TOPIC: OUR FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE
Bible Reading: Jeremiah 51-52: Hebrews 6
“And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” Hebrews 6: 11-12 (KJV)
The writer of Hebrews in our focal scripture of today is calling us to have a firm and full assurance of hope in our Christian profession which is predicated on the exceedingly great, precious and irrefutable promises of scriptures. He further admonished us not to be slothful but to look up to the examples of them who through faith and patience received their promises. The two strong Christian virtues we must possess in our diligence to full assurance of hope are faith and patience. These two virtues are important elements we must possess in other to inherit our promise.
Christ has promised us a place in heaven. No one has gone there and be back but we hold strong to His promise following the strength of His word and example of our fathers who thrived in hope and received their promises.Talking about faith and patience in our full assurance of hope Paul the Apostle admonished us in Hebrews 10: 35-36(KJV) “Cast not away therefore your confidence , which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise”. Our focal scriptures also talked about hoping to the end and not be slothful. When we become slothful our mind becomes idle and this can lead to falling away from hoping on the promise, consequently frustrating us in the race that is set before us. We must therefore be diligent standing on faith and patience to inherit the promise.
We have scriptural examples of our fathers who through faith and patience inherited the promises made to them. Let us consider father Abraham, the scriptures say concerning him, “And so, after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise” Hebrews 6:15(KJV). King David was anointed in his father’s house to be king over Israel yet he was hunted, pursued as a fugitive, feigned madness to escape death, mocked and hated without losing sight of the promise of God to become the greatest king of Israel. Joseph dreamt of greatness and yet was sold into slavery, was accused falsely of adultery, sent to prison from where he became the Prime Minister of Egypt to obtain the promise of his dream. What of Noah who was instructed of God to build an Ark? For one hundred years he preached to his generation, was mocked and he endured the unrighteousness of his time to inherit the promise of salvation. Hope is the engine of faith. Hence faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1(KJV) as “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ”
The scriptures say in Romans 15:4(KJV), “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” The Christian faith is built on hope and believed by faith and lived in patience. As believers we must be firm in our hope, consistent in our faith and enduring in our patience. We must be diligent in our pursuit of the eternal promise which is inheritable through faith and patience. We must not despair or lose hope and become faithless. We have been called to fight the good fight of faith holding on tenaciously to the promise in hope.
Prayer: Father engrace me with a full assurance of hope and resilience in my faith and patience holding on to the promise.
Pastor Joel Ezeugo