It's Time to Grow Up

INTRODUCTION

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Two words…two simple but powerful words that we’ve all heard at least once in our life…two words of simple action…maybe you heard these two words from a parent, friend, a grandparent, a teacher, or in my case my sister…two words I’ll never forget. “Grow up!” Do you remember the first time you were told to “Grow up?” (Share) Who told You?

Growing up is a reality of life. Growing up is a really big deal when you’re a kid. Kids are often asked the dreaded question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Oh, the pressure! Kids have dreams of growing up to be a superhero, a fireman, an astronaut, professional athlete, singer, or dancer. I wanted to be football player when I grow up. If I was asked that question today do you know what I’d say – ‘When I grow up I want to a “Cookie Monster” – seriously is there a better gig as an adult, if you didn’t know I really like cookies being a cookie monster on my street seems like a sweet deal. Sometimes we pressure our kids to grow up too fast,

Teenagers can’t wait to grow up! I want to grow up, get out of this town, make my own decisions, and be my own boss! When we are young we can’t wait to grow up until you learn it’s not as easy as you think it is.

When we actually grow up it comes full circle – we don’t want to grow up anymore – we don’t want to get older. On the extreme this is a disaster – guys who turn 55 and hit a mid-life crisis and trade it their wives and their cars for a younger model. Eventually you accept you’ve grown up, you’re old and you know it. Sometimes we live in denial about getting older, I think that’s me, but eventually we just know we’re old. In case you don’t know when you cross that line, I found a help list.

· You know you’re old when…

I love it. Some of these hit too close to home for some of you. Growing up is an important part of our lives, we are all faced with the reality of growing up emotionally and physically but have you considered the call to “Grow up” spiritually?

Need

God’s Word reveals the need for us to “grow up” in our faith. God’s Word speaks of the Christian life in terms of “infancy” and “maturity.” We are born into God’s family through faith in Christ, we begin as “babes in Christ,” who must progress towards maturity in Christ. There are far too many churches filled with baby Christians—there are lots of immature disciples in the seats—people who have been Christians for years but have never progressed beyond spiritual infancy. Does God care about us “growing up” as followers of Jesus? Does God call us to “Grow Up” as followers of Jesus?

Preview

Take your Bible and turn to HEBREWS. Today we continue our journey through the book of HEBREWS – our series entitled “Encountering the Greatness of Jesus.” I pray that through this series you are “encountering” and “experiencing” the greatness of Jesus in your life. Hebrews was written to a group of Jews who had come to faith in Jesus—they believed Jesus was the promised Messiah—the One sent to save them from the power of sin and death. As a result of their faith, they were being persecuted by their fellow Jews, friends and family who were persecuting them for leaving behind the faith of their forefathers, and due to this intense persecution they were being tempted to return to Judaism. HEBREWS is a “word of encouragement (a really long sermon) exhorting the Jewish believers to persevere in their faith, don’t go back to Judaism because Jesus is greater, He is greater than the prophets, greater than the angels, greater than Moses, and greater than Aaron. The penman’s instruction regarding Jesus’ priesthood comes to a screeching halt as the penman confronted the immaturity of his readers. Today we return to where we left off to find the penman telling his readers “It’s time to grow up” – it’s fruitless to turn away from Jesus and go back to Judaism – you must persevere because of the promise of God’s salvation in Jesus is our only hope – Let’s turn our attention (hearts) to . . .

I) MOVING ON TO MATURITY

A disclaimer before we dig in – I have bitten off more than we can chew this week – I think this is the largest amount of text I’ve ever preached before (on a communion Sunday when we are pressed for time I might add) so there will points where we dig in to the details and other places will be a summary that I’ll entrust to you for deeper study on your own. We have lots to learn, ponder, and will consider one primary application to our lives.

Today we’re going to see “A Candid Confrontation about Immaturity” (5:11-6:3), “A Serious Warning about Apostasy (6:4-8), “A Loving Word of Reassurance” (6:9-12), and “An Encouraging Declaration of Hope” (6:13-20). Alright, let’s dig in!

A) A Candid Confrontation about Immaturity (5:11-6:3)

We begin with “A Candid Confrontation about Immaturity” (5:11-14). A Candid Confrotnation about Immaturity” Read – Once again we see the penman’s heartfelt concern for the spiritual condition of his readers. The penman was deeply concerned about their immaturity, this was an issue too important too ignore – so we find this candid (open and honest) confrontation. We find there are times when we can’t “sugar-coat” an issue and must confront it head on. It was true for the Christians in the first century and true for us today.

1) Problem (5:11-14)

We see the penman confront the Problem of Immaturity head on. The penman revealed that their immaturity was the result of sluggishness and stagnation.

· Sluggishness (5:11)

The Jewish Christians were “Sluggish”— “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand (5:11)—the penman was concerned for the Jewish Christians because their lives had become marked by sluggishness.” The Jewish Christians were “no longer trying to understand” what he was teaching them about Jesus’ greatness. The penman had already taught them so much about Jesus’ greateness—greater than the prophets, angels, Moses, and Aaron—and he had so much more to teach them about Jesus’ priesthood. Admittingly, it was hard to make the deep truths about Jesus’ priesthood and its connection to an ancient priest named Melchizedek clear. Admittingly, the deep truths he was teaching them were hard to explain and understand, and he had much more to teach them about Jesus’ priesthood. And yet, he was concerned because they were “no longer trying to understand”—they were “sluggish” in their efforts to learn—they were literally “lazy as to one’s ears”—slow to understand due to being “dull” in hearing what he was teaching them. The Jewish Christians were in an ongoing state (condition) of spiritual “sluggishness”—they had become “lazy learners”—and this fixed condition was hindering his ability to teach them about the greatness of Jesus’ priesthood.

