Two Warnings of Danger

Introduction

Well, a pleasant good morning to all. Good to see you out this beautiful Lord’s Day morning and in good health, I hope. I hope you’ve brought your Bibles with you that you’ll be opening to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 5, as we continue our study at this 9 o’clock hour. In the study of Hebrews, we’ve gone verse by verse. And we’ve come to Hebrews chapter 5, really beginning in verse 11. What a joy it is to see a new birth, a child born healthy, and certainly a great joy to the family and to the friends around. We’ve witnessed that here. Really, we have several young children now in our congregation. But in the most recent days, we’ve had enjoyed and certainly thrilled at the healthy birth of the child to both uh Brandon and Kaylee, and then most recently to Tony and Katie, two healthy babies.

It’s also a great joy, isn’t it, when spiritually there’s a new birth. When someone obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ. There’s great joy. In fact, uh I know some of you, uh maybe of the more recent members here do not remember Brother Leon folks, but I’d say about the first 25 years I be I was here, every time there’d be a baptism, I’d hear Brother Leon quote from Luke chapter 15 in verse 10 how that there’s joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner who repents.

But let me ask you, how would you feel if you learn that for some reason unsuspected, that one of these new babies, either of Cayley and Brandon’s or Katie and Tony’s, was not able to grow. There’s something wrong with that baby. That as long, even as the baby has milk, it does not metabolize it correctly. That that baby ten years later will still be a baby.

1. Still a Babe in Christ: Dull of Hearing

We’d all feel hurt for the parents of that baby. How sad. Always in its life, a baby. But spiritually, what if that same thing happens? One is born again, a babe in Christ, but ten years later still a babe in Christ, because it’s not grown. Do we ever think about and measure the sadness of that situation? The Hebrew writer, I think, touches on that very point. If you have your Bible open reading again, Hebrews chapter 5, really beginning in verse 11, where our class, uh our study would be today, the writer says, of whom we have much to say and hard to explain, since you become dull of hearing. Now what he’s speaking about in verse 10, he’s just talking about how Jesus Christ is called as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

And he admits this is kind of hard to understand. He didn’t say it could not be understood. He just said it’s one of the more difficult things to be understood. But notice, he didn’t say it’s because God made it that you just cannot understand it. What he did say was in verse twelve, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God. And you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

What’s the saying? How would that fit many of us? Or any of us for that matter. Could it be said, well, I’ve been a Christian for X number of years? You’ll have to answer that for yourself. How long have you been a Christian? And wasn’t it great joy when you were baptized into Christ? But have you, as a newborn babe, 1 Peter 2 and verse 2, long for the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. Or are you still at the starting point? I try to say often to people, baptism is not the end, it is the beginning. It is the time in which we have just come into the fellowship with God, and we understand the forgiveness of our sins and what great joy it is.

But as we progress, as we grow in the faith, we take on new topics and we understand more fully various parts of the Word of God. And yes, we acknowledge that there are some things of the scripture that may be a little more difficult to comprehend than others, but the Bible is given by God that we might know. First Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 12 that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Or as Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 3, how that he had received by revelation. And he’d written so that even the ones who received the letter of Ephesians might understand as he understood, even in the mystery of Christ. What these verses actually say is that as we study God’s word, as we grow in the faith, then we can comprehend even those heavier or media things of the word, and God wants us to.

In fact, what he says here, notice, why is it that they were still in need of being taught? He says, first of all, in verse 11, yeah, there’s some things that are hard to explain. Since what? You have become dull of hearing. In other words, have you quit listening? You know, the Lord in Matthew chapter 13, 13 through 15, spoke about of the Pharisees of his own day, and he quoted from Isaiah, how that some will hear and not understand. They will see and not perceive because he said they’ve closed their eyes and they’ve stopped their ears and their hearts are waxed gross, and so therefore they don’t receive even the word. These are people who never even obey the gospel. But could it also be said that as Christians we sort of stopped growing?

