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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free. We at 1-800-576-3771, online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

If you have a Bible and I’m sure you do, turn to the book of Hebrews, the book of Hebrews. Here in the book of Hebrews and turned to chapter 4, Hebrews and chapter 4. I love the book of Hebrews. Deals with the subject of Hebrew Christians. Those that knew the law were on the law, trusted the Lord and had troubles with some of the aspects of the law. And so the Apostle Paul, I believe that whom God used to write this.

I can’t prove that, but it’s my personal opinion. But anyway, he writes some very interesting things in the book of Hebrews to try to help people to understand why they should go on to maturity. Now, unless you believe in the teaching of eternal security, you’re not going to understand the book of Hebrews, because there’s too many things in the book of Hebrews that gives the appearance of that you have to keep serving God in order to be saved. So that’s why a lot of people use the book of Hebrews to try to show you that you can lose your salvation or that is based upon your works to keep your salvation.

And I do not believe that. But as you study the book of Hebrews, you’ll find that it deals with the idea of going on to maturity. So you’re a child of God, mature as a child of God. Go to the place where you can learn how to trust the promises of God, to believe them. And so some people never get to what we call, and in a comparison sense, to the land of Canaan. They simply have crossed the Red Sea, they’ve got their salvation, and they spend the rest of their life in the wilderness and never get to the land of Canaan.

They never get to the land of promise. Where spiritually speaking, it’s more of a reference to the Christian maturity, the victory in the Christian’s life. It’s not the elimination of battles, It’s just that the guarantee of winning those battles. So many of God’s children never learn how to have victory in their Christian life. So they wander around in the wilderness for 40 years. And some Christians, this seems like they trust the Lord and boom, in 11 days journey, they got to the Promised Land because they learn how to trust the Lord and to grow in the Lord and to be strong in the Lord, where God can use them and then they’re blessed and they They enjoy the things of God.

And there’s others who just don’t seem like they can ever find the will of God for the life. Just always going in circles. So he says here in the Hebrews in chapter four, if you look there in verse one, the word let us, now every one of the verses we’re gonna look at this morning start with that phrase, no, let us, let us. Because the writer, whoever it may be, there’s only one author of the word of God, but there’s many writers in the word of God.

But he keeps talking about let us. So he’s putting himself in this, and I believe whoever the writer was, it’s a believer. And telling us things that we ought to do in our Christian life. So he makes the statement in verse one, let us therefore fear. Fear what? I believe it’s the fear of missing the will of God for your life. The fear of not maturing in the Lord. The fear of not knowing and believing and trusting in the promises of God.

The fear of not being able to run the race because you’re loaded down with too much baggage. and the fear of chastisement from the Lord when we don’t do what God wants us to do. So yes, there’s the fear, but here’s he talking about, let us therefore fear less a promise being left us of entering into his rest. Any of you should seem to come short of it. In other words, not reaching your full potential, not reaching that which God has for you in your life.

You see, I believe as you read the scriptures, you should personalize the scripture, seeking to understand primarily what is the context, what is it trying to say, what’s the main teaching, and then how do I apply that to my life? Because you can read scripture and understand a lot of things, but never have it applicable to your life. So you want to learn. And so he made this statement in verse one, Let us believers. So we’re not talking about lost people.

We’re talking about believers going on and learning to trust the promises that God has for us and believing that. So look there in verse 11, in verse 11, let us labor, therefore to enter into that rest. Now, I don’t believe this is talking about trying to work for your salvation. He’s already talking to the believers, and he’s talking to you and I about entering into the rest of God. You see, not understanding what God can and will do for you and through you, you will have questions and doubts in your Christian.

Those questions and doubts will cause you a lot of turmoil of the soul, where you do not have the peace of God. And so you will have the despair and the anxieties and all the things that happens in your life that can pull you down and discourage you. So this book is a very encouraging book. And I believe that when you’re learning how to walk, a child does not learn to walk very easy. They usually stumbling all over the place.

They usually start off crawling. And if they don’t crawl or stumble as trying to learn how to walk, we think something is wrong with the child. And believe it or not, there is. But look there in chapter five and look down in verse 11. Of home, we have many things to say and hard to be uttered or explained. seeing your dull of hearing. For when for the time you ought to be teachers. So you see, he’s not saying you’re lost and you need to get saved again.

