Hard to be interpreted in speaking of it,
since ye have become dull in hearing.
For when for the time ye ought to
be teachers, ye have again need that one
should teach you what are the elements of
the beginning of the oracles of God, and
are become such as of need of milk
and not of solid food.
For every one that partakes of milk is
unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he
is a babe.
But solid food belongs to full-grown men
who on account of habit have their senses
exercised for distinguishing both good and evil.
Wherefore, leaving the word of the beginning of
the Christ, let us go on to what
belongs to full growth or perfection, not laying
again a foundation of repentance from dead works
and faith in God, of the doctrine of
washings and of imposition of hands, and of
resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment.
And this will we do, if God permit.
For it is impossible to renew again to
repentance those who once enlightened and who 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
works of power of the age to come
and have fallen away, crucifying for themselves as
they do the Son of God and making
a show of Him.
For ground which drinks the rain which comes
often upon it and produces useful herbs for
those for whose sake also it is killed
partake of blessing from God.
For bringing forth thorns and briars it is
found worthless and nigh to a curse whose
end is to be burned.
But we are persuaded concerning you, brethren, beloved,
better things, and connected with salvation even if
we speak thus.
For God is not unrighteous to forget your
work and the love which ye have shown
to His name, having ministered to the saints
and still ministering.
But we desire earnestly that each one of
you show the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope until the end that ye
be not sluggish but imitators of those who
through faith and patience have been inheritors of
the promises.
Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank Thee for
Thy precious word.
We just ask Thee to bless Thy word
breathe upon it by Thy Holy Spirit and
make Thy word living and operative to each
one of us and to Thee be all
the glory in the name of our Lord
Jesus.
Amen.
We mentioned before that the book of Hebrews
is a book of exhortation because in chapter
13, verse 22 the writer tells us very
clearly the reason why he wrote this book.
It is for the sake of exhortation.
In this letter we find at least five
distinctive exhortations and by exhortation it means a
call, attention to, to encourage and also to
warn against something.
There are all together five distinctive exhortations in
this letter of Hebrews.
The first one, the first exhortation is centered
upon this matter of so great salvation.
Now dear brothers and sisters, the salvation that
we receive, the salvation that we have heard
from our Lord Jesus and then from the
apostles and from those who receive from them.
This salvation that we have heard is so
great salvation.
It is not something small.
It is great and it is so great
that you cannot describe it.
So the author just says so great salvation.
And this salvation has something to do not
only with our sins forgiven, receiving eternal life,
going to heaven, now these are great, but
this so great salvation has something to do
with glory.
That the only begotten Son of God shall
come into this world to accomplish such a
great salvation that he who is the only
begotten has now become the firstborn among many
brethren and he is to bring many sons
who are conformed to his image into glory.
Now this is so great salvation.
And because salvation is such a great salvation,
therefore we need to take heed abundantly to
pay very close attention to what we have
heard, lest it slips away from us or
we drift away from it.
Through negligence we may lose it and what
a loss it will be.
So that is the first exhortation.
You'll find that in chapter one and chapter
two of the book of Hebrews.
Then we find the second exhortation.
The second exhortation is centered upon this matter
of the heavenly calling.
We have a heavenly calling.
We are called to be the house of
God, that God may dwell among us.
And what a holy house it must be.
We are called to be the companions of
Christ, the partakers of Christ.
And we are called to enter into his
rest, that we may rest in his rest.
Now this is our heavenly calling.
And because the calling is so heavenly, we
are encouraged to consider him, who is the
great apostle of our confession.
Our Lord Jesus is the apostle of our
confession.
God has sent him into this world to
accomplish such a great work.
And he has gone before as a forerunner
into the very heaven itself.
Therefore we need to consider him, to obey
him, to listen to him, and to follow
him.
And we need to encourage one another as
long as it is today.
Because today is the day of salvation.
We need to encourage one another.
We need to have a holy fear, lest
we miss it, lest we do not fulfill
our calling.
And we need to use diligence to enter
into that rest.
The warning against us is that lest we
have a wicked heart of unbelief.
The heart is the most important thing in
our relationship with God.
If our heart is deceived by sin, then
our heart can get so hardened that we
cease to believe in God and believe in
what he can do for and in us.
And because of this heart of unbelief, we
may fall away from the living God.
So this is the second exhortation.
Now this morning we would like to enter
into the third exhortation.
Now you will find that in chapter five,
chapter six, and chapter seven.
