Moving Forward

Introduction:

Do you have a Plan for Spiritual Growth?

We all know that healthy things Grow?

sanctuary—- Don’t worry we recovered them a year later..

ADOBE SOIL it turned out… this is a fertile land..and perfect ...Environment for growing Rice…

My first experience with Adobe soil was when Lee and Jack Galles helped us install the speakers here at the Church… Jack went underneath the building… and us adults were giving directions from the top… He did really well… but somewhere under the building and at one point he got stuck.... I think we all got worried there for a few seconds…It took a few minutes and he got out… but unfortunately his Nike Sneakers never made it… So Jacks Sneakers were under the building for about a year before we retrieved them…

So Jacks Sneakers were under the building for about a year before we retrieved them.

He got out but unfortunately his Nike Sneakers stayed behind.… None of us wanted to back underneath to retrieve them. But we did get them out about a year later....

ADOBE SOIL as it turns out is not good for growing orchards but it is excellent for growing Rice…

area was the wrong environment for growing Almonds or Amonds… but as it happens Adobe is the perfect soil “environment” for farming rice…

When it comes to Growth the Environment matters… ADOBE SOIL as it turns out is not good for growing orchards but is excellent for growing Rice…

Environment for crops is important...

What nature teachers us is that you need the right environment for growth.

When it comes to Spiritual Growth Environment matters…

In the parable of the sower in where he likens the Gospel to the farmer sowing of Seeds… The seed is scattered… but got different results

In the parable of the sower in where Jesus teaches the same lesson…That Spiritual growth happens in the right environment.

Seed is scattered sown and some fell along the path but the seeds were wasted because the birds of the air came down and devoured the seed

Seed scattered on hardened soil but but because they lacked depth it didn't take root ---

Seed scattered on thorny ground and for a moment it looked hopeful but they choked up by the cares of this life.

Then there was the furtile ground...And some [fell] into good soil and grew and [yielded] a hundredfold.”

Jesus taught the word of God has to fall on good ground to bare fruit.

In the Chapel of Gordon Conwell Seminary in Charlotte NC... There is this beautiful Fresco of the Parable of the Sower… And its one of these pieces of Art that the longer you look at it the more meaning you can draw out of it…

In the Chapel as GCT is there this fresco by by Gerald Steinmeyer,

Sower is sowing seed and there is different responses.. You have centurion who saw Christ Crucified on the Cross and yet the Gospel never took root… You have this couple who are caught up in the cares of life… and then on the RIGHT you have the abundance — that comes with seed sown on good soil… And what is amazing is that it looks like the Sower is stepping out of the Fresco into the Chapel… The symbolism being that Gospel is still being sown through out the world…

You have centurion who saw Christ Crucified on the Cross and yet the Gospel never took root… You have this couple who are caught up in the cares of life… and then on the RIGHT you have the abundance — that comes with seed sown on good soil… And what is amazing is that it looks like the Sower is stepping out of the Fesco into the Chapel… The seed of Gospel is still being spread and

The seed of the Gospel is still being sown today

and you can see how it is impacted by the different soils… You have centurion who saw Christ Crucified and even said this must be the Christ but Gospel never took root… You have this couple who are caught up in the cares of life… and then you have the abundance — that comes with seed sown on the right soil..

This tells us that Environment matters..

English Standard Version Chapter 8

8 And some [fell] into good soil and grew and [yielded] a hundredfold.”

Not only do we need to plant crops there is the farming or the nurturing of crops..

We see it in the agricultural world… If we just planted crops without nurturing them

When it comes to Spirtual Growth we really need to think about our approach

T/S How does Spiritual Growth or life Change happen?

life Change…James Emery in his book Rethink Church talks about this mathematical equation formulated when it comes to the process of our own Spiritual growth… This is something either we have consciously thought about or just something that we may assumed but the formula goes like this..

…James Emery in his book Rethink Church talks about this mathematical equation when it comes to the process of our Spiritual growth… He tells us that we have thought about this consciously or just something that we have some how assumed - but the formula goes something like this..

Now this equation is something either we have thought about consciously or just something that we may assumed - but the formula goes something like this..