He says you ought to know enough by now that you ought to be teaching the word of God. He says, in verse 12, you have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. In other words, you’ve got to get back to the basics, back to the foundation. and like learn to grow. You’ve gotta learn to feed upon the word of God. And these Christians were not maturing in the Lord. So he says, you have need of milk and not of meat.

It’s amazing to me that I have sometimes people say, well, you know, I’m just tired of getting all this milk, just nothing but milk. I want some meat to eat. Well, you know, if you’re a mature Christian, you can eat all the meat you want. Because you can take the Word of God and feast all you want to, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. You see, you don’t need the preacher to eat meat. All you got to do is just study the Word of God.

Don’t you have a Bible? Let’s see. But when people come to church, isn’t it true that when you have a variety of people that there’s some people that are lost, some people that are weak, Some people that are strong, some people that are on milk and some people might be on meat. And then sometime when you give them a little bit more than they can handle, it’s like a gristle. They can’t swallow it. And then they get mad and walk out of the church, so I just don’t understand.

Or I disagree with him on that. But didn’t mean I was wrong. It’s just you couldn’t chew it. You couldn’t digest it. You couldn’t devour it. It was more than you could handle. And so that’s why some people like to go to a church where the preacher tells them what they want to hear, so they feel good. And sometimes a preacher, if he’s worth his salt at all, makes people upset, makes people angry, makes people examine themselves, rebukes a person, tries to get you to look into the mirror of the Word of God so you can see yourself and see what needs to be corrected.

Are you following me? Good. I hate to repeat all of that. So here he makes the statement in verse 13, for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. So we are talking about babes in the Lord who ought to be growing in the Lord and getting to the place where they become spiritual adults. able to handle spiritual problems, to handle spiritual responsibilities. Sometimes people can trust Christ as Savior and they never mature, never grow up, and they act like children all their life.

Little spiritual brats ever seen anybody like that? They whine and pine about everything, never happy about anything. They’re always down, always discouraging. Well, that’s a sign of a babe in Christ. And so then he says in verse 14, but strong meat belong to them that are a full age or mature. So this is where we want to go. Let us strive to enter into this rest. Learn to walk with the Lord. It might be a struggle at first, and it’s a labor at first.

Studying of the word of God, the Bible says, studying is a weariness of the flesh. Nobody likes to study really. We just wish God would just cut a hole in the top of our head and just pour it all in there and then cap it and then we’re now a brilliant. Wouldn’t that be a shortcut? So he makes a statement in verse 11 of chapter 4, Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

In other words, like the children in Israel who did not get to go into the land because of their unbelief, They did not believe the promise of God. God had promised that if you believe me, even though there’s giants in the land, I will be with you. I will take care of the enemy for you. I will protect you. All you have to do is do what I tell you to do. But they didn’t. And so they died in the wilderness over a period of 40 years.

It didn’t have to be that way. So now here you are, and you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior, are you growing in the Lord? Are you maturing in the Lord? Are you just gonna spin your wheels and, oh, saved? Yeah, you’ll go to heaven when you die, but you never accomplish anything. You don’t have the real peace and the joy and the love that you ought to have. You’re not growing spiritually in the Lord, but that’s what God wants for you.

So those are the decisions that we all have to make. Now, look in verse 14. in verse 14 where he says, seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passing to the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, and here he talks about, let us hold fast our profession. That is your confession of truth. What you say you believe, hold on to that and live like you believe it. You see, I believe that Jesus Christ is really the Son of God that came into the world that I’ve got to doubt on the cross and pay for all the sins of the world.

I believe that 51 years ago, that great truth. You know what? I still believe it. I was told 51 years ago Jesus was going to come back. You know that truth, that promise. I still believe that promise today. And when it says we’re going to stand at the judgments of the Christ, I still believe that great truth today. When I was told this was the Word of God, I believed that 51 years ago and I still believe it today.

not going to allow anybody to cause the shape of my faith. And what I learned that was this is the truth in the Word of God and I believe it. And so because I believe it, it affects my life. It has affected my life for 51 years. Now, take your Bible and look there in verse 16. See verse 16. There’s those two words again. Let us let us therefore come. Boldly unto the throne of grace that we, as his believers, may obtain mercy and fine grace to help in time of need.