· Stagnation (5:12-14)

The Jewish Christians were “sluggish” to learn which caused them to “Stagnate” in their spiritual growth/maturity. The penman confronted their spiritual “Stagnation” head on—"In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (5:12-14)—the sluggishness of the Jewish Christians had caused to stagnate. The Jewish Christians had stopped growing, progressing, and advancing toward maturity.

The penman called them out for not progressing toward maturity. We see that his readers were not new Christians—“by this time you ought to be teachers—they had come to faith and walked with Jesus long enough that they should be teaching others about Him. And yet, they still needed “someone to teach them the elementary truths of God’s word all over again”---they had stagnated in their growth and remained “infants” who still needed milk instead of solid food.” Instead of being able to instruct others in the deep truths of about Jesus, these Jewish Christians were still in need of being taught the “beginning principles” of what God has spoken in Jesus. There is nothing wrong with milk if you are a new believer, a babe in Christ is fed milk (basic teaching) but should eventually grow up to eat solid food (deeper teaching). The problem is they have been Christians long enough to get off the bottle (elementary truths) and cut into a nice steak (deeper truths). The Jewish Christians should not have been/remained infants in Christ (time) but progressed towards maturity—they should be “acquainted with the teaching about righteousness” (doing what is right)—they should be feasting on solid food (deeper truths) as mature believers—they should be believers who have been trained to distinguish good and evil due to the constant use of what they had been taught. The Jewish Christians should have progressed to maturity, becoming people whose perceptions are trained by diligent practice to discern both good and evil (NET), his readers should be mature believers are able evaluate carefully and judge between good and evil not simply because they have knowledge but as a result of the practice of applying it to their lives. Mature believers are able to discern between good and evil because they have been trained by their constant practice of what they have been taught. Mature believers are those who through practice have their senses trained to distinguish good and evil—who have built up in the course of experience a principle standard of righteousness by which they can judge between good and evil—people who can exercise godly discernment!

The Jewish Christians had remained “baby Christians” (infants) needing to be taught elementary truths (ABC’s) instead of teaching truths to others. The Jewish Christians had remained “baby Christians” (infants) who needed to be fed milk (basic teachings) instead of solid food (advanced teachings) that being put to use would train them to discern between good and evil. The penman was deeply concerned about the spiritual condition of his readers and confronted their immaturity.

2) The Solution (6:1-3)

The penman identified the problem of immaturity due to sluggishness and stagnation and then proceeded to offer a solution—"Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, a and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, b the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so” (6:1-3)—the penman’s solution to the problem of immaturity is two-fold.

· Leave behind the ABC’s of Christianity (6:1)

First, “Leave behind the ABC’s of Christianity.” “Leave Behind the ABC’s of Christianity.” The penman challenged his readers to “leave behind the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity” (6:1)—the penman challenged his readers to progress beyond the “basic” teachings about Christ. Living their lives in spiritual sluggishness” and “stagnation” is not an option. The Jewish Christians must no longer be “bottle-fed” on basic principles (milk), they move beyond the ABC’s of Christianity, they must make progress to maturity.

· Press on to Maturity (6:1-3)

Secondly, “Press on to Maturity” “Press on to Maturity.” The Jewish Christians must move beyond the basics (first principles about Jesus) and on to maturity in thought and behavior--“leave behind the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity” (6:1)—The Jewish Christians must leave behind “elementary school” and press on toward “high school” and “college.” The Jewish Christians had been taught the basics which served as the proper “foundation” for their lives. While this seems like a simple list of six foundational (elementary – basic – rudimentary) truths of the Christian faith, the structure in the Greek text is significant, and helps us understand what was truly foundational to the penman and the Jewish Christians.

We should understand this list in this way—let’s leave behind the elementary (ABCs) teachings about Christ and go on toward maturity—not laying again “the foundation of repentance and faith” which includes instructions about “ritual cleansing, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgement. (PWPT)

Repentance from dead works and faith in God (6:1)

This marks the initial step of Christian conversion/commitment - “repentance from dead works and faith in God” (6:1). A teaching found in both the OT and the NT - Dead works must be repented of because one’s conscience needs to be cleansed from the sinful deeds and ungodly vices. The call for repentance from dead works’ and putting faith in Jesus Christ was the very essence of John the Baptist’s and the apostle Paul’s message. Repentance is linked to faith, and the prophet Habakkuk revealed that the righteous live by faith, and the Jewish Christians had been taught to repent of their works and trust in the finished work of Jesus

Teachings about ceremonial washings (6:2)

The foundation of repentance and faith included “teachings about ceremonial washings” (6:2). There are two differing views about this foundational teaching that is derived from the Greek phrase “didache baptismos” which means “instructions about water used in a religious ceremony. Many of our English Bibles view this as a reference to Christians baptism (NET & NKJ) in light of its connection to the previous instructions about repentance and faith. In this sense the practice of being baptized as a public declarasation of one’s repentance and faith in Jesus is a basic truth the Jewish Christians had been taught. In light the use of plural “baptisms” many suggest it’s better and more likely to view this as basic teachings about ritual cleansing (NIV & ESV). In this sense the basic teaching would refer the OT ceremonial washings practiced in Judaism which led to the ultimate cleansing accomplished through Jesus’ sacrifice. The OT purification rituals were effectively fulfilled in Jesus.