We kind of close our Bible. I’m a Christian now. And you know, it amazes me how some even come to an assembly and don’t even bring a Bible. Come to a Bible class and haven’t even thought about the lesson before it’s time to study. And why it is that some will even go away and say, Well, I just didn’t get anything out of that lesson today. I’ve heard that said. Why is that? Could it be because some have become dull of hearing? What does he mean by that? Well, you can stop, you can close your ears.

In other words, we never really stop to think about it. We never really grow in the knowledge of the scripture. What a disappointment it is. When a Christian has opportunity to declare his faith to someone else, but he doesn’t know enough to tell them. In fact, what the scripture says, though by reason of time you ought to be teachers, verse 12. You need someone to teach you again their first principles. The first principles of the oracles of God. And you have come to need milk and not solid food. What if ten years from now a physical baby’s still on milk? You say, Oh, that’s terrible. Hadn’t grown. How awful that is. We understand that physically. I think the writer of this letter is saying, it’s every bit as sad if not sadder spiritually.

2. Unskilled in the Word of Righteousness

For verse 13, everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. For he is a babe. He’s unskilled. There’s spared spiritual stagnation. It’s caused by an attitude problem. It’s caused by a failure to really grow rather than being like as in Acts 17 and verse 11 when he described these were Bereans who were more noble than those in Thessalonica, and that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. There’s an attitude of receptiveness. I’m glad to hear, it’s not that I’m just sort of sitting back and said, now, all right, Bob or Greg, see if you can keep me interested in this. It’s not that attitude at all. We’ve come to learn that we might do what?

Be skilled in the word. That we might even be able to explain to someone else the treasures of God’s word. Maybe some of us are like the reaction when a preacher announced, he said, My subject today is about the danger of ignorance and apathy. To which one of the members responded, I really don’t know what that means, and I don’t care. Are we at that point? Are we really saying, look, here I am, help me to grow, help me to learn. Senses are not exercised to discern good and evil. What does it mean? Verse 14, solid food belongs to those who are of full age. And he’s not talking about physical, but he’s talking about spiritual maturity. That we’ve come we’ve grown and become a full age.

And that is, he said, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Ability to apply the scripture, to discern good and evil. It is a sad fact sometimes when we begin to preach lessons, maybe on various applications of the word. What is, you know, in 1 John 2 15, the apostle said, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. And we’re talking about what is world in this. And maybe as we go along we try to preach, well, we’ll have that modest apparel? And there’s always some who say, Oh, I just I don’t think I under I agree with the preacher on that. In other words, we dress like the world does. We have eye problem in the sense we say, I can’t see what’s wrong with this or that.

I can’t understand. Or we talk about social drinking. And there are those who claim to be the children of God who do not see the difference and understand the dangers and even the influence that may be destroyed by it. Again, eye problem. I just don’t say. In other words, the culture is what some who say they’re Christians, yet they want to live like the rest of society around them. And consequently, they’re unskilled in the word of righteousness and unable to really discern between good and evil. But notice the writer doesn’t finish there, although we have a new chapter beginning after verse 14. Yet he’s spoken about how that these who are unskilled are still as babes. They’re still on the milk of the word. And then he begins to define it.

3. Let Us Go On to Perfection

Verse 1 of chapter 6, Hebrews 6. He says, Therefore, leading the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ. Let us go on to perfection. Now, perfection here is talking about maturity. Let us go on so we can grow. And let’s leave. He said, not laying again. We don’t have to keep repeating these elementary principles, these first principles, because we’ve already understood and we are able to teach someone else about them. And so let’s go on. Let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. Let’s pause here for a moment.

