Hebrews – Week 3

Automated Overview

• Chapter 1: [0:00 – 14:28]

  Pastor Kenny opens with a prayer and explains that they will be continuing their study in Hebrews, focusing on the controversial passage in chapter 6. He gives some background that Hebrews was written to the Hebrew people to explain how Jesus is superior – superior to angels, Moses, prophets, and the high priest. The writer has been building up that Jesus fulfills all the requirements of the law.

• Chapter 2: [14:29 – 23:03]

  Pastor Kenny explains there are different theories about interpreting Hebrews 6 – that those who fell away were never saved, that they lost their salvation, that it’s hypothetical, that it refers to wasted opportunities, that it’s a Jewish-specific issue, or that it refers to mixing law and grace. He shares his view that it refers to immature believers going back to dead works of the law and temple sacrifices instead of resting in Christ’s finished work, which makes it impossible for them to come to true repentance.

• Chapter 3: [23:04 – 1:16:01]

  Pastor Kenny goes through Hebrews 6 verse-by-verse, explaining his interpretation that the “falling away” refers to immature believers relying on dead works instead of producing fruit by resting in Christ. He talks about how the law and sacrifices cannot bring true repentance – only faith in Christ’s complete work can do that. He also explains the uncertainty and fear that this passage produces when misunderstood.

• Chapter 4: [1:16:02 – end]

  Pastor Kenny emphasizes that salvation is secure in Christ based on God’s promises. He sums up that the issue in Hebrews 6 is immature believers going back to dead works instead of resting in Christ, which cannot bring true repentance. He closes with encouragement to rest securely in Christ’s finished work.

Automated Transcript

[00:00:00] Well, some more may come in, but I guess we’re going to get started. We’ve got a lot to cover tonight and maybe JD will join us here in a little bit and I hope and we’ll go from there. So I’m just going to open us with a word of prayer and we’ll get going in it. Father, now as we come to you and to study Your Word again, we just thank you for each one that’s joined. I pray, Father, now that as we look into Your Word, that the Holy Spirit would just reveal all truth to us and give us understanding, to open our eyes and ears, to see clearly and to understand Your Word.

[00:00:37] We just pray, Father, that all that we said and done do will be done to glorify you and to magnify Jesus. Just be with us now in these next few minutes as we study together. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. All right, we finished up Chapter Four last week, and I don’t know about this Bible bot thing they were saying last week is having a hard time keeping up with me, but this week is probably going to put it in overload because I tried to get as many Scripture references as possible to really drive home the different things in the Scripture.

[00:01:24] But first I want to start in chapter five and we’ll go through these verses, the first few verses rather briefly because we’ll be discussing it again after tonight. So we’ll go into it a little bit deeper. But again, if you have any questions or something you don’t understand, just let me know and we’ll try to make it a little bit clear. So up to this point, the writer of Hebrews, which some think is Paul, and if it wasn’t Paul, it definitely had to be someone very close to him that they were very much of like same mind that did this. So he mentions up to this point that Jesus is or has become our High Priest.

[00:02:15] And in doing so, he fulfilled all the requirements that God demands for righteousness and that through Him and his work on the cross, we can come boldly into the Holy of Holies or before the throne of grace, that we would be found righteous in his sight. As I said, we do this through the finished work of Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. Chapter four, verse 16. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy to find help, to find grace, to help in the time of need.

[00:02:56] I love how Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews, just sort of at the end of each section, just sort of gives you a little snippet of what’s fixing to come or what’s that’s Southern, isn’t it? Fixing what’s going to come up in the next, what he’s going to discuss next. So he is talking about the High priest. So we see here in chapter five, the writer is almost anticipating the Hebrew response from his last statement that Jesus has become our high priest and fulfilled all those duties and all the demands once again for righteousness. And so a Hebrew listen is remember we said that this is written to the Hebrews telling them to stop being Hebrews and acting like Hebrews.

[00:03:52] They already are probably just beside themselves that he has compared him to Moses and said he’s better than Moses and that would have just put him in a tailspin. But now he’s saying there he’s a high priest and is going to go on to say that he’s even better than the high priest and the work of the high priest. And he’s anticipating their response, I think here in chapter five and on chapter seven and eight, that how could Jesus become a high priest? That’s not possible. I mean, Jesus is another tribe of Judah, not of the Levites, and he didn’t fulfill all the priestly things that we require.

[00:04:36] That’s written in the law. So they’re trying to understand how he could become a high priest. Well, he starts to explain that and go through that. And like I said, the next ten verses, we’re going to go through them pretty quick because we will get into them deeper in chapter seven and eight. But I want to try to allow as much time as possible for us to go through chapter 511, through chapter six, pretty much.

[00:05:04] So he starts out in verse one, for every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. Now, if you don’t know, if you haven’t joined us, I’m reading this out of the ESV because that’s what most of them said they had. I will switch back and forth to King James and different things, but this is the ESV. And what he’s really saying here in this verse is this was the duties of the high priest, that they were to act on behalf of men in relation to God and to offer gifts and sacrifices for their sins. That’s the duties of the high priest.

[00:05:48] And then in verse two, he can deal gently with the ignorant and the wayward since he himself is beset with weaknesses, he’s talking about what the high priest does. And the high priest could associate or relate to those he presented before God because he also was just like them. And verse three, because of this, he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for those of the people, as the high priest would offer the sacrifices for the sins of the people. He understood fully that he himself was a sinner who needed cleansing as well. Like I said, I’ll make many references to the tabernacle, but in the outer court you come into the eastern gate and you had the Brazen altars.

[00:06:41] The first thing you came to. And then the next piece of furniture was the labor. And in that labor it was a bronze bowl shaped thing, I guess, that had water in it. And then the bottom of it was we’re just getting started, Trevor. No problem.

[00:07:05] Just on verse three, really, of chapter five. So in this labor was polished bronze that the ladies gave of the Israelites, and they polished it to a mirror finish. The idea is there as the high priest would go and wash his hands for cleansing and his feet for cleansing. As he went about his daily duties as a high priest, he would look down in this labor to wash his hands. He would see himself.

[00:07:39] So not only did the people need cleansing, but it was a constant reminder every time he went to that labor that I need cleansing, too. And that’s a picture of the word of God. The labor, as we look into the word of God I don’t look into the Word of God and say, wow, my wife needs to hear this. I look into the word of God and say, wow, I need this. This is for me.

[00:08:05] We shouldn’t be reading God’s Word to try to bring everything on everybody else. God’s Word speaks to us and points out what we need to change, what we need to be in the eyes of God. So these mirrors would point that out to the there you go. There’s a good picture there. You come in through the gate at the bottom there and the Brazen altar.

[00:08:25] And then the next thing was labor. Thank you. You could do pictures like that. And then you go into the tabernacle itself. The area outside there was the outer court, and then the big tent thing in the middle had two sections the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

[00:08:44] So this labor is what I was talking about here. That made the high priest a constant reminder every day, all day, of his need for cleansing as well. So, verse three, he was obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins. And this was a constant reminder. And no one just takes his honor for himself, but only when he’s called by God, just as Aaron was.

[00:09:09] So no one ever became a high priest who was not called of God. God appointed the high priest. That might be a good lesson for a lot of people today that think they want to become teachers and preachers and stuff. That is a calling. That’s not a self appointment.

[00:09:25] That’s not a job we do to build a resume. That is a calling from God. And I guess as a pastor now, I’ve worked many different jobs in my life, but this is the first one I’ve ever felt that I just can’t quit. It’s not up to me. God called me.

[00:09:44] God will take me out of the way or take me out of this when he’s ready. So it’s just a different attitude when God calls you about it. Now we come on to verse five. Is Jesus is called by God to be our high priest, is what he’s pointing out to these Hebrew listeners. So also, Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest.

[00:10:08] Was appointed by Him who said to Him, you are my son today I have begotten you. And as he said in another place, for you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Oh, there’s a new would as they would listen and or read this letter or listen to this sermon, Melchizedek. We know who Melchizedek is. Abraham dealt with Melchizedek, and we will talk about that in chapter seven and eight more of who Melchizedek was and how Jesus is compared to Him.

[00:10:45] So he’s quoting here, Psalms 110 four.

[00:10:51] So in verse seven, in the days of his flesh, that’s when Jesus became man.

[00:11:00] God became man, come in the flesh, as we saw before in our previous chapters, where Jesus became man to identify with us, to be our kinsman, redeemer, to die for our sins on the cross, he became flesh. Jesus offered up prayers and supplication with loud cries and tears to Him who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reference. Although he was a Son, he learned the obedience through what he suffered. Now, the first thing that comes to my mind when I read that is the garden of Gethsemane.

[00:11:40] And the prayer when he prayed and his sweat became as great drops of blood and crying out to the Father, oh, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass for me nevertheless. Not my will, but thy will be done. Jesus is praying earnestly, and I believe he prayed earnestly to the Father all through his ministry and brought things before Him and did what the Father told him to do. So Jesus in his humanity, experienced what obedience to God was like from a man’s perspective or point of view. I don’t know if there’s any better term I could use there that this was something, I think, up to this point that God the Son didn’t ever I don’t know if I’m I hope I’m saying this right.

[00:12:37] I don’t want to confuse you didn’t really know obedience like a man’s perspective until he became man. So it wasn’t that he okay, I got to be obedient to God the Father. I learned it. No, he’s been obedient from all creation, all times past, for eternity. But as far as being man in the flesh and understanding and seeing obedience, jesus was experiencing this as a man.

[00:13:08] So I think as he walked on the earth, I believe he was grieved by the effects of what sin has caused. Philippians two eight. And being found in the fashion of man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death, unto death, even the death on the cross. So even he’s prayed, Father, if it be possible, take this cup from me nevertheless, not my will, but Thy will be done. I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus was saying, don’t let me die for the sins of the world.