So God knows that in our walk with Him, as we struggle and go through this life, we need help. So God says, I’ve got a throne of grace. You see, what’s that for? Well, when I need something, when I need help, whatever it is that I need, To be found faithful to the Lord, God will supply. God will give me everything I need to do what he wants me to do.

Hey, you know what it says? Define grace to help in time of need. So there’s things that you’re going to need. And so God has designed life that draws you, or some cases forces you to come to him. And so that’s why sometimes he pulls the rug after Monday, yeah, turns out all the lights, closes doors, and all of a sudden you’re scared to death. And sometime it can be because of a loss of finances, something wrong with the body, something wrong with the family, all kinds of things to draw us closer to the Lord.

So God does this because He loves us. Now look in Hebrews in chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. And you’ll notice there in a wonderful verse 22. Chapter 10 and verse 22. So God is going to do some things for us. Now he says there’s no more payment for sin. He doesn’t have to come back and make another payment for the sins of the world. He did it once and for all for what he’s already done. And so now he says, he’s opened up the door, opened up the way for you and I to get closer to God.

Now remember, sin separates us from God, and so Jesus Christ, who came into the world, made it possible for you and I to draw nine to the Lord, so that we can walk with God, so that we can talk with God. So he says here in verse 22, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, full assurance totally believing that not only do I have the right to draw an eye to God, it’s the will of God that I do so.

You see, God wants to fellowship with us. God wants to walk and talk with us. You know, whenever he made Adam and Eve in the garden, the Bible says he walked and talked with them in the garden. So here we are. Do you think he still wants to do that? We made the first man and woman to do that. So now he wants to walk with you and talk to you. That’s why sometimes God will even permit people to turn against you.

He doesn’t make him do it, but he allows it to happen and allows you to have a lot of times of loneliness, feeling deserted at time, betrayed at time, because he wants you to learn to walk with him, because he knows what it’s like. You know, when Christ came into the world, was he alone? I believe he was a lonely individual. There was nobody else in this whole world like him. He was very different and very unique. And he was betrayed.

He was rejected. And he had his father. He says, all things that I do, I do because of my father. Everything he said, thought, dead, was all because of the father. So the Lord said, I want you to draw nigh unto me because I have things I want you to to learn from me and you’re only going to learn it from him. So what does the Lord mean to you? And he makes a statement here in this verse. He says, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience in our bodies, washed with pure water.

Looking verse 23, let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that and here’s that word again, promised. So you see, growing in the Lord is you learning how to trust the Lord about what He said. So the reason you come to church, study your Bible is because you’re always looking into the will of God trying to find all these promises that you can claim. And God says that He wants you to have faith to believe that what He said, that it is true.

Now, if you’re looking verse 24, let us, let us consider one another. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. So am I supposed to try to provoke you, yes, to make you angry, mad, no, to love and good works, trying to challenge and motivate people to do what’s right? Because, see, if I love you at all, then I should want you to have God’s best. I should want the Lord to bless you. So then I wouldn’t want to say or do something that would cause you to do something between you and God, well, God can’t do that.

So because I know that God blesses obedience, then I would try to do everything I can to get you to be obedient to the Lord, the serve of the Lord. I want you to watch your attitude. I want you to watch the things you say and think and all these, because they’re all important. So all this is pretty good, good stuff. Now look in Hebrews chapter six, Hebrews in chapter six. Hebrews chapter six also has a little bit of the same statement here about us, let us go on into perfection.

See there verse one, therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us, that’s all of us, talking to believers, God’s children. See this is not how to get to heaven. This is to God’s children that are already going to heaven on how to live. And so he says, let us go on unto perfection. That word means completion, to completion maturity. Not a land again, the foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith toward God. In other words, you don’t have to get saved again because you didn’t get lost.

