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When You Drink In The Rain [Hebrews 6:4-12]

We're looking at Hebrews chapter 6 this morning, so if you have your Bibles, it will be fantastic if you could open it to Hebrews, chapter 6. I want to say in advance that this will be an extremely intense and in the colloquial speech "chim" sermon. I will say that up front. I tried to simplify as best as I can but sometimes it is just challenging and "chim" [means deep and profound]. Today is one day like that. The text before us is verses 4 to 6 and beyond. But let me read these verses to you first.

Hebrews 6:4-6 ESV
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

There is no doubt, these verses, one sentence really, is one of the most difficult passages in the whole Bible. I want to say if you are here first time, we don't always look at difficult passages. I don't delight in doing difficult passages all the time but at the very same note, the Bible is also not always simple. So God, in his infinite wisdom, has planned and placed difficult with simpler passages in his Scripture, in the perfect balance and I think if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, it is our responsibility to discover what God wants to teach us.

And indeed, I think it is a privilege for us to learn of His Word. Sometimes you drink milk, sometimes you eat steak and we rejoice in both. So this morning, I want to assure you, this will not just be academic learning of the verses. I think there will be a lot of rich applications that will come at the end of it all, but it will be an intense, serious and deep study of these verses. I urge your utmost attention.

For myself, I’ve read upwards of hundred sermons, Bible studies, teachings on this passage, just like every other week, and the people I've read are good people, good pastors, theologians, commentators, and they pretty much differ in their interpretation of this text. That's why it's so difficult. From the Spurgeon's, to the Piper's, to the MacArthur's, to the Wiersbe's, to the Stedman's, they are different in their approach and understanding of this text.

Also in our church, I’ve received many enquiries over the years I've been in ministry about this text itself. You have sought to understand this passage, you have looked at different commentaries and you say, “So at the end of the day, I still don't quite get what this is all about.” So that's why I think I'm going to spend some time explaining, not just so that you may know for sure what is the truth at the end of it all, but I also hope to show you how the principles of Bible interpretation involved in going into it. So I hope humbly to be able to demonstrate and to disciple you in the approach of difficult passages here.

For this text, there are several things that will immediately jump to mind. And that is the question: Who is this writing about? Who is this referred to? Christians? Churchgoers? Who? What exactly is the writer saying when he says people who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared the Holy Spirit or shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the Word of God and tasted the powers of the age to come? And after you have gotten through that hurdle, the next hurdle is: What does it mean to fall away? And then when you fall away, why is it impossible to restore them again to repentance? And what is the author saying when he says you are crucifying once again the Son of God to your own harm and holding Him up to contempt? So, not an easy task.

Let's… I want to ask you to once again bow and let's have a word of prayer and ask God to guide this time together. Father, we thank You for Your perfect Word. And even if we may struggle through it, we know it is always for our good. But we thank You that there is help, Your Spirit will lead us and guide us and I pray that this will be, at the end of it all, an extremely profitable and helpful time we will spend together. I pray for Your sheep, I pray for Your children, I pray for Your people, Your followers that they will have a heart that is not dull or slothful to listen but one that is diligent to hear, to understand and most of all to obey. So grant us such a heart and I pray today for people to really come to know Jesus, for people to mature in their faith and for people to step out in wonderful service towards You at the end of this time. We thank You; we pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Well, let me first tackle the first segment here, which is about these five experiences. The writer says there are some who have been once enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the good Word of the Lord and also the powers of the age to come. So what does this really mean?

Most of us when we read this, immediately we would say, “Oh, this refers to someone who is a Christian, someone who is saved.” And indeed it is very, very, very likely, and indeed, I think it's true. This will refer to someone who may already be a Christian. He's enlightened, he shares in the Holy Spirit, he sees miracles, he tastes of the wisdom, the goodness of God's Word, but we can't be absolutely certain or dogmatic that this is exclusively for believers alone. For one, this passage is not repeated anywhere else. These words, these phrases together are not repeated anywhere else, so you can't really be that sure. And in the Bible, we read of people who have such experiences, but they may not all be saved. For example:

Matthew 4:16 ESV
the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

In Matthew 4, Jesus appeared before a lot of people and it is described to be a great light coming upon them. They see great light but of course, not everyone in that region believe ultimately in Jesus Christ, not with that kind of a belief.

Mark 6:20 ESV
for Herod feared John… When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

Then we read of someone who hears the goodness of God's Word, his name is Herod. Herod tasted of the goodness of the Word of God. He heard John the Baptist gladly, but the Bible tells us at the end of it all, Herod did not come to Christ.