Laying on of hands (6:2)

The foundation of repentance and faith included teachings about “the laying on of hands” (6:2) . The laying on of hands was an early Christian practice associated with the impartation of the HS, the commissioning of someone for public office as part of a ritual, or an ordination. The penman is likely highlighting this practice in the early church that led to the impartation of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life (Acts, , , ).

Resurrection of the dead (6:2)

The foundation of repentance and faith included teachings about the “resurrection of the dead” (6:2). The resurrection of the dead was taught in both OT and NT. Certainly instruction about Jesus’ resurrection and it’s implications would come to the forefront and be foundational to our life and faith as believers in Jesus. In light of Jesus’ resurrection, bodily resurrection is the foundation for our Christians hope, since Jesus was raised from the dead we too will be raised fro the dead (, , ).

Eternal judgment (6:2)

The foundation of repentance and faith included teaching about “eternal judgment” (6:2). The Jewish belief in resurrection was closely linked to the expectation of future judgment. The OT clearly highlights the reality that God is the Judge of all the earth and his historical judgments will one day be summed up by one future judgment (). Certainly, the Jewish Christians had been taught that eternal judgment would await everyone who failed to put their faith in Jesus – the promised Messiah and Great High priest – the One who sacrificed Himself to pay for their sin so they will not face the peril of eternal judgment.

Wow! I love that these instructions are that make of the foundation of repentance and faith are the “elementary teachings” (basic) we must learn and then progress on toward maturity. The description of these elements reveals the foundational teaching for Jewish converts, these were elementary truths that were the foundation of the faith, but there was much more to learn! The elementary principles of the Christian faith were important—they were the foundation of their faith—but they must move past these basic teachings instead of being taught about them over and over again. These teachings were a foundation that was laid in the OT and then given a fresh and fuller significance when Christ came into the world. The penman was calling the Jewish Christians to move past relearning these basic truths and press on toward maturity (learning deeper truths).

Why would the Jewish Christians be tempted to live a life of sluggishness and stagnation? The penman implies that his readers are content to be sluggish and stagnate, not simply giving into the temptation to be sluggish and stagnate, but willfully choosing to be sluggish and stagnate. Why? Remember their difficult situation! The Jewish Christians were suffering intense persecution and suffering. They were being tempted to return to Judaism but what if they could find a middle ground? The Jewish Christian may have been trying to survive with minimal Christianity in order to avoid being alienated by their Jewish friends or relative. The Jewish Christians may have been hedging on both sides—identifying as Christians while trying to somehow remain identified as Jews. If they don’t press on toward maturity they might find relief from the persecution (“I’m still one of you”). The Jewish Christians were content to stick with basics, teaching that would not cause friction with their Jewish friends or family or look too Christian to the Roman government, but the penman called them to a deeper maturity in Christ. If they press on toward maturity they would face more persecution. The rehashing the ABC’s of God’s revelation was good and safe but now they need to move on to maturity in Christ no matter what the cost. The Jewish Christians must move beyond the basics, leaving behind the incompleteness of Judaism, and on toward completion in Jesus. The progression towards maturity is something they must strive for and only accomplished in accordance with God’s power & will—"And God permitting, we will do so” (6:3)—the penman declares he will move forward with teaching them the deeper truths about Jesus’ priesthood and Lord willing they will press on (advance or progress) on toward maturity together!

APPLICATION

God desires to confront our own immaturity this morning. I am concerned about our spiritual condition as well, addressing our own sluggishness and stagnation, and need for us to leave behind the ABC’s of Christianity and press on toward maturity in Jesus. Certainly, there are some of you who are “new” Christians—infants in Christ—so you should be feeding on milk (basic truths). And yet some of you have been believing in and walking with Jesus for a long time, you should be teaching others by now, but you’re sluggish to learn and stagnating in your progress toward maturity. Like the penman of come to you with a loving confrontation. Grow up.

· Are you sluggish? We are all prone to it in one way or another! You can become “lazy” to hear and respond to God’s Word in your life! Certainly, our flesh can tempt us to become lazy learners and make no progress towards maturity in our life of faith (“I’ll sleep in this Sunday,” “I don’t need a small group/mentoring,” “I know more than others.”) You are here this morning, a good step to break out of sluggishness, but you are dull to hear the Word and put it into practice, you can’t get yourself to read the Word, you can’t find the energy to connect with a church to grow together in God’s Word, than you’re going to remain spiritually immature!

· Are you stagnating? Are you at a stand-still in your spiritual growth? Can you write down 3 ways that you progressed in your spiritual growth in the last 6 months? Have you been a Christian for a ten years but you haven’t made much progress towards maturity? Instead of teaching and applying God’s Word you’re still being bottle fed the basics. Graduate Kindergarten Christianity! Don’t be the guy or gal that can only handle the elementary truths of the Christian life—don’t just stick with the ABC’s of Christianity—grow up! Don’t be the guy or gal who has been a Christian for many years but gotten past the basic teachings of the Bible, can’t feed yourself (personal reading/study of God’s Word), can’t teach the Bible, and can’t use the Bible to discern good from evil!

