Now, I would like you to please turn to Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5, we're going to be starting with verse 8. I'm going to do the scripture reading, then I've got a little something I'll read to you from a book by Warren Wiersbe. But let's go to Hebrews chapter 5, verse 8. We're going to go past the chapter division and end up with chapter 6, verse 12. Hebrews 5. Verse eight, though he were a son, capital S-O-N, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Called of God, and high priest after the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing. For when the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. And are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat or solid food. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat, solid food, belongs to them that are of full age. even those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do if God permit." 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, of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, 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. for the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs, meat for them by whom it is dressed, receive blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though thus we speak, For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shown towards his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Okay, we'll end our scripture reading. And I have been saying a thing all along at the beginning of each one of these messages as to what we're doing with the book of Hebrews. And as I elaborate on that, I come to find out that Warren Worsby does an excellent job of saying things concisely and clearly. And I thought that you might just allow me to take a moment to read just a couple paragraphs. They're not long. This is a little book. I say little, it's kind of thick but small. It's called With the Word. Now, some of the newer publications, they put it in two volumes, because one is Old Testament, the other is New Testament. This is an older one. It's got them both in one. With the word, it's called a devotional commentary. And I love its conciseness, and I just basically wish every Christian had one. And if you want one, we can make that happen. We give it out to people who do teaching or anything like that, because what he's done is he has concisely discussed what's in every chapter of the Bible in a little book. He does so well. Not everybody could say as much as him if they had twice the amount of pages, but he's very good at this. So his introduction to Hebrews in this book called With the Word reads like this. The author of Hebrews is unknown to us, but the theme of the book is clear. Let us go on to perfection, that is, spiritual maturity. The epistle was written to Jewish believers who were tempted to abandon the fullness of Christ and go back to the emptiness of a religious system soon to be destroyed. Lost people are still in Egypt and need to be redeemed through faith in Christ. Those who are redeemed are privileged to enter their spiritual inheritance, represented by Canaan, and enjoy his rest. Entering Canaan is not a type of going to heaven. It is a picture of conquering the enemy and claiming your spiritual inheritance by faith. But too many believers, like Israel in the Old Testament, are wandering around in the wilderness of unbelief and yearning to go back to the old life. The message of Hebrews is especially for them. Let us go on to maturity. Hebrews is one of three New Testament letters written to explain Habakkuk 2.4, the just shall live by his faith. You can also look at Romans and Galatians besides Hebrews, but I'll spare the details. The emphasis in Hebrews is on by faith. God has spoken through his son, and we must respond to that word. Our response determines the kind of life we live and how much of our spiritual inheritance we claim. We're not only saved by faith, but we must live by faith." And of course, his introduction has more, but I wanted that to be a taste, and, you know, I think he did a good job here, and he agrees with me, so that's why, you know, I'm reading this to you. But we've had a list of things. You can see them there, the bullet points at the top of the page. People let things slip or drift away. People do not hold fast firmly to our confidence in Christ. People harden their hearts. Last week we studied people gain unprofitable knowledge of God's Word. Now we are moving on to this passage here, Hebrews 5.8 through 6.12. It was hard to make this a short title, because this is a huge thing. People become lethargic and fruitless. Are they superficially enlightened, or are they actually regenerated? And I mean by that, having experienced the new birth. Now, this passage, along with one in Hebrews 10, contains some of the most controversial statements in the New Testament. There's variant interpretations of this part of scripture. And they are at the core of doctrinal debates and denominational differences. Good commentators can greatly vary in their explanations and interpretations. They might agree together what, it doesn't mean this, but when they try to say this is what it does mean, then they all can sound a little different. So it's not an easy road. And there's a lot of commentaries out there. And this study I'm doing right now doesn't give me time to do this whole huge exposition with all the debates being explained and qualified. I can't do all of that, but I refer you to commentaries by Warren Wiersbe or John MacArthur. And there's another one I decided to list. I mentioned those earlier at the beginning of the series, but there's another one that's a substantial commentary. It's older. And though it's deep, it's also devotional. But it's the book of Hebrews by John Brown. It's a banner of truth publication. So I throw those out there as ways that if you want to wrestle with this. You see, if you know the Calvinist-Arminian debate, everybody has a problem with this passage. Because to Calvinists, they're threatened by the, it sounds like somebody might lose their salvation here. And to the Arminians, they're threatened because it sounds like if you lost your salvation, you couldn't get it back. And I don't know of any Arminian teachers that say you can't be saved again, and again, and again, and again. And so everybody has a problem here. And I think there's a couple simple keys to this. The basic one is this. Enlightenment is not the same thing as regeneration. If you're not used to me using the word regeneration, or you haven't heard others use it, well, listen to John MacArthur, you sure will. But enlightenment, there's a certain amount in which the Holy Spirit will cause people to understand things, understand truth, even make some changes in their lives, but it is not the same thing as the new life when Christ comes to live inside by the new birth. Enlightenment can look dangerously like salvation, but what it does