A Promising Future

[0:00] God of waters. God of the sky.

[0:12] God in the morning. God in the night. God of the desert. God of the rain.

[0:26] God in the busy. God in the mundane. God of the mountain. God of the plains.

[0:38] God in the laughter. God in the pain. He's God of the promise. What he says remains true.

[0:49] He does what he's promised. For me and for you. All right, faith family.

[1:05] If you got your Bible, go to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 6 is where we're going to be this evening. We're doing just kind of a very, very short series. It may just be a few weeks here in January on the promises of God.

[1:20] I thought it would be a helpful way to start the new year. To be reminded that God has given us some promises that no matter how this year goes, if this is the best year you've ever had in your life, or if this is the worst year you've ever had in your life, there are some things that are still always true.

[1:41] Amen? That really aren't based on the circumstances of life, for whether the year is a good year or a bad year. It's ultimately grounded in God and the promises that he's given to us.

[1:53] And so the plan is for the next couple weeks to look at some of those. And then, Lord willing, the bigger series that I'm preparing is through the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.

[2:07] Now, that could change, okay, so don't hold me to that. But that's the plan right now is a few weeks on the promises of God. And then a really easy Old Testament book called the book of Daniel.

[2:19] So we'll see. Hey, pray for me this morning or this evening. When the snow melts, do any of your sinuses act up like mine? I mean, my sinuses are killing me, and I just feel like I can hardly breathe.

[2:34] So if I pass out, y'all just go ahead and pass the plate and go ahead and leave. So anyways, I'll give you everything I got. So let's go. Hebrews chapter 6.

[2:44] I love this text, and this text is so important for us as we think about the new year and the way in which we deal with the uncertainties of that.

[2:56] So I'll invite you to stand as we look here in Hebrews chapter 6, beginning in verse 13, down through the end of the chapter. Writer of Hebrews says, Now when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, Surely I will bless you and multiply you.

[3:19] And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.

[3:32] So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.

[3:43] So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

[3:57] We have this as a sure and steady anchor of the soul. A hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

[4:20] Y'all, there's so much in that passage, so many good things for us. So let's just ask the Lord to give us hearts that would pay attention, ears that would listen, that we would lean in to what God wants to say to us tonight.

[4:37] Okay, so let's pray. Father, we do ask that. We pray that your Spirit would come and lead us into truth as we start this new year. And again, we're now several days in, and some may be having a great year, some already struggling.

[4:51] And yet what we need to do is understand that our faith doesn't rest on what's going on in our calendar, what's going on in our emotions. It's grounded and rooted in your character.

[5:05] And so I pray, Lord, that you would come and talk to us tonight as we look to your Word here in Hebrews 6. And it's in Jesus' name I pray. And God's people said, Amen. Amen. And you can be seated. Kalina Marie spent nearly a year dreaming, planning, and preparing.

[5:23] Every detail of her wedding had been carefully chosen, all down to the masquerade ball theme, the floral arrangements, the seating charts.

[5:35] And to help celebrate with her on this very special day, she sent out 75 invitations to her closest family and friends.

[5:46] She received back around 60 RSVPs, and so she began to count down the days when she could celebrate this great moment with her loved ones.

[5:59] But on the morning of her wedding, Kalina and her soon-to-be husband Shane arrived at the venue, and they were not greeted with cheers, hugs, laughter.

[6:13] They were greeted with an empty room. Of the 60 RSVPs that they received from their family and friends, five people showed up.

[6:27] The entire wedding hall sat empty. And when it came time for their first dance as a couple, Kalina and Shane danced alone.

[6:42] As you can imagine, she was devastated by this. In the interview, she said, quote, I dreamed I would walk into a crowd cheering us on.

[6:53] Not just five people. And none of this was done out of malice or forgetfulness. In fact, they even received several messages after their wedding congratulating them on that moment.

[7:09] No, these were simply people who promised to be there, then didn't show up. Now, my guess is most of us here, if not all of us here this evening, can relate to that.

