Job and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Part 1
Job 1:1-22 (1-12)
August 16, 2015

My mom brought a movie home for our family to watch a few months ago called “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”

It was a story about a Jr. High age boy who always managed to be on the wrong side of circumstance. And on one day his family was allowed to share in his misfortune and things just continued to go wrong.

But you and I know that Alexander had nothing on Job.
If there was ever a “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”
Then Job most certainly had it.

In fact, Job had two of them.
Scratch that, Job had several of them.

Even in a Bible illiterate world people know what “Job” represents.
JOB SUFFERED

James 5:7-11 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

James there sought to sum up Job’s life in a couple of sentences
With the main objective being to get you to follow his example.
• He wanted you to show the patience of Job.
• He wanted you to be content in your suffering.
• He wanted you to have faith that God will make it all right.

These were all themes that James learned from studying the book of Job.

We’ve called the study, “The Woeful World of Uz”

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job;”
And the story goes downhill from there.

Everyone knows the book of Job is about suffering.
What you may not realize is that the book of Job also absolutely squashes one of the most trendy and popular “false doctrines” on the circuit today.

What false doctrine am I referring to?
The one commonly called “The Posperity Gospel”

It is that train of thought that basically states that
It is the will of God for every believer to be “healthy, wealthy, and happy”
Some of the proof texts used for this doctrine include:

Psalms 1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

And with verses like those the prosperity gospel folks
Will do a little mathematics where “C-B=A” and they will say:
“If you obey and trust God then your life will be filled with blessing and prosperity, health and healing, and every good thing. But if you disobey or fail to trust God, then your life will be filled with disaster and destruction, cursing, bitterness, sickness, and poverty.”

That is the prosperity gospel in a nutshell.
God blesses the righteous and God afflicts the unrighteous.

Now, on one hand it is a tricky gospel to expose,
Because after all, God is good.
Following God is worth it.

• There are times when God does financially bless.
• There are times when God does supernaturally heal.
• There are times when God does “prosper” His people.

And quite honestly none of us even really want to refute that.
We actually love that God does good things for His children.

Beyond that, who among us really wants to go to war at that point?
• Wants to stand up and tell the poor, “God won’t bless your finances!”
• Who wants to visit a hospital and say, “God won’t heal your disease!”
• Who wants to visit the hopeless and say, “God won’t lift your head with joy!”

Obviously none of us want to fight the battle on that field.
And the result has been (even since the days of Job)
The continued spread of the prosperity gospel.

Now as you can imagine,
There are two groups of people who cling to the prosperity gospel.
1) Those who are prosperous
2) Those who want to be
BUT BE CAREFUL BEFORE YOU DRINK THE COOL-AID

See, the prosperity gospel is in reality a hoax.
Oh sure, on the day God provides, on the day God heals, on the day God mercifully fills your day with good things…

On that day the prosperity gospel jumps to center stage
And takes full credit for all that occurred.

But there is also a day when the prosperity gospel sits noticeably silent.
That is the day when tragedy strikes.
That is the day when suffering occurs.

On the day when life falls apart, you’ll go looking for this prosperity gospel, only to find out it didn’t show up.

It won’t visit the hospital to help you.
It won’t visit the funeral home to comfort you.
It won’t visit the bank to bail you out.

When the going gets tough the prosperity gospel will hit the road.

However, what it will do is get on Facebook and try to save face.

The prosperity gospel was built on a premise that
The righteous are blessed and the wicked suffer, and in order to save face,
Guess what the prosperity gospel will do with your suffering?
You guessed it…it will pin every bit of it on you.

“What did you do?”
“Why didn’t you just trust God?”
“You must have blown it somewhere!”
Because, after all, God wouldn’t have done this to a righteous person.

To put it plainly, the prosperity gospel
Has no answer for the suffering of the righteous.

And that is regrettable since all throughout Scripture
The righteous suffered.

• Read about the prophets
• Read about the apostles
• Read about Jesus
• Even take those two men with the “Midas Touch” (Joseph and Daniel)
Both imprisoned, Both exiled, Both in slavery, Both in danger

But the prosperity gospel has no answer for suffering like that.

AND THAT IS WHY I HATE WITH THE UTMOST HATRED
THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL

The fall out of the prosperity gospel
Is that it leaves the righteous confused, feeling abandoned by God,
And if pushed to the end, it will cause them ultimately to lose the faith.

It discourages, it confuses, it condemns the righteous
At the very moment when what they really need is
Encouragement, enlightenment, and assurance.

I HATE IT.

But let me tell you another fact about the prosperity gospel:
YOU BELIEVE IT

(probably not all of it, and probably not to the extent of the false prophets on TV)
But I’m almost positive that seeds of it
Have been allowed to grow in your heart.

Let me give you a test to see:
(If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then to some extent you have believed it too)

1) Have you ever seen another person suffer and wondered what they did wrong?
2) Have you ever suffered and wondered what you did wrong?
3) Have you ever gone to God in the midst of your pain and petitioned Him relentlessly to find out why He is angry at you?
4) Have you ever been blessed by God and attributed it to justice?
5) Have you ever experienced God’s favor and then told someone else what to do in order to gain it too?
6) Have you ever been angry at God because you felt you didn’t deserve your suffering?

All of those are seeds of the prosperity gospel.
It is the belief that when I do right, God treats me good
And when I do wrong, God treats me bad.

Now, let me tell you why it is a slippery and tricky doctrine.
Because it works a lot of the time.

WHY?
Well because God’s commands are meant to protect you from harm.

When He says “Thou Shalt Not” it is a command to protect you
From something that will harm you.

Think about the garden. There was only one command, “Don’t eat from that tree”. God wasn’t trying to ruin Adam’s life, He was trying to protect it.

God’s commands are for our good.
And therefore when you break His command
It often comes with negative consequences.

And when you obey God’s commands it often comes with positive results.
But don’t let those results flip you into the prosperity gospel.
If you do, it will wreck your faith.

There are many tragedies and points of suffering in this life
That occur with absolutely no fault to be applied to the victim.

Our world is fallen and sinful and corrupt and cursed.
And now sickness and death and pain are a reality,
But not all of it is linked to your choices.

SOMETIMES OUR SUFFERING IS FOR A DIVINE REASON

Now I know this is confusing…and you’re not alone.
John 9:1-2 “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

Do you hear the prosperity gospel there?