Matthew 7:22-23 ESV
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

What's even more revealing is this passage Jesus Himself spoke that there are people who can prophesy, there are people who prophesy in God's Name. They could do great works, they could cast out demons, they could perform miracles, there was the evidence of the mighty working of God. Yet Jesus said to them, “I never knew you.”

It's shocking there are people who can have all these experiences, but at the end of it all, never really knew the Lord. So when you look at this, what I'm saying here is I can't really be dead sure just by looking at these words. Certainly, it can refer to believers and it should but maybe not just exclusively for believers.

But let's look on at the next clue. The next clue here is this phrase “they have fallen away”. The word here means to depart, to leave off and almost every commentator, theologian, pastor would agree this is not just about an occasional stumbling into sin. But this is a persistent, determined “no” to Jesus Christ. It is a refusal to believe, it is a denial of the faith that they once was a profession or once made a profession for. So this is a persistent, blatant rejection.

So now, if you put these two parts together, there will be some who conclude, “Aah you see, I have a proof text that says a believer can lose his salvation because someone who is enlightened, shares in the Holy Spirit must be a Christian and a Christian can fall away.” So that is their conclusion and I suppose you could come to that conclusion when you just look at these two parts. But later on, I'll show you the other parts that seem to have a very difficult fit with that conclusion.

But even before I go to the text itself, it is very, very difficult to accept that a Christian, truly born again, can lose his salvation because elsewhere in the Bible, there are too many clearer verses that speak of it otherwise. You can't, and you know something about the Bible? One principle of Bible interpretation is comparing Scripture with Scripture. God is not schizophrenic. He doesn't contradict Himself. He doesn't say one thing here and say another thing at somewhere else. He always is consistent because He speaks the truth. He gives us the truth in the Scripture.

So look at these verses, I'm going to give you a list, alright? For those copying notes, you may choose to write that otherwise you just… I hope you are impressed with the reality that the Bible is actually very clear, it’s not left to your doubts. The Bible, Jesus Himself, says:

John 6:39-40 ESV
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This is the will of Him who sent me that I should lose nothing. You can read on yourself but the key phrase “I will lose nothing”. All that the Father has given me, I will lose none. You can't have salvation and lose it because God is the one who ensures you have it. So that's one phrase, one sentence, one Scripture for you to note. He will raise him up on the last day; that's the guarantee from Jesus Christ. How about this:

John 10:28-29 ESV
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. Never means never because no one will be able to snatch them out of my hand and he goes on to say, no one is also able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. So both myself, Jesus says, and both the Father holds them in their hands – can't lose. No one is stronger than God, not even the devil.

It reminds me of a story I read, Northwest 225 [should be 255], this plane that took off from Detroit some 30 years ago in 1987. There were 155 passengers on board and soon after takeoff, tragedy struck, it fell, it crashed and out of the 155 passengers, only one survived. The survivor is a four-year-old girl called Cecelia. You say, “How did she survive? I mean all the adults died.” Cecelia survived because her mother, Paula, unbuckled herself, knelt in front of Cecelia's chair and wrapped Cecelia with her arms and body. She would not let her daughter go.

Our Father will never let us go, no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. Such is the security of the believer because it is rooted in the ability, the sovereignty, the power, the faithfulness of the Father. The Scriptures go on to say:

Romans 8:30 ESV
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Among those whom He predestined, He also called. So all those He predestined, He calls – no fallout, hundred percent. And those He called, He also justified – no loss, hundred percent. And those He justified, He also glorified – no loss, hundred percent. Those who are really in Christ are those who are justified and I tell you your justification and your glorification is certain – no loss. That's what it is – full hundred-percent transmission from God's eternal purpose to God's eternal pleasures and glories to come, for each one who is called. He says:

Romans 8:38-39 ESV
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus – nothing, absoluteness in this text.)

How about 1 Corinthians 1, where he says:

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 ESV
… our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
(The Lord Jesus Christ will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of Lord Jesus Christ. Why? God is faithful.)

I mean the teachings of Scriptures just roll on and on and on…

Philippians 1:6 ESV
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
(And he who has begun this good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus – Philippians 1.)

1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(And 1 Peter 1 verses 3 to 5: Your inheritance is imperishable, kept in heaven by God’s power being guarded.)

