Expounds on Hebrews 6:1-6, distinguishing between the foundational doctrines of Judaism and the advanced truths of Christianity. It explains that repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrine of baptisms (washings), and laying on of hands were integral to the Old Testament and Jewish religion but are not to be revisited as foundations in the New Testament. The sermon emphasizes that while resurrection and eternal judgment were dimly understood in the Old Testament, their full meaning is revealed in Christ. It powerfully warns against apostasy, explaining that those who have experienced enlightenment, tasted heavenly gifts, and benefited from the Holy Spirit's convicting power, yet fall away, cannot be renewed to repentance because they reject Christ's sacrifice. The message concludes by affirming the eternal security of genuine believers who have truly received Christ.
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Hebrews chapter six. I want to read the first few verses. 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 of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism, and of laying on of hands. a resurrection of the dead on the eternal judgment. But this we will do, if God permit, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come.
They shall fall away. linked it up with what he says, it's impossible for those who renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shade. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herb, meat for them, by whom it is dressed, receiveeth blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh under cursing, whose end is to be burned.
He's speaking on repentance last week, and you could hardly pick up the subject of repentance, and be likely to speak on it again next week, without taking up this passage that we just read. It's a very solemn, solemn passage. We need to understand some things relative to this passage. And what the Apostle is doing, he's talking to Jewish people. When you think of what we read in the beginning there, the beginning of the things of Christ. How does Christ come in at this time when he is addressing Hebrews?
Well, I think Christ... is introduced because the Jews did have an understanding of the Gospels. And what they knew about Christ in the Gospels was their fundamentals. But then the Apostle points out too relative to these Jews that they knew the Gospels, but also to them they were to leave these things that we've been talking about. They were to leave Judaism and go up as men. And that would happen when they would become Christians and not in Judaism.
I have some verses here I'm going to read. You don't have to turn to them. I'll read them to you. For ye have heard of my conversation in the times past in the Jews religion that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. Now Paul says the Jews religion and profited in the Jews religion above many my equals and my own nation being more exceedingly zealous of the tradition of my fathers. Then he goes on in Acts twenty six five and you which knew me from the beginning if they would testify that after the most strictest sect of our religion I live at parishes.
Here the Apostle Paul is talking about the Old Testament, Judaism. And that's how you have it addressed in this sixth chapter of Hebrews. We need to keep in mind that Paul is writing to Hebrews only, men and women. He's not writing to Gentiles. The whole book of Hebrews is being written. to Jewish people and therefore he has some strong things to say and things hard to be understood and so we get into this subject of dealing with Judaism there are six things mentioned in those verses the first four are entirely linked with the Old Testament and have no place in the New Testament the last two resurrection and judgment can be linked to the New Testament that further developed, as we'll show you in a little while.
So we'll notice these things that he points out, and only a Jew would understand this. These things were so important to them. And so he tells you in that opening verse we mentioned about the laying all of hands, and also he says about... than the resurrection. I'll read that again for you. He said, What shall we say then, shall we continue in sin by grace whereby? God forbid, how shall we that are deadless in the land of Rome?
If I should be over in the trees to see it. Still in Romans. I believe we have a long place. Here it is. Peace. Therefore laying the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. Two things are in this verse. That is repentance and faith toward God.
Now that is Jewish. In the Old Testament they believed in repentance. Constantly they were strained from God. That nation was going away from God. And God was calling them back by way of repentance. God could not restore that nation to fellowship with him. unless there was true repentance. And so repentance had a strong place in the Old Testament. But when they were away from God, all they did was dead works. And that's what he says, of repentance and dead works.
All the time that nation was out of fellowship with God, what they did was dead works. It had no life to it. So he takes up this subject of works. Dead work. Unprofitable because done while out of fellowship with God. So repentance is a familiar word in the Old Testament. But then he speaks also about the second thing, faith toward God. It doesn't say faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ because Christ was unknown in the Old Testament.
Faith toward God. Now that's in the Old Testament, and many times you find it referred to faith toward God. He is speaking of the Old Testament when God revealed himself through Hebrewism or through the system that they were under, Jewish religion. It was the Jews' religion. Abraham was the progenitor of the whole Jewish nation, and he is distinguished by his faith in God. So these two things belong to the Old Testament, repentance from dead works, and faith the Lord God.
