The Anchor And The Cross – Hebrews 6:13-20
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.16 Human beings, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute. 17 In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. 19 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
What does the Passage say?
From The Message: 13 When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line.
14 He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have – bless and bless and bless!”
15 Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him.
16 When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up.
17 When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee.
18 God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.
19 It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God
20 where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.
What does the Passage say to me/us?
These verses represent the Christian’s certainty that God will keep his promises. Hope is the anchor that provides security and stability for the soul. In the current era of our nation’s instability, we know that God is our rock, the anchor for our soul. He is the focus for keeping us secure and ready to battle evil, with the hope of Jesus, who has gone before us. He obediently followed his father’s will, giving up his earthly life as he hung on a cross. He saved us from sin, giving salvation for all. Whether we turn to Jesus in our lives to free us from sin or we cling to Jesus the anchor, to provide hope and stability, we owe Jesus our lives. We need to invite him to be present in our lives so that we can learn to discern his plan for us. A plan which includes loving God, loving others, for the transformation of the world.
Prayer
Heavenly Father. Thank you for the hope that you have given us through your son, Jesus Christ. Help us to discern the needs of our community so that we can reach out and share your love with each new face. We want to serve you, O Lord. We want to share the hope and meaning of salvation with others. I ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our lord. Amen.
*Contributed by Sue McCoy
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