HEBREWS 12


     We will begin this lesson in Hebrews 6:11 "And we desire that
every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of
hope unto the end:"

     In the last lesson, we were talking about the responsibility of
the mature Christian. We are to work the work of a Christian right up
until the hour the Lord returns. We sing a song here at the church
I attend that says, [we'll work till Jesus comes]. So many Christians
are falling away today. Many think it is too hard. We are told in
advance that in this life we will have tribulation. John 16:33 "These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world." In the next Scripture in Jesus' own words we find out just
what we must do. Matthew 24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved."  Those who are weak in the faith will give
up, and fall away. I Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the
Lord."

     Hebrews 6:12 "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who
through faith and patience inherit the promises."


     Slothful means lazy. Captain John Smith, in the colonies, was not
the first one to say [no work no eat]. It is in this Scripture
II Thessalonians 3:10 "For even when we were with you, this we
commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."
There are numerous Scriptures on this subject of not being slothful. I
will give two here. Proverbs 12:24 "The hand of the diligent shall
bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute." Proverbs 13:4 "
The soul of the sluggard desireth, and [hath] nothing: but the soul of
the diligent shall be made fat."  The faith that we have must be the
type which wears well with time. Romans 2:7 "To them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality,
eternal life:" Those who endure to the end receive the promise of
eternal life. Matthew 24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved."  These Scriptures leave no doubt what we
must do.

     Hebrews 6:13 "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he
could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,"

     Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, taught that we should not
swear by anything. We can not even swear by our own head, because we
can not make one hair white or black. God, on the other hand, controls
everything. He can swear by anything He wants to, because He controls
everything. He swore by Himself, because there is no greater. He is
the Truth. The Truth can not lie. Titus 1:2 "In hope of eternal life,
which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;"

     Hebrews 6:14 "Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and
multiplying I will multiply thee."

     We know that the promises made to Abraham were for him and his
seed forever. These promises are for the Christians, because we are
the seed of Abraham. Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are
ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."  Now that we
know these promises are for the believers in Christ, let us see what
they are. Genesis 48:4 "And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee
fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of
people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee [for] an
everlasting possession." Genesis 12:2 "And I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing:" Genesis 12:3 "And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed." When we read of the Christians in heaven dressed in
white robes, washed in the blood of the Lamb; we find there are so
many that they are without number. I quote: Revelation 7:9 "After this
I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands;" Revelation 7:13 "And one of the elders answered, saying
unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence
came they?" Revelation 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation,
and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb." Revelation 7:15 "Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the
throne shall dwell among them."  God's promise to Abraham is fulfilled
in the believers in Christ.

     Hebrews 6:15 "And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained
the promise."

     Romans 4:18 "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might
become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken,
So shall thy seed be."  This was so impossible in the flesh, because
Abraham would be a hundred years old and Sarah would be ninety. Isaac
was a son of promise, not of the flesh. Genesis 21:5 "And Abraham was
an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him."

     Hebrews 6:16 "For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath
for confirmation [is] to them an end of all strife."

     Even ungodly men like Herod honored their oath. When a man took
an oath, it was the penalty of death if he lied, so everyone believed
when someone took an oath. Matthew 23:20 "Whoso therefore shall swear
by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon." Matthew
23:21 "And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him
that dwelleth therein." Matthew 23:22 "And he that shall swear by
heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth
thereon." An oath is a very serious thing.

     Hebrews 6:17 "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto
the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it]
by an oath:"

     Who are the heirs according to the promise? We will see in this
next Scripture. Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."  Immutability
means unchangeable. This means then, that the promises God made will
not change. They are forever. Psalms 33:11 "The counsel of the LORD
standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations."
Isaiah 14:24  "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have
thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall
it stand:" We see from these Scriptures that once God has thought it,
He will never change it.

     Hebrews 6:18 "That by two immutable things, in which [it was]
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"

     God's spoken and written Word are unchangeable. Truth can not
lie, as we said before. God is Truth. Numbers 23:19 "God [is] not a
man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should
repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and
shall he not make it good?" We read how important to God His Word is;
in Jesus' own words. Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away."

     Hebrews 6:19 "Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"

     The Christian's hope is of the resurrection. We see in this next
Scripture that the Christian is not like the rest of the world who is
without hope. I Thessalonians 4:13 "But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope." I Thessalonians 4:14 "For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." I Thessalonians 4:15 "For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
[and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which
are asleep." I Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:"
I Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  Jesus opened the way to
the Father for us when He was crucified for us. He brought down the
veil of partition for us. Mark 15:38 "And the veil of the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom."

     Hebrews 6:20 "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even]
Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

     Jesus is even now seated in heavenly places. In fact He is seated
at the right hand of the Father. He is preparing a place for us, and
when the Father says it is time, we will join Him at the right hand of
the Father. Jesus is our High Priest. He carried His own precious
blood to the Father to pay for our sin. Jesus represents us before the
Father even now.  The promise to the believers in John is beautiful.
John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe
also in me." John 14:2 "In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it
were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you." John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be
also."  All believers are the bride of Christ. He is coming back for
us, if we have remained faithful to Him. II Corinthians 11:2 "For I am
jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ."










































                             Questions 12

1.  How long are we to work for the Lord?
2.  In the world ye shall have ____________.
3.  In Matthew chapter 24 verse 13, we find that who shall be saved?
4.  What are we told to be in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58, 2
    things?
5.  What does slothful mean?
6.  In 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, what commandment was given
    about those who would not work?
7.  Who did God swear by?
8.  Why did He swear by Him?
9.  Why can we not swear by our own head?
10. Where is the Scripture found that says God cannot lie?
11. Who were God's promises made to?
12. How do the Christians fit into these promises?
13. What are the promises?
14. Who are the great multitude in heaven that are without number?
15. How are they dressed?
16. Why did it seem impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have Isaac?
17. What is final, and leaves no room for strife?
18. If you swear by the altar, what else do you swear by?
19. Who are the heirs according to the promise?
20. What does immutability mean?
21. What is the hope, for the Christian?
22. How was the veil in the temple torn?
23. Who was made our High Priest forever?
24. When will Jesus come back for His bride?
25. What wonderful promise is made to the Christian in John chapter
    14?