Now today, in the volatile markets today, whatever you invest you “chuak” [Hokkien saying, means "scared"], you scared right? Buy oil, wah lau [Hokkien saying, means "O dear"], oil prices drop. You  queue up to change your Singapore dollars to Ringgit, now 3.1; wah, you kill yourself because you changed at 2.7. You never know whether what you thought you store up will be preserved. But I tell you, salvation and the glories and the blessings to come are guaranteed in Christ, by God, for you. So with this huge and I think I've just shared with you some, with this huge amount of clear texts and knowing that the Scriptures are consistent, there is no contradiction, it is very hard to believe that the author here is saying, “Oh, you are a Christian and now you will fall away, you can lose your salvation.”

All right, so that is comparing Scripture to Scripture, but you say: “Pastor, I need something more within the text because I know this trick; you just use other text and just blow away this text.” No, that's not what I want to do. I don't want to blow away this text, I want to continue to go deeper into it and another principle of Bible study or Bible interpretation is the principle of context. Compare Scripture to Scripture is one; another important principle is context, meaning to understand this passage, you got to know what happens before and what happens after this passage, I mean it's simple. I say, “I love you.” You say, "Pastor, what do you mean? You must tell me why you say, ‘I love you,’ and what do you mean after you say, ‘I love you,’ so that there is context.”

So what's the context of this passage? Well, read on. I want to show you the context after and then before later on. So after verse 6 is what? Verse 7, all right? This one very simple aah? After verse 6, you look at verses 7 and 8, all right? So in your Bible, you look at it now. After verse 6 is verses 7 and 8, and verses 7 and 8 is a simple example. It’s a simple illustration but an extremely helpful and powerful illustration. The author, almost anticipating we may struggle with this text, gives you an illustration that clarifies it all. An example is here:

Hebrews 6: 7-8 ESV
For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

What is this example? Well, this example is about two kinds of land, very simple, two kinds of land, 两片地 [“liǎng piàn dì”, a Mandarin phrase which means "two pieces of land"], two pieces of land. The first kind of land is a good land whereby it is cultivated, it is prepared. So when the rain falls on this cultivated land, the Bible says it produces a crop useful to those who… for whose sake it is cultivated. So rain comes down and the crops come up, and this is a fruitful land. It is blessed; it receives a blessing from God, good land.

Then, there is a not-so-good land. It is not cultivated. So when the rain comes down, it produces something. Wah, in the beginning, the farmer is excited, growth, life, leaves, branches, twigs, but after a while, it realized it's not crops. There's something but it is actually thorns and thistles, weeds and useless things. So this land that is not cultivated, of course produces useless things and its end is to be cursed.

But notice though there are two pieces of land, it's always the same rain. Same rain. Same rain, two lands, two results. You say, “Why is there different result? Oh, it must be different rain.” No, no, no, the author is saying same rain. The reason why there are two results is because there are two different kinds of land to begin with. The rain did not change the character of the land. The rain merely brought out what was originally the nature and character of the land. So the difference in responding to the rain is not the rain itself but the land itself, you see that?

So with this illustration, you come back to this text, I mean you have to do that because verses 7 and 8 explain and illustrate verses 4 to 6. So the author is saying here, oh, those who have been enlightened, tasted of the heavenly gift, shared in the spirit and so on and so forth, these describe the rain that comes down, they drink in this rain and for some, they will be like that cultivated land, that when rain comes down, it is good land, it produces fruit. There is life, there is blessing from God. Wonderful!

But that is not always the case because there is another kind of land where it is uncultivated. It seems that when they have all these experiences, there's some light, some exuberance, but if you inspect long enough, no real fruit, no real life change. No real service towards God, but indeed, though they look like they are in the experience of having the rain, they produce thorns and briars. They continue in sin, in deliberate sin against God, and ultimately they will fall away.

That is why all of us in this room receive the same word this morning but at the end of our lives, we may have very different outcomes. Same preacher, same slides, same words but different lives. The difference does not lie with me or the words that are coming out of my mouth. The difference lies on your heart. So there are people who can be in church, hear the same message, sees answered prayers, look at the wonderful working of God, the Spirit moving amongst the church, seen miracles, answered prayers take place, but at the end of their lives, reject Jesus and the Christian faith altogether. Oh, they have changed. No, they didn't change! That was their land from the beginning.

So putting it in graphics again, the rain comes down – the experience of God's blessing, the understanding of His Word, the seeing of miracles and answered prayers within a certain community and fellowship of God's people, it comes down, and on those hearts that are cultivated, it produces fruit and it receives blessing from God. But if it falls on uncultivated heart, you can't expect the same result; it will be a different result of thorns and briars and ultimately cursing, damnation.