God’s Word calls us to “Grow up.” God’s Word calls us to the pursuit of Christian maturity that is marked by fruitfulness and God’s blessing! Spiritual growth is one of the marks of being a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ—God desires that we move on to maturity in Christ—and it’s God’s desire for us to grow together as His Church (). Are you committed to moving on to maturity in Christ? Let’s press on to maturity together! We need each other to progress towards maturity. Maybe it’s time for you to begin reading the Bible on you own. Maybe it’s time for you join a small group where you can grow with others. Maybe it’s time for you to teach others?

Like the Jewish Christians in the first century, we too need to be exhorted to press on toward maturity. We need to be goaded to move past the basic teachings (doctrines) about Jesus and progress to maturity by learning the deeper truths about Jesus. Let’s press on toward maturity together!

B) A Serious Warning about Apostasy (6:4-8)

We move from “A Candid Confrontation about Immaturity” (5:11-6:3) to “A Serious Warning about Apostasy” (6:4-8). We come to the third warning passage in the book of Hebrews. We’ve already been warned about drifting from the gospel and unbelief. Now we find a serious warning about the peril of apostasy. Let’s turn our focus to “The Serious Warning about Apostasy.” (Read ) Serious! Sobering! A bit Scary?

· George Guthrie – “It’s no exaggeration to designate (this passage) as one of the most controversial in the book of Hebrews—indeed, one of the most disputed in the entire New Testament.”

Let’s briefly review the various ways the warning passages in Hebrews are understood.

· Hypothetical – a motivation technique that suggests and outcome that isn’t a reality. The warning is “hypothetical” so it won’t be true of his readers but can motivate his readers.

· Loss of Salvation - Many will suggest this clearly teaches the loss of salvation. Many Bible teachers believe this is a strong argument for the loss of salvation. And yet this seems to ignore the NT teaching which continually highlights that salvation is purchased & protected by Christ’s work on the Cross and therefore teaches the “assurance” and “security” of believers (, , , and .) Secondly, many people who hold this view also teach that you can lose your salvation by your sin and get it back it back again which doesn’t align with what we find about the impossibility of being renewed to repentance in .

· Professors of Faith but Possessors of Faith - Some teach that this passage is addressing people who have professed faith in Christ but by falling away reveal that they have not truly possessed saving faith. It’s as if the penman is addressing some of his readers who are not truly believers, they look like they are saved on the outside but have never truly come to faith in Christ and their apostasy is proof that they were simply pretending. I’ll be honest, the third warning passage aligns really well with the “mere professors of faith but not true possessors of faith” view. Most argue that this warning applies to the Jewish Christians who had professed faith in Jesus but had not truly come to put their faith in Jesus (born again). In this view, it’s a warning addressed to unbelievers. My greatest struggle with this view is how the people are described in .

· Believers who will miss out on God’s blessing by going back to Judaism - Let’s approach this as being addressed to true believers who are being motivated to progress in maturity, reminding them that turning back to Judaism is pointless, so they must continue to press on toward maturity in Jesus.

We can’t dismiss this warning in its immediate context and the overall context of Hebrews. The warning is immediately connected to the penman’s call for his readers to press on toward maturity. The penman was concerned that his readers stagnation in immaturity (failure to progress toward maturity) could cause them to degenerate toward apostasy (returning to Judaism) instead of persevering in Jesus. Let’s get a firm grasp on this warning by asking two important questions that are answered in the text.

1) Who does this warning apply to? (6:4-5)

First, “Who does this warning apply to?” Before we get to the heart of the warning we must consider who it addresses and applies to? description of a specific group of people that are the direct object of this warning.

· The people addressed in this warning are those “who have once been enlightened (6:4) The Greek word for enlightened is passive which highlights they have no involvement in the act of being enlightened (I’m going to the library to enlighten myself on the knowledge of Mozart)—someone has caused them to be enlightened—they have been given light or illuminated by God. The word also appears in and denoting that the “light of the gospel” had impacted, penetrated, or transformed their lives.

· The people addressed in this warning are those “who have tasted the heavenly gift (6:4)

The use of the phrase “who have tasted” is a figurative expression of experience, it denotes personal involvement, and while some argue it means “sip” the same word is used in describing Jesus “tasting” death. We know Jesus didn’t “sip” death but rather experienced it fully. There is no way this can mean that they just had an exposure (sip) to the heavenly gift. The word declares that they had personally experienced the heavenly gift. The heavenly gift could refer to specifically to the Holy Spirit or to various spiritual blessings of salvation. Regardless, the people have fully experienced the heavenly gifts of salvation in Jesus.

· The people addressed in this warning are those “who have shared in the Holy Spirit” (6:4) This phrase describes someone who has become an associate, companion, or partner with the Holy Spirit. It’s clear that the people described here had come to share or participate in the Holy Spirit just like they had come to share or participate in Christ (3:14) Once again this in no way seems to imply that this group has only been exposed to the Holy Spirit by being around other believers but has come to share a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

· The people addressed in this warning are those who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age” (6:5) Once again the word “tasted” refers to people who have personally experienced or have been personally involved in the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age. This group of people have personally experienced the experienced the God’s good message (rhema) that had been proclaimed to them. These people also tasted the “powers of the coming age” which speaks of them having personally experienced signs and powers that often accompanied the preaching of the gospel.