[7:26] By that, I don't mean that no one showed up for your wedding. I mean you can relate to the fact that you've been on the receiving end of broken promises.

[7:37] Amen? Anybody here ever been given a promise by someone and that promise was broken? They didn't follow through? It was like, I promise I'll show up on time.

[7:49] And they didn't. I promise I'll lower taxes. And they never do. I promise your job is safe.

[8:00] But it wasn't. I promise this year I'm going to lose weight. And you don't. I promise I'll always be by your side.

[8:12] Until they're not. I promise. For some of you, those are words that sting. That cut.

[8:23] And let's be fair this evening, Faith Family. We all know this. Not only have we all had promises broken, we have all broken promises. Amen? Let's be fair tonight.

[8:35] We have not only had promises broken to us, we have been the ones that have broken promises. We have told people, I promise I'll do this or I'll come through for you.

[8:46] And then we didn't. Now here's the question. Everybody zone in right here. Why does that bother us so much? Whether you're the one that didn't come through with your promise, or whether you're the one that had the promise broken to you, why does that bother you?

[9:02] Why does it affect you? Why does it upset you so much? It's because promises provide security. Promises give us something to believe in.

[9:15] Something that we can count on. Promises assure us in the night that there will be a morning. And that is very, very hard to find in a world that is full of insecurities.

[9:30] Amen? And the Bible warns us of this. Proverbs 27 verse 1 says, Do not boast about tomorrow. Do not make promises about tomorrow.

[9:40] You don't know what the day may bring. James will pick up this very theme in James chapter 4 verse 13. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow I'm going to go into such and such a town.

[9:54] And spend a year there and trade and make a profit. You make all these plans. All these promises. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life?

[10:05] For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Is that not the reality of life? We make all these promises.

[10:15] We receive all these promises. And many times they don't come true. Now everybody right here, this is why we cannot, we cannot build our lives on the promises of others, but only on the promises of God.

[10:33] And listen, this is not to be mean to other people. Of course the promises of others matter. I'm not suggesting they don't. I'm simply saying, in a world of insecurities, if you're going to live your life purely or only based on the promises of other people, you're never going to have security.

[10:53] You're never going to have hope. You're never going to be able to go to sleep at night with assurance. We can only build our lives ultimately and completely on the promises of God.

[11:08] That's exactly what the author of Hebrews here is addressing in Hebrews chapter 6. Let me set up the context quickly. This letter, how many of you have ever studied the book of Hebrews?

[11:19] Some of you have, so you probably know some of the context. But if you haven't, this letter is written to Christians. And these Christians are suffering for their faith.

[11:30] They're being persecuted because they are followers of Jesus. They're experiencing a life crisis. Now listen, that life crisis has created a faith crisis.

[11:42] You with me? The circumstances of their life has created a crisis in their faith. In their life, they're being persecuted. They don't know where they're going to eat tomorrow.

[11:56] Like that's for real. They don't know if they'll have enough money to eat the next day. They literally are living, give me this day my daily bread. In the Roman Empire, many Christians were fired.

[12:10] Employers would not hire a Christian. So many Christians were being laid off. They were struggling to find employment. This made their entire future unknown and uncertain.

[12:23] And so here's what's happening. Listen, I don't have time to unpack all the history here as much as I would love to do that. But during this time, Christians were persecuted and Jews were not.

[12:35] The Jews actually had, in fact, you know this in the Gospels, a pretty good relationship with Roman authority. So listen, if you're right here, if you've zoned out, what do you do?

[12:46] How could you zone out already? But anyways, if you were someone who is Jewish that converted to Christianity and you're taking it on the chin, you're being persecuted for your faith, that's creating an entire host of insecurity in your life, what would you be tempted to do?

[13:05] Go back to Judaism. Because if you go back to Judaism, then you don't have to deal with all that persecution and life would be more secure. Are you with me? Say yes.