The third exhortation is centered upon this matter
of perfection.
Now in chapter six, verse one, it is
said, Wherefore, leaving the word of the beginning
of the Christ, let us go on to
what belongs to full growth.
Now in some version you will find let
us go on to perfection.
Now whether you find your version is full
growth or perfection, in the Greek original it
is the same word.
The word perfection means completeness, fulfillment, actual
achievement of the end in view.
Therefore it means full growth or maturity.
You know, among God's people, roughly speaking, there
are two different stages in our Christian life.
One stage is babyhood, and the other stage
is manhood or womanhood.
When we first believe in the Lord Jesus,
we become babes in Christ.
We are born again, we are born with
a new life, we are born into the
family of God, but even though we are
born from above, and we are born into
God's family, but at that time we are
just babes.
I think everybody loves baby.
But babyhood is just the first stage of
life.
It is beautiful within its time, but when
it is time for us to grow up
and to outgrow babyhood into manhood or womanhood,
and yet we do not grow, then it
becomes the most ugly thing in life, because
a life is born, and yet the life
is never able to arrive its end.
It is a waste.
Instead of fulfilling its purpose.
Therefore we find that after a baby is
born, we nourish that baby, we cherish that
baby, we help that baby to grow, and
one day when that baby grows into manhood
or womanhood, then the purpose of that life
in that soul is fulfilled.
Now the same thing is true in the
spiritual realm.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we
are born again, we become babes in Christ.
Now what are the marks of babyhood?
Number one, a baby needs milk.
A baby is not able to consume solid
food.
He needs milk.
Now what is milk?
Milk is pre-digested food.
Somebody has digested the food for you.
Your mother has digested the food, and the
food has transformed into milk, and so she
is able to feed you with milk.
You cannot digest yourself, so somebody else has
digested it for you, and you just receive
the nutrition out of it.
Now that's milk.
It also means, spiritually, the beginning of the
oracles of God, or the beginning of the
word of Christ.
Milk is that which nourishes us in giving
us the knowledge of initial salvation.
It tells us Christ, His divinity, His humanity,
that He is the Son of God, who
has become the Son of Man.
It tells us of how He died on
the cross, He has borne our sins upon
Him, and He died for us.
It tells us how He is raised from
the dead.
It tells us how He is now in
heaven.
Now all these, the beginning of the word
of Christ, the first element of the gospel,
now these are milk.
Now a baby can only consume milk.
He is not able to take in solid
food.
He is not ready for it.
Number two, a baby is not skilled in
the word of righteousness, as we find in
Hebrews chapter five.
For everyone that partakes of milk is unskilled
in the word of righteousness, for he is
a baby.
He is not skillful in the word of
righteousness.
In other words, what he knows is the
word of grace.
All he desires is grace.
Give me this and give me that.
That is why the baby is crying out.
But he has no knowledge.
He is unskilled in the word of righteousness.
In other words, how should I be right?
How should I live rightly before God?
What should be my rightful relationship with God,
with my brothers and sisters, and with one
another?
He is not skilled in the word of
righteousness.
Not only he is not skilled, but he
is scared of the word of righteousness, because
he thinks it is hard words, too much
for him.
He is not ready for it.
Not a baby.
According to 1 Corinthians 3.1, Paul said,
I wrote you before, and I treated you
as babes, as fleshy.
Now, in your Bible you may find sometimes
translated carnal.
And yet you find in 1 Corinthians 3
.1 and 3, you have the word carnal,
or fleshly.
But in the original, there is a little
variation.
In 3.1 of 1 Corinthians, And I,
brethren, have not been able to speak to
you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly,
as to babes in Christ.
Now, the word fleshly, or carnal there, in
the original, is sakinos.
Which means, fleshy.
F-L-E-S-H-Y.
Fleshy.
That means, the material you are made with.
When you are a babe, that's what you
are.
You are just flesh.
That's what you are made with.
You know?
But then, in the third verse, Indeed, ye
are not able, for ye are yet carnal.
Now, that word carnal, or fleshly, is fleshly.
Sakinos.
It means, not only the material you are
made of, but a moral condition that goes
with it.
Dear brothers and sisters, when we are babes,
we are fleshy.
Will you forgive me if I say this?
Because we find that all the babies are
so innocent, so beautiful, so lovely, but do
you know that the babes are most fleshy?
It's all flesh.
So self-centered.
A babe never cares whether it is day
or night.
If he is hungry, it is hungry, he
cries.
