R. Kent Hughes - Hebrews (2 volumes in 1 / ESV Edition): An Anchor for the Soul

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PREACHING THE WORD

Edited by R. Kent Hughes

Genesis | R. Kent Hughes

Exodus | Philip Graham Ryken

Leviticus | Kenneth A. Mathews

Numbers | Iain M. Duguid

Deuteronomy | Ajith Fernando

Joshua | David Jackman

1 Samuel | John Woodhouse

2 Samuel | John Woodhouse

Job | Christopher Ash

Psalms, vol. 1 | James Johnston

Proverbs | Raymond C. Ortlund Jr.

Ecclesiastes | Philip Graham Ryken

Song of Solomon | Douglas Sean ODonnell

Isaiah | Raymond C. Ortlund Jr.

Jeremiah and Lamentations | Philip Graham Ryken

Daniel | Rodney D. Stortz

Matthew | Douglas Sean ODonnell

Mark | R. Kent Hughes

Luke | R. Kent Hughes

John | R. Kent Hughes

Acts | R. Kent Hughes

Romans | R. Kent Hughes

2 Corinthians | R. Kent Hughes

Galatians | Todd Wilson

Ephesians | R. Kent Hughes

Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon | R. Kent Hughes

12 Thessalonians | James H. Grant Jr.

12 Timothy and Titus | R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chapell

James | R. Kent Hughes

12 Peter and Jude | David R. Helm

13 John | David L. Allen

Revelation | James M. Hamilton Jr.

The Sermon on the Mount | R. Kent Hughes

PREACHING the WORD

HEBREWS

AnANCHORfor theSOUL

R. KENT HUGHES

Hebrews

Copyright 2015 by R. Kent Hughes

Published by Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Previously published as two volumes copyright 1993 by R. Kent Hughes

Cover design: Jon McGrath, Simplicated Studio

Cover image: Adam Greene, illustrator

First printing 2015

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked PHILLIPS are from The New Testament in Modern English, translated by J. B. Phillips 1972 by J. B. Phillips. Published by Macmillan.

Scripture references marked RSV are from The Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4335-3842-1
ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3845-2
PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3843-8
Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3844-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hughes, R. Kent., 1942

Hebrews : an anchor for the soul / R. Kent Hughes.

1 online resource. (Preaching the word)

Previously published as two volumes. All emphasis in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN 978-1-4335-3843-8 (pdf) ISBN 978-1-4335-3844-5 (mobi) ISBN 978-1-4335-3845-2 (epub) ISBN 978-1-4335-3842-1 (hc)

1. Bible. HebrewsCommentaries. 2. MessiahBiblical teaching. 3. Son of GodBiblical teaching. I. Title.

BS2775.53

227.8707dc23 2014045591

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

To
Dr. Charles Lee Feinberg

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

HEBREWS 6:19, 20

I must express appreciation to my wife, Barbara, for her Hebrews 11 faith in Godand resultant faith in my calling; also to Mrs. Sharon Fritz, secretary extraordinaire, for her patience and care in typing the manuscripts for these studies and for making the inscrutable intelligible; to Herbert Carlburg for his cheerful, weekly proofreading and for his unfailing precision and attention to detail; to Rev. Jeff Buikema, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, LaCrosse, Wisconsin, for his reading of the manuscript and helpful suggestions; and to Mr. Ted Griffin, managing editor at Crossway, for his painstaking editing. Lastly, special thanks to Dr. Lane Dennis, president of Crossway, for his vision for this undertaking and consistent encouragement.

There are times when I am preaching that I have especially sensed the pleasure of God. I usually become aware of it through the unnatural silence. The ever-present coughing ceases and the pews stop creaking, bringing an almost physical quiet to the sanctuarythrough which my words sail like arrows. I experience a heightened eloquence, so that the cadence and volume of my voice intensify the truth I am preaching.

There is nothing quite like itthe Holy Spirit filling ones sails, the sense of his pleasure, and the awareness that something is happening among ones hearers. This experience is, of course, not unique, for thousands of preachers have similar experiences, even greater ones.

What has happened when this takes place? How do we account for this sense of his smile? The answer for me has come from the ancient rhetorical categories of logos, ethos, and pathos.

The first reason for his smile is the logosin terms of preaching, Gods Word. This means that as we stand before Gods people to proclaim his Word, we have done our homework. We have exegeted the passage, mined the significance of its words in their context, and applied sound hermeneutical principles in interpreting the text so that we understand what its words meant to its hearers. And it means that we have labored long until we can express in a sentence what the theme of the text isso that our outline springs from the text. Then our preparation will be such that as we preach, we will not be preaching our own thoughts about Gods Word, but Gods actual Word, his