[00:13:43] I think he was saying, if there be another way that I can pay for the sins of the world, or there’s several different views on this, but he just surrendered himself to saying, father, whatever you want to do, whichever way you want it to go, you do it according to your will and not my will. As a man or in the flesh. So I believe, as he prayed out, there was more from a human perspective than from the God man perspective, I guess, if I can say that, I hope that doesn’t confuse anyone. So in Matthew 26 39 and he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, o my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless not my will, but Thy will be done. That’s the one I was quoting there, matthew 26 39.

[00:14:37] But he was obedient to the Father’s will and being verse nine five nine and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all whom believed Him, who obeyed Him. Excuse me again. He didn’t become perfect. I’ve heard a lot of people yeah, see, Jesus said he finally became perfect. No, the word perfect there, the strong reference is 50 48 and means complete or accomplished.

[00:15:11] He completed the work or the source, I guess, of eternal salvation by all who would obey Him, because he was the perfect lamb of God to die for the sins of the world. He was the author and finisher of our faith, as we saw in Hebrews 210, for it became Him for whom all things and by whom all things, in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. There it is again, that 50 48. It’s complete or accomplished. Through his suffering, he accomplished or completed the work of salvation.

[00:15:59] So being designated or called, as it made a reference up earlier in verse five, being called of God, or being designated or called by God, a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. So once again, he introduces Melchizedek here and he wants to go on and continue. What is this melchizedek about? How can Jesus be our high priest? How can all this take place?

[00:16:37] And then he starts verse eleven, which I think ties into chapter six. A lot of back and forth between the two chapters about this. We have much to say about how Jesus is our high Priest, how he’s after the order of Melchizedek. Well, I’d love to tell you a lot about that is what the writer is saying here. And it’s hard to explain, it’s difficult, as we’re going to see in chapter six and forward, there are some things it’s hard to explain and you got to be having a good understanding.

[00:17:13] But he said it’s hard to explain why since you have become dull of hearing. So now we have a problem. The Word is not the problem, it’s the listeners. Many wanted to say God’s Word cannot be understood sometimes, but in most cases it’s not the reader or not the Word that’s the problem. But the reader, the one trying to understand the Word he talks about.

[00:17:40] And we’ll see in chapter six, verse twelve, he tells them not to be slothful or not to be lazy or ignorant of these things that you’re dull of hearing. For though verse twelve, for though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food. I told my church when we went through this, basically what he’s saying is, guys, you’re still sucking on the bottle and I’m trying to feed you steak and you guys can’t handle steak because you’re still sucking on a bottle over here. You haven’t grown up in your Christian walk, you haven’t matured, you’re still dull of hearing.

[00:18:26] Verse 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskillful than the Word for righteousness since he was a child. Word of righteousness since he was a child. So as I said a few weeks ago, you come into this tabernacle, into the outer court and at the Brazen altar, that’s the point of salvation. And you dabble in your Bible a little bit at the labor and you’re just happy you’ve got fire insurance and on your way to heaven. You’re not skillful in the Word, you’re not learning and moving on, as we’ll see in the next chapter, to move on to maturity of all that God has for you.

[00:19:05] And then he’s telling these Hebrew listeners this. You don’t understand fully how someone is made righteous in the eyes of God and how to live this Christian life because you’re still drinking milk and you’re not digging into the meatier things. We’re going to get into some very meaty things tonight. I believe this verse probably refers back to chapter four when the writer speaks of entering into God’s rest, that you’re still on the bottle here and you’re worried about this and you’re worried about that and different things and you don’t fully understand all that Christ did for you on the cross, that it is finished. There is nothing else to you’re at unrest because of unbelief or uncertainty.

[00:20:01] And we talked about that last week as the rest that a believer enters into through the finished work of Christ, that we cease from our works of righteousness or for working for righteousness. I believe this is what Jesus was talking about when he said, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest laboring. All the laws and the burdens to keep them. He says, come to me, I fulfill that and I will give you rest from that. And that’s important for us to understand in our study tonight, that rest that he gives us.

[00:20:43] And those things that they were doing, remember for thousands of years have gone back and forth, back and forth, and done sacrifices and done the law, and now all of a sudden Jesus has come. He’s better than angels, he’s better than Moses, he’s better than Adam, he’s better than all the prophets, he’s better than a high priest. He is superior and he is enough, and you don’t need to do this anymore. So they are struggling with this. He says, I’ll finish verse 14 of chapter five.

[00:21:18] But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their power of discernment. Trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil, mature Christians are constantly studying the word of God and learning to listen to the Holy Spirit, to help them to see right from wrong. Two Timothy two study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed. Rightly. Dividing the word of truth.

[00:21:47] It is important that we are in the word of God to study, to mature, to grow in our Christian faith. So with that, now we’ll go into chapter six. And as I said, I believe those few verses tie right in with chapter six he’s saying there from about verse, I think number verse eleven or twelve on into chapter six. He goes right into it, therefore but before we get to that point, I know chapter six is a very controversial subject for us today. I’m not so sure how controversial it would have been for them in that time because he was speaking their language, things they understood.

[00:22:35] As I said, he’s pointed out to this point that Christ is God. He’s the creator of all things, he is eternal, he’s superior to angels, he’s better than Adam, he’s better than Moses, all the prophets, and he’s even a better high priest. Christ is superior. Which remember, is our theme as we go through this chapter. Our theme is Christ is superior than anything they knew.

[00:23:04] Christ is superior. He is enough. So then in chapter six through ten, we saw that in chapters one through five of what he explained about the angels and prophets and high priests. Not now. He’s almost like going into a deeper subject.

[00:23:22] In chapter six through ten, he begins to explain what all the temple worship is about, what was the purpose of it, and how Christ is even superior to that, that he fulfilled that and is superior to that. So this passage of Scripture, as I said, has been one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament, if not the entire Bible. And I understand that tonight. So because of that, many people live in unrest or uncertainty because of difficulty in understanding what the writer is trying to explain to these Hebrew listeners. So my goal tonight is to show you the different views on this passage, or at least the views that I’m aware of, and I’ll go ahead and do this disclaimer.

[00:24:17] I don’t know if JD’s come in or not. I don’t know if he’s here, maybe not. But yeah, it’s a good thing I’m glad you come in because I was about to just discredit you altogether.

[00:24:37] Yeah, just before you start this one, hebrews chapter six is definitely where most people go to try and debunk eternal security for one. But again, no doubt there with what you just said, probably one of the most controversial passages, Hebrews six, and then obviously Hebrews Ten as well. But just to go back to something you mentioned, in Hebrews five, we see two. I did put the strongs in the Chat 548, which is Tellio. But the awesome part is when you get to verse 14, where you just mentioned the meat, and the phrase used there by the author is TeLEOS.

[00:25:28] So teleo is used to refer to Christ, and TeLEOS is referred to us. The meat belongs to them that are full of age, that have come of age. And the difference between teleo and TeLEOS is the TeLEOS applies to us in the sense that we become complete in our applications, our labor, our growth, our mental and moral character. That’s just always something that really stuck out to me, is that there’s two different versions. We see the completeness that refers to Christ as our God, and we see the Completeness that refers to men as we grow.

[00:26:12] And this is ultimately what we say to those who are young in the faith, that as long as you are seeking, as we see in Luke, if you seek, you will find. If you knock, the door will be opened. And this is ultimately, again, the completeness that comes in us as we pursue Christ is why some people can’t just they try, ultimately go straight for the jugular, get into the meats of Scripture, and ultimately they get tossed to and fro because they don’t understand the meat. And we see a lot of that on social media, unfortunately. But again, this is just a beautiful way to read Hebrews if you understand what he’s saying to them in chapter five.

[00:26:59] And if people actually understood, like Kenny beautifully explained chapter five to us. Now, if people actually understood chapter five, then chapter six makes a lot more sense. But without me rambling on any further, this is awesome. Thanks, Pastor Kenny. I’ll go back to no, no problem.

[00:27:18] Thank you, JD. I was just getting ready to say that in my disclaimer here, I have listened to a lot of different people describe this and explain these passages. And I may differ. I know I differ from several people. I don’t know that I’ve ever really heard JD take on it, or Mike’s take.

[00:27:45] I think I’m a little different than him. But what I don’t want is a big debate. I don’t want to go into who’s wrong and who’s right since this has been argued for decades and probably will be argued till Jesus returns. Hopefully not. Maybe we’ll get a grasp on it or better grasp on it.

[00:28:09] But I know we can differ and I don’t see that there’s any problem in differing on some things. As long as we all agree in the way that we are saved and that we are saved eternally.

[00:28:27] Well, I’ll get into the loss of salvation, but I believe JD and Mike and all, they don’t believe we can lose our salvation. And I think that’s very important. I’ve heard people say, oh, that’s not really a salvific issue if I ain’t saying that right. But I kind of differ on that. If you can’t believe that Jesus is enough and saved you and can keep you, then are you really fully trusting in Jesus?

[00:28:56] So that’s my take on it. And to be honest with you, if I say something that you disagree with or you’ve heard Mike say that disagrees with, again, we can discuss it. I don’t want to go in a debate over it and I don’t definitely want you to hear this tonight and say, go to Mike or somebody. Kenny said you’re wrong. No, kenny might be wrong.

[00:29:23] Kenny doesn’t claim to know. Just I think it’s just where we both are in our understanding of Scripture. If you disagree with a viewpoint, I would ask you tonight to hear the entire teaching before you make a conclusion of the matter. Because, again, not that I know everything, but I have wrestled with this portion of Scripture for probably 25 or 30 years. I’ve had different viewpoints than I have today.

[00:29:54] And the viewpoints that I had, I never got a piece about. So I kept digging and kept digging and kept digging until where I’m at today is where I have the most peace about what I believe the writer is telling these Hebrews listeners. So I think it fits and we’ll go through that and maybe you’ll see where I’m at. If not, then I understand that. And I still love you, and I hope you love me because this is so controversial.