No matter whether you are ready or not
ready for him, he is ready.
And that's all that matters.
He is fleshy.
But, dear brothers and sisters, even though he
is fleshy, he is innocent.
And that's the reason why we bear with
it.
And we even love it.
But, if that baby should never grow up,
according to the time, he should be man,
or she should be woman.
And yet, she or he still acts as
if he is a babe.
This, in the scripture, called fleshly.
There is a moral condition attaching to it,
which is not very pleasing.
So, dear brothers and sisters, a babe in
Christ is fleshy.
But that is just for a period.
It should not continue.
If it should continue long, it becomes a
serious problem.
And that's the reason why a child has
to be disciplined that fleshy has to be
broken, so that he or she may grow
up into maturity.
Now, number four.
The mark of a babe is that he
will act, walk according to man.
Now, even though he is a believer, and
yet when a believer is in the baby
stage, really, the way that he lives, the
way that he walks, the way even he
talks, you find he is according to man.
He is not very different from what the
people around him are.
And sometimes you wonder whether he is saved.
Well, he is saved, but he is still
a baby.
He hasn't grown up yet.
And then finally, the mark of a babe,
as we find in Ephesians chapter four, a
babe is one who is easily tossed to
and fro by every wing of doctrine according
to the system of man.
In other words, a babe can be easily
swayed.
When he hears one thing, he falls to
it.
When he hears another thing, he falls to
it.
You find he is changing all the time.
There is not that stability, that establishing in
his life.
Well, that shows he is just a babe.
He is so exposed to every influence, every
wind.
When the wind blows this way, he goes
this way.
When it blows that way, he goes that
way.
And these are the marks of babyhood.
It is the will of God.
That we should outgrow that babyhood.
That we should grow into perfection.
We should grow into maturity.
Now, of course, there is a slight difference
when you compare the physical and the spiritual.
In the physical, you begin as a babe,
and if everything goes alright, then maybe after
20 years, you grow into manhood, or womanhood.
Now, in China, we often say, you have
to wait until you are 30 years old.
Then you are established.
Maybe in this country, it is earlier.
But somehow, you find that you need a
certain time, and after certain years have passed,
then it seems almost naturally, you enter into
maturity.
Into full growth.
But in the spiritual realm, there is a
little difference.
It is true that years should mantle a
person.
That we do need time to grow.
Now, that is true.
But this is not proportionally true.
In other words, someone can grow out of
babyhood into manhood quicker than some other people.
It is not as in the natural life
that it has to be 20 years, or
30 years.
Some people may grow faster.
Other people may grow slower.
And the reason is, it has to do
something with our heart, condition, and desire.
If we desire to grow, if we seek
for perfection, then you'll find there is chance
for you to grow faster and earlier.
But if you are dull and sluggish, you
are so contented to be a babe, isn't
that strange?
That you should be contented to be a
babe.
I wonder if any baby is contented to
be a baby.
I think the desire of the baby that
the baby may grow.
They don't want to remain as babes, or
how they long that they may grow up.
You know, I have a sister, of course,
at that time she is the youngest sister,
and she is only a few years old,
and one day she and my cousin, another
sister of her age, and two of them
were sitting on the stairway, and they were
talking to each other, and they were complaining,
and people overheard them, and what they heard
was, these two little girls were complaining to
each other that they are the youngest of
the family, and they are not happy with
it, because they see these big sisters and
big brothers, and how they want to grow
to be like the big sister and big
brothers, and being so small, they are in
a disadvantaged position.
They are not happy with it.
Now, isn't it strange?
Children like to grow, but grown-up like
to become children.
We don't want to grow.
We want to remain as babes.
Now, what is perfection?
The word perfection, in the New Testament, does
not speak of seamless perfect.
There is only one man, in the whole
world, who is seamless perfect, or perfection in
the absolute sense, and that is our Lord
Jesus.
He is the only one who is seamless
perfect.
And even He who is so perfect, in
the book of Hebrews, chapter 5, it says,
even He, the Son, has to learn obedience
through the things which He has suffered.
And after He has been perfected, then He
becomes the author of our eternal salvation.
Now, brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus is
perfect.
So far as Himself is concerned, He is
perfect in the absolute sense.
And yet He has to learn obedience.
Why?
Because as the Son of God, He knows,
as the Son of God, He is God.
And as God, how can He know obedience?
God owns.
God is the authority.
And therefore you will find, when the Lord
Jesus came into this world, there is something
He had to learn.