And looking at the book of Hebrews, and we so know this chapter eleven, there is not one person from the New Testament in that list. of people who lived by faith, who accomplished mighty things through faith. It was all those in the Old Testament. And so those first two things belong strictly to the Old Testament, the Jews' religion. Then you come to the next two here. And what have we got here in the next two? Are the doctrine of baptisms? and of laying on of hands.
Does that baptism mean baptism such as we know it today? Absolutely not. You'll find out, now you're giving us something, ceremony, we've spoken about repentance and faith of our God. Now you get into this ceremonial, like all the Hebrews. And here he takes up the doctrine of baptism. Now that's not the baptism. that we have today. It's not John's baptism. It's not the baptism of the Lord Jesus. It's not the baptism of believers in our age. And it certainly is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I looked over in chapter ten, you'll find, or chapter nine, you'll find that brought out, that it's not baptism as we know it in the New Testament.
He speaks in chapter nine. I think in verse ten, chapter nine and verse ten, he says, the Holy Ghost, just signify the way to the Holy. No, that's not the one I want about the doctrines of baptism and of the resurrection from the dead. Nine, Hebrews nine, which good stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. So there's the baptisms in the Old Testament.
Things, divers washings. Well, they wash the things in the tabernacle, the pots and the pans, and the priests had to wash themselves. And so it speaks of the ritual in the Old Testament, the washings, referring to what they did in the Old Testament in connection with their ceremonial life. And how nice it is to know that we are in no way associated with that. That's entirely belonging to the Jews. Then you have the laying on of hands. Now, we don't have that in the New Testament. Paul did lay his hands on one or two.
but in no way is like the Old Testament. In the Old Testament the laying on of hands was quite frequent. Here is the priest on the Great Day of Atonement. He laid his hands upon that goat and he confesses over it the sins of the nation and he allowed the living goat to go into a land uninhabited. He was identifying the sins of the nation with that goat that was going to be taken away and devoured in the wilderness. So there you have the laying on of hands in the Old Testament, a sinner in the Old Testament, an Israelite who had done wrong.
He could put his hands on an animal. The laying on of hands in the Old Testament was in connection with identification. It has no place in the New Testament. You know, it's strange how people like to go back to the Old Testament. They go back to rituals. And there are plenty of them. I was thinking of a text over, I think it is, yes, it's in Second Kings, eighteen and four. He removed, as Jeremiah, He removed the high places and break the images and cut down the groves, and break in pieces the praise and serpent that Moses had made, For unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it.
He called it Mahashtra, a piece of brass. So that serpent of brass was very important. In Numbers twenty-one, the children of Israel, those bitten with those serpents, had to look to their serpent of brass if they were to live. How long that serpent of brass was there, we know not. maybe just one day and night. And then the plague stopped. Now that serpent of brass was very important back then. It meant the life of many Israelites. But the children of Israel took that serpent of brass and they made it an idol and they worshipped too and they got incense.
And what we read there is true is just a piece of that. It's lost its meaning. It served its day. We don't look back. I know Christ refers to as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. It was only a picture of the time then present, not practiced in the New Testament. The serpent was only lifted up once. We never hear of it being lifted up a second time. So Christ was crucified once, never quite. And it served its purpose.
And so did these things, I've been reading, under the law or in the Old Testament rather, Judaism, Judaism. They have no place in the New Testament at all. I trust you get those things clear in your mind. So we notice those things. about repentance and dead works. But we've noticed also these ceremonial acts. Yes, they belong to Judaism. But then when you come to the next truth, you have resurrection and judgment. Now they are mentioned in the Old Testament, but dimly seen.
In the Old Testament, they hardly knew what resurrection was. They thought of a general resurrection. They likely thought of in the last day. I mean, in fact, Martha mentions that. She said, I know that my brother will rise again at the last day. That's all she thought of, at the last day. And in the Old Testament, they thought of the resurrection. It is true, you read it about in Daniel twelve and two, about the raising of the dead. And Job said, I know that my Redeemer liveth, that after my flesh won't destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
He had glimpses of the resurrection. And throughout the Old Testament, they did have glimpses. It was a dim view of the resurrection. They knew nothing then of the resurrection that we know today. It's one of the bright light. It's noonday bright. So then it was a dim view. Resurrection. All they saw, like a lot of people today, there's going to be one general resurrection. And all the human race is going to be bought before God. And he's going to weigh their good deeds on one scale or bad on the other.