[00:30:27] I just feel like I need to say that. But the fact that there is so much confusion and fear many find in this passage that ought to tell you something. The devil is behind the fear and the confusion and he wants to hinder us from understanding what’s going on here. The devil’s a liar and deceiver from the beginning, as Jesus said, and he causes all the confusion and division amongst the body of Christ and we shouldn’t do that. We understand that’s where you are according to the measure of faith that God has given you, that’s where you are right now.

[00:31:07] And I’m going to love you where you are. You love me where I am and pray for one another that God reveals truth to one another. So God is not the altar of confusion. He wants us to know His Word more than we want to know His Word. So with that said, as we carefully listen tonight to the Holy Spirit as he leads, that’s my prayer, that he would give us all truth and help us to gain understanding in these scriptures.

[00:31:36] So with that said, we’ll dive into chapter six again. It’s going on from about verse eleven or twelve of chapter five and he’s talking about your immature and dull of hearing and you need to grow up, stop drinking the bottle and start eating steak. He says therefore let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity again. Stop sucking a bottle and start eating steak, grow up you guys, we’re not going to lay again the foundation of repentance. He doesn’t say we’re not, but I added that in there.

[00:32:18] Let us leave the elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God and of instruction about washing and laying on of the hands of hands the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. So just in that verse there, there is a whole lot to unpack and we’ll hit on some of that but something where I’d like to show you is in what he’s saying is our basic doctrines, our basic understanding of salvation. There are six different things here that he addresses and you can put each six in a group of two. So the repentance from dead works and toward faith in God that the repentance from dead works. This is the law, the sacrificial system or our attempt today to be justified before God that’s religion, these dead works were all those things that they did in temple worship and sacrifice.

[00:33:27] We’ll see it later on in the study of Hebrews, you see it in Romans where the law could not make anyone justified, could not only brought death and that no one was ever saved through the blood of bulls and go that could not make anyone first, so they were dead works. Our faith is toward God. So in those two we see the first two points, we see our justification. We turn from our works to try to justify ourselves before God and we put our faith in God that is justified, you are justified through His Son and faith toward Him. So we have justification there.

[00:34:10] Then the next two is about the instructions about washings and the laying on of hands. So the washings are the baptisms, the different type of baptism there’s water baptism is simply a testimony of identifying with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. It doesn’t save you, it just identifies you with Christ and is a public profession of your faith that you want to be identified with Christ in His. Death, burial and resurrection, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There’s the baptism into the body of Christ.

[00:34:49] He’s saying, we’re not going to go through these watchings of these baptism elementary doctrines again. And the laying on of hands, the laying on of hands. We see where Paul lays hands on Timothy when he tells him to stir up that gift that’s in him to go and preach the Gospel. They laid hands on the ones in Acts and the ones that were appointed to deacons to go out to serve. It was just a setting apart.

[00:35:21] So in these two and the instructions of washing and laying on of hands, we see our sanctification. The first two are justification, the second two are sanctification. And then here the resurrection of the dead. Points five and six is our Glorification. You can read all about that in one Corinthians 15 of our Glorification and how it works in us, how Christ is.

[00:35:51] I’m sorry. Our Glorification is that we will be glorified in our heavenly bodies when we get to heaven. An eternal judgment is our eternal state or our reward. We see in two Corinthians 510. So the last part is our Glorification.

[00:36:09] So we see in this first verse the basic doctrines of justification, sanctification and glorification. Justification and glorification happen instantly. The moment that you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried and rose again and died for me, and you accept him as your personal Savior, you are instantly saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit. When we are taken up into heaven, we are instantly changed, as it says in one Corinthians 15 excuse me, we are changed in a moment, in a twinkling, out of an eye, we have a glorified body. But this sanctification in the middle is a process.

[00:36:58] That’s where we’re at today. We’re in the sanctification point of our Christian walk as God works with us to conform us into the image of his dear Son. Verse three. And this we will do if God permits. So he’s saying we’re going to leave these doctrines, these elementary doctrines, and Lord willing, we’re going to do this.

[00:37:26] Now, before we go much further, I would like to bring out the different theories of interpretation of the following verses. I’m not trying to lead you into any one of them. I just feel like it’s important that you see them, you know what they are, and we’ll talk about them and see do they fit within the context of Hebrews, first of all, and then in the context of what the writer is talking about. So the number one that all of you know is that they were never saved to start with. These were people who were never saved and that’s why they fell away.

[00:38:04] We’ll talk more about each one of these. Well, the next one is they’re saved, but they fell away and lost their salvation. We’ll talk some on that. There is a hypothetical situation. Some say that it’s just a hypothetical thing that the writer put out.

[00:38:21] We’ll talk about that. There is a view that Christians who wasted their walk with the Lord and not doing the things that they should have, not witnessing, not doing the things that God wanted to do, and then they wake up one day and realize that, you know what? I should have done more for the Lord. I should have given Him more. I should have witnessed more.

[00:38:46] I should have done this more. And he’s saying, it’s impossible to repent of those things. They’re gone. And for a time I had that view. I even preached a message on that and entitled it redeeming the time, these times that God gives us, we need to take full advantage of those because once those times are gone, you can’t rewind the clock, you can’t go back.

[00:39:11] So that’s one view. There is a view that it’s a Jewish issue that could only have been done back in that time. We’ll talk about that and then there’s another view where these Hebrews were trying to mix the law with grace. This is what the Judaizers were doing. So those are the views.

[00:39:31] We’ll discuss them as we go and try to see do those fit? Is this what he’s talking about? As we look through this. So, verse four, is there any questions right now? Everybody pretty clear where we’re at right now.

[00:39:47] I know I’m moving pretty quick. I’ve on a lot to cover and I’m trying to be sure we got I know we got an hour and 15 minutes, but I’m hoping we get it because there is so much to cover in these different viewpoints.

[00:40:04] So we’ll start in verse four. For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come. So who are we talking about? What is he describing here? The different theories say they just sort of dabbled in it and they weren’t really saved.

[00:40:41] Some say, well, they were saved and they lost their salvation. Some say this is this and that. So what we’re talking about here very good, Diesel. Who are we talking about? They’ve once been enlightened.

[00:40:56] They’ve experienced the truth of the Word. Ephesians 118. The eyes of your understanding be enlightened. The same word there to enlighten that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. One of my favorite verses, to think that we are Christ inheritance.

[00:41:22] But that’s another lesson, another day. In other words, this enlightened or this is their fully aware of the truth. You see, the word here, that they are enlightened, have been enlightened, I think is by the word of God. And you see in the parables by the seed. The seed in the parable is the word jesus says the ground is the Christians just keep that in mind.

[00:41:49] I know, we’re just bear with me. The point is in which the revelation of the truth takes place. So we all had the place where we understood that I’m a sinner and that I need a savior. And I have trusted Jesus as my personal savior. So that is the enlightenment.

[00:42:11] You have now come to the understanding that I am a sinner, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But then they go on to taste the heavenly gift. They don’t just dabble in it as some say, I think, but they took it in and experienced it fully. Why do I think that? Well, if you refer back within the context of Hebrews in two nine, we see trying to pull up two nine here where Jesus tasted death.

[00:42:52] Well, where in the world did two nine go to? I had it here somewhere.

[00:42:59] Oh, there it is. But we see Jesus, whom 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 would taste death for every man. Now if they just tasted it nowhere, they put it in their mouth and they spit it out. That doesn’t fit with Hebrews two nine. Do you think Jesus just sort of tasted death for the sins of the world and is man?

[00:43:25] I don’t want that, and threw it out? No, he fully experienced, he tasted it to the fullest, the death on the cross for the sins of the world.

[00:43:39] So once we’ve accepted Jesus as our Savior, then we taste and we take in what that heavenly gift is, the gift of God through His Son to us on the cross to save us, to be my personal Savior. I have fully took that in you. Experience the power of God’s work, experience the power of God’s work in the believer. Ephesians two, five and six. Even when we were dead in our sins hath he quickened us together.

[00:44:11] There’s the enlightenment with Christ, by grace you are saved, and hath raised us up together and made us to set in heavenly places. So your tasting of this heavenly gift, hebrews three one, wherefore holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. Consider the apostle of our high priest, the apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ.

[00:44:42] Again, just bringing out the heavenly calling and the taste of it. You have experienced it, I believe, fully. Whoever he’s describing here has experienced fully. They were enlightened. They have experienced what the gift of God is, the heavenly gift of God is, and this heavenly calling that God has called us to be.

[00:45:05] And another just quick reference is one Corinthians 1544 through 49. If you want to write it down, it talks about a natural body and a spiritual body and that the natural body and there’s a natural body and a spiritual body. And the first man is of earth and earthy, the second man is of the Lord and from heaven. So when we are saved, our natural man dies. And now we become a spiritual creature where we can identify in heavenly things and we understand fully what God has for us in heaven.

[00:45:44] And in verse 49 of One Corinthians 15 and it says as we have bore the image of the earthly, our natural bodies, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. So we didn’t just dabble or taste in the heavenly gift we are experiencing and becoming and being the image of that heavenly gift and that’s being conformed in the image of his dear Son. All right. Now the next one here is shared in the Holy Spirit. And again, a lot of people think that this is just.

[00:46:23] Well, the Holy Spirit spoke to and true enough, when you are being enlightened, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to them and to share the truth, enlighten them that they need a savior. But the Holy Spirit never indwells an unbeliever. The word here for shared is partners with 33 53 the King James says partakers and that means you partner with the Holy Spirit. You’re partners together. An unsaved and the Holy Spirit are not partners together.

[00:47:03] The Holy Spirit is trying to reveal truth and hoping you will come and accept the gift of salvation. But you only become a partner with the Holy Spirit and dwelt by the Holy Spirit as he works in and through you, once you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior. I hope that is pretty clear. I hope I’ve made that clear. Ephesians 316 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel.