He had to learn obedience.
Obedience to His Heavenly Father.
And He learned obedience through the things which
He has suffered.
And thus He is perfected to be the
author of our eternal salvation.
In other words, He has accomplished the goal.
He is able to, through His obedience, through
His suffering, He is able to accomplish the
work of redemption that He is sent for.
And thus He becomes the author of our
eternal salvation.
Now this is about the Lord Jesus.
Now how about us?
We are not seamless perfect.
We never will be.
Until we are enclosed with this old tabernacle.
And we are closed with a new building,
that is a spiritual body.
And only then and there we will not
sing anymore.
So dear brothers and sisters, perfection, according to
the New Testament, when it applies to believers,
it means maturity.
Growing up.
Full growth.
We need to grow up.
We need to mature.
We should not remain as babes in Christ.
Now what is growing up?
What is maturity?
Now it doesn't mean that after we believe
in the Lord Jesus, maybe 3 years, 5
years, and during these 3 or 5 years,
we grow in the knowledge of the Word.
Now thank God we need to grow in
the knowledge of the Word.
Or we grow in the times of our
fellowship, that we come together, we need to
do that.
But strictly speaking, growing up, maturity, simply means
the life of Christ, or the measure of
Christ, is increased in us.
Now that is growth.
In other words, it is not just a
growth in our mind.
After we believe in the Lord Jesus, we
may attain services every Sunday, and we have
heard many sermons, many messages, so our mind
is stocked with many messages, many teachings, many
doctrines, and we think we grow.
Well, no, that is not the meaning of
growth here.
That is not perfection.
Growth doesn't mean that you become very active
in the church.
Now, we need to be active in the
church.
Every member of the body of Christ has
to be active.
If a member is not active, sooner or
later it will be paralyzed.
Would you rather be a paralyzed member in
the body of Christ, or you want to
be an active member of the body of
Christ?
Now, being an active member, sometimes you have
to be disciplined.
Now that's true.
If you are paralyzed, it's beyond discipline.
But, whether you want to be an active
member of the body of Christ or not,
I think we need to be active.
But, it doesn't mean that after you have
believed in the Lord Jesus, and you have
engaged in many so-called Christian activities, therefore
you have grown.
Not at all.
The point is, whether Christ has increased in
you.
When you believe in Him, you know Him
as your Savior.
Now, whether your knowledge of Christ, your knowing
Him, that is experientially, not mentally, but experientially.
Have you experienced Christ in an increasing additional
degree?
More abundantly.
You remember Paul said to know Him.
Now, Paul already knew Him.
He met Him on the road of Damascus.
And Paul has served the Lord for many
years.
He was now in prison in Rome, for
the gospel's sake.
And yet his cry is still to know
Him.
Oh, that I may know Him.
To know the power of His resurrection.
To have fellowship with His suffering.
To be conformed to His death.
That I may arrive at the resurrection, select
resurrection, out of death.
This is full growth, maturity.
Oh, that we may continue to know Him.
We may continue to grow in His life.
That His life may be formed, that He
may be formed in us.
And we may be fully conformed to His
image.
Now, that is maturity.
And this is something that we must press
on.
We must.
If we are contented with the little of
Christ that we know, thank God the little
we know, so far as itself is concerned,
is great.
Why?
Because we know Jesus Christ as the Son
of God, as Christ.
We know Him as our personal Savior.
Now, that's great.
But if we are just contented with the
little that we know of Christ, and we
refuse to press on to know Him more,
to experience Him more, brothers and sisters, we
will remain as babes.
And we will be a sorrow to God.
Not to say to ourselves.
Some people do not want to grow.
Because with growth there is responsibility.
We want to be babes.
Let other people take responsibility for us.
We give them problems and let them bear
the responsibilities.
And you know, among believers, there are believers
like that.
They don't want to take any responsibility.
So they don't want to grow.
And with responsibility, of course, there has to
be suffering.
Suffering goes with responsibility.
And they are afraid of suffering.
Afraid to pay the cost.
And because of that they stay in babyhood.
Dear brothers and sisters, what is the will
of God for His people?
The will of God for His people is
that we may grow up into sonship.
In John 1, verse 12, anyone who believes
Him, who receives Him, that is, believes in
His name, he is given authority to become
a child of God.
Thank God for that.
When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we
become children of God.
We become little children, babes in Christ.
Thank God for that.
But what is the purpose of God in
saving us?
What is the purpose of God concerning us?