And if the bad deeds outweigh their good ones, why they go to judgment? But if the good ones outweigh the bad ones, they're free. That's not the resurrection or the judgment you read about in these verses applying to the Old Testament. In the Old Testament they didn't know what we know about the subject of resurrection nor of judgment. Then they knew judgment was coming. They knew that there would be a judgment, and the prophets speak of a judgment. They speak all the time when men and women would be judged.
But in their view, it's like what you see in the great white book. They're sinners. They sing against God. The Old Testament knows nothing. That is, the Christian people and the Jews knew nothing of what we know as given in John five and twenty-four. Fairly and fairly, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come of the judgment that is passed from death of the life. We know that Christ bore our judgment on the cross, for the Christian there is no future judgment. Our sins were paid for at the cross.
Now they didn't know that in the Old Testament. They wouldn't have known what you were talking about. Christ had not come. They were still under the law and the ceremonial law. They didn't know what we know. That Christ bore our judgment in his own body on the tree. And so you see these people in those days, these subjects, especially the resurrection and the judgment, were dim views and buried in. So we come to the fourth point or the fourth verse.
What did he say in the fourth verse? He says in the fourth verse, For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gifts who were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the power of the world to come if they shall call away to renew them again unto repentance. she may crucify to themselves the Son of God of flesh and put him to an open shame. You know, when you stop to think of this passage, it's a very solemn one, and there are six things mentioned in these verses.
And in no way do they apply to Christians, those who are born again. Paul is writing the Hebrews, and there are some of the Hebrews, of course, saved and born again, really saved, happy people. But there are those who criticize what they heard, even questioning it. And I want you to notice this. I think others, I think Bobby and David know what I'm talking about. You don't see. any punishment for moral behavior, a behavior in Hebrews.
No, not like in Kor. He's dealing with the subject of the person of Christ, the deity of Christ, the work of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ, the coming of Christ, and the judgment of Christ. That's a great white fool. He's dealing with this subject. They don't understand. They can't see it. They're rebelling against it. And so he gives some of these views relative to this subject of what these people believe.
He says, for it is impossible. And I want you to notice that it is impossible for those who are once enlightened that they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance. You know it's a solemn thing when you think about these people. They fought the gospel. They were rejecting what they heard. They were very religious people. Undoubtedly, they were constantly studying the Old Testament, the Koran, and they couldn't accept the fact that Jesus Christ was the eternal Son of God and that His precious blood alone could cleanse from sin.
They couldn't seem to take that in. They knew nothing of the assurance that we have. Our assurances in Christ were trusting wholly, completely on the work of Christ. That's what he said, let's go on to perfection. Where are you going to find perfection? Not in the Old Testament. You're going to find perfection only in the New Testament and in the work that Christ did upon the cross. That's the only place you're going to find perfection and who dare add to it. There's going to be no further revelation.
All God has revealed, the man has been revealed. The Old Testament was given, and we saw God in various ways dimly. But now we're in the full light of the New Testament. And let no man add to it, let us go unto perfection. They were babies, they were children. in the Old Testament under the laws. Galatians chapter four brings that out, and Bobby took it up, and he took up Galatians. They were babes, but here they're man in their mantle, if they're born again. But here these teachers, these men here, to whom he is writing and referring to.
They have certain views of Christ, and the one point you had concerning them, who were once enlightened. Once enlightened. What does that mean? Paul says, you were once enlightened. They certainly were. Does that mean they are saved? No. This world has received an enlightenment. We've just passed through a period in history when the world was enlightened as to the Son of God.
And also in Easter, the world again will be enlightened about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And then you'll have Pentecost, which is known throughout the world. And Christ came into the world, the light of the world. and the world has been enlightened by the coming of Christ into this world. Your calendar proves that. Before Christ, after Christ. Your very calendar points every man back to the person of Christ. So the world has been enlightened. And these Jews were enlightened.
Yes, they heard about Christ. They heard maybe they lived in the days of the gospel and they heard about Christ and they've seen him perform miracles. Yes, they were enlightened and no one can say they were not enlightened. No person has touched humanity and the hearts of the sons of men and had such an influence over them that Jesus Christ maybe just known as a historical figure. I remember in the First World War when the armistice was signed, and before it was signed, I had my sister's husband, Jess Ennis, who was in that war.