Do you see the confusion in trying to find the root cause of tragedy?
It’s hard to nail down.

Jesus’ answer was shocking:
John 9:3 “Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

It had absolutely nothing to do with their sin,
But everything to do with the sovereign plan of God.

Jesus just exploded the prosperity gospel in the minds of the disciples.

Now, I’m sorry for the lengthy introduction,
I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page here,
Because now I want to take you into “The Woeful World of Uz”
And help explode the prosperity gospel in your life.

Through this study I hope to achieve 4 things:
1) I want to crush the prosperity gospel
2) I want to teach you how to minister to those who grieve
3) I want to encourage you to see your suffering biblically that you may be encouraged.
4) I want to help you understand the sovereignty of God so that you may worship Him even more.

So let’s begin to look at
“Job and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”

There are 4 main points to be seen in this chapter.
#1 THE CHARACTER OF JOB
Job 1:1-5

I cannot stress enough how important these first two chapters are.
You are allowed to see in these first two chapters
What you never get to see in your own suffering.

In fact, you get to see what Job never got to see.

Many times tragedy strikes and we want to know why.
We let our minds race with all the potential explanations.

Can I shock you here a little?
No one in the book of Job ever even got close
To the real reason for Job’s suffering.

In all their wisdom and all their theology, no one had a clue.
The point was not that they “understand” Job’s suffering,
But that they trust God in the middle of it.

However, in this one instance God does allow us
To move from the physical world into the spiritual world
And actually see the cause of all this suffering.

AND IT HELPS US SEE THE FLAW IN THE THEOLOGY OF JOB’S FRIENDS

And the first thing you must understand before you study this book is THE CHARACTER OF JOB

Now, there are 4 things the writer wants you to see about Job.
1) HIS PIETY (1)
“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

Did you catch the facts about Job?
“blameless”
“upright”
“fearing God”
“turning away from evil”

Job always did what was right.
• He didn’t give in to temptation
• He didn’t do the things that displeased God
• He always loved, feared, and served God

You find out later in this book that He was also HIGHLY RESPECTED
Job 29:7-8, 21-25 “When I went out to the gate of the city, When I took my seat in the square, The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood…”To me they listened and waited, And kept silent for my counsel. “After my words they did not speak again, And my speech dropped on them. “They waited for me as for the rain, And opened their mouth as for the spring rain. “I smiled on them when they did not believe, And the light of my face they did not cast down. “I chose a way for them and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king among the troops, As one who comforted the mourners.”
He was also GOOD TO THE POOR
Job 29:14-17 “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. “I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame. “I was a father to the needy, And I investigated the case which I did not know. “I broke the jaws of the wicked And snatched the prey from his teeth.”

JOB WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN
(Most of the time we give Old Testament saints too much credit in regard to their piety – see Abraham and David – they weren’t nearly as good as we assume.)
BUT JOB WAS

If I had to rank every Old Testament character from good to bad,
Job would be at the top of my list.

You see His Piety
2) HIS PROSPERITY (2-3)
“Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.”

Let’s just say that Job was doing well for himself.
And this actually makes his piety even more impressive.

We have learned from the world that very few people
Are able to maintain piety in the midst of prosperity.

Jesus Himself said, “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle)

But Job was one of those rare few
Who maintained his piety in the midst of his prosperity.

His Piety, His Prosperity
3) HIS PATERNITY (4-5a)
“His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”

Now that is a father with a proper perspective!

What mattered most to Job about his children?
• It sure wasn’t their comfort
• It sure wasn’t their riches
• Job was concerned about their spiritual state!

Job was a father who interceded for his children.
I promise you dads, you can learn a lot about being a godly father
Just from looking at Job.

His Piety, His Prosperity, His Paternity
4) HIS PERSEVERANCE (5b)
“Thus Job did continually”

He wasn’t a flash in the pan.
Job was a faithful man and father.

He was consistent, he was faithful, he loved God
And raised his kids to love God too.

Why do you need to know that?
NO ONE DESERVED TO SUFFER LESS THAN JOB

If suffering is handed out based upon righteous or wicked deeds,
Then Job would have suffered less than any other human alive.

Now I am not going to say that Job was without sin, he wasn’t
We just saw that Job understood the necessity of atonement.

But I promise you none of you would want to be compared with Job
In the righteousness department.

If the prosperity gospel is true then Job will never suffer a day in his life.

The Character of Job
#2 THE CONSPIRACY OF SATAN
Job 1:6-12

Here is that view into the spiritual world
That we ordinarily are not afforded.

And there is no reason to assume that Job ever knew this in his life.

That means that the man who suffered the most and deserved it the least, never got an explanation for it on earth.

So maybe the quest for understanding is the wrong quest.

LET’S LOOK AT SATAN’S CONSPIRACY
(6) “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.”

Here we learn that Satan does still have access to God.
Here we find that he has to answer to God.
Revelation teaches us that he accuses us before God continually.

Revelation 12:10 “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”

And that is what is happening here.
Satan is called to appear before God and give an account of his activity.

(Please notice who is sovereign and in control here)

And we see God’s interrogation:
(7) “The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

God’s question to Satan is clear:
“What have you been doing?”

Please don’t assume that this means that God didn’t know what Satan was up to. God is omniscient. Trust me, He knew what Satan was doing.

God here is instead about to point out Satan’s shortcomings.

Satan responds truthfully:
“From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

Peter told us:
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Jesus told us:
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”

Well apparently that is what Satan was doing back in the day of Job too.
He was surveying the earth looking for prey.
He was hunting.

And then comes the shocker.
(8) “The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

God knew what Satan had been up to,
And God knew Satan had been unsuccessful in his attempts on Job.

God was merely pointing out Satan’s failures as a hunter.
• Regardless of the traps
• Regardless of the pursuits
• Regardless of the hunts
• Regardless of the attempts
• Satan had been utterly unsuccessful on Job.
And we know that because Job remained “blameless and upright…fearing God and turning away from evil.”

Satan had not been able to handle Job,
And God sort of rubbed it in a little here.

SO DO YOU SEE WHERE THIS ALL STARTED?

The events about to take place
Had nothing to do with some mistake Job made.
These events were all about a challenge
Presented from God to the devil.

Well Satan arises to defend himself
And his defense comes in the form of an accusation against Job.

(9) “Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing?”

That is what we call an accusation.
Did you catch it?