He does not want just babies.
He is not open a nursery.
He wants grown-up sons.
People who can share responsibility with Him.
That is God's purpose.
God's purpose concerning you is sonship.
In Galatians, chapter 4, we are told, in
the fullness of time, when God sent His
Son into this world, born of women, born
under the law, that He may deliver us
from the curse of law, that we may
receive sonship.
That's what God wants.
He wants you to be sons and daughters.
He wants you to grow up.
Now, if this is God's will for you,
do you think you can sit back and
say, I'm quite happy just to be babes.
You may be happy now, but one day
you will be sorrowful.
And not to say, your Heavenly Father is
sorrowful all the time.
So here you will find there is a
very important thing before us.
God's will is that we go on to
full growth.
He doesn't want any one of us to
remain as babes.
You have believed in the Lord how many
years?
You know, Paul, when he wrote to the
Corinthians, he was in Corinth for a year
and a half, he left them for a
few years, and he wrote this first letter
to the Corinthians, and he said, according to
this time, you should be teachers.
You shouldn't be babes anymore.
I should be able to share with you
meat, but I'm not able to.
Why?
You are still carnal.
You haven't grown.
And the same thing you'll find in the
letter to the Hebrews.
According to the time, we do not know
how many years have passed, I wonder, probably
it won't be too many years.
Now, according to the time, you should be
teachers.
You should be able to teach others.
But unfortunately you are still babes.
You are not able to consume solid food.
You are still looking for milk, and nothing
but milk.
Isn't that a sad thing?
Are we so dull in our hearing?
Are we so sluggish?
Have we become so lazy?
So indifferent, so careless, that we cease to
grow?
Dear brothers and sisters, do you know, the
only safety for us is to...
If you stand put, you do not stand
put, you go backward.
If you slow down, you not only stop,
but you go back.
The only way for us is to go
on.
So, here you'll find in Hebrews chapter 6,
verse 1, he said, Wherefore, leaving the word
of the beginning of the Christ, let us
go on, or let us press on to...
The exhortation is to press on.
Leaving the word of the beginning of the
Christ.
Now, the word of the beginning of the
Christ, or the word of the foundation.
In other words, these are foundation truths.
What are the beginning, the word of the
beginning of Christ?
You'll find in verse 2, starting from verse
1, Not laying again a foundation of repentance
from dead words, and faith in God.
Here you'll find three sets of teachings, of
doctrines.
The first set is repentance of from dead
works and faith in God.
Now, we need to repent from dead works.
Now, it doesn't say repentance from sins.
Now, we all know we need to repent
of our sins.
But it says repent from dead works.
And the dead works here are good works.
You know, when we first realize that we
have sinned, you know what we do?
We try to do some good works to
cover up our sins, or to substitute our
sins, or to redeem our sins.
Now, these are dead works.
Why?
Because these are works done by the dead
man.
Good works, but come out of the dead
man.
Dead in sins and transgressions.
And dear brothers and sisters, you know, unless
the Holy Spirit shows you you need to
repent of that, most people depend on that.
Most people depend on their good works.
When they realize that they have sinned, they
try to depend on their good works to
go to God.
But one day the Holy Spirit will show
you that your works are dead.
You need to repent from your dead works.
That is, you should see that it is
utterly undependable.
Just like the fig leaves that Adam and
Eve made to put on themselves an apron.
They think that this will cover their nakedness.
But the wind blows.
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to repent
from dead works.
And only when we repent from dead works,
then we have our faith in God.
In other words, we cease to believe in
ourselves anymore.
There is nothing to trust.
We believe in God and in what He
has provided for us.
So, this is the first set.
It is the past.
We have repented.
We have believed.
Now, the second set is of the doctrine
of washing and of imposition of hands.
Now, notice it is not washing.
It is the doctrine of washing.
In other words, you find here there are
two sets of teachings.
One teaching is concerning washing, or baptism.
The other is concerning imposition of hands, laying
on of hands.
Now, these two teachings are also foundation teachings.
Why?
Because the teaching of baptism is union with
Christ.
We who are baptized are baptized unto Christ.
We are baptized with Christ in His death,
burial and resurrection.
So, the teaching of baptism is the teaching
of the union with Christ.
Thank God for this union.
And what is the teaching of the laying
on of hands?
It is the union of the body.
In other words, we, through the laying on
of hands, we are identified with one another.
And that's the reason why you'll find Ananias
came to Paul and put his hand upon
Paul and said, Brother, God opened your eyes.
