Grow In Your Faith! Don't Turn Back!

Grow In Your Faith

We must grow up. When we are in kindergarten we learn ABC’s but we learn more advanced academia in High school and college. When we are babies we get around by crawling, when we mature we get around by walking. Just as we grow up mentally and physically we must also mature spiritually. Paul mentions that their are some elementary teachings that we are to grow from.

Repentance and Faith

When a person comes to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior they repent of their sins and put their faith in Him. If we stop our spiritual growth at this point , we will never grow relationally to Christ. This is what I will call the insurance policy religion. This person never grows to the potential that God desires. They miss out on the joy of the relationship. The Hebrews temptation would be to leave Christ and go back to the sacrificial system of repentance and faith in the temple. They were worshiping the shadow rather than the substance. The sacrificial system was a shadow of what Christ fulfilled. It is the difference of having a picture of your spouse and having the real thing.

Paul is saying we must grow from our salvation in relationship with Christ. The temptation is to rest in the fact that we walked an isle, said a prayer, and was baptised. This is not true salvation. True salvation means committing the wholeness of your being to Christ (Mind, Emotion, &Will). For example, a person can hear a great message and be stirred emotionally. They will walk the isle, and say the prayer and believe they are saved. However they will find that they have no change in their life because they never committed their will to Christ. Another example, is a person cognitively makes a decision to follow Christ. However, they find themselves burning out because they don’t have the emotion that is attached to the relationship.

Paul is saying don’t just rely on elementary ritual for salvation. Grow from genuine repentance and Faith.

Washing and Laying On of Hands

Paul is referring here to outward religion. This had to deal with baptism and receiving a blessing form the church. The Hebrews would have equated this as ceremonial outward purification through water. They had several things that they would wash before they ate, entered the temple, and worshipped. They would have equated the laying on of hand as receiving a blessing. When a father was going to pass on his blessing to his son, he would lay hands on him to pass the blessing. This is illustrated through Isaac and Jacob:

18 Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that [k]you may bless me.” 20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24 And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25 So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that [l]I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank.

Paul is cautioning the reader not to rest on external ritualistic worship as a means by which you believe to be saved. In our world today this means church-world. In other words don’t rest on the fact that you are a preacher, teacher, deacon, regular attender, tither, or have been brought up in church your entire life as a means to believe that you are saved. None of these things are bad, but good. However if they are what you rest in for salvation, then you will fall short. Paul demonstrates it this way:

4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss [a]in view of the surpassing value of [b]knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, [c]for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

Resurrection and Eternal Judgement

Paul is cautioning about focusing so much on the future that we miss the relationship today. The Hebrew would have the opinion that because they were the chosen people that their eternal destiny was set. They did not have to conform to the ways of God. He was obligated to save them. This is not true. There are many Hebrews that have fallen apart from God.

Our temptation today is to live our lives absent from Christ. We believe that we are okay with God and that he will ultimately save us from eternal destruction. We must know for sure that we have a relationship with Jesus and not rest on the fact that we are a baptist!

Do Not Reject Christ.

Paul changes his audience hear. In the first three verses he refers to the people group as us and we. In verse four he shifts people groups to “Those”. The difference between the “us and we” and the “those” is genuine faith. You may ask then how can the “those “ have the blessings he mentions and not have genuine faith. That is a brilliant question. Let’s take a look

Once Been Enlightened.

There were people that had been exposed to Jesus, but never really trusted him. This would be evidenced by them returning to Judaism. This is why Paul was so adamant about people that would creep into the church and convince men that they would have to be circumcised in order to be saved. People would come and even understand and agree with the teachings of Christ, but never commit themselves to Him.

Today there are many people who have heard the gospel, understand it, and even agree with it. However they have never come to apply it or receive it. How can you tell if a person has genuinely recieved it? By the way they give it away. A person that does not share the gospel with others must ask themselves if they have committed to it. You will not share something that you are not committed to. Conversely, you will share with everyone what you are committed to.

Partaker of the Holy Spirit

These were people that saw the evidence of the Holy Spirit but never fully recieved it. As a matter of fact they rejected it and some even attributed the things done as evil.

22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to [v]Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by [w]Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “[x]Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and [y]any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he [z]is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I by [aa]Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.32 Whoever [ab]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever [ac]speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

There are aspects of the Holy Spirit that we can experience and not receive salvation. Many people will receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but never come to repentance. This person has partaken of the Holy Spirit, but rejected Him by not repenting and coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

Tasted the good word of God and powers of the age to come.

There were people that saw the evidence of these things but never trusted Christ as the fulfiller of these things. Isaiah mentions these things:

Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

We see Jesus fulfill these things:

2 Now when John, [c]while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the [d]Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the [e]gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he [f]who does not [g]take offense at Me.”

There were Hebrews that witnessed the miracles of Jesus and refused to believe. The temptation today is to see the evidence of Christ all around us and fail to believe that he loves you and wants to be your savior.

Fallen Away

These are people that knew who Jesus was but because of the pressure and persecution if being a Christian they returned to Judaism and rejected Christ. There will be people here this morning that will hear the message of salvation and desire to respond, but because of their fear of what others might think will again reject Christ’s call to salvation. I hope this is not you. I ask you this morning to turn from your sins, put your faith in Jesus Christ, commit your whole self to him.

Because this is what you are doing: again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

If you claim to be a Christian and are not, you are bringing shame to Christ and it is impossible for you to repent. That can change this morning. Are you willing to step out and receive salvation this morning?