[00:47:36] The moment we’re saved, we’re sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. So again, going back to our justification, it is instant. And at that instant you are saved. The Holy Spirit comes and indwells you and seals you. Just a little side note and I won’t charge extra for this tonight, but there is a difference between being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

[00:48:01] indwelled by the Holy Spirit depends on God. Being filled with the Holy Spirit depends on me and my surrender to Him. So maybe we can do another study someday on the Holy Spirit about that. But there is a difference there. But being sealed by the Holy Spirit is that the instant of your salvation you are indwelled and sealed Jesus promises.

[00:48:24] And in John 1416 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever in verse 17 and not only abide with you, but shall be in you forever. So that’s what the work of the holy Spirit, is it’s not? Until you fall away and then he leaves it’s forever. And I believe Jesus meant what he said forever. There’s nothing I can change that.

[00:49:00] So just the point there is that the Holy Spirit does not indwell an unbeliever. He does not partner with an unbeliever. So now the next one is to taste the goodness of the Word of God. The word tasted again 1089, is to fully experience the word of God. An unbeliever can look at it and we see the Ethiopian that Philip came to, he was reading the word of God, but he could not fully understand it or experience it without help from Philip.

[00:49:35] And when Philip explained it to him, he accepted, he believed and wanted to be baptized. And so they didn’t just dabble in it, they are taking in the Word of God. Oh, this makes sense. And the word of God just becomes real. It’s not just words on a page.

[00:49:54] It is something real that speaks to me. That’s a living word of God. As he speaks to me, so he tastes the goodness of the word of God. I’m trying to get too excited here tonight and get to preaching, but that’s just awesome stuff there through the work of the Holy Spirit that we just understand God’s word and it just flows. It’s not just as we read the Word of God, it’s just not words and something I have to do.

[00:50:24] It’s alive and living and living in me. So they fully experienced it. We tasted it again going back to Hebrews two nine, that Jesus should taste death for every believer. It’s not just a dabble in. It’s not just a wall around your mouth and spit it out.

[00:50:47] It’s a fully digestible, fully experienced this thing in John 851 and 52 very I say unto you, if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death. Jesus was speaking to these Jews and boy, they just really got upset about that and then said the Jews unto him, now we know that thou hast the devil, abraham is dead in the prophets and thou sayest, if a man keep my sayings he shall never taste death. We all will fully experience death if the Lord doesn’t return first. We’re not just going to almost die and then say, no, I don’t want to, we are going to taste death. It is the same word as taste the goodness of the word of God here.

[00:51:36] So first Peter another references first Peter two one through three, wherefore laying aside all malice and guilt and hypocrisies and envies and all evil, speakings as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word. Well, that sounds familiar to what we’re reading tonight, doesn’t it? That you may grow thereby. If so, you have tasted that the Lord is good. You fully experience that the Lord is good.

[00:52:07] Grow in your walk with him. And then the next one is the power or the certainties of the age to come. Now, an unbeliever doesn’t understand the certainties of the age to come. That’s only for the believer. As the Holy Spirit reveals that God is in control of all things, that it’s all in his hands, he’s control even all that is to come.

[00:52:34] It is in his power, he is doing these things. So the certainty or the powers of the certainty of the ages to come, ephesians two seven, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ. So the Holy Spirit, through the working of the Holy Spirit and the Word, we understand all that we have and are in Christ from now on. We understand that.

[00:53:12] So if you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a pretty firm believer. I’ll say very firm believer. That who he is speaking to. Now the people in question are born again believers. I know some of you are sitting back on your heels and saying he’s going to tell us we can lose our salvation.

[00:53:33] No, I’m not. Just hold on. So if he’s talking to, which I sincerely believe he’s talking to believers not just professing to be Christians, but confessing the Lord Jesus, there are a lot of people out there that can profess to be Christians that are not. I understand that. Matthew 723, we see that.

[00:53:59] And then will I profess to them. I never knew from you depart from me. You work that work iniquity. The key there to me is that Jesus never knew them. It’s not a no like, yeah, that’s old Bob down there.

[00:54:14] Jesus knows every man, woman and child that ever walked the face of the earth. He knows who they are. That new there, I think, is an intimate relationship. I never had an intimate relationship with you. You were never my child from the very beginning.

[00:54:34] Why? Because you are a worker of iniquity. You were working dead works for your salvation, trying to gain your way or work your way to God or for personal gain, as we see in Acts, that the guy tried to cast out the demons for money and in Jesus name the demon came out and says, paul, we know Jesus, we know, but who are know. And that didn’t turn out well for that guy. That guy didn’t have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

[00:55:05] He was only professing, he was only acting like so I understand there are some out there, that many out there that say they’re Christian and are not. But what we see here, I think, are the believers who have actually confessed Jesus as Lord with their mouth, believe in their heart that God has raised Him from, that they’ve experienced, they’ve tasted, they are partnering with the Holy Spirit. So as far as the theory of saved but fell away and lost their salvation, I’ll just say this. I see that absolutely nowhere in Scripture. I’ve had people arguing, oh, it happened all the time in the Old Testament.

[00:55:48] No, it had never happened in the New Testament. I can’t find a place, unless you take Scripture out of context, that anyone ever lost their salvation once they were saved, that they lost their salvation. If that were so, then Moses is going to have a problem. David’s got a big problem. Peter’s got a big problem.

[00:56:09] Who denied Jesus. And Jesus said, clearly, you confess me, four men, I’ll confess you for the Father. You deny me, I’ll deny you. Peter denied three times. Did he lose his salvation?

[00:56:21] Absolutely not. Did David, when he committed adultery and murder, did he lose his salvation? Absolutely not. He lost the joy of his salvation. When Moses killed the Egyptians, did he lose his salvation?

[00:56:40] Absolutely not. He lost that joy of salvation. He lost the joy that he had thinking that he was going to help God out with his things. How about the man that was living in adultery? In one Corinthians 15, he fell.

[00:56:56] Did he lose his salvation? No. Paul tells him in one corinthians to set him out from the congregation or from the fellowship that he’d be spared. And then we see in two corinthians where he says, Go and he has suffered or not, he’s repented of his sin. Go and bring him back into the fold and love him.

[00:57:16] He didn’t lose his salvation. He was just not where he should be with the Lord. And Paul, you say, well, okay, they dabbled in it and all that. How about Paul? He dabbled in it before the road to Damascus.

[00:57:33] He heard all about he was a pharisee of Pharisees. He knew the Old Testament scriptures backwards and forwards. The Holy Spirit was definitely remember Jesus said, isn’t it hard for you to kick against the pricks? I believe that’s the prodding of the Holy Spirit within him saying, what you’re doing is not right.

[00:57:55] You’re not even saved. He was being prodded by the Holy Spirit, wasn’t partnered with yet because he was very much acting against the will of God. So even Paul would have had some major problems with this. And let’s don’t forget, all of us who fall every day and fall short, we all fall short of the glory of God. Can we lose our salvation?

[00:58:20] No. Those who teach you can lose your salvation will also tell you that they turned from the Lord and later on Lord talked to them and then they came back to him and they returned to God. At some point in their life, they came back. Well, not according to your interpretation of the Scripture, you didn’t, because it says that if you were to fall away according to your interpretation, it’s impossible for you to ever even come back. So I’m just sort of throwing some stuff out there to be chewing on about this text.

[00:58:57] If these things were so if you could lose your salvation, you’ve lost it and there is no coming back. It’s impossible if you interpret it that way. The theory of a hypothetical situation if they shall fall away. Most translations don’t say if. They says and then have fallen away.

[00:59:18] Like in the King James is the only one that refers to if that I’m aware of. I haven’t looked at all of them, but because I am the King James guy kind of thing, it says if, but other translations says and then fallen away. Either way, this would be one of the greatest hypothetical situations in scripture, which I know. I don’t really know of any scripture right off top of my head, or not many that use hypothetical situations for such an important topic. There are some hypothetical things in scripture, but I don’t believe not many of them refer to deep understanding of God kind of things.

[01:00:09] The only one that comes to mind to me maybe Matthew 23 through 33 where these sadducees were coming up with a hypothetical situation to prove their incorrect theory about the resurrection. So generally hypothetical theories are man made, come up with to help us to understand or explain something we don’t understand. And I’m afraid that often that’s the case here in Hebrews six. If we say this is a hypothetical situation, we just can’t understand it. It’s just hypothetical.

[01:00:45] That’s a big hypothetical to me. Is everybody with me now? I’m not at church so I can’t hear Amens or anything, but I think everybody followed me to this point. Absolutely.

[01:01:02] I just want to agree with what you’ve said there. Hebrews one through six is 100%. And if we go to the Greek and we see the phrases, because there’s many things that are said, like two or three words, which is a single Greek phrase, where if we look at all the interpretations of this chapter, the majority of scholars, and I’m talking about renowned biblical scholars, would agree that the author here is speaking in a hypothetical sense. And he is not saying that believers can lose their salvation or fall away. It actually does the opposite.

[01:01:47] He’s insinuating that if it was possible for these things to take place, then you would have to be born again. And this is basically a question I asked the other night to that lady on the live is do you have to be born again, again and again and again and again, or are you once off born again? So absolutely agree with you when it says that this is a hypothetical if this was the case, and this is ultimately why those who believe in eternal security and salvation being a gift from God that we respond to, ultimately the author here is placing that in the hand of the believer. So as Kenny said, he’s writing to believers that if this were the case, then you’d have to do this again and again and again and Christ would have to die again and again. And.

[01:02:46] I’ll be honest with you, I sort of feel that way. And I know, and I feel almost humbled here, that there are a lot of renowned theologians that look at this. There are a lot of renowned theologians that look at it in other ways. And that’s why I say it’s so controversial. And I’ll be honest with you.