· The people addressed in this warning are those “who have fallen away” (6:5) – Some translations include the word “if” before this phrase highlighting it as a possibility as opposed to a reality (conditional clause) but can be translated/understood as “and then have fallen away” (NASB) or “who have fallen away” to highlight this as a culminating experience of the previous list of experiences. In this sense it describes a person who has experienced the blessings of salvation only to have “fallen away” (past tense) from Jesus. The term “fallen away” refers to the act of apostasy—abandoning their relationship or association with Jesus—and in the strongest sense denotes the act of rejecting Christ.

The description of these people to whom the warning is addressed and applied to people who heard the gospel and put their faith in Jesus, as opposed to those who had been exposed to the gospel but had not put their trust in Jesus. The description strongly implies that they were in fact true believers—not simply people who professed faith in Jesus but were never truly converted—but rather people who had heard the gospel and come to genuine faith in Jesus but eventually abandon their association and allegiance to Him. The grave warning is addressed to anyone of the Jewish Christians who fits this description. The penman wanted anyone of his readers who fit this description to heed his warning about abandoning their association and allegiance to Jesus by returning to Judaism.

We can’t disconnect this warning from it’s context. The Jewish Christians were being called to press on toward maturity. The warning was given to the Jewish Christians to motivate them to press on and persevere in Jesus. The Jewish Christians were experiencing the pain of persecution, tempting them to turn away from their association and allegiance to Jesus and return to Judaism, so this warning highlighted the peril of going back. Turning back to Judaism would prevent them from pressing on to maturity in Jesus and would cause them to forsake the only means of forgiveness available. Turning back to Judaism would cause them to be identified with those who personally rejected Jesus and publicly ridiculed Jesus. Turning back would result in living fruitless lives, worthless lives, and missing out on God’s salvation blessings in Jesus.

2) What is the warning? (6:4,6-8)

Now that we know “who” the warning applies to, let’s turn our focus to a second question, “What is the warning? What is the warning? We find the essential message of the warning by tying together and —"It is impossible for those (the people described by the various phrases) to be brought back to repentance. To their loss (because) they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” (6:4,6)—his controversial warning has been interpreted as a hypothetical to illustrate the follow of apostasy, others view this as a strong argument for believers losing their salvation (does not align with who teaching of Scripture), as addressed to unbelievers (merely professed faith in Jesus), or true believers who have turned away from Jesus and returned to Judaism.

The warning reveals and “impossibility”—it is “impossible” for those who have turned away from their association and allegiance to Jesus to be brought back to repentance—this warning is somber and serious. Anyone who had turned from Jesus would not be able to be brought back to repent again. The penman has just declared that “repentance from dead works and faith in God” is the foundational and elementary teaching of Christianity (6:1). Repentance in Hebrews is always connected to Jesus’ sacrifice—the book of Hebrews cries out there is no other sacrifice for sin—therefore returning to Judaism would make repentance impossible because repentance and faith is centered on Jesus. Anyone who turned from Jesus and back to Judaism would not be able repent and find forgiveness of sin because the only means available for forgiveness is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Anyone who had turned from Jesus and returned to Judaism would have turned their back on God’s provision of forgiveness through Jesus—it’s impossible for them to find repentance again and forgiveness apart from Jesus—it’s found in Christ and Christ alone.

Anyone who would turn from Jesus and return to Judaism “To their loss” would be “crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” (6:6). Anyone who rejected Jesus, to their loss, would be guilty of “crucifying Jesus anew”—aligning themselves with those who denied, rejected, and crucified Jesus—and turning away from their association and allegiance to Jesus would be holding Jesus up to public shame and disgrace. Instead of bearing shame and disgrace that comes from identifying with Jesus, they would be identified with those who had publicly disgraced Jesus.

The penman concluded the warning with a powerful illustration—"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned (6:7-8)—the illustration contained common agricultural imagery to contrast a good crop and a bad crop. Seeds planted and watered produce a fruitful crop are useful to the farmer and is a sign of God’s blessing. Seeds planted that produce thorns and thistles are no use to the farmer, instead of a blessing the land is a curse, and the farmer must burn the area. In connection to the warning, those who press on toward maturity, persevering in Jesus, their lives will be fruitful, useful, and will enjoy the blessing of God. Anyone who turns away from Jesus to Judaism, their lives will be fruitless, worthless, and they would miss out on God’s blessings).

APPLICATION

The call to move toward maturity is accompanied with this pressing warning about the peril of falling away. If the Jewish believers turned from their association and allegiance to Jesus, returning to Judaism, they would be forsaking the only means of forgiveness and fellowship with God through Jesus. A return to Judaism would be foolish and fruitless for the means of forgiveness is in Jesus. This truth stands for us today. If you’re ever tempted to forsake your association and allegiance to Jesus, remember that it’s foolish and fruitless, for there is no life apart from Jesus. Where else could you go? Jesus is the only One in whom we have forgiveness of sin and fellowship with the Father.

