Monday's Message: Impossible

Impossible: Hebrews 6:1-8

If you are dealing with doubt concerning your salvation, passages like this may strike fear into your soul. That could be a sign of conviction from the Holy Ghost. You may be convinced you could lose your salvation because you know your life is not currently in line with Scripture. Your doubt could also be an indicator of spiritual immaturity: to give one statement more weight simply because it is not easily or immediately understood.

Recently, I along with several others, took a trip on a plane. All of the passengers boarded the same airplane; some of those folks, like me, felt secure and confident in the pilot and the aircraft. We enjoyed the trip far more than those who spent the entire time worried about everything that could go wrong! All of us, who have claimed the gift of salvation, are on our way to Heaven, but those who struggle with the full assurance of their eternal hope don’t enjoy the journey as much as they could. Some of this is due to a believer’s need to further discover truth; while, some are dealing with guilt and conviction. Much of this issue is due to a lack of faith in the lives of so many. It is not the amount of faith that is required to save, but the focus of that faith that is paramount!

Please allow me to quickly clarify one thing – Hebrews Chapter Six does not deal with initial conversion of believers. We know this based on some clear phrasing found here, such as: “leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ” and “not laying again the foundation of repentance.”  The focus of this passage is clearly defined: “let us go on unto perfection.” With that in mind, let’s take a look at Hebrews 6:4-6: “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, 5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” To “renew” would be to renovate; to restore to a former state, or to a good state, after decay or depravation; to rebuild; to repair. You see, there are consequences for our actions. Let me be clear, we are made new after salvation, and when we confess our sins we get a clean slate with God! However, we do NOT get to go back to a state as if our rebellion is non-existent. Though the grace of God allows for us to be forgiven and our reproach wiped away, we must still deal with the situations we have caused. We were saved from eternal hell, but we were not saved from “hell on earth”! I read this quote while studying this passage, and though I don’t know who originally said it, it is worth mentioning: “We either crucify or crown the Lord Jesus by our lives”

Hebrews 6:7-8 “For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”

Though our sins are expunged from our records and we are fully pardoned from the eternal punishment for sin by the wonderful grace of Jesus, we are informed here in this passage that will be consequences for our actions here in this life. The very same sunshine and rain that produces herbs also produces thorns. The question for you and me is, are we allowing the Holy Spirit to dress the “garden” of our lives in the way that He deems necessary? Believer, you and I have been called to Christ for a purpose that far exceeds escaping punishment!

Heb 6:1  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,

Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Heb 6:4  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,

Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

Heb 6:8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Family Friday: Praying for your Children

1 Thessalonians 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?  I cannot imagine a verse of scripture or any statement that could better encapsulate the desire that we as parents have for our children, and the fervency with which we should bombard the ears of God in prayer for them. As Christian parents, we not only want to have our children with us, where we are guaranteed to witness every milestone and accomplishment they achieve; we also want them to develop into strong Christians as they grow up.  While we would all love for our children to have a perfect life, free of tragedy and difficulty of any kind, we also know that those are often the seasons of life that will best "perfect their faith" and improve their desire for and dependence on Christ.  I believe it evident that the key resource that we have to ensure that we are able to love, guide, instruct, and lead our children adequately is PRAYER!

Interceding on behalf of your sons and daughters.

As a parent one of the most loving things we can do is pray for our children.

