If you take your Bibles and turn
me to Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6. This morning we'll be looking
at the first three verses. Hebrews chapter 6 verses 1 through
verse 3. The title of the message is the
growth we need. The growth we need. The apostle says, therefore,
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go
on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance
from dead works and faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and
of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And
this will we do if God permit the growth we need. The Scripture
begins with, therefore. When you see that word, therefore,
Always find out what it is there for. Very simple, but true. Every time we go to the scriptures
and you see it, find out why he says, therefore. You'll have
to go back up to see what he's talking about to tie these two
things together. Look back up at verse 11, no,
verse 10. He's talking about Christ the
High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. "...of whom we have
many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing you are
dull of hearing." Dull of hearing. "...for when for the time ye
ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again,
which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are
become such as need of milk and not of strong meat." These Jewish
believers, to whom the apostle is writing, were going through
great tribulation. Now, when I say tribulation,
I'm not saying that people made fun of them. I'm not saying that
people just mocked them. I am talking about real tribulation. They were suffering the loss
of all things for Christ. They were being left by their
families, outcast by their religion and country. These men were being
tortured. These men were being set out
to starve and die for the gospel. They were going through hard
times, and many of them who professed faith in Christ had went back
to Judaism. Their faith was not real faith. But this was told us of our Lord
that we should not be offended at these things. Are we offended
at troubles and trials and difficulties? I know we are. We shouldn't be. Why? The Lord says, that these
things are to come. This world will hate you because
it hated me." Now, there's not much plainer language than that. John says, how can we be a friend
of the world and a friend of God? You can't be a friend of
the world and a friend of God. The world will hate you When
they understand and they hear what you believe concerning God's
grace and God's mercy and salvation, by Jesus Christ alone, the world
will hate you and you will suffer in this life. Are we greater than our Lord? Do we suppose ourselves to be
worthy of more comfort in this world than our Lord received. If it is, it is because you're either spiritually mature
or ignorant of the gospel. The suffering of the saints is
necessary for the growth of the saints. I love mountaintop experiences
that God gives to His people. I had one Wednesday. Wednesday
I enjoyed the message, the people, I enjoyed everything. And it
was a great experience that the Lord gave me of love and joy
and peace, contentment. How long did that last? Not very
long, probably as soon as I got in my truck, I started to fall. And I didn't reach rock bottom
until yesterday morning. You see, the Lord always will
cause us to seek Him through suffering. Through suffering. We will be persecuted in this
life. But in this persecution, we also
see that there will be a separation. There will be a separation. You
see, the trial of your faith, you who are true believers in
Christ, the trial of your faith is much more precious than gold
that perishes. Though it be tried with fire, You see, there are some who are
professing faith in Christ who will not endure. There are some
whose faith is vain, empty. And this trying of the faith
will separate true faith from fiction. It will. You remember when the seed was
cast on the stony ground and the thorny ground? It rose up. It had leaves. But because of either the deadness
of the root or the cares of this world, they both were choked
out and died. These saints They had believed
the gospel. They had endured much suffering
for a great while. The apostle says, you should
have been teachers by now. You should have been teachers
rather than someone instructing you. Instead of growing in the grace
and knowledge of Christ by the trials and difficulties, they
rather hunkered in and remain babes in Christ. I'll tell you one thing I don't
like is to suffer. I don't like it. And I know this, you don't like
it. Nobody likes it. But friends,
if we understand its purpose, We should willingly embrace it
with joy knowing that the trial of our faith according to God
is precious. We should recognize it to be
the providence of God and not try to avoid it at all costs. I'll tell you what, we commit
many sins trying to avoid suffering, don't we? We'll do anything to
avoid suffering. But that's not the heart of a
believer. That's not to be our heart. Our heart is to know this, that
Christ is all. Christ is all. And whatever the
Lord has for us, we must and should endure to the end, believing
Christ, trusting Christ, But if we do this, if we are avoiding
the things that God has prepared for our growth, then friends, we'll become dull
of hearing the message of Christ. I remember going to my parents,
and I remember pulling open a drawer, and I saw a knife. And man, that
knife was dull. It had not been used in years. You could see the rust on it.
It was dull. It's not been sharpened. Friends, we must be sharpened
by the Gospel. This is how we are sharpened.
