Moving on from Milk

Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this if God permits.

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Last week, we had a passage with a very stern tone to it. The author of Hebrews showed his frustration with his readers, who were not advancing in their knowledge of the faith. Like the image we showed last week, they were like adults who were still getting their food by drinking milk from a baby bottle.

We talked about how I would love to see this church become a church of spiritual steak eaters, who can wrestle with and meditate on the deeper aspects of theology, but can also enjoy the simplicity of a glass of milk here and there.

This week, we will see the author encourage his readers to move on from the basic teachings of doctrine in order to become more mature in the faith. And so what I want to do today is go through the different doctrines that the author of Hebrews considers to be foundational to following after Christ. These teachings are important for building us up properly in the faith. And to be built up in the faith and become mature, we must make sure the basics are in order.

Big Idea: We must know the fundamentals of the faith.

Hebrews 6:1a

Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity…

In the previous verses, the author described how his readers had not grown in their faith as they should have. They were lazy, or slow/dull of hearing. He describes their awful state as infants still needing milk that never grew up to eat solid foods, becoming more mature.

Everyone has an infancy phase in their walk with Christ. We all start out with a lack of knowledge about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. But we cannot stay satisfied with that lack of knowledge. Learning new things can provide energy and exhilaration to our lives that we did not expect.

How many of you have seen videos of little kids the first time they ever tried bacon? They have been drinking milk or have started eating mashed-up fruits and veggies, but are handed just a little piece of the meat candy that is bacon. Their eyes get wide. They get a huge toothy grin on their face. They experience a joy they have not known before.

That is only a small measure of the joy and excitement we can feel when we start learn more and more about who God is and how he works in this world. I actually like reading through systematic theology books, because they help to show how different aspects of theology tie together with others. It shows a logical flow of God’s power, grace, mercy, and love.

When we start moving past the basic foundations of the faith, we will grow in ways that we never thought possible. This is what the author of Hebrews is trying to tell his Jewish readers. He is trying to get them to move past basic, elementary teachings about Jesus. He is trying to move them from milk to steak.

Hebrews 6:1b

…not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works…

Now, the author tells his readers that he should not have to lay down another foundation of basic teachings for them. If a perfect foundation is laid on a construction site, you don’t need to lay another foundation over it. That foundation is perfect and will perfectly support the building that it was designed to have built on it.

The Jews had been raised on the teachings and writings of the Old Testament. They would have had a solid foundation, especially if you take into consideration what we have said about how the entire Bible points to Jesus. The Old Testament is full of types and shadows of what was fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus.

The author then goes on to list some of these foundational doctrines of the faith that his Hebrews readers should have already known. The first doctrine is that of repentance from dead works.

Paul taught a great deal about how our works cannot save us because we cannot fully keep the law on our own. Our only hope for salvation is in the perfect life and work of Jesus as our great high priest.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.

In writing to the Ephesians, Paul tells them that our salvation does not come by our works, but instead comes by the grace of God through faith in him. There is nothing in and of ourselves that contributes to our salvation, because Paul says that it is a gift.

We are coming up on Christmas. When we receive a present from someone, and that gift perfectly fills a need that you had— say, you needed a new electric drill because your previous one died, and you received one for Christmas— did you buy that gift? Did you work to earn that gift from the person who gave it to you? No. It was given freely. You were not owed that gift.

Now, if the person who gave it to you was the reason that your drill died, they would be a terrible friend by “gifting” something that they owed to you.

Romans 4:4

Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed.

If we can earn our salvation through our works, it cannot be a gift of God. As I have said before, if we can earn our salvation through our works, we do not need a Savior who gave his life for our sins. If we can earn our salvation like we earn our paycheck from our work, salvation is not a gift, it's earned wages. If we can earn our salvation, Christ died for nothing.

If we can earn our salvation, we have something to boast about before God. We can say to God, “Look at all of the great things that I did to get here! Look at what I did!” But salvation is a gift to us from God, based not on our merit, but on God’s grace, so that no one can boast about their salvation.

Paul also told the young pastor Titus the same thing when he wrote his letter to him:

Titus 3:4-5

But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

When Paul told Titus that the kindness of God and his love for mankind appeared, he was talking about Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s kindness and love towards us. It is Jesus who has saved us from our sins through his life, death, and resurrection.

