The Benefit of a Burn

Benefits

Fires are a double-edged sword.

Winter is coming and for us full-timers we are in the process of collecting our firewood to heat our houses.

We are checking the amount of propane we have in our tanks to make sure we can cook our meals.

We also know fires are dangerous.

This spring we were on edge until the monsoons came because we have had such dry years leading up to this season.

Do you remember? Easy to forget after such a wet monsoon.

We live in a forest and fire is a constant threat.

When our kids were young we took a camping trip to Yellowstone. We were living in IN, drove thru MN, SD, and into WY.

We took a hike w/ a forest ranger guide who took us to an area that had been burned in 1988.

In ‘88 about 1/3 of the park burned in a massive forest fire.

Years ago, before human involvement, God designed nature to manage the forest on its own.

When humans got involved we thought we could do a better job of forest management.

We love the trees. We didn’t want them to get hurt so we decided to fight the fires and put them out before they did too much damage to the forest.

The result has been, overgrown forests.

The way God designed it, lightening would start a fire, it would burn for a while, then go out on its own. It would run out of fuel.

In the process it cleaned up all the dead brush.

When ppl started putting fires out before they finished their God-intended work, not enough of the brush gets cleared, so the forests over-grow.

John Welsh, the former fire chief, told me that a healthy ponderosa pine forest has 12 trees per acre. I have more than than on my lot around my house. Not to mention the oak trees and junipers

Bill Cowan, the historian who has written the history of the area, tells similar stories. He was with the forestry service before he retired and started recording our history in his books.

Now, one big factor in the massive fires we have is the over-grown forest. We have to protect human life and our homes. But, we’ve learned to let some of these fires burn themselves out.

Back to Yellowstone and the area that had been affected by the massive fire in ‘88.

We were there in the mid-oughts and it was already well on its way to recovery.

Yellowstone forest is largely made up of lodgepole pines. And the lodgepole pinecones carry a seed that is not released unless the cone is heated up to between 104 and 122 degrees.

IOW, a hot, fast-moving fire, that consumes adult trees immediately reseeds the ground for new trees to grow.

It takes a forest fire to make that happen.

God designed the immediate recovery after a fire. So the fire gives and it takes away.

Growing up in the midwest we saw farmers use fire to improve and maintain soil conditions.

Long after the fall harvest, the stubble left in the field would dry out, farmers will burn it.

Rather than just turning the soil over, stubble and all. The fire returns the nutrients from the plants back into the soil. Weeds and all. Then, he turns the soil over to prepare to plant his next crops.

I’ve seen this happen in KS and IN. Even driving I-40 thru Amarillo in the late winter you will see the fields on fire. No one around. Just let it burn itself out once all the stubble is burned off the field.

That is good for the soil and helps produce healthy crops during the next cycle.

Getting burned hurts. It seems every winter I scar another finger on my wood-burning stove. Stings like crazy.

Fire is dangerous. It can do a lot of damage.

Fire is good for heat, for cooking, and for producing healthy forests and food crops.

This is the picture the preacher of Hebrews is drawing in the passage we are looking at today.

An agricultural culture w/ an agricultural illustration.

God is seasonally burning the stubble, the weeds, thorny bushes, the undergrowth that chokes the good growth out of our lives and returning the nutrients into our soil to promote the growth of healthy fruit in the next season.

The more immature we are, the more there is to burn.

The more there is to burn, the more painful it will be.

God is not going sit idly by while we act like immature children no more than we did when our children did not act their age.

He loves us enough to accept us just as we are. He loves us enough to give us rope and when we hurt ourselves w/ it, He graciously heals our wounds and teaches us how to make better decisions next time.

He is the God of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th chances and beyond.

He will hurt us to help us.

He will burn us for our benefit.

But there is always hope that better things are yet to come.

We’re in Hebrews 6. It’s a controversial passage w/ several different lines of interpretation. It’s emotional. This passage has divided churches. Don’t let it.