Salvation + Time (over) + Will (choices) + Individual Application = life Change

Impressions

There are assumption in this model the first is that.... Life Change happens instantaneously at Salvation..

Salvation + Time + Will + Individual Application lets think about this formula for a second...

lets think about this formula for a second...

The assumption is this.... Life Change happens instantaneously at Salvation..

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Happens at Salvation

Comedian Yakov Smirnoff says that when he first came to the United States from Russia, he wasn’t prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, “On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk—you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice—you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, What a country!”

The preacher is warning of the danger of apostacy---Denying Jesus- Turning away from faith. Avoid stagnation in your spiritual growth is to push through towards maturity..

This model says the work of salvation is complete as at conversion but your

Intention: There is no middle Ground in Christianity... Either you are moving forward towards maturity or you are drifting towards apostasy...(unbelief) --- If you are being stretched you are growing if your are complacent you are drifting..

Salvation being E

This Means that the moment someone gives his or her life to Christ, there is an immediate, substantive, in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character.

In other words disciples are born not made.

Since salvation alters a person’s eternal destiny and introduces the power and work of the Holy Spirit into his or her life, immediate and substantive change is not only expected but assumed…

In other words disciples are born not made.

But here is the problem with this thinking is what about about our thinking and behaviors that are not lining up with Christlike values ?

We are in this series in the book of Hebrews where we are given a different picture of Salvation..

We have full assurance at the moment of Salvation because you were declared righteous — but there is also this active part of Salvation where we have perverse to enter into Rest. It’s what Paul meant when he said work out your salvation with fear and trembling....

There is this active part of Salvation where we have perverse to enter into Rest or the promise that God has ahead of us. It’s what Paul meant when he said work out your salvation with fear and trembling....

Rather than Salvation being instant liberation from every bad habit or character flaw we have ever possessed, what takes place is more like the landing of an army on a beach and the routing out of the enemy as the army makes its way inland…

There is this active part of Salvation where we have perverse to enter into Rest or the promise that God has ahead of us. It’s what Paul meant when he said work out your salvation with fear and trembling....

Now as we have been going through Hebrews we see another picture of Salvation. There is this active part of Salvation where we have perverse to enter into Rest or the promise that God has ahead of us. It’s what Paul meant when he said work out your salvation with fear and trembling....

But that’s not exactly how it works Salvation is also progressive.. The preacher of Hebrews tells us to strive to enter into the rest… Paul the apostle says work out your salvation with fear and trembling…

The book of hebrews teaches us that Salvation is progressive.. we are to strive to enter into the Rest…The event of salvation is best seen as the beginning of the pilgrimage toward life change…rather than an end itself.. It’s what Paul meant when he said work out your salvation with fear and trembling....

rather than instant liberation from every bad habit or character flaw we have ever possessed, what takes place is more like the landing of an army on a beach and the routing out of the enemy as the army makes its way inland.

“Life is a pilgrimage of learning, a voyage of discovery, in which our mistaken views are corrected, our distorted notions adjusted, our shallow opinions deepened and some of our vast ignorances diminished.”

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Begins at Salvation

Yet rather than instant liberation from every bad habit or character flaw we have ever possessed, what takes place is more like the landing of an army on a beach and the routing out of the enemy as the army makes its way inland. The event of salvation is best seen as the beginning of the pilgrimage toward life change. Even the celebrated case of Paul’s conversion is simply that—the story of his conversion.

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott His Interests and Hunger for Learning

“Life is a pilgrimage of learning, a voyage of discovery, in which our mistaken views are corrected, our distorted notions adjusted, our shallow opinions deepened and some of our vast ignorances diminished.”

this active part of Salvation where we have perverse to enter into Rest. It’s what Paul meant when he said work out your salvation with fear and trembling....

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Is Best Accomplished Alone

Life Change Is Best Accomplished Alone

The final part of most discipleship equations is independence. A personal relationship with Christ has become synonymous with a private relationship with Christ. Books, seminars, classes, messages, videos, websites, and DVDs are increasingly designed for personal, private life application—and under the assumption that this is all that is needed.