There’s six different things he’s described here as elementary. They’re first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so let’s kind of test ourselves. You’ll have to answer. If someone asks you the question, what about repentance from dead works? What does that really mean? How would you answer that? How would you define what repentance really involves and what it means? I think of a true story, probably some twenty-five, no, maybe 35 years ago. Brother Robert Welch, who’s a gospel preacher at that time up just uh north of Louisville. And I happened to be with him, I happened to drive up on the Sunday afternoon, and he told me of a story that happened that very morning when one of the young girls, whose mother really wasn’t that faithful and didn’t bring her all the time like should, but this young girl asked if she could be baptized.

Brother Welch really felt like she probably wasn’t ready. She probably wasn’t mature enough to understand even what it means to have sins washed away. But his reply to her is this, I tell you what, um, and we all, you know, all of us who are elders or preachers have had someone brought to us who we probably figure it’s a little bit too young, but how do you want to encourage them to continue to grow and become of age to understand the purpose and of baptism? But his reply to her were to try to get her to do that, he said, dear uh, let me ask you, uh, in your own mind, what does repentance mean? And said she kind of looked strange like that. She said, Oh, I don’t think I know.

He said, I tell you what, why don’t you go and ask your teacher what repentance means? And then come back and we’ll talk about whether or not you’re ready to be baptized. It was after the Bible class period that morning that the teacher came up to Brother Wilkins and said, Brother Welsh, why do you want this girl to understand what independence meant before you’d baptize her? She didn’t even understand the word repentance, much less. Are we somewhere maybe in that area? Do we really understand what repentance from dead works really involves? How that Jesus in fact said, except you repent, you perish. That it means a turning around, a turning away from sin. That it involves a putting off of the old man and putting on the new man, that it involves understanding what it means to be a living sacrifice.

Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. Do we can we explain that? Or the next is faith toward God. All right, faith toward God. Oh well, we all know what faith is, don’t we? Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. But do you recognize that one can have faith without repentance? How’s that possible? There are those who have mental agreement only, and they call it faith. And so in that sense, I say that he may have faith, but even as in James chapter 2, what does it profit a man if he says he has faith and have not works? Can faith save him? The answer, of course, obviously is no. So you begin to say, faith and repentance are really tied together. If one has true faith toward God, it’ll involve repentance, a turning away of sin.

And the fact that, as you can explain, faith toward God involves much more than just a mental agreement, that it involves an attitude of obedience as well. Is that what you do? Can you handle the scriptures that way? You don’t have to know a lot of scripture, but you can know a few scriptures that simply explain. Or as I ask you these things, are you still back on the milk of the word? You’ll have to answer for yourself. Not only that, then he said the doctrine of baptisms, verse 2. Do you notice the word baptisms is plural? What does it mean, doctrine of baptisms? Plural. Are there more baptisms than what we talk about? Baptism for remission of sins, and we see someone baptized and we’re thrilled about that.

Well, there were other baptisms mentioned in the New Testament. Why, in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, speaks about the children who were coming out of Egyptian bondage as baptized into Moses, the cloud and the sea. What does he mean by that? Or there was John’s baptism that led up to the preparing the way for the coming of Christ. Can you explain why John’s baptism is no longer in effect or of need today, and you don’t preach it today? That’s among the elementary principles, he said. Oh, there’s the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And we’re aware that even today there’s some charismatic kind of churches that still believe you can be baptized with the Holy Spirit, but can you just explain? Well, no, really, you know. In the scripture, the scripture only speaks about as a promise to the apostles.

And as a promise to the apostles. In fact, we find only two occasions of Holy Spirit baptism, that’s on the day of Pentecost when the church was established or began. And later when the first Gentile obeyed the gospel, Acts chapter 10 according to. Can you come anywhere close to explaining that? Or certainly baptism for the remission of sin. Maybe we’re better equipped with that. Can you actually take the scripture and say, here’s what the Bible teaches about how baptism is necessary for the remission of sins? That we wash away our sins, Acts 22, 16. That it’s the means by which we reach the blood of Christ. Romans 6, 3 and 4. And therefore it takes the blood to be saved, and that’s why baptism is essential for salvation, to wash away our sin.