And what happened on Christmas Day, no one said a word, but a hush fell over all the battlefield in Europe. who were they recognizing? Jesus Christ. The word has been enlightened concerning the person of Christ. And he says here, you've been once enlightened. Well, this doesn't mean an inward enlightenment. It could be outward. Yes, Christ has come a light into the world. There is absolutely no way you can say in the five points I want to bring out the redemption was experienced or the atonement was experienced or justification was experienced or the forgiveness of sins was experienced no you'll notice the next thing he says and have tasted of the heavenly gift now that's something to taste it of the heavenly gift.
Does that not teach you or try to tell you that these men must have been saved? They tasted of the heavenly gift. They were certainly enlightened about Christ being in the world. Did they taste of the heavenly gift? No, then they did not taste of the heavenly gift. How do we know that? Well, the Bible tells us about the woman in the port of John. And the Lord said, if thou lose the gift of God and who it is that talks to thee, you would have asked of him and he would have given you living one.
She said, give me that water that I thirst not need that come hither than God. And his lovely response was her. I am that living water. It says they tasted this. Did you notice that? They tasted it in this case. Only a taste. They tasted of the heavenly gifts. And in John, fourteen, ten, thirteen, you know there's a big difference between tasting and drinking. You can have some kind of liquid. Be it milk or tea or something stronger, and you can sip it.
You can have it pressed to your lips, and you can sip it, but not drink it. These people, these Hebrews, they have a sip of the fact that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, that he died on the cross, They did not take it all in. They did not drink it. And that very plainly brought it. Their shipping is not swallowing. And so this dear woman, she drank it. And she was saved.
How wonderful this is. Why the Lord Jesus refers on one occasion to the sowing. of the good seed. Remember, I think it was over in John, six at fifty-one, and also the woman I referred to, and Jesus answered and said unto her, Thou lovest the gift of God, and who it is, thou shalt not give me the drink. Thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given me the living water. Jesus answered and said unto her, Who shall ever drink of this water shall thirst again? but whosoever drinketh all the water that I shall give.
Use the word, drinketh, drinketh, drinketh, it'll take enough. Here in the connection with these Jews, he speaks of tasting, just tasting, that's all. And then he speaks over in Matthew thirteen. But he had received one, but he that received the seed into stony places, the same as he that heareth the word, at once with joy receive of it. You say, well, certainly that fellow was saved. He heard the word and he received it. Did he? Yet have he not root in himself, but during the for a while, for when tribulation of persecution arises because of the word, he is offended.
You see that? He had not root in himself. A lot of people taste these things. They don't swallow. Here's a person in Christ's law of the illustration. The seed that fell upon stony ground. Oh, I've got to hear this. With joy he received an emotional response. He says, but there was no room. and it will be raised. Here the Lord Jesus pointing out these Hebrews. They tasted of that gift which came down from heaven.
Then you have the third point. For takers of the heavenly calling, they were under the benefits of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Pertakers of the Holy Spirit. It tells you that in those verses. Pertakers of the Holy Spirit. Now, this is one you need to look at and examine very carefully. Pertakers of the Holy Spirit. For the earth, and I will go back there, it is impossible for those who once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
They were partakers of the Holy Ghost. They say, well, they certainly must have been saved. No, they were not. You can partake or benefit from the Holy Spirit being in this world. The Bible says in John sixteen, when he has come, he will convict the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment to come. No person can be saved unless they are partakers of the benefits of the Holy Spirit. Conviction. A person has got to be convicted, or he'll never be saved.
And this is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Before I was saved, I said, I knew what it was to lay awake at night, convicted of sin. for two weeks. I was under the influence of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit of God. Partakers of the Holy Ghost. There's no question that they were, and there's a number of texts that could prove this. You can think of the one concerned Simon Magus. The Lord says, and when Simeon saw that through laying on an apostle's hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, and on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter. for thine heart is not right in the sight of God. He believed and was baptized. But he wasn't saved. Showing you how much people can take in. And these Jewish people we're talking about were exactly in that category. They didn't know what it was. Take in the message and digest it.
Now there is another scripture you can read in that connection over in John thirteen and seven. Then Jesus said unto them, or six and fifty-three, I say, if you accept ye, eat the flesh of the Son of God and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whosoever eat of my flesh and drink of my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. Could you eat them? Was he referring to an individual eating literally his body and drinking his blood alone? That needs to be spiritualized.