[01:03:09] This whole week I have been praying and studying and looking at this. And I probably put more hours in it this week than a long time over something that I feel pretty comfortable in what I believe on just because I know how controversial this can be. So what I want to do now that we’ve established that he is talking to believers here and I know don’t think I’m taking something out of scripture, I’m not taking away from scripture. When I come across and this is just the way I study God’s word, especially difficult passages, the passage that is most difficult a lot of times I just leave it alone and I read all the context before it and all the context after it. And then I go back to that difficult one and say, okay, how does that fit within the context of what we’re reading?

[01:04:06] Context is everything. It is especially everything here. So now what I’d like to do is go to verse seven through twelve. So if we’re talking we are talking to believers. What are they doing?

[01:04:22] What is this fall here? What is this thing that they can’t be renewed to repentance about what is going on? So we’ll go to verse seven and then we’ll come back to verse six to see how it fits within the context of what the writer is telling us. We see in four and five that he’s speaking to Christians. What kind of Christians?

[01:04:47] Ones that are babes. Ones that are immature, sucking on a bottle and need to be eaten. Steak maybe. I hope that’s all right. To keep saying to you all, I’m country, I know, but these are babes that have not matured.

[01:05:01] He says, let’s go on to perfection or to maturity. They’re dull of hearing we see in 511 through 14. So this is what kind of Christians he’s talking about. And what is the warning of what they’re doing because of their dull of hearing or because they’re unlearned? The writer starts off by giving an example of what they’re doing, of what’s going on.

[01:05:26] For the land that has drunk in the rain that often falls on it and produces crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. So the land here, I believe, is, as you see maybe in the parable, is the good soil. Is the soil or the individual who takes in the rain. The soil takes in the rain and produces a good crop. So it’s an individual who absorbs rain.

[01:06:07] What is water always referred to in scripture. It refers to the word of God. So the individual who takes in the Word of God through the work of the Holy Spirit does what? Produces good fruit, produces something that is useful for and is a blessing from God and is a blessing to others. If we take in that and understand that through the work of the Holy Spirit we too can produce good works, good fruits of the Spirit, and is cultivated.

[01:06:46] I’ll get that in just a minute. But I want to talk about right now that the land, the rain and the producing crops, the individual who takes in the Word of God and produces good works or good fruit, as mentioned in Galatians 522. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tenderness against sets. There is no law for whose sake it is cultivated. There you go, Brian.

[01:07:18] The land or the individual has been worked with to produce useful crop. When you cultivate it, you plow it. And as you’re plowing I don’t know if many of you ever done a garden. I plow my garden and I used to do it, but with a little hand tiller. And every time my hand tillers start bouncing all over the place, I’ve hit a rock and I dig down and throw that rock out to have good soil.

[01:07:43] I’m cultivating the soil, getting rid of those things. That would hinder again a comparison to the parable of the sower of those who fell on stony ground. Didn’t get good root within them. But here we see a land that is rained upon, produces good crop, it is cultivated. They’re cultivated by God to produce these good works.

[01:08:12] The one who surrenders to the work of the Holy Spirit to break up and to get those things out of their life that hinder them from being fruitful, those are cultivated ones. And when they do that, they receive a blessing from God and are, as I said, a blessing to others. So the land or individual that has been cultivated matures in its faith. It can’t do anything but mature. As the Holy Spirit works in us and leads us to His Word and reveals truth, we grow in our Christian walk and then is considered a blessing from God.

[01:08:53] Then he goes on the example. But on the contrary to that land or an individual that has not been cultivated or is immature in his faith does what? But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed and is in to be burned. Wow, I’ve got a lot to cover. So this land that is not being say is not being cultivated, the word is not being soaked up and it’s not a blessing.

[01:09:32] They’re immature. It’s different from the parable that the seed is thrown among thorns and thistles. Here it says it’s bearing thorns and thistles. It’s bringing up thorns and thistles. Not sown among.

[01:09:48] But bears those things. So by the way, I just want to point out in the parable, since I’m referring to it so much, there was only one set of the different scenarios that Christ gave that actually produced fruit. And it was the seed that fell on the good cultivated ground that was prepared to receive the seed and it roots dug deep and produces fruit. None of the other scenarios actually even produce fruit. So here again, the other three I don’t believe, were ever even really saved because they didn’t produce anything.

[01:10:29] And as a believer, we should be producing fruit if it’s nothing more than just love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness goodness. Those are the fruits of the Spirit, because he indwells us. So this what he’s saying here, that bears thorns and thistles is a product of uncultivated land, or immature. Immature Christian, and the end result of their work is useless. He said it is near being cursed, and whose end is to be burned?

[01:11:11] Thank you, JD, you make me laugh. Whose end is to be burned? We’re not talking about eternal damnation. Burned in hell. This is referring to one Corinthians 315 through 13, that every man work will be manifest, for the day will declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and that fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is.

[01:11:36] If any man’s work abide that good fruit, he that builds thereupon shall receive award a good fruit, a good crop that is useful. But if any man’s work be burned, he shall suffer loss. If he’s producing thorns and thistles, it’s not useful for anything, and he suffers loss. There is no fruit there. Wow, I’m almost wanting to get fired up.

[01:12:01] But he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire. This is what he’s talking about here. These immature Christians need to be bringing in the word of God and letting God work in their lives, that they can become fruitful. But these works that they’re doing, they’re bearing thorns and thistles, they’re useless. These works that they’re doing are useless.

[01:12:27] Now, he says in verse nine, though we speak in this way, or I like the King James version of it better but beloved, we are persuaded, better things of you and things that accompany salvation. Though we thus speak the whole context of what he’s talking about, there is better things, better fruits, better things than thorns and thistles. This is what I’m trying to talk to you about. He says, I’m trying to explain that you’re immature, your babes in Christ, you’re not producing good fruits. Your works that you’re doing are of no use at all.

[01:13:08] They’re worthless and they’re near to be cursing and burned that God will try these works. Okay. Calm down, guinea. We are talking about things that are produced because of salvation, not to obtain salvation. And he’s saying beloved.

[01:13:31] Who is the beloved? Fellow believers in Christ we see in verses four through five. He’s talking to Christians. We’re persuaded better things. We’re convinced you are capable of doing better than thorns and thistles if you’ll go on to maturity.

[01:13:52] Things that accompany salvation, the good fruit of the Spirit. Oftentimes we love to quote Ephesians two, eight and nine, for by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Amen. That is how we are saved, by grace through faith in Christ alone.

[01:14:13] There’s no other way. But then, verse ten, we just sort of skip over that, because now this requires our land to be us, to be cultivated and worked on and led by the Holy Spirit. For we are his workmanship, we are his cultivated soil. We are created, made useful in Christ unto good works that produce good fruit, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. We are saved to I’m not a works based salvation person by any means, but if you think for a minute that you get saved and that’s it, that’s all there is to you.

[01:15:01] As Paul says, you’re falling from the grave. You’ve fallen from the truth of what God wants for us. We are his workmanship created to good works. So he’s saying, Guys, move on to maturity, knowing who we are in Christ and what he’s done for us in his finished work on the cross. It is finished.

[01:15:28] It’s done. There’s nothing else for salvation. Now go serve him. Produce those things that the Holy Spirit within you wants you to produce. Let Him work in you to weed out those old stones and then weeds where you can produce a good crop that’s helpful for you.

[01:15:47] That’s a blessing from God and a blessing to others. And then he goes on to say in verse ten, as I try to digress a little bit, but not the Sabbath. We don’t work on the Sabbath. Exactly. I said last week, you missed it, Dady.

[01:16:02] Today we don’t observe a Sabbath day. We observe a Sabbath life every day, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, I rest in Christ. He is our Sabbath rest. So, verse ten for God is not unjust to overlook your work and the love that you have shown in his name and serving the saints and still do. What’s he talking about?

[01:16:29] Uhoh, he’s making a point there that some reason these Hebrews think God would overlook their work. He said, no, he won’t overlook your work, the love you’ve shown in his name, and you show to the saints. What was the labor of love the Jews showed to God in the Old Testament? To keep his law and to do his sacrifices. Remember, Moses read it and they said all that the Lord has said, we will do.

[01:16:56] That’s how they thought that they loved God and that they worked for God and showed that they wanted to be obedient. That’s all they knew. They thought the only way to please God was through their work, through that religious system. It’s interesting to me. I can sort of look at Mary and Martha this way.

[01:17:18] Remember Martha was so busy working, getting the house already and cleaning up and Jesus was coming and all them and she had to get everything together and she was working her tail off in a frenzy trying to get everything ready. And here’s Mary just over there at the feet of Jesus, just worshiping Him.

[01:17:37] And Martha’s basically just saying, jesus, tell Mary to get up and stop just sitting around. There’s stuff to do. We’ve got to work here. And Jesus says, martha. Martha, calm down.

[01:17:52] Martha. Mary has chosen the best things to just sit at the feet of Jesus and worship Him.

[01:18:02] We got to understand what we have in Christ and who he is and just sit at his feet and worship Him. Stop trying to work your way to please Him. Let Him work in and through you. That’s what pleases him. I tell my people all the time, the only thing you’ll ever do to please God is to believe on His Son.

[01:18:24] Accept him as your personal savior. After that, he does in and everything through you as you surrender to Him in your daily walk. Oh, that’s good stuff. Now we labor today. Our labor today is that we serve one another.

[01:18:43] Serve one another was not an emphasis in the Old Testament. Only after work of cross on the Christ and the dwelling of the Holy Spirit did we see this come and be a matter of importance. The one thing, the last thing that Jesus taught his disciples as he got down and washed their feet to serve one another, to love one another. By this you’ll know they are my disciples if you love one another. This was a whole new concept to the Jews because up to this point all they knew is the temple worship and sacrificial system and I better keep God’s law.