Could you that’s elementary principle? But then he said, the laying on of hands. What does it mean? What’s the laying on of hands? Can you explain how that indeed there the very process of laying on of hands was a means of bestowing a gift or a trust or maybe, shall I say, a blessing on another through New Testament times at least? We know that the imparting of spiritual gifts, of miraculous gifts, was by the laying on of the apostles’ hands to believers. Acts 8. And since, in fact, today there are no apostles alive, there’s no imparting of the miraculous gifts either today. There’s no longer needed for that matter. But can you go into any kind of explanation of that? Or that the laying on of hands was also a excuse me of the elders at Antioch, blessing uh Paul and Barnabas as they left in that first preaching journey, uh bestowing God’s blessings upon them.

It was a it was a way maybe we don’t in our society today do that, but at least we read about it in the Bible. Can we explain a little bit about it? Or finally, or not finally, the resurrection of the dead and then eternal judgment, the final, but the resurrection of the dead. Could could you find the scripture like maybe John chapter five, twenty-eight and twenty-nine, that describe how the the day is coming when all are in the grace shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that are good to the resurrection of life, they that are done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. That there’s a day of resurrection coming. Or finally the eternal judgment. How that the last thing on this list of elementary things, and maybe there are others, but he just said these six that that we will one day stand before the Lord to be judged according to our deeds.

And we’ll be rewarded according to what we have done in this life. Can you go to passages like Second Corinthians five and verse ten or what can you do with these elementary principles? Probably all of us have to say, Well, wait a minute, I’ve heard about those subjects, and I’m not sure I can tell you much about them. I’ve certainly heard about them. But what’s the writer saying to these Hebrews who are readers of this? Ought you not to have grown that you not only have heard about these things, but now you can become a teacher. And if you’re not, it’s because you’re still on milk. You’re still the baby, and you ought to be full grown. Maybe for all of us. Our toes get stepped on with passages like this a little bit.

4. Impossible to Renew Them Again to Repentance

But it’s more serious than just getting our toes stepped on. That’s not the purpose. When I was thinking about giving a title to this lesson today, I really finally came to the decision to call it two warnings of danger. Two warnings. The first one we’ve talked about of staying a babe in Christ, which may eventually mean that we’ve just gotten to the point that we don’t really believe in the Lord any longer. But the second warning is in chapter 6 now, where in verses 4 through 8, he says, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, have tasted the heavenly gift, have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. If they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves, the Son of God and put him to an open chain.

For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. That’s a fearful passage. It’s not on a warning. I think it’s frightening. Do you know of someone in, say, your family? Or maybe someone just that you know through the past years who once had obeyed the gospel and seemed to be a faithful Christian, but has fallen away. Has gone into what we may say apostasy. Maybe they just because they didn’t ever grow spiritually, they just became uninterested and being uninterested, they they just sort of died on the vine, so to speak.

And if you were to ask them, are you a member of the church? Oh, yeah, I was baptized. Well, how often do you worship the Lord? Well, I I hadn’t been in quite a while. Could you know anybody like that? The warning here is it can become impossible to renew them again to repentance. That’s a fearful thought. It doesn’t mean God won’t allow them to come back. His hands are always open and ready. But what it does mean is it can get to the state that that person has become so hardened in heart, so dull of hearing, that you’re not able to move them. I’ve talked with people like that. I found it’s a lot harder. They sort of build up a wall. It’s uh in a figure of speech.

Kind of a wall of resistance. And and and they’ve they’ve been away so long that that you just you can hardly touch them. They know, oh yeah, I know I need to come back, and and yes, someday I’m gonna do that. They’ll talk like that, but they don’t.