[13:16] So that's what's going down here. And what the author here wants to say, and what the author does say, is listen, you need to avoid going back to the past, Judaism, and instead look forward to the future.

[13:32] You need to be the kind of person that presses forward in faith. And he turns their attention to how they do that.

[13:43] He turns their attention away from the problems of life and on to the promises of God. Here it is, verse 13.

[13:54] Verse 13, he says, For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, Surely I will bless you and multiply you.

[14:07] Now, the author here mentions the promise that God gave to Abraham. Now, why does he mention Abraham? Well, if you noticed, we've kind of started our reading in verse 13, which look at your Bibles or if you have your app open, it's literally in the middle of the chapter.

[14:23] And so that's always dangerous to just jump right into the argument and not understand the context. In fact, if I emphasize anything all the time other than Jesus, it's context, right?

[14:36] Jesus and context. Those are probably the two most important things in understanding the Bible. Amen? And so we need to really understand the larger argument, the larger point that the author is making here.

[14:48] So let's go back a few verses. This is verse 4. For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, have shared the Holy Spirit, have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, everybody say this with me, and then have fallen away.

[15:06] Now, it is not my intent, nor do I have the time, to address this passage in terms of the security of the believer. I'd be happy to do that. I'd be happy to provide resources for you.

[15:17] Just so you know, I do not believe a genuine believer can fall away or lose their salvation. You know that. I think that's anti-gospel. But again, I don't have the time tonight to talk about that.

[15:31] What I'm trying to show you is one category of people he's talking about are those that have experienced external blessings, much like Israel in the Old Testament, but then they do what?

[15:43] They fall away. And he says, Now keep reading.

[15:54] Now we jump to verse 11. And we desire each one of you. So right here, we don't want you to be like them. We want you to be like this. To show the same earnestness to have, say it, the full assurance of hope until the end.

[16:13] So that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promise. Very simple. Everybody look right here. This is what he's comparing.

[16:25] Those who fall away, earlier in the chapter, to those who move forward in faith. It's very directional. There are some who fall away when times get tough, when uncertainties creep in, when difficulties and persecution happens, And then there's those in those same circumstances who move forward.

[16:49] And they move forward in faith. So the question for you, faith family, is this. In times of crisis, which will happen in 2026, amen?

[17:01] I mean, sweetheart, if you don't think a crisis will happen this year, you've not lived a full year yet. There's going to be some level of crisis this year. And when that happens, when that insecurity comes, are you going to be the kind of person that goes back or goes forward?

[17:20] I didn't expect you to answer, but I'm so glad you did. Right? I do. I hope you will be the kind of person that moves forward in faith. But here's the question.

[17:31] What enables us to do that? How is it that we can be the kind of people that move forward rather than fall back? I'm glad you asked that question.

[17:43] Insert Abraham. Abraham now is the example the author is giving to make his point. After all, do you remember when God came to Abraham in Ur and asked him to leave all of his securities, his relatives, his city, his comfort, to go to a land that was unknown?

[18:06] Now listen, in the ancient Near East, you don't just pack up the station wagon and move. You're literally leaving everything behind. It's almost unfair for us to even think because we're so used to, if we move, we take all of our securities with us.

[18:22] We take all of our possessions. We probably already have a job waiting for us there. We get a home so we have a place to stay. That is not how it worked in the ancient Near East.

[18:34] If you leave your home, you're leaving all of your securities behind. Abraham had no idea what he was getting into, but listen, he moved forward.

[18:48] And then do you remember when God promised him descendants? This is what the author is referring to in verse 14. Yet Abraham had no children and was 75 years old.

[18:59] You remember Sarah's response? She thought it was hilarious, right? I mean, there's no way. I'm way past the childbearing years.

[19:10] And what did they do? What did Abraham do? He moved forward. And then do you remember when God asked Abraham to sacrifice that promised son, Isaac, and then provides a substitute in his place?

