Hebrews 5:11-6:12

30 Jun 2024

Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Passage Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Speaker Neil Hayden

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Passage: Hebrews 5:11-6:12

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

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Transcript (Auto-generated)

This transcript has been automatically generated, and therefore may not be 100% accurate.

We're reading from the letter to the Hebrews, from chapter five, verse eleven into chapter six and verse twelve. You'll see it on the screen if you want to follow it in a Bible. In my big Bible here, it's page 1204, and it might well be the same in yours.

So listen to the word of God. The writer says, we have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though, by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of gods word all over again. You need milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use, have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death and of faith in God. Instruction about cleansing rights, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement, and God permitting, we will do so. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away to be brought back to repentance, to their loss. They are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Land that drinks in the rain, often falling on it, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed, receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end, it will be burned.

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things. In your case, the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him, as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realised.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who, through faith and patience, inherit what has been promised. This is the word of God. Thanks be to God.

Good morning.

It's a bit of a difficult passage. Ben likes to give me difficult things. So in order to keep things light, I'm going to try and explain it using a little bit of history, a little bit of maths. And a little bit of politics. But most of all, I'm going to call on the Holy Spirit for a lot of help.

It's a difficult passage and it's necessary for us to pay very careful attention to what we've heard in case we slip away, drift away. So I am going to call on the Holy Spirit to help us to do that. Heavenly Father, last week we heard how your word is alive and powerful, able to expose our innermost thoughts and wishes. This morning, as we consider your word, send your holy spirit to give us ears to hear and soften our hearts so that we might resolve to strengthen our trust in your promises and remain faithful to your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

So, first, a little bit of history to try and put the letter into context. By the time the letter was written, the emperor Nero had declared Christianity to be illegal. The church was an underground church, as it is in many parts of the world today. And although the Christians had not yet been martyred, some of them had had their homes vandalised, some of them had had their property taken away, and some of them had been put in prison. Yet Judaism was still a legal religion with officially registered synagogues.

So for jewish believers, they could take their families out of persecution by returning to the synagogue. That's the context in which this letter is written. And today's passage follows on directly from the writer's description of Jesus as our great high priest, the one who brings God near to man and man near to God through sacrifice, the one who understands our weaknesses, because he faced the same testing that we do. Yet he didn't sin. And even though Jesus is God's son, he learnt obedience from the things he suffered.

And that's why the reading starts with the writer saying, we wanted to say more on this, but the jewish Christians appeared to be spiritually dull and they didn't seem to listen. Now, you've got to remember, there were no bibles then. They couldn't go away and read things over and over again. And the writer was actually chastising them for not really paying attention to what the church leaders were telling them during their fellowship worship. They weren't taking on board what was being said to them, if you like.

It was going in one ear and out the other.

Then, as now, spiritual dullness has a serious consequence, namely, missing the kingdom of God.

These christians weren't acting on what they had heard. In Matthew, chapter seven, verse 21, Jesus says, not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my father in heaven wants them to do so. Now for the maths. Don't panic. I was a secondary school teacher for a long, long time and I taught maths.

And when I taught maths, I used to tell my pupils, and also my sons when they were at school, that maths could be found in everything. It was everywhere. You can find maths everywhere. But nevertheless, they always used to say to me, why are we learning this? When am I ever going to use it?

So we're going to do a little bit of secondary school maths, okay? Are you all ready? I can see the sweat coming on your brow right now. In year eight, that's 13 year olds, I would teach binary, the basics of binary maths. Counting in twos only using the digits one and zero.

What possible use could that be?

Well, it's a fundamental principle of digital communication. Without it, your computer, your mobile phone, your television, your sat nav, none of it works. It depends on binary numbers. Then a year later, 14. In year nine, I try and teach them trigonometry, sines, cosines and tangents.

Don't panic, I'm not going to test you.

How many of you used sines, cosines and tangents since the day you learned it?

Two. Three. Three out of 70 plus. Okay, now, trigonometry, okay, has many, many uses. It's used by architects to analyse forces and to design buildings and other structures.

It's used to analyse alternating current circuits and design philtres for those signals that come into your mobile phone.

It has a crucial role in computer graphics and in computer gaming design. But perhaps surprisingly, it's used in medicine. Your MRI scan and your CT scan depend on trigonometry to change a 2d slice into a 3d image. I could go on because I've only touched on two bits of maths and only a little bit of what each of those is used in. The point I'm trying to make is you were all taught that at school, the basics at school.

But it's not until you get involved in applying what you've learned that you come to appreciate how powerful a tool mathematics is and how it is continually changing our lives.

And so it is with our faith. God and the Holy Spirit can be found everywhere and in everything.

Knowledge of the basics of God's message through Jesus is not enough. It doesn't matter how many times you read the Bible or how many verses you can quote, if you're really not paying attention to what you've read, if you're not applying the truths that you read in God's word to your heart and to the way you live. You will not grow spiritually. You will not develop a close relationship with Jesus and experience his power in changing our lives.

Spiritual maturity is not automatic. Just because I've been coming to this church for 30 years doesn't mean that I am spiritually mature. In fact, some of the most spiritually mature christians I know and have met are the ones who've just converted to the faith because they've paid attention to every word they've heard and they are applying it in their lives.

Verse 14 tells us. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to recognise the difference between good and evil. The jewish Christians should by now have been teaching others about Christ, but the author describes them as babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. I ask you, at the time this letter was written, what would happen to an infant being fed on milk if it didn't grow?

So the writer encourages his audience to move beyond the basic teaching of christian faith and to become more mature in their understanding. In short, to live out their faith, to actually try turning away from what is wrong in God's eyes and try to do what is right in his eyes, trusting implicitly in God and having an unwavering confidence in his promises. The greatest of which is that we can be saved through Jesus regularly calling on the Holy Spirit to help and guide us. That's what the laying on of hands refers to in that reading. Understanding, really understanding, the implications of being called to give an account of our actions.