“Oh sure God, he worships You, but only because you’ve made his life full of roses and bunny rabbits. He wouldn’t worship if you weren’t his sugar daddy.”

Now, we can’t dwell long here,
But I do think that is a reality everyone in here should personally address.

WHY DO I WORSHIP GOD?

• Do I only worship because I expect to get good from God?
• Do I only worship because I have thus far received good from God?
• Or do I worship simply because God deserves worship?

I’m simply asking if your worship is linked to your circumstances
Or if your worship is linked to the magnificence of God.

Jeremiah 10:6-7 “There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”

That is why you worship…because God deserves it,
Not because it will benefit you in any way.

Satan just told God that the only reason Job worships
Is because it has thus far been good for Job to be a worshiper.

However, if you make being a worshiper costly instead of beneficial,
Then Job will stop worshiping.

(10-11) “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”

God, “You’ve put “a hedge about him”

“hedge” there translates SUK
It means “to fence up”

When we went to Zimbabwe the first time and camped out in the bush,
We camped next to a fence made of thorns and briars,
Which was meant to keep the wild animals out.

God had made a fence like that around Job to keep this lion out.

And trust me, Satan had checked.

Did you catch the inventory Satan gave?
“You made a hedge about him”
“and his house”
“and all that he has”
“on every side”

Satan had circled Satan a number of times with no success.
Satan had tried, but God had protected him
And now Satan’s accusation is brutally clear.

“But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”

Notice exactly what is happening.
Satan isn’t asking permission for him to afflict Job.
Satan is asking God to do it.

God, you’ve done nothing but good to him, no wonder he loves You.
But if you’d do something harsh to him, he’d turn on you in an instant.

And “curse You to Your face”

ARE THE STAKES CLEAR ENOUGH?

Satan is saying that the only reason anyone worships God
Is because God buys their loyalty with His goodness.

You can sense centuries of frustration from Satan here can’t you?
It’s like he just knows he could win
If God would quit being so “good” to everyone.
SO…God is now out to prove that
His children love Him for who He is, not what He does.

Aside from exposing the prosperity gospel here,
We are also putting the doctrine of ETERNAL SECURITY to the test.

Satan is out to prove that
He can make one of God’s children turn against God.

Now, in all the times you have suffered
Have you ever considered that it might be the result of one of Satan’s accusations and that God is doing something to prove him wrong?

Well it was in Job’s case.

So let’s see God’s answer:
(12) “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”

God said “Yes”.
God placed Job in Satan’s hand with only one restriction
(there are always restrictions)

God promises not to let us be tempted beyond what we are able to withstand.
Satan wasn’t allowed to kill him, but everything else was fair game.

Now, we are out of time, but YOU MUST SEE this one reality right now.

THE SUFFERING OF JOB WAS UP TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

So many today want to credit God for all our prosperity
And the devil for all our adversity.
But God is sovereign in it all.

Exodus 4:11 “The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”

I promise you, that if you try to attribute all your suffering
As something that God did not allow,
Then you have just stated that in this incident Satan beat God,
Since he did something God did not want.

And if you dethrone God I can assure you that you won’t like it.

• God never left the throne in all the suffering of Job.
• God never left the throne in all the suffering of His Son.
• God never left the throne in all your suffering.

And if you are having trouble swallowing that right now
(it’s just too hard to fathom that God would allow such horrendous suffering)
You can go ahead this week and fast forward to chapters 38-41
Where God reminds Job of this very reality.

There God will unequivocally remind Job that He is sovereign,
Always on the throne, and in absolute control of all things.

Job’s suffering was the result of God’s sovereignty.

Now, you may not like that.
You may think that unfair.
You may think that undeserved

But I’m going to tell you from the outset,
You will never find peace in with your circumstances
Or hope in your darkness if you don’t cross this bridge.

Do not alienate the One who has the plan in the midst of your pain.

God has an awesome plan for Job,
And if you need to read the end to see that it is going to end well,
Then go ahead and do that.

But please know this is God’s plan.

And so is your pain.
• God has a plan
• He is in control
• He causes all things to work together for good to them who love Him.
I wish we could go on tonight, but you are starting to see the big picture.
Job didn’t deserve suffering, but God has agreed to bring it.
Don’t quit on me now, keep coming back and see what we can learn.

The Anchored Soul – Part 3
Hebrews 6:9-12
August 16, 2015

As you know, we are working our way through
This amazing book called “Hebrews”

And the premise is simple.
We have a group of Jews who have made a profession of faith in Christ,
But now because of persecution are considering defecting from the faith
And returning to Judaism.

It may be that some already have, that is what has inspired this letter.

That being the case, this letter is written with
As much emotion and passion as any in the New Testament.

This writer agonizes and begs and pleads over the people he is writing to.
You can literally feel this man pull out his heart and lay it on the table as he writes.

His warnings are stiff and penetrating
His explanation is careful and true
His invitations are heartfelt and urgent
This writer wants these Hebrews to stick with Jesus.

SO WHY WERE THEY DEBATING LEAVING?

Well, the quick answer is persecution.
They were being cut off from the temple and they were being ostracized by the Jewish community.

But, let’s be honest, persecution isn’t a shocker.
That’s promised to everyone who follows Christ.

The real problem was that they weren’t convinced about the truth
And therefore it was hard for them to stand on it
In the midst of persecution.

Let me put it this way.
If a gunman were to walk in the back door this morning and tell you that everyone in here who confesses Jesus will be executed, you aren’t going to confess Jesus unless you’re convinced that He really is the Savior and really will take you to be with Him in heaven.
It will boil down to your convictions.

And to take it a step further,
You won’t have convictions unless you have knowledge.

Unless you know why Jesus can save and will save,
You won’t have conviction about it.
So the writer set out to accomplish one thing.
He set out to anchor their souls.
“Every ship needs an anchor”

A ship without an anchor will be blown by every wind
And tossed by every wave.
You don’t just need to know what you believe, but why you believe it.

The writer of Hebrews is writing to provide them with conviction.
He is writing to thoroughly show them why Jesus is superior to Judaism.

And can we do some quick inventory?

Jesus is greater than the prophets…why?
Because He is the complete message of God. God spoke to the prophets in many portions and in many way, but now He spoke to us in His Son.

Jesus is greater than the angels…why?
Well, to which of the angels did He ever call him “son” or say “sit at my right hand while I make your enemies a footstool at your feet”?