I’ll tell you what I think is going and tell you why. You can decide if you agree or not.

Words have meaning. And never interpret a verse or passage outside its context.

Pull a verse out of its context and you can make it seem like it means anything.

So, let’s start with the context.

Context & Possibilites

Do you remember anything about last week?

Red velvet cake.

The peace of God is a peace of cake.

You cannot expect me or anyone else to do the work for you. I can help you. But you have to bake your own cake to get what you want from God.

The preacher was warning Xians who should have been more mature than they were.

They were struggling. Life was harder than they expected.

90% of our frustrations come from unfulfilled expectations.

Chicken or the egg? They were struggling b/c they stopped trying to learn about God from the bible. And, they stopped trying to learn about God b/c they were struggling.

The solution to their problem was to move beyond the easy lessons and passage in the bible and wrestle with the tougher ones to learn more of the character of God.

They refused.

Definitely Xians who decided to stop maturing in their faith and some even turned their back on God.

What happens to believers who do things like this?

Thus, the controversy of the passage.

Maybe they were never saved in the first place. So, they didn’t really turn their back b/c they had never turned to God.

Or, maybe they were saved but when they decided to walk away they lost their salvation.

Or, maybe they were saved, didn’t lose their salvation, but lost something else. They lost access to the full experience and blessing that a close walk w/ Jesus offers.

These are the 3 main threads of possibility and there are derivatives each.

Let’s dive in and define some words.

Impossible

Hebrews 6:4–6 NIV

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

In the Greek, this is one sentence.

And word order is different than English.

English: subject then predicate.

Noun verb object.

But Greek, the first word in the most important word of the sentence. The word the author wants to emphasize.

The first word in this sentence is; impossible.

And, impossible, means impossible.

Some might say it is impossible for the D-Backs to win the world series this year. But, they have not been mathematically eliminated yet.

So, highly improbable, but not impossible.

The Greek word here, impossible. Not power nor ability to make it happen. No option. Can’t happen.

What is impossible? We’ll get to that.

For whom is it impossible.

For those who have once been enlightened.

The lightbulb has come on. Their minds have been renewed. They have walked in the Light and come to faith.

Saved ppl. Christians.

They have tasted the heavenly gift.

That is, experienced the life-change that comes with faith. Renewal. Baptized by the HS.

I still remember the night, I was 17 years old, had earlier that day come to faith and accepted Jesus as my Savior.

I felt different. I knew I was alive in a way I hadn’t been the day before.

They shared in the HS.

They had received and used abilities empowered by God that they hadn’t had before.

The ability to teach powerfully, lead ppl, administer and manage churches and programs.

They would remember Pentecost when the miraculous first became more regular. If they were not there themselves, they knew ppl who were.

They had tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the coming age.

As he had just told them that there is power in God’s word to produce maturity in them.

It produces deeper, stronger, faith, peace, patience, self-control, courage, wisdom and the like.

The power to mature, make better decisions, reduce the struggle and stress in an already stressful time.

Who have walked away, fallen away, chosen to create a distance between themselves and Jesus.

They turned their backs on Him the way God turned his back on Jesus on the cross.

Life did not go for them the way they expected. Why would God allow such difficulty, heartache, suffering and even death?

If God won’t do more for them in their life on earth, they would look for an alternative that would.

It was hard. It was painful. And it was getting worse.

From these phrases, it appears obvious that these are Christians who have changed the course of their lives.

I have seen it happen to ppl around me.

It even happened to me.

I accepted Christ as a 17 year old, the summer after my junior of high school, away from my home. I was invited to leave Wichita and live with a family in Sherman, TX who spent the summer sharing their lives with me. A godly home I had never experienced in my life. In August that summer, at a conference in Dallas, I accepted Christ.

Later that August, I went home for my senior year. Same school. Same girl friend. Same friends. Same life as before.

That’s where I learned the definition of back slide.

I remember the words coming out of my mouth, this God thing really isn’t for me.

I turned my back on God.