By the Holy Spirit applying the Gospel message to our hearts. so that we are not becoming dull
of hearing. If anybody thinks that they know
enough, it's because you're dull of hearing. If you think you've
heard it all, and there's nothing more to teach you, you are dull
of hearing. And friends, this is not something
that can... I think this is something that
happens to every one of us. And we're not exempt from it. The apostles, you remember, He
said, oh, you of little faith. That was His apostles. That was
His disciples. Yes, we sometimes are dull of
hearing. But if we have faith in Christ
and knowledge of Christ, concerning the first principles of the gospel
and lack virtue, patience, temperance, humility." In other words, if
we're not exercising what we know, we're going to be dull
of hearing. What good is it to know the gospel
and not live the gospel? It does us no good. Jesus said, those who hear and
do. What is that? Believe on Christ,
faith in Christ, trust in Christ, love one another as I have loved
you. Have you filled that out yet? It's just not… His burden is
easy. His yoke is light. What is it?
Love Christ. Love each other as I have loved
you. I'll tell you, it is unacceptable
and embarrassing for us when we have someone who is an adult
who acts immature. If you have an adult running
around, someone who's grown, someone who should be a father,
someone who should be a leader, and he's running around acting
like my son, I can expect my son to... I saw him in the living
room twirling around, just looking at the ceiling fan and twirling
around. Now, if I saw you do that, I'd
be kind of concerned. It would be an embarrassment if that's
how it is, if we're grown and acting like children. Well, friends,
it's just as embarrassing to the saints of God when you have
someone who should be mature, running around causing strife
and divisions in the church. It's immaturity. It's spiritual
immaturity. So Paul is telling the saints
this very simply. Grow up. Grow up. So in order to grow in the grace
and knowledge of Christ, we must, as Paul says here in our text,
leave the principles of the doctrines of Christ. And what is he saying? He's saying we need to leave
off learning our A, B, C's. That's what we need to leave
off. A, B, C. Now, when we were in elementary
school, that was vitally important for us to learn the alphabet
and the sounds so that we could learn words. But when we learned
words, did we do the alphabet every single day in high school? No. Why? Because we know it. We already know it. We use it every day of our lives. This morning, I've been reading.
I've been reading to you. I didn't have to go through my
ABCs in order to read this paper to you. Why? Because I know them. Now, did I use them? You bet
I did. I'm doing it right now. I'm using
every letter in the alphabet. But I don't have to go back and
learn it again and again and again. We know it. And so he's saying, let us go
on to perfection, maturity. Now before we go any further
in this passage, I have to mention this because Hebrews chapter
6 is a passage that is misunderstood by a great many people. It's twisted and manipulated
by false people, false gospels to preach that you can somehow
be saved by the grace of God and then lose your salvation. This is not true. This is not
true. I know this. When God saves by
His grace, He has already purpose to save. And when He gives life,
He says, I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.
That's plain and simple language our Lord gave. So this is not
a text that teaches anything about Believers losing their
salvation. But what it does teach is a warning
to all who profess faith. Friends, there is a fine line
between immaturity and apostasy. Very fine line. This is why it is vitally important
for each individual person, each one of us, to make our calling
and election sure. Each one of us. And I'll tell
you, we'd be wise to hear this. We'd be wise to hear it. every believer in Christ. We
know that the gifts and calling of God without repentance, but
it is true that we should make our calling and election sure. We're not here, friends, to debate
and struggle with vain doctrines, but rather let us take this passage
and be instructed by it so that we may grow. And that's what
the intent of the apostle here is, that they may grow. So in this context, this context,
first of all, spiritual maturity and warning of apostasy. So first
we're going to see, and this is all we're going to see, is
spiritual maturity. So what does the apostle mean when he says,
leaving the doctrines of Christ? Does that mean, do we reach a
certain point of experience where we just go on into higher things
than the gospel? Absolutely not. That's not what
he's saying. When he's saying, leave the first principles of
the gospel, is he saying that we could have some higher spiritual
knowledge that is outside of the Word of God? No, that's not
what he's saying. But rather he is saying, stop
laying the foundation over and over and over. When you build
a house, How many times do you lay the
foundation? It would seem silly to keep laying
foundations. You would never get the house
built. So in growing in grace and knowledge
of Christ, we must build on the foundation, on the foundation
of the gospel. We need to grow up. And this won't happen if we keep
trying to learn the ABCs over and over again. Let us go on
to maturity. This is not progressive sanctification. This is not getting more holy.