Even the celebrated case of Paul’s conversion is simply that—the story of his conversion.

The another assumption in this model is that maturity occurs Naturally over time..

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Happens at Salvation

According to this belief, when someone gives his or her life to Christ, there is an immediate, substantive, in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character. As a result, disciples are born not made. The model is the “Saul to Paul” experience on the Damascus Road. Since salvation alters a person’s eternal destiny and introduces the power and work of the Holy Spirit into his or her life, immediate and substantive change is not only expected but assumed.

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Continues Naturally over Time

The idea is that being a Christian will automatically translate into becoming Christlike. Therefore, a five-year-old Christian will have five years’ worth of spiritual maturity, a ten-year-old Christian will have ten years’ worth of spiritual maturity, and so on.

The longer you are a Christian the more mature you are... Therefore, a five-year-old Christian will have five years’ worth of spiritual maturity, a ten-year-old Christian will have ten years’ worth of spiritual maturity, and so on.

So this idea is that all we have to do is full the seats in Church and over time people will become disciples… because over time they will be transformed into the likeness of Christ…

Another assumption of this model is that Spiritual Growth is achieved by the Act of the will…

S

The idea is that what doesn’t happen naturally over time takes place by trying. People simply need to decide to live a certain way, because living the Christian life is essentially an act of the will. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control come when someone expends the necessary effort to demonstrate these qualities.

The problem with self Effort is that you put unrealistic expectations on your elf..

Merely trying to experience life change can never bring about life change. I can try very hard to bench-press three hundred pounds, but that isn’t what will enable me to do it. I will only be able to bench-press three hundred pounds by training to bench-press three hundred pounds.

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Is about Training, Not Trying

Merely trying to experience life change can never bring about life change. I can try very hard to bench-press three hundred pounds, but that isn’t what will enable me to do it. I will only be able to bench-press three hundred pounds by training to bench-press three hundred pounds.

I can try very hard to bench-press three hundred pounds, but that isn’t what will enable me to do it.

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Is about Training, Not Trying

Merely trying to experience life change can never bring about life change. I can try very hard to bench-press three hundred pounds, but that isn’t what will enable me to do it. I will only be able to bench-press three hundred pounds by training to bench-press three hundred pounds.

I will only be able to bench-press three hundred pounds by training to bench-press three hundred pounds.

Life Change Is Best Accomplished Alone

The final part of most discipleship equations is independence. A personal relationship with Christ has become synonymous with a private relationship with Christ. In contrast to that this sermon of Hebrews as been painting

Life Change Is a Team Event - Throughout the Bible, in the lives of those who developed their faith in God, there is a dedication to key relationships.

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Is a Team Event

Life Change Is a Team Event

Jethro mentored his son-in-law Moses. Moses then turned around and made a relational contribution to the life of his successor, Joshua. The prophet Elijah poured his life into the prophet Elisha. Mary, the mother of Jesus, turned to her older cousin, Elizabeth, for help. And Jesus set apart twelve men in order to invest his life in theirs.

Throughout the Bible, in the lives of those who developed their faith in God, there is a dedication to key relationships. The event of salvation is best seen as the beginning of the pilgrimage toward life change. Even the celebrated case of Paul’s conversion is simply that—the story of his conversion. It is widely believed that what followed was a lengthy time of mentoring and discipleship. Just as there is a process that leads up to the event of salvation, so there is a process that begins after the event of salvation and moves us toward life change. Eugene Peterson rightly called the process of discipleship “a long obedience in the same direction.”

James Emery Gives us a different Equation lense to look at Spiritual growth and formation....

Effective discipleship involves writing the equation a new way:

Life Change = Salvation + Intentionality + Training + Community The book of Hebrews is a Sermon about holding on and persevering in your Salvation. In Chapter 5 and 6 the preacher challenges these First Century Believers to Plan for Spiritual Growth… and the way this challenge comes about is fascinating… because he starts on a topic… on Christ being a better Priesthood than Aaron… This is the big Theme of Hebrews… Jesus is Greater than… Angels, Moses, Aron and the priesthood… Why Because Jesus is exact imprint of God… We have full revelation in Christ the Son of God…And what he is about to share is going to be challenging… it’s going to Challenge some of their presuppositions and Assumptions...

