Sermon Tone Analysis

Last Time We Began the 3rd of 5 Warning Passages in the Book of Hebrews

This Warning Passage Spans From Hebrews 5:11-6:12

The Author is Warning Against Spiritual Laziness and Immaturity

They Ought to Be Teachers By this Point…

But They Still Need to Be Retaught the Basics of Christianity

They are Like Infants Who Only Drink Milk Instead of Eating Solid Food

Hebrews 5:13 (NASB95)

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

The Spiritually Immature are “Not Accustomed” to the Word of Righteousness

“Not Accustomed” = “the Lack of Knowledge or Capacity to Do Something Because of Inexperience”

When I Take the Next Verse into Account…

I Interpret the Passage Like This:

“For Everyone Who Partakes of Milk is Inexperienced in Discerning Right From Wrong.”

But We Need to Keep This Connected to the Larger Context

The Larger Context is Focused On the High Priesthood of Jesus

One Commentator Broke it Down This Way:

“The ‘milk’ of the Word refers to what Jesus Christ did on earth.

His birth, life, teaching, death, burial, and resurrection.

The ‘meat’ of the Word refers to what Jesus Christ is now doing in heaven.

We begin the Christian life on the basis of His finished work on earth.

We grow in the Christian life on the basis of His unfinished work in heaven.”

I Don’t Know if that is Exactly What the Hebrews Author Meant, But it’s Worth Thinking About

These Hebrews Christians Were Unable to Discern Good From Evil, Right From Wrong, Truth From Lie

Because of Their Laziness/Sluggishness Toward Learning and Growing…

They had Reverted to Being Spiritual Babies

Hebrews 5:14 (NASB95)

But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Those Who are Able to Handle Solid Food are Mature

They are Mature Because They Have Trained Their Capacity to Discern Good From Evil Through Repetitive Practice

Becoming Mature is Not for the Dull of Hearing/Lazy

It Takes Effort and a Desire to Learn and Grow

The More We Strive to Learn From the Scriptures, Jesus, and His Gospel…

The Better We Become at Discerning Between Good and Bad Moral Behaviors

The Better We Become at Discerning Between True and False Teachings

These Hebrews Christians Had Become Lazy and Uninterested in Scripture, Jesus, and His Gospel

And Therefore, Their Capacity to Discern Between Good and Evil was Lacking

Hebrews 6:1–3 (LEB)

Therefore, leaving behind the elementary message about Christ, let us move on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith in God, teaching about baptisms and laying on of hands, and resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

And this we will do, if God permits.

These Hebrew Christians are Being Encouraged to Move On to Maturity

That Means Moving Past the ABCs/the Foundational Teachings

Hebrews 6:1 (NASB95)

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

The Author Tells His Audience to Press/Move On to Maturity

According to This Verse, How Do We Go About Doing That:

1.) Leaving the Elementary Message of Christ

The Very Basic/First/Beginning Message of Jesus Christ

Things that a Person Learns in Order to Begin Their Walk with Jesus

2.)

Not Continuing to Lay Down the Foundational Messages

In Order to Become Mature Christians…

Capable of Discerning Right From Wrong…

We’ve Got to Move On From and Stop Continuing to Lay Down the Foundations of the Gospel

If You Want a Baby to Learn to Speak Like a Mature Adult…

You’ve Got to Stop the Baby Talk

If You Want Them to Think, Talk, and Act Like a Baby Their Whole Lives…

Then Keep Treating Them Like a Baby

But if You Want Them to Grow and Mature…

Leave the Foundational Baby Stuff and Move On

That Doesn’t Mean the ABCs of the Gospel Aren’t Important and Should Be Forgotten

It Means They are the Starting Point, Not the Finish Line

They are the Foundation that Should Be Built Upon

You Don’t Lay the Foundation of a House/Building and Then Stop

You Build Upon Them and Bring the House/Building to it’s Completion

I’m Afraid Too Many Churches of Christ Focus Only On the Foundational Teaching

Too Often You’ll Hear the Same Topics Being Preached On Over and Over

That Doesn’t Mean They Aren’t Important Topics…

But So Often They are So Extremely Shallow and Elementary

In Order to Grow and Mature in Our Christian Walk…

We Have to Move Passed the Elementary Teachings

The Author Gives Us a List of Foundational Teachings that Need to Be Built Upon

A Lot of Times When I’m Studying with a Person Who Wants to Become a Christian…

I’ll Turn to Hebrews 6:1-2 and Study the Foundational Teachings with Them

These are Things Every Person Needs to Know in Order to Become a Christian

This List is Not Exhaustive, But It’s a Good Summarized List

The 1st Mentioned Elementary/Foundational Teaching of the Gospel is…

Repentance From Dead Works

My Favorite Definition of Repentance is:

A Change of Mind that Results in a Change of Action

Dead Works are Simply Works/Actions that Lead to Death

One of the Foundational Teachings of Christianity is:

Changing Ones Mind and Actions Away From Thoughts and Actions that Lead to Death

One Greek Dictionary Described Repentance Like This:

“a change of self (heart and mind) that abandons former dispositions and results in a new self, new behavior, and regret over former behavior and dispositions.”

Hebrews 6:1 (NASB95)

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

The 2nd Mentioned Elementary/Foundational Teaching of the Gospel is…

Faith Toward God

Repentance is From Dead Works

Faith is Toward God

My Favorite Substitute for Faith is “Trust”

Faith is Belief, But Not Just Belief

It is Belief Paired with Action

My Favorite Illustration is of a Tightrope Walker

After Walking Several Times Across the Tightrope…

He Asks the Crowd if They Believe He Can Push a Wheelbarrow Across the Tightrope

Everyone Raises Their Hands Indicating that They Believe He Can

Then He Asks Which Person Wants to Sit in the Wheelbarrow

Everyone’s Hands Go Down

If They Truly Believed/Trusted/Had Faith that He Could Do it

They Wouldn’t Be Afraid to Hop in the Wheelbarrow