Parts of my life were good. School was good. Our baseball team went undefeated, won the State championship, and were named national champions.

My personal life was a mess. I was headed nowhere. College, okay. But I didn’t know why.

God led me back to Sherman, to the family that led me to Christ, church life, and college there.

My freshman year was fairly typical. Partied a little too much, studied enough, made it thru by the skin of my teeth.

My sophomore year was when I began to grow in my faith and everything changed. Christian friends. Leadership in a Xian campus organization.

I had a purpose for my life. And my future came into focus.

I tell you this story b/c this passage describes me. I did this.

I tasted the life-changing power of God then turned my back on Him.

B/C He is a loving, gracious father, He gave me another chance.

How many of you have had a child scream at the top of their lungs, “I hate you.”?

As a parent, it’s disrespectful and it breaks your heart.

But it’s your child. They will always be your child. No matter what.

My 3 will always be my kids. My dna runs thru their veins. There have been times when we’ve been close relationally, and times when there has been a distance between us.

And, when there is a distance, we don’t things for each other that we do when we’re close.

Back to the word, impossible. What’s impossible?

The preacher says it is impossible to bring them back to repentance. What does that mean? No second chance? One and done? You turn your back once and that’s it? Or, something else?

What’s Impossible?

Hebrews 6:7–8 NIV

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.

I experienced a second chance w/ God. And, maybe a 3rd, 4th, and more; the way I lived my life in college.

God is a gracious God, giving us things and chances we don’t deserve.

I think what’s going on in this passage is they are Christians who turned their back on God b/c their circumstances were so hard and they did not expect that.

But, I don’t think God limits us to one chance.

I think if faith is genuine, it’s permanent.

Just like when I married Sara, I had no idea what “For better, or worse; richer, or poorer; in sickness, and health; till death do us part.” meant.

I had no idea what faith meant. I had a very small idea of who Jesus is. And I’ve spent the rest of my adult life trying to figure Him out.

I am eternally grateful that He has not held me accountable for all the things I’ve done wrong, taught wrong, said wrong.

I don’t think there is anything you can do to lose your salvation. B/C there is nothing you can do to get saved.

You don’t work your way in. So, you can’t work your way out. If you worked your way out, then you’d have to work your way back in. And you can’t work your way in.

Either you have faith, or you don’t. It can be a strong faith, or a weak faith. It starts small and grows.

A small faith in a big God is enough to save you.

When our faith is small, there are times when we may resemble ppl who don’t have faith. Like at a frat party or a local bar.

That’s the point of maturity. Growth; which the preacher just addressed in the context.

I think there are ppl who express faith, but it’s not genuine. Therefore, it isn’t permanent.

Maybe they want a Santa Claus. Maybe they want a subordinate. They want a god they can control. That’s not faith in the name of Jesus.

We don’t really know the difference b/c we can’t see ppl’s hearts. All we can see is the fruit that may, or may not grow in their life.

The preacher says, to their loss, they are crucifying Jesus again. When you come to faith you are saying that Jesus was unjustly executed. By turning their back they are saying he deserved it. They didn’t need for him to do it for them.

It’s disrespectful. Hurtful. And creates a distance between them and Jesus and it will cost them something.

Like me telling Sara after 37 years, I don’t feel like we’re married. Let’s get married again. How hurtful would that be to her?

We’re already married. She has a piece of paper and video tape that proves it. I can’t marry her again. We’re still married, 37 years.

These ppl had been Xians up to 35 years. It is impossible to accept X again b/c they already had. If you try to do it again, it cheapens what He did on the cross for you. It is as if you are saying He didn’t do enough.

Then, he gives this ag illustration. Healthy soil, with a healthy climate and good care produces good fruit.

But a field that only produces thorns and thistles gets burned off. The farmer does not get rid of the field, let it go, or just quit trying. Even in c.1, for years, they burned the stubble off their fields to improve the condition of the soil to enhance their chances of a good crop the next season.

Burning the bad stuff off, still fertilized the soil to help grow good stuff next time.

