Episode 84 - Hebrews 6:9-20 (Hope for Christmas & News About A Giveaway!)

Well hey there!

 

Welcome back to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show - part of the Spark Network now playing on the Edifi app.

 

I'm your host, Jan L. Burt, author of the brand new book "A 60 Day Prayer Journal for Parents" available via Amazon (if you would like to receive a pdf copy in exchange for a review as a BETA reader, please email me at JanLBurt@outlook.com with the subject line BETA).

 

Today we are looking at Hebrews chapter 6, verses 9-20 from the Amplified.

 

Better Things for You

9But, beloved, even though we speak to you in this way, [c]we are convinced of better things concerning you, and of things that accompany salvation. 10For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to [the needs of] the saints (God’s people), as you do. 11And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end, 12so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises.

13For when God made the promise to Abraham, He swore [an oath] by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, 14saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” 15And so, having patiently waited, he realized the promise [in the miraculous birth of Isaac, as a pledge of what was to come from God]. 16Indeed men swear [an oath] by [d]one greater than themselves, and with them [in all disputes] the oath serves as confirmation [of what has been said] and is an end of the dispute. 17In the same way God, in His desire to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of His purpose, intervened and guaranteed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge would have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us. 19This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]--a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells], 20where Jesus has entered [in advance] as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of [e]Melchizedek.

 

Please take seriously the importance of knowing who you are according to God's Word, and don't ever opt for living like someone God says you aren't. The best you is the you God created you to be - so don't let satan dupe you into living like you're not who you truly are - free in Christ, a beloved child of God, welcome in His presence at all times, dear to His heart, the apple of His eye.

 

The header of this section of Hebrews 6 is entitled "Better Things For You".

As we head into Christmas and the end of 2021, start of 2022, does anybody want some better things? For yourself? For your family? For your church? Your workplace? For your health? Your ministry? In your walk with Jesus?

Well, me too!

Let's just simply assume that these verses will give us exactly that - better things for you and for me.

 

First off, God sees.

And He is never unjust.

He does not have the ability to forget your work for His causes or your love shown as you have ministered to people. He sees & He is never unjust. That's good to remember!

 

So stay diligent. Don't slack off!

The promise here is if we don't slack off, don't be a slacker, we will enjoy the full assurance of hope right up until the very last moments of our time on planet earth.

 

Feeling hopeless?

Can I ask if maybe you're lacking some diligence in your calling (& you have a calling, a ministry, a purpose in God's kingdom & His work to advance the Gospel of Jesus!) - in your ministry - in your love for the Lord? Is He your first love? Does your love for Him burn hot, or is it more like ashes cooling down and a fire smoldering out?

See verse 11 - this isn't Jan talking here, this is just Jan reiterating what God has said in His word.

Don't be spiritually sluggish. The opposite of sluggishness is to lean in (as in, we have to personally do the work of leaning, not just as the church as a whole, but as individuals) and trust the Lord absolutely.  Have full confidence in Him and in His power. And He has power, believe me you!

This is the way to those better things that lie ahead for us!

 

You have an inheritance coming - live today in light of that future.

 

God made His promise and took an oath by His own name because there is no greater name than the Name above all names. It's a trustworthy promise because of the One who made the promise. Just as He kept His word to Abraham, He will always be about the work of keeping His promises to you, too.

 

To doubt God's word is to dispute it.  Don't live in unbelief, in disbelief, and be a person who disputes God's word.

 

By two unchangeable things, says verse 18, His promise & His oath, it is impossible for God to lie.

When God, who says all things are possible with Him, states that something is impossible, we need to pay attention! It will never be a possibility for God to lie. He has never lied to you and He isn't going to start now.  Why don't we believe that with everything within us?

I hope, starting today, that we will!

He has strong encouragement for us, this passage says. And indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us.

 

Hope is a wonderful word to describe the Christmas season. Be hopeful! Your inheritance is on it's way, my friend! Hope is the anchor of the soul - it cannot slip - it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it. It is a safe & steadfast hope, this hope that we have in Jesus. He is our living hope! And it ushers us into the Most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells. Fight to hold on to your hope - it is life-giving and we need it!

 

This December, may hope be your watchword & the assurance of better things for you bring you comfort & joy this Christmas.

 

If you'd like to be a BETA reader & leave a review of the new prayer journal on Amazon & Goodreads, please let me know (leave a comment here or send me a message!) Thanks a zillion!

A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents - on Amazon

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