C) A Loving Word of Reassurance (6:9-12)

We move from “A Candid Confrontation about Immaturity” (5:11-6:3), “A Serious Warning about Apostasy” (6:4-8), and come to “A Loving Word of Reassurance.” “A Loving Word of Reassurance” (6:9-12). On the heels of such a grave warning the penman offered word of reassurance to his readers. Read Notice the immediate shift in the penman’s tone. The serious warning was followed by this timely word of reassurance. The penman provided much needed salve for their souls.

First, the penman reassured his readers of his confidence in their commitment to Jesus—“we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation” (6:9)—the things that have to do with salvation”—the penman and his associates had a strong conviction that the Jewish Christians would not turn back but enjoy the better things of salvation in Jesus—experiencing the “superior” or “greater” blessings of salvation in Jesus. The penman quickly reassured his readers that he did not believe they were going to fall away from the association and allegiance to Jesus by returning to Judaism. On the contrary he was confident of “better things” for them—this is an expression of his trust and certainty—he was convinced of better things for them that accompany or relate to salvation. The penman was certain that their lives were committed to Christ. Unlike those who turned away, the penman was firmly convinced of their genuine commitment to Jesus, he was convinced they would enjoy the blessing of final deliverance and the consummation of their salvation.

Secondly, the penman reassured the Jewish Christians that God would bless them for their faithfulness and fruitfulness—"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them (6:10)—instead of “publicly crucifying Christ” and “ridiculing His Name” their lives were marked by a labor of love, a love for God and His people. Their love for their fellow believers was tangibly expressed by ministering to their fellow believers. We don’t find a clear description of the acts of ministry toward the saints. The penman reminded his readers that God would not overlook their labor of love! The deeds of kindness done to fellow believers are reckoned by God as done to Himself and He would surely reward them. We clearly see why the penman was so confident that his readers would enjoy the better salvation blessings in Jesus. The penman’s confidence was based upon the fruitfulness of their lives. Their lives resembled the fruitful land in the final illustration of the warning—they would experience and enjoy God’s blessing—they would press on toward maturity instead of turning back to Judaism The penman was confident because their commitment to Christ had been clearly revealed through the fruitfulness of their lives!

Finally, the penman exhorted the Jewish Christians to persevere to the end—"We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (6:11-12)—the penman was confident they would enjoy the blessings of salvation and yet continued to encourage them to persevere in Jesus. The penman (and those with him) had an intense desire for the Jewish Christians to “show the same diligence to the very end”—demonstrate eagerness and effort to the very end—be diligent to live such fruitful and faithful lives until they reach the finish line. Keep being diligent to love God and love your fellow believers until the end. Don’t become lazy, press on toward maturity and don’t turn back—keep exhausting all your effort to endure until the end—and follow the example (imitate) of your fellow believers who have by faith and patience inherited God’s promised blessings of salvation in Jesus. Instead of being “lazy” they should imitate the life of those who have gone before, they should follow their example of faith and patience, who have inherited the promised blessings of salvation in Jesus. The exhortation is a call to emulate people of faith, those who have run the race well, men and women who have lived a life of patience and faith and as a result enjoy the things which God had promised long ago.

APPLICATION

Let’s consider two brief points of application here. I love that the penman of Hebrews was confident of his reader’s ongoing to commitment to Jesus because of the way they lived their lives

First, the penman’s confidence about his readers perseverance was the result of the way they lived their lives. The fruitfulness of his reader’s lives gave him confidence about their faith and ongoing commitment to Jesus. Fruitfulness is evidence of true conversion and commitment to Jesus. The fruitfulness of your life—your affection for God, affection for fellow believers, generosity, fruit of the Spirit, attitude, desire for God’s Word, and renewed mind is evidence of one’s conversion and ongoing perseverance (commitment).

Secondly, the work of serving (helping) God’s people is an expression of your love for God. We show that we love God when we serve His people. We demonstrate our love for God when we serve (help) His people. The church in America suffers from the consumerism of our culture. A consumeristic mindset can invade the church—good Christians going to church for what can they get out of it instead of what they can pour into it—connecting to a church to be served instead serving. We must fight the cultural trend of being a consumer instead of a contributor. There is a big difference between attending a church and belonging to a church where you can get connected, grow, and minister (serve) to one another! God’s Word reminds us that serving one another is a tangible expression of our love for God!

Many of you are laboring to serve others in this family. (Ben & Chad rescuing Griebe) Ben & Chad helped the Griebe’s in their time of need, I haven’t asked them but I trust they served the Griebe’s because they care for them as members of this church family, and yet by serving them they shown that they love God. Many of you have served in the past but maybe it’s wanted over the years. Some of you have yet to serve others but can begin today. Man, the possibilities are endless! You can help others in so many tangible ways. Rocking babies & teaching children’s church serves parents, you can buy someone lunch, provide a meal, and so much more.

And no matter what you do, most of it done behind the scenes without any fanfare or appreciation, God will remember your work and the love you’ve shown Him by serving His people. Your ministry to your fellow believers will never go unnoticed by God and you will be rewarded by Him!

D) An Encouraging Declaration of Hope (6:13-20)

We’ve considered “A Loving Confrontation about Immaturity” (5:11-6:3), “A Grave Warning about Apostasy” (6:4-8), “A Loving Word of Reassurance” (6:9-12), and now conclude “An Encouraging Declaration of Hope” (6:13-20). “An Encouraging Declaration of Hope” Read

The call to move on toward maturity concludes with this encouraging declaration of hope. The declaration of hope concludes the argument while serving as a transition to the more teaching about Jesus’ priesthood in the order of Melchizedek (5:11). The penman had just called the Jewish Christians to persevere, following in the footsteps of those who had gone before them in faith and patience, in whom they will inherit the promised blessings of salvation in Jesus. In -20 the penman highlighted that their assurance of salvation rested in the promise of God.

