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Hebrews 6:12

Hebrews 6:12 Faith and patience Oh, a little bit of a scolding here! The modern world is all about our rights, about “me”, about making time for leisure, rest and play. Please don’t get me wrong, God insists that we rest and take time out with Him, but there’s nothing in the Scripture that suggests we need time for ourselves, or for a cosy retirement, or that we should put off for today what can be done tomorrow. The life of the true follower of Jesus Christ is one of activity, busyness and endeavour, there is a vast harvest field to be reaped, a large church to be constructed and the toil is relentless. Yes, we are all different and some take longer than others to perform their tasks and others need time to listen as well as to act, but whatever camp we fall in, laziness is not acceptable. Notice from chapter 5:11 that one of the author’s complaints was that the believers “ no longer tried to understand.”  In other words, we need to apply ourselves to the Word of God as well as to...
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Hebrews 6:11

Hebrews 6:11 Diligence to the very end “Diligence”, that’s quite a word! It is defined as “the steady, earnest, and persistent effort applied to a task, characterized by careful work, perseverance, and industry. It represents a strong work ethic or virtue, often involving meticulous attention to detail to achieve a goal.” Presumably, the author of Hebrews used this word, or its equivalent, with due consideration, and we should therefore use it too as a yardstick for our own service for the Lord. How many brothers and sisters do we know who fit these criteria, or are their heads turned by the headline-grabbers, the personalities or the professionals who operate in churches? If we are faithfully getting on with helping others out of love for the Lord, then let us not give up, but press on to the  “very end.”  Remember, there is no such word as retirement in the Bible! The advice in this verse has a corollary, “ that what we hope for may be fully realized.”  In chapter 3:6 w...
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Hebrews 6:10

Hebrews 6:10 Love is - helping God's people The author here clearly does not want his readers to be condemned by his teachings. Yes, there are foolish men and women who eat and drink from the abundance of the Lord and who appear to be maturing in their journey of faith, who then abandon all of God’s provision and His saints, and behave as if these meant nothing to them. We are not to spend too much time comparing ourselves with them, God is not an unjust Being, if we work faithfully for Him and His people, then He is well aware of this and will not deny us our salvation. It is important to notice that our love and faithfulness to the Lord is expressed most visibly and powerfully in the way that we treat His people - one another. If we want to impress the Lord, gain His favour, and show our gratitude to Him, then our service of our brothers and sisters is the most effective way of doing this. I’m sorry but there is no substitute for hard labour, devotion and commitment to the body o...
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Hebrews 6:9

Hebrews 6:9 Better things This verse reads almost like an apology; the author seems to be as uncomfortable in writing the preceding verses as we are in reading them! However, he consoles himself with the conviction that the readers of his Epistle are not like those who despise the Lord and turn their back on Him. On the contrary, they are men and women who are enjoying the fruits of God’s salvation and who are ready to press forward on their journey of faith. There is even a hint here that any readers who are musing over these words and who remain unsaved, will  “be convinced of better things.”   In fact, when we think about it, has this chapter not defined fully what God’s salvation is? And what a heavenly gift basket He offers us! Once again, just like the parable of the sower and the seed, it is the Lord who takes the initiative and makes things happen. The first of His blessings is enlightenment. Just as frozen land wakes up to the warmth and light of the sun, so the ...
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Hebrews 6:8

Hebrews 6:8 Blessing our curse? Let’s consider further the parable of the sower and the seed. Who created the ground in which plants grow? God did. Who created plants that are good for food? God did. Who sends rains and sunshine and all the conditions that make healthy plants grow? God does. Who turns a dead seed into a living plant? God does. Our role in this process, as humans, is minor and without the intervention of the Creator nothing would grow and be fruitful. However, if God does His part and the land that is sown produces only thorns and thistles, something has gone terribly wrong! It is a sign of wholesale neglect. The crop is useless, and all the effort put is has been wasted. As Jesus Himself said,  “I am the vine and you are the branches, if you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and bur...
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Hebrews 6:7

Hebrews 6:7 The  blessing of God This verse is a parable that is written to try to throw more light on the meaning of verses 4-6. It is suggesting that there are “believers” who have received the seed of God’s Word and who have the potential to produce a crop. The gentle rain of God’s Spirit has watered the fertile ground but, nothing happens! No crop grows, no life appears, the soil is barren and lifeless, it cannot fulfil a useful purpose. However, if the opposite is true and abundant life is evident, it is a sign that God’s blessing is on the land. This is evidenced in Israel in recent years where a barren wilderness wasteland has turned into a land flowing with milk and honey. Is that because the Jews are better farmers than their predecessors or work harder or have learned new tricks for productive agriculture? No! it is because the Lord God has given them His blessing. Sadly, the majority do not recognise this. In the same way, the Lord may have blessed individuals and church...
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Hebrews 6:6

  Hebrews 6:6 No going back! It cannot have escaped our notice that there is a deliberate contrast here in that verses 1-3 of this chapter described the six “elementary teachings” that are regarded as an essential diet for the immature. We have already considered these in depth and their importance in the instruction of young believers.   However, from verse 4, the author has been identifying the spiritual foundations of those who are mature in the faith, these characteristics are the products of a considerable time on the journey with God. Those who have matured: - 1.       Have been enlightened  2.       Have tasted the heavenly gift 3.       Have shared in the Holy Spirit 4.       Have tasted the goodness of the Word of God 5.       Have also tasted the powers of the coming age In my experience, these incredible experiences are not gained without...
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