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Discipleship that Disciples

Effective discipleship involves writing the equation a new way:

Salvation + Intentionality + Training + Community = Life Change

Salvation + Intentionality + Training + Community =

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Is Best Accomplished Alone

Life Change Is Best Accomplished Alone

The final part of most discipleship equations is independence. A personal relationship with Christ has become synonymous with a private relationship with Christ. Books, seminars, classes, messages, videos, websites, and DVDs are increasingly designed for personal, private life application—and under the assumption that this is all that is needed.

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Is a Team Event

Throughout the Bible, in the lives of those who developed their faith in God, there is a dedication to key relationships

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition Life Change Begins at Salvation

The event of salvation is best seen as the beginning of the pilgrimage toward life change. Even the celebrated case of Paul’s conversion is simply that—the story of his conversion. It is widely believed that what followed was a lengthy time of mentoring and discipleship. Just as there is a process that leads up to the event of salvation, so there is a process that begins after the event of salvation and moves us toward life change. Eugene Peterson rightly called the process of discipleship “a long obedience in the same direction.”8

Spirtual Growth means having a contingency plan for Growth.

The book of Hebrews is a Sermon about holding on and persevering in your Salvation. In Chapter 5 and 6 the preacher challenges these First Century Believers to Plan for Spiritual Growth… and the way this challenge comes about is fascinating… because he starts on a topic… on Christ being a better Priesthood than Aaron… This is the big Theme of Hebrews… Jesus is Greater than… Angels, Moses, Aron and the priesthood… Why Because Jesus is exact imprint of God… We have full revelation in Christ the Son of God…And what he is about to share is going to be challenging… it’s going to Challenge some of their presuppositions and Assumptions...

He starts making

John Stott life Change...

Such an interesting Detour in the Sermon...

“Life is a pilgrimage of learning, a voyage of discovery, in which our mistaken views are corrected, our distorted notions adjusted, our shallow opinions deepened and some of our vast ignorances diminished.”

It is going to require some mental effort on the hearers....then he stops at the introduction… Prepares them to have the right mental attitude to spiritual growth...

Hebrews 5:11–14 ESV

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.

5:11

ingression: The Challenge to these Christians is to have plan for Spiritual Growth… What is your contingency Plan for Spiritual Growth? There are four things that should be part of your Plan...

What is your contingency Plan for Spiritual Growth?

This a coaching moment… preacher is covering some deep material… maybe he pictures the audience glazing over… Hey before we dive into this Theological in-depth stuff about Melchizedek and Christ being our High priest.... We live in a Google world --- We are on the information high way so often times we are just getting these bits and pieces of information..

Need to coach a little....

The preacher says,

k

“we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

Four Questions you can ask in your reflections..

Not an easy thing to present truth in an understandable way--- sometimes expressing our thoughts in words can be challenging. When it comes to Christ and the priesthood — this some deep stuff...

It wasn’t however the content that was hard to understand but they had become hard or Spiritual hearing… literally means they had become sluggish or had… … there had been a level of progress but now they were loosing momentum

… had lost momentum… f

hearing and obedience go hand in hand…

The Problem with Sluggishness has to do with the way that we Approach the Bible...There is no shortcut to maturity.

Our spiritual maturity will never exceed our knowledge of the Bible. - Albert Mohler

We must depend upon the Word of God day by day.

A. How do I processing Spiritual truth?

The first thing he points out is that:

Does spiritual truth motivate me… or have I become sluggish… If you are not excited about Spiritual truth there is going to be little desire to go deeper… We can actually impact our appetite for Spiritual food… by eating junk food…

Spiritual Truth Can be difficult to understand…

T

As a pastor preacher…Large part of my role is being an expositor of God’s word… Being faithful to the Scriptures....then the challenge every week is expressing the word in a meaningful and applicable way...

So, I have come to learn that it takes time to wrestle with the text… and there are times when I get it right and other times…think that I could do better… The point being that Spiritual truth can be difficult and it takes mining into the word...