The penman’s personal desire for his reader’s to persevere by following in the footsteps of people of faith that had gone on before them is brought to life by using Abraham as an illustration of faith and patient endurance—"When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised (6:13-15)—Abraham is a perfect example for the Hebrews Christians who were struggling to persevere while undergoing a trial. The penman takes us back to the events of Abraham’s life when Abraham offered up his son Isaac on the altar at Mt. Moriah (). Several years before this act of obedience God had promised to bless Abraham and make him a great nation. At that time Abraham and Sarah were old and childless, and while they tried to take matters into their own hands, eventually God opened her womb and she gave birth to Isaac. All of the hope of God’s promises to Abraham would be fulfilled centered on Isaac, and yet God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice him, and Abraham responded in faith. God intervened, stopping Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, and declaring “I swear by Myself that I will bless you and make your descendants as numerous than the stars and through your offspring all the nations on earth will be blessed” (). God took an oath to fulfill His promise to Abraham! When God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a son, even though it was seemingly impossible, but after patience and faith Abraham obtained the promise and his wife became pregnant and the child was born. When Isaac’s faith was tested by offering up Isaac, God once again reaffirmed His promise of blessing through Isaac, and after patient endurance he “obtained the promise.” Although much of God’s promise in Isaac would be fulfilled in the future, especially that through this son all nations would be blessed which is a reference to the birth of Jesus, Abraham did in a sense obtain the partial fulfillment of the promise () through Isaac’s survival and the birth of Jacob.

The certainty of the Jewish Christians future salvation was based upon God’s promise to Abraham which was accompanied by God’s oath. If God’s promise to Abraham was not enough, He went ahead and confirmed this promise with an oath—"People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged (6:16-18)—the penman proceeded to remind the Jewish Christians of the finality of oaths. Oaths taken in the ancient world had two characteristics—an appeal to a higher status than the oath giver—and witnesses to confirm the oath. When we take an oath it’s done by appealing to a power higher than ourselves—“I swear to God”—and the supreme oath in Israel was the expression “As surely as Yahweh lives.” An oath served as a “confirmation” of what was said, the oath guaranteed a statement and stopped all contradiction or ended any dispute.

In the same way God took an oath to “confirm” or “guarantee” His promise. But God has none greater to swear by other than Himself! God’s promise alone should be enough and yet He confirmed it with an oath which provides double assurance that it will be fulfilled. God desired to the show the heirs of this promise the unchangeableness of His purpose—the heirs of this promise would refer to the patriarchs of the OT to the Jews and Gentiles in the NT—that all of them would know that His promises of salvation in Jesus is unbreakable and unchangeable. God’s promise and His oath—the two unchangeable things—are given as a strong encouragement because it’s impossible for God to lie! If God makes a promise and takes an oath, it will be fulfilled, He is free from deceit and is completely truthful and trustworthy. God’s promise and confirmation by divine oath is a strong motivation for his readers to persevere! The penman paints himself and his readers as refugees who must take hold of the certain hope that is set before them because of God’s promise and oath! They had fled for refuge in Christ, the moment of their conversion, sinners who urgently flee to Christ find a safe haven of refuge just like the people who fled to the cities of refuge in the OT. Taking hold of the hope set before them speaks of a believer’s confident attitude, a Christian’s certain expectation, that God’s salvation promises are fulfilled and will be fully fulfilled in Jesus.

And if God’s promise and oath was not enough, the assurance of their salvation also rested on Jesus’ priesthood—"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (6:19-20)—God’s promise to Abraham was eventually fulfilled in Jesus Christ in whom we have an eternal hope that is an anchor for our souls because Jesus is our great high priest!

The penman concluded by reminded his readers about the hope that they have in Jesus Christ In (). The encouragement to cling to the hope set before them (6:18) is followed by a clear description of the hope they had in Jesus. First, believers have a secure hope! The penman reminded his readers that their hope is an anchor for their souls (6:19), they have a spiritual anchor that is steadfast, we are moored to Jesus and therefore are safe and secure! The sure and steadfast anchor is found in the very presence of God. The penman’s mention of a veil alludes to the OT Tabernacle that served as the entrance to the Holy of Holies. The Christina’s anchor of hope resides in the presence of God, and we are surely and steadfastly moored to His presence through Jesus. Sailors cast their anchors down to the depths of the sea but saints have their anchor thrown upward into the heights of heaven. The penman reminded his readers that their sure and steadfast hope is in heaven, they are anchored to the throne of God!

Jesus’ work as their eternal high priest provided them with secure hope. Jesus’ ministry as a high priest greater than Aaron is evident. Aaron was only allowed into the Holy of Holies once a year in order to make atonement for his sins and the sins of the Israel and the people waited outside and were never allowed to go in. Jesus is a greater high priest from a different order! Jesus resurrection and exaltation allowed Him to be a forerunner, opening the way for His people to follow Him into God’s presence. The certainty of their admission to the dwelling place of God rests upon Jesus. The Old Covenant veil of separation was torn down through Jesus. Now the security of their souls rested firmly in the eternal high-priestly work of Jesus, who has made the way for them to enter God’s holy presence! The Jewish Christians should shake off any sluggishness and imitate the heroes of the past who lived a life of faith and patient endurance to the end.

