So I thought this would be a good opportunity to learn more about this chapter, get us excited
about this chapter. I highly encourage everyone to memorize this chapter. And when it comes to
Hebrews chapter six, there's a lot of varying views on this chapter. It's a pretty controversial
chapter in the world in general. You know, a lot of people teach that this chapter teaches you
could lose your salvation, which of course this church believes that you could never lose your
for any reason, but even just amongst our friends,
there's some debate as to what this chapter's talking about.
And I never wanna try to preach a sermon
to try to be in competition
with other preachers or anything like that.
So don't take this sermon as me trying
to be in competition with them
or don't ever try to pit me against
one of my preacher friends or anything like that.
That's not my hard or goal at all with this sermon.
My goal with this sermon is just to simply
preach what I believe this chapter is teaching.
So we're gonna do a little bit of a Bible study
this morning.
And number one, I want you to notice the author's desire to move on, the author's desire to move on.
Now, I believe that the author of Hebrews is the Apostle Paul, but I can't say that dogmatically.
The Bible doesn't say for sure. So I'm just going to say the author's desire to move on.
We'll get verse number one. It says this.
Therefore, leaving the principles of the Doctrine of Christ, let us go on into perfection, not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.
So what I want you to notice first is notice how the author who again, I believe is the Apostle Paul
He wants to leave something he wants to move on from something and I think when it comes to understanding Hebrews chapter 6
The context is extremely important to understand
So to understand the context of this chapter go back to chapter number 5 chapter number 5
And let's start reading in verse number 9
The Bible says in being made perfect he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him
called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek of home
We have many things to say and hard to be uttered
Seeing you are dull of hearing so notice the author
He has a desire to talk about Melchizedek. He says man
I have a lot of things to say about Melchizedek, but the problem is you guys are dull of hearing
So he's not really able to talk about that.
Look at verse number 12.
It says,
When it becomes such as it has need of milk and not of strong meat, for everyone that
useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
So notice in chapter 5, he's saying, look, I really want to teach you guys a lot about Melchizedek.
But when it comes to Melchizedek, that's kind of an advanced doctrine in the Bible.
That's not necessarily just the milk of the word.
That's not something that's super simple and easy and just every Christian understands.
And he's saying...
Man, I really want to talk to you guys about McKezadec, but your dole of hearing, you guys
should be teachers at this point, but you're still babes.
You still have need of the milk.
And of course, we know in Christianity, being saved for a long time doesn't necessarily
mean that you're spiritual.
When it comes to maturity spiritually, it has nothing to do with how long you've been
saved.
It has to do with how much you're exercising yourself in the Bible.
So, you know, someone could have been saved for 5 years and have really been taking the
Word of God seriously, reading it, studying it, obeying it, and that person could be pretty
mature.
Where oftentimes in the world we get someone saved at the door and they never really go
to church, they never really crack their Bible open, and they remain a babe in Christ
their entire life.
And so the author here is saying like,
man, I really want to teach you about this,
but you guys are carnal, but you guys are babes in Christ,
but I want to move past this. I want to move on from this.
That's why in verse number one of Hebrew 6 he says,
therefore, so that context is very important,
therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrines of Christ,
let us go on unto perfection.
Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith toward God.
So notice, he does not want to talk about the basics anymore.
Why? Because he wants these people to move on in their faith.
He wants them to grow and no longer be babes, no longer have need of milk,
so that he can teach them about more advanced things like Melchizedek.
Now, verse number two, he's going to explain what the first principles of the doctrine of Christ are.
So he's going to list some basic doctrines for us.
Look at verse two, of the doctrine of baptisms.
That's a very simple doctrine right there.
The first thing that we ask someone to do after getting saved is what?
To be baptized, right?
To identify them with Christ, to obey Christ, so that they can say like,
hey, I want to walk in newness of life.
That's very simple and of laying on of hands. I believe that's referring to ordination and of resurrection of the dead
Right. So, you know talking about the rapture and the resurrection things like that and of eternal judgment
So according to the Bible, these are the first principles.
These are things that are pretty basic, pretty easy to understand.
And now he's giving basically an example of doctrines
that he does not want to discuss anymore.
He wants to move on past these.
Verse 3 says,
And this we will do if God permit.
What will we do? We're going to move on from these basic topics
so that I can teach you about things I want to teach you about like Melchizedek.
We're going to move on from these things if God permits.
Now, don't let that phrase freak you out or anything.
We use this phrase all the time. God willing.
It's just kind of a colloquialism that we use all the time, like,
hey, God willing, I'll see you in Texas next weekend, or God willing, I'm gonna do this, or God willing, we're gonna do that.
Paul's saying like, hey, I want you guys to move on from these basic doctrines, and we're gonna do this, God willing.
You know, he has faith in them, he's trusting that this is gonna happen.
So number one, we saw the author's desire to move on.
That's very important.
Number two, I want you to notice the reason to move on to more advanced doctrines.
The reason to move on to more advanced doctrines.
Now, he's going to explain to us why we should do this.
Notice verse four.
The first word is what?
Four, meaning because.
So we can't forget everything we just talked about.
Four, it is impossible for those who are once enlightened
and have tasted of the heavenly gift
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
Now go to Ephesians chapter number one.
Ephesians chapter number one.
So notice he's talking about how something is impossible
for a certain group of people.
And he describes this group of people
as having once been enlightened.
Having tasted of the heavenly gift and having been made partakers of the Holy Ghost
So when it comes to being enlightened, where else does the Bible use this phrase?
