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Infinite Never-ending Trinity Everlasting Lord Excellent Christ Savior

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All of life's answers are found in His book.

For the first month of 2020, we have gone through Psalm 23.

This was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Kenneth Ridings.

There are recordings but no manuscripts for the messages which were preached without notes during January.

My right eye has greatly improved following surgery.

Thanks for your prayers through this.

Impossible

Hebrews 6:4  “1 For lit is mimpossible for those who were once nenlightened, and have tasted of othe heavenly gift, and pwere made partakers of sthe Holy Ghost, 5 And qhave tasted rthe good word of God, and sthe powers of tthe world to come, 6 If they shall ttfall away, to renew them again uunto repentance; vseeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and wput him to an open shame.” [1]

I.   Identified

     A. Perfected

     B. Partaken

II. If

     A. Fall

     B. Fail

III. But

     A. Persuaded

     B. Promised

Introduction:  Russell taught of backsliding in his Sunday School lesson last week, He was taught that a person could actually backslide right out of salvation.  There are many who believe that today because we are free to decide for ourselves where the important things in the Bible stack up against each other.

There are many denominations today because there have been many prominent leaders of faith down through the years with different ideas about the doctrines of faith.  People find more to argue about instead of finding the one thing to be united behind.  Jesus is the Son of God Who came through obedience to His and our Heavenly Father.  Jesus carried our sin to the cross and if we believe in Him, He left our sin on that cross.  He was buried in a tomb that was not Him because He did not need a tomb to stay in.  He is in Heaven now and The Holy Spirit is with us and in us now to give witness of Jesus because we are Christians and together we are united as His bride, the church of Jesus Christ and Him alone.

Preachers are amazed at the way an illustration or explanation of a thing that we use often becomes the most prominent thing that people take home from church from the sermon they heard.  The main point sometimes is forgotten until something awakens the truth that was delivered.  Sometimes it seems that the point of the message slips away, but the Bible promises that the delivery of His word will not be void.

We have just come through the first month of this New Year as we have concentrated on the 23rd Psalm that most folks memorize as children.  My prayer is that we have different ideas of what King David was saying and that we have a new sense of priority about who God is and who we are.

The book of Hebrews in the New Testament is a book that focuses my faith.  As we read the Bible, if we refuse to follow what the author is attempting to focus on, we will miss the point and turn our attention to things, though still very important, are secondary.

People have devoted their entire lives to causes and ideas that, though true, were not the main point that the particular book in the Bible is about.  The letters to the Corinthians from the Apostle Paul are his attempt to reunite a split church.  Today we have denominations that will not communicate with each other because of their different interpretations of things that Paul was warning against.

The book of Hebrews is a great example of this.  Many people believe that Paul is the author.  Some believe that someone else wrote this letter.  My particular idea is that Apollos wrote it.  But here is a scholarly truth.  Who wrote it is not worth arguing about.  Pray to have the Holy Spirit open the truth for you and then read it so that you can receive the word that God wants you to learn and follow.

Scripture:  The message title today is Impossible.  The scripture is Hebrews 6:4-6.  When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.

Prayer: Please be seated

Message:  Let us figure out where this author was coming from as he was writing our focal verses.  Follow along as we read starting in Hebrews 5:8-6:3.

He was speaking to Hebrew believers explaining the reasons that they could have faith in Jesus as The One and Only Great High Priest.  Their priests were from the tribe of Levi and Jesus was from the tribe of Judah.

As I read through this I sense that this author was getting a little frustrated because he was going over the same things over and over.  Let’s move on!  There is much more to this thing called faith than having everything fit into the box that you can recognize unless you are too stupid to hear.  I didn’t say that.  Look back at chapter five verse eleven.

In chapter six he is attempting to move the reader from babes in Christ to those who serve Christ.  He explained that is the perfection of faith.  Faithfully following should be our goal instead of constantly questioning.  Is The Lord really your Shepherd or not?

There at chapter six he is saying, “You’ve got this so let’s move on.”  Let’s read Hebrews 6:1-3 again from the good old KJV.  “Therefore aleaving ||the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto cperfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance dfrom dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 eOf the doctrine of baptisms, and fof laying on of hands, and gof resurrection of the dead, and ghof ieternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, kif God permit.”[2] 

What he was saying is this; we’ve covered this many times and there is no reason to go through it again because if you had it once, you have it.

Now here we are at our focal text, which begins with “for.”  The author was saying that he was moving on because if you have this truth you have it.  On the off chance that you decide to turn your back on it, which is more than the simple backsliding which I do, forget it.  There is no reason to try to get that one back so we’re moving on to deeper things.  That is what he was trying to get across! Wait!  Did He say that preaching to that one is useless?