So Hebrews 6, verses 4 to 6 is a statement describing how someone in the church can have spiritual experiences (don't rule that out, unbelievers can have spiritual experiences) but remain unsaved and will ultimately be lost. The key is that they remain unsaved, not that they become unsaved. They profess and they say they're saved, they look like they're saved but actually they remain unsaved. So this is not a case of a Christian losing his salvation.

You say, "Pastor, are you sure you got your interpretation right? Okay, I see your verses 7 and 8 and how it illustrates, I see that you compare Scripture with Scripture, but I need more." And I want to pile on the evidence for you so that you can see actually God is not unclear. It’s sometimes we have failed to seek the clarity therein. So look on, after verse 8 is what? Verse 9, so clever and so we go on to verse 9, just to build the case and in verse 9, we see:

Hebrews 6:9-10 ESV
Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

Now the logic is this: verses 4 to 6, you talk about people who experience these things and fall away, but brethren, I'm sure this is not your case. I'm persuaded of better things of you. These people, they have the experiences, they fall away, but you know because I see not just experiences, I see evidences, I see your work, I see your labour of love in God's name and how it’s manifested in serving the Saints. I see the evidences of salvation, not just the experiences in the church and so I dare say, I believe you are believers, I see the evidences, but there are those in verses 4 to 6 who obviously are not saved. So that's the logic, you see.

What about before? I'm so glad we, as a church, are going through the book because if we had plucked this passage out of thin air and started looking at Chapter 6, verses 4 to 6, we would be lost. I mean, it’s like 没头没尾 [“méi tóu méi wěi”, Mandarin phrase that means not well-considered and unintelligible], no head, no tail [literally]. I’ve shared with you a lot about the tail – verses 7, 8, 9, 10 (11, 12 later on). But let me show you a little bit of what went on before. The author in the book of Hebrews have regularly been saying, “Ay, you guys got to press on. Don't give up; keep believing because if you don't believe, you may just prove yourself to be someone who never really believed in the first place.” And to make this clear, the author originally in Chapter 4 gives an illustration of the nation of Israel. Here he says:

Hebrews 4:2 ESV
For good news came to us just as to them (added by pastor: “the people in Israel during Moses’ time”), but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

Their hearts were not cultivated – no real faith. So, whatever they heard did not bring about fruit. So the point is, the author was originally talking about Israel during the time of Moses and  they were such a privilege people, right?  I mean, they were saved out of Egypt, they saw the 10 plagues, they crossed the Red Sea, they have the manna, they have the pillar of cloud, pillar of fire, they have the manifest presence of God at the Tabernacle. There was water that flows from the rock that followed them, their clothes were not torn or tattered, their shoes did not wear out for 40 years. I mean it was absolutely amazing!

They have tasted of the powers of the age to come, they have heard God's Word from Moses, they shared in the work of the Holy Spirit in this whole nation of Israel.  But the sad thing is that when they came to Kadesh Barnea, only two said, “We believe God and we’ll come in. “Oh,” you say, "the rest of them did not believe because originally they believed but now they just lost their salvation." Is that true? No, they did not lose. The Bible tells us:

Hebrews 3:10 ESV
Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’

They always go astray in their hearts, they have not known my ways. They did not lose their salvation, but over 10 times in the wilderness they proved over and over and over and over and over again, their life is barren when it comes to fruit, but it is always full of thorns and thistles.

So, the author of Hebrews is saying, “See, this is the illustration. This is Israel, don't be like that.” You say, “Why are there people like that?” Let me explain to you. There are those who have five experiences but they can still fall away. You say, “What does it mean?” Oh, remember the illustration of the lands. The rain merely brought out what was in that land; it did not change the character of the land. So, that's why there are people who will fall away. They did not lose it, but they never really had it in the beginning. So, be very careful. That's what the author is saying.

Hebrews 6, again, is a statement describing someone in the church who can have all kinds of spiritual experiences, and such a horrible thought, isn't it? You can come to church today, you may feel spiritual, you can, you can be baptized, you can have lots of things, but you may remain unsaved. And you may ultimately deny the Lord. Wow! Wow! As you look at this diagram, the reality is this, folks; the reality is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is extremely divisive.