Let's learn about it in Ephesians 1 look at verse 13
It says in whom also ye trusted after that ye heard the word of truth
the gospel of your salvation in whom also that after you believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
Now this is a very familiar verse to us and of course we know we're talking about a saved person here.
Why? Because this is a person who has believed in Jesus Christ.
So we know this person is saved.
Verse 14.
Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.
Verse 15, wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints,
cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope of his calling.
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, go to Acts 28.
So notice, in Ephesians chapter 1, someone that's saved, someone that's believed in Jesus who's trusted in him,
who's been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until the day of redemption,
that person has the eyes of their understanding being enlightened.
So the Bible refers to a saved person as someone that has been enlightened.
the world that's unsaved, that hasn't yet trusted in Christ, they're blind spiritually.
Their understanding is blind, right? They're trusting in some false God,
or they're trusting in their works to save them, and that is a blind person.
But once you see the glorious light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
once you understand what He did for you on the cross,
and that you only have to trust Him for your salvation,
now you've been enlightened.
Now you've seen the light.
Once was I blind, now I can see, right?
Those of us that can see are those of us that are saved.
Look at Acts 28, verse 18.
To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God
That they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith
That is in me
So notice when you get someone saved you're turning them from darkness to light from someone that's blind
To be able to see from someone who's unenlightened to someone who is enlightened go back to
Hebrews 6 Hebrews chapter 6
So for me when I read Hebrews 6 and I see it is impossible for those who are once enlightened I believe this is talking about a saved person here
Now let's notice the second part of this.
It says,
for it is impossible for those who are once enlightened
and have tasted of the heavenly gift
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
Now, what about this word taste?
Well, I think we could get an idea
of what this word taste means
even from the context of the same book that we're in.
Go to Hebrews chapter number two,
Hebrews two,
taste in the Bible often means
just to experience something for a short duration.
Right? I mean, if you ate a Thanksgiving meal, you wouldn't say like, oh yeah, I tasted mom's Thanksgiving dinner.
You would say, no, I ate it. I fully partook of it, right?
You wouldn't say that like I just taste it, but, you know, if you get like a sample at Costco
and you just eat it real quick, you would have said like, yeah, I tasted it because you experienced it for a short duration.
Well, look at Hebrews 2, verse 9, it says this.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
Crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should notice taste death for every man
Now, I don't think this is referring to his physical death here.
I think this is referring to the fact that he experienced hell.
Because we know that death is hell.
The second death is the lake of fire.
Now Jesus, was he in hell for a very, very long time?
No he wasn't.
He was there for three days and three nights.
So you could say that he tasted of it.
Why?
Because he was experiencing hell for a short duration.
Now, think about this back in the context of Hebrews 6.
As you're turning to 1 Peter 2, think about the context that we're thinking about.
Paul or the author of Hebrews is saying I want to explain to you guys some more advanced doctrines
But your babes in Christ and so we need to move on to from these things so that I can teach you about more of these
doctrines doesn't it make sense to explain
The these individuals that are babes in Christ as having tasted of the heavenly gift
Why because it's very likely that they haven't been saved for that long
So that would make sense to say that they tasted of it because they've been they've experienced being saved for a short duration
look at
first Peter chapter 2
2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby.
3. If so, be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
So notice, we're talking about another group of Christians that are what? Babes and Christ, right?
They need to desire the sincere milk of the Word that they can grow.
They need to be reading their Bible. They need to be reading the basic doctrines
so that they can grow on to the more advanced doctrines.
They've tasted that the Lord is greatest.
Why? Because they're babes in Christ,
because they likely have not been saved
for a very long amount of time.
Go back to Hebrews 6, Hebrews 6.
So he's explaining why we would move on from basic doctrine.
Verse number four.
Verse four.
For it is impossible for those who are once enlightened
And we're made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
We already read in Ephesians 1 that you get sealed with the Holy Ghost when you get saved.
And notice, have tasted the good word of God.
So they haven't really endured the word of God that much.
They've just had a little bit and the powers of the world to come.
Notice, if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance,
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame.
I think this language can be kind of hard for some people to understand.
So let's go back to verse 4 and connect verse 4 with verse 6 because he's saying something
is impossible in verse 4.
Then he's giving all these qualifiers of describing a person.
But let's not miss what he's saying is impossible.
Look at verse 4.
He says,
For it is impossible for those.
And I believe those people are Christians, okay?
So just do a thought experiment with me here.
Let's read this verse like this.
For it is impossible for Christians.
Look at verse 6.
Go down to verse 6.
to renew them again under repentance,
seeing they crucified themselves, the Son of God afresh,
and put Him to an open shame.
Now some people when they read this,
they are teaching that verse 6 is teaching that you can lose your salvation.
But hold on a second.
The Bible is saying that something here is impossible.
So, let's just for a thought experiment say that this is teaching that, which of course
it is not teaching that.
But let's say that verse 6 is teaching you to lose your salvation.
This is what people would have to believe.
They would have to say, if someone falls away and they believe that means losing your salvation,
that it would be impossible to renew them again unto repentance.
Now, you know what that would mean?
That would mean that if someone lost their salvation, this verse would then be teaching
Now is that what people teach?
No, it's not.
Most of these people say,
oh yeah, you could lose your salvation,
but you got to repent of your sins.
You got to ask God for forgiveness.
You got to get back on the wagon.
You got to start following Christ again.
But hold on.
If you believe this is teaching,
you could lose your salvation.
Then this is saying it's impossible
to be renewed under repentance.
It's impossible to ever get saved again,
according to their interpretation of this verse.
