Standing on the Promises, Heeding the Warning
First B Jackson
2019-09-22

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Would you stand with me and we're going to sing a few hymns this morning? Standing on the promises is first. So, you can't do that just sitting on the premises. Would you stand up? We're going to sing.

Hymn number four ten.

Beautiful. Standing on the promises of Christ my king through eternal ages let his praise ring glory in the highest I will shout and sing standing on the promises of God standing standing on the promises of God my savior standing on the promises that cannot fail when the howling storms of doubt and fear us sail by the living word of God I shall prevail standing on the promises of God standing on the promises of God my savior standing standing I'm standing on the promises of God standing on the promises I now can see perfect present cleansing in the blood for me standing in the liberty where Christ makes free standing on the promises of God standing standing on the promises of God my savior I'm standing on the promises of God standing on the promises of Christ the Lord bound to him eternally by love's on the promises of God. Last verse. Standing on the promises I cannot fall. Listening every moment to the spirit's call.

Resting in my savior as my all in all standing on the promises of God standing standing on the promises of God my savior standing on the promises of God Amen. There's a hope filled song right there. Amen.

That's good. That I I hope that I remember to come back to several lines from that during the sermon but. One of my favorite. Somebody raise your hand. At the cross, hymn number three twenty three, we'll sing At the Cross.

Also filled with hope.

And did my washing face while Calvary's cross my heart in thankfulness and melt my eyes to tears at the cross at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away it was there by faith I received my sight here lord I give myself away is all that I can do at the cross at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away it was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy the day.

Amen. Y'all can have a seat and have a few announcements.

Do you say all? Happy out there.

There's lot.

Happy all the day. That's happy all the day.

It's very good. At the cross, it's good. Good place to live life. We have few announcements. Monday nights at First B is happening 06:00 tomorrow evening down the hall.

We have going to have meal, music, and a message. It is the sixth in a series of seven of Power of Words and Carl has just been really really stressing the importance of encouragement and how damaging also harsh words can be hard words can be but it's a good one. Six out of seven, you don't have to have heard the other one for it to be good. So, six sermon on the power of words. Monday nights at first B, that's happening meal, music, and a message tomorrow night.

At the same time that Awana is happening right here, you see the game circle on the floor in this room. That is so that the kids can come in. They have games. They have scripture memorization. Lots of different council time and volunteers that are helping.

If you want to volunteer, we can always use more. But that's a receptive audience for the gospel. These kids and we're doing it from two years old all the way up through fifth grade and when they get to sixth grade, they're helping out with the little ones again. So, that's a good program. My wife, Tanya, is in Kenya.

That Kenyan flag is to remind me to tell y'all about it. I know I've been keeping in touch with her and she's got a there are a few pictures here. So, the school, Maisha Moppy Learning Center where she went to help out with these very, very, very poor kids. The school is situated on the hillside with the dump behind them. And this dump is where most of the families whose kids attend that school live.

They live in the dump. So they took before school started last or or this weekend, some point, they took lunch out and fed people, anyone who showed up and so you see right there, that's what's going on. This is one of the teachers and one of the students. That's Martin. Martin says when he grows up, he wants to be a pastor.

He we met him earlier in the year when Carl and Pascal and Tanya and I all went. We met Martin and visited his home together. So, Tanya is teaching and encouraging teachers and spending as much time as she can with the kids right there where they live. Encouraging and feeding, this is a drum kit that the African beat is a lot easier to keep if you have a drum kit. So when we were there in February before we left, we ended up helping by bass amp and drum kit for them before we left and they're using it at the Movuno Church that's them at church.

Imma invite Anne Stocker, would you come forward right now and tell us about engaging God's work? This one is.