In other words, here you'll find Ananias identified
himself with Paul.
And through the laying on of hands, Paul
was identified with Ananias.
Into the body of Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the present.
We are united with Christ and we are
united with one another in the body of
Christ.
And then the third set of the foundation
truth is resurrection of the dead and of
eternal punishment, judgment.
This is the future.
In the future, there will be the resurrection
of the dead.
And those who believe in the Lord Jesus,
we will be resurrected from the dead, we
will put on a spiritual body and enter
into life.
And those who are not of the Lord,
they too will be resurrected a thousand years
later, but they will appear before the great
white throne and be judged unto eternal death.
So here you'll find resurrection of the dead
and of eternal judgment that concerns the future.
So brothers and sisters, here you'll find these
three sets of teachings are the beginning word
of the beginning of Christ.
These are the foundation truth.
And thank God, we must have that foundation.
If you do not have that foundation, you
are not the Lord's.
You do not belong to the Lord.
But if you have the foundation, then you
belong to the Lord.
You are the Lord's.
Now thank God, the foundation is already laid.
But after the foundation is laid, then what?
So the Bible says, leaving the word of
the beginning of the Christ, let us press
on to perfection, not laying again the foundation.
Now this is not in contradiction to chapter
three, verse fourteen.
For we are become companions of the Christ,
it indeed would hold the beginning of the
assurance firm to the end.
Here you'll find we have to hold the
beginning firm to the end.
And here in chapter six you'll find leaving
the word of the beginning of the Christ.
Now is there any contradiction?
No.
So far as the beginning is the root
out of which we grow, we never leave
it.
It is always there.
The foundation is always there.
In other words, you don't leave off the
foundation.
It is there.
And out of that, you grow up.
But so far as the beginning is just
a commencement of something for the future, then
you have to leave the commencement and go
ahead.
Otherwise, you are just circling around the foundation
and you never move forward.
You know, you will be like the children
of Israel.
They were saved, delivered out of Egypt, and
they were supposed to go into the promised
land.
But somehow you'll find they wander in the
wilderness, making circle in the wilderness, never outgrow
it.
Dear brothers and sisters, you have been saved
for three years now.
Maybe five years, maybe ten years, maybe more.
Where are you now?
Are you growing up in Christ?
Are you still in babyhood?
All these mocks of babyhood still characterize your
life?
Or is it Christ has begun to be
formed in you that He may be seen
and heard by other people?
That you may be a blessing to other
people?
Or have you pressed on?
You know, pressing on needs a little effort.
Now, if you don't exert any effort, take
it easy.
You drift.
You have to apply yourself to what God
is calling you.
You have to set your heart upon Him.
You have to desire to know Him.
You have to be willing to suffer and
to pay the cost.
Dear brothers and sisters, only when you press
on, then there will be full growth.
It is not automatic.
After twenty years you are automatically a man.
No.
It has to depend on how you respond,
how you desire, how you press on.
So we need to leave the beginning behind.
That doesn't mean that you leave off the
foundation.
The foundation is already there.
If the foundation is not there, then you
need to lay the foundation.
But if the foundation is already there, there
is no way to relay it.
That is what is said here.
There is no way to relay it.
For it is impossible to renew again to
repentance.
Those once enlightened and who 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 works of
the power of the age to come.
It is impossible to renew again.
Now the word renew in the original means
entirely new.
It is not just remodeling.
You know, renovate.
No.
It means start all over again.
Make it entirely new.
A fresh start.
He said, if you have already been enlightened.
Now you have been enlightened.
The Holy Spirit has convicted you of your
sins.
And you have repented and believed in the
Lord Jesus.
And who have tasted of the heavenly gift.
The heavenly gift is Christ.
The bread of life.
He is our life.
That is the heavenly gift.
Eternal life.
And made partakers of the Holy Spirit.
If you believe in the Lord Jesus, the
Holy Spirit dwells in you.
You have been made partakers of the Holy
Spirit.
And have tasted the good word of God.
The word tasted here doesn't mean that you
have heard only.
Doesn't mean that you have only understand it
in your mind.
No.
The word tasted means that you have tasted
it.
You have enjoyed it.
You have experienced it.
That it is real.
It is very real and enjoyable.
Now you have enjoyed the word of God.
Thank God if you are saved.
You love the word of God.
You enjoy it.
You taste it.
It's sweeter than honeycomb.
And then you have tasted the words of
the power of the age to come.
