Hebrews 13:5-6
~16 min read
TRANSCRIPT
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our text for tonight’s message is taken from Hebrews 13:5–6.
Many years ago, some people who were fighting with the invading enemies were caught in a terrible storm as they inched back to their army camp. They had spent years fighting on the battlefield. They were totally exhausted. They were drained of every ounce of their energy. Many of them were seriously injured. They were surrounded by the thick forest, and there could be enemies lurking in the darkness. One of the young fighters was very fearful and said to his commander, “Captain, are we going to make it?” The captain said to him, “Our bodies are frail. Our weapons are old. The storm is great. The enemies are strong. We could die any time, but whether our knees give way or whether we fall, we must go on.”
In the same way, as we face 2026, none of us know what is ahead of us in the future. We may be going down. Sicknesses may visit us. Troubles may surround us. Afflictions may try us, and even death may call on us. But we must go on. We must face the new year and each day that comes to us. The title of our message is Facing the New Year with Confidence.
Fear has often gripped the lives of people. It is one of man’s greatest enemies. With the beginning of every new year, it will also be accompanied by new fears—fears of the unknown, fears of the known. When you have been told that you would lose your job, or your loved one is suffering from a chronic illness, or your days are numbered, you’ll be gripped with fear. How can we face the new year with confidence? Based on our text in this passage, there are three points in our message.
Confidence in God’s Provision
Our first point is confidence in God’s provision. The writer of Hebrews says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have” (Hebrews 13:5a). The word “conversation” is referring to our conduct or behaviour. And the phrase “without covetousness” is to be free from greed, sometimes translated as free from the love of money, partly because money can be used to secure so many things that we want.
Many people have this problem with covetousness, but few would sincerely admit that they are covetous. Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have had people come up to me and make confessions of sins, but in all my life, I have never had one person confess the sin of covetousness. Not once.”
What is covetousness? A man went to see his pastor to make a confession, and he wanted his pastor to pray for him. He said his sin was gluttony. The pastor looked at him and remarked that he did not look overweight. The man replied, “I know it is not that I eat too much, but I just want to continually crave for food. It is an obsession.” Covetousness is much like this man’s gluttony. You do not need to have a lot of things to be covetous. In fact, you do not have to have anything at all. Covetousness is an attitude. It is a strong desire to want to have those things—longing to have them, to set our thoughts and our affections on things, whether we ever possess them or not.
“He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). In other words, the more you love those things and the more you get those things, the more you want. When we focus only on material things, our having will never catch up with our wanting. A Christian should be free from such love for material things. The Bible gives us ample warnings against covetousness.
In the Old Testament, Achan’s greed cost Israel the defeat of Ai and the lives of at least thirty-six of his countrymen, his own life, and the lives of his family and flocks (Joshua 7). In the New Testament, Jesus gave this stern warning: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira paid for their greed and deception with their lives. Perhaps the ultimate example is Judas Iscariot, whose greed led him to betray the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with making a lot of money and being rich. Abraham and Job were extremely wealthy, and the Bible records for us a number of faithful believers who were very wealthy. The problem is not with money, but the love of money. That was why the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”.
The original Greek word for “love of money” comes from the same root word as covetousness. Covetousness will inevitably cause us to trust in our riches. That was why Paul said in verse 17, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).
Dear friend, whom do you trust—your wealth or your Lord? Perhaps you have lived the year 2025 with a covetous attitude, trying to accumulate more and more. You are willing to forsake the worship and services of God and the fellowship of the believers. You are willing to sacrifice long working hours and compromise family time with your children, all because you want to have more money and more things. You are afraid to lose out to your relatives, friends, and colleagues. But the saddest part of it all is that you do not realise that you are craving for things you do not even need.