Jesus is greater than Moses…why?
Moses was certainly a faithful servant to God’s house, but Jesus is a Son over God’s house.

Jesus is greater than Joshua…why?
Joshua offered rest which was never achieved, Jesus offers rest that is sure and permanent

Jesus is greater than Aaron…why?
Aaron negotiated atonement with God that was good for one year, Jesus negotiated atonement that is good for eternity

The writer has been doing everything he can
To explain the truth, solidify their convictions, and anchor their souls
So that they will no longer feel compelled to return to Judaism.
That’s the goal of the whole letter.

In fact that’s been the goal of his preaching for quite some time.
Well, why hasn’t his preaching worked?
Why has he had to write a letter?

That is what he explained to us back in chapter 5.
• Remember, all of a sudden the writer just sort of stopped mid-thought.
• He was talking about Aaron and how Jesus is a greater high priest.
• And he told us how Jesus could save us forever because He’s not a priest like Aaron, Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.
• But when you read through Hebrews, you recognize that the writer introduced Melchizedek there in chapter 5, but won’t return to him until chapter 7.

From 5:10 through the end of chapter 6 we have a parenthetical section of Scripture.
We have a portion squeezed into the middle of the natural train of thought
Meant to address a serious issue.
And the issue is that the Hebrews have a problem.

The writer/preacher has been trying to give them the truth
That will anchor their souls, BUT thus far it hasn’t worked.

WHY?

Well that was the first point to this parenthetical section which we saw two weeks ago.
#1 HE EXPOSES THE PROBLEM
Hebrews 5:11-14

Namely we look at verse 11
“Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

I’ve been trying to give you the truth that will anchor your souls,
But you won’t hear it.

You won’t hear it, so you haven’t learned it
You haven’t learned it, so you don’t know it
You don’t know it, so you can’t benefit from it

He said in verse 14 that:
People who know the truth are like people who eat solid food they are “the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

The people who learn the truth and have solidified their convictions…
You don’t see them vacillating about whether or not to follow Jesus.

They already have an anchor
They aren’t going anywhere

The reason you are so confused and are vacillating
Is because you only want milk.
You don’t know the truth and so you’re drifting wherever the wind blows.

And if you were here last week,
You know that this can lead to an even bigger problem.

He Exposes the Problem
#2 HE EXPLAINS THE PENALTY
Hebrews 6:1-8

Here the writer explained why having no convictions
And being blown by any wind CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS.

It is dangerous because you might be convinced to turn away from Jesus
And to turn back to Judaism.
And if you turn away from Jesus after being fully exposed to Him,
There is no turning back.

Remember the example he gave?
(4-6) “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

I want to be clear again and remind you that this passage does not teach
That a genuine Christian can lose their salvation.
None of the words used here are used anywhere else in Scripture
To indicate genuine redemption.

THIS PASSAGE DOES NOT DESCRIBE A REDEEMED PERSON.
THIS PASSAGE DESCRIBES AN EXPOSED PERSON.

• They were enlightened
• They tasted it
• They had it explained to them
• They felt the conviction of God’s Spirit
• They were associated with Him

And then they fell away – we call that apostasy.
They came to full understanding of the gospel and chose to reject it.

And the penalty is destruction in hell with no possibility of repentance.

And I’m sure you could hear a pin drop in that Hebrew church
As this segment was read.

The writer’s warning couldn’t be clearer or more sobering.
I’d like to anchor your souls with the truth, but you have been to lazy to hear it,
And as a result you are contemplating returning to Judaism,
Which is a decision that will condemn you forever.

Harsh isn’t it?
It’s true, but it’s harsh.

I would imagine that the faces of many of the Hebrews were probably pale.
Well, if that is so, they are now ready for point number 3.

He Exposes the Problem He Explains the Penalty
#3 HE ENCOURAGES THE PEOPLE
Hebrews 6:9-12

There is no doubt that the last 12 verses have been harsh.
He scolded them for being dull of hearing
And then he warned them where that could lead.
But understand the goal of the letter is not to scare the Hebrews.
The goal of the letter is to anchor their souls.

Now it is true that sometimes the cage needs to be rattled.
But our GOAL IS NOT to have jittery people who are afraid of judgment.

Our goal is to have confident, convicted, secure, hope-filled people
Who know what they believe.

2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

That’s the kind of people we want.

And so the writer doesn’t stop with the scary reality.
The writer now, like a gentle shepherd,
Softens the blow and seeks to encourage.

He has their attention, now he gets to the real point.

And as we have done with the others,
We can take this third point and break it down a little further.

There are three easy points to be made here.
1) HIS CONVICTION (9)
“But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.”

Oh man, what a timely statement.

He just spent 8 verses talking about the phony believer.
• He talked about their preoccupation with elemental things and their lack of willingness to mature.
• He talked about their exposure to Christ and their utter lack of faith.
• He talked about their present state of danger and their eventual state of burning in hell for eternity.

And now he says, “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you”

Yes, I just warned you about apostates.
I just warned you about the type of person
Who has been exposed to Jesus, but then falls away.
I just warned you about how angry God is at
The type of person who chooses to crucify again the Son of God.

“But, beloved” I don’t think that’s who you are.

WHEW!!! – Pause for the massive sigh of relief
Did you catch what the writer did?

He just played a little “good cop / bad cop” with them.
He told them all about the penalty for being an apostate
And then said, but I don’t think that’s who you are.

“though we are talking in this way.”
I know I’m talking about judgment, but I don’t really think that’s for you.

I don’t think you’re the type of person
• Who would fall away from Christ after being fully exposed.
• Who would be content on milk and abandon the meat.
• Who would stay in the elemental things and refuse to press on to maturity.

In short, I believe in you.
I think you’re better than that.

Do you see how he is now building them up after rattling their cage?

And notice particularly what he says.
“we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation”

Those people I was talking about at the first of this chapter,
They aren’t saved people.

But I think you are.
I see “things” in you “that accompany salvation”

When I look at you I see what appears to be evidence of a saved person.
When I look at you, I see someone with Christian fruit.

That is the writer’s conviction.
I’ve been talking harsh about sinful people who are in a world of danger before God, but I don’t think that’s you.

Now let me show you why he thinks that.
2) HIS OBSERVATION (10)
“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

What a rich verse this proves to be to us.

This writer just told them he was convinced they were actually saved.

Well, why?