It's not what he's talking about. But understanding more of the
holiness of God, yes. That's building on the foundation
that is laid in our hearts by God himself. Understanding more of the righteousness
of Christ, yes, I need those things. Now, what are these ABCs? Because Paul doesn't give us
anything to imagine. We don't have to imagine what
these things are. He tells us, look at this. Not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works. This
is the first, first one. It's the first one because we
must have both faith and repentance. If it is true faith, we must
have faith and repentance. And what is repentance? Repentance
is simply turning about. When I was in the military, If
I heard it once, I heard it a million times. About face. Repent. That's what he would
say. Turn. Turn. This is a fundamental, basic
truth. Believer in Christ, do we need
to learn repentance from dead works? I know. I know these things. I know that in my natural man
dwells no good thing. I know this, that all my righteousnesses
are as filthy rags. I know this, not one of us does
any good, no, not one. I know that. When I tell you
that, do you believe I'm trying to teach that to you again? Do you pray that the Holy Spirit
would teach you more of that? You see, I know that, but I haven't
really plumbed the depths of my depravity. Have you? I've
not found out actually how wicked and vile and offensive this nature
is to God. I haven't found that out. Have
you? I must grow in it. So when you tell me I'm depraved,
I'm not surprised. I'm not offended. I want to know
more concerning my depravity. I want to know more of what it
is to repent from dead works. Dead works. Now, we don't have any dead bodies
in here. If there was one in here, I would
ask someone to remove it. Because eventually it will stink. It will stink. Friends, that is exactly what
our works are to God. A stench of death. And I'll tell you this, unless
God the Holy Spirit works a miracle in the hearts of men and lays
this foundation of repentance, there's no man who will repent
in and of himself. He can't. He runs to hell like
it was heaven and runs from heaven like it was hell. Every sinner who is saved by
grace will have no need No need for men to convince him he's
a sinner, because we're taught this of God, that all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags, and our rest is in Jehovah Tizkanu, the Lord
our righteousness, Jesus Christ. You don't have to tell me that. But I want to know more of it.
I want to learn more. I want to grow more in it. I've
still not understood it fully. Now, number two, he says, leave
the first principle of this, faith toward God. We know that we have turned from
our dead works, but where do we turn to? I mean, if you're
turning from something, you're obviously turning to something. We turn from our religion and
dead works and we turn to serve the living God. We turn in faith,
believing God. The only way to God, the only
way to be accepted of God is by righteousness. and a blood offering. Of which we believers, we know
that Christ is our righteousness and Christ is our blood offering.
Therefore, our faith, we turned away from ourself and we've turned
to Christ looking to His righteousness and His blood atonement as all
our salvation. Jesus Christ is the foundation
that was laid. Isn't that what the Scripture
says? God says, behold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a
tried stone, a precious stone, a sure foundation. Christ, friends, is a sure foundation. And all who believe on Christ
are safe. Are safe. Are we dull of hearing that?
I'll tell you what, I need to be safe. I need His refuge. Because I have many troubles.
I have many trials. And so, I do believe in Christ
now. I want to believe in Christ more. Don't you? Have you reached the
pinnacle of your faith? Have you reached the excess of
Christ's faith? No! I'll tell you, my faith is
weaker now. I see my faith weaker now than
it was when I began. It should be stronger! It should
be stronger. We pray that God would bless
us to move from little faith to great faith. Number three,
the doctrine of baptisms. What is this? Why is this a first
principle? Because it has to deal with both
the baptism of Christ and our baptism. The baptism of Christ
is vitally important to understand because baptism, the baptism
of Christ, was a picture of His suffering, His humiliation, His
burial, and His resurrection. Go over to Matthew chapter 3
real quick. Matthew chapter 3. Look at verse 13. It says, Then
cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized
of him. And John forbade him, saying,
I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Suffer it to be so now,
for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered
him. What humiliation that he who
was baptized with the Holy Ghost without measure came to John
to be baptized. That he submitted himself under
the hand of John, and John put his head underneath the water, and he rose up again. Why? Because
that pictured his death and burial and resurrection. It pictured
what he would suffer And friends, he was baptized with suffering.