There was a little boy who loved hamburgers, and he always complained that his mother never gave him enough. One day, the mother decided that she would give him all the hamburgers he wanted. So she sat him down at a table. She fixed the first hamburger, gave it to him, and he ate it. She cooked some more, and he ate. She cooked more, and he ate. He kept eating and eating. Finally, she decided to make one last hamburger because she could tell that he had enough. So she said to him, “Johnny, do you want some more hamburgers?” The boy looked at her and said, “I don’t even want the ones that I already had.”
Maybe we should learn from this little boy. Perhaps a lifetime of so-called experiences has not taught us this one important lesson. Covetousness is a disease of the heart. It is a sin. The opposite of covetousness is contentment. The only way to conquer covetousness is through contentment. And the only way to have contentment is to have full assurance and confidence in God’s provision. My God will provide for all my needs. ”Be content with such things as ye have.”
Contentment is something that most people would desire to have. Yet few would really take time to consider its true meaning and implications. Someone rightly said, "Contentment can make a poor man rich and discontentment can make a rich man poor." You may say it is oxymoron. However, it is a fact. We look at the situations of life and we think that others have so much better and we become discontented.
Often times God may allow us to be in a particular situation and humanly speaking it may not be the best of situations but later on in our lives when we look back we see God's hand working sovereignly and providentially in our lives which otherwise we would have much heartaches and pains and we say thank you Lord for sparing me.
Dear friend, the cares and influences of this world can become so prominent in our lives that we are confused about our necessities and our desires. What we say we need are not our needs but what we desire to have. Today practically almost everything has become a need. We say we need better jobs, bigger houses, nicer cars, faster computers, latest headphones, and all the modern electronic gadgets. Are they really our needs or our desires? We are just not content, aren't we?
Please do not adopt the mentality of this world. When God is not in the picture, man is the ultimate. And the goal of life is all about meeting our wants. Who cares about the needs of others? Who cares about the gospel work and the saving of souls? Who cares about mission fields? When a pastor talks about tithes and offerings, people are offended and they start to reason in their minds. How can a sovereign God command me to give a portion of my income? Doesn't he know that it is my hands that brought in all the money? It is my hard work that enables me to send my children to universities and finance my property. But they have forgotten that even the good health and strength and the breath they have to wake up every morning to go to work come from God.
The secret of contentment is to know that everything we have comes from God. If you are a true child of God, you need to acknowledge that everything you have cometh from him. And one day you have to be accountable to your maker. You can try to give all kinds of human reasoning, understanding or even interpretation of how this gracious God will perceive my lack of acknowledgement and my lack of giving. But you cannot erase the fact that there will be a day of reckoning. One day you will have to give an account to the Almighty God.
Perhaps you are not covetous and you are content with what you have. You have always been faithful to the Lord. You have not robbed him of your tithes and offerings. But now you are worried because soon you may lose your job. Your children are still young and you are afraid whenever you see the dawn of another new day. Will God provide for me? Surely he will. To be content is to have absolute confidence in God's provision. And this confidence is also built on his promise.
Confidence in God’s Promise
This brings us to our second point: confidence in God’s promise. “For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5b). This is a very unique phrase in life’s most challenging moments. This phrase has been a most comforting assurance of God’s promise to the believers throughout the Scriptures. Allow me to give you perhaps two examples.
In Genesis chapter 28, when Isaac blessed his son Jacob and sent him away, telling him not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan but to take a wife from the daughters of Laban, his uncle, Isaac reminded Jacob that God would bless him, multiply him, and make him a multitude of people. But how could that be possible? He was all alone. What should he do? How could he accomplish this great task? Well, God comforted him with this wonderful phrase in verse 15: “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, … for I and will bring thee again into this land, will not leave thee” (Genesis 28:15).
In Joshua chapter 1, after the death of Moses, God commanded Joshua to go over Jordan and conquer the promised land. God said to him that every place you set your foot upon, that have I given to you. But how could that be possible? He was all alone without Moses his leader, with a great enemy before him, with a group of untrained men. How could he ever conquer the promised land? Well, God gave him this wonderful promise, and he said, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life, . As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5).