Hey, good morning everybody. I I normally am at the first service but I'm so delighted to invite all of you to a Bible study that's going to be starting this upcoming week. It's going to they have two options, Wednesday, during the day, as well as Thursday evening and the details are are in the bulletin. We are going to be engaging God's word and we're going to be studying Galatians and the whole idea, it's it's created and put out by community Bible study out of Colorado Springs, Colorado and it's been going for about forty five years. We will be joining about half a million people around the world.

They do an official community Bible study but we're gonna do our version and we're gonna praise the Lord. But I wanna say two little things then hopefully this will be an inspiration. Number one this is co ed so you can do it with your spouse, can do it with your girlfriend, you can bring your kids, your whatever. So last year we did Hebrews so that means when the Hebrews folks listen to the Sunday sermon it's like fireworks going off in our brains I mean it's so great so if you've had that foundation and stand on those promises it's really enlightening and good for your soul. So we prayed that my husband, my husband of thirty seven years would actually come to a Bible studies.

Well guess what? He is going to do that So praise God. So he'll be there Thursday night. Hope you all will too. And then one other quick story.

So, there was a gal last year in eighteen week Hebrews Bible study. A cute young thing who had one year of college going to a Mormon college under her belt and with the goodness of God he showed up and she ended up coming to the Hebrew study with her mom and stepdad and she never said a word. I never heard her say a word the whole eighteen weeks, but I saw that she would do her study. I mean it was really small and she filled in every single answer and it was all up the side and on top and down the other side. God in his goodness called her to go to youth with a mission up in Oregon.

And you guys helped. You you helped her meet her financial goal and off she went. And, she is now in the Red Light District of Bangkok, Thailand talking to the prostitutes about the good news of Jesus. And this is what she wrote. I get about two personal letters per year, and this is one of them.

So this is what she said. And I will continue to pray for the community Bible study that is gonna start on Galatians this week. I'm so excited to hear how it goes. Community Bible study is where my journey with Jesus and with God began. And I pray someone else gets to meet God there.

I pray for such a God presence. So I think God's going to show up, and I hope you are too. And I'll just end with one last thing. Sometimes, it's not what you're going to get out of a study. It's what you can give.

Thank you. Thank you, Anne. Appreciate that. So, she said this morning in the first service, she said, how many of y'all are in a Bible study this fall? And then she said, alright, everybody else.

It's it's a good thing to be involved. Our others, girls Bible study for eight to 13 year old girls is meeting at the whole grocer community room. Dancy, To and friends are helping out at 04:00 on Wednesday afternoons for eight to 13 year old girls. Judy Wells is leading a middle school and high school girls Bible study that started last week actually and they met again this morning during the after music time of the first service. Precept study is meeting on Thursdays at 09:00 sharp.

That's a great one. The latter half of act is what they're studying and youth group will be tonight from five to seven right here in this building this time. That's a moving target sometimes. The youth go, they're all over the place but they will be here tonight from five to seven. Connect hour still happens between services at about 10:00 or whenever I come to rest after the the message and then if there's any prayer quest or anything else that I've forgotten to say, it should be in your bulletin.

Is there anything else that I forgot? I hope not. Alright. Well, sorry. Would you all stand up and greet one another and we will bring you back together with a song in just a second.

Bring it to you. Open

my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth thou has for me place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free silently now I wait open my ears that I may hear voices of truth thou Amen.

We've got another song here called The Longer I Serve and The Longer I Serve Him. The sweeter he grows. Amen. Love to him.

Since I started for the kingdom since it's my life he controls since I gave my heart to Jesus Amen.

Y'all can have a seat. That often was a solo on the senior Sunday morning in the church that I grew up in and there was a fellow named Freeman. Freeman was his first name. Freeman Kuhn and he would sing that longer I serve him, the sweeter he goes. I think it's a beautiful song.

Would y'all pray with me? God, I thank you for this unbelievably beautiful morning, lord. I thank you that we are here gathered in your name for the full house in the first service this morning. People coming together to sing your praises, to glorify you intentionally. Lord, stepping out and away from home and the outside and coming into the body of Christ on purpose gathering together to love you and love one another.