CONCLUSION

There is so much to ponder and apply to our lives this morning. I trust the Holy Spirit is stirring something specific in your heart today—conviction, encouragement, worship, or repentance—may your hearts be transformed by God’s truth today. As we prepare to celebrate communion together I want to highlight two specific exhortations from God’s Word this morning.

1) Press on to maturity (6:1-3)

Let’s press on to maturity in Jesus together. Growing up is a part of life – we’ve all been told those two simple words – “Grow up! God is telling us to grow up this morning. We must press on toward maturity is a priority in the Christian life! I don’t care if you’re a new believer or you’ve been walking with Jesus for 60 years – Let’s press on to maturity in Jesus. God desires to confront our own immaturity this morning. I am concerned about our spiritual condition as well, addressing our own sluggishness and stagnation, and need for us to leave behind the ABC’s of Christianity and press on toward maturity in Jesus. Certainly, there are some of you who are “new” Christians—infants in Christ—so you should be feeding on milk (basic truths). And yet some of you have been believing in and walking with Jesus for a long time, you should be teaching others by now, but you’re sluggish to learn and stagnating in your progress toward maturity. Like the penman of come to you with a loving confrontation. Grow up.

· Are you sluggish? We are all prone to it in one way or another! You can become “lazy” to hear and respond to God’s Word in your life! Certainly, our flesh can tempt us to become lazy learners and make no progress towards maturity in our life of faith (“I’ll sleep in this Sunday,” “I don’t need a small group/mentoring,” “I know more than others.”) You are here this morning, a good step to break out of sluggishness, but you are dull to hear the Word and put it into practice, you can’t get yourself to read the Word, you can’t find the energy to connect with a church to grow together in God’s Word, than you’re going to remain spiritually immature!

· Are you stagnating? Are you at a stand-still in your spiritual growth? Can you write down 3 ways that you progressed in your spiritual growth in the last 6 months? Have you been a Christian for a ten years but you haven’t made much progress towards maturity? Instead of teaching and applying God’s Word you’re still being bottle fed the basics. Graduate Kindergarten Christianity! Don’t be the guy or gal that can only handle the elementary truths of the Christian life—don’t just stick with the ABC’s of Christianity—grow up! Don’t be the guy or gal who has been a Christian for many years but gotten past the basic teachings of the Bible, can’t feed yourself (personal reading/study of God’s Word), can’t teach the Bible, and can’t use the Bible to discern good from evil!

God’s Word calls us to “Grow up.” God’s Word calls us to the pursuit of Christian maturity that is marked by fruitfulness and God’s blessing! Spiritual growth is one of the marks of being a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ—God desires that we move on to maturity in Christ—and it’s God’s desire for us to grow together as His Church (). Are you committed to moving on to maturity in Christ? Let’s press on to maturity together! We need each other to progress towards maturity. Maybe it’s time for you to begin reading the Bible on you own. Maybe it’s time for you join a small group where you can grow with others. Maybe it’s time for you to teach others?

Like the Jewish Christians in the first century, we too need to be exhorted to press on toward maturity. We need to be goaded to move past the basic teachings (doctrines) about Jesus and progress to maturity by learning the deeper truths about Jesus. Let’s press on toward maturity together!

2) Hold fast to the hope you have in Jesus

Secondly, “Hold Fast to the hope you have in Jesus.” We must “Hold fast to the hope we have in Jesus.” Jesus is our great high priest—in Him we have the hope of future deliverance and an eternal inheritance—this hope is the anchor for our soul. Our anchor is thrown up to the heights of heaven (instead of the depths of the sea)—mooring us to the throne of God—so our hope is steadfast and secure. Our security is found in the hope we have in Jesus, not our feelings, not our circumstances, and not our performance. I don’t know what you consider to be the anchor of your life—the fixed stability and security for your soul—maybe it’s family, job, status, money, authority, popularity, or talent? The only true anchor for your soul is the hope we have in Jesus! Since Jesus is our great high priest we are anchored in God’s presence (we are secure in Him), this hope we have in Jesus is the source of stability and security for our soul, until the day all of God’s salvation promises are consummated in Him. Hold fast to the hope steadfast and secure hope of salvation you have in Jesus.

Today we celebrate communion together—it’s a remembrance of Jesus’ death & resurrection which is the basis for the hope of salvation we have in Him—the bread reminds us of body which was pierced for our transgressions and the blood reminds us of His blood that was shed to pay for our sins in full. Our celebration of communion is a celebration of our covenant relationship with God through Jesus. Our celebration of communion is a celebration of Jesus as our great high priest. Our celebration of communion is a celebration the hope we have in Jesus which is an anchor for our souls. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus as your Savior, this time of remembrance and celebration is for you, it’s much more than a monthly ritual but a celebration of your life in Jesus. While the elements are being passed, let’s wait and eat and drink together, and during that time take the opportunity to thank the Father for sending Jesus to be our great High Priest and feast on the hope in Him which is an anchor for your soul. Let’s pray!

COMMUNION

BENEDICTION