It was not our works that brought us salvation. It was God’s mercy. Mercy is when we don’t get what we deserve. And grace is getting what we don’t deserve. The mercy of God pulls us from the eternal judgment of hell. The grace of God brings us into his presence, walking on the streets of gold where there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more suffering.

We must repent of trying to earn our way into heaven.

…faith in God…

Throughout Romans, Paul talks about the importance of faith in God apart from our works. His main example is Abraham in Romans 4. Two different times in Romans 4, Paul quotes the passage from Genesis 15:6 about Abraham and righteousness:

Romans 4:3

For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.

Abraham was called righteous in God’s sight, not because he had done any spectacular works like giving to the poor, taking care of his family, or anything like that. The passage says that Abraham was “credited” with righteousness because he believed God. This word “credit” is the Greek word “logizomai”. This word can also be translated as “to reckon”, “to count”, or “to consider”. It is a legal or forensic term related to accounting. This crediting is an exchange of God’s righteousness to Abraham’s account for Abraham’s belief.

This is not a mental evaluation of Abraham and then calling him righteous. Instead, we see logizomai as God formally declaring Abraham righteous on the basis of his faith, which serves as the instrument through which righteousness is received. It is faith in God that brings righteousness.

Paul also mentions how David says the same thing in Psalm 32

Romans 4:6-8

Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgivenand whose sins are covered.Blessed is the personthe Lord will never charge with sin.

Psalm 32 was one of the early church’s penitential psalms. To be penitent is to feel or express sorrow and regret for having done wrong. This psalm of David tells of how God forgives transgressions, covers sins, and refuses to count iniquity against the believer. In this gracious act, God essentially lays the guilt and punishment of the world on his Son, pronouncing believers innocent and righteous in his sight.

Now, to go along with the previous foundational truth that the author of Hebrews brought up in repentance of dead works, you may ask, “Doesn’t James say that faith without works is dead?” Well, let's look at what James 2 says in context.

James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

What the Apostle James is telling us is that you can claim to have faith in God, you can believe God exists, but if there is no fruit in your life showing that you are a follower of Christ, then how genuine is your faith? If you claim Christ, but ignore the needs of people around you when you have the ability to help, your “faith” is useless.

If you have an apple tree but it never bears any apples, is that tree actually good for anything other than to be cut down for firewood? Nope. That is about all it is good for. Jesus tells us this very same thing in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:

Matthew 7:15-20

“Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

Trees are recognized by their fruit. Apples cannot grow on peach trees. Lemons cannot grow on banana trees. But if a tree does not bear fruit at all, it is not good for anything. As Jesus said, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire.

But we must remember that we are not saved by our works. Our works, the fruit on the branches of our lives, are not what saves us. Those fruits are a sign to others, showing the type of tree that we are. They are an outpouring of what is already inside.

…teaching about ritual washings…

There are a couple of different interpretations of what the author could be referring to. The first could be Christian baptism. The Greek word that is translated as “washings” is “baptismos” (Gr. βαπτισμος). It is where we get our modern-day word, baptism.

The second interpretation has to do with the various washing practices of the Jewish people. Like many regulations in Jewish law, there were fences put around the law to make it “harder” to break the law. (Working on the Sabbath)

Ritual washing was another regulation that had fences around it, according to the “traditions of the elders.” These traditions were developed in the intertestamental period, the 300 years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament, by Jewish leaders, particularly Pharisees, to provide a “hedge” around the law to prevent breaking the law in daily life.

The Pharisees tried to challenge Jesus concerning his disciples and their washing practices.

Matthew 15:1-2

Then Jesus was approached by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem, who asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.”

Did you see that the Pharisees themselves did not ask, “Why do your disciples break the law?” Nope, they specifically mentioned the traditions of the elders.

Remember what I just said about these traditions being a “hedge” around the law to prevent people from breaking the law. Ritual washings are mainly mentioned regarding the priests in the Old Testament as they were preparing to eat the Holy bread in the temple. The “traditions” extended this statute to include the washing habits of everyone before every meal.

So when the Pharisees say that the disciples are eating with unclean hands, this does not mean that Jesus or the disciples did not wash their hands for hygienic purposes before they ate. Instead, there was a specific “ceremonial” way of washing their hands that the Pharisees were talking about.

Ceremonial Hand Washing

Water had to be poured from a vessel (not just dipped) onto the hands.