Lord, we we pray that you would extend that good gospel that we have found ourselves at home in Christ. That you would allow us, lord, to carry that message forward and that others would find themselves at home and secure in Christ. In Jesus name, would you do your will and your way this morning? Would you take the offerings that are placed in these plates, lord, and bless them, multiply them to do your kingdom's work here in this community but to the uttermost parts, lord. Take it into the darkest of places.

I pray that what Brianna and mentioned Brianna has taken your good gospel and she's sharing it with people in some of the darkest places in the world. Tanya, right now is doing that. Eugene is studying and worshiping this morning. We got so many that have been sent out by this church. Lord, I pray that their efforts that were given freely to you would be increased and blessed by you and that salvation would be the result, lord.

And sanctification. Would you do? That, lord. Be of sin, the double cure, save from wrath, and make people pure. It's by the spirit, lord.

Jesus blood. Amen. Thank you, Jude. Wow. That's may our lives be that.

A study of Jesus loves me. It's great. We, for those of you who've been tracking and have been here for a while, you know, we're up to Hebrews six. That's what we're going to be in today. Hebrews six four through 20.

See, I think we're going to make it four through 12 instead of four through 20. The last of those eight verses, we'll wait till next week but we have been a chronological study from about six and a half years now. We're going forward in scripture and we're trying to do just an unflinching approach preaching what it says and I say that day because what it says, there are isms on both sides that want to claim or move this one way or the other but what we're going to do is hopefully, personally evaluate and personally let it sit on each of us individually. So, that's what I'm going to present. I'm trying to present you exactly what it says and you just let it sit in your own lap.

Don't worry about the one you left at home to come here or the one who's sitting over there that you think, oh, I hope they're listening. It's for you, okay? It's for you. It's it's for me. It's been for me for the past month.

I've been studying and wrestling with passage for some time. Got a couple of things before that. Has anybody ever heard of the Makhtesh Ramon? Do you know what the Makhtesh Ramon is? It's not my name in Spanish and some.

It is but I do go by Ramon in Spanish but the Makhtesh Ramon is the Grand Canyon Of Israel. So, it is a deep, deep, deep chasm that is in Southern Israel. If you go up and through Jerusalem and down, see Galilee, pass the Dead Sea and you come on down to the Negev Desert and then you're coming back to Tel Aviv. That's how most people fly out of there. You come across the Moctesh Ramon and it is a deep, deep, deep valley between two ridges.

So you have to come through it and up, but this is it. Now, six through 12 is a warning. It's also encouragement but it's a warning and it is the strongest, I think, warning in the New Testament. If it's not the strongest, then chapter 10 will be, okay? But Hebrews is a warning and I want you to see a picture.

This is of our group that went to Israel late March, early April this year. There are 22 of us on the trip and I count one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, and our God. So, half the team and our God are right there on the other side of a sign and you see there are a few and some of them walked up to the edge and then walked away. And there's sign right there and then there's that precipice and it's about four or 500 feet down. It's a huge how do you put a sign around the Grand Canyon, right?

There's a sign, but it's back a little ways from the edge. But those people are looking into a great chasm that is fixed and that sign in three languages says, danger, no passage. Three languages and an international symbol. Danger, no passage. Now, where are those people?

On the other side of that sign. They just had look. You know, they come one of em. I didn't use this one but one of the late, actually, she is right there. Right there.

She's actually doing this and in another picture, she's doing this. She walked right past the sun. The sun there for a reason. It's a it's a very very steep precipice and there is danger there. Danger, no passage.

Alright. So, that's it. It's closest I could get to it. Warning is real. The warning is real, okay?

And so, as I say that this this morning, if you add the warning and the encouragement together, you'll come up with a specific call for what you should do with this message, with this passage. Now, I am and I've admitted it before and I'll admit it again. I'm an eternal security guy. I'm an eternal, I believe in it. I've got there are a lot of passages that I can point out but I want you to let the warning from this first century writer of Hebrews was writing in a context to a specific group of people specifically Jewish background Christians.