God doesn’t lose you and cast you out and say, now you’re going to hell because you didn’t serve me or you didn’t walk with me. I mean, when a little baby is born into this world, now tell me the truth. You just, you have to really think about this. Is every time that child does something wrong, is it unborn? Well, wouldn’t that be a shame? Kid would never get out of diapers. If every time you did something wrong, okay, now you’re not born anymore.

Gotta start over again. And we ain’t gonna let you get born until you can live it. Live what? Well, you gotta act like a mature person and not do anything wrong. The kid could, you know, send being born. So when you trust Christ as your savior, you’re his child, you’re his child forever. And even though you’re his child forever, it doesn’t mean that you don’t fall and stumble. Do things wrong. You’re still his child, but God says, you don’t have to get saved again.

We don’t have to lay the foundation of repentance from dead works. Repentance from dead works means you don’t trust in your works to get you to heaven. You don’t have to go through that again. And so he makes a statement. We can’t get saved again. So let’s go on to maturity. So this is why as you study the book of Hebrew, you keep that in mind. It’ll lighten up all the complicated verses as you go through the whole book.

And it talks about when you trust Christ as your Savior, see there in Hebrews in chapter six. Look in verse three. And this will we do what go on to maturity? If God permits, why wouldn’t God permit you to go to maturity? If you don’t believe his word, you can’t grow. God will not allow you to grow if you don’t drink his word. If you don’t drink the milk, you can’t grow. If you reject the Word of God or the will of God for your life, you’ll never mature.

And that’s why there’s some of God’s people, well, they may cut trust Christ to save you. They’re going to heaven when they die, but they never mature because they won’t believe the Word of God. And how do you know you’re not believing what God said when you don’t believe the promises that God made? You see, if you believe the promises that God said, then you’ll serve the Lord. But if you don’t serve alert, you don’t believe it. Just like a lost man.

He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. Well… You have to believe it. And if you believe it, you have everlasting life. So if you believe as a child of God, the promises of God, then it should affect the way we live. And sometimes God’s people just don’t believe what God says. And so God’s gonna have to chase and then discipline them. And so he made the statement in verse four, for it is impossible. For those who were once enlightened and tasted the heavenly give, made partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the heavenly God.

Tastes the good word of God, the powers of the world to come. If you’ve already been saved, it’s impossible to be unsaved and then get saved again. And that’s why he says in verse 8, if they shall fall away to renew them again and to remain in other words, the reason we don’t have to lay again the foundation of dead works from repentance, it says because it’s impossible to get saved and lose your salvation. So that’s why you can’t get saved again.

Once you’re saved, you’re his child forever. And how you live doesn’t affect that. It will affect God’s blessings on your life. It’ll affect your guilty conscience and your defiled conscience. And it’ll affect your peace of mind and your love and your joy and your happiness and purpose and affect the reward you could have gotten when you got to heaven. But see, once you’re born into God’s family, you’re his child forever. Look in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse one. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse one.

Now, we’re still talking to God’s children. God’s children on how they’re supposed to live their life. So let us, so whenever the writer says, let us, it included him. And as I preach and I say, let us, I’m including myself. This applies to me, but I don’t have to do any of this to go to heaven. I’m going to heaven because when I was 18-year-old, little old, smart Alec Brat, I trusted Christ as my Savior, smartest thing I ever did in my whole life.

So he saved me, gave me eternal life, and I became a child of God. I didn’t know it someday. I’d be a preacher. I never planned on being a preacher, but I’m going to do it until God stops me now. So here in Hebrews in verse 1 of chapter 12, wherefore seeing we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses and here’s those two little words just to underline those. Let us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us.

Well what do you think sin is that so easily besets us? The only sin that keeps a lost man from going to heaven is the sin of unbelief. The only reason that we’re going to heaven is because we believe that Christ did it for us. The sin of unbelief is because you don’t believe the promises. So the sin of unbelief in the Christian’s life never cost you salvation but it can keep you from running the race. So do you want to run the race?

You see God is going to reward us for running the race and how we run the race. Oh, this is very important. So he makes a statement and he says, that San wished us so easily be said us, that he says, let us run with patience, the race that is set before us. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message.

Our two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bible Live. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

to live today. And every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.