Now here's the thing.
If you could lose your salvation,
all of us would.
because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
So if you're going to say,
well, yeah, if you sin, you lose your salvation,
well, then literally no one would ever be going to heaven.
Heaven would have this many people inside of it.
Why? Because according to them,
it'd be impossible to be renewed again under repentance.
Now, that is garbage, my friends.
That makes no sense whatsoever.
Now, what does it mean to fall away?
Go to Luke chapter 8.
Confusion in this chapter comes to the point of what it means to fall away.
Because some people would say,
fall away means lose your salvation.
Well, let's look at the Bible and see how the Bible uses this phrase.
Luke chapter 8.
Luke chapter 8 verse 13.
They on the rock
Are they, which when they hear, receive the word of God with joy, and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation, notice, fall away.
Now in this parable, this is a saved person being described.
But this saved person, he's believed for only a short amount of time,
so he doesn't have deep roots in the ground that's grounding him in the faith.
He's not going to be able to stand in that evil day.
He's not wearing the full armor of God.
He hasn't built his house on the word of God and on doctrine.
He hasn't dug real deep and built really strong roots
to get him through the persecution and trials of life.
So when persecution comes because of the word, this person does what?
They fall away.
Now, don't we see this happen in Christianity, don't we see someone get saved and they might
even come to church for a little while, they've tasted of the heavenly gift, they've tasted
of the word of God, you know, they've come to a few services and then the church gets
on the news.
And then the pastor goes viral for some sermon and what does that person sometimes do?
They stop coming to church and oftentimes when people stop coming to church, they stop reading the Bible.
They stop praying. They stop going soul-winning. And so what does that person done? They've fallen away.
Now did that person lose their salvation? Absolutely not because the Bible teaches it's impossible to lose your salvation.
But that person has fallen away. They've fallen away from what? From the Word of God.
from serving him, they've fallen away from being steadfast.
Hey, let's look at that verse.
Look at 2 Peter chapter number two,
or 2 Peter chapter three.
2 Peter three.
2 Peter chapter number three, look at verse six,
or I'm sorry, verse 17.
2 Peter three, verse 17.
Ye therefore beloved.
Seeing you know these things before, beware, lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked,
fall from your own steadfastness.
So isn't it possible for a saved person to fall?
Yes it is.
Is it possible for a saved person to fall away? Absolutely.
Is it possible for a saved person to fall away from their own steadfastness? Yes it is.
a saved person that's been led away with the error of the wicked.
Don't we see that sometimes in our life, where the wicked will rise up and they will rail against the Bible,
they will rail against men of God, and they will try to sow division in churches,
sow division amongst Christians, and sometimes we see people that aren't really rooted and grounded in the Word of God.
They're not really spiritually mature, they're babes in Christ.
And what do we see? We see them fall away from their own steadfastness.
of the wicked. Did those people lose their salvation? No they did not lose their salvation.
But are those people steadfast? No they're not. Did they fall away? Yes they did.
Go back to Hebrews chapter number six. So notice the people in Hebrews six and again let's read
unto repentance.
So whatever group of people we're talking about,
they have already repented.
Okay, they've repented from what verse 1 talks about repentance from dead works
And isn't that what you do when you get saved you repent from trusting in going to church living a good life
Reading the Bible following the commandments and you trust in Jesus Christ for salvation
That is repentance from dead works and a faith toward God
You better believe you have to repent to be saved, but you don't have to repent of your sins to be saved
You're repenting from trusting in
something else, and now you're trusting in Jesus Christ.
No one's trusting in their sins to save them.
I've never gone soul-winning and asked someone,
what do you think someone has to do to go to heaven?
And they said, sin a lot.
Then that person would have to repent of their sins
because they would have to repent of trusting
in their sins to save them, but no one believes that.
But people are trusting in good works to save them.
And according to the Bible, those are dead works.
That can't save you.
So yes, these people have already repented.
Now, here's the thing, if this is talking about a person that is a reprobate, my question
would be, well, what have these people already repented of?
Nothing.
Reprobates, they didn't get saved and then lost their salvation and became reprobates.
Reprobates have never repented, right?
But according to Hebrews 6, the Bible is saying it's impossible for this group of people
to renew them again unto repentance.
Well, that makes sense for a saved person because the Bible is basically saying here
that it's impossible for a saved person to lose their salvation.
That's what it's saying.
And so, of course, if someone's backslidden, like this group of Christians in Hebrews 5,
If someone's backslidden, what would be the course of action to fix this individual?
Let's say brother so-and-so in our church is backslidden he fell away from his own steadfastness
He wasn't you know standing on the word of God, and he's fallen away
What would be the action that I would take to fix this person?
Would it be to knock on their door and ask them if they were to die today?
Are they a hundred percent sure they'd be going to heaven? No because they're already saved
Would it be to preach messages every Sunday morning Sunday evening and Wednesday night about salvation?
No because everyone's already saved
What would be the action step for a Christian who's backslidden to get back on track?
It's to read the Word of God.
It's to get back on track in serving God, in doing important works like going to church, reading your Bible, praying.
That would fix that person.
But you know what? It's impossible for those who were once enlightened and all those descriptions it gives,
if those people fall away, it's impossible to renew them again under repentance.
Why seeing that they crucified to themselves the work of look at verse 6 seeing that they crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh
And put him to an open shame
You know, if you could lose your salvation, then what you're saying is that the sacrifice of Christ wasn't good enough the first time.
And guess what? It's impossible to crucify Christ again and again and again and renew someone again unto repentance.