Using the Greek language septuagint translation of their scriptures. So, it was Jewish, Greek speaking Jews who had accepted Christ. Secondhand, not first generation, second generation Christians. There's a specific context in time for this but this warning and encouragement, I I think it still fits us today and I think you need to let it rest in your lap. I asked y'all last week, I finished seven minutes shy of the hour and told you got seven minutes to get ahead of me for next week, alright?

You're gonna study this, think about it and then before about 12:30 or one I started getting texts with opinions. People were actually doing the study and and sending it back and saying, this is what I think. This is what I think which I'm thankful for. Let's get what it says and before we do that, I'm going to go back to last week's message just to ramp up to it. So, we covered this last week concerning him and I think that's Melchizedek.

Could be Christ. Concerning him, we have much to say. He's already said a whole lot about Christ. He's barely mentioned Melchizedek. Concerning him, we have much to say.

It's hard to explain. Since you have become dull appearing, sluggish, nathros, sluggish, and lazy in your hearing. Now, that's the beginning part of it and I say right there, it starts a parenthesis. That parenthesis is kind of a digression where it goes off of the subject and starts talking about their dullness of hearing and the consequences for that. So, there's a diagnosis and a remedy.

Diagnosis first, then the remedy and then this week, I told you I'd give you warning and encouragement and then, it closes off the princess. That's that's at verse 20. So, next week, we'll still be within these parenthesis with a little explanatory note but that's what we're getting in this parenthesis. First, the diagnosis is concerning him. We have much to say.

It's hard to explain. Now, is scripture hard to explain? I don't want to give away my job here but it's not hard to explain. Most of the things in scripture are easy. The gospel is easy.

It has to be understood as a child or it can't even be accepted but it's hard to explain when someone is dull of hearing. It says, since you have become dull of hearing, it's hard to explain. For though by this time, you ought to be teachers, you accepted the good news. You've you've known that this Old Testament, Old Covenant was pointing towards a new covenant but then, having tasted that, for some reason, you have regressed. It doesn't say exactly why except for that you're dull of hearing.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you ought to, well, first of all, you start with milk and then you get to solid food and then you get to meat and then, you can feed yourself and you start to help feed others. That's the normal progression of the Christian life submitted to God. That's the way that it is. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the very elementary principles of the oracles of God and you've come to need milk and not solid food. That's an abnormal thing.

If you normally, you as babies grow up, they get to where they can eat solid food and you don't go backwards where you just eat milk. With all the dieting we do these days, maybe an all milk diet out there. I don't know but it's abnormal if there is. So, the elementary principles oracles, God, you've come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness.

Now, that that's what it comes down to is this word of righteousness. They're not accustomed to the walking out the righteousness that is implied by the salvation, the sanctification is what comes next as you submit your will to God's will. That word of righteousness seems to be the rub. That's the difference in milk and solid food. For everyone who partakes only milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness.

For he's an infant. But solid food is for the mature who because of practice, it really does matter how you walk it out. But those who because of practice have their senses trained to discern from good and evil. It's an interesting thing. I had somebody just a few minutes ago in between the services.

They say, how do you know whether you're supposed to do this or you're supposed to do this? It seems like both options are good options. Also, that can be. Commit your works to the Lord. Your thoughts will be established.

That's my that's where my mind went first. It's lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him and he'll direct your path. Okay, that's good. So, which is it? Good or bad?

Which one am I supposed to do? Well, keep on practicing what it is that God has placed before you in righteous. Keep on committing your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established. It'll it'll it'll clarify. Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can, okay?

Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. Because of practice, their senses get to be trained to be good and evil. We will step in it from time to time, right? We accidentally will go off path. We'll either be misguided, someone leads us down the wrong path or we'll just be ignorant.

