Keep Growing: a sermon on Hebrews 5:11-7:28

The writer to the Hebrews is worried about his readers

  1. He is worried that they will stagnate in their faith.

  2. Worse – that they will revert to a childish (not childlike) faith that does not withstand the temptation to look for some religious element other than or in addition to Jesus.

  3. And worse still – that they will deliberately forsake their faith.

If faith doesn’t develop/grow, then it stops

The readers of Hebrews aren’t trying to understand the depth of their faith. They are happy skimming over the surface. They ought to be teaching others. They live on “milk”. They have not  trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (5:14). This means that they don’t know about the Christian life which is a constant process of deciding how to live. Belief feeds action and it feeds correct decisions about actions which feeds belief and so forth.

So what is the milk?

Foundations:-

  • Repentance / faith

Teaching:-

  • Baptism/ Ablutions – OT/NT rites???

  • Resurrection/ Judgement – to do with the last days.

NOT VERY BASIC – we need reminding all the time.

BUT living the Christian life offers something that needs incorporating i.e.. suffering

There is a tendency to replace Jesus as we look for a way out of suffering.

A warning

The Writer of Hebrews gives a terrible warning.

It is impossible…..to be brought back to repentance.(Heb 6:4)

for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away

Who is the writer thinking of?

  1. Real Christians

  2. People that show all the signs of being Christians but are not Christians.

I think that the writer is writing to real Christians and he is concerned for them. What he says is true. It is a salutary and alarming warning. It’s like reading a sign at the edge of a cliff that warns against walking any further. Every sensible person will heed the warning. The writer thinks that we have help so that we will heed the warning. (see below).

Don’t start and then stop because you can’t start again.

To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Heb 6:6)

To fall away is to publicly make Jesus seem ineffective and be mocked.

The writer doesn’t believe that will happen to his readers

[9] Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. (Hebrews 6:9)

[10] God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Heb 6:10)

[17] Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. (Heb 6:17)

The writer gives warnings (a stick) and encouragement (a carrot) throughout the book.

SO THAT

[6:9] We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:9)

What is the knowledge that we need that is helps us mature?

  • God’s unchanging purpose

  • God’s unchanging method to achieve it
    All that has to do with the life experience that includes suffering.

Start with Abraham who received a promise of many descendants and believed. God also promised that he would be blessed. We, his descendants (Heb 2:16ff) are recipients of this promise because our hope goes behind the curtain to the holy of holies because here is our high priest constantly and continually representing us before God the ultimate blessing.

Why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? (Heb 7:1)

So, what about Melchizedek? (Heb 7:1-10)

Abraham, gave a tithe to Melchizedek and was blessed by Melchizedek. This shows that Melchizedek was his superior. King of righteousness and King of Peace (Salem). He had no ancestry so was eternal.

Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.) God will not change his mind. He said; ‘You are a priest forever.’. (Heb 7:21)

So what gives you confidence in what you hope for?

Melchizedek is the type for Jesus’s High Priesthood

[23] Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; [24] but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. [25] Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Heb 7:23ff)

Know that this is what God always intended

A commitment fulfilled. Not plan A replaced by plan B.

So, understand God’s eternal purpose. It involved Melchizedek and God’s covenant faithfulness. And know that it involves a High Priest who was made perfect through suffering. (Heb 2:10; 7:28)

All of us grow as we believe, obey, live, learn towards maturity and believe.

sermonSt Alban's Leura