Tuesday, February 14, 2017, 6:53 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Seek the Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words
to my heart. I read Hebrews 5:11-6:12 (NASB).
Marks of Immaturity (5:11-14)
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to
explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you
ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the
elementary 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 not accustomed to the
word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature,
who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Concerning Jesus Christ, we
have much to say. Although he is God, the second person of our triune God –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – he left his home in heaven, came to earth, took
on human flesh, suffered like we suffer, and was tempted in like manner as we
are also tempted, yet without sin. He healed the sick and afflicted, raised the
dead, comforted the sorrowful, encouraged the timid, delivered people from
demons, and performed many miracles when he walked the face of this earth. He spoke
many encouraging and comforting words, as well as he told the people the truth
about their sin, about their eternal destiny, and concerning the cost of
following him as their Lord and Savior (See: Lu. 9:23-25). And, he gave
messages of hope and healing to all who would put their trust in Him.
Jesus came to the earth with
one main mission in mind – to die on a cross for our sins. When he died our
sins died with him and were buried with him, and when he was resurrected from
the dead, he rose victorious over hell, sin, Satan and death on our behalf. He
died to take the punishment of our sins for us so that we could be delivered
from condemnation. He also died to give us eternal life with him, for those
believing in him, beginning at the moment we believe, throughout our lives on
this earth, and into our future home of heaven when we leave this earth. Yet,
that is not all. He also died that we might die with him to sin and live with
him to his righteousness. He died to deliver us out of slavery to sin so that
we could become bond-servants of him and of his righteousness. He died to turn us
from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that we could
receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in him.
Yet, many who have believed
in Jesus Christ have not moved past the elementary truths concerning our
salvation and on to maturity in Christ, and one of the reasons appears to be
that they have become dull of hearing, i.e. they don’t want to know anything
beyond just their initial salvation from sin. They are content remaining
spiritual infants. And, so they are not really growing in their relationship
with Christ, and in his Word, so that they can have their senses trained to discern
good from evil. I am sure they do know that lying, cheating, stealing, etc. is
wrong, but their consciences can be seared or they can become desensitized to
evil if they do not mature in their walks of faith, and if they are greatly
exposed to the things, philosophies, values and practices of this sinful world,
primarily via TV and the internet.
Fallen Away (6:1-8)
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the
Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of
repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about
washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal
judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. For in the case of those who
have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been
made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the
powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew
them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God
and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on
it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also
tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it
is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
So, what’s the big deal if
someone decides to remain a spiritual infant and not move on to maturity? They
still get to go to heaven when they die, right? Or not. There are so many
scriptures that teach us that choosing to receive Christ as Savior of our lives
is not a done deal, i.e. it is not a guarantee of heaven and eternal life with
God. Why isn’t it? Because Jesus didn’t die just so we could escape hell and go
to heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness. His purpose in saving us from our sins was not merely to take
the punishment for our sin, but to deliver us out of slavery to sin and that we
might be resurrected to new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness.” He didn’t call us just so we could go to
heaven when we die. He called us to be a holy people for him while we still
live on the earth.
So, his goal is for us to
mature in him. His goal is to conform us into the image of Christ. So, what is
the danger if we don’t mature? I believe it is that we could fall away from
grace, and that we could turn away from our God, and reject what he did for us
on the cross, and for our belief to turn to unbelief. What this passage
describes here is not someone who just professes to know Christ. This is
someone who was a partaker of the Holy Spirit. We can’t partake of the Holy
Spirit if we did not genuinely believe in him. This is saying, and many other
passages like it are saying that it is possible for us, if we do not continue
in the faith we had at the beginning, to fall away never to return to our Lord,
and we need to take this seriously.
Faith and Patience (6:9-12)
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things
concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in
this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which
you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering
to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as
to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be
sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the
promises.
Our decision to believe in
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives is not a one-time experience, then
we live life how we want it, and then we go to heaven when we die. There are
things which must accompany our salvation, such as repentance, obedience and
submission to Christ and to his cross. But, these are not things we do in our
own flesh. Even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is a gift from God, i.e. a
divine persuasion of his will. He even grants us repentance, and gives us the
ability to obey him. We just have to yield control of our lives over to him,
and cooperate with the Spirit’s work of grace in our lives. And, our Lord will
give us all we need to live godly, holy lives pleasing to him.
There are many, many
scriptures which teach what this passage teaches regarding our salvation. This is
yet another scripture which encourages us or which instructs us to show the same
diligence we had at the beginning until the end. This also warns us that if we
don’t, we are in danger of becoming sluggish in our relationships with our Lord.
And, yet there is encouragement (exhortation) that we become imitators of those
who through faith and patience inherit the promises. And, if we do follow our
Lord in obedience, in surrender to his will for our lives, and we become his
ministers (his servants) in showing his love and grace to others, and in
sharing the gospel of our salvation so that others can come to know him, too, our
work will be rewarded. We may not always see how God is using us now, but we
can be assured that if we are following him, he has a plan and a purpose for
what he has called us to do, and his Word will accomplish what he desires.
Seek the Lord / An
Original Work / July 20, 2012
Based off Isaiah 55
“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to
waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good
today,
And your soul will delight in richest
of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with
you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found;
call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in
truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will
receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.
“My word that goes out of My mouth is
truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I
desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy, and be led forth in
peace.
The mountains will burst into song…
before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”
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