Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20110119.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Hebrews: The Superiority Of Christ To Errant Religions
Part V: The Superiority Of Christ's Priesthood To Other Priesthoods, Hebrews 5:1-10:39
B. Warning About Immaturely Neglecting Christ's Priesthood, Hebrews 5:11-6:20
3. The Encouragement To Mature
(Hebrews 6:9-20)
  1. Introduction
    1. One can be motivated to heed the Lord out of fear of punishment for failing to do so, but God is balanced in His goodness, not only warning, but positively encouraging us to obey His Word.
    2. Hebrews 6:9-20 provides such a positive encouragement to mature in the Lord, one we do well to heed:
  2. The Encouragement To Mature, Hebrews 6:9-20.
    1. Having given a stern warning of God's discipline for failing to mature in Hebrews 6:4-8, the author of Hebrews shifted to encourage his readers, expressing confidence that they would mature, Hebrews 6:9: he claimed his party was confident of better things than the defeat of Hebrews 6:8, of things that accompany "salvation" (Heb. 6:9) from discipline due to hardening in immaturity, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 796.
    2. Also, the author of Hebrews noted that God would not unrighteously forget the labor of love his readers had demonstrated toward God's Name by ministering to the needs of fellow believers, Hebrews 6:10a.
    3. Indeed, they were still practicing such works of love, demonstrating they still loved the Lord, Heb. 6:10b.
    4. The author of Hebrews only urged his readers not to cease being committed to Christ, that they remain followers of those who by faith and patience had previously inherited God's promises, Hebrews 6:11-12.
    5. [The reference to not being "slothful" (Hebrews 6:12a KJV) translates the Greek word nothroi, meaning "slow" as used in Hebrews 5:11 NIV in the phrase "slow to learn." In other words, the author wanted his readers to put off any spiritual sluggishness to learn deeper truths in the Word that they might keep growing in Christ versus stagnating and becoming vulnerable to being lured into ritualistic Judaism, Ibid.]
    6. Having referred to those who had endured patiently in faith in God to inherit His promises unto them, the author of Hebrews introduced the example of Abraham's faith, explaining it in Hebrews 6:13-15:
      1. God had promised Abraham in Genesis 22:16-17 that He would greatly multiply his seed, the promise being made right after Abraham had obeyed the Lord in seeking to sacrifice his son Isaac!
      2. The expression, "patiently endured" (KJV) or "waiting patiently" (NIV) of Hebrews 6:15 translates the Greek word, makrothymias, "the ability to hold one's feelings in restraint without retaliation against others", Ibid., p. 797. Abraham did not retaliate against the Lord because He was calling him to kill his son in tension against God's promise to bless Isaac, but Abraham endured by trusting God's Word!
    7. In Hebrews 6:16-18, the author of Hebrews shifted from merely illustrating Abraham's faith in God's oath to him to address the force of the oaths God makes to us believers in general, Ibid.:
      1. When people take oaths, they swear by one who is greater to hold themselves accountable to the greater if they fail to keep their word, thus ending any argument that they mean what they say, Heb. 6:16 NIV.
      2. So, to demonstrate how firmly God meant what He said in Genesis 22:16, He confirmed His promise to Abraham by condescending to use the human practice of taking an oath. (Hebrews 6:17)
      3. Yet, no one is greater than the unchangeably truthful God, so He confirmed His pledge by swearing by His unchangeable Self, giving double infinite consolation that He would do as He said, Heb. 6:18 NIV.
    8. In application, the author of Hebrews then declared this doubly infinitely truthful God was the same Lord with Whom we believers relate now, that He has His Son in the veil, in heaven with the Father, doubly infinitely committed to interceding for us as our High Priest to bless us as we seek His help, Heb. 6:19-20.
Lesson: (1) We are to be encouraged to mature in Christ because (a) God is confident we can mature and (b) He righteously recalls our works that exhibit our desire to mature. (2) He encourages us to resist the dullness that keeps us immature by (a) the encouragement of Abraham's faith, by (b) God's infinitely great motivation to keep His promises and by (c) His readiness that motivates Him to help us mature as we ask God's help to that end via the intercessory work of our High Priest, Jesus Christ!

Application: May we thus be encouraged to go on into spiritual maturity in Christ!