Have you reached the depth of understanding how much Christ
suffered? I tell you, if the Lord would
give us glimpses of that, then our suffering wouldn't be so
bad. Our suffering would be a lot less if we could see what he
suffered. If we could grow in the grace
and understanding of what Christ suffered as a righteous man,
and how he suffered and died, in our stead to redeem us to
God. I'm a sinner. I know what it's
like to be a sinner. But I'll tell you what I don't know. I
don't know what it's like to be a righteous man who has made
sin for us. You do something wrong to me
and I'm going to gripe. Maybe not out loud, but the flesh,
the first thing, it pops up and I'm griping. Oh, wicked. Wicked flesh. May God give us
the grace to grow and see what He suffered for us. And this also is a doctrine of
our baptism. Why is it that we are baptized? We are baptized in obedience.
and submission to Christ. We are identifying with His death,
His burial, His resurrection. And Paul said this, that I may
have fellowship, the fellowship of His sufferings. Baptism has nothing to do with
our salvation. But it is vitally important in
this, it is the only confession of faith. It is the only confession
of faith in Scripture by which men confess their identity and
union with Christ. And we must grow in this. You
know, I was baptized. But when I look into baptism,
when I look in and understand that it's by immersion, that
Christ was immersed in suffering, and so am I. Immersed in His
suffering. When He died, I died. When He
rose again, I rose again. And the laying on of hands. Let's
look at that. And the laying on of hands. What
is this first principle? the anointing of men to preach
the gospel. This is the only means God uses
to save sinners. By the foolishness of preaching,
God is pleased. By the foolishness of preaching,
to save them that believe. This is it. This is the power
of God unto salvation. And God sends men And everyone
he sends, he sends of his own sovereign will to declare his
gospel wherever he sends them. Now,
there are men who've declared the truth who aren't gospel preachers. Balaam. Balaam spoke the truth,
but he wasn't a gospel preacher. Balaam's ass spoke the truth,
but he wasn't a gospel preacher either. Neither one of them were. Caiaphas, he said it's necessary
that one should die for the people. That sounds like the gospel,
doesn't it? But he wasn't sin of God. He wasn't sin of God. It doesn't matter what a man
says. If God hadn't sent him with the gospel, he's not with you. He's not with him. When a man is called of God to
preach the gospel, and the men of God will give their hands
of consent to him and his message. You know, when I was called to
preach, I had no idea what it was to be called to preach. My pastor gave me the greatest
wisdom. The Lord will open the door. A man's gifts will make
room for himself. So when a man is called to preach,
God will open the eyes and doors of other men in the church, especially
the presbytery, to know, to know that a man is called to preach. And so we shouldn't lay hands
on any man suddenly. Because this matter of preaching
the gospel is of vital importance and we should attend to it. If
a man, as God has ordained a man to preach the gospel, be faithful
to attend and hear the gospel. And lastly, the resurrection
of the dead and eternal judgment. You see, friends, I know this.
that as my Savior was buried and rose again on the third day,
He is coming back and He will raise this body to be incorruptible. Now let me ask you, do you have
to have somebody to go over that again with you? Do you believe
that or do you have doubts? Well, if you have doubts, you're
either immature or you're lost. But I know this, I believe that
There is a resurrection of the just and the unjust. I take off these glasses, I can't
see. I can't see. I put them on, I
can see. But I know this, one day I won't
need these, and I'll see my Savior with these very eyeballs. These very eyes that I have now
that see nothing but sin, One day they'll be perfect. And I'll
see Him as He is. And the doctrine of eternal judgment,
we don't need anyone to explain this to us. But I'll tell you
what, if we would know more of God's holiness, we would be more
apt to witness of God's grace. Paul said, therefore knowing,
The terror of the Lord. Do we know the terror of the
Lord? Man, I don't know it fully. I
want to know it. Why? So that I may persuade men
to believe. That I might have a heart for
men. Do you have a heart for other
men? Other souls of men? Well, this is a sign of maturity.
These things. We know them. We believe them.
No one has to teach us these principles. But I'll tell you this, I want
to learn more about these things. And that is growing in the grace
and knowledge of Christ. I pray that God blesses to your
hearts.