Welcome to Waymaker Church! We are so excited to have you join us today! We exist to Encounter, Live for, and Advance the Kingdom of God!

This morning, we will wrap up our series in Hebrews. Let me briefly share a 40,000ft perspective of the series leading up to this final message.

As we began, I shared that the writer of Hebrews had two primary goals. First, to elevate Jesus as superior to anyone or anything else in order to show that he is worthy of total trust and devotion. Second, the writer challenges the believers to remain faithful to Jesus even in persecution.

The cornerstone of this message is the understanding that Faith in Christ is not a gamble. It is an anchor that will hold through every season of your life.

The key to anchored faith is the development of our spiritual senses through the reading and application of God’s word in our lives. We must develop an ear to hear and cultivate a heart that is ready to receive the seed of God’s word.

Hebrews 3:14–15 “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

The hardening of our hearts is the result of the deceitfulness of sin, therefore the word instructs us in James 1:21 says, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

The word reveals our spiritual condition by revealing the inner man including our motivations and intentions, but it also draws us closer to Jesus by removing the obstacles in our inward man.

Because we are called with a heavenly calling to know Christ and make Him known. We must lean into the word and allow it to bring us to the place of spiritual maturity, because we ALL have a part to play in the advancement of God’s kingdom.

Remember, spiritual maturity is not defined or limited by earthly age. Wisdom and spiritual fruit come through the application of the word. The only prerequisite being hunger and thirst.

As we conclude the series, I want to encourage you to hold fast your confession of hope in Christ without wavering. Your faith will produce both spiritual fruit and eternal rewards.

Did you catch that?
God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name.

The heavenly call of God invites us to serve His purposes, but in serving there is potential for reward. Those who receive reward didn’t build their own kingdoms; they built God’s kingdom.

The wood, hay, and straw represent the inferior. God has not called us to selfish ambition, superficial knowledge, or to fight to be seen by others. These ambitions may look good, but they will lack in kingdom substance when judged by Christ.

The gold, silver, and precious stones represent the superior. Living by faith, gaining wisdom and understanding, acts of service, a life of compassion and obedience. These not only withstand the fire of judgement, but they increase in purity as a result of fire.

Our aim is to be diligent, steadfast, and faithful to the end. The writer instructs us not to become sluggish which means lazy or apathetic. How do we do that? Hebrews 6:12 “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Faith produces fruit when we patiently endure. Abraham received the promise of God in his seventies, but it was fulfilled when he turned 100. The passing of time didn’t change the promise of God. What is paramount in his journey is that he simply obeyed when God gave him instruction.

When God called him to go to a place he would show him. He didn’t question; he went. When God told him to sacrifice the son of promise, he didn’t question, he responded in obedience. The elapsing of time and instructions were tests intended to reveal what was in Abraham. Would he trust God? Would he attach his heart to the promise or God’s word?

Abrahams example to us is that through it all he remained faithful, and the result was fruit. God fulfilled the promise by giving him an heir in Isaac. God provided a ram in the thicket when he walked in obedience and prepared to sacrifice. He became exactly who God said He would be, the Father of many nations.

The encouragement of the writer of Hebrews to all of us is seen in Hebrews 10:19-25.

1. Draw near to Jesus with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Draw near through the word. There is no successful Christian life apart from it. Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.”

2. Purify the inner man through the washing of the water of the word. Ephesians 5:26 “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,”

3. Hold fast your confession of hope without wavering, because he who promised is faithful.

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.””
Jeremiah 1:12 “Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

4. Don’t take the journey alone.
- We are to consider one another to stir up love and good works. The word love here is Agape - the benevolent God kind of love.
- No part of the body stands alone. In a culture of isolation, we must fight to come together. We are better together. We take more ground from the enemy when we come together. Even encouragement is better given in close proximity. 1 Corinthians 12:14 “For in fact the body is not one member but many.”
- No one is the total package by themselves. We will need to draw from each-other in different seasons. If we choose isolation, long-term success diminishes.

I want to close with a few final thoughts.

Run with endurance. Hebrews 12:1-2
Don't despise discipline; it produces holiness. Hebrews 12:3-6.