going to her office right now." I was like, "This probably isn't a good idea, but okay." So I follow him, and I didn't really know until after that he already had problems with his professor, So he was like ready for battle.
14:44-14:51
We get to her office, and he kind of like lays into her about accusing me of cheating with no evidence whatsoever.
14:52-14:54
And there's one thing that he said that I'll never forget.
14:55-15:02
He said, if you really knew Taylor, you would know how ridiculous it is to think that he would cheat on this test.
15:04-15:06
This intent interrogation actually worked.
15:07-15:11
She apologized to me, and she backed away from her claims.
15:12-15:26
I walked away from this experience feeling both vindicated, but also greatly encouraged that my friend had such a high view of my integrity that the possibility of me cheating never once entered into his mind.
15:28-15:38
You know, in a much greater way, as believers, we should have such a high view of our God that his character, his integrity, should never, ever be in question.
15:41-15:47
The possibility of him saying one thing, but meaning another, is 0%.
15:48-15:52
The possibility of him not having our best interest at heart is zero.
15:53-15:59
He is perfect in every single way imaginable, and his track record is flawless.
16:00-16:06
Yes, he doesn't always do things the way that you want him to, but that's good, 'cause he always does what is right.
16:06-16:09
He always does what is best.
16:11-16:16
But it's so easy to get off track and assume the worst about God.
16:17-16:20
It's so easy to blame Him for all of our problems.
16:22-16:34
But in those moments when we do that, we're taking our eyes off the God of the Bible, and we're focusing on a God of our own understanding who bears no resemblance to the one who actually sits on the throne.
16:35-16:40
This is why we cannot allow our emotions and feelings to dictate what we think and believe.
16:40-16:54
This is why we must always preach the truth to ourselves daily about who God really is, instead of just listening to that complaint track that often plays in our head over and over and over again.
16:56-17:07
When you're tempted to think that God doesn't care about you or what you're going through, dig into passages of the Word that speak to the unbreakable, unconditional love of God.
17:07-17:15
When you doubt the goodness of God, Instead of running away from him, run to him and praise him for all the things he has done in your life.
17:16-17:24
Continually go through his list of attributes, holy, righteous, loving, all-knowing, all-powerful, gracious, generous.
17:26-17:27
On and on the list goes.
17:28-17:31
There is no one greater than our God.
17:32-17:35
There is no one more trustworthy than our God.
17:35-17:41
There is no one whose character and integrity unquestionable besides our God.
17:44-17:45
So why should I trust the Lord?
17:45-17:49
Number two, because his promises are definitive.
17:50-17:53
Because his promises are definitive.
17:56-17:58
Let's continue on verses 16 through 18.
18:00-18:05
"For people swear by something greater than themselves in all their disputes that oath is final for confirmation.
18:06-18:14
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.
18:15-18:26
So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
18:28-18:35
You know, as I said earlier, oaths were extremely common in the ancient world, and they were meant to be taken extremely seriously.
18:35-18:40
Once you made an oath, you were expected to follow through on what you promised.
18:41-18:45
Sadly, oaths existed because as human beings, we're not known for our honesty, are we?
18:46-18:50
Deception comes very naturally to all of us.
18:50-18:52
And it's easy to tell white lies.
18:52-18:53
It's easy to stretch the truth.
18:56-19:03
It's easy to say one thing that's not true so you can get someone off your back, or it makes other people think more highly of you.
19:04-19:08
It's easy to go back on your word and make excuses for why you can't follow through.
19:10-19:15
Sometimes we break our word intentionally and sometimes we break our word unintentionally.
19:15-19:20
We can make hasty commitments that we don't really fully think through and count the costs.
19:20-19:23
We don't think if we actually have the time and the bandwidth to follow through.
19:25-19:25
But guess what?
19:26-19:32
While this is true of human beings and very often of you and I, this is not true of God whatsoever.
19:34-19:36
I love the bluntness of Numbers 23 19.
19:37-19:42
God is not a man that he should lie or a son of man that he should change his mind.
19:43-19:47
Simply put, God is not like us at all.
19:47-19:50
He does not share our faults and our failures.
19:51-19:56
The author of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear, it is impossible for God to lie.
19:57-20:00
It's not just that he will not lie, he cannot lie.
20:01-20:07
It's not just that he will keep his promises to us, he must keep his promises to us.
20:07-20:10
God cannot violate his own holiness.
20:12-20:22
As I studied this passage this week, I was continually blown away by the reality that God made an oath to Abraham even though he didn't have to.
20:23-20:25
We should take God at his word.
20:26-20:27
We should take what he says on face value.
20:30-20:36
As I studied this passage, warranties for cars, appliances, and other electronics came to my mind.
20:36-20:38
You know, why are warranties offered?
20:39-20:43
Because companies do not have 100% confidence in their products.
20:44-20:47
They offer you a worst case scenario option.