It says that earlier in Hebrews. I didn't make that up. It says that the priest could deal gently with people who were ignorant or misguided. Accidentally going off. You do learn a lot of lessons.

If you're humble and you'll go back to God with it. Solid food is for the mature who because of practice have their senses trained because practice to discern good and evil. So, that's the diagnosis. The remedy is this. Therefore, leaving the elementary teachings about the Christ, let us press on to maturity.

Pressing on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God. That is the way in. Yes, you do need to repent and you do, you must place your faith in Christ to be saved. It's by his grace but it's accepted through faith. That's elementary.

About washings and out of hands. Now, these are first century Jewish people that knew a lot about how you do ritual washings and that sort of stuff and when they became Christians, does that still count? Do you still do it the same way? Is there more that you need to do? Is one time sufficient or do you have to do that every single time?

They were equivalent over church matters the way how exactly we are to do church. So, that's elementary. Resurrection of dead and eternal judgment. Yes, we have a hope in heaven for sure. That's secure but that is one of the elementary things that he's saying, foundational stuff but that's still milk.

Salvation and churchy church stuff and our future incorruptible hope. And this we will do if permits. This will do if God permits. I think goes back up to let us press on the maturity and this will do. If God permits or I will share even more about the heavier things and I'll share meat.

I'll do that if God permits. Maybe space in the letter or if in your life, God blesses and gives grace in that way. Those are the two ways to take it. Now, that's a diagnosis and the remedy but here we are at the warning and this one is one I've been wrestling with for a while. Wrestle with it in seminary.

I've had to write papers on it. I had to think about it myself a lot. It is a place where one ism on one side of the spectrum and the other ism on the other side of the spectrum tend to do this. This side says, yes, this is the way that it always is every single time and the other side says, this is the way that it is every single time. I don't want to pay attention to those verses over there.

And the other side, I don't want to pay attention to those verses over there. We're going to try to take off our blinders and just hear what it says this morning, okay? Here we go. This is the warning and I think it's a real warrant. When I give you the examples about the isms, I I want to think about this quote too.

I went to Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. This guy was the second president. He's written a really, really good book that some of you all have read, A Promise Kept about living and continuing to serve his spouse with Alzheimer's. This is probably the the the quote that he's the best known for anywhere else is. It is easier to go to a consistent logical extreme as human beings.

It's easier to go to a consistent logical extreme than to remain in the center of biblical tension. Are you are you with me on that? Okay. So, we have the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. Let's let's say those are the two.

It's easier for us to say God's absolutely sovereign. No doubt about it always. Absolutely or that man is absolutely responsible and a sovereign God blah blah blah. That interfere easier. We're going to hold those two things intention hopefully here this morning in this passage.

Therefore, leaving the elementary teachings and then, it doesn't break. Paragraph doesn't break. It just goes on. This will do if God permits for in the case of those or in the case of those who and it'll describe it with four participles right after this. This is describing possibly describing a set of people.

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened, having once been enlightened, having once been enlightened, and then, having tasted of the heavenly gift, and then, having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, sharing in the Holy Spirit, having been made a partaker of the Holy Spirit and having tasted the good word of God, reading scripture, and recognizing that it is good. Having tasted of the word of God and the powers of the age to come. Having experienced the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. In this life. Now, those, it's really four things.

It looks like five things, I know. Someone who's tasted of the heavenly gift, having once been enlightened, made partakers of the Holy Spirit. What's the most natural if you read that? Who is that describing The what's that Yeah, it's it is Christians That that is the most natural thing. Now, you can kind of say, well, he didn't mention regeneration specifically but does he have to mention everything every time?

Or does the writer of Hebrews have to mention everything every time? Looks like this is talking about people who have once been enlightened. They once. It does say once been enlightened. They had a moment where they recognized the truth.

And they tasted of the heavenly gift. Could be the spirit. Since the spirit is pointed out later. It might not be the spirit of of some heavenly gift. Having been marked made partakers of the Holy Spirit.