[19:25] What did Abraham do? And every time God called him to move forward, what did he do? He moved forward in faith. Are you with me? How?

[19:37] How was he able to do it? Please, please, please listen to me. He trusted in the promises of God.

[19:48] So are you with me? Don't be like those that fall away when insecurity comes this year. Be like those that move forward in faith when crisis happens.

[20:01] You know, like Abraham, who when all the insecurities came, he moved forward in faith. Why? Because he had a promise.

[20:14] And believing in that promise allowed him to move forward. Notice this on the screen. Abraham did not always know the how. In fact, he rarely knew the how.

[20:25] He trusted in the who. He trusted in the who. Faith family, 2026 is full of uncertainty. That isn't a negative comment.

[20:37] That's just reality. Amen? Some of you have made plans for this year. You have no idea if those plans will come to pass. There is no way you can predict what will be going on in your life in October of this year.

[20:50] Again, it may be the best year. It may be a very difficult year. The question is, no matter what kind of year it is, will you move forward? Trusting in the promise of God.

[21:04] Now, next question is, what makes the promises of God so certain? So dependable? Pastor, if you're telling me, based on the text, that the difference between those that fall away when crisis happens and those that move forward in faith is trusting in the promise, then why is God's promises, why are they so dependable?

[21:27] Again, you're asking really good questions, Faith family. I commend you for this. As I said earlier, we've all had promises broken. So what is it that makes God's promises different than the promises we receive from others?

[21:43] Look at verse 13. Now, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, surely I will bless you and multiply you.

[21:54] And thus, say it, Abraham, having patiently waited, read it, obtained the promise. Now, there's two things that the author does here in these verses.

[22:06] The first, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on, but the first is he shows you that God fulfilled his promises. All right? Let's see if we can go back to that slide, the one that we just put up, that scripture that we just read, that God made a promise to Abraham.

[22:23] Does everybody see that? And thus, Abraham obtained the promise. So everybody see what I'm saying. The author is showing you that God fulfilled the promise, that he did it.

[22:37] Now he tells you why that's the case. Why is it that God always fulfills his promises? Look at verse 13 again. When God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, say it, he swore by himself.

[22:56] Let's jump to verse 16. For people, you know people, you know, people, people, these people, they swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes and oath is final for confirmation.

[23:11] But when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath. So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is, say it, impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast the hope set before us.

[23:33] Three things, I'll give them to you quick. They won't be on the screen, so if you're taking notes, jot these down. Number one, you all know this to be true. You all know this. Promises are only good if the promise giver has the authority to make them.

[23:49] You with me? Promises are only good if the one giving the promise has the authority to make them. In other words, your co-worker can promise you a raise all they want, but only your boss has the authority to give it.

[24:06] Amen? Right? I mean, I imagine like two little six-year-olds. I promise you, you can have all the ice cream you want. Sweetheart, you don't have the authority to make that promise.

[24:17] Only mom and dad get to make that promise, right? So promises are only good if the one giving the promise has the authority to make them. It's why people are always referring to something greater in order to show the seriousness of the promise.

[24:33] You've heard people, I'm not suggesting you should do this, but this is what people will do. I promise on my mother's grave. I promise on the lives of my children. I promise on the Bible. What are they doing?

[24:44] They're trying to appeal to something higher than themselves. Something that makes you understand how serious. Well, in order for God to show you how, this is so awesome, I hope you're still listening.

[24:58] In order for God to show you how serious He is about the promises He's given you, notice this, God swears to God. God swears to God.

[25:10] It's literally right out of the text. The text says He swore to Himself. Since there was no one higher to swear by, God swore by Himself, to Himself.

[25:21] Notice this on the screen. The promises of God are different than the promises of others because God is the pinnacle. There's no one higher.

[25:32] God can't promise on anything greater than Himself. Meaning, you have a promise that actually comes with the highest authority you could possibly have.