Both hands were washed up to at least the knuckles, often to the wrists.

Water was poured multiple times on each hand.

A blessing was said in connection with this washing.

Jesus then goes on to call them out for their hypocrisy. If you read on in Matthew 15 you will see that in Jewish law, people were to take care of their parents as they got older and were no longer able to take care of themselves. This was considered a part of the commandment to “Honor your father and mother.” However, the traditions of the elders said that if you had already committed to give a portion of your money to the temple, money that could have been used to take care of your ailing parents, you were to have your “yes” mean “yes” and your “no” mean “no,” and your money was to stay committed to the temple.

The Pharisees were using this “loophole” in the traditions to keep from having to take care of their ailing parents, disobeying the commandment to honor their father and mother. Doing this made them look “holy” by giving money to the temple and to the work of God, just like the ceremonial washing before a meal made them look “clean” before eating.

In other passages, Jesus would call the Pharisees whitewashed tombs that are painted white to look clean on the outside, but filled with the filth of dead men’s bones on the inside. The cleaning was all about appearances. The Pharisees would pray out loud on the corners of the street to make themselves look better.

And now, let’s turn our attention to baptism. As it turns out, Christian baptism is a “mirror” of many cleansing passages in the Old Testament. When John was baptizing people in the Jordan River, he told the people that he was baptizing people with water for the repentance of their sins.

In his psalm of repentance, David asks the Lord to wash away his sins.

Psalm 51:2, 7

Completely wash away my guiltand cleanse me from my sin.

Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

This is what Christian baptism is meant to represent: a sign that our sins have been washed away by God. Being dipped into the water is not what washes our sins away, though. Our sins are washed away when we repent of our sins, submitting our lives to Christ, calling him our Lord.

Baptism is the declaration to others around us of the internal transformation that has taken place within. When we go down into the water in baptism, we are showing the death of our old selves, our sinful nature no longer ruling every thought and action we have. Then, coming up out of the water, we show our identification with Christ, resurrected to new life through our Savior. And since this is a sign to others, it only needs to be done once.

All of the cleansing rituals of the Old Testament point to our being made clean through the sacrifice of Christ.

…laying on of hands…

There are many instances where we see the laying on of hands in Scripture, and there were many meanings to what the laying on of hands symbolized. Here are some of the symbolic meanings behind laying hands on others:

Transmission of power and authority (Exodus 15:6; Genesis 48). Jacob placed his hand on Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, imparting both blessing and authority to them.

Dedication and atonement by placing guilt on sacrifices (Leviticus 1; Leviticus 16). Priests laying hands on animals before they would offer them as sacrifices was to symbolize the placing of the people’s sins on the animal before it was offered.

Blessing and inheritance (Genesis 48). Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh. Jesus laid his hands upon the children to bless them.

Commissioning or setting apart for ministry or service (Acts 13:1-3; Hebrews 6:2). The other leaders of the church in Antioch prayed for Paul and Barnabas and laid hands on them before they were sent off on their first missionary journey.

Impartation of the Holy Spirit and miraculous gifts such as healing and speaking in tongues (Acts 19:5-6; Acts 9:17). Both Jesus and his apostles can be seen laying hands on the sick as they prayed for healing.

So we can see that there is a precedent of laying hands upon others throughout Scripture, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

…the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

We are putting these last two doctrines that the author of Hebrews mentions together, because they really go hand in hand.

Knowing this letter was written to Jews, it is possible that the author had Pharisees in mind as he went through this list. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection from the dead, along with following the ritual washing traditions, and such.

The idea of the resurrection from the dead is not a New Testament idea. We actually see the resurrection mentioned in Daniel 12.

Daniel 12:2

Many who sleep in the dustof the earth will awake,some to eternal life,and some to disgrace and eternal contempt.

This passage is saying that when Christ returns, there will be a resurrection of the dead. Those who have died, having repented of their sins and submitted their lives to Christ, will be raised to eternal life.

When Jesus went to comfort Mary and Martha after their brother Lazarus had died, he was confronted by Martha.

John 11:20-24

As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.

Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

You see, while Jesus was speaking of the fact that he was about to raise Lazarus back from the dead, Martha thought that Jesus was talking about the future resurrection, the one mentioned by the prophet Daniel.

