Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 25. Jos 1:16-18; survey of Heb.

Title: Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 25. Jos 1:16-18; survey of Heb.   

 

Announcements/opening prayer:

 

 

Heb 6:13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,

 

Heb 6:14 saying, "I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply you."

 

Heb 6:15 And thus, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.

 

Heb 6:16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.

 

Heb 6:17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath [even more sure],

 

In the next verse the writer shares the fact that this encouragement is for us.

 

Heb 6:18 in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us.

 

The two immutable or unchangeable things from which this encouragement is derived are the promise of God (for it is impossible to for God to lie) and the oath by which His promise is confirmed.

 

"we who have fled for refuge"…

We are the refugees from the sinking ship of this world's order who have been given an eternal kingdom, an eternal home, an eternal order, and eternal life through the fulfillment of both the promise and the oath.

 

In context the sinking or sunken ship also represents the Law and Judaism.

 

We who have fled that sinking ship for refuge have laid hold of this very hope that has been set before us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Do we not have strong encouragement?

 

The sinking ship of the world order is tossed back and forth, here and there by waves and winds. It has veered off of God's course. It is lost. It believes that it finds the right course again but only later finds that it has traversed the exact same course that it was once lost upon. It fools itself into thinking that it has found the right way again, only to be pushed on to the rocky reef and crash. Soon it will sink, but for us, those who have fled that fledgling ship and found rest in the One who can walk on water, our hope, our faith that looks to the future, we have an anchor in that hope, which is steadfast and sure because in Christ who has gone before us, that hope has entered into the very presence of God in the holy of holies.

 

Eph 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

 

Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

 

Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.

 

Unity of faith - an alignment of consciences that are consciences in the image of Christ.

 

Eph 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine [didaskalia - teaching or instruction], by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

 

Eph 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,

 

Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

 

Heb 6:18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  

 

Heb 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil [holy place – the right hand of God in heaven],

 

The anchor means that we are moored to an immoveable object, which is the throne of God itself. The anchor is hope based on His promises.

 

It is at the throne of God that we are seated. We entered in, following Christ in faith in Him. What was once on earth in the old order and could only be entered by one man, once a year, and only after he had ritualistically cleansed himself, all believers enter at salvation and never leave. It is our position and our immoveable object.

 

Heb 10:19-20

Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh

 

The corroboration of the promise and the oath is that Christ entered first and there He sits at the right hand of God. Abraham rested in a future fulfillment of this hope, while we rest in its true fulfillment in the exaltation of Christ, which is a present reality. No wonder our hope is both sure and steadfast.

 

 

Heb 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil [holy place – the right hand of God in heaven],

 

Eph 2:5-7

even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

Heb 6:20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

 

I go to prepare a place for you.

 

Heb 12:28-29

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

 

We are always grateful because our kingdom is permanent and eternal, no matter what may be happening in our lives while on earth.

 

More than preparation of the place Christ proclaims the accomplished work of redemption and promises the first fruits of a mighty after crop.

 

Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham and so his priesthood was greater, as our Lord, both King and High Priest, after Mel's type, is greater than the Levitical priesthood, not being of Levi, and King of kings forever.

 

So as in Heb 11-12, so here, we go from Abraham to Christ, and then to us in Christ, both Jew and Gentile. What is there to fear in this world, even in the midst of the greatest persecution of the people of God?

 

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

 

Heb 11:9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;

 

Heb 11:10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

 

Abraham's faith was manifested first of all by the readiness with which he left his home at the call of God, for the promise of a new home which he had never seen before and which, even after he entered it, he never personally possessed it. That wouldn't come until Joshua and still, the fulfillment of the promise to him wouldn't be fulfilled until Christ, and of course, the second advent of Christ.

 

Heb 4:8-9

For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

 

"By faith Abraham obeyed…" faith and obedience are inseparable in the believer's life.