Warning Against Laziness Hebrews 5 11 6 20

Warning Against Laziness Hebrews 5: 11 -6: 20

Warning Against Laziness • Introduction – Pauses Discussion on Jesus’ Priesthood to Warn Audience – Reminders • What Was Audience Experiencing? (10: 32 -34; 12: 4) • What is the Author Seeking to Accomplish? (13: 22) • Outline of Section – Sharp Rebuke (5: 11 -6: 8) – Gentle Encouragement (6: 9 -20)

Sharp Rebuke (5: 11 -6: 8) • Dull of Hearing (5: 11 -14) – Immaturity of Audience • Oversized Infants (cf. 1 Corinthians 3: 2 -3) – Still Needed Milk/First Principles (Unable to Chew on “Meaty” Subjects) – “Too lazy to understand” (CSB Translation; cf. Isaiah 29: 11 -13) – They Can’t Explain Scriptures to Others (Evidence of Laziness) • Testing Our Dullness/Laziness – Are We Excited to Learn About Priesthood/Melchizedek? (cf. 5: 9 -10) – Has Your Character Grown in the Last Year? – Picture of Maturity • Able to Handle Solid Food (Understands Deeper Concepts) • Powers of Discernment Trained (Spiritually Trained Instincts) – Can We Recognize Temptation Before it Comes? – We Can Tell When Scriptures Are Misused?

Sharp Rebuke (5: 11 -6: 8) • Pressing On (6: 1 -3) – Leave Elementary Doctrine • Not Abandon; Rather We Build on Foundation • Stop Merely Retracing Things You Know • What Books/Topics Do You Know the Least? – Examples of Elementary Doctrine • • • Repentance (Change in Living & Thinking) Faith (Trust in God Over Idols) Washings (Baptism? ) Laying on of Hands (Bestowing Miraculous Abilities? ) Resurrection (Bodily Resurrection) Eternal Life – Can We Explain These Things to Others?

Sharp Rebuke (5: 11 -6: 8) • Eventual Consequences of Spiritual Laziness (6: 4 -8) – Five Descriptions (Clearly a “Real Christian”) • Enlightened • Shared in the Spirit • Tasted The Following… (Jesus “Tasted” Death in 2: 9) – Heavenly Gift – Goodness of the Word – Powers of the Age to Come (Received a Taste of the Future) – Impossible to Restore (“Impossible” – 6: 18; 10: 4; 11: 6) • What Does This Mean? • Result of Not Pressing on to Maturity (Laziness Leads to Death) • “In the Case of Those…” (Audience Not There Yet) – Judged by our Fruit (vs. 7 -8)

Gentle Encouragement (6: 9 -20) • Optimism (6: 9 -12) – Reason for Confidence (vs. 9 -10) • Proven Record of Service (They Have Shown Good Fruits) • God Will Not Overlook Their Works – Show the Same Earnestness (vs. 11 -12) • Our Zeal/Dullness Influences Others • What if Everyone Was Like You? • Abraham’s Example (6: 13 -20) – Abraham’s Patience • 25 Years to Receive Isaac (Couldn’t Get Him on Amazon Prime) • God Cannot Lie: Promise & Oath Were the Two Unchangeable Things – Hope as an Anchor • Good Anchors Don’t Move (Unlike Money, People, Career, etc…) • Our Anchor Goes up to God’s Presence (Immovable) • Vs. 18 – “We Who Have Fled for Refuge” (Not Earthly Refuge)