What do I do when the word becomes difficult to comprehend?

1. How do I Handle the Word of Truth ?

Paul said to Timothy

a. Study Scripture as workman not ashamed..

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Mature believers train themselves by constant practice. They are to be trained in godliness (; compare

Now this is not just written to preachers this is written to all of us… Every believer gets to handled the word of Truth… Sometimes we pick up the Bible and it is difficult… work isn’t it… We read the Bible in vairous ways - we can read the Bible Devotionally… We can read the Bible to get inspiration… We can also read the Bible Theologically… to understand the God of the Bible -

Study Scripture as workman not ashamed..

We are all interpreters of the Bible.... What the Preacher is saying… is press on…

Study Scripture as workman not ashamed..

Difficulty of understanding the word should never put us off doing the work of spiritual formation… Spiritual truth is mined…

Couple of ideas when you get stuck..

2. What if I still don’t understand?

1. Pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to us through the Word…The Holy Spirit is the author and the bible tells us that He is our teacher and he will teach us truth...

2. Look at what others have said.. commentary maybe a good study Bibel

3. Be willing to leave it on the shelf

When you don’t understand something we have to be willing to leave it on the shelf…Some times truth has to ferment a little… before it becomes richer..

How do we process spiritual Truth… hard to understand… that could be one barrier...

I have to be willing to leave it on the shelf… Here is the thing… I might come back to it…later and like a good wine… it will mature… be sweeter and richer.

There could be a reason

How do we process spiritual Truth… hard to understand… that could be one barrier...

2. Has the Spiritual truth Impacted me personally?

Spirtual Truth is all about a message that is being communicated… God has spoken in the past through the prophets in these last days he is speaking to us through the Son.. If God is still speaking to us how come I am not hearing?

Preacher points out that the problem maybe that our hearts have been dulled…word is dull means to be sluggish… or slow to react… Spiritual truth doesn’t impact or excite us the way it should..

but because my heart is in the wrong place I can be dull of hearing.

3. Am I stepping up into Leadership?

In the preacher’s estimation, many more of them ought to have been actively engaged in Christian leadership within the congregation, shoring up the faith and the hope of the less mature or the wavering.

If you are learning something — you are sharing it with others… When you start sharing with other you begin to have infuence.

Many of our conversations revolve arround something we have learned and we sharing lessons with each other…\

A Teacher is a person who instructs others by imparting skills and knowledge… We are doing this without even knowing… Parents teaching our kids all the time… table manners - how to behave… A good indicator of Spiritual growth is what truth are you sharing… Problem with these Jewish Christians is that they stopped diving into spiritual truth… and therefore were no longer sharing with one another...

We must apply ourselves to studying, thinking about and understanding God’s word for our own growth, and so that we can effectively share with others. If our words are going to impact others - we have to think about what we kinds of thoughts we are consuming...

Teacher is a person who instructs others by imparting skills and knowledge… We are doing this without even knowing… Parents teaching our kids all the time… table manners - how to behave… A good indicator of Spiritual growth is what truth are you sharing… Problem with these Jewish Christians is that they stopped diving into spiritual truth… and therefore were no longer sharing with one another...

Am I able to Teach what I have learned? Best students are teachers..

4. What kind of Food are you Eating? In the Diet world you will here the phrase, “You are what you eat.” What is being said is that it is not just the quantity of food you eat… It’s the quality of food…

The preacher talks about two kinds of foods… there are Soft foods or hard foods… Soft foods are appropriate for babies… you are not going to feed a baby a steak… but have you ever tasted baby food as an adult.. it is definately unappealing...

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians one of the problems he had with the Church is that they were still behaving like infants… Paul longed to teach them deeper truths but he realized that they were deeply impacted by the world…So he continue to feed them what they could handle and that was the basics of the faith...