It's impossible. Why? Because he already died once. He's a once for all sacrifice.
So think about this. What do we have so far? We have the author saying,
Your dole of hearing, your babes in Christ, okay, so what do we need to do?
We need to move on from these basic doctrines.
We need to go on to perfection, meaning that we're well-rounded Christians, we're developed Christians.
Why?
Well, because it's impossible if someone falls away from the things of God to get them saved again.
It's not like we need to preach them the gospel again.
It's impossible for them to lose their salvation because Christ is a once-for-all sacrifice.
Verse 6, again, if they shall fall away to renew them again under repentance, seeing they crucified to themselves,
the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame.
Number 3 this morning, God expects us to bring forth fruit.
Look at verse 7.
But that which bear thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh into cursing, whose end is to be burned.
Now, I think what will help us understand this analogy that the author is drawing here is by going to Luke chapter 8 and looking at the parable of the sower.
Because elsewhere in the Bible, a piece of land
the earth, if you will, often represents a person. Okay, so I believe in Hebrews 6
where it talks about the earth drinking in the rain, that that is talking about a
person. And let me explain to you why I believe that. Look at Luke chapter 8,
verse number 5, a sower went out to sow his seed and as he sowed some fell by the
wayside and it was trodden down in the fowls of the air devoured him. And some
fell upon a rock and as soon as it was sprung up it withered away because it
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
And other fell on good ground and sprang up and bear fruit and hundredfold.
When he had said these things, he cried, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And his disciples asked him, saying, what might this parable be?
So get the picture. Jesus has given this parable.
And the cool thing about the parable of the sower is it's one of the parables in the Bible
where Jesus just explains to you exactly what it means.
We don't have to really struggle as to the interpretation of this parable because he's going to explain it to us verse number
10 and he said and he said
Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God
But to others in parables that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand now the parable is this notice
The seed is the word of God
So, don't get this confused, I've heard people preach this.
The seed is not a person, okay?
The seed is the Word of God.
We know that because Jesus literally tells us in this parable.
So, it's not like, you know, the good seed is a good person, a bad seed is a bad person.
No, the seed is the Word of God.
Verse 12, those by the wayside are they, notice people, that hear.
Then come at the devil and take away the Word out of their hearts lest they should believe
and be saved.
So notice, the wayside is a piece of ground
or earth, if you will, representing a person
who does not get saved.
And in this parable, the person, the ground, the wayside,
that is the only individual in this parable
that does not get saved.
How do we know that?
Because it says that they don't believe
and they don't get saved.
Verse 13, they on the rock are they, notice people.
Which when they hear receive the word of with joy and these have no root
Which for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away
So notice the rock is a piece of ground or earth if you will who believes they get saved
But and they're joyful they're happy
But when persecution comes, time of temptation, they quickly fall away.
They're not saved for a very long time.
You could say that they've tasted of the Word of God, if you will,
but they're not steadfast.
They fall away because of persecution.
Are they saved?
Yes, they are.
Have they fallen away?
Absolutely.
Verse 14.
And that which fell among thorns are they, so people, which when they have heard go forth and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection.
So the thorns is a piece of ground or earth, if you will, where this person gets saved, but the cares of this world stops them from ever bringing forth fruit.
And isn't there people like this today where we get them saved?
But you know what?
They're never coming to church.
And they may never crack open their Bible.
But the Bible does teach that it's possible to have no works and to still be saved.
Go to Romans chapter 4 verse 5 if you want to see that.
No, don't actually go there.
I'm just telling you.
That's a verse where you could find that doctrine, all right?
So again, this ground is a person that is saved, but they don't bring forth good fruit.
Now verse 15 says this, but that, on the good ground, are they, which in an honest and good
heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.
So what is the good ground? It's a person, the earth, the good ground here is a person
that receives the word of God and because they have a good heart, they receive it,
they read the word of God, they apply it to their life, they're bringing forth fruit,
they're going out and getting people saved. But here's the thing, we just read a lot of people
that are saved and only one group of ground here is actually doing a lot of work for God.
Hebrews 6, look at verse number 7.
So think about this in context of what we read.
For the earth, which I would say that represents a person,
which drinketh in the rain, that cometh off to upon it,
and bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by whom it is dressed,
receiveeth blessing from God.
Now think about this, if the earth represents a person here,
what does the rain represent?
I think that represents the word of God.
The word of God often is represented as water or as rain, and us as Christians, if we're the earth,
if we're receiving in the rain and we're letting it sink into our hearts, if we have a good heart,
we're applying it to our lives, we're doing what the Bible says, you know what we're going to do?
We're going to bring forth herbs, meat for them by whom it is dressed, which I believe is a picture
of the Trinity, I'll get to that in a minute, and it says receive it's blessing from God.
The Christians that read the Word of God, believe it, apply it to their lives,
bring forth fruit, you know what you're going to receive?
Blessings from God, right?
The Christian that lives a good life is going to be the one where their heavenly
father is pleased with them, and so God is going to bless them.
But I think what's happening in this chapter is it's comparing and
contrasting two groups of Christians, because notice what it says in verse 8.
It says, but that, what is the that referring to?
Grammatically, the that is referring to the earth, which again represents a person.
So that piece of ground, or that earth which Barathorn's and Briar's is rejected
and is nigh into cursing whose end is to be burned.
Go to 1 Timothy chapter number two.