Luke 12:51 ESV
Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Oh, don't get me wrong. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is very uniting but at the very same time, it is very divisive. What do you mean? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is very uniting in that it unites people of different languages, races, background, ages together to belong to God. That's very uniting but it’s very divisive because it divides the believers from the unbelievers. It shows up the cultivated land versus the uncultivated land. It is very divisive, not just Jesus saying, “I came to give division,” but the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

It’s extremely divisive. It's not like: "Ay, this 'oh luak' [a Chinese dish, oyster omelette] nice or not? Wah, nice. Everybody says nice, very easy to say." But, some may say, “Wah, this Gospel is ‘xiao man’ [Hokkien saying means "crazy"], ridiculous story! How can anybody believe in the Jesus like the verses and other one who would die on the sticks for Jesus Christ?” I mean it's extremely divisive, don't you think?

So, someone said this well, "The same sun that melts the wax also hardens the clay." The same Gospel today preached can bring about fruit, it can also bring about thorns. Why? Same Gospel, different hearts.

I think I’ve finished the explanation of this text. I want to come to the application. I don't want to be long on teaching and short on helping you apply it to life. I want to say first of all, don't lose the whole thrust of this passage. Now, it is one thing to get to the text, know what it means, but you got to come back out and see the big picture. You say, what is the big picture? The big picture is this. From the beginning to the end, the author of the book of Hebrews is warning people from turning away from Jesus. Now, they are under pressure, they are under persecution. It's stressful, it's easy, tempting to say, “Ah, I'm not going to bother with Jesus. I'm going back to my Judaism.” But the author here is saying, “Don't you ever do that, it's very dangerous, it's terrible to fall away and depart from the faith.”

Now, let me say this again, I think I’ve said this 10 times this morning.  When you fall away, it's not because you lost your salvation, all right? But if you fall away, it just shows you never had salvation from the beginning. You don't lose it; you just proved it that you never had it. This is what is said in first John, it's a very clear text; I think it's a clear text we’ve used several times. But, why not?

1 John 2:19 ESV
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

So John said, “I'm not surprised they left, because they were not of us from the beginning. They did not lose salvation, but they just proved that they never had salvation.” It's clear text. How about this phrase I’ve shared with you before: "If your Faith Fizzles before the Finish, it's because it was Faulty from the First!” Chinese we call 绕口令 [“rào kǒu lìng”, means tongue twister]. Fi-fa-fi-fi-fi and this is all F’s. If it fizzles before the finish, you know that it was faulty from the first. The reason why it does not persevere is because it was not the real thing anyway. The real thing, the real faith perseveres. God will persevere you through real faith. And so if you give up and you deny, then it goes to show it was not real from the word go.

Now I think I want to share with you, read to you what Piper has to say. I find it so beautifully put that I could not improve upon it at all. So let me just read it as what he has said or written. With regard to this text, he says:

“I'll be very personal, to give it it's sharpest point. If in the coming years I commit apostasy and fall away from Christ, it will not be because I have not tasted of the word of God and the Spirit of God and the miracles of God. I have drunk of his word. The Spirit has touched me. I have seen his miracles and I have been his instrument for a few.

“But if, over the next ten or twenty years, John Piper begins to cool off spiritually and lose interest in spiritual things and become more fascinated with making money and writing Christless books — if I buy the lie that a new wife would be exhilarating and that the children can fend for themselves and that the church of Christ is a drag and that the incarnation is a myth and that there is one life to live, so let us eat, drink, and be merry — if that happens, then know that the truth is this: John Piper was mightily deceived in the first fifty years of his life.

“His faith was an alien vestige of his father's joy. His fidelity to his wife was a temporary passion and compliance with social pressure. His fatherhood was the outworking of natural instincts. His preaching was driven by the love of words and crowds. His writing was a love affair with fame. And his praying was the deepest delusion of all — an attempt to get God to supply the resources of his vanity.”

He has been deceived for the past 50 years if he does ultimately apostasize or fall away from the faith. What's so dangerous about falling away? Why can't I believe Jesus today and then tomorrow, I forsake? Maybe next time I can come back to Him. Like a hotel, I leave. I check out, I check in, I check out, I check in. I check out, I check in. Hopefully before I die, I check in. How about that?

Live the sinful way I like. I believe Jesus but you know, tomorrow I want to sin and so I don't believe first. I sin, sin, sin, sin, sin. Just before I die, I check back in. Wah! Good plan, but extremely foolish and dangerous. Why? Because the author says, if you really do that, if you have been in church, tasted of all these things, heard the Word of God, seen the mighty workings of God in the people of God, and you choose to fall away, it is now impossible for you to be restored again to repentance (Heb 6:4-6). It is impossible!