• Go to God with your spouse and child. Let your child hear you pray for them.
• Thank God for the gift of your child, and for entrusting them to you.
• Confess your own faults “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”
• Ask God to reveal any area in your life that has not been given to Him
• Ask God to cleanse you of the iniquity by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Pray that God would cut off the cycle of sin in your family. Claim the truth of Psalm 103:17, that from now on righteousness would be the heritage of your children: “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;"
• Dedicate your child to God.
• Speak your desire to raise this child for the Lord. Pray that your child will come to saving knowledge of Christ at a young age.
•  Pray that his life will bring glory to God.
• Ask God to give wisdom is raising this child for Him.
• Pray for them to save themselves for their future spouse
• Pray for that future spouse to save themselves also.
• Ask the Lord to reveal to you when your child has done wrong, so it can be addressed and corrected.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment in correction and discipline
• Pray for wisdom in training up your child.  Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Thoughtful Thursday: Ian's Story

While driving home from church one Sunday night, we drove up to an accident that had just happened.  A man on a bicycle, had been struck by a car.   We immediately pulled over, and my husband and I got out and rushed over.  My husband started directing traffic around and I rushed over to the man lying on the ground.  He was conscious, but a bit disoriented.   Having no medical training, I knew there was nothing I could do for his wounds, which did not appear life-threatening, so I just began to talk to him in order to distract him from his pain.  I asked his name.  He told me his name was Ian.  He lived nearby, so I tried calling his family to notify them of the accident. Meanwhile, someone had run to his house to tell them and his wife/girlfriend arrived shortly after.   This lady ran over to him and says "Ian!  Ian!   Are you ok??"   To which this battered and bleeding man, lying on the ground, replies "Yes, by God's grace".
Ever been slapped in the spiritual face?   Yeah, this was one of those moments.
How does one, in what seemingly is a terrible situation, have such a great outlook!?

How many times have we been having a "bad day" and someone asks how we are and they receive a reply like "Ugh!  I've been better." or "It's been a horrible day!"  When in all actuality, we just simply woke up late...or got a paper cut...or some other "horrible" thing that has caused us to dwell on the bad rather than the blessed.  I know I'm guilty of this more often than I probably realize.
Even on a day when we wake up late, we should be thankful that God allowed us another day to live for Him.
Even on a day when we feel overwhelmed, we should be thankful that we serve the One that has unlimited strength for us to rely on.
Even on a day when we just don’t feel like smiling, we should be thankful that we are on our way to Heaven…by God’s grace!

Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:3 - For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Colossians 3:15a - And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,

Teen Tuesday: Are your teens Accountable?

 

Written by:

Jonathan Wells

 

I want to start off by asking some sincere questions.

Do you want your teen to leave your house at midnight totally unsupervised with no concerns as to their whereabouts? Do you want your teen to meet up with the opposite gender all alone without your knowledge or supervision? Do you want your teen to attend a rock concert? Do you want your teen to freely access immoral and ungodly information from unknown sources? Do you want the world to guide, direct, teach, and indoctrinate your teen?

Any caring, loving, and godly parent would say, "NO!" to every one of these questions.

Yet, a trend is starting to happen in our Christian homes. Teenagers are doing some, if not all of these things listed above. Yes, they are doing it under the very noses of their parents. "How can this be?" you ask. It's very simple. Parents are giving their teens a handheld device. Yes, a phone or a tablet.

With this device, your teen can leave your house after hours and spend time with anyone they want to in the world. With this device, your teen can meet up with the opposite gender and you would never know. With this device, your teen can attend rock concerts by listening to that ungodly music for free. With this device, your teen can freely access any and all information on the world-wide web. With this device, your teen is influenced heavily by the world.

It's a sad, sad day we live in. Parents are blindly giving these things over to their teens and just expecting them to be mature Christians and not make any wrong decisions. But even the most mature Christians can make mistakes and fall. The Bible says, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again..." (Prov. 24:16) Good people can & will fall. Our goal should be to help people NOT to fall. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:41) How do we help them to not fall? Put safeguards in place.

I don't even trust myself with these handheld devices. So, I have my wife put heavy restrictions in place to keep all my devices monitored. Why? Because I don't trust my flesh. Even Paul said, "...I die daily." David had to make a "covenant" with his eyes. Daniel had to "Purpose in his heart." Anyone who says, "I trust my teen to not mess up" is not wise.

Therefore, I beg of you parents; help your teen by putting restrictions on their devices.