1 Timothy chapter two.
Now, I think this is contrasting two types.
saved individuals, okay? One, drinks in the rain and brings forth herbs, meat for
them by whom it is dressed. What does it mean when something's meat? It means that
something is fitting or something is suitable. Look at 1st Timothy 2 verse
19. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure. Having this seal, the Lord
knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that name it the name of Christ
But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth and some to honor and some to dishonor.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and notice, meat for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
So, when you, as a piece of earth, when you drink in the rain, or the word of God, you'll bring forth fruit which is meat or suitable for them by whom it is dressed.
Now, the them who I believe that's referring to, obviously in a parable it would be referring to the people working the field, right?
The people sowing, and who is it that sows?
Well, it's God that sows.
and it's soul winners that's so,
but what I think is saying here in Hebrew 6,
meet for them by whom it is dressed,
I think that's a good picture of the trinity, okay?
Because it says them,
and of course we know the trinity is three persons,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
So when you, as a Christian, you are good ground,
you drink in the rain, you bring forth herbs,
you're doing works that are meat or suitable for God.
Suitable for the Father, suitable for the Son, suitable for the Holy Ghost.
Now, what about verse 8?
Verse 8 says,
But that which bear thorns and briars, so that piece of ground or that person
that doesn't bring forth herbs meat for God, they're producing what?
Thorns and briars, that person is nigh into cursing whose end is to be burned.
What I think this is saying is that a Christian who, they get the word of God, but they don't do anything with it,
what's going to be produced in their lives?
Thorns and briars.
And if you know anything about having a yard or about having a field or anything like that,
if you just do nothing to it, you know what it's going to produce?
Thorns and briars.
It's not like you have to work to produce thorns and briars.
If you just let a field sit there and do nothing,
it's going to produce thorns and briars.
You know, I grew up hunting a lot in Idaho,
and you go out to the desert,
and there's just tons of thorns and briars out there.
Why? Because that piece of ground
isn't being used by anyone.
It's not being tended to.
It's not being worked on.
And so when a person, when a saved person
is not applying the word of God,
is not doing anything in their life,
they're just being lazy.
They're being slothful.
You know what's going to be produced
in that person's life is thorns and briars.
Meaning worthless meaningless works that are not meat or not suitable for God
They're just worthless and you know oftentimes what farmers or
People do when they have worthless thorns or briars in their field. You know they do they burn them
Why? Because it's representing trash.
It's representing something that has no value.
It's not helping your field.
It's not helping you produce anything.
So what would you do with trash?
You would get rid of it.
Go to 1st Corinthians 9.
Now, this is not saying that a saved person would go to hell.
Okay, oftentimes in the Bible terminology can be used like this where it's not necessarily referring to someone going to hell
but think about it if
God is investing all this rain into you into your life into your field and
You're not producing anything with it. You're just producing thorns and briars. Well, you're nigh and a cursing
You're ready to be rejected. Your life is ready to be destroyed. Why because God has no value for you
You have no value. You're not bringing any value in your life to serving God. You're not serving others
You're not getting anyone saved. So why even are you on this earth? You're not doing anything, right?
Everyone good?
Distractions over there. All right, go back to 1st Corinthians 9 1st Corinthians 9
You know Christian that does nothing for God
their life, carnally speaking, is completely meaningless.
The works that we do in this earth,
the pleasure that we enjoy,
you know, the businesses that we make,
when we just eat, drink, and be merry,
there's not really any value in that eternally, right?
The only things that matter eternally
are the souls that we win to Christ.
But notice, someone can be cast away,
someone can be trashed in this life and still be saved.
1 Corinthians 9-24 says this.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveeth the prize, so run that ye may obtain.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things, now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible.
I, therefore, so run, not as uncertainly, so fight I, not as one that beeth at the air,
but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest, by any means, when I have
preached to others, notice, I, myself, should be a cast away."
So think about the Apostle Paul.
This is the good ground.
The Apostle Paul is the good ground.
I mean, he is the earth where he is receiving the rain and he is bringing forth herbs, meat
for them by whom it is dressed, right?
He is going out, he is preaching the gospel, he is turning the world upside down for Jesus
Christ, he has a lot of good works that are meaningful and valuable and so his life brings
value to the kingdom of God.
But he is saying, hold on though, I am running in this race but I still have to check myself,
I still have to be temperate in all things, I still have to subject my body to make sure
is not dominating in my life,
that my flesh is not telling me what to do in my life,
that I'm telling my flesh what to do.
Otherwise, in this race, I'm gonna be a what, a cast away.
If an athlete is training for an athletic event, they have to be very diligent in what
they eat.
They have to be diligent about their sleep.
They have to be diligent about their training schedule.
But if you just throw all that away and you start shoving the donuts in every day, you
don't get good sleep, you're not caring about your body, you're going to be trashed in that
race.
You're going to lose that race.
And he's saying, if I just start letting my flesh rain, if I just start letting the
You know what could happen to the Apostle Paul is that he could be cast away.
What could he be cast away from?
Well, how about his position as an Apostle, right?
I mean, if someone is in a position of leadership, let's use it in our modern day, like a pastor.
If a pastor is not walking diligently, if they're not keeping their flesh in subjection,
if they're letting their sin nature rule and they're going out and they're getting drunk,
or they're committing adultery, or they're doing drugs,
you know what could happen to that pastor is he could be cast away.
Now could he lose his salvation? No.
But could he be cast away from his position and what he's doing for Christ?
Absolutely he can.
So go to Luke chapter 13.
When it comes to a Christian that's not bringing forth any good herbs,
they're just bringing forth thorns and briars.
Their life can be cast away.
They can lose the position that they have in this life.
Yay, they could even lose their very life themselves.
Because, quite honestly, the reason that we're on this earth is to win others to Christ,
and to do work for God.
