Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10: 22-25).
My father-in-law, over the course of his lifetime, dealt with many salesmen determined to convince him of the “perfect deal”. Whether it was buying a car, a house, or hunting dogs, he was often asked why he was so skeptical of the prices he was being quoted. Attempting to be helpful, those around him would try to explain why the numbers were reasonable or sometimes why they were not reasonable. He was known to say, “Figures don’t lie, but a liar will figure.” He had come up through a time when a man’s word, or promise, reflected his character. Most of that generation had learned that not everyone did what they should or meant what they said. They didn’t mince words, worry about feelings, or sugarcoat. They valued being honest and called things as they saw them.
Today, we struggle to find people without ulterior motives. Where do we go to find unbiased news or politicians we can believe? Social Media, emails, and text messages, once personal, now open the doors of opportunity for sales pitches, scamming attempts, and identity theft. We live in a time when it is necessary to distrust everyone and everything. Sadly, as a result, the unsaved are harder to reach, and the Christians have grown slack in their confidence toward God. Our lesson today, written almost 2,000 years ago, reminds us that we are required to put our trust in God. When we can’t see the purpose, He has a plan. When we are out of control, He is in control. When others fail us, He will not. When promises are broken, they won’t be His. As you study, open your heart to what the writer of Hebrews calls full assurance in God. No wavering, no doubting. Look Heavenward and move forward with complete trust and confidence in our Creator. Let’s dive in!
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
The lesson starts by making a comparison. The verses just prior to our lesson are very controversial. The writer of the book of Hebrews was written to the new Jewish converts to Christianity, many of whom have been disowned by their families, lost their status in society, and in general, had suffered great emotional and physical distress for believing in Jesus. Once enthusiastic believers, they are now in a place of doubt. They are having second thoughts.
The prevailing idea is that maybe they can just go back to the Law of Moses, and that would be ok. The writer spends several verses explaining to the Jewish converts that it is either Jesus or nothing. Once they know and have seen the redemptive work of Jesus, they cannot, and will not, find salvation by going back to the law. They cannot toss that aside and fall away because they are tired or distressed. The same is true today.
Once a Christian knows and accepts the atonement and reconciliation through Jesus, there is nothing else to do and nowhere else to go for salvation. There is no salvation under the law, the law can not save them. There is no other name under heaven by which they or we can be saved. No other repentance will give them peace with God and eternal life. Yes, the battle of life is tough. Yes, sin and doubt cause division, but rather than returning to a law that has been fulfilled by the blood of Jesus, the writer pushes them forward to better things.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15: 5-6).
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
At this point, the writer knows the previous verses have been hard to hear. The warning is real, and the consequences of turning away from the faith are dire. The message is not easy. The following verses give encouragement to them and us. God has not forgotten their work; He will not forget ours. He knows the struggles they are going through to stay faithful; He sees our attempts and failures. The church was not created to be a place for perfect people to gather. The church is there to gather and strengthen each other. To teach the word of God. To be a light in a dark world.
The writer stresses that we must be careful to guard and protect this new and precious relationship with God and each other. Stay committed, and remember that what God has revealed is true and just. Those who hear will grow into full assurance and complete confidence in God. In God, they will find infallible truth, promises kept, reliability, and trustworthiness in every aspect of His character. Have you found Him to be so? Are you working to minister within your church or your family to strengthen yourself and those around you?
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6: 9-10).
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 sware 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 verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Don’t get lazy. Don’t drag your feet, don’t stop growing and producing spiritual fruit. Stay in the vine that is Jesus. Learn from the examples of Abraham and others that the scriptures use as staying the course, remaining faithful, and obtaining the promises of God. Abraham was a very flawed human, but he had faith. He believed God. God did not change His mind despite the mess of things Abraham’s lack of patience caused. God not only blessed Abraham, he multiplied him in ways Abraham could not imagine. God kept his word. God always keeps His word. God always keeps His promises.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9).
There is none greater and none more worthy of our confidence.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew 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, 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 stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
The lesson uses a few words that we should take a minute to define:
Assurance - Word of honor, guarantee, confidence, vow, oath, and commitment.
Immutable - Unchangeable, permanent, established, irremovable, lasting, and abiding.
Consolation -Compassion, relief, help, support, encouragement, and reassurance.
Refuge - shelter, place of safety, hiding place, and protection.
God’s authority, confirmed by His vow, is permanent. God keeps his oaths/vows/promises. He cannot lie. Our hope and faith is in Him, not in ourselves or our circumstances. We are to take strong encouragement from these two attributes of God. Regardless of what is going on around us, regardless of attempts to discourage us, regardless of regrets, doubts, and fears, He is God and there is none else. Reading the scriptures and learning of God, we can be fully persuaded that He is more than able to keep us, guard us, and protect us. He is our hope. He is in control. He is the anchor that stills our restlessness, and most importantly, we no longer have a separation (veil) between us and God. We have Jesus, our High Priest, without beginning and without end. And just like David, we may also say,
“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name”. (Psalm 61: 1-5).
Don’t give up. Don’t fall back. Don’t stand still. Never ever quit. God is faithful.
Thank you for studying with us! God bless!