You have had all the rain, as much rain as you have, but all it produces is thorns. Well, you have just proven yourself someone who has never known Christ. And it would be impossible. Why? Because what else could get you to believe? What else, in the light of the Word, the experiences, the blessings, and you still will not believe and you fall away? What else could save you? It's impossible!

So the moment you have such a thought, a complacent thought that says I can check out and check in anytime, you're on dangerous ground. You have despised God, His Word and His blessings. The author would go to say later on in Hebrews. It’s a case of despising the things of God, like Esau did. And what you're doing when you reject Christ after you professed faith in Him is that you shame Him, you know. Now he says you're crucifying Jesus (Heb 6:6), not literally but symbolically. What you're doing is no different from those who say He is no Messiah, crucify Him. You are the same! I've tasted of Jesus and His blessing and His Word and I find Him not worthy of my following, not worthy of my faith, not worthy of my life, so here I go away. And Jesus is put to open shame because you've tasted of everything and said He's not worthy. So that's the meaning of this text.

And so from the start, I just want to pile these verses to show you the author of Hebrews is a very coherent person.  He's not like, you know, some of us, we talk, "Eh, eat what, then you go where, then last night I this, then why…?" Wah, what you are talking about? No coherence. The book of Hebrews (is) extremely coherent, consistent thought, warning and warning and warning and warning:

Hebrews 2:1 ESV
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
(Please don't leave, please don't depart, it’s dangerous, so pay attention lest you drift. Pardon me if I don't through every verse, I think you've gone through that before.)

Hebrews 2:3 ESV
how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
(It says here, verse 3: How can you neglect such a great salvation? What more can be done? How can you escape if you don't believe in Christ?)

Hebrews 3:6 ESV
And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
(Hold fast your confidence, in chapter 3 verse 4 [should be verse 6].)

Hebrews 3:12 ESV
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
(Chapter 3 verse 12. Be careful of an evil unbelieving heart that will fall away from the living God. Be careful about that!)

Hebrews 3:13 ESV
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
(Do not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.)

Hebrews 3:14 ESV
For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
(Hold your original confidence firm to the end.)

Hebrews 4:1 ESV
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
(Be careful that you fail to reach it because there is no faith.)

Hebrews 4:11 ESV
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
(And then in verse 11, you fall by the same sort of disobedience.)

Be careful of how you treat your wife, how you treat your husband, how you look at pornography, how you live in worldliness and covetousness and continuing in your sinful lifestyle because that is just something that may prove your heart is never changed. You are just having thorns and thistles and the more sin you have, the more it hardens you. And ultimately, you have proven yourself never to be have truly experienced the salvific or saving grace of God. So this is a deep solemn warning.

I think in today's context, too many churchgoers are too complacent about salvation. All they are concerned about is: "Did I make a profession of faith 10 years ago?" All they are concerned about is "Did I raise my hand? Was…? Did the pastor pray upon over me? Did the pastor lay his hand on me?" And to them, that is all they want, no regard as to since that time of profession, any fruit in their lives. And they happily, habitually, blatantly go on in sin and they say, "I will be fine." No, you are not fine!

That rain you are experiencing right now, if it’s always bringing out thorns and thistles, you've got to be very concerned, you've got to come back to the cross, you’ve got to repent of your sin and you really got to come to Jesus. So, there is a warning against falling away and I do pray that in the church where the Bible is preached, God's Word would warn you.

Now, no pastor likes to talk about these things. Goodness, no one! I don't like to be seen as someone who's always questioning our salvation. No, but this is what the Scripture says, and I think if you're a child of God, you will hear these warnings and be diligently applying yourself to pursuing God. But if you’re a hypocrite, you’d probably say, "This has nothing to do with me." Let me move on.

1. Exhortation to press on

Well, don't fall away, but it’s not just don't do something, he says, do something. Don't do this, don't fall away but let's press on. Let's press on and that's what he says in verses 9, 10, 11, 12. He says:

Hebrews 6:11-12 ESV
And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness. Now, the word earnestness, last week we shared was the word "spoude", which is to have speed, haste, diligence, effort, enthusiasm. So, don't be slack and complacent, living in sin but be diligent to persevere and press on in faith and patience.

