Hebrews 6:13 says, ‘When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself.’

God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, and that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. But Abraham waited for decades for the promise to be fulfilled in his son, Isaac. Some of you have been praying for that loved one for decades. When God calls us to patience and perseverance, our faith is tested and tried.  It’s hard to endure to the end, especially when you don’t know where the end is. But God wants us to know in this scripture that even when we’re waiting for His word to pass, His word is still good.

In verse 17, ‘Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.’

We have God’s promises, they won’t be changed. They’re immutable. God never needs to change His promises. There’s nothing new that comes up for our God who sees the end from the beginning. We can depend on God’s promises. But to be even better, even more trustworthy, God covers His promise with an oath.

Earlier in Hebrews, we read about the oath of God’s wrath. Chapter 4 verse 3 says, of the Israelites who disobeyed in the wilderness, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” But now, God confirms His promises with the oath of grace; the grace given to us by Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus confirms God’s promises. Our God is trustworthy, He is faithful. He is so faithful that He sent His son Jesus to fulfill his word, and usher in His promises.

And finally, my favorite two verses in this chapter. Hebrews 6:19, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

We are a boat, and heaven is our harbor. The hardship, and temptations of life are like the winds, threatening to shipwreck us.  But Christ is the anchor. Christ grounds our hope. To quote that beautiful hymn of the church, “We have an anchor that keeps our soul, steadfast and sure though the billows roll. Anchored on the rock that cannot move, founded firm and deep in my Savior’s love.”

Jesus is the forerunner for His people. He has gone within the veil to prepare a place for us. And if He is the forerunner, we are the after-runners. We’re to follow Him there, into the veil, into the immediate presence of God.

And Jesus now lives there, within the veil, a high priest in the order of Melchizedek, a priest forever. So, we love heaven more, and we long to be there with Christ. In heaven all of God’s promises will be fulfilled. All our pain, and longings, and groanings, and tears will disappear when we stand in ahis presence. We will always be safe and satisfied.