Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Last week was a time of encouragement
• This week is a time of exhortation
• We live increasingly in an age of spirituality
• Example of Owen Blackstone
• Is the Church spirituality alive or are we apathetic?
• Why are numbers going down in the Church?
• Is there a lack of spiritual discernment in these days?
• Heb 5:11 - many have become dull of hearing
• Outline
• Heb 5:11-14 is a rebuke
• Heb 6:1-8 is an exhortation to go on and progress
• Heb 6:9-11 is an encouragement
• Two main views on the passage
• John McArthur: the Jewish context
• The Old Testament Scriptures and teaching
• Babes being non-Christians
• Three cuplets
• The open and final rejection of Christ - applying to unbelievers in church (v4-6)
• The true believer (v9-12)
• Second and more common view
• Heb 5:11-14 (babes) addresses immature believers
• 1 Cor 3:1-3 applies to believers
• Heb 6:1-2 are not purely Old Testament but also New Testament truths
• Heb 6:4-8 are a warning not to reject the faith
• Heb 6:9 speaks of real genuine faith in the majority
• There are other views
• That you can lose your salvation - these verses do not say that
• Other verses in the New Testament are very clear that if God has called and saved a person He will keep that person

Rebuke about Spiritual Immaturity (Heb 5:12-14)

• The gospel had been with these Hebrew people for some time
• Did Paul believe that every single believer should have had some form of teaching and be able to explain the Bible to others (not just the elders)?
• Paul is saying this
• The people were still on the ABC's of faith
• It is sad when we do not see progression
• It would be very sad to think that people in Church haven't really made progression
• Do we have teeth to get into the solid things of God?
• Have we a relish for the deep things of God?
• Paul wanted to teach more on Jesus Christ
• Jesus wanted to teach His disciples more but they could not bear it (John 16:12)
• This is not discouragement for a new Christian
• You are not expected to understand everything of the Bible
• For those who are established we should know more about the doctrines of the Bible
• We should not just want the easy things or bare minimum (Heb 5:13)
• By reason of use we become discerning people (Heb 5:14)
• How discerning are we?
• Can we discern the major issues of God?
• Can we discern between good and evil?
• Are we mature?
• Discernment is a key factor in knowing whether someone is mature or not
• We learn discernment by understanding the word of God

An Exhortation to Growing and Warning against Rejection (Heb 6:1-8)

• Leaving the basics
• These are a foundation on which we build
• We do not reject repentance, baptisms, etc
• We go onto perfection - not sinlessness but maturity
• Repentance:
• You can never go to heaven if you do not understand that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ
• It is not about going to church, our works or anything in ourself
• Baptisms:
• Baptised in the Holy Spirit when you become a Christian
• He comes to live in your heart and you are sealed
• Baptised in water - this demonstrates a real faith and symbolises what has happened internally
• Laying on of hands:
• Leaders were established (Acts 6, 14)
• Healing the sick
• Apostolic works
• Resurrection of the Dead:
• Eternal judgement:
• All people will be judged
• Our soul will depart when we die
• These are all fundamental truths but you need to understand greater things about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit

• A very strong warning
• An awful image of being burned
• God expects fruit, life and blessing
• For ungodliness, wickedness and rejection of the truth - there is judgement
• Enlightened, tasted and partakers
• You know the truth of Scripture but have rejected it
• For such that give up totally and finally it is impossible to renew them again

An Encouragement (Heb 6:9-10)

• God is not unjust
• Paul has heard good things about their work - their are in the faith

Application

1. Be diligent (Heb 6:11)
2. Imitate the strong (Heb 6:12)
3. Share the word
4. Keep close to the Lord Jesus