Believing in Jesus means that our sins have been forgiven. But does that mean we're free to carry on doing what we know to be wrong?

The author leaves us in no doubt. Mature Christians should be able to distinguish good from evil.

Mature Christians should be telling others about Christ. Trust me, you cannot argue someone into the kingdom of God, but you can tell them what you believe and show them the positive difference being a follower of Christ is making in your attitude and behaviour towards others.

Now, perhaps these jewish Christians were hedging their bets with regard to their faith. Perhaps by not moving on from the basics, they were trying to protect their families. The six basic teachings listed in that reading were not that much different from the foundational elements of the jewish instruction. So their lifestyles hadn't really changed that much, and it would be relatively simple for them to return to the synagogue and get their families out of persecution. But to do so, they would have to deny Jesus.

They'd heard about Jesus and believed he was the messiah. They'd followed his teaching for some time, but they would have to stand at the front of the synagogue and say, I deny that Jesus is the Messiah. And that's the context in which the warning comes. Starting at verse four. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away to be brought back to repentance to their loss.

They are actually crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. The author makes it abundantly clear that if a Christian takes an active decision to reject Jesus, to turn their back on him, they are standing with the mocking crowds crucifying him again. There is no way back. I wish it were not so. But he's warning us that if we are not diligent, it's possible for our hearts to become so hardened that we lose our salvation.

In John 15 five, six, Jesus said, if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me. You are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

Now you may well say, oh, I'm not in the same situation as those early christians. It couldn't happen to me. So let's examine that for a minute. How does being a Christian mean that your life is in any way different to that of a non believer who knows that you are a Christian?

Do your work colleagues know? Do you talk to them about your faith? Do your friends know?

What about your extended family?

Are there situations in which your faith is kept a secret?

Or places that you're afraid to talk about this important part of your life?

Do you keep your Christianity for safe spaces?

Please understand me. I am not saying you are turning away from God. I am not saying you are denying Christ. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to talk about our christian beliefs, particularly for those working in the public sector. So I'm going to read extracts from an article by Stephen Daly in the Spectator on the 22 May 2021.

This is the politics.

So when I say that Kate Forbes has done something courageous, I say it because she's done something no one around her is doing. The SNP politician is out of step with many in her party and the other parties, in that she is a Christian and not one of those occasional him mouthers on a 0 hour contract with the Almighty. She actually believes it. In an interview on the BBC political Thinking podcast, Forbes tells Nick Robinson to be straight. I believe in the person of Jesus Christ.

I believe that he died for me, he saved me, and that my calling is to serve and to love him, and to serve and love my neighbours with all my heart and soul and mind and strength, so that for me is essential to my being. Politics will pass. I am a person before I was a politician and that person will continue to believe that I am made in the image of God. However, this profession of faith and the unapologetic way in which it was delivered is entirely at odds with the aggressively secular and increasingly anti religious worldview that dominates scottish public life, from politics and civil society to news media and academia. To pledge yourself so openly to Christ makes you sound like a bit of a freak.

Not least in a party with little regard to freedom of worship or freedom of religious expression. Forbes profession of faith is a small, humble act, but one that took real political bravery. It will bring her no advantage and may well earn her more brickbats. It is more likely to hinder than help any design she might have on her partys leadership. Yet she said it because she believes it to be true.

There is something welcome and commendable about that, and if it does attract more scorn, there's a lesson for Forbes in John 15 eight. No doubt she'll know the verse. I wonder how many of you know the verse? It's this. This is to my father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourself to be my disciple.

The author of that article was correct. Kate Forbes christian beliefs were used against her by her political opponents and she lost the leadership of the SNP to Hamza Youssef. But she's now the deputy leader of the SNP. She's the deputy to the current first minister.

Now this verse, this is to my father's glory, that you bear much fruit showing yourself to be my disciples. Bring us on to chapter six, verses six, seven and eight. Sorry. Where the author uses a picture. The rain is the word of God.

The productive land is the mature Christian, letting people know that they are disciples of Jesus. The contrast is the unproductive land, which has repeatedly received the same reignite, the same word, but hasn't produced any fruit. And the burning in the field is an image of judgement.

Christians who remain spiritual infants are in danger of being like the seed in the parable of the sower that fell on rocky soil or among the thorns of because they don't have deep roots, they don't last long they fall away as soon as they've problems or are being persecuted for believing God's word. The message gets crowded out by the worries of this life and they could easily wither and die.

Our salvation is not based on a decision made once at some point in time. It is based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us and of our present relationship with Jesus. We all need to be conscientious in our efforts to grow our faith, to submit to the Lordship of Christ and apply his teaching in our lives. All of us need each other's help and encouragement to develop our relationship with Goddess through Jesus. He is the perfect revelation of God, the final and complete sacrifice for sin, the compassionate and understanding mediator and the only way to eternal life.

How shall we escape if we pay no attention to such great a salvation?

Storms will pass, so don't let go of your life belt. Whatever situation you may find yourself in, remain focused on Jesus. A relationship with Jesus is the best thing you can have.

I will end with the prayer that is at the end of Hebrews that the author of the Hebrews wrote for the people who were listening to that letter.

Now may the God of peace who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood. May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever. Amen.

Thank you. Thank you Neil for opening up that passage for us. It fits very nicely into our next song called turn your eyes. We are going to sing a newer version by sovereign grace but it is based on turn your eyes upon Jesus. Let us stand if you're able and sing this as a prayer for ourselves to turn to him and walk with him.

Let's sing your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face.