[01:19:25] And now all of a sudden because the Holy Spirit indwells me and because the work on the cross of Jesus now all he wants me to do is just serve one another, love Him and love one another. That is our good works. That is the fruit that is useful for all of us. I’m really trying not to get too excited here but I’m sorry y’all, this is just good stuff. But today we obey God by loving and serving one another.

[01:19:54] Not by your work, not by your work, but according it is God who worketh in you to will and to do his good pleasure. Philippians 213. I love that verse. I didn’t have at my notes, but thank you Lord. And we desire each of you to show the same earnest to the full assurance of hope until the end so that you may not be sluggish.

[01:20:23] There, you see it again, lazy, immature in the faith, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promise. Guys, the work is done in Jesus Christ. He’s promised to come and to return and to get us and to take us home with Him forever. Because of the blood of Jesus and through faith we believe that we’ll read in Hebrews eleven. By faith Abraham did, by faith Noah did.

[01:20:54] Not for salvation, but because of their faith, because they believed they did. So we’ll read that in Hebrews, we’ll get more into that later on. So now let’s go back to verse six. Now that we understand he’s talking to believers, he’s talking about them being immature and their works are useless. And God wants them to produce good works that are useful, that is a blessing.

[01:21:23] And we do rest in Him, we rest in his grace. Now looks at verse six in context. Christians that are immature, that aren’t producing anything worth a flip. Can I say it that way? I know that’s I’m a good old southern boy, but that’s just the way it is.

[01:21:44] Keep in mind he’s talking to immature Christians that aren’t producing good crops, but we’re producing thorns and thistles works that were useless and almost rejected. So now let’s carefully read verse six in its context. And then having fallen away to restore them talking to these Christians, and then having fallen away to restore them again to repentance, since they crucify once again the Son of God and put him to their own harm and holding him to contempt. That’s the ESV. It’s a little different than some of you understand, I got it.

[01:22:27] But let’s go back and let’s break this down.

[01:22:33] If then they fallen away. Here is the thing that changed my mind years ago about all of this. We automatically go when we see fallen away. We automatically think apostasy, it’s just done, you fell away. You fell away from the faith, you’ve forsaken the faith, you’ve revolted and all the rest.

[01:23:05] But it’s a falling away. It’s not the falling away you think, or a lot of people think. The key to understanding this verse is to understand falling away. I don’t know, JD or somebody, you can look it up for yourself. But the word here is parapto.

[01:23:28] And the only time it’s ever used in scripture is right here. It’s only used one time, there is no cross reference to it anywhere else in Scripture. It says that the writer I heard one guy say all the time, it’s almost like the writer just made up his own word.

[01:23:47] So he says parapto. If I’m saying that right, JD. Is more eloquent. Remember, he’s the chauffeur. I’m just the professor here, but some of you didn’t hear that joke.

[01:24:02] But to understanding it is this, and it appears only once. And it means to fall in one’s way or to fall alongside. Not a falling away, but to fall as you are going down this path you fall down or you fall alongside the path. You all look that up if you don’t believe me. But I got it straight from the I believe is the blue letter.

[01:24:33] I even went back to my old fashioned strongs in a big fat book and looked it up. And then when I realized that, hey, this isn’t a falling away. Well, what is he talking about? Again, I say if Paul didn’t write this, he had a lot to do with it, because Galatians and Hebrews go hand in hand here. So the theory of this passage is referring to something that only Jews could do at that time.

[01:25:00] Doesn’t apply. That doesn’t really make sense, because Paul wrote it to the Gentiles in Galatians, and it sounds a lot like it in Galatians. Five one through four. For freedom, Christ has set us free, free from works, free from all that law and sacrificial sin. Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

[01:25:24] That yoke of slavery is the law and the sacrificial system. That’s what he’s talking about, this bondage of religion. He’s freed us from that. Stand firm in that. Look, I Paul, saying to you, if you accept circumcision, christ will be no advantage to you.

[01:25:42] Notice you’re doing this. You’ve lost the importance of Christ. I testify again that every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to the whole law. So if you think you can be saved through and you’ve got to be circumcised and you’re trying to work your way to heaven, remember you can get circumcised, but you’re still obligated to the entire law.

[01:26:11] Christ has become no effect unto you whomsoever you are justified by the law. I don’t know how anybody can say we keep the law and that’s how we’re saved today. There is so clear Romans, Hebrews, Galatians, throughout the Old Testament, Paul’s writings, we are not saved by the law. We are not justified by the law. And he says, you are fallen from grace.

[01:26:38] In other words, grace is coming to effect to you. That word fallen there is 16 one I can’t even I don’t know, I can’t pronounce it right. You all can look it up, but it’s to be cast aside or cast ashore. Grace is no effect if you think you can be justified by the law. You’ve missed out on grace.

[01:27:07] If this is what you’re trying to gain righteousness through the law, grace is not then you’ve missed out on what grace is about. You don’t understand all that you are in Christ. You don’t understand his finished work on the cross. There’s nothing else to be done. Added to no way, shape or form.

[01:27:28] So the falling away is to fall in one’s way, not an apostasy. The falling away here or falling away here is 38 95. The falling way of an apostasy, just so you know, is 646 and is pronounced apostasa. Apostasy. That’s where we get our word apostasy.

[01:27:52] That’s a revolt or a deflection to forsake. We see that in Acts 21 21, and they are informed of thee there’s talking about this council here that they brought up that thou teachest all Jews which are among the Gentiles, to forsake or Apostasize against Moses, saying that they ought not be circumcised, their children neither to walk after them. So there’s the apostasy. They were accusing these teachers that trust in Jesus that you don’t have to be circumcised. And they’re saying, Wait a minute, you’re going against Moses?

[01:28:32] And what he said, you’re apostasizing against Moses teaching and the law. That’s the word apostasia there 646. But the word here in chapter six is 38 95, which is to fall alongside. So as you’re going down the path, there’s a vision in my mind and you fall down in the path, you fall alongside the path. Now, it is impossible we get that from verse four.

[01:29:04] It’s like verse four starts out it is impossible. And then he says all of who he’s talking to, these Christians, it is impossible to restore them again. To repentance? To restore them again to repentance. They’re Christians producing unfruit that is not profitable, that is not helpful, is not a blessing from God.

[01:29:31] What does this mean? This is where I had to look deeper into the verse. Okay, let’s leave that part. To restore them repentance. So what is he talking about?

[01:29:41] Since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt by falling alongside, they are crucifying Christ all over again every time they make a sin offering.

[01:30:07] This is what I think he’s talking about. These people, these Hebrews, these Judaizers mixing law and grace. And they were going back and forth because remember, it’s been years they’ve done it this way. And just like this good old Baptist, you can’t change anything overnight. They were back and forth between law and grace and they felt like to please God, we had to go back and do our sacrifices.

[01:30:33] That’s what he was pleased with in the past. So I sinned this week, so I better go back and make another sacrifice. No, that work is finished. In Jesus Christ.

[01:30:46] You’re crucifying him again. This is different than we see in Hebrews Ten where it says that Christ would be often be crucified. It’s not that Christ would have to do it over and over and over again. It’s different than Hebrews ten. They are when they’re doing whatever they’re doing, when they’re falling by the wayside, they’re crucifying Christ again.

[01:31:10] How are we crucifying Christ again? Hebrews ten one through four. For the law having shadow of a good things to come and not the very image of those things can never with those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually make the comers there unto perfect. For then they not have ceased to be offered, because that the worshippers once purged, should have no more conscience of sin. Remember that.

[01:31:45] But in those sacrifices, there is an remembrance again made of sin every year, for it is not possible. Does that sound familiar, what we’re talking about now, that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin. We know at salvation that the blood of bulls and goats couldn’t do that. But I always say, if you’re saved by grace, live by grace. Once you’re saved and you fall by the wayside, don’t go back to trying to make it right and doing all these little churchy things and working your tail off to make yourself right with God.

[01:32:24] It’s impossible, people, your works are not going to restore you to a full place of repentance. Only the work of Jesus Christ in us and by his blood can we come to a place of true repentance about our sinful situation, not our salvation situation, but as Christians that walk a daily life. These guys, I can just picture that, yeah, we got Jesus, but uh oh, I blew it. I need to go back to the temple and make a sacrifice. No, these sacrifices are not going to bring you to a place of repentance.

[01:33:02] It’s impossible, because everything about the sacrifices and the law, every jot and tittle pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ and he said, it is finished. You can’t add anything to it or take away from it. Stop being Hebrews. You Hebrews. Stop acting like Hebrews and stop doing temple worship.

[01:33:24] Stop going back to the old law. It’s impossible for you to come to full repentance of that. Now, I’ve got a few things to calm down a little bit to add to that. Where was I at? So how were they falling from the elementary principles of the doctrines of Christ in verse one?

[01:33:47] By trying to achieve repentance through dead works that produce only thorns and thistles. The law and the sacrificial system is what he’s referring to. This is the dead works. This only produces thorns and thistles. This only produces death.

[01:34:04] Yeah, we can eat bacon, too. With the law and the sacrifices impossible to come to true repentance, to restore them again, to change their mind about their sin. And if we confess our sins, he’s faithful and just forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all righteousness. Yes, we’re completely forgiven at the cross, but that what John says in one John one nine, it’s important that we confess. That only means to agree with God that I was wrong and that I need to agree with you about my sin.

[01:34:42] And only through the work of the Holy Spirit can I see that. Not through a sacrificial system, not by going to church, not by helping little old ladies across the street. It’s the blood of Jesus that brings me to that true repentance by the work of the Holy Spirit as he reveals what his finished work is on the cross. Okay, now that Hebrews 914. These sacrifices that they were doing, he’s going to bring this out even more and more through the next few verses.

[01:35:16] That. Christ, I’m sorry. The law and the sacrificial system, which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect, it couldn’t bring you to repentance, couldn’t make you mature in Christ as pertaining to conscience. It couldn’t really change your mind about sin. How much more shall the blood of Christ in verse 914, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot or to God purge your conscience from what dead works to serve a living God, not a dead lamb.