WHY WOULD YOU SAY SOMEONE WAS SAVED?
• Because I like them…
• Because they go to church…
• Because they have a fish on their car…
• Because they vote Republican…
• Because they don’t cuss on Facebook… (much)

None of those are evidences of salvation.

And while we’re on the topic, do you know what else isn’t?
-saying you’re a Christian.

I’ve shared it with you before
(the scariest passage in the Bible)

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

• Wow, there was a person who called Jesus “Lord” (they even did it twice).
• They were a person in the ministry who preached in Jesus’ name.
• They even pulled off some full blown powerful things like working miracles
and casting out demons.

AND THEY WERE STILL LOST
Jesus told them to beat it.

Saved people may in fact do some of those things,
But apparently lost people do them too.

So what is the fruit of salvation the writer is referring to?
What are these “things that accompany salvation”?

Are you ready?
(It’s simple, but so good)

(10) “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

Did you pick out the two fruit he mentioned?

1) “the love which you have shown toward His name”

2) Shown by “having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

You want the simple version?
Two fruit, here they are:
1) YOU LOVE GOD
2) YOU LOVE GOD’S PEOPLE

Did you know that loving God
Is the single greatest evidence of salvation that there is?

This was, after all, the problem of the Jews.

Jesus told them in:
John 5:42 “but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.”

Jesus told them:
Luke 11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”

They didn’t love God.
They loved themselves.
They loved religion because of the glory they got from it.
But they didn’t love God.

LOVING GOD IS THE CHIEF AND HIGHEST AIM.

When the Jews tried to trick Jesus by getting Him to name the greatest commandment, He didn’t hesitate.

Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”

The biggest goal, the biggest aim, the most important thing is that
YOU LOVE GOD.

Jesus said:
“with all your heart” (that is in regard to your DESIRES)

Do you love anything more than you love God?
That is why God gave the command have no other gods before Me.

It was the essence of idolatry – to love something else more than you love God.

Genuine believers love God more than anything else in the world.

And it is a supernatural love that was poured into them
Through the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Genuine believers love God with all their heart or with all their desires.
Jesus also said they love God:
“with all you soul” (that is in regard to the DEPTH of your love)

That is to say how much do you love God?

Jesus said,
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

The genuine believer loves God so much
That they let go of their life for Him.

Sure, it may require that they someday die for God,
But even more than that it requires that they live for Him.

Dying for Jesus takes a split second, living for Him is the hard part.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

It’s that “living sacrifice” stuff that’s difficult,
But that is the depth to which a genuine believer loves God.

They love God with all their heart and with all their soul.

Jesus also said they love God:
“with all their mind” (that is to say with their DECISIONS)

Because the emotional side of love is there,
So is THE OUTWARD RESPONSE to it.

They love God so much that they decide to do the things God desires.
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

That is a decision the genuine believer gladly makes.
They love God so much that they delight to do His will.

THAT IS A GENUINE FRUIT OF SALVATION.

But don’t forget the second indicator the writer mentioned:
That love for God was actually expressed how?

“in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

They expressed their love for God in the way they loved each other.

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”

1 John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

We had a youth fellowship Thursday night and Amy was sharing with me
How two different workers at the school had commented to her
How obvious it is that our church loves each other.

They noticed how if one of our members is involved in something,
It seems like they all are.

And one of those people was a member of another church,
Whom this person said is not like that.

That’s on you guys church, and that’s a great compliment.

And that is the compliment that the writer here gives to these Hebrews.

I know I spoke of phony believers who fall away from Jesus,
But I don’t think that’s who you are.

I’ve seen your love for God and your love for one another,
And I don’t overlook that.

But more than that, “God is not unjust so as to forget” that.

It’s very encouraging isn’t it?
I don’t think you’re the type of people who will fall away, I think you’re the type of people who love God.

So we see His Conviction We see His Observation
3) HIS DESIRE (11-12)
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

This segment isn’t just about calming their nerves,
It is about helping them see what they need to be doing.

When you tell someone
You believe they are more than what they are showing,
That comes with an expectation
That they do more than what they are doing.

He just told them he believes them to be the real deal,
Now he is asking them to step up and prove it.
HOW SO?
He wants them to BE DILIGENT TO OBTAIN HOPE.
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end.”

That is to say, “You’ve been diligent in your love for the saints, now show that same kind of diligence in regard to obtaining hope.”

They didn’t have hope in Jesus,
And that is why they were vacillating.

Do you remember why they didn’t have hope?
Because they had been “dull of hearing”.

Remember that word meant “sluggish”.
In fact the same word is translated “sluggish” in verse 12.

They were lazy in regard to truth and the effect was no hope
Which caused them to vacillate in regard to their faith.

So now the writer says, “I’ve seen you work hard in ministering to the saints, now work just as hard in understanding the truth so that you can have hope.”

“we desire that each one of you show the same diligence, so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end.”

Work hard to hear and learn so that you can have hope.
You haven’t been lazy in regard to ministering to the saints,
Now don’t be lazy in regard to learning the truth.

And that is actually a good warning to believers.

We see people who will work their fingers to the bone for a ministry,
But won’t labor just as hard in study of the word.

Friends, both are important, and the writer is asking for that here.
Be diligent to obtain hope.

And then look at his second desire.
BE IMITATORS OF THE FAITHFUL
(12) “so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

In other words, don’t be like those people with no knowledge and no hope
Who fall away from Jesus because it’s too hard.

I want you to be like those people who aren’t sluggish
And who have hope and who faithfully endure.
Those people “who through faith and patience inherit the promises”
I want you to be like them.

In fact in chapter 11, he’s actually going to name several of them.
(Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses…)
Be like those people.

• Don’t be like the apostates in Israel; those wanderers in the wilderness who had evil unbelieving hearts and fell away from God.

• Be like the faithful who stood strong and endured and claimed what God had in store for them.

And in order to be like them,
You’re going to have to quit being dull of hearing
And be diligent “to realize the…hope” that is available.

He wants them to anchor their souls.

And so here is the application for you this morning.
GET IN THE WORD AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

• I can tell you that Jesus is the Son of God
• I can tell you that He lived a sinless life
• I can tell you that His death on the cross satisfied the wrath of God
• I can tell you that He rose from the dead
• I can tell you that He ascended and now intercedes

• I can tell you that He can save you forever
• I can tell you that you can’t lose your salvation
• I can tell you that if you follow Jesus you don’t have to worship on Saturday, or
abstain from pork, or participate in Jewish festivals and sacrifices
• I can tell you that if you follow Jesus your sin is forgiven and you don’t have to
worry about condemnation any longer

I can tell you those things,
But until you do the work it will never be your own conviction.