That is the power of the Holy Spirit.
The gift of the Holy Spirit.
You have tasted that.
Now in other words, here you find a
person who is saved.
Soundly saved.
The foundation is already laid.
Now for such a person it is impossible
to relay the foundation.
Why?
Because the foundation is already there.
And for him to have fallen away if
he has fallen away.
Now what is falling away?
Falling away is falling away from the goal.
There is a goal.
And the goal is perfection.
Full growth.
And if you fall away from the goal
and if you can relay the foundation that
means if you can really really repent as
if you have never believed in the Lord
Jesus it will be like crucifying the Son
of God the second time.
It is impossible.
So dear brothers and sisters once you are
enlightened once you have received the new life
once you have received the Holy Spirit once
you have tasted the good word of God
once you have tasted the works of the
power of God in other words you have
the foundation in your life remember this foundation
can never be relayed.
It is there.
If you fall away if you fall away
from the goal of perfection if you become
dull become sluggish stand back do not grow
what happens?
Well, it is true.
Falling away is a serious thing.
And in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 we are
told if anyone thinks that he stands take
care lest he fall.
The same word.
The children of Israel they fall and fall
and fall until finally at Cadiz Bernia they
fell again and there was no point of
return.
But dear brothers and sisters who are we
to say to anyone you are beyond repentance
that you are finished.
Because you have fallen away you are finished.
Now the writer of the Hebrew said but
we think better things about you even though
I am talking this way but you are
better than that.
You haven't fallen away to the point of
no return.
That's apostasy.
You have fallen away because you become dull.
Because you become sluggish.
Because you are not diligent.
That's why you have fallen away.
So if that is the reason what should
you do?
If you realize that you have fallen away
what should you do?
You cannot go back to the very beginning
before you are saved and be saved again
and lay the foundation.
You cannot do that.
Then what do you do?
Get up and go ahead.
That's what you do.
Suppose I come to this place from my
home and I am walking.
In the midway I fall.
Now what do I do?
Do I roll back to my home then
get up and start walking again?
Nonsense.
If I fall down I got up and
walk forward until I arrive here.
Dear brothers and sisters this is what the
scripture is trying to tell us.
Suppose there is one who has fallen away.
You cannot start from the very beginning because
the foundation is there.
There is no way to do it again.
Now what do you do?
Get up.
Go on.
That's what you do.
For ground which drinks the rain which comes
often upon it and produces useful herbs for
those for whose sakes also it is killed
partakers of blessings from God but bringing forth
thorns and briars it is found worthless and
nigh to a curse whose end is to
be burned.
It is like a ground that receives rain
from above.
You know the seed is already there and
the rain comes upon it and the rain
should bring forth the herbs for those who
kill it that is to say for God.
God has put the seed in you the
life in you and He is raining His
blessing from above upon you in order that
you may produce fruit for His pleasure.
Now that's what it should be but if
you do not produce the herbs for His
purpose instead you wasted all the blessings of
God in your life and you produce thorns
and briars.
Now what are thorns and briars?
We are told that thorns are aborted fruit.
They're thorny.
In other words, instead of bearing fruit for
God you live according to the flesh.
You just want to do what you want
to do you don't care about God and
if you go on like that you waste
the grace of God you produce thorns and
briars and what will happen?
You will become worthless to God.
You're worthless to God.
And nigh to a curse.
Underline the word nigh.
It's not curse, but nigh to a curse.
Very close.
Whose end is to be burned.
Now what is burned?
The thorns and briars are burned.
The ground cannot be burned.
In other words, the foundation is Christ.
He can never be burned.
But what you build upon that foundation will
all be burned.
And this is 1 Corinthians 3.
But thank God, the writer said but we
are persuaded concerning you beloved better things.
You're better than that.
You're not that bad yet.
You're very helpful.
So brothers and sisters take heart and if
we have fallen away if we have become
dull in hearing if we become sluggish if
our hearts become hardened if we have fallen
away dear brothers and sisters may the Spirit
of God speak to you and get you
up and push you on that you may
press on to perfection.
There is still time for that.
We do not have much more time.
But there is still time.
I often thank God for today.
Because as long as there is today there
is opportunity.
Let us press on to perfection.
But we desire earnestly that each one of
you show the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope unto the end that ye
be not sluggish but imitators of those who
through faith and patience have been inheritors of
the promises.
Dear brothers and sisters what is perfection?
Perfection of full growth is to inherit the
promises of God.
