Hebrews 6:1-20

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Hebrews

Rusty's Notes

• I don’t get frustrated… it is what it is…
• I just teach

 

• What is milk and what is meat?

THE PROBLEM OF IMMATURITY
HEBREWS 5
11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.[1]
 
WARNING AGAINST FALLING AWAY
HEBREWS 6
1 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity,

• We are encouraged to grow spiritually
• This confirms the author wrote this book to believers.

1. not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works,

       - Romans 6:14 - For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.[2]
- Temple sacrifices were under the Law.
- Temple sacrifices were their own dead works.
- We are saved by faith alone.

1. faith in God,

• Where does faith come from?
• Romans 12:3 - 3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.[3]
• They wanted to walk away from their faith and come back to it later after the persecutions had ended.
• You don’t have the ability to put faith on and off.

1. 2 teaching about ritual washings,

• 1 Peter 3:21 - 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, [4]
• This is about publicly severing the ties between Judaism and Christianity. It would become public.
• It will free them up from guilt.

1. laying on of hands,

• Still practicing Law by deciding who was to be commissioned to do certain acts.
• Move beyond this…

1. the resurrection of the dead,

• Sadducees did not believe in resurrections.
• Obviously, Jesus had been resurrected.
• Move on…

1. and eternal judgment.

• God will judge every person without Christ.
• John 3:36 - The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.[5]
• The everyday question… “How can God let people go to hell?” – Free will because He allows us to love.

3 And we will do this if God permits.

• Believers have a choice to continue in their daily ruts or move on.
• It will be God who permits to do so through the grace he supplies.
• I am a testament of that… and so are you…
• Look back at the past… where you have come from.
• Meat…
• Eternal security… can you lose your salvation?
• Keep in historical context.
• It is obvious these next verses are to believers.
• Why would they be receiving persecution if they were not true believers?

4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened (believers), who tasted
(consumed versus touching, smelling, seeing)

• Hebrews 2:9 – Jesus tasted death.

the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, (only believers did this)5 who tasted God’s good word (rhema… not logos… it had been revealed to them) and the powers of the coming age (end times – Millennium, when believers reign with Christ), 6 and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.

• Can a believer walk away from their salvation/justification and come back to it later to be reattached?
• Hebrews 10:10 - By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.[6]
• Hypothetical
• They had to choose to walk on in maturity or die physically.
• Think for just a second…
• How many sins must someone do to walk away from their salvation? One? 100?
• How long after someone sins do they have to wait to be forgiven of that sin? 2-3 days? Until people quit thinking about it?
• If you can never feel secure about your salvation, you will never experience peace in this journey.
• Those who are not sure… have to work hard to “persevere”.
• Those who are secure knows that “perseverance” is trusting the Father who is responsible for keeping us “saved”. It ain’t on me!

 

1. John 1:12 - I am a child of God.
2. John 15:15 - I am Christ's friend.
3. Romans 5:1 - I have been justified (completely forgiven and made righteous) and am at peace with God.
4. Romans 8:17 - I am an heir of God and fellow heir with Christ.
5. 1 Corinthians 1:30 - I have been placed in Christ by God's doing; Christ is now my wisdom from God, my righteousness, my sanctification, and my redemption.
6. 1 Corinthians 6:17 - I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.
7. 1 Corinthians 12:27 - I am a member of Christ's body (Ephesians 5:30).
8. Ephesians 1:4 - I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him.
9. Philippians 3:20 - I am a citizen of heaven.
10. Colossians 2:10 - I have been made complete in Christ.

7 For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned.

• This is about works… not salvation.
• The subject matter is the ground and the vegetation/thistles are the byproduct.
• What is burnt? The byproduct. The works. Not the ground. Not the believer.
• Believers will be judged with fire at the Judgment Seat… but it will be their works that are burned.
• 2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. [7]
• 1 Corinthians 3:13 - each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.[8]
• If the Hebrew Christians walked on in maturity, they would receive rewards.
• If the Hebrew Christians returned to Jerusalem to practice sacrifices they would be physically consumed by fire by Titus and the Romans... but still had their salvation intact.

9 Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better (confident they will produce good fruit) and that pertain to salvation. (confirms to believers)

• He is confident they will walk in their identity if they choose to mature.

10 For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them. 11 Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, 12 so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

• This is just total encouragement for them to walk on as they already have.
• Look back at how you already persevered.

 
INHERITING THE PROMISE
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: 14 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. (Genesis 22:17)

• Abraham lived a life of faith based upon the promises of a Messiah.
• You live in that promise after the Messiah. Forgiven.

15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.

• This promise to Abraham was unconditional.
• He would not nullify His promise.
• Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac.
• Abraham is the father of the Jewish Nation that has been multiplied over the years.
• Jesus was born a Jew as promised.
• All who believe in Jesus are grafted in (Rom 4:13)

16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute.

• God could swear by no one greater than Him.

17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.

• Jesus is our hope… our anchor.

19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.[9]

• The Temple is no longer needed.
• Jesus has walked behind the veil in heaven for us.
• We are now that Temple.
• Our high priest, resides inside of us.
• We walk daily knowing Jesus is the forerunner.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 5:11–14). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Ro 6:14). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Ro 12:3). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (1 Pe 3:21). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Jn 3:36). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 10:10). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (2 Co 5:10). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (1 Co 3:13). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 6:1–20). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.