[25:48] That's good news, isn't it? Here's the second one. By the way, preaching is really good for sinuses. Number two, promises are only good if the promise giver has the power to accomplish them.

[26:03] Now, that's different than the first. The first is, do they have the authority to make it? The second is, do they have the power to accomplish it? How many of you have ever made a promise you really wanted to honor?

[26:17] Like, you genuinely made the promise that you had every intention to honor, but something happened out of your control and you didn't come through? Anybody? Like, maybe you promised to be on time, but you can't control the traffic.

[26:33] Right? Meaning, you made a genuine promise. The problem with the promise is, it was out of your control. There was a portion of it out of your control that kept you unable to be able to come through.

[26:47] Notice it on the screen. The promises of God are different than the promises of others because God is all-powerful. There isn't anything that can stop Him.

[27:00] Not even traffic in Minneapolis. Right? Nothing is impossible with God. So not only does He have the authority to make the promise, He has the power to deliver.

[27:14] Thirdly, promises are only good if the promise giver has the character to follow through. Are you tracking with me?

[27:25] The authority to give it, the power to accomplish it, and the character to follow through. Every single one of you knows this. You've even said this before. A promise is only as good as the person who makes it.

[27:41] You know this. As much as we want to see ourselves as trustworthy people, the reality is we are all broken. We are all mixed with all kinds of motives.

[27:52] And here's another thing. We change. Right? You're not the same as you used to be. Sounds like a good country line. But whatever.

[28:03] Right? Like 20 years from now you're going to change. You're going to be different. But listen. Go back to the verse in verse 17. When God desired to show a more convincing of the heirs of promise, the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath.

[28:20] And then he goes on to say in which it is impossible for God to lie. See, here's the thing. God never changes. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

[28:34] So you say, well, why are the promises of God so dependable compared to the promises that other people? Well, that's easy. He actually has the authority.

[28:44] There's no one more authoritative than Him. He has the power because everything's in His control. And He has the perfect, unblemished character to always come through based on what He has said He will do.

[29:01] So you see it on the screen. The promises of God are different than the promises of others because God's character is perfect. Now, everybody with me? We only got an hour left, so we're getting close.

[29:13] Okay? So I tried to exegetically show what the author does to show you that, listen, when crisis comes, you can either fall back or you can move forward.

[29:25] I want you to be the kind of people that move forward. You know, like Abraham. And what enabled Abraham to move forward and not fall back was he believed in the promise. And those promises, God actually had the authority to give.

[29:39] He actually had the power to come through and his character is unchanging. That's been the argument thus far from the text. Now the author shifts to what this actually means for us in daily life.

[29:52] So how do we then live in light of those promises? Okay? Notice in verse 15. Thus, oh, I don't even want to read this.

[30:05] Thus, Abraham having, you hate this word as much as I do. Patiently waited. The promises of God, when we really believe in the promises of God, they create in us some characteristics.

[30:23] And the first characteristic that the author gives is that of patience. You heard me. Patience. Do you remember when God promised Abraham that he would have a son?

[30:39] And literally nine months to that day, Isaac was born? Tried 25 years? Do you think sometime during those 25 years, Abraham's thinking, uh, what are you doing?

[30:56] Is this ever going to happen? Like, God, your calendar doesn't make any sense here. We're only getting older. I don't know if you know that. I mean, 25 years he had to patiently wait.

[31:09] In other words, notice it on the screen, Faith Family. God is the God of promise and we must be a people of patience. But I think if we're being, if we're being honest, we hate slow.

[31:24] Slow is a four-letter word. I mean, literally, it is a four-letter word. Okay? You can count that up. I'm from Tennessee, but I at least know that. It's a four-letter word, but it's that kind of four-letter word to many of us.

[31:37] If somebody has a low IQ, we call them when the service at the restaurant is lousy, we call it when a movie is boring, we complain that it was because slow is bad, fast is good.