Just this last week Tommy Bailey posted a blog on Facebook entitled “Can Christians Lose Their Salvation? What does the Bible Say?”

And it was a blog written by a man named: Wes McAdams
Who argues why a genuine Christian can lose their salvation.

IT INFURIATED ME,

But suppose you didn’t know why a believer is secure.
A blog like that can steal your hope. It can actually throw you into a tale spin of fear and anxiety, wondering if you might do something to mess everything up.
You have to study, you have to listen to God,
You have to know the truth because it’s the truth that sets you free.

• So do you want an anchored soul?

• Do you want a steadfast hope?

• Do you want the strength like the saints of old to persevere and inherit the promises?

We aren’t talking about whether or not you’re a Christian.
(Your confession of Christ,
coupled with your love for God and His people proves that)

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BEING A HAPPY CHRISTIAN,
OR A CONTENTED CHRISTIAN, OR A CHRISTIAN FILLED WITH HOPE.
AN ANCHORED CHRISTIAN – A MATURE CHRISTIAN

Do you want that?
Then “show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end”

It is the pathway to an anchored soul.

The Anchored Soul – Part 2
Hebrews 6:1-8
August 9, 2015

This morning we approach a very difficult passage of Scripture.
• It is difficult in the sense that the truth it reveals is extremely sobering.
• It is difficult in the sense that it has been subject to much misinterpretation.

The passage this morning has been used by many for years
To support the notion that a Christian can in fact lose their salvation.

Over the years someone reads about a person
• Being enlightened
• And tasting of the heavenly gift
• And partaking of the Holy Spirit
• And tasting the word of God and the powers of the age to come
• And then in verse 6 reads about them “falling away”

And says, “Aha! Genuine believers can fall away and lose their salvation.”
AND THIS IS REGRETTABLE

On one hand because genuine believers cannot lose their salvation and teaching that they can only manages to rob them of the assurance that is so beneficial and that God intended for them to enjoy.

On the other hand because it fails to address the genuine meaning and purpose of this verse and therefore misses the real message that God intended for us to see.

So people don’t get the real message, but do get a false one.
That is disheartening on both levels.

Hopefully this morning the Holy Spirit will grant us perfect understanding
And help us to heed the message God would have us to know.

As you know we are dealing people called “Hebrews”
And to quickly sum them up,
They are a people who are vacillating and confused.

They are a drifting ship
They need an anchor

They are those who have made a public profession of Jesus Christ,
But because of pressure applied by their Jewish contemporaries
They are contemplating forsaking Christ and returning to Judaism.

• They are literally being blown by ever wind
• They are being tossed by every wave
• They have nothing steady by which to help them hold fast

They need an anchor.
And that is precisely the reason the writer wrote this letter.
He is writing to provide some much needed stability
To otherwise confused people.

He is writing to show them why Jesus is true, why Jesus is worthy,
And why Jesus is all they will ever need.

And if they could wrap their minds around this truth
Then they would no longer fear the threats being fired at them.

So the writer set out to anchor their theology regarding Jesus.
Jesus is greater than the prophets
Jesus is greater than the angels
Jesus is greater than Moses
Jesus is greater than Joshua

And most recently, Jesus is greater than Aaron
Namely because Jesus isn’t a priest according to the order of Aaron.
Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

And because of this Jesus is able to save you and save you forever.
He obtained “eternal salvation”

And so the writer has been doing everything he can
To solidify the faith of these Hebrews and anchor their souls
That they no longer be tossed by every wave.

But last week he revealed the problem he’s been having.

It was the first point of this parenthetical section:
#1 HE EXPOSES THE PROBLEM
Hebrews 5:11-14

Hebrews 5:11 “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

These Hebrews that he was trying to help weren’t listening.
They refused to hear God’s truth.
So they hadn’t learned God’s truth.
So they didn’t know God’s truth.
So they couldn’t benefit from God’s truth.

Jesus is true.
Jesus can save you and save you forever.
But if you don’t know that and know why, then you are also subject to be carried away by strange teachings and every wind of doctrine.

So the writer has taken a break
From his dissertation about the greatness of Jesus
In order remind us of the necessity of having an anchored soul.
These people were not anchored and as a result
They were given to fear and confusion and anxiety and indecision.

HOWEVER, WHILE FEAR AND ANXIETY ARE REGRETTABLE,
THAT WASN’T THE REAL PROBLEM.

The real danger is that these Hebrews might respond in that fear
And turn away from Jesus.

The danger is that they might prove that their profession of Jesus
Was an empty one and leave Him to return to Judaism.

SO IN THIS PASSAGE we have the write explaining
The penalty for failing to fully embrace Christ.

If you’ll remember he has already addressed this a little.

Remember in chapter 3 where he warned them about unbelieving Israel and how God was angry at them?

Hebrews 3:12-15 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.”

The writer already warned them once.
Now he is about to do it again.

But here the warning is a little different.
In chapter 3 he warned of the danger of turning from the truth you know.
Here we see the danger of not fully accepting the truth you’ve been given.

So picture these Hebrews as if sitting on the middle bar of a see-saw.
• To move to the right is to fully embrace Christ, to listen to His message, and to fully mature in the faith.
• To move to the left is to retreat from Christ and return to Judaism and their old manner of life.

The writer is here revealing why they must not go left,
But at the same time they must go all the way to the right.

So after seeing the first point, (EXPOSES THE PROBLEM)
This morning we move on to the second.
#2 HE EXPLAINS THE PENALTY
Hebrews 6:1-8

The writer has explained what happens to those who return to Judaism,
Now he is dealing with those who fail to go all the way to Christ.

And we can break this down a little further.
1) HIS INTENTION (1-3)
“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, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits.”

Now you will notice that the writer begins here
By again referencing “the elementary” things.

Last week we saw:
Hebrews 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

And as we talked about this we said that the “elementary principles”
Were the Old Testament.
(Everything there was hands-on; you could see it, taste it, touch it)

And that is still what he is talking about here.
“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ”

That is what the Old Testament was.
It was “the elementary teaching about the Christ”
And it is clear that the writer wants them to leave it.