We see another mention of resurrection from the dead when Jesus is on the cross. As he has been crucified between two criminals, one of them hurls insults at Jesus, commanding Jesus to rescue himself and the two thieves as well. But the second thief scolds the first, saying that they had deserved their punishments for their actions, while Jesus was innocent.

The second thief then turns to Jesus.

Luke 23:42-43

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

But that prophecy in Daniel didn’t just talk about a resurrection to eternal life. It also mentioned a resurrection to disgrace and eternal contempt. This is where we turn to the doctrine of eternal judgment, the doctrine of hell.

This is something that no one enjoys talking about. The thought of hell is scary. And yet, the author of Hebrews calls the idea of eternal judgment foundational to the doctrines of Christ and of Scripture.

What is hell?

Maybe we should start with what hell is NOT. It is not like in the Far Side cartoons where Satan runs everything, has his own office, and decides what everyone’s punishment is.

Hell was created for Satan and his demons, the ⅓ of all angels who were cast out of heaven for rebelling against God. It is not an absence from God himself, since God is everywhere, but is the place of his eternal wrath against sin and rebellion towards him. It is the absence of his goodness, mercy, grace, and love.

Many Christians and non-Christians alike do not like the idea of hell. They ask, “How could an all-loving God force people to go through eternal torment, simply because they didn’t choose to follow him?” But we must remember, as we have stated many times, the smallest sin, the slightest disobedience, is cosmic treason against the God of the universe.

Many people find a lot of humor in this famous photo of RC Sproul.

I have seen this picture on mugs, t-shirts, posters, and the like. The quote on this photo is from a response in a Q&A at one of the Ligonier Conferences to a question submitted by an attendee of the conference.

Question: Since God is slow to anger and patient, then why, when man first sinned, was His wrath and punishment so severe and long-lasting?

This is how RC Sproul responded:

God’s punishment for Adam was so severe?

This creature from the dirt defied the everlasting holy God. After that, God had said, “the day that you shall eat of it, you shall surely die.” And instead of dying (thanatos) that day, he lived another day and was clothed in his nakedness, by pure grace, and had the consequences of the curse applied for quite some time. But the worst curse would come upon the one who seduced him, whose head would be crushed by the seed of the woman. And the punishment was too severe? What's wrong with you people? I'm serious! I mean, this is what's wrong with the Christian church today. We don't know who God is, and we don't know who we are.

The question is, why wasn’t it infinitely more severe? If we have any understanding of our sin and any understanding of who God is, that’s the question, isn't it?

C.S. Lewis, the famous author who wrote the Narnia book series, once said of hell:

“I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.”

C.S. Lewis

Lewis believed, as many Christians do today, that those who are in hell are there because of their choice to defy and reject the eternal, holy God of the universe.

There are those who would claim that Jesus was all-loving and that we should model ourselves after him. What they miss, though, is that Jesus actually talked about eternal punishment, judgment, or the results of evil works many, many, many times, especially in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:20 – Warning that without a righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees, one will “never enter the kingdom of heaven,” implying exclusion and judgment.

Matthew 5:29–30 – Graphic warning that it is better to lose an eye or hand than for the whole body to be thrown into hell/Gehenna (these verses are often linked with 5:22 as part of the same larger section on sin and judgment).

Matthew 7:13–14 – The “wide gate” and “broad way” that lead to destruction, contrasted with the narrow way that leads to life.

Matthew 7:19 – (Mentioned this verse earlier) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is “cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Matthew 7:21–23 – Those who do not do the Father’s will are rejected by Jesus on the last day (“I never knew you”), a clear final-judgment scene.

Matthew 7:24–27 – The house built on sand is destroyed in the storm, another picture of disastrous final outcome for those who hear but do not obey.

Hell exists. The Old Testament tells us so. The New Testament tells us so. We must take this doctrine seriously as we grow in our Christian faith.

Hebrews 6:3

And we will do this if God permits.

The author now admits that God’s help is needed in moving forward in our knowledge of Him. We saw this same thing when we studied Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2:12-13

Therefore, my dear friends…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

We are to be active in seeking the Lord and doing our best to actively obey him. At the same time, we need the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds to be able to grasp His doctrines and have them applied to our hearts.

One of the ways that we can do this is through asking God to help us in our daily lives. I want to share a tool with you from John Piper called IOUS Prayers. These are a set of prayers to say, specifically as you are getting ready to read or study your Bible.