There is but one Holy Spirit and we all who are believers share or partake in that. Haven't tasted the good word of God, not rejected or repudiated, not just knowing it but having tasted it and the tasted there is the same thing that says and Jesus tasted death on the cross. Now, did he do it all the way or did he just taste it? Go yuck. He did it all the way Some people would argue over that and say, tasted it.

Well, they just tasted it spattered out It's not the same thing as ingesting it and really having it become a part of. That's a possible interpretation of it. I'm just saying that's that doesn't look like the plain sense of the text though. As uncomfortable as that makes me and some of y'all. Have having tasted the good word and the powers of the age to come.

They saw that. And then, now the then, I'll admit has been added. That is anytime you see a thing in italics in the New American Standard Version of the Bible. If it's in italics that was added to make it help it make sense in English. So, for in the case of those who have been once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift, been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of the Lord and the powers of days to come and have fallen away.

Wow. Wait a second. It was describing Christians and then it said, and have fallen away. This is a very strong warning and if you let it sit in your lap, it can it can can mess with you. Now, I know all the other verses and I'm not going use em.

I've got, I know the nine verses from this is em and I know the nine verses from this is em and all the different places and we can put em together but I'm I'm asking you to let a warning. It's a warning in scripture Sit with you for a little while. Hold hold on to it. And having fallen away, it's impossible to renew them again to repentance. If they reject what they had received, if they reject it, forfeit it, and give it back and say, no, I no longer want this.

If they have fallen away, it's impossible to renew them again to repentance. Since they again crucified to themselves, the son of God and they put him to open chain. It's repudiating, repudiating. It's not just by sin, it's an actual forfeiture, okay? The possibility of going back on that which you believe.

Now, the next thing, that's just four to six right there. The next verses are about means of illustration. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it. This is an agricultural illustration to describe what's just been explained. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation that's useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled.

That ground receives a blessing from God. Y'all agree with that, right? That's what it's supposed to do. Rain comes. You till the land, you work the land, you get vegetation that's useful.

But in contrast to that, if the same rain has come upon this other ground and it yields thorns and thistles, it's worthless and it's close to being cursed. Close, I think it's temporal. It's like you never know. It close to being burned because if it keeps on producing thorns and thistles, eventually, somebody's going say, we gotta get rid of that. Scorched Earth.

It says, it's close to being cursed and it ends up being burned. If it doesn't ever produce good vegetation that's useful and helpful. Now, this illustration, the ground that drinks the rain and I think the rain almost every time in scripture rain is a good thing. In our society, we look at it go, birthday party got ruined because of rain but when you're dependent upon the land, rain is a really good thing, right? So, what should happen is the norm is that vegetation that's youthful comes out and it receives a blessing from God but if it yields nothing but thorns and thistles, it's worthless.

It's close to being cursed and ends up being burned. Now, you go backwards from there to this and see that having fallen away, it's impossible to renew them again to repentance. Since they again crucified to themselves. They to become a believer, the elementary principle of placing faith in Christ is that I know I can't do anything about my own sin and I need a savior. I accept the way that God has made.

It's Jesus. Period. I'm in. Amen. Thank you, Jesus.

This is saying that at some point, someone who's done all of those other five things may then say, nope, I'm standing on my own. I have no need of a savior. He can keep that. Salvation or I don't believe at all. Like I said at the beginning, I'm an eternal security guy but this warning is direct and it says what it says and you can try to twist it one way or another.

I like, I like all of my passages that tell me this but he's presenting this to an audience. Do you crucify to yourself? Jesus again, the son of God. Do you put him to open shame? I think, that's a hard one.

Now, we go on from there. That's the diagnosis, the remedy, and the warning and one ism wants to say and maybe I go into this a little bit. One ism wants to say that if someone gives up salvation, they never had it in the first place. So, all of those things have to be redefined that that's not a believer. The other side says, yes, it is possible to lose your salvation because that's the plain meaning of this text and there are few others that they point to.