Nothing is more comforting to the believer than to have the promise of God’s presence in our lives. In English, we seldom use double negatives. We don't say things like not never. But in the Greek language, it is different. The word never is a double negative and it implies a strong denier. Something like I will never no; not ever; no never leave you. What an assurance.
Once a Greek pastor visited an old Christian lady in her home and he shared with her from this verse that God said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” The pastor tried to explain the double negatives in Greek to emphasize God's strong promise. And the old lady said to him, "You Greeks may need to say it twice, but for me, if God said it once, it is enough. Yes, dear friend. God says, "I will never leave thee." It is enough. God says, "I will never forsake thee.” It is enough.
In life, it is inevitable that there will always be struggles, trials, and tribulations. When difficult time comes, we need someone to come alongside us to help, comfort, strengthened, and help us to press on. But good friends are hard to find. I read in an article that says the average person does not have a solitary and close friend that he can count on. But for us Christians, we know that is not true. For we have a friend who sticks with us closer than a brother. We have a friend who will never leave us no matter what the condition, no matter what situation it is in the world or in our lives. The one who says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” is our God, who will not turn his backs on us.
Even right now, at this very moment, our Lord Jesus is interceding for us. Even right now, we have the Holy Spirit who is our comforter to empower us as we live our lives on this temporal world. And we have our heavenly father who is lovingly watching each and every one of his children. The Bible says, "For he hath said” when someone else says it, it doesn't matter. It doesn't carry weight. But when God says it, he means it. And it will surely come to pass. God says it, we believe it, and that set us it. Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20b). Do you believe him? He says what he means and he means what he says.
Are you fearful of the unforeseen adverse circumstances and situations in the year 2026? Humanly speaking, it is so unpredictable. Anything can happen. sicknesses, financial difficulties, persecutions, even death. I don't have to describe all the terrible events that can possibly tear us apart both physically and emotionally. How can we not be fearful? Only when we have this confidence in God's promise. For he hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
With this confidence, we can rise up without fear. We can say like the apostle Paul, who shall separate us from the love of Christ, neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor any other creature. All these contingencies can possibly happen in our lives but nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What a blessed promise. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
Confidence in the Lord Our Helper
Our final point is confidence in the Lord our helper. Recently we had several babies and children who were admitted to hospital because of different afflictions. And we have many church members who are in their late evening years. Some of them are also sick and weak. My own father is sick and unwell in Singapore. Each time I receive a call in the night, my heart sort of skip a bit. Has something happened? Is it this person or that person?
We don't know what our families, our children, and we ourselves will face in the new year. But as children of God, we believe in the one who says, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Therefore, we can say like in verse six, so that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6). We have confidence in the Lord our helper. The only time we can boldly say things is when we have courage. Right?
None of us has experienced death. Perhaps none of us has experienced some of the most extreme calamities. None of us have experienced things of the unknown. So how can we have courage? Well, our courage is not based on our own human experiences, abilities, wisdom or strength, but rather it is based on the assurance that the Lord is our helper. It is the Lord who has saved us from eternal damnation. It is the Lord who has washed away our sins by his precious blood. It is the Lord who says he will remember our iniquities no more. It is the Lord who promised us everlasting life.
And those whom he has saved, he will keep them all the way until the glorification. He will do exactly what he says he will do. Our Lord will always be there to help us. Remember The psalmist says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Indeed, we do not know what 2026 holds for us. This can be the last watch night service for some of us because death may knock on our doors. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Even on our deathbeds, the Lord is still our helper to strengthen and comfort us.
No matter what this year brings, we can boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what men shall do unto me. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). If we have the Lord, we have it all. We may lose everything else in life. Our wealth, our health, our jobs, our human relationships. But it is no more than just a bad inconvenience, an inconvenience that when we surrender to the Lord and submit to his will, will always be good for us. And we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Do you have this infinitely powerful helper? The only way is to believe in Jesus and embrace him as your Lord and Savior. No one is able to save you from your sins. The only one who can save you is the one who came for you, who died on the cross, shedding his precious blood to save you from eternal hell. He was buried, but death cannot consume him. And on the third day, he rose again from the dead, for he is the resurrection and the life. Jesus says to you, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Salvation rest. Come and rest in me.