20:47-20:53
But very often, if you read the fine print, these warranties are geared towards the company and not the consumer.
20:55-21:01
I don't know about you, but very often, the built-in warranty for a product expires, and that's the time when the product's like, you know what, I'm done.
21:01-21:03
It just quits and just ruins my entire day.
21:04-21:08
Who else gets a steady stream of extended car warranty calls?
21:09-21:11
Anybody else besides me being tortured by these people?
21:12-21:13
You know what's the worst part about it?
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Let me just rant for a second.
21:15-21:20
It used to be they would have like an area code from somewhere outside the state, but no.
21:20-21:23
Now they have 412 and 724 area codes.
21:23-21:26
As a pastor, I'm like, oh, well, this might be someone in the church.
21:27-21:30
And it's like, hello, we'd like to talk to you about your extended car warranty.
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It's like, ah, end.
21:33-21:36
Every single time I get so angry about it, I rant over.
21:37-21:38
It feels good to talk about that.
21:39-21:48
You know, typically I don't even bother with the add-on warranties for a TV or a toaster or a microwave 'cause they're often more trouble than they're worth.
21:50-22:00
But with this oath the Lord offers Abraham, he gives him a 100% trustworthy warranty that will not expire, go bad, or disappoint.
22:01-22:05
But again, why did God do this if he didn't have to?
22:06-22:07
Let's read our passage again.
22:08-22:10
The author of Hebrews clearly tells us why.
22:11-22:31
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs the promise, the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, that's the promise and the oath, in which it is impossible for God to lie, We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
22:32-22:35
So why did God swear an oath to Abraham?
22:37-22:43
He did it to stoop down to his level, to meet him where he is at and accommodate his weak faith.
22:44-22:53
God knew how hard it was for Abraham to trust in him, so he gave him a greater sense of security with this oath.
22:55-23:00
And we're told that he made this oath to encourage the heirs of the promise after Abraham.
23:01-23:15
If you are a follower of Christ, then you are an heir of the promise made to Abraham, because we'll talk about in a few minutes, Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham to bless the entire world through his family line.
23:16-23:20
This oath should be a comfort and encouragement to us.
23:23-23:25
God knows how weak we are.
23:26-23:28
God knows how hard it is for us to trust him.
23:30-23:35
God knows how hard it is for us to live by faith and not by sight every single day.
23:36-23:40
No one knows how weak, needy, frustrated, and confused you are like God does.
23:42-23:45
As you've been learning a lot over the past month, God gets us.
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He knows you better than you know yourself.
23:49-23:58
He knows that you need something solid and substantial to grab a hold of when you're going through a difficult season, when you're going through the storms of life.
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This is why He has gifted us with His word so that we can study about the promises He has kept in the past, about the promises He is fulfilling right now, and the promises down the road that He will fulfill in the future.
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This is why we have a church family.
24:15-24:23
So just sitting on our own, letting our fears and doubts take over, we can have brothers and sisters encouraging us, speaking the truth into our lives.
24:23-24:32
This is why we have the Holy Spirit, who has been sent to live within us as our comforter, our teacher, and our guide who points us to these promises every single day.
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God is so gracious in offering us helpful reminders to grab a hold of, because he knows how forgetful and ignorant we all are.
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We must constantly choose to set our hearts and our minds upon the promises of God.
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Because as the author of Hebrews tells us, these are a refuge in times of trouble.
24:57-25:00
Let me just list off some of the promises of God that we see in his word.
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In John 6, 47, Jesus promises that those who place their faith and trust in him alone for salvation will have eternal life.
25:11-25:20
In Romans 8, 28, we are promised that all those who love God and are called according to his purposes All things will work out for good for them.
25:21-25:28
In Romans 8, 38 through 39, we are promised that nothing will separate us from the love of God and Christ Jesus, our Lord.
25:28-25:39
In Philippians 1, 6, we are promised that God will finish the work that he began in us at the moment of salvation, and he will take us across the finish line of this life and into heaven.
25:40-25:43
God doesn't have any unfinished or abandoned projects lying around.
25:43-25:45
He always finishes what he starts.
25:46-25:50
In Ephesians 2.10, we are promised that God has a purpose for our lives.
25:50-25:54
There are good works He has prepared for us to carry out.
25:56-26:07
And I'll steal Pastor Jeff's favorite promise from Revelation chapter 21, in which we're promised, that things will not always be as they are now, that Jesus will make all things new.
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These promises are definitive.
26:12-26:14
These promises are a set guarantee.
26:15-26:19
Keep your eyes fixed on these things at all times and never let go.
26:20-26:23
Never let go of the hope set before you.
26:24-26:27
Finally, why should I trust the Lord?
26:28-26:29
Because his son is a steady anchor.
26:30-26:33
Because his son is a steady anchor.
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Let's wrap up with verses 19 through 20.
26:40-26:55
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, A hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
26:57-27:02
So the author of Hebrews expands upon the hope he was talking about in verse 18.