In fact, “leaving” translates APHIEMI (a-fee-a-me)
It means “to forsake, to put away, to disregard, to abandon”

Several times in Scripture it is translated “forgive”
With the notion that God totally disregards or puts away our sin.

Paul used it in 1 Corinthians 7 where it is translated “divorce”
Where Paul asks a believer not to “divorce” their unbelieving spouse
If that spouse is willing to live with them.

But that is precisely the idea the writer has here.
• He wants them to divorce “the elementary teaching about the Christ”
• He wants them to leave it behind
• He wants them to abandon it and move on to the new

He wants them to “press on to maturity”
He wants them to become all that God intended.

Now because of his language here, we know that he is not talking about the message of the gospel since we never abandon any of it, even the most basic teachings of it.

This writer is referring to the simple truths learned in the Old Testament
That were certainly true, but yet insufficient for salvation.

If you have the Law, but not the gospel salvation will not occur.
That is why Paul was so adamant to preach the gospel even to the Jews.

It was time for these Hebrews to leave the old and embrace the new.
“What are these elementary teachings about the Christ
That you want us to leave behind?”

“not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,”

• The Old Testament was clear in its teaching that there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is death.
• The Old Testament taught that (just as God said to Cain) that sin was crouching at the door to master you and thus must be conquered.
• The Old Testament taught the necessity of repentance from sinful living.

You could not live however you wanted,
You had to leave disobedient behavior and begin to obey God.
And obviously that message is all over the Old Testament.

BUT THE NEW TESTAMENT MESSAGE MOVES FURTHER
Since it requires not only repentance from bad works,
But repentance from a bad heart.
AND the New Testament requires not just faith toward God,
But faith in Jesus Christ.

The best illustration of this I can give you comes from
Paul’s encounter with a group of men from Ephesus.

Acts 19:1-7 “It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. There were in all about twelve men.”

Paul came across these men who obviously claimed devotion to God.
Paul’s question was “Do you have the Holy Spirit?”
(which is the chief evidence of salvation)

These men did not and so Paul knew that
Despite their piety they were not saved.

• Notice that these men had repented. (John’s baptism)
• Notice that these men certainly believed in God.

But they were lacking faith in Jesus Christ.
Repentance is good as is faith in God, but neither go far enough.
The writer of Hebrews is telling these people
To leave the simple behind and press on to what God intended.
They must fully embrace Christ.

Notice what else the writer mentions as being elementary:
(2) “instruction about washings and laying on of hands”

These were also two very basic Old Testament realities.

One of the major revelations of the Mosaic Law is that man is unclean.
(Read through Leviticus sometime)

And because of this Jews understood “washings”.
They continually had to try and clean themselves before God.

They also understood “laying on of hands”
For this is what they had to do to every single sacrifice they gave.
They laid their hands on it so as to identify with the sacrifice
And thus find atonement before God.

In short, the Old Testament taught them
Their need to be clean and their need to be forgiven,
And while that message is true, it is incomplete.

For cleansing and forgiveness are found in who? JESUS

Remember the conversation Jesus had in the upper room?
He washed their feet, but Peter didn’t want it?
When Jesus revealed the necessity, Peter said to wash everything.

John 13:10-11 “Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

John 15:3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

Jesus is our sanctification and our atonement before God.
He justifies us and cleanses us before God.

To hold on to the symbol and fail to move on to the fulfillment
Is to miss the point altogether.

And then he gives two more examples:
“and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.”

The Old Testament did mention both of these realities, but not very much.
• Job did mention a bodily resurrection.
• David did mention going to be with his son who had died.
• Solomon in Ecclesiastes mentioned that God will bring every deed to judgment
But beyond those basic realities
We didn’t get much about those truths in the Old Testament.

However the N.T. talks continually about both of those realities.
Entire chapters of the New Testament
Are devoted to the resurrection and the coming judgment.

The point obviously being that the Old Testament
Didn’t give you the clearest or fullest picture about salvation.

And the writer wants these Hebrews to leave that behind
And to pursue the truest fulfillment
Which is Christ and the message of the gospel.

John Macarthur wrote:
“The point of Hebrews 6:1-2 is simply that the unbelieving Jews should let go completely of the immature, elementary shadows and symbols of the Old Covenant and take hold of the mature and perfect reality of the New. The Holy Spirit is calling for them to leave the ABCs of repentance from dead works for the New Testament teaching of repentance toward God and new life in Christ. Leave the ABCs of faith toward God for faith in the person of Jesus Christ. Leave the ABCs of ceremonial washings for the cleansing of the soul by the Word. Leave the ABCs of laying hands on the sacrifice for laying hold of the Lamb of God by faith. Leave the ABCs of the resurrection of the dead for the full and glorious resurrection unto life. Leave the ABCs of eternal judgment for the full truth of judgment and rewards as revealed in the New Covenant.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Hebrews; Moody Press, Chicago, Ill; 1985] pg. 141)

And the writer then says:
(3) “And this we will do, if God permits”

That is to say that spiritual enlightenment and spiritual maturity
Is a matter of God’s working in an individual.

And if God grants understanding, and God grants maturity,
And God chooses to open your eyes for you to see the truth,
Then I have every intention of moving you from the old elementary covenant, into the new mature truths of the gospel.

So you see the writer’s intent.
He has left no doubt as to his desire.

I want you to abandon/divorce Judaism and move on to Christian maturity through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But as we said last week, some of these Jews are resisting that attempt.
They are “dull of hearing” and they are sluggish to respond.

So now the writer is going to reveal the penalty of failing to mature.
He is going to reveal the danger, not only of falling away,
But of failing to move all the way to Christ.
(the danger of sitting still, if you will)
So we saw his intention
2) HIS INSTRUCTION (4-6)
“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

And now we come to those misinterpreted passages
Used to say that a person can lose their salvation.

We really don’t have time to go into a full dissertation on the security of God’s believer, but let me quickly give you a foundation as to why believers are secure before we explain this text.

Believers are secure because of the sovereign will of the Father.
John 6:39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

Believers are secure because of the atonement of Christ.
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Believers are secure because of the strength of the Shepherd:
John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Believers are secure because of the sealing of the Holy Spirit:
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Believers are secure because of the resurrection of Christ:
Romans 5:8-10 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Believers are secure because of the intercession of Christ:
Romans 8:34 “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

Beyond that we already saw a couple of weeks ago that Christ brought about an “eternal salvation”

The simple reality is that we are secure because Christ fully paid our debt before the Father, rose and ascended to intercede for us, and has given us His Spirit to seal us and safely bring us home.
Well then preacher, if this is not talking about a genuine believer losing their salvation, then what is it talking about?