God did not just save us so that we can just live pleasure in this life,
and just, you know, eat, drink, and tomorrow we die.
That's not what God created us for.
He created us to bring forth fruit for him.
Luke 13, verse 6.
He spake also this parable a certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came and sought fruit there on and found none
Then said he unto the dresser of the vineyard behold these three years
I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none cut it down
Why cumbereth it the ground so notice God wants fruit from the tree
He wants us to bring forth fruit as trees as good piece of earth and when he sees no fruit on the tree
When our lives aren't producing any value, you know what our life is in danger of it's being cut down
Okay, but look at verse number eight and he answering said unto them
unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig it about and dung it, and if it bear fruit well, and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."
And what can we learn from this?
Well, you know, God desires us to bring forth fruit.
God desires saved people to bring forth herbs,
meat for them, by whom it is dressed.
But if God sees our lives
and we're not producing any value,
we're not producing any fruit,
oftentimes he will be very gracious and merciful unto us.
You know, he'll give us a year.
Maybe he'll give people more.
You know, he'll dig it around about.
He'll give you sermons.
He'll give you Bible verses to try to help you heal.
He'll dung it.
He might even punish you a little bit in this life,
but eventually, if a Christian is just rebellious,
stiff-necked, not gonna bring any forth fruit from God,
you know that person's life is in danger of being cut down.
That is a truth in the Word of God and you know what? You see God kill safe people in the Bible
You see God kill unsaved people in the Bible
And I'm not saying that God's on a hair trigger to kill Christians that aren't serving him
but I'm just saying God desires us to bring forth fruit in our lives and
When we don't bring any value to God our life is nigh unto cursing
Coronally speaking look at Luke chapter 14
Let's look at this principle again verse 34 salt is good
But if the salt have lost his savor wherewith shall it be seasoned?
It is neither fit or meat for the land nor yet for the dung hill, but men cast it out
He that had ears to hear let him hear
And, you know, your life, if you are the salt and you've lost your savor, if you're the
tree and you're not bringing forth fruit, if you're the piece of ground and you're bringing
forth thorns or briars, your life is nigh under cursing.
You are nigh, you are close to being rejected or discarded or thrown away by God.
And so that is just a reality of what the Bible teaches.
Go back to Hebrews 6, I'll read for you, John 15.6.
It says, if a man abide not in me,
he is cast forth as a branch and is withered,
and men gather them and cast them into the fire,
and they are burned.
So again, a saved person not bringing forth any fruit, just like a farmer that has a tree where a branch is not producing, where a branch is dead, they're going to cut that thing off and burn it.
And what is that a picture of? It's them just being trashed basically. It's them being discarded, it's them being set aside.
Why? Because God is looking for vessels of honor today. God is looking for branches that bring forth fruit. God is looking for ground.
that produces herbs meat for them by whom it is dressed.
God is not looking for people today
to bring forth thorns and briars.
Because quite frankly, the unsaved are doing that.
Their life is thorns and briars.
You know, we're supposed to be different.
We're supposed to go on unto perfection.
Why? God wants us to bring forth fruit.
Hebrews chapter six.
With that in mind, I think we'll understand these verses
a little bit better.
Verse 7, For the earth which drinketh in the rain, that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveeth blessing from God.
But that which Barath thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned, but, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you.
and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
So get the picture here, because I believe he's addressing a saved audience here,
he's basically telling them, look, there's two types of Christians in this world.
Those that bring forth herbs meet for the Master,
and those that bring forth thorns and briars who are going to be cursed,
who are going to be trashed, who are going to be set aside,
but he's saying, look, I'm persuaded better things of you,
He's saying, I'm persuaded you're not like this second group, I'm persuaded you guys are going to be the Christians that actually go forth, that go on under perfection, that bring forth good fruit, and notice in things that accompany salvation.
What are things that accompany salvation?
Well, God desires that we have works that accompany our salvation.
Notice, works are not our salvation, bringing forth herbs aren't our salvation, but they
are things that should accompany salvation.
We don't do good works to get saved, but once we're saved, God desires that we have works
that's accompanying that salvation.
And he's saying, look guys, yeah, I want to teach you about Melchizedek.
You guys are babes in Christ.
We should go on, we should move past these things.
It's not like I can get you saved again.
You know, God desires you people to bring forth fruit.
There's two types of Christians, those that do,
those that don't, and you know what?
I'm persuaded that this group is gonna be the one
that brings forth fruit.
That's what he's saying so far.
Number four, notice this.
God's unforgettableness.
So with all that in mind,
he starts off in verse 10 saying four,
meaning because, don't lose the context.
It's so important when you're reading the Bible.
So, because of all that, God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which
you have showed toward His name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister.
What is the author trying to get them to do?
He's trying to get them to work.
He's trying to get them to do.
He's saying, look, you guys should be teachers already, but now you need the milk.
I want to teach you about Melchizedek.
How are you the good ground?
How are you the good earth that brings in the rain,
that brings forth herbs, meat for them by whom it is dressed?
You have to work.
You have to do.
You have to perform actions for God.
And you're saying, look, God's not unrighteous.
He's not going to forget the work and the labor that you do.
In verse 11, notice.
We see the heart of what he's trying to accomplish in this letter,
and we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence
to the full assurance of hope unto the end.
Go to 1 Corinthians 15.
What is he saying there? He's like,
I want you guys to work.
God's not going to forget about your work.
We're desiring that you do the same diligence
to the full assurance of hope unto the end.