Soft foods or hard foods… When Paul wrote to the Corinthians one of the problems he had with them is that they were still behaving like infants… Paul says I had to continue to feed them the basics of the faith instead of being able to teach them deaper truths…Could not eat solid food.. Paul longed to teach them deeper truths but he realized that they were deeply impacted by the world… One of the problems was the quarrels that they were having in the Church… The problem with immaturity is that when it manifests it can wreak havoc in the church…

One of the problems that Paul identified with immaturity was the quarrels that they were having in the Church… The problem with immaturity is when it manifests it can wreak havoc in the church…

1001 Illustrations that Connect Illustration 849: Playing with Bombs

Children will play with virtually anything they get their hands on. It’s no surprise, then, that when Dutch children in the town of Barneveld uncovered an unexploded World War II artillery shell, they played with it. In fact, they had games with it for several months.

That shell was still live and contained high explosives. Thankfully, the deadly plaything did not explode in the Barneveld playground as the children tossed it about. Eventually the authorities learned about the shell, confiscated it, and exploded it in a safe place.

Those who are not yet mature often fail to recognize the danger in what they are doing. For children, the world is a playground, and bombs make great toys.

—Craig Brian Larson, “Children Play with a Bomb,” PreachingToday.com

PART 33:

Soft foods or hard foods…

let me give you a quick question.... that will be an indicator…of maturity..

----How do I handle correction?

lets say Apollos came to church this morning and said to us as a congregation… some you should be eating steak and you are still eating purey food… now… To be honest we might get defensive? Because --- It is difficult to handle difficult truth…sign of maturity is solid food..

T/S There were things that were holding these Christians back…

Hebrews 6:1–3 ESV

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.

Hebrews 5:11–14 ESV

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 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, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Heb 6:1

ingression: What is your contingency Plan for Spiritual Growth?

T/S There were things that were holding these Christians back…

Fresh Sermons Arrested Development

Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers used to begin his training camps each year by holding up a football and saying, “This is a football.” Of course, everyone in the room knew what he was holding, they were professional football players after all, but I’m sure they got the point he was making—the same point that the writer of Hebrews is making here—we must master the basics before we can move on to more advanced things. But we should move on to more advanced things.

What lessons have I learned?

We have the Progression from Foundational truth to more technical Truth.

Do I have the fundamentals of the faith down — The elementary principles are the ABC’s. Do I understand the meaning of Christ’s atoning death? Do I understand my identity of being united to him through Baptism? Do I know the power of Resurrection? Do I know that I am to live a life abiding in Christ? Do I participate in fellowship of the saints....

Have I moved from doubt to Faith and trusting God...

2. What lessons am I repeating over and over?

The got stuck on elementary principles of the faith..

Repentance and Faith

Ceremonial washing.. mainly Jewish audience and practices… Endless ceremonies.

laying of hands

Resurrection and Judgement.

The point of this list is for the writer to say that he is not going to go back over all this ground again. Rather, he wants to go deeper, to teach them more developed and wide-ranging truths(Stagnation) Elementary Truth are foundational — but roots need to go deeper-

(Stagnation) Elementary Truth are foundational — but roots need to go deeper-

3. Elementary Truth are foundational — but roots need to go deeper

.

Fresh Sermons Arrested Development

On December 31, 1967, Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers defeated Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys for the Championship by a score of 21–17 in a game we refer to as the “Ice Bowl” because of the minus 13 degree weather. This was Lombardi’s final year with the Packers and undoubtedly, the game was the crown jewel of his career. With 13 seconds to go in the game, Bart Starr ran a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line to win the game. I don’t know what instruction Lombardi gave to Starr before he scored the winning touchdown, but I’m sure that it didn’t begin with, “This is a football.” There is a time for basics and there is a time for meat. (http://www.freshsermonillustrations.net)

The writer of Hebrews is urging his readers to grow—to master the basics and to go beyond them to enjoy solid food. Growing is a reasonable response to the supremacy of Christ. So sharpen your ears, prepare for growth

3. What New lessons am I learning today.

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. – Ronald E. Osborn

The preacher says in verse 1 Let us leave elementary teachings… The word leave means to abandon…

Let us leave elementary teachings

The word leave means to abandon…

to abandon (cognitive) v. — to stop maintaining or insisting on; used of ideas or claims....