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He says this hope is rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
27:07-27:10
Ultimately, our hope is found in Him and Him alone.
27:12-27:21
As I said a few minutes ago, Jesus is the final fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham to bless the whole world through his family line.
27:23-27:28
Isn't this a random coincidence that Jesus was born to a Jewish woman over 2,000 years ago?
27:28-27:34
To fulfill the promise, Jesus had to come through the line of David, through the line of Abraham.
27:35-27:44
Through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus has secured a salvation that is available to anyone and everyone who turns to Him.
27:45-27:54
It doesn't matter what race, nationality, or family you come from, the blessing of eternal life and salvation is available to all.
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How is this possible?
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We're told in the passage we just read, and we're told that we have a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
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We've talked a lot about Jesus being our high priest over the past month.
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As a quick refresher, once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to make a sacrifice for his sin, as well as the sins of the people of Israel.
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He would pass through the veil to go through the Holy of Holies.
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and this curtain, this veil, represented the fact that we are separated from a holy and perfect God because of our sin.
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The Israelites needed a mediator, a go-between, to enter into the Holy of Holies on their behalf.
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But guess what?
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As Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom to represent the awesome, amazing reality that access to God is now available through his son and high priest.
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Through his sacrifice, Jesus entered into the inner place, into the heavenly holy of holies as our forerunner.
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What does that mean?
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I'm not talking about the vehicle.
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What is a forerunner?
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A forerunner is someone who goes on up ahead and prepares a way.
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A forerunner is a trailblazer who breaks new ground so that others can follow in their footsteps.
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Jesus paved the way for those who believe in him to have a personal relationship with the Father.
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Jesus paved the way for you to enjoy the presence of a loving God, both now and forever.
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You don't need to go through a religious ritual.
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You don't need to go through me or Pastor Jeff to talk to God.
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All you need to do is follow in the footsteps of your Savior, your high priest, and your forerunner who made a way for you.
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As Jesus said in John 14 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
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No one comes to the Father except through me." What an awesome hope we have in Jesus.
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He is our everything.
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And without Him, we have nothing, and we're going nowhere.
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And the author of Hebrews says that this hope in Jesus is a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.
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Does anybody else besides me need that today?
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A sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.
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Do you need someone who is steadfast and loyal?
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Do you need an anchor that will help you not to drift away?
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Look no further than Jesus Christ.
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Everything and everyone will let you down besides him.
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Who or what are you looking to as your anchor right now?
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Is it your job?
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I hate to break it to you, but you could be fired tomorrow.
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You're looking to money and success.
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That is a bottomless pit.
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You'll never have enough.
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You'll never achieve enough.
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The opinion of others, I can tell you that's not a good idea.
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That is a up and down, left and right, crazy roller coaster that will change day by day.
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But you know who never changes?
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Jesus Christ.
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All of the things I just mentioned are not anchors.
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They are unsteady rafts that will sink in the storms of this life.
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Only Jesus provides eternal security and stability.
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Only Jesus is a rock solid anchor for your soul.
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Your eternal position in his kingdom can never be stolen from you.
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Your identity in him can never be stripped away from you.
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Your purpose in Him can never, ever be thwarted.
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Will you please bow your heads, close your eyes, and then I can come forward.
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I want you to spend some time with the Lord.
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And honestly ask yourself, in what areas of my life am I having a hard time trusting the Lord?
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Maybe you're having a hard time trusting Him with your finances, maybe it's with your family, things are really rough right now, and you have a hard time believing that God knows what he is doing.
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Maybe you're struggling with believing that God really cares about you.
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Go to him right now and ask him to restore your hope in his unquestionable character, his definitive promises, and the steady anchor that is his son.
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Lay your doubts, your worries, and your anxieties before him.
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cast your burdens on him, because he alone can carry them.
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Father, we come to you and we thank you that your character is unquestionable, that your promises are definitive, and your son is a steady anchor for our souls at all times.
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Lord, forgive us for the many ways we doubt you, for the many ways we run away from you when we should run towards you.
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Lord, there are many issues, struggles, worries, anxieties in this room today.
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I don't know all of them, but you do.
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I pray that we would all lay them down at the foot of the cross.
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We would believe that you truly care about us, that you truly know what you're doing, that you will always keep your word to us, Lord, that you alone are trustworthy at all times.
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we lift up this week to you we pray that we would go throughout this week not ridden with anxiety and fear but filled with hope and confidence in you we thank you in advance what you are to be doing our lives this week Lord in Jesus name amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read Hebrews 6:13-20
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
Recap the life of Abraham and discuss how his example should impact our lives and our faith.
What characteristics or qualities of God do you need to constantly remind yourself of in this current season of life?
What promises of God do you have a hard time believing in sometimes? How can you strengthen your confidence in these promises and fight against doubt?
How is Jesus a steady anchor for our souls?
Breakout
Pray for one another.