There are many safeguards you can put in place. There is a company with an app called "ParentKit." You can install this on iOS and Android devices. It costs money but it's worth every penny.

There is also a company for monitoring computers called, "Covenant Eyes." Again, this costs money but it is worth it!

I beg of you parents, please love your teen enough to know what they're doing on their devices.

And if you are a teen reading this, please, get with your parents and start being accountable to them.

Just some thoughts from my heart.

Monday's Message: Grafted Gentiles

Rom. 11:5-34

“Thou also shalt be cut off” – WHAT!? There it is, folks: you can lose your salvation! Forget about the many passages that blatantly and clearly teach the exact opposite. Focus all of your attention on these six words and form your entire doctrine on eternal insecurity right here; go ahead and cross out – better yet – rip out John 10; Romans 1-8; Hebrews 1-8; and 13; Galatians & Ephesians… just for starters! Those passages will all be irrelevant if we want to form our beliefs right here! I am, of course, not serious about that; however, eliminating passages of the Bible and focusing on a few statements out of context is the only way you will find that you can lose your salvation in the Bible.

Let’s take a closer look at this passage. First of all, God did not replace Israel with the church. No, but rather, He added the opportunity for all to be part of the church. God allowed Israel as a whole to make a choice based on warnings from men of God and from His Word. We find two groups mentioned here; they are the same divisions you will discover today: the minority and the majority.  “There is a remnant according to the election of grace”

The remnant is referring to the minority. “The rest were blinded” here we find the majority. The difference between the two: “election”.

Please do not get hung up on Biblical terminology that many have attempted to redefine. We recently had a Presidential election in our nation. The two leading candidates for the office were Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Both of these individual spent a large sum of money and invested a great deal of time and energy in an all out effort to get elected. I believe we could all agree that both of them desired every citizen’s vote, but neither of them were met with that reaction. I hope that you can see the parallel here: Christ laid down His life for everyone, thereby choosing or electing every person. You and I must now make our choice, just as many did in the Presidential election. He chose all, but not all chose Him. The “elect” is that group who were chosen by Christ (all men) who in turn chose Him.

God has “grafted” us into the Good Olive Tree “contrary to nature” Generally, grafting is used to save a wild tree

A good branch is grafted in to enhance the fruit, yet here a wild branch is engrafted to save the branch. This is only possible because Christ is incorruptible! I have read about grafting and have a basic understanding of the teaching presented in this passage; however, I will not bore you with my limited knowledge. Instead, I encourage you to study out this concept!

The comparison being made is of two groups not an individual situation; though each individual must make a choice as to which group he will belong. Every person must choose to experience the “goodness” or the “severity” of God. There is no middle ground, and it is not our behavior that will make this determination. We must choose Christ for salvation to experience His goodness, or by default we will according to our condemnation of sin receive the severity of His judgment. He went to the cross to redeem us; if we treat that lightly it will not be good for us.

“On them which fell…” What was the fall? The fall was from grace. The children of God in the Old Testament went from believing Scripturally in the wonderful grace of Jesus to believing in a final acceptance of Christ based on the good deeds they were doing. They fell from grace to works. They fell from grace to idolatry. These people were saved through the same faith that you and I are saved. We look back to a risen Saviour; they looked forward to a coming Messiah. They wasted the opportunity given to them, so God offered it to others. The Word is still available, but His presence is not as sweet. He left them in darkness and slumber.

“Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” This is not referring to eternal life. This we can say adamantly because the idea of works is included. We can all see throughout the Old Testament that judgment of God and way He “cut off” His people from the provision, protection, and prosperity of the Promised Land.

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Rom 11:6  And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Rom 11:7  What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Rom 11:9  And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

Rom 11:10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

Rom 11:11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Rom 11:12  Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

Rom 11:13  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

Rom 11:14  If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

Rom 11:15  For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Rom 11:23  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

Rom 11:24  For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

Rom 11:29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?