Now we are not talking about abandoning the Truth… We never don’t put down the authority of scriptures — too follow the latest fad or Doctrine… We Pick up the Scripture with you renewed zeal and passion… Asking God to speak a fresh… What makes the Bible Unique is that God speaks to us through His Word..

we Pick up the Scripture with you renewed zeal and passion.

]we Pick up the Scripture with you renewed zeal and passion.

The solid foundation of Christian truth is of immense importance but, once that is well and truly laid, there is no need to go on repeating that process, laying again a further foundation

we don’t put down the authority of scriptures — We are not following the latest fad or Doctrine… We Pick up the Scripture with you renewed zeal and passion… for God to speak to us.

Now we are not talking about abandoning the Truth… We never don’t put down the authority of scriptures — too follow the latest fad or Doctrine… We Pick up the Scripture with you renewed zeal and passion… Asking God to speak a fresh… What makes the Bible Unique is that God speaks to us through His Word..

ingression.. The preacher is making a case for Spiritual Growth… Because the stakes are really high if we don’t have this high view of the Christian life.

ingression: What is your contingency Plan for Spiritual Growth?

Heb 6:4-

Hebrews 6:4–6 ESV

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.

ingression: What is your contingency Plan for Spiritual Growth?

Verses 4 and 5 offer a lavish description of what happens when you become a Christian. First, you are ‘enlightened’. You come to ‘see the light’ with your mind’s eye, to recognize the truth about God, the world, yourself and your neighbour.

Second, you ‘taste the heavenly gift’. You begin to experience a new kind of life and love which reaches out and embraces you, and you realize that this life and love come from heaven, from God himself.

If you follow where spirtual Drifting to it’s ultimate point.... you follow that piece of drift wood down stream to the furthest point… until it is stuck on the bank… There now becomes no means for that piece of wood to return..

Third, you have a share in the holy spirit. This is a more personal way of speaking about how the one God comes to the individual and community, revealing truth, assuring us of love, awakening hope.

Fourth, you ‘taste the good word of God’. You experience the Bible, and the message about Jesus, like a long cool drink on a hot day, or like solid food when you hadn’t realized how hungry you were.

What happens when you drift away from this?

If you follow where spirtual Drifting to it’s ultimate point.... you follow that piece of drift wood down stream to the furthest point… until it is stuck on the bank… There now becomes no means for that piece of wood to return..

- This section of scripture is one of the most sobering scriptures in the Bible…Charles Spurgeon the prince of preaches said that he believed that if you walked away from the work of grace that there is nothing more that could be done for you… there is no other method of Salvation… this is in spurgeons words/./

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XLII Exposition by C. H. Spurgeon (Hebrews 6)

I believe that there have been some professors, such as Judas and Simon Magus, who have come very near to this condition, and others who are said, after a certain sort, to have believed, to have received the Holy Spirit in miraculous gifts, and to have been specially enlightened so as to have been able to teach others; but the work of grace did not affect their hearts, it did not renew their natures, it did not transform their spirits, and so it was impossible to renew them to repentance

… Now this Brings up a Huge Theological Debate… About Eternal Security..

Two Theological camps when it comes to interpreting this verse in Hebrews …And to be honest it is a discussion that really will not be resolved today… what

The issue is can a Christian loose their Salvation?

the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, says that they can, basing its contention on passages like ; ; ; and

The Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, says that they can, basing its contention on passages like this one we just read…and others and John Calvin insists they cant based on Scriptures like

John 10:29 ESV

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Quickly… My personal view is basically a morph of the two Views… Where I believe that you can be Eternally Secure in your Salvation.... when you are found in Christ.... In other words If you live in an Abide in Christ.... you can have full assurance that nothing can remove you out of the Fathers hand… This is what I believe the preacher is getting in Hebrews…when it comes to persistence in your faith…

What we do

Take seriously our Tendency to drift towards Complacency.

Hebrews 6:11 ESV

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,

My personal view is morph of the two Views… Where you are Eternally Secure when you are in Christ.... If you Abide in Christ.... you can have full assurance that nothing can remove you out of the Fathers hand… Who has predestined those who can be saved…but here is the thing

Hebrews 6:11 ESV

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,

Follow the conclusion to the end.

