What is Supposed to Accompany Salvation? Heb. 6:9-20

“Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

Hebrews 6:9–12

1. Confidence in the Promises of God

“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.”
Hebrews 6:13–15

Context: The promise of inheritance and the ‘sacrifice’ of Isaac

“The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second timeand said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.””
Genesis 22:15–18

People swear on what is greater than themselves. "I swear on my mother's grave." Think of the childhood rhyme: "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." In the Quran, Allah swears by the moon, the night and the dawn (74:32-34), by the planets (81:15), by charging horses (100:1), by the fig and olive trees, and by Mount Sinai (95:1-2) and by the Quran itself (50:1). But the God of the Bible knows that there is nothing more important to God than God himself.

“Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 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. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie... ”
Hebrews 6:16–18a 

"...a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time..."
Titus 1:2 

God does not and cannot lie therefore we can trust the Bible.

Here's a video of "Standing on the Promises" sung a cappella

Here it is again with a Country twang!

2. Security in a place of refuge

"…we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged."
Heb. 6:18b.   

Context: The cities of refuge in the Old Testament

Num. 35:6a     “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee...  10b ...‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,  11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.  12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that a person accused of murder may not die before he stands trial before the assembly.  13 These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.
22     “ ‘But if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him unintentionally 23 or, without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him,  24 the assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations.  25 The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26     “ ‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he has fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder.  28 The accused must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may he return to his own property. 

In the Old Testament, ancient Israel didn't have courts or prisons. Justice was normally administered by the family and friends of the victim. At that time the death penalty was legal, but in the case of someone accidentally killing someone else (what we may 'manslaughter'), the person who killed could find safety from the victim's family in one of the six 'cities of refuge.'

We are all born guilty and on the run from God, and God has a just case against us. After all, Rom. 6:23  "the wages of sin is death..."  We all need to flee to our only certain place of refuge and "take hold of the hope offered"to us in the Gospel. We not only find refuge in the Gospel, with the death of our High Priest Jesus Christ, (See Numb 35:28), we are set free! 

3. Blessed Assurance

"…we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged."
Heb. 6:18b.   

With the both the promises of God and the reality of Christ we have one of the richest treasures of the Christian faith: Assurance that God loves us, has forgiven us and will receive us into heaven. What greater encouragement can there be than this?

Here's a video of the hymn "Blessed Assurance."

4. An anchor for the soul

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 6:19–20

Jesus is our safety in the storms of life. Unlike our feelings, His promises never change. Ships in the sea are at the mercy of the wind, the tides and the currents within the sea. If their engines don't work or if their masts or sails break, they will drift away, and may even be smashed on the rocks. With an anchor they could make a firm connection to the solid sea floor. So long as the anchor and the sea floor are connected, the ship cannot move. It is safe. That is our hope in Christ. Keep the connection!

Here's a video of "Will your anchor hold?"

Here's a video of "Will your anchor hold?" done in a more contemporary worship style:

Here's a video of a Reggae version!