When you eat something, you digest it, and your whole body and soul and spirit benefit by it. There are people who believe these things, and they're sitting in many crews today. And they will go right along with some of the things I am saved. Oh, yes, I heard it. I sift it. It's good. But has it changed their lives? Except you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God. He says you have no life in you. You go back to Leviticus chapter one.
And here is the priest and he's going to make an offering on the altar, and it happens to be a doubter over the young pigeon. What did God tell him to do? Fluck away the feathers and also the claw and the food to sit and throw it beside my altar. I can't accept it. That food did not become part of the word. It was undigested food. people can taste. Yes, but they don't digest it. It's not a case of receiving Christ down into the heart.
So as the night shows the difference, these men were partakers of the Holy Ghost. These convicting parts. Paul was convicted. They were pricked in their hearts and we want to see the Spirit's work in the opening chapters of the Acts. How people were convicted, tricked in their hearts, and Paul, hard for thee, Paul, the kick against the tricks the Spirit of God was working with Paul. They were partakers of the convicting power of the Holy Ghost. But they were not regenerated. They were not justified by the Holy Ghost. That's what I play.
These people were not degenerated. They were not sealed. by the Spirit, they were not anointed by the Spirit, they were not baptized by the Spirit, they were not filled by the Spirit. They sinned against light and knowledge, and that is outright apostasy. They sinned against knowledge. And that's what happens today. Men and women can know so much about this Bible, and be even convicted of the truth of it. and yet not experience the new birth. It's a sad and tragic thing.
And this passage in no way applies to God's beloved people. In no way. And this passage is impossible to remove them again unto repentance. It does not teach, as a lot do, that you can be saved and lost. Saved and lost. Save and lost. That is not the truth. A born-again Christian, if he could be lost, it's final. He has no second chance. It's impossible to renew him again unto repentance. And so those who are born again, they know it.
And they've got all kinds of texts, of scriptures, or prudence. If you want to know about believers, their eternal security. Read texts that have to do that. I give unto my sheep eternal life. They shall never perish. Be the solemnity men plucked them out of my hands. My Father which gave them as great an all, and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father's hands. I and my Father are one. And look at those things at the end of Roman day. My how wonderful are those things. talking about what the Christian can. He has eternal security.
And nothing can take us out of God's hands. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And so you find the second thing or the third. Then there's something else in connection with these men, the fourth. There's another piece. a taste of the good word of God. He doesn't say digest it. They tasted the good word of God. What is the good word of God? The good word concerning the gospel of Christ and the grace of God in giving us our sins forgiven, peace with God, eternal life, and the glory of heaven.
There you have the good word of God. And these men and many sense have heard those things. I taste good. All those things are wonderful. I wish I had peace. I wish I had eternal life. I wish I had the assurance that I'd never carried. I wish I knew I was going to heaven. They tasted the good word of God. Many a person when they've heard the gospel preach and the benefits it of the gospel, of what the gospel has used. But they haven't taken it down.
They haven't digested it. Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believe with unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. He says the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, in thy heart. Could it get any closer? They go that far. You've got to swallow it, digest it, and confess it. He says, thou shall be saved. And these men, they tasted of the good word of God. No thing we've got time for the rest.
We'll pick that up next week. It's too big a subject. But here you find men who have taken in so much He read the story, they were likely present about his life on earth, the miracles he performed, the Gospels. They come into the Acts, they see the miracles performed, the power of that message. They see it all. And they come to the Hebrew Church. And Paul tells us about these men. How much they knew, how much they witnessed. yet were not saved.
They were not born again. They were not taken by the Holy Spirit. And that's why he said it's impossible. For an apostate who's crossed the line, he's learned so much, and David says, Keep back thy servant also from sin, certain kinds of sin, presumptuous sin. That means sinned against light and darkness. Presumption! There was no sacrifice in the Old Testament for such a sin, and there's none in the new. If you turn away, as you see in chapter ten, we'll speak on next week.
You turn away from this one sacrifice, the blood of atonement, and you are doomed. It's impossible for a person to go so far like you. And it's impossible for that person to be renewed again onto the planet. How wonderful to know that I've really been born again. I don't have any doubts. I don't have any questions. I've got God's word for it that he that hath the Son hath life. And he that hath not the Son of God hath. not light. Do you have Christ?
On the authority of God's word do you say, I know Jesus Christ was the Son of God. I know he died on the cross for me. I know he lives in heaven to impart to me what he did for me on the cross. Light, eternal light. It's all in Christ.