Dear friend, we can face this new year with much fear. Fear of death. Fear of sicknesses. Fear of the future. Fear of adverse circumstances. Fear of facing God with the guilt of our sins. Fear of being punished eternally. It is a terrible thing to live in fear. Or we can say I can face the new year and for that matter every other year that the Lord would give unto me without fear but with confidence because my confidence is built on Jesus who has saved me. My confidence is built on his provision, his promise, and the Lord is my helper. What shall men do unto me? If the Lord is my helper, then I will not fear.
I pray that all of us who has placed our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as we inch forward into the year 2026. There may be things unknown, there may be things known, but we are not fearful because our confidence is in our God, in his provision, in his promise and in Jesus, our infinitely powerful helper.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, indeed, as we reflect on this year 2025, we marvel at Thy faithfulness. Thou has been so gracious and merciful to us. Yet often times we would drift away from thee, focusing our attentions on things material and physical, not heavenly or spiritual. We look onto the physical things rather than we look to thee. Forgive us for as humans we always forget. As believers, Thou has reminded us once again that even as we are preparing to welcome the new year.
We want to face the new year which may come with different challenges and issues and troubles, afflictions of all sorts. We do not know, only Thou alone knows. But we want to face this new year with great confidence. Not because of our human experiences, abilities, strength or wisdom. We are nothing but rather it is a confidence that is built on Thy provision, on Thy promise, and on the Lord, our infinitely powerful helper. If the Lord is our helper, then we will not fear what men shall do unto us, nor the circumstances of life, no matter how adverse it may be. So help us as we inch forward into the new year to have this heavenly and spiritual perspective always trusting and building our confidence in Thee and Thee alone. We give Thee thanks and we pray all these in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF HEBREWSChrist, The Living WordChrist, The Living WordHebrews 1:1-2a
The Sevenfold Supremacy of ChristThe Sevenfold Supremacy of ChristHebrews 1:2b-3
The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 1)The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 1)Hebrews 1:4-6
What Child is This?What Child is This?Hebrews 1:4-6
The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 2)The Greatness of Jesus Christ (Part 2)Hebrews 1:7-14
The Danger of Drifting AwayThe Danger of Drifting AwayHebrews 2:1-4
What is Man, that Thou Art Mindful of Him?What is Man, that Thou Art Mindful of Him?Hebrews 2:5-9
The Captain of Our SalvationThe Captain of Our SalvationHebrews 2:10
Jesus, Our Sanctifier and ConquerorJesus, Our Sanctifier and ConquerorHebrews 2:11-15
Jesus, Our High PriestJesus, Our High PriestHebrews 2:16-18
Jesus is Greater than MosesJesus is Greater than MosesHebrews 3:1-6
Start and Finish WellStart and Finish WellHebrews 3:7-11
Harden Not Your HeartHarden Not Your HeartHebrews 3:12-19
Enter into God’s RestEnter into God’s RestHebrews 4:1-11
Encountering the Word of GodEncountering the Word of GodHebrews 4:12-13
Sola Scriptura: Scripture AloneSola Scriptura: Scripture AloneHebrews 4:12-13
Through The Priests Or To God Directly?Through The Priests Or To God Directly?Hebrews 4:14-16
Christ, Our Great High PriestChrist, Our Great High PriestHebrews 4:14-16