This is what Basil of Caesarea said

300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church The One Who Ends Well Is Approved

It is not he who begins well who is perfect. It is he who ends well who is approved in God’s sight.

What does apostacy mean?

A general falling away from religion or a denial of the faith by those who once held it or professed to hold it.

There are former believers and pastor that are now atheists… Something tripped them up… maybe difficult spiritual truth…an experience that brought disillusionment...

The warning against apostasy is a serious one, those who are around the things of God and know the truth of the Gospel but consciously reject the truth, leave themselves in a position that means they cannot be restored (or saved in the first place), because there is only one way and they have rejected that way…there is no Gospel version 2, there is only 1

Daily Truth: Study and Application Notes for the 365 Day Connect the Testaments Bible Reading Plan There is only one Gospel

The warning against apostasy is a serious one, those who are around the things of God and know the truth of the Gospel but consciously reject the truth, leave themselves in a position that means they cannot be restored (or saved in the first place), because there is only one way and they have rejected that way…there is no Gospel version 2, there is only 1

… what apostacy means… There are former believers and pastor that are now atheists… Something tripped them up… maybe difficult spiritual truth…an experience that brought disillusionment...

According to Arminianism they would have lost their salvation… According to a Calvinist they were never really saved to begin with....

So we have to make our own decision where you stand…on these positions…

Regardless to what your VIEW… The message here is the SAME and that is to TAKE SPIRITUAL DRIFT SERIOUSLY..

Regardless to what your VIEW…It doesn’t change the essence of what is being said in this letter… Because the message is...

“TAKE SPIRITUAL DRIFT SERIOUSLY...”

Keep a handle on your spiritual pulse… because of where Drifting Ends up to a place… that could potentially be outside of Christ..

This warning is similar to that which a teacher might give a class: “It is impossible for you students, once enrolled in this course, turning the clock back (which cannot be done, but which would have to be done if one could go back to the beginning) to start this course over.

Since there are only two remaining options: stay where you are in this state of immaturity, or move forward to maturity (6:1).

This warning is similar to that which a teacher might give a class: “It is impossible for you students, once enrolled in this course, turning the clock back (which cannot be done, but which would have to be done if one could go back to the beginning) to start this course over.

there are only two remaining options: stay where you are in this state of immaturity, or move forward to maturity (6:1). Since their present state was undesirable, this passage was a strong warning to go on in the Christian life. This warning is similar to that which a teacher might give a class: “It is impossible for you students, once enrolled in this course, turning the clock back (which cannot be done, but which would have to be done if one could go back to the beginning) to start this course over. Therefore, go on to further knowledge.”

Therefore, go on to further knowledge.”

ingression…Thee intention of the Sermon of Hebrews - is not that we Live in Fear pondering our Salvation… Rather the intention is that we REAP FULL BENEFITS of being a Christian…

As a parent we get this… We tell our children not to stick metal objects in the power socket… Not because we don’t love them or value them… It’s the opposite because we have do value them and we want to keep them arround… So this is the motivation of the Preacher....

Ryrie’s Basic Theology C. Hebrews 6:1–8

The warnings against immaturity and fruitlessness are severe and the consequences significant. But those consequences do not include hell because of losing eternal life. Paul exulted in the confidence that nothing, including any other created thing (which has to include yourself), can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ (Rom. 8:38–39). And again he declared: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). The consistency of God’s character guarantees a secure salvation.

is for us to reap the full reward of being a Christian… We might have full assurance..

for us to reap the full reward of being a Christian… We might have full assurance..

We might have full assurance..

Hebrews 6:9–12 ESV

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.

Heb

4. Know that there are Blessing that come with Spiritual Health.

Know that God is Just and loves you unconditionally -

Motivation for Spiritual Growth is not to earn God’s love…

You may Reap the Full Benefits of Being a Christian…

Conclusion

When families first moved to Richvale, they were promised fertile land for growing crops - but when they moved here they soon discovered that this particular area around Richvale has a different kind of soil… clay like soil called ADOBE soil....