IOUS Prayers (Break down the points a little)

Incline my heart to your testimonies (Psalm 119:36 ESV)

Open my eyes to see wonderful things (Psalm 119:18 ESV)

Unite my heart to fear your name (Psalm 86:11 ESV)

Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love (Psalm 90:14 ESV)

Does this sound familiar to anyone? These are what I pray every Sunday before I preach. I prayed these today. I want the Word of God to penetrate our hearts and minds that we may have eyes to see the wonderful truths of God and find satisfaction in him alone. You can say these exact same prayers before you study the Word as well! (Commentary on this prayer from John Piper: https://versenotes.org/understanding-the-ious-prayer/)

I would especially encourage those who have not submitted their lives to Christ to pray these prayers before you read your Bible. You could even pray these prayers at the beginning of your day. I believe that if you sincerely pray these IOUS prayers every day, especially before reading your Bible, God will answer you.

If you ask God to incline your heart to his testimonies, you will begin to believe what the Bible says about who God is. If you ask him to open your eyes to see wonderful things in his Word, you will see just how glorious his grace, mercy, and love truly are. If you ask him to give you an undivided heart to fear him, you will find yourself having a loyalty to God, a willingness to praise him, glorify him, and keep him at the forefront of not only your thoughts, but all you do. If you ask God to satisfy you with his unfailing love, you will start to desire the things of this world less and less. You will see the treasure of seeking the Lord, and nothing else will really matter to you. When you find satisfaction in Christ, you won’t be satisfied in anything else.

If you need to pray those prayers today, I invite you to do so. Ask the Lord to build you up in the faith. Ask him to give you a greater desire to seek after him and to be satisfied in him alone.

Perhaps you are here, and you know that you need the Lord to do those things in your life. You want Jesus to work your heart in a way that you will desire nothing but him. I encourage you to repent of your sins. Admit your guilt before God. Submit your life to Christ. Make him your Lord.

Next Step: I will repent and submit my life to Christ.

Let’s pray.

===== YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION & TAGS =====

DESCRIPTION:

Foundational Truths: In this powerful sermon, Pastor Ryan Skolrud challenges us to move beyond spiritual infancy and embrace mature faith in Jesus Christ. Drawing from Hebrews 6:1-3, we explore the essential doctrines that form the foundation of Christian belief: repentance from dead works, faith in God, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

As followers of Christ, we cannot remain satisfied with elementary knowledge of our faith. Just as physical nutrition requires us to transition from milk to solid food, spiritual maturity demands that we deeply understand and embrace the foundational truths of Scripture. Through examining these core doctrines and their biblical support, you will discover how a stronger foundation of faith transforms your relationship with God and empowers you to live with purpose and conviction in every area of your life.

Whether you're a new believer seeking to understand the basics of Christianity or a mature believer looking to strengthen your theological foundation, this sermon invites you to commit to spiritual growth, deepen your understanding of God's Word, and experience the freedom and joy that comes from knowing Him more intimately.

Next Steps from the Sermon:

• Pray the IOUS prayers daily: "Incline my heart to your testimonies, open my eyes to see wonderful things, unite my heart to fear your name, satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love."

• Ask God to build you up in the faith and give you a greater desire to seek after Him

• Find satisfaction in God's unfailing love and in Him alone

• Repent and submit your life to Christ

Scripture Passages Used:

Hebrews 6:1-3, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:3-4, Genesis 15:6, Psalm 32, Psalm 119:36 & 119:18, Psalm 86:11, Psalm 90:14, Matthew 5:20, Matthew 7:13-27, Luke 23:42-43, Daniel 12:2, Acts 9:17 & 19:5-6

Link to sermon notes: https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/46257/note-250849.html

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Living Word Community Church

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Sermon, Hebrews, Bible study, Christian faith, spiritual maturity, foundational truths, repentance, faith in God, Christian doctrine, eternal judgment, resurrection, baptism, spiritual growth, biblical teaching, theology, discipleship, Jesus Christ, salvation, grace, Christian teaching, sermon teaching, Bible verses, scripture study, faith journey, spiritual development, Carnation Washington, Living Word Community Church, Ryan Skolrud, church sermon, God's word, biblical foundation, Christian living, theological education, religious sermon, faith transformation, biblical wisdom

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