Skip to main content

I Swear to Me

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf." Hebrews 6:19-20

While no one is sure who wrote the book of Hebrews, I like how the writer communicates. He’s been using his letter to talk about how Jesus is superior to anything the Jewish people knew from the Old Testament. Jesus is superior to the angels. He is superior to Moses. He is superior to the priests.

And now the author is talking about God’s promise being certain and sure. You know how, if we really want someone to believe us, we might say something like, ‘I swear on my mother’s grave’ or ‘I swear to God’? When God makes a promise, there is no one greater to swear by, so He swears by Himself. ‘I swear to ME.’

This happened in Genesis 22:15-18.

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Basically God made a promise and swore an oath on His Name. So the writer of Hebrews tells us that we have this hope based on 2 things. 1. God cannot lie. And even if God could lie we have #2. God swore an oath based on His Name.It's the ultimate in pinky promises.

Hebrews 6:19-20 says we have this hope. We have this hope and we enter the sanctuary where Jesus went before us. And this hope is described as an ‘anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’ And this hope enters the sanctuary.

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling a bit on the tired side recently. Progress has appeared to come slowly and results even slower. The smallest steps have taken great strength and discipline. Perhaps you have felt the same.

We have this hope. Better yet, this hope we have has entered the sanctuary. It's not always a physical place, this sanctuary, but it is a point for rest. It's a promise from God. He swears by His own great name. That's a promise you can rest your hope in.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Studies on the Go...Genesis

To be honest, I had not heard of Studies On The Go before being offered a review copy by my god friends at Youth Worker. But since I’m always looking out for study ideas, I said yes to this opportunity. Studies On The Go by Laurie Polich-Short has 30 studies. This particular edition is on the book of Genesis. Any book of the Bible can be daunting when you’re trying to interest and impact teenagers. But Genesis increases that difficulty due to the many questions that arise on the topic of creation. On top of that, you have the many stories of questionable characters that we often call heroes of the faith. Each study comes with great questions, not mindless Sunday School questions where every answer is Jesus. They also come with an optional activity to take the lesson a step further and create true impact. Add to that a weekly plan for students to go deeper and you have a winner of a study in one little book. If all the book studies are as well done as this one, I’d ...

What Are You Capable Of?

I fancy myself to be just like Batman...without the money, the cave, the vendetta, the car and the cool belt. Other than that, we're pretty much the same guy. Does it help my case that I have a boy wonder? It's my son, but I'd take him over a dude in green tights any day. I've also imagined myself to be similar to Superman...you know, but without the super strength, speed, or that thing he can do with his eyes. Oh, and I'm also not from another planet. But he was a reporter and I like to write, though that hasn't been proven much by my blog. At least, not compared to what I used to write. The first time I write this post, it sounded like an apology. But that's not really the message I want to convey. Yes, I wish I were posting more. I also wish I had super strength or a cool utility belt, but those things aren't happening right now either. Maybe some day . The truth is I have been keeping busy. I'm not sitting back, sipping lemonade. I've never c...

The Facebook Maybe

Granted, I'm a pastor. I have Type-A tendencies. Ok, my tendencies border on freakish OCD behavior patterns, but... Few things bother me more than the Facebook 'maybe'. I suppose I could go on and on about the grey areas of our society and the refusal of people to accept absolute standards. I could discuss the great need of people to accept that what is wrong for one person is likely wrong for everyone. I should certainly be concerned about mentioning that someone might have sin in their life. But I don't believe the Facebook 'maybe' is quite sin. Perhaps if I were coming up with new sins, I would add this to the list. But alas... Some might think the Facebook 'maybe' did not exist prior to the Internet, but they would be wrong. When I was in high school and asked a girl out on a date, I would normally be told that if they had no other plans, if nobody else called them, if there was nothing good on television and their hair did not need washing, then per...