Don't Be Lazy

What is true of individuals can be true of churches.

This seems “natural” to me because churches are made up of individuals. What is true of us personally can be the truth of the church.

Some traits are double-edged.

They have both positive and negative qualities to them.

Two qualities: contentment & “good enough”.

Both of these are biblical qualities at times, in my opinion. However, taken to the extreme it can lead to unexpected places.

This passage is difficult.

In fact it may be the most difficult passage in Scripture because of the “issues which come out of it.

Following Christ demands maturity.

It is never biblical to stay as a baby Christian. This is where the traits prior can be detrimental. We can think we “know enough” and become content with the version of our faith. Yet, this is not our calling. In fact, this is why I did not just skip this passage in Hebrews. We need to be challenged and grow in maturity.

Laziness leads to judgment.

The concern for the speaker, and it seems to be a legitimate/possible concern, is this littler church will stop trying to be like Jesus and he wants them to know this is not a good thing. The word “lazy” is found a couple times in this passage. Basically they are no longer trying to understand anything.

The sin: willful rejection of Jesus.

As the judgment is given with very harsh reality we need to see what I believe to be the big issue here. This isn’t just an unintentional sin that some may commit. This is a willful, intentional, deliberate, publically celebrated rejection of Jesus.

But for God’s grace...

I think this is a crucial statement for us to understand and remember. It can be easy for us to be upset, and we should, or try to rationalize the falling away of others. We can start to see ourselves as better than them but if it is not, were not, and will not be God’s grace we would be no different. That is why pride is not a trait of a Christian.

True Christians produce good fruit.

This is the fate of all believers. Jesus said in John 15 that if you stay with me you will produce fruit. Just like the ground does not have to try very hard at times to produce whatever it is has been given so the same is with us.

The Goal: perseverance & faithfulness.

The goal is to remind them to continue on, not to give up. To live out their salvation.

Salvation is past, present, and future.

How do we know who is truly saved? By not just how they start their journey, but how they finish the journey. Salvation starts with the past event of Jesus’ death, resurrection and our confessing of him as the Messiah. However, it has present ramifications beyond just a “belief” or a prayer we made at one time. Our salvation will not be fully realized until we are in glory.

God cannot lie.

So whenever God speaks it is truth. Also God has stated by promising or making an oath thus double binding his words to being true.

God is just.

Meaning he always treats us according to his perfect law, love, grace, perfection and being. He will not just forget about the struggles one is having. He notices the hardships. In due time, if we are faithful—that is our job, God will be faithful and reward us for persevering.

Jesus is our anchor.

In him we are secure. In him we have a solid hope. In him we need not fear. In Him we are complete. Unlike other type of anchors he will never break away.