Faith and patience inherit God’s promises

Hebrews 6:11-12 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. In these verses we have the introduction to the hall of faith the author has in mind to talk about later in his letter. The ones the author wants his readers to emulate will be listed in Chapter 11. They are the witnesses to the hope in Christ that have gone before us. When he referred to the “same diligence” in verse 11, we can see who he had in mind in verse 12. He desired for his readers to have the same diligence—earnestness, effort, and consistency—as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and rest. With their eyes fixed on Jesus, the Promised One, they all patiently waited on God to give them what He promised. They didn’t grow sluggish in their faith or patience. They believed in God’s faithfulness through thick and thin. They weathered the storms, persecutions, and setbacks in their lives with faith and patience because they loved the name of the Lord and knew that their ultimate hope wasn’t rooted in this world in this life. At the writing of this letter, all of those they were to imitate had run and finished the course God set before them and had inherited the promises. The author’s desire was for his readers to do the same—exercise the same diligence—imitate their faith and patience so they could realize the full assurance of hope until the end.  I ask you today, “Do you hear the voice of the Spirit calling you to that same diligence to draw near to the throne of grace and hold fast to God’s promise in Christ Jesus?” Pay careful attention and hear these words again as if they were written with you in mind. “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” What impact do these words have on you? Will they have the same effect they had on his Hebrew readers? They showed their love for Jesus’ name by working with Jesus, loving and ministering to the saints with the hope of what they were sure to receive at the end of their lives. That is my desire for you as well, as I write and present this podcast. May the Holy Spirit quicken His word to your heart and spur you on to maturity in Christ until you reach the ultimate promised Sabbath rest of God. Live to love with Jesus until your last breath, when you will be ushered into your inheritance of the promises of God.