This side, this side says, this leads to moral laxity. If you just trust in that one salvation experience, then, you don't care how you live your life. Well, we're called holiness throughout scripture all over the place. This warning and this encouragement together are a call to persevere. It's to grab yourself.

You grab on to your savior and hold on to his teaching. Submit your will to his and allow him to sanctify you by his spirit and then, I was looking back for my standing on the promises, standing on the promises, I cannot fall. If I'm standing on the promises, I cannot fall. But you gotta listen to the warnings too, right? You stand back from the edge, you won't fall.

Standing on the promises, I cannot fall. Listening every moment to the spirit's call, resting in my savior. He's my all in all. Standing on, that's a progressive action thing. Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God. Now, the encouragement here is though it seems theoretically possible that someone might renounce and repudiate, give up, or forfeit their salvation. Encouragement here in six, nine, and 10 is this, but beloved, it's only time in Hebrews the audience of it, okay? Beloved little one, sounds like John. The apostle.

But beloved, we, another place in Hebrews, where it looks like it's more than one author. I've been kind of advocating for the possibility that the author of Hebrews is really the authors of Hebrews. But beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you. This was written at a specific time to a specific audience. We don't know exactly every detail about that but this sermon is being delivered right now too from God's word Some people think that Hebrews is an epistle to a place and a group of church, whatever.

Others think it's a treaties maybe made up for a gathering that was going to be. I I like to think that it was a sermon. That's a lot longer sermon than most Americans are willing to listen to. It's 13 straight chapters where it just kind of revolves around and around but read it and it's good for you. The warnings in chapter two and in chapter four and in chapter six and in chapter 10 are really good for us if we'll let them sit with us and if they spur us on to persevere and I think that's what the encouragement here do but beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you and things that accompany actual salvation.

Though we are speaking in this way, it doesn't take anything off of the warning. It doesn't say, don't pay attention to that warning. That's not for you. That's for some other people. He's put it in your lap and then, though I'm speaking this way, I know it's a harsh word.

But I want for you to let it sit with you for a moment. Consider, are you going to reject and their original day? They knew the old covenant. They knew the process. They knew exactly how you're supposed to wash your hands.

They knew exactly what you're supposed to do when you're in the temple. They knew exactly who was supposed to do what and when it was supposed to happen but then when they're drawn into the good old gospel way, the life of Jesus and he's showing them a way that they have not seen and the Romans are persecuted and the Jews are persecuted and their family is saying, come on back. You're embarrassing me. Their temptation is to walk back to that which they knew. We're convinced of better things concerning you that you're going to stick with Jesus.

He's the author and the perfecter of your faith. Everything that was back then was pointing towards him and we're going see that for the next three or four chapters. Everything that was in that was pointing towards this and we're convinced to better things. Things that accompany salvation. Though we are still speaking in this way, it's possible to walk away from and forfeit this.

For God is not unjust. So, as to forget your work, we know. You're showing evidence of salvation. Now, you're dull of hearing. There is that.

But you still are loving. God's not unjust so as to forget your work and the love, the love which you have shown towards his name. Oh, there's a vertical relationship there of you showing love towards God's name and it works itself out how in having ministered to and in still ministering to the saints. You are loving people and you're loving em well and I could tell that you love God because of that yet there's warning. There's still that sign and the sign is to help us avoid a pitfall.

Now, if it were only theoretically possible but not really possible, that's problematic But those signs along that precipice of the Moctesh Ramon, okay? We've got the signs here and we walk past them. We're doing so at our peril. We've been warned, right? Who's the sign for?

Someone who's already fallen? Learn from that guy that fell. Hey, don't do this. No, it's it's for people that have the possibility that they might cross over that line. So, just let it sit with you.