And we sort of link that to what the author was saying just before Chapter 6 and Chapter 5 – how you must not be dull of hearing, how you must not be lazy in hearing God's Word. But you press on, in that you must drink the Word of God. No Christians should say: "I'm saved, I have a ticket to heaven, so let me relax. No, every Christian says: "I'm now a child of God, I want to grow."

So drink, drink lots of it and digest it, please. What is digest? It means to think, reflect, meditate upon the Scriptures so that God uses the Word to change your worldview. It's what the Scripture says to be renewing the mind, changing your perspective, and then not only that, with a renewed perspective you apply that to daily life to do God's Word, to obey.

What is this saying? Well, he's saying be careful about complacency and living in blatant disregard and sinful lifestyle, be careful about that. Don't do that. That's… that's drifting from God, but be attentive to His Word, drink, digest to diligently pursue growth. That's what the long and short of it is all about. But there is one more, one more thing that you can learn from this text, which is the application and that is how you can find assurance.

2. Encouragement about assurance

So often, the church teaches assurance like this: If you're not sure about your salvation, look at 1 John 5:13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know you have eternal life. See, you have eternal life! Believe that, full stop. It's like trying to psycho yourself that if you are not assured, just be assured.

You see, the way to use 1 John 5:13 is not just to take that as a cup to hack… to whack your head and say just believe. No, 1 John 5:13 is written in the context of all the evidences he wrote in Chapters 1 to 5, right? So, look at all the things he wrote in Chapters 1 to 5. If you have them, you know you have assurance. That's what it is, not just an empty whack on the head, believe, believe, believe, assure. No, based on objective realities. So, the encouragement about assurance is not based on nothing but on something. You say, “What is that?”

The assurance comes when we see things that belong to salvation (Heb 6:9). Like I said, you don't just have the experiences, you have the evidences. And the evidences are seen in your work and the love that you have shown for His Name in serving the Saints as you still do (Heb 6:10).

Remember, how first John tells us if you really have real life, you will love God, you will keep His commandments? How you will love the brethren? Because we love the brethren, we know we have passed from death unto life. By this shall all men know you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.

Now, when you see the love of God, when you see the pursuit for holiness, when you see a genuine love and service to one another, you know that's what you can say: “I got fruit. I'm a durian tree, and I see a lot of durians hanging; I know I'm a durian tree.

But if you say you’re a durian tree and all it hangs is papaya, you say I'm a durian tree, no; I'm not a durian tree. “No, no, no, you’re durian tree.” “But, I have papaya.” "Never mind, you’re durian tree." That's what church is doing to you. No fruit but never mind, you professed faith, you prayed before, you must be a durian tree. No, you’re papaya! But I prayed. No! I see your fruit, it's papaya! No matter what you say, by your fruits you shall know them. Jesus Himself says:

John 15:8 ESV
… you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

It’s not what you say but by your fruit. Talk is cheap. "Bo bakay" [Hokkien phrase which means not guaranteed] but fruit is real.

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV
For by grace you have been saved… not a result of works… we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…

A new creation in Jesus will have good works. I love this verse because it clarifies, allows me to also clarify. Now, don't ever imagine that you earn your salvation by doing good works. Don't ever think that, “Oh, the author is saying do a lot of good works, so that you can get save.” No, no, no, salvation is not of works, but real salvation will result in works. So you do works not to get salvation, but to show and assure yourself that truly there is a work of grace in and through your life. All of grace, our salvation, never of works.

It goes on to say, wonderful verse here, clear verse:

Titus 1:16 ESV
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works…

Very few of us, I really lament this, I really lament this, very few Christians today, think about one another's salvation based on fruit. "Hey, how are you?” “I'm a Christian, I… in church for 20 years already.” “Aiyaya, you must be brother.” Now, I'm not saying you walk around [wondering whether others are] Christian or not. No, no, I'm not saying that kind of… wah lau, just weirdo, but you are alert to the reality that not everyone who says he is a believer, is a believer. You’re alert to that.

You are not overly suspicious but you're also not overly complacent, so that when you see someone's life not matching Scripture, you will not hesitate to point him or her to Jesus Christ and not be an accomplice to ushering him into hell by falsely assuring him, “You're actually okay. You just need to work on your assurance. You just need to believe in 1 John 5:13.” You know what kind of a harm we do to people when we do this? So, look at their works. James says:

James 2:17 ESV
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

I mean it's not real faith if it doesn't produce anything. So, the assurance of salvation comes when we see fruit and evidences (Heb 6:9-10). And look at the beauty of this fruit, you have work and the love that you have shown for His name, you will have love for God's name. You will have love for God. All things work together for good to them that love God. Do you love God or do you just love the church? And by church, I mean church rituals and formalities. Do you love God? Do you love His name? Do you desire His glory, His worship? Can you say deep in your heart, "I love him"? That is a fruit and I say to you this is not just mere empty talk or hypocrisy because this love for God's name will be manifested in serving the Saints.