There it is in the outline of today’s message.  If you have been identified by God, which we understand as the doctrine of election, then you were enlightened by the Holy Spirit, which we understand as being convicted by Him to make an everlasting decision.

If you made that decision to be perfected through His mercy and by His grace then you have partaken in that which we understand through the sacramental exercise of communion, which we call partaking of the last supper; you are saved!  If a believer has done this then they have received the Holy Spirit.  They know that the Holy Spirit is within them, guiding them.  They also know that He seals them.

The next word which is the first word in chapter six verse six is one big little two letter word.  That hypothetical if!  Preacher, are you calling the Bible a liar?  No I’m not.  If the Bible says it is possible than it is but go back to verse four.  The point here is that something is impossible.

So what parable did Jesus have about taking root in the branch that brings eternal life?  Matthew 13: “3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among fthorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and gbrought forth fruit, some han hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 iWho hath ears to hear, let him hear.” [3]

So will there be those who hear and are planted yet they fall away?  Yes!  Definitely and Defiantly!  Can someone backslide and come back?  I would like to say that I don’t but I do.  Have I fallen away and failed?  The devil would sure like for me to believe that lie.  God planted me in good soil.  It is up to me to bring forth good fruit.  That is what God expects from the great investment that He made in me.  That is why I am here.  That is why we are here.  That is why Merry Oaks Baptist is still here.

The author of Hebrews knew about those who fell among the thorns that would be burned.  He knew that it would be impossible for them to return to a place where they could put Jesus back onto the cross.  We have one chance and it is here and it is now and it is forever.

Prayer:

Invitation:  Is it possible to fall away once you have taken root in the good soil?  There are some Baptists who believe that we should pray that does not happen to us.  Is that a good thing to pray about?  I think so.  I don’t think it is something that should divide us.  The question today is this; can you say about yourself that which the author of Hebrews said starting there at verse nine?

9 But, beloved, we are persuaded dbetter things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10 ddFor eGod is not unrighteous fto forget your work and fglabour of love, which hye have shewed toward his name, in that iye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do hshew the same kdiligence to lthe full assurance of mhope unto the end: 12 That ye be not nslothful, but nnfollowers of them who through faith and patience inherit opthe promises.[4]

Are you persuaded to follow Jesus?  If you are then there is a promise for you that He will not break.  That is something to sing about..  Let’s sing…

l See Matt. 12:31, 45. So ch. 10:26.
m Comp. Matt. 19:26. Mark 10:27. Luke 18:27.
n ch. 10:32 (Gk.). So Eph. 1:18. Comp. John 1:9.
o So John 4:10. & 6:32. Eph. 2:8.
p See Gal. 3:2. So ch. 2:4.
s Gal. 3:5 (Gk.).
q Ps. 34:8. 1 Pet. 2:3.
r See Eph. 6:17.
s Gal. 3:5 (Gk.).
t So ch. 2:5.
tt See Wisd. 6:9.
u Comp. ch. 12:17.
v So ch. 10:29.
w Esther 14:11. Matt. 1:19 in the Gk.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 6:4–6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a Comp. Phil. 3:13, 14.
|| Or, the word of b the beginning of Christ.
c Col. 3:14 (Gk.).
d ch. 9:14.
e See Acts 19:4, 5. Comp. ch. 9:10.
f Acts 8:14–17. & 19:6.
g Acts 17:31, 32.
g Acts 17:31, 32.
h Acts 24:25. See Rom. 2:16.
i Matt. 25:41, 46. So Mark 3:29.
k 1 Cor. 16:7. See Acts 18:21.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 6:1–3). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
f Jer. 4:3.
g See John 15:5.
h Gen. 26:12.
i See ch. 11:15.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 13:3–9). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
d See ch. 7:19.
dd Prov. 19:17. Matt. 10:42. & 25:40. Mark 9:41. See Matt. 5:7.
e So Rom. 9:14. 2 Thess. 1:6, 7. ch. 13:16.
f 1 Thess. 1:3. So Acts 10:4.
f 1 Thess. 1:3. So Acts 10:4.
g So 1 Cor. 16:16.
h 2 Cor. 8:24.
i Rom. 15:25. 2 Tim. 1:18. See Rom. 12:13. & 2 Cor. 8:4.
h 2 Cor. 8:24.
k See Rom. 12:8.
l ch. 10:22. See Col. 2:2.
m See ch. 3:6.
n ch. 5:11 (Gk.).
nn Comp. ch. 13:7.
o Comp. Gal. 3:18.
p So ver. 15. ch. 10:36.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 6:9–12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.