Try not to let your ism get too aggravated with it. God's not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown towards his name and have administered and then still ministered to the saints and we desire and this is the whole point of this part of this passage. It is a call to persevere in the faith. It's a call to persevere then and it's a call to persevere to you now. Some of y'all at your workplace are ridiculed for being a Christian.

Silly, old ancient religion. What's the death of a first century Jew have to do with you? How's that supposed to matter? Well, we know from Corinthians that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but it's the power of God to those who are being saved. We desire the author or authors of Hebrews says, we desire that each one of you, each and everyone of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end and it's a call to persevere.

So that you will not be sluggish. Now, just last week, it said that you are dull of hearing. This is the same word, Nathros and Nathroy. This is, so that you will not be lazy. There's the word, blunt, dull, spiritually speaking, it's sluggish, remiss, lack, or lazy.

Same in five eleven, six eleven, five eleven. It's concerning him. We have much to say. It's hard to explain since you've become dull, lazy, and you're hearing. So that you will not be sluggish.

That's the point. It is to rouse them from their torpor. But imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. This is a kind of a foreshadowing of chapter 11. We've got that coming up.

Chapter 11, the Great Hall of Faith and it's not necessarily the great hall of good works. There are a lot of people on that list that you go, wow, they made the list. Well, they made the list by faith because it is by faith that you're saved. It's not of works. It's not.

This is a call to persevere. Both warning and encouragement. If you're going to take the encouragement, please take the warning. Don't back away from what you know to be true. Don't back away.

Don't let your particularism or your particular denominational perspective stop you from serving God and persevering until the end. I think that's the last slide. Judy, would you come on back up? This is one of em that is hard to stop right there. There are some more verses.

Yeah, there's 13 through 20 and it talks about Abraham and it, like I said, it's for foreshadowing the the chapter 11 and those great hall of faith. Right now, right as soon as this closing, amen. I'm I'm going over to do a funeral in Wilson. I'm going over. I've done.

This will be the fifth funeral I've done in the last two weeks. When it says that the time is near, it's near. We don't have any idea when our time is going to be up. So, I would say remain in Christ. I absolutely will preach the faithfulness of God to say, he is mighty to say, that's what he's doing.

Don't repudiate, don't regret, don't from outside fosters, try to hand back the salvation that God has proffered. If we deny so great a salvation, how then will we be saved? He says, earlier in the book, we should pay more attention to what we already know and have heard so that we don't drift away from it. Would y'all stand with me? I don't even know what we're singing.

What's next? I surrender all. Perfect. Just right. Would you all pray for me as I do head out and go over and try to minister?

Hold on just a second. Hold on just a second. I've got one more thing. I knew. There's one page up here.

It says, close with this. It's a poem by TS Elliot. I don't do this very often but it's a poem that I like by TS Elliot. It says, there shall always be the church and the world and the heart of man. Shivering and fluttering between them, choosing and chosen, valiant, ignorable, dark, and full of light, swinging between hellgate and heaven gate.

And the gates of hell shall not prevail. Amen. Alright. Now, we can turn it around. Thank you,

I will ever love and trust him in his presence daily live surrender all

Amen. Won't you all pray with me? I got a benediction for you but I want to pray. God, help us. Help us to take your word to our hearts for us first, lord.

I I do pray that we would pull the mode out of our own eye before we help our brother with the speck in his but I I pray lord that that's the order that we do it in and I pray lord that the warning that has been given would be heeded. I think that it is. I think that that's what you've said. I I do think it's semantics over who these people are but lord, I I think too often we find ourselves just want to be right rather than be righteous. So, lord, would you do a work in our heart that brings us to full understanding and that we'd share that in the way that we live our lives that we'd be able to in a good way deal gently with those who are ignorant or misguided.

Would you allow for us to do that to one another? The community and the communion of the saints, lord, that we build each other up. Lord, would you give us the means to persevere. In Jesus name, lord, we pray that you would do. Amen.