[01:36:04] We serve a living God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And if you want to write it down for two Corinthians seven, nine through ten that it talks about a Godly repentance versus an earthly repentance man repentance that says, I’m sorry I got caught. A Godly repentance understands that I have fallen short of the glory of God, that I’ve fallen short of what he wants me to be. And he’s talking about true repentance that when he wrote the letter to them, he says, I was sorry, but I’m not sorry. I’m sorry it grieved you, but I’m not sorry that it grieved you to the point to change your mind about the sin you were living in the Holy Spirit dings that brings Godly sorrow, brings forth fruits.

[01:36:56] Amen is what I’m trying to say. I need some help every now and then. So we see it there. I think I missed maybe possible restore. Let me back up again to that, to restore them again.

[01:37:15] David said that in Psalm 51 after he disobeyed God and having an affair with Bathsheba and having her husband put to death. And in his confession in Psalms 51, he says to restore unto me the joy of your salvation.

[01:37:36] He says, O Lord, open my lips and my mouth, that I show forth thy praise, for thou desirest not a sacrifice. Even David back then understood that the sacrifice wasn’t what God was really after, else I would give it. Thou delightest not in burn offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. Oh God, thou will not despise.

[01:38:01] There is true repentance, there is able to restore to repentance not your works. It’s impossible for your works to restore you to that kind of repentance. And we see that and I picked up on that through the they are crucifying Christ. Every time you make a sacrifice, it points to Christ. It is all about him.

[01:38:26] Samuel even acknowledged that God wanted repentance over sacrifice in Samuel 1522. So true repentance only comes by the work of the Holy Spirit as it reveals what is finished work of Christ. Okay, I think I’ve caught myself back up and this is what Ezekiel is talking about. It’s not an outward we’ll see later on in our study that all this temple worship and sacrificial system was an outward expression. God says, I want an inward change.

[01:39:02] I want an inward, true repentance, godly sorrow that produces good fruit. And he promised that as Ezekiel 36, I will give you a new heart, a new spirit will I put within you that was new to them, and I will remove the heart of stone. I’ll cultivate you and prepare you to receive my word from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues to have true repentance about sin and be careful to obey my rules. The Holy Spirit causes us to have true change of mind towards sin when we walk in his ways.

[01:39:50] So oh, my goodness. I’m about out of time, and I really wanted to have some the rest of this we’ll read maybe next week. But I want you to understand well, I’ll go through it real briefly here. We don’t rest in our works of righteousness, but on the promise of God.

[01:40:09] What I want to sum up with that verse is and having fallen by the wayside, it’s impossible for your sacrifices and temple worship to restore you to repentance can’t happen because all you’re doing with that sacrificial system is crucifying again, the Son of God. And those are dead works. Those are dead works. You can’t do that. And it’s not fruitful for anyone, you or anyone else.

[01:40:47] And that’s definitely not a blessing from God. So I’ll keep going here a few more minutes to try to finish up this chapter, and I wanted to leave enough room for you to have discussion if you want it, because I know I’ve fed you a lot of stuff. Let me hush and get going. The certainty of God’s promise in all this, this is what they were saved, and they were immature, and they were going back and forth between temple worship and sacrifices and, oh, I hope God’s okay. This is what he’s saying here.

[01:41:20] Now. This is the promise of God as Abraham waited for the promise. He says, for when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself. God cannot lie. God cannot lie.

[01:41:39] He does not go back on his promises. Surely I will bless you and multiply you. Thus Abraham have patiently waited, obtained the promise, for the people swear by greater than themselves and in all their duties of an oath and final confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to his heirs of the promise, the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath. With his promise, he will send a savior.

[01:42:13] He will provide a sacrifice, and in that sacrifice, he will accomplish all that is required for salvation. His work will be finished. He’s going to sit down at the right hand of Father and you can rest in Him. Rest on that promise. Stop going back and forth to your sacrificial system.

[01:42:34] It’s done. It’s gone, it’s over. It’s completed. In Jesus Christ. This is a promise from God all the way back to the beginning to Abraham that he would provide a sacrifice so that by two unchangeable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

[01:43:02] Don’t hope in your sacrificial system. Hope in Jesus Christ. That’s who’s set before his. We have this promise as a sure steadfast anchor of the soul. Jesus is the anchor of my soul.

[01:43:22] My hope is built on nothing less but Jesus blood and his righteousness. That’s where I rest. That’s where my hope is. That’s where I find inner peace, the hope that enters in a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. Jesus went into the very holy of holies before the mercy seat and applied his blood once and for all.

[01:43:47] It isn’t needed anymore. Stop Hebrews. Stop being Hebrews. You Christians today. Stop trying to live and work your way to please God.

[01:43:58] Jesus did it all on the cross. Rest in him. Let him work in you. Let Him cultivate you and understand any who believe you can’t be saved. And he says in John 1028 and I give Jesus speaking unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.

[01:44:22] Not a law, not your works. It’s Me who did it on the cross, who completed everything. I give him eternal life. He has the power to give eternal life. And he says that we will never perish where Jesus has gone as the forerunner of our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

[01:44:48] So now he ties 510 to 620. Now that you understand that, hopefully you’re not mature, immature and understand you can’t go back to your sacrificial system anymore. It’s not going to bring you repentance. It’s impossible. And all you’re doing is crucifying again the Son of God afresh.

[01:45:09] Come on, guys, let me tell you some deep stuff about Melchizedek. And he goes on chapter seven and eight and explains who Melchizedek is, how Jesus is melchizedek, or a type of priest of ever after Melchizedek, and how he could become a high priest. And we’ll talk about all that. So the work is finished. Stop going back to the temple and his sacrifices.

[01:45:35] It’s impossible for them works to ever bring true repentance of sin. All you’re doing is crucifying. The Son of God afresh only by God’s promise, only by the promise of God to give His Son for the sins of the world and for the work of the Holy Spirit within us. He sanctifies us, cultivates us into the image of his dear Son. So rest in Christ alone.

[01:46:01] Amen. With that, I am finished. We did it. Now I’m going to open it up for some conversation. Anybody got any comments or something that wasn’t clear?

[01:46:14] That was so good. That was so good. I just want to add again, I know you’ve covered it so well and I just want to give a little bit of insight on the Greek. And again, for anybody, I’m not saying you’ve got to go study the Greek, I maintain that. But again, when we do go into the Greek and we start understanding these phrases, especially now that you’ve seen Hebrews five and six.

[01:46:44] So we’ve got strongs 50 46, strongs 50 47 and strongs 50, strongs 50 48, which are all different explanations in the Greek for what it means to be complete. So just to cover again, because Kenny did a fantastic job and I appreciate you, brother, you’re such a blessing, praise the Lord for you. But just a quick overview again from Hebrews six, verses one to six, okay? Because that’s ultimately where most of the controversy comes in, as Kenny mentioned from the offset, but what we see from here. So the goal of the Christian is expressed fully by the Greek word as we see in the strongs 50 47 telota telota, which is translated perfection.

[01:47:38] So the idea being explained is that the believer is to pursue a state of maturity. So we are forever trying to pursue that state of maturity instead of going back to the initial rudiments of Christianity and basic faith. The phrase where he says laying again a foundation refers to the idea that if a Christian could lose his salvation, he would need to be regenerated again and again, as we’ve mentioned earlier on. So in laying the groundwork for this passage, there needs to be a proper understanding of the controversial section, which is in verses four through six. So the key idea is that the whole passage is hypothetical, as I’ve already mentioned.

[01:48:25] Now, for the sake of an argument, for those who have seen these arguments on TikTok saying that your salvation can be lost. Now for the sake of the argument, we must accept the supposition that one can undergo the process of salvation and then fall away from or lose that salvation. So the explanation in the following verses is designed to show the oddity of this idea. As we see in verse four, the nature of the impossibility is tied directly to the infinitive which we find in verse six, which is the Greek phrase anakinizin, which is to renew. So in the Greek text, there are five participles that must be explained thoroughly in order for us to properly understand this passage.

[01:49:15] Now, this is where the controversy comes in because a lot of people again, from translation to translation, and this is why I always say to people, if I could advise you what not to read, then it would be a thoughtful thought translation like the NLT or the NIV. And the reason is, as Kenny’s already mentioned, it says they have fallen away where the kjvs nasbs they are more look if it was a possibility placing it in that way. So if we look at it from to renew anakinazin in the Greek text. So these five participles which we go through, the first of these one is which appears in verse four, is the Greek word photos, photostentus which is strongs 5461. So this term is translated in this term photosentus is translated those who were once enlightened.

[01:50:14] However, it should be rendered that having being enlightened nothing using the passive voice. The latter meaning reveals that the salvation process is initiated by God giving the light to every man as we see in John one nine. Now the next phrase that we need to consider in this salvation process or sanctification process is found in verse four as well and have tasted of the heavenly gift. This too could be better expressed having tasted the Greek word for having tasted isameos, which is strongs 189. So in this case, the middle voice is used to reveal that a person is responding to the light that God has given.

[01:51:07] The focus then changes to man’s responsibility in initiating a reaction to this enlightened state. So the fact is always clear in the salvation process God offers the gift, but man must take the initiative to receive that gift as we see in John 112 and ultimately the world famous verse John 316. Now the third participle is gay nay thentas, which is a compound of guinomai, which is strong’s 196. Now this is translated to were made. This also should be rendered in the passive voice as having been made indicating a result of man’s receiving of the gift of God connected with the phrase partakers of the Holy Ghost.