[31:53] Like 40-year-old Ryan Turner. He was a DoorDash driver making a delivery in a quiet neighborhood of Wixom, Michigan. After speeding through the neighborhood, a 75-year-old veteran named Lloyd Poole asked Ryan to slow down.

[32:09] Ryan's response of being told to slow down, he punched Poole in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head on the street. Poole was taken to the hospital where he was in critical condition.

[32:22] Turner was charged with assault, all because he was asked to slow down. We don't like slow.

[32:34] We don't like being told to slow down. But listen, dear friends, I hope you're awake. God's promises happen according to his timing, not ours.

[32:52] He provides the promise by his Spirit we provide the patience. Look at what Peter says in 2 Peter 4. This is when people were wondering about the promise of Christ's return.

[33:06] He said, they'll say, where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.

[33:18] But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise.

[33:36] If he's slow with anything, say preach preacher, he's slow toward you. and you better be thankful for that.

[33:52] That God is not reactionary to you, he is patient with you. He's not slow when it comes to his promise. He's slow when it comes to his grace and his patience towards his rebellious people.

[34:10] Oh, the Lord is not slow as it pertains to his promise. So let us be reminded this evening, Faith Family, that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and patience.

[34:25] That's the first. Here's the second. I've got to go quick. So by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, who have fled for refuge, might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

[34:39] We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor. Here's the second characteristic, quickly, is the people who really believe in the promises of God are patient and they're steadfast.

[34:52] That is, they're unmoving in hope. Those that take refuge under the promises of God hold fast to their hope. Why?

[35:02] Because certainty is not in this life. Their certainty is in God and God is unmovable. He is unchanging. This life is always changing.

[35:13] God is never changing. So when our life is based on the promises of the world, no wonder we're in crisis. But when our faith is based on the promises of God who is steadfast, then we are steadfast.

[35:26] Do you see? We're anchored in our hope. If you've ever been to the Niagara River, which is pretty much close to the falls, you'll notice an old barge that is stranded there in the water.

[35:39] That barge has been there since 1918. That's when Gustav Lofberg and James Harris almost died. They were on the barge that was being pulled by a tugboat when they hit a sandbar and the cable that was holding them together snapped and the barge just started drifting really fast through the rough waters towards the falls.

[36:03] It was going to go over the edge. They began to panic and all of a sudden, just before they got to the falls, they heard this dragging sound and the barge just stopped right in place.

[36:16] They knew they didn't have much time so they did the only thing they knew would save them and they dropped the anchor. It held for 17 hours while the water raged around them until they were rescued.

[36:35] And it's still holding over a hundred years later. Faith family, that's what the promises of God do for us.

[36:48] They become an anchor. It's literally a direct quote from the text. It becomes the anchor of our soul.

[36:58] So get that imagery in your mind. Rough waters all around us in the Roman Empire.

[37:09] Rough waters all around us in Minnesota. Amen? Amen? Rough waters all around us in life.

[37:21] Steadfast in hope. Because my life isn't grounded on the promises of the world but the promises of God.

[37:35] Third and final characteristic is this. I'll say it quickly and then we're done. Verse 19. And we have this as a everybody say it sure and steadfast anchor.

[37:48] It's not a not just a steadfast anchor it's a sure and steadfast anchor. The third characteristic is that of assurance. That is we are patient we are unmoving we're steadfast and we're confident.

[38:05] Confidence is just assurance in action. We are assured people. We are confident people. We have a security in us that cannot be taken away.

[38:21] So here's the text God fulfills his promises remember Abraham. He does it because he's the pinnacle he's all powerful and he's perfect in all his ways.

[38:34] We then should be patient and steadfast and confident or assured but you might be here tonight saying pastor you've been talking about all these promises promises.

[38:47] What promise? I get that God's promises are certain and believing in them creates patience but what's the promise?

[39:03] What promise did God actually give us? Because he didn't give us the promise he gave Abraham. I wasn't promised to be the father of nations and descendants and all of that.