Jesus, the Superior Great High PriestJesus, the Superior Great High PriestHebrews 5:1-10
Dull of HearingDull of HearingHebrews 5:11-14
The Tragedy of Falling AwayThe Tragedy of Falling AwayHebrews 6:1-8
Things That Accompany SalvationThings That Accompany SalvationHebrews 6:9-12
Things That Accompany SalvationThings That Accompany SalvationHebrews 6:9-12
The Anchor of Our SoulThe Anchor of Our SoulHebrews 6:13-20
The Greatness of MelchisedecThe Greatness of MelchisedecHebrews 7:1-10
The Sufficiency of MelchisedecThe Sufficiency of MelchisedecHebrews 7:11-19
Jesus, The Greater High PriestJesus, The Greater High PriestExodus 37:25-29; Hebrews 7:20-28
The Superiority of MelchisedecThe Superiority of MelchisedecHebrews 7:20-28
A More Excellent MinistryA More Excellent MinistryHebrews 8:1-6
The New CovenantThe New CovenantHebrews 8:7-13
The Tabernacle Fulfilled in ChristThe Tabernacle Fulfilled in ChristHebrews 9:1-7
The Time of ReformationThe Time of ReformationHebrews 9:8-14
The Reasons Why Jesus Had to DieThe Reasons Why Jesus Had to DieHebrews 9:15-26
An Appointment None Can EscapeAn Appointment None Can EscapeHebrews 9:27-28
The Perfect SacrificeThe Perfect SacrificeHebrews 10:1-18
We Preach Christ CrucifiedWe Preach Christ CrucifiedHebrews 10:1-18
Introductory MessageIntroductory MessageHebrews 10:19-25
What Shall We Do?What Shall We Do?Hebrews 10:19-25
A Living FaithA Living FaithHebrews 10:24-25
It is a Fearful Thing to Fall into the Hands of the Living GodIt is a Fearful Thing to Fall into the Hands of the Living GodHebrews 10:26-31
A Call to PerseveranceA Call to PerseveranceHebrews 10:32-39
Message 1: The Nature of FaithMessage 1: The Nature of FaithEphesians 2:8, Hebrews 11:1
Message 1: What is Faith?Message 1: What is Faith?Hebrews 11:1, Jude 3
The Faith of AbelThe Faith of AbelHebrews 11:4
The Faith of EnochThe Faith of EnochHebrews 11:5-6
The Faith of NoahThe Faith of NoahHebrews 11:7
The Faith of AbrahamThe Faith of AbrahamHebrews 11:8-16
The Faith of the PatriarchsThe Faith of the PatriarchsHebrews 11:17-22
The Faith Of A Beloved MotherThe Faith Of A Beloved MotherExodus 1:22-2:10; Hebrews 11:23
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedHebrews 11:23
The Faith of MosesThe Faith of MosesHebrews 11:24-29
The Faith of Joshua and the PeopleThe Faith of Joshua and the PeopleHebrews 11:30
How Have You Been Running The Race?How Have You Been Running The Race?Hebrews 12:1-2
How to Run the Race FaithfullyHow to Run the Race FaithfullyHebrews 12:1-2
Let Us Run The RaceLet Us Run The RaceHebrews 12:1-3
The Christian RaceThe Christian RaceHebrews 12:1-3
Despise Not Divine ChastisementDespise Not Divine ChastisementHebrews 12:4-11
Guard Against Stumbling and FallingGuard Against Stumbling and FallingHebrews 12:12-17
Follow Peace and HolinessFollow Peace and HolinessHebrews 12:14
From Untouchable to ApproachableFrom Untouchable to ApproachableHebrews 12:18-29
True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 1)True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 1)Hebrews 13:1-3
True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 2)True Faith Leads to True Living (Part 2)Hebrews 13:4-6
Facing The New Year With ConfidenceFacing The New Year With ConfidenceHebrews 13:5-6
Remember Our LeadersRemember Our LeadersHebrews 13:7, 17
Jesus is The SameJesus is The SameHebrews 13:8
Do Not Be Carried About by Divers Strange DoctrineDo Not Be Carried About by Divers Strange DoctrineHebrews 13:9
Are You Willing to Stand with Christ?Are You Willing to Stand with Christ?Hebrews 13:10-16
Pray for UsPray for UsHebrews 13:18-19
Blessed AssuranceBlessed AssuranceHebrews 13:20-21