[01:52:03] This participle expresses that by virtue of receiving one is made a partaker. So therefore the Holy Spirit is involved in the process by coming to indwell the believer. However, the Holy Spirit not only works in the indwelling, but it is also indicated that the divine revelation and conviction processes previous to salvation are a result of the activity of the Holy Spirit. So when we examine the fourth Greek participle found in verse five, Gay Semenos, one should consider that the same interpretation is intended by the middle voice in the phrase having tasted. It appears in this form to reveal to man his responsibility to God’s word.

[01:52:56] As Kenny already beautifully pointed out, all the instructions we receive how we respond to the word of God. So the believer is not merely accountable to simply follow the good word of God. He or she is also urged to understand God’s future plan and exercise his power. In verse five, the Greek word there is Dunamase strongs 1411 to benefit the believer as well. Now, the word for power here refers to the miracle of God which is performed in believers and not the impending judgment and destruction which is to come for the unbeliever.

[01:53:35] Now, one must turn his attention back to the phrase in verse four, it is impossible, and combine it with the Greek infinitive and a kind of Zen, the meaning to renew. Again, as we see in verse six, as applied in verse six, this word refers to a repentance that is qualitatively new and different. So if a different form of repentance was needed then as Kenny has made so abundantly clear, if they had to continue with these sacrifices, if it was they’re needed, then Christ’s death would be in vain. This too would be inconsistent. This would completely be inconsistent with the rest of Hebrews.

[01:54:20] If you go to Hebrews 928 and Hebrews ten, verse eleven to twelve. So this teaching is clear. Christ died once for man’s sin. If his death was insufficient, there would be no security for the believer. This is why we speak of eternal security, because if it wasn’t sufficient, there would be no security.

[01:54:41] We would ultimately be no better off than the Muslim or the Buddhist trying to do more good than bad. And then when we die, we kind of just hope for the best. The Christian has security because our God took on flesh and died for our sins. So this is precisely why the writer of Hebrews uses this illustration. Now here’s the problem, and you guys have maybe heard me say this or use this on my lives before.

[01:55:08] In the past, in philosophical language is a mathematical term which in the Latin is called reductio ad absurdum. Reductio ad absurdum, which in English translates to a reduction to absurdity. So if you’ve got a false assumption, it will lead you to absurd conclusions. So if you’ve got a false assumption of the text, it will lead you to an absurd conclusion about what it means. So it would be false to assume that a believer could fall because his repentance based on Christ’s death would be invalidated.

[01:55:49] So there would be no security and Christ wouldn’t be. And then, in actual fact, Christ would have to come back every year, once a year and go back to the cross to pay for our sins. Once a year, as they would go up to the temple or once a week or whatever the case may be, as they would go up to the temple to make these sacrifices again and again and again. So the difficulty of these verses is removed, completely removed, if we recognize when the actual decision to follow Christ becomes true salvation. A person is saved at the point of genuine acceptance of God’s gift of that light which becomes our salvation.

[01:56:32] And then we see, according to Ephesians one six, that we are received by God. So God ultimately judges every human heart. God is the final judge of every human heart and he knows the ones who are truly repentant, as we see in Colossians, as we see in Two Timothy, the Lord knows them that are his. So again we can go to Matthew seven and those who the Lord will turn around and say, I never knew you, because they’ve been trying to work for their salvation. So the decision for salvation is made ineffective when it is based on any form of emotion or our own abilities, as we see in two thessalonians 213.

[01:57:17] So ultimately, again, Kenny gave his overview, that’s my overview, just based on these Greek phrases. And when we look at them in their entirety and we compound them together, we see that there are many different ways that the Greek, and this is ultimately how good God is. I always look at this and I say, wow, God is so incredibly good because from the Greek we were able to get all these different because a lot of the words we use today in English were not even around in the 16 hundreds. So if you go look at a thesaurus or a dictionary from many, many years ago, there are words that weren’t even used then in the English language. So today we see how God used the Greek to perfectly bring together every single translation we have today, every word for word translation we have today in the English language.

[01:58:20] So again, as Kenny’s King James and I read the King James and I always advise that whatever Bible you are reading have more than one translation because ultimately just sticking to a certain translation might lead you to believing things the way we understand it in English. Because the way we say things in English, again, the word perfect to us means many different things. But there is an absolute when it comes to perfection. If I say to anybody that was perfect, your understanding of the word perfect is there were no faults. There were no flaws.

[01:59:06] Where the word perfect in Scripture, as we see again, strongs 50 46, 50 47 and 50 48 show us that there are multiple different ways that the apostle who wrote the book of Hebrews. Brings forth the total understanding. Of what perfection is in the human sense, what it is in God’s sense and what it is in the sanctification process, what it is in the salvation process. And we see that ultimately this chapter where those would like to go to Hebrews six and say, well, this proves that you can lose your salvation, have not understood Hebrews chapter five, because ultimately you’re just going and you’re cherry picking a verse to try and destroy an argument. But no one can do that.

[01:59:57] We can’t destroy and break down walls based on a verse here and a verse there. And this is ultimately why I know Kenny does the same thing, I know Mark does the same thing and we all warn about the same thing. Always go back to the text, whatever we preach, go back to the text, read it for yourself because ultimately anybody can make the Bible say whatever they want it to say. And we’ve seen that there’s some ludicrous and absolutely bizarre theories out there from some of the passages in the Bible. And those of us who preach the word of God sit back and you think oh my word, this dude is fruit loops.

[02:00:41] He’s like completely off the beaten track with what that passage is about. And this is why when people go and they try and debunk eternal security based on Hebrews Six or Hebrews 1026, again, when we get to Hebrews Ten with Kenny’s understanding and the way he explains it in so much, detail. We’ll see again that the author is telling us in Hebrews ten that he’s basically confirming eternal security and showing that the rejection or that willful sin is by rejecting everything Kenny has just said. That’s simply by rejecting that Christ is the finished work, christ is the final sacrifice. Christ is the only way which confirms what the other Apostles said to us throughout Acts.

[02:01:31] Namely where Peter says to us in Acts, chapter four there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved. And that is the man, Jesus Christ. So hopefully that just gives you a little bit of insight into the Greek there and why Kenny mentions the strongs, which I love because a lot of people will teach from a passage and they won’t tell you where to go and research the meat of that passage. And again, a lot of people stay away from the book of Hebrews because it’s a meaty, meaty, meaty book. This is a buffet.

[02:02:08] This is a meat buffet. If you go through the book of Hebrews, it truly is. There’s a lot to take in and 2 hours a session is quite frankly never enough because you could discuss Hebrews six and especially the latter parts from verse 13 through to 20 weekend. Again, there’s so much to unpack there, but for time’s sake, that’s always the issue, especially when Kenny went on a roll there and was preaching fire at all. It was absolutely beautiful.

[02:02:41] But again, I hope you guys were as blessed as I was because that was awesome. Thank you. JD. I want to point out something that really brought my attention to the salvation issue. In this text he’s talking about those who were saved and how they were if you get to verse six to renew them into the printed and we automatically assume and go to he’s talking about salvation.

[02:03:10] And that’s where I guess I differ a little bit, that there is a repentance, a change your mind about God and who Jesus is and I need to be saved. But after you’re saved, there’s also a repentance. As I said, we see in two corinthians where the man living adultery repented and the church repented of how they were handling it. So as Christians we can repent of thing of our sinful ways. So I don’t really see in six that he’s even referring to salvation.

[02:03:46] So that’s just my take, I guess. What I want to leave with you on that is that we can’t just go into a scripture and because it says it just automatically assume this is what it’s saying. I don’t think it is. Here. What they were doing was crucifying.

[02:04:07] This act of sacrifice was a picture of Christ we’ll see later. So it’s good. Thank you, JD.

[02:04:16] I hope you all enjoyed this and I hope sorry I got so carried away. I got a little pumped up here and there, but I tend to do that when I get excited. Truly edifying. It was a blessing, absolute blessing. And yeah, as always, just talking about God’s word and going through God’s word is good.

[02:04:37] So everybody that did stay and listen to it, I’m 100% convinced that God’s word penetrates and cuts through. As you guys saw in Hebrews four, god’s word is sharper than any two edged sword and it cuts through every single. And this is the purpose of what this author is bringing through is this is pretty much the entire New Testament summed up into one epistle. Exactly. So it’s absolutely a book that is not read enough, preached on enough, but yeah, sure.

[02:05:20] Daniel.

[02:05:28] I’m sorry. It has been recorded and will be in whatever you call it, the library, whatever. Oh, that’s awesome. That’s awesome. I was about to say from the top, boss to Kenny.

[02:05:41] Off you go. No, I want a live study. Let me get another drink of water. Well, anyway, guys, I love you very much. God bless you all.

[02:05:53] Thanks again, pastor Kenny, I love you and I will see you all soon. Love you, JD. Thank you for coming and helping me.

[02:06:02] No, I didn’t help you at all. You were on fire. That was so good. From what I heard, that was the Lord leading you, not JD. Yeah.

[02:06:15] Amen. Amen. Absolutely. Praise the Lord.

[02:06:26] I’m always very good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all for being here.

[02:06:35] It’s been really good. I’m enjoying the study. I’ve had someone ask me to help go through Hebrews, actually, right before you announced you were going to do this study. So I was like, actually, I’d rather let Kenny do this. Yeah, you’re a lot more experienced than I am, so I’m loving it.

[02:06:55] Thank you. God bless you. Thank you for that. We just all learning together again. I don’t know everything and I’m not right on everything, I know that, but the Holy Spirit is and I rely on him completely to help in our teaching.

[02:07:17] Well, it’s really good and I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.

[02:07:30] All right, are there any more comments or questions, things that wasn’t quite clear? Like I said, my son in law is recording it and then we’ll post it. Why can I never remember that word? The depository, all of what we’ve done so far, is there? If you’d like to go back and listen no, Daniel.

[02:07:55] It’s not live. But you can go back and listen to it if you want, catch up.

[02:08:05] But I hope, if nothing else, that just helps you all understand that we cannot lose our salvation. We are secure in Christ for eternity.