He's saying, I want you to be Christians.
bring forth fruit your entire lives. You know what that describes? That describes
a steadfast Christian right there and that's what Paul wants to produce or
this author wants to produce. First Corinthians 15, 57, but thanks be to God
which give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We're talking about
saved people. Therefore my beloved brethren
Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.
For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
Isn't that the same message that he's trying to convey in Hebrews 6?
He's saying, look,
I want you guys to work. I want you guys to be steadfast.
And guess what? It's not in vain.
That's why he says in Hebrews 6, God's not going to forget your labor of love.
He's not unrighteous. He's going to remember he's going to reward you.
And guess what? The earth, the ground that brings forth fruit,
that's the person that God's going to bless.
But on the flip side, the person or the ground that just does nothing,
they just let their life sit, they produce thorns and briars.
That's not going to be blessed by God. That person is nigh unto cursing.
Number five, notice the exhortation to patiently work.
Verse 12 of Hebrews 6, verse 12.
Hebrews 6, verse 12.
And really, I think verse 12 is the application of the truth that we've heard so far.
Verse 12.
But followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
So he's saying, look, I don't want you to be slothful.
And why does someone remain a babe in Christ? It's because they're slothful.
Why does someone not grow spiritually?
Because they're too lazy to read their Bible.
Because they're too lazy to come to church.
They're too lazy to become a soul winner.
And he's saying to these people,
look, I don't want you to be lazy.
But what does he want them to do?
I want you to be followers of them
who through faith and patience,
notice, inherit the promises.
So notice, those that aren't slothful,
those that do work,
they're going to inherit the promises,
meaning they're going to be blessed by God.
They're going to receive blessing.
from God. Now he's going to give us an example. Verse 13,
for when God made promise to Abraham,
because he could swear by no greater, he swear by himself, saying,
Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
And so after he had patiently endured,
he obtained the promise. Go to Hebrews chapter 11, Hebrews 11.
So he gives us an example of someone that did this.
Someone that worked patiently, someone that had faith in God patiently, you know
that's what God desires for us in our life is to walk by faith and to patiently endure in this life and to keep doing the
things that God wants us to do regardless of how our flesh feels to be
diligent to keep our bodies under subjection and to serve God and bring forth fruit.
Hebrews 11 verse 8, by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which
he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed, and went out, not knowing whether
he went.
By faith, he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God.
Look at verse 17, by faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac and he that received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called
accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure.
And I think the reason the author in Hebrews 6 brings up Abraham as an example is because Abraham was willing to do whatever God asked him to do.
by faith. And that is the attitude that is going to bring you blessing from God in life.
When you read the Bible and you don't necessarily understand it, or you think, man,
I don't know if this is going to be the best decision in my life.
I don't know how this is going to affect me super positively.
But you see the Word of God and you obey it anyways, that's the person that's going to receive the blessing from God.
That's going to be the person that inherits the promises and not just the person that does that, but Paul's hope or the author's hope
is that they would do this until the end.
That we would not just be steadfast for a day or for a week,
that's not being steadfast.
But rather that we would be steadfast our entire lives.
What does that take though?
It takes you not being slothful.
It takes us getting to work.
It takes us being diligent.
It takes us, like a farmer, would constantly have to work
and tend to his field and work super hard,
not someone that just lets the thorns and the thistles
and the briars grow because that's a person that is lazy.
Go back to Hebrews 6.
Number 6, notice God's faithfulness.
God's faithfulness.
Because, you know, God's not asking us to do all this,
and he's just going to leave us high and dry.
He's not going to forget about us.
We're not going to be ashamed.
Hebrews 6, verse 16.
For men verily swear by the greater.
And an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have
a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before
us.
What is it that gives us hope?
How is it that I know I'm never gonna lose my salvation because God promised that I wouldn't and God can never lie
You know, I wouldn't really have full assurance of hope and it wouldn't be like the level of hope
I have in God when a person promises me something because a person can lie you can lie I can lie, right?
But you know who can never lie is God
And so when God promises us something, that should enable us to have faith in that and
to continue going forth and serving Him, knowing that, hey, if I serve God, I know that my
labor is not in vain in the Lord.
I know when I go and do something for God and I'm doing things for the right reason
and I'm obeying His words, no matter what comes of that, I know that it was not in vain.
Where you put a lot of work, effort and energy into something and something bad could happen
and you kind of feel like, was all that work in vain?
Was all that worthless?
And you know what, if you're doing it for God, none of that work is in vain.
None of that work is void.
Why?
Because we're not trusting in man, we're trusting in the Lord.
And so when God promises us something and we're doing it because of him, none of that
work is in vain.
Both sure and steadfast and which entereth into that within the veil. This is such a powerful verse
It's one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible
I love this verse so much and I plan on preaching a whole sermon on this verse soon
But it's just so beautiful to think about because of the fact that God promised because he can't lie
This hope that we have in him is like an anchor of the soul
Like when you're in a ship and you drop that anchor, it doesn't matter the storms of life that you're going through.
It doesn't matter the tempest, it doesn't matter the rain.
All that matters is that you're tethered to that anchor.
And that anchor is sure.
That anchor is steadfast.
It's not like man that's gonna fail you.
No, it's an anchor of our soul.
And thank God that we could take salvation and have that as an anchor to our soul.
Why? Because God promised and He can't lie.
You know, thank God that we could have the Word of God that is completely pure,
that everything is true, and that could be an anchor of our soul.
Why? Because it is true, it'll never fail us.
Verse 20.
made in high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
So notice in verse 20, he's kind of bringing it back to our original context.