Not just to inherit one promise but to
inherit all the promises of God.
In other words in this section of the
book of Hebrews you'll find what we need
to consider is to consider Jesus as the
High Priest of our Confession.
In the second exhortation we need to consider
Christ as the Apostle of our Confession.
Because it is connected with the calling.
But in this matter of perfection we need
to consider Jesus as the High Priest of
our Confession.
He is our High Priest.
Not according to the order of Aaron that
he did when he died on the cross
and when he offered himself and brought that
blood to heaven.
But after he is seated at the right
hand of the Father he is our High
Priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Dear brothers and sisters to know Christ as
our Savior is milk.
To know Christ as our High Priest after
the order of Melchizedek is solid food.
How can we grow unless we know Him
as our High Priest?
You remember where Abraham came back from the
battle?
Melchizedek?
The High Priest met him and gave him
bread and wine and blessed him strengthened him.
Dear brothers and sisters this is a picture
of Christ our High Priest after the order
of Melchizedek.
We have received His life in us.
But how can we live upon this earth
a heavenly life?
Where comes the power of living a heavenly
life?
Where comes the power of overcoming temptations?
Where comes the power of reaching the goal
that God has set before us?
Unless we know Him as our High Priest.
You know He is our High Priest.
He is the mediator of the New Covenant.
In other words, God has given us the
New Covenant.
In the New Covenant you have all the
promises of God.
And Christ as our High Priest is to
mediate the New Covenant.
That is to say, to bring the blessings
of the New Covenant to us.
And that is why He intercedes for us.
At the right hand of the Father they
lay for us.
And as He intercedes the Holy Spirit in
us begins to work in every one of
us.
And the Holy Spirit is working to bring
us into all the fullness of the promises
of God.
That we may inherit the promises of God.
Now that's what it is.
If you do not depend upon Christ as
your High Priest whom are you depending upon
for your daily life?
You depend on yourself?
You try to live a Christian life?
You try to live a victorious life?
You try to live a heavenly life but
you find you're bound for it?
You cannot do it.
But thank God if you depend on Him
who is now at the right hand of
God making intercession for you then you'll find
through the supply of the Holy Spirit you
will be able to experience the power of
that heavenly life and to inherit all the
promises of God.
Now, this is the way the secret into
perfection.
May I put it this way without Christ
as your High Priest perfection is impossible.
But with Christ as our High Priest perfection
is yours.
But the promises of God are not automatically
coming upon you.
Not because God has a promise.
Therefore, automatically you inherit it now.
All the promises of God depend on your
response to the working of the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit works in you you'll
respond with faith and patience.
Then you'll inherit.
But if you do not respond with faith
and you're impatient you don't inherit.
And that's the reason why in the last
part of chapter six you'll find an example
is given, Abraham.
Abraham inherits the promise of God.
Why?
Because he believed and he was patient.
Dear brothers and sisters thank God for all
His promises.
Through the precious promises we may grow into
sonship.
The promises are all there.
Given to you through these promises you may
live a godly life.
You may enter into perfection.
But how are you to inherit all these
promises?
Faith.
You must believe.
When the Holy Spirit brings God's promise to
your attention believe it.
And not only believe it patiently wait for
it.
Abraham God called him out of Ur of
Chaldea and God promised him or how he
waited patiently believing until he got the promise.
So may the Lord help us.
Brothers and sisters again let us conclude by
saying perfection full growth sonship is God's purpose
for every child of God.
This is what you need to aim at.
Never be contented to remain as babes in
Christ.
Press on to perfection.
Do not be sluggish and dull.
Be diligent knowing Christ as your High Priest.
After the order of Melchizedek that means after
the power of indissoluble life and by faith
and patience inherit the promise like our father
of belief Abraham.
So may the Lord help us.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father do you impress upon our
hearts that it is thy will for us
to grow into perfection.
Do not allow us to remain as babes.
But Lord we pray that thou will create
such a longing for thyself that we may
press on to know thee and to full
growth.
And our Father we do acknowledge that by
ourselves we cannot make it.
But we know that thy Son our Lord
Jesus Christ is now seated at thy right
hand as our High Priest interceding for us
that he may save us to the uttermost
of all who approach him approach thee through
him.
So Father we just ask thee to open
our eyes to see Christ as our High
Priest that we may daily depend upon him
and through the working of the Holy Spirit
by faith and patience inherit the inheritance.
We ask in the name of our Lord
Jesus.
Amen.