Because their hearts have become so settled in a state of indifference, a state of apathy, that they really just remain in a lost condition. That’s a sad statement, isn’t it? Why, what have they done? What he says is those who are in this condition, look at the point. You know, of course, I would say the book of Hebrews is probably one of the best studies of the scripture that proves the doctrine called once saved, always saved is not a true doctrine. Over and over throughout this Hebrew letter, he talks about how that that the uh unfaithful Christian, the once a believer, can become an unbeliever and become an unfaithful Christian and be lost. Notice here, and of course, the answer those who teach the doctrine and once saved, always saved, like to say, well, he really never was saved.

But you look at this verse and ask and answer the question, if these were never saved, when he says in verse 4, those who were once enlightened. Sound like they might have understood if the lights have been turned on, and have tasted the heavenly gift. Does that not sound like they understood and probably were in a saved condition? They tasted or experienced. What is the heavenly gift except forgiveness of sin? And have become partakers of the Holy Spirit. Which one of these fails to tell us it’s talking about someone who was once saved? They were partakers of the Holy Spirit. They’ve tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. Each of these tend to say some six different things, I believe, that identify here’s someone who was once saved, but are now in a condition, you can’t even bring them back.

5. Crucify Again the Son of God

They’ve closed their hearts. They’ve closed their minds. What a sad condition. And yet, what he says, what have they done? Well, what they’ve done is, verse 6, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance. That’s a tie with verse 4, where he says it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, etc., etc., if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance since what have they done? Crucify again for themselves, the Son of God. Wait a minute. You think they’re nailing the Christ to the cross? No, not literally. It’s a metaphor. It’s a here is an illustration of what have they really done in a spiritual way? They’ve rejected the Lord. The same ones who did crucify him literally to the cross, they’ve come of the same disposition.

They turn their back on the Lord, so they stand just like those who literally turn their back on the Lord when they nailed him to the cross. So he says they crucify again for themselves. He’s not saying literally, that is out there for everybody else, but for themselves. They have rejected the Lord. They put him, in fact, the next word, to shame. Put him to an open shame. You mean you’re a member of the church? Yeah, I used to be.

Why don’t I need to be a member of the church? When they see hypocrites, why why would you uh why would you be motivated to obey the gospel if you see someone who claims to be a Christian, but they’re talking like the world and acting like the world. So they put Christ to an open shame in that sense. In fact, he says, then verses 7 and 8, the illustration, for the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God. In other words, God’s word, like rain, brings blessing to all. But then some fields do not bear good fruit. Even though there may be rain, sometimes it doesn’t bear good fruit because it’s not cultivated properly by the owner.

Conclusion

So it’s rejected, it’s cursed. So in verse 8 he says, But if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. And so to say, if we fail to properly use God’s word in our heart, it’s available for us. But in fact, it may lead to cause spiritual. We become spiritually stagnant, and what’s going to happen is untimely death, ready to be burned. What a sad danger. What a warning. How sad it is to learn about a baby physically that’s incapable of metabolizing food and thus never grows. But how much sadder it is for the Christian who always remains as a spiritual baby, in danger of losing faith, and most of all, eternal salvation. Indeed, two warnings of danger in this text.

I hope we’ll think about them. Guard our own hearts and do our best to guard help those whom we love and know who need to hear this warning from the Scripture, that they too may be guarding their own heart lest they lose eternal life. Would you bow with me in prayer? Almighty God, our Father, we truly give thanks for the privilege of being the children of God. We give thanks for Jesus Christ who gave his life that we might live. Help us, Father, not to take for granted that privilege. Help us not to think of it lightly. Because though we live in a country now where we really are free from the outward physical persecution that some saints and other places even now are suffering, are certainly those of the past.

But may our privilege of freedom of religion not become a part of the danger of losing our faith because of convenience. Help us, Lord, to indeed check ourselves, and indeed to feed on your word daily and to grow thereby, that we may be teachers even to those who are around us. Bless us to this end. Keep us now that the rest of our day as we worship you may be acceptable, and that we might grow and be edified, and that those who may not yet be Christians will be so motivated even to obey the gospel today. Keep us now, for we humbly pray in the name of the Christ. Amen.