Warning and Exhortation

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Warning Against Apostasy

11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

6:1  Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

As you know, in a past life I used to be an airplane pilot

Let’s say that you heard I was a pilot and you wanted an airplane ride. You’ve never been in a small plane before and you think it would be fun

So I said, sure. Meet me at the airport at such and such a time.

The airplane is sitting there on the tarmac ready to go, and I help you get in the plane and get buckled in

Then I climb in. And then, because you are starting to get nervous, you say, “Hey, you do know how to fly this thing, right?”

And I say, “Of course!”

I know that you turn this key and the engine cranks over.

I know that this control yoke here, if you turn it left, the plane tends to bank toward the left, and if you turn it to the right, the airplane tends to bank to the right.

And if you push it forward, the houses tend to get bigger

And if you pull it back the houses tend to get smaller, and then they start to get bigger again, for some reason

And this little knob thingy here, when you push it in the airplane gets louder, and if you pull it out, the airplane gets quieter.

Of course I know how to fly! I mean what more do you need to know?

Would you feel confident?

No, probably not! Nor should you!

No, you want to be confident that I know a whole lot more about my airplane and than that

And you want to be sure that I know a whole lot more about how to control my airplane than that!

You want to be confident that I understand things like

aerodynamics

airplane systems

emergency procedures

how to set up for a good landing

how to navigate

how to get and read accurate weather reports

And much, much more. You want to be sure that I am a confident and mature pilot before you leave the ground with me.

Today in our passage, this author comes to his audience with both a warning and an exhortation.

This book is just full of warnings, isn’t it? But they are given from a heart full of love, so I hope that we can