And then if you read chapter 7, all of chapter 7 is about what?
Melchizedek. So don't miss this.
So far in this chapter, in the end of this book, what have we had?
Chapter 5, he's desiring to teach us about Melchizedek.
But he can't, because these Christians are dull of hearing, they're carnal, they're babes in Christ,
and so in chapter 6 he's saying, look, let's move on from the basics, let's move on from salvation,
you're already saved, you can't lose your salvation, but what you do need to do is work so that you can grow,
so that you can handle these hard doctrines, and he explains to them multiple reasons why they should grow,
the fact that God's not going to lie to us.
the fact that he's not going to be unrighteous to forget our work,
the fact that we have an anchor of the soul, there's lots of reasons to work,
but then in chapter seven, he goes and just explains what he was trying to explain in the
beginning in the first place of Melchizedek. Now, go to Hebrews chapter number six.
Hebrews chapter number six. And so, to me,
This interpretation though some of the language admittedly is pretty difficult in this chapter
It's not one of the easiest chapters in the Bible to me the flow and the context of this makes sense
He wants to explain Melchizedek, they're babes in Christ, let's move on from this stuff.
I can't get you guys saved again, you need to work, God's not going to forget your labor,
God's not going to forget your work, you know, we have an anchor of our soul, let's get out and
work. I'm persuaded of better things of you, I'm persuaded you're going to be the Christians that
can handle this and grow and then what does he do in chapter seven? He just gives them Melchizedek.
And some people will say like, well what changed from chapter five to chapter seven?
Why did he start teaching them about Melchizedek if they're babes in Christ?
But remember, the author is writing a letter here.
It's not like he's preaching a sermon.
He's writing a letter.
So he's writing the whole book of Hebrews and he's giving it to these Christians.
And here's the thing, Christians can read chapter 5 and read chapter 6 and then they
could spend the next weeks, months, years of their life getting better and they're still
going to have Hebrews 7 to come back later to once they grow in Christ.
So yes, it is true that probably at the moment that the Christians who originally received
this letter, they're not going to necessarily understand Hebrews 7 right away.
Neither do we when we got saved either, right?
I mean, the first time you read Hebrews
through cover to cover,
did you understand everything in it?
Absolutely not.
You probably don't understand everything in it right now.
Probably myself included.
But you know what's gonna help us to understand more?
Is to grow, is to be diligent, is to work hard,
is to read the Bible.
That's what's gonna help us understand.
That to me makes sense.
That to me fits the context.
What does not make sense to me is saying,
hey, you guys are babes in Christ.
You guys need to grow.
I want to move on from these things because you're going to lose your salvation and never
be able to earn your salvation back again.
Here's Mokezadek.
That makes no sense, right and just to be honest to me doesn't make sense in the context
And I'm not against anyone that has this view
But for me it doesn't make sense in the context of this chapter to see like hey you guys I want to teach you about
McKezadec, but your babes and Christ I can't we need to go on under perfection
I just want to explain reprobates really quick to you by the way work really hard and now I'm going to explain
Hebrew 7
I just don't think that that really makes sense in the context of this chapter.
And if you believe that, I'm not against you whatsoever.
There's a lot of men that are way smarter than me, way more spiritual than me,
that believe that.
I'm just telling you, what I believe is that that's not the case.
What I believe is the way that I preach it this morning to you all.
Hebrews chapter 6 verse 10.
I want to leave you with this powerful truth of Hebrews 6. It says this,
Hebrews 6-10,
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love,
which he have showed toward his name,
in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister.
And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope unto the end.
That you be not slothful, but followers of them
who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
I do not want to fall away in my life.
I don't want to fall away from my steadfastness.
I don't want to fall away from my position.
I want to be greatly used by God in my life.
And I don't want any of you to fall away either.
And so, what is it going to take for us as Christians to be the type of people that when
persecution arises or when the wicked are trying to lead us away with the air of the wicked,
that we remain steadfast, that we remain not falling away from the things of God, it's
going to take us to work.
Christianity, when it comes to getting saved, it's by grace, it's easy.
When it comes to growing in the Lord,
when it comes to understanding hard doctrines in the Bible,
when it comes to being steadfast your entire life,
that's a lot of work.
And so, you know, let us as a church remember
that God's not gonna forget your labor.
God's not unrighteous to forget your labor of love
that you show out soul winning to the lost in Oklahoma City.
God's not going to forget the labor and love that you show when you help with the cleaning of this church,
when you help with the administration, when you help with the nursing home ministry,
or you help song lead, or you help preach, or any of these works that you do for God.
God is not going to forget those works.
God will be sure to repay you.
God will be sure to bless you.
But look, if you just let your life...
Just sit and you don't work. You don't tend to it and you just bring forth briars. You bring forth thorns
You know what? You're living a very worthless life
You're living a life that is going to be going to heaven and not having very many rewards and quite honestly
You're living a very dangerous life where God might just cut that branch off
Where God might just gather those branches that aren't producing and he might just burn those and toss those aside as trash
So you know us, if we want to be valued very highly, if we want to be used greatly of God, we're going to have to work hard.
And you know, I love the name of our church, Steadfast Baptist Church.
You know how you remain steadfast? You do the work and you keep doing the work until you die.
Let's pray. Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for Hebrews chapter 6 and the great truths found in it.
I just pray that all of us would labor and that we would remember that we have an anchor of the soul.
which is Jesus Christ, salvation, the Word of God,
and that we would not get led away with the air of the wicked,
that people would not fall away from you,
but that we would remain loyal instead fast.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.