There will be a concern for one another. They'll be a ministry to one another. You will not be someone who comes to church, sing a few songs, hear a message, goes away and not bother with anyone else in church. But you look around if you’re a true believer and say, “He is my brother, [s]he is my sister. I want to serve him if God presents me those opportunities. I will get and grab those opportunities to serve because that’s the fruit God wants in my life.”

It's so scary that people can be churchgoers for years and have absolutely no regard for anyone else but it is so encouraging when I see brethren serve one another. You know, right after the first service today, a lady came and said she's so encouraged to be in this church to see some of you, many of you, in fact, she says all she has interacted with, all of you, welcome her warmly, invite her for lunch so much so that she has no time for lunch. She says all packed already, all the church people have already… and she says they are not even the assigned befrienders. They are not even the tagged-up people who are supposed to do a job.

They are the believers, and you know when you hear something like that, it is so encouraging because you are not told to do it by someone out there, but you want to do it because God lives in you. You see that durian, you smell that durian, wow, nice! This tree, thank God, is a durian tree. I pray the aroma of Jesus will be known through you, serving the Saints, out of the love for God. Well, this is a very complex sermon and I acknowledge. I... I told my wife I changed this like don't know how many thousand times. I thought it's done, change, change, change, change, change, change, change until today. I hope it's as simple as it gets. But maybe I conclude with three words for you.

KNOW
This passage is, number one, about how you should really make sure you know Christ, not assume, not presume, not be complacent, but really examine yourself, whether ye be in the faith – 2  Corinthians 13. Are you someone who knows Christ for real?

GROW
Number two, if you’re someone who really knows Christ, I tell you this must be the inevitable desire in your heart, and indeed, outcome of your life that you will grow, you will grow, you will drink the word, you will digest the word, you will do the word and you will grow.

GO
And I say, if you are someone who know Christ and grow in Christ, you'll be someone who will go for Christ.

In essence, this is what our church believes in the three steps of the Christian faith. This is what it means to be leading generations into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you this morning have a life-changing relationship with Him? I pray God's Word today would save the sheep, would save His Church and bring us to Himself. Let's bow for a word of prayer together.

I deeply appreciate your attention this morning. As far as I know, you did not fall asleep but I pray your heart will be really open to God right here, right now. I’d spoken hard things, maybe to some of you unpleasant things, but I think they are words of love. They are words that care for your soul, they are words about eternity. My friend, whatever the Lord is saying to you this morning, I just want to give you this short time to respond to God, right where you are. Maybe you have been shocked to realize there is no fruit. I say to you, it is not too late this morning. You can repent and believe there can be salvation. Today is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. Would you come to Jesus today?

Maybe you have been resting on your laurels, you have been sitting on your bum, you have been complacent and you say, “I need to get up, I need to drink, I need to grow, I want to be more like Jesus.” Maybe there's a determination in your soul, would you pray that to God right now? Maybe some of you say, "I've no fruit, but I know I want to." Maybe you have been making excuses for myself for laziness, for convenience and I've not been really, really doing what I should but I want to. So you pray, "God, help me today." Whatever it is the Lord is saying to you, would you respond to Him right here, right now? May God have His mercy upon each one of us.

Oh my friends, how different it is when you really look at the Bible and when you look at church all around. Christianity as a culture, it has been invaded by all kinds of philosophies. We have been deceived by all kinds of humanistic philosophies and methods, that the preaching like this should shock you. But I trust that you realize there is nothing here that is out of the Scriptures; it is absolutely in line with God's will. And so, my friends, don't fight God, yield to Him, humble yourself, repent and believe. Obey. Let that ground drink in the rain this morning and let it produce abundantly, let it produce fragrant fruit, let it bring glory to God and that heart will receive a blessing.

Father, thank You for this morning. Bless Your church, bless each one here. O Lord, there's too much to say, there's too many hearts to know but You know each one. And we know that there is one Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; and He is to be our goal, He is to be our aim, He is to be our desire. So let Jesus be supreme right here, right now. Speak, O Lord, speak to our hearts. We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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