[39:17] Those were promises given specifically to Abraham. Amen? Amen? What is our promise? What's the anchor for us as we go into 2026?

[39:34] Here it is verse 19 and 20. we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

[39:56] Here's the promise that God has given to each of us who are in Christ. Are you ready? Here it is. Jesus is a priest from the order of Melchizedek.

[40:15] Oh yeah. And your response is probably something like this. Like what? Melchisa what? Like I don't even know how to pronounce that name.

[40:28] That promise means nothing to me. What does this mean? How is it even a promise? Okay well let's go back and look at the clue that he gives us.

[40:39] Look at this verse. Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest everybody say it forever. Forever.

[40:50] Now I don't have the time to take you through chapter seven. I wish I did tonight but I don't. Where the author is going to show you that Jesus who Melchizedek in the Old Testament is an Old Testament type of.

[41:05] He's a forerunner. He's a picture of Christ who was to come and here's the point. The point that he'll make in chapter seven is that through Jesus of whom Melchizedek was a type Jesus brings an eternal priesthood.

[41:21] The Levitical priesthood Old Testament was only temporary. Did everybody get that much? The priesthood that came through Melchizedek of which Jesus is the fulfillment is forever.

[41:36] The Levitical priesthood was temporary. So with that very simple understanding what's the promise given to us that is the eternal priesthood of Christ?

[41:50] Or what is it that the eternal priesthood of Christ provides for us by way of promise? I literally am almost done so I need you to lean in. I really want you to listen to this faith family.

[42:02] Regardless of the uncertainties of life there is one certainty one promise you can believe in and it's this no matter what happens in 2026 nothing can separate you from God.

[42:20] Nothing. That is literally what Jesus being your high priest forever means is that he's your security. He's your mediator between God and man and as long as he's in that role you are secure with God.

[42:39] That's good news. And guess what? He's in that role forever. Forever. So there is nothing, nothing this year, absolutely nothing that can happen this year that can separate you from God.

[42:58] Jesus is your eternal high priest who always makes intercession for you and that means regardless of the uncertainties you're going through now or in the future one thing is for sure Jesus isn't going anywhere.

[43:14] He is seated at the right hand of the Father forever. Therefore this year when you find yourself in a waiting room searching for employment holding your first child holding your first grandchild purchasing a new home dealing with the loss of a parent getting a major promotion finally retiring receiving a life altering diagnosis getting married getting divorced moving to another state business that falls apart in all things rest assured in the promise that you have

[44:20] God through it all and if you trust in that you will never fall back there's only one way this evening you can receive this promise remember when Abraham was called to sacrifice Isaac even though God would provide an animal substitute listen why was Abraham able to move forward in faith in that moment here it is and we're done by faith Abraham when he was tested offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son of whom it was said through Isaac shall your offspring be named he considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead for which figuratively speaking he did in receiving him back

[45:26] Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son because he believed in the promise of resurrection listen if you want the promise the gospel gives you like Abraham you must have faith in the promised son faith in the sacrificed son faith in the resurrected son and his name is not Isaac his name is Jesus the son that was sacrificed for you the son that on the third day rose for you the son who this very day is seated at the right hand of the father making intercession for you for ever believe that anchor your life on that gospel promise because here's why like

[46:34] Kalina and Shane you're going to experience in this life all kinds of broken promises and that's why in 2026 your life cannot be your security cannot be built on the promises of other people they must be built on the promises of God for in a world where people will promise you they'll be there and then not show up in Jesus you can rest assured you will never dance alone and all God's people said amen let's pray father thank you so much for this great great truth and I do pray that it is the anchor the text talks about for our soul as we enter into a new year it's the difference between those that fall back and those that move forward and I pray Lord that this would be a year of moving forward in faith trusting basing our life on the promises that you have given us finding our security in that and now we spend just a few moments at the conclusion of our service reflecting on the promises that we have that have come to us through the cross of

[47:54] Jesus as we celebrate and remember Jesus through communion we pray this in his as Thank you.