For it clearly speaks of someone falling away.
And someone who at the very least has a lot of spiritual familiarity.

I mean look at how he describes this person.
(4-5) “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,”

Here is the main thing you must understand about this passage.

THIS PASSAGE DOES NOT DESCRIBE A REDEEMED PERSON,
IT MERELY DESCRIBES AN EXPOSED PERSON.

In fact, NONE of the words used here to describe this individual
Are used anywhere else in Scripture to describe salvation.

They are however words used to
Describe a person who has been fully exposed to the gospel.

“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened”
This is a phrase that merely means they have been exposed to the truth.
THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THE GOSPEL.

Matthew 4:12-16 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES — “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”

Everyone there saw the light of the world.
They certainly were not all redeemed, they were merely exposed.

Luke 4:16-21 “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Again, we know they weren’t all saved,
For in a few verses they tried to throw Jesus off the cliff.
Scripture is full of people who have “once been enlightened”
But that doesn’t make them fully redeemed.

“and have tasted of the heavenly gift”

No doubt here the “heavenly gift” is Jesus Christ.
And the passage merely says they “tasted” of it.

They didn’t figuratively “eat” the sacrifice of Christ.
They never fully accepted Him, they merely dipped a toe in the water.
(Tasting a sample at a booth in SAMS is not the same as eating the entire meal.)

The writer is merely affirming that these people got a good look at Jesus.
They were afforded the opportunity to see what He was all about.

“and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,”
Many would say this must be a fully redeemed person
Since only those who are redeemed have the Holy Spirit.

That is true, but that is not what these people have.

The word “partakers” here translates METOCHOS (me-ta-kos)
And it is a word that speaks of association not possession

Rendered “partners” in Luke 5:7 speaking of fishermen
Rendered “companions” in Hebrews 1:9 speaking of Jesus and the angels

It is a word that means “associates”,
But it lacks the intimacy that a believer enjoys with the Holy Spirit.

These people were not indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
They were merely associated with Him.
They saw Him at work.
Perhaps they felt His conviction in their lives.
But they were not indwelt by Him.

It is just another way of saying that these people
Were fully exposed to salvation.
They saw the truth, they saw Jesus,
They saw the Holy Spirit at work.

(5) “and have tasted the good word of God”

There again we see the word “tasted” and again that is a word
That speaks of exposure, not full blown acceptance.

They had the privilege of hearing “the good word of God” explained.
They were able to hear what God meant in the Scriptures.
Someone allowed them to understand the message of the gospel.
“and the powers of the age to come”

These are no doubt kingdom powers.
We read back in chapter 2 that these were people who heard the message of the apostles and saw the miracles performed by their hands.

These people were given a peak, a taste,
Of what God and His kingdom looked like.

What we are talking about is a person
Who has been fully exposed to the gospel.

They have not submitted their lives to Christ,
But they do understand who Christ is and what He desires.
This is a person who knows the truth.
This is a person who knows what Christ requires.
This is a person who has felt the call of Christ on their life.

But they never exercised faith in Christ and instead they fell away.

And Scripture teaches a sobering truth about them:
(6) “and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

There is another indicator that we are not talking about lost salvation,
For if that is what this passage taught, then a person once saved and then fallen
Would never be able to be saved again.

But this isn’t talking about a person who lost their salvation.
It is talking about a person who lost their opportunity for salvation.

They heard it all, saw it all, felt it all, experienced it all…
And with all the knowledge on the table they decided to reject Christ.

They, in effect, chose to yell, “crucify!”
They found Christ unworthy of following
And decided instead to see Him dead on a cross.
AND THUS THEY CONDEMNED THEMSELVES

SO DO YOU SEE THE WRITER’S CONCERN?
That these Jews might come to a full understanding of Christ
And either fall away or fail to come all the way to Jesus.

Either way leaves you eternally condemned.

And what a warning even today!
• To those who have had the gospel explained…
• To those who have been taught the truth regarding Christ…
• To those who have actually felt the draw of the Holy Spirit…
• To those who know from the Scripture what God requires of them…
• To those who have seen firsthand the effects of salvation on a life…
And yet they still have failed to fully submit their lives to Christ.

They are trying to remain neutral and there is no neutral with Jesus.
You’re either all in or you’re all out.
You must not fall away and you must not fail to press on to maturity.

His Intention, His Instruction
3) HIS ILLUSTRATION (7-8)
“For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”

We don’t have time to examine them this morning, but it is fairly obvious that the writer has two passages of Scripture on his mind in this statement.

In your margin you can write: Isaiah 5:1-7 & Isaiah 55:8-11

Both speak of ground that God took special care to prepare.
Both speak of ground that God provided ample water for.
Both speak of God’s expectation that the ground would respond with fruit.

And that is the illustration the writer carries on here.

If you have a garden that you till and plant and water continually,
But you never get anything but goat heads out of it,
How long will you continue to water it?

And will you continue to protect it?

No “it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”

Well, the analogy is clear.
• The “ground” is any individual.
• The tilling is the preparation that person receives to respond to the gospel.
(They see the effect of the Holy Spirit and the effect of Christ)
• The “rain” is in fact the gospel, the offer of salvation.
• The crop is what that person chooses to do with the offer.

If that person responds correctly and submits to Christ
And produces fruit, then that land is cared for and watered.

If that person responds incorrectly and rejects Christ, then rest assured God will soon quit watering it and ultimately destroy it.

In other words, God won’t offer salvation forever.

Didn’t we see earlier that one of the writer’s favorite words is “Today”?
• If God has enlightened you with His word.
• If God has given you a taste of Christ.
• If God has allowed you to experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit
• If God has allowed you taste an understanding of His word
• If God has allowed you to see the effects of His kingdom

Then respond and trust Christ!
Leave the elementary behind
And push forward to full blown submission to Christ.

For the offer won’t be on the table forever
And those who know all that and yet refuse the offer
May never receive it again.

This is serious!
Isaiah 55:6-11 “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

And so the writer’s point is clear.

• I want to provide and anchor for your soul, but thus far you have refused to listen and that response is unacceptable before God.

• Failure to hear and respond to God’s truth will not only rob you of hope, but will also condemn you forever.

• You must begin to hear and respond to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.