God, seasonally, will burn the stubble, thorns, and thistles out of our lives to improve our soil to enhance the chances of good fruit next season.

And, I don’t know if you know this, but it hurts to get burned.

Parts of our lives will be a mess as the stubble gets burned off.

It’s easy to think that the fire here is the fire of Hell and salvation lost. But, the fire here is not final judgement.

This is the fire that leads to an improved situation. Better fruit.

If a second chance was impossible, then there is no hope for a Christian whose faith is weak, and in their weakness they turn their back on God.

But God is a gracious God of 2nd chances. A God who loves us just the way He finds us. But loves us enough to not leave us that way.

And He will burn us for our benefit.

The burning is temporary, and beneficial.

Which leads to these encouraging words of hope.

What’s Possible!

Hebrews 6:9–12 NIV

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 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. 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.

Better things are yet to come. No one is a lost cause.

He is convinced, confident, certain, has a strong conviction that their situation will improve.

Their circumstances may not. But their perspective on them and ability to manage them will.

Everyone has the opportunity to mature. Growth.

God remembers the good work of your faith when you were stronger and closer to Him. He has not forgotten you, nor turned his back on you.

Everyone has the opportunity to return.

When you turned your back, you distanced yourself from Jesus. You put yourself in the opposite position Paul prayed for the Ephesians in ch.1, to know Christ better.

Knowing him better leads to knowing better about the hope that comes w/ Him, the inheritance that awaits us, and power that indwells us.

Be diligent. Don’t be lazy.

This is the follow to ch.5 where he called them out for their laziness when they stopped trying to understand the tougher passages about the character of God.

Later in Hebrews, in James and Romans, then several times in Revelation when the descriptions is a time when Xians will face severe struggles and persecution and the writers say the Xians must exercise ‘patient endurance.’

God is not going sit idly by while we act like immature children no more than we did when our children did not act their age.

He loves us enough to accept us just as we are. He loves us enough to give us rope and when we hurt ourselves w/ it He graciously heals our wounds and teaches us how to make better decisions next time.

He is the God of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th chances and beyond.

He will hurt you for the purpose of helping you. Unfortunately, sometimes pain is the only thing that stops us from continuing down a harmful path.

But there is always hope that better things are yet to come.

Be diligent. Be patient. Endure. Mature. Bare better fruit and learn to manage you tough situations better than you did before.

Applications

Accept

Accept God’s correction even when it hurts.

Yes, God may be doing this to us. But, ultimately, we are responsible for our behavior.

He will hurt us to help us.

Accept the hurt and use it to grow.

Encouraged

Maybe you know someone who has turned their back on God.

Be encouraged that God has not turned his back on them.

Pray for them. Encourage them to open their hearts to God once again. He has a long memory when it comes to the good things they did on his behalf.

Don’t write anyone off. God hasn’t.

Pray hard for them.

And, if you’re the one who has turned you back on God, turn back toward him today.

He will welcome you back and you will once again gain access to all the good stuff he offers those who walk closely w/ him.

Mature

Stay committed to growth.

This passage is about the problem with maintained immaturity. We lose out on so much of the potential of the powerful fruit God makes available to us.

Don’t stop listening no matter how hard things get or no matter how your expectations are met.

Dive deeper into your relationship with Jesus and the knowledge that he offers in the bible.

God is seasonally burning the stubble, the weeds, thorny bushes, the undergrowth that chokes the good growth out of our lives and returning the nutrients into our soil to promote the growth of healthy fruit in the next season.

The more immature we are, the more there is to burn.

The more there is to burn, the more painful it will be.

God is not going sit idly by while we act like immature children no more than we did when our children did not act their age.

He loves us enough to accept us just as we are. He loves us enough to give us rope and when we hurt ourselves w/ it, He graciously heals our wounds and teaches us how to make better decisions next time.

He is the God of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th chances and beyond.

He will hurt us to help us.

He will burn us for our benefit.

But there is always hope that better things are yet to come.