is it can make religious people. Enlightenment can cause people to go on to be regenerated later. But some people only get to the level of enlightenment and they don't go farther. And some of the terms that are used here to describe this are, well, let's just say they're edgy for us. They're saying things we would instinctively say that describes someone who's born again. So I'm going to not be able to go into super depth and quote all the different teachers and pose all the arguments. I can't do all that. So I'm gonna try to stay, Accurate, simple, practical. I hope I can do that. A simple, faithful approach. So, in Hebrews 5, and I've got verses 1 through 10 here. We started with verse 8, but in verses 1 through 10, we're looking at the theme of understanding Christ from the Old Testament. When we first learn about Jesus, we usually learn about him from a New Testament passage. And as we get older and more mature and experienced, we find out that a lot of those New Testament passages are quotes and references to Old Testament things. Because this wasn't all invented when Jesus came. Jesus had laid the foundation. Peter even says in one of his letters that the Spirit of Christ was in them, the prophets who wrote. And they didn't fully understand it, but the Spirit of Christ was in them. So the entire book is the Word of Christ, which we're supposed to have dwell in us richly. And Colossians 3, 16 especially mentions the Psalms. Christ is all over the place, and the writer of Hebrews is trying to appeal to Hebrew people with their Old Testament legacy, but saying it's time to move on and grow up. And what they don't know, but the Spirit of God knows, that within probably a couple of years, the besiegement of Jerusalem, the destruction of Jerusalem, there goes the temple, there goes the festivals and the feasts and the sacrifices, all that's going to go. And if Christians were leaning on those as props to keep their faith going, because, oh, I got all this still, plus Jesus, all that being pulled away could make them flop right on the floor like you kick the crutches right out from under them. And I've always said, this could happen to us if we lost a whole lot of the paraphernalia of churchianity, our buildings, our schools, our publishing houses, the freedom to just write and speak and be on the radio and do all of this, we would be tested sorely if we lost all that. But do you realize Jesus can be worshiped in a field, in a basement, in the woods, in a house, and the work of Christ, the kingdom of Christ goes on without those things. We could be put to that test, folks. We started to wonder here in the last few years, and don't give up wondering, because these things could still happen. But Christ's truth abideth still, Martin Luther said. And so the people of God, the church of God, the kingdom of Christ, it moves on. And if we can learn how the Hebrew people were to take the spiritual realities and take them into the future without the physical props, then we'll be equipped to do the same thing. If we lose some things that we think are so Christian that how could you have Christianity without a church building, or without a band, or without stained glass windows? I could go on, but I better not. Because I've got some really important things that I have to talk about. So what we're learning here is Christ's priesthood is not like the priesthood of Aaron, which originated with Moses and Leviticus and all that. Now the priesthood of Aaron had continual offerings and a succession of different priests. But Christ's priesthood is compared to Melchizedek. I don't have all the references here, but any Bible that has references will start telling you where to go back and look in Genesis for Melchizedek. He had no lineage and pedigree of previous priests, and he had no succession of priests to follow him in any literal earthly way. This discussion will continue in Hebrews 7-10, but the writer pauses And you know I think the writer's Paul, but I thought I'd sound cool and just say the writer of Hebrews. He pauses to deal with a spiritual problem that hinders reception to this deeper teaching about Christ. And as we get to verse 11 here, it has to do with no appetite for solid food. Okay, let me just tap back in here to remind you of something that we just read. Verse 11 says, "'Of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which is the first principles or the elemental teachings of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not strong meat or solid food. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat, solid food, belongs to them who are of full age, maturity, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Let's just talk about that a little. People, he says, have become dull of hearing. Now, when I have these little slash marks and it goes on and on and on, I'm basically summarizing from different translations. I don't know which one you might be holding or which one you might compare, and I don't bother listing all of them. Dull of hearing, poor listeners who no longer try to understand. That's a summary of what you might read in some other translations that are faithful to this. The Greek word represented here means to be slow, sluggish, indolent, that is lazy, dull, languid, that is lackadaisical, and if they don't like that, simply having no interest or enthusiasm. Okay, and here Jesus, we're told in Titus 2, wanted to make us zealous of good works. But people are not developing and maturing. Instead of being able to teach others, they are just pacifying themselves with a milk diet. Solid food is not desired, so people are not growing in skillfulness and discernment. They let others do that while they remain babes. And this was a big problem in the Corinthian church, and you have one reference there to point you to that. But now if we're going to talk about this matter of just wanting milk, we better discern and understand what is milk, what is solid food. I find there's some misunderstandings here. In this passage, milk is described, and maybe I should read this, 6 verses 1 through 3, therefore leaving the principles where the elemental teachings of the doctrines of Christ let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation, it says, of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment." Okay, now, if we give it the more formal terms here, we could say, excuse me, we could say that they are handling soteriology, that sounds sophisticated, the doctrine of salvation, repentance and faith. And then when we mentioned baptism and laying on of hands, we're talking about church ordinances, and that comes under the category of ecclesiology. Resurrection and eternal judgment, that's eschatology, the doctrine of future things. And quite frankly, what Paul has called milk, Many people today call this the meat. Because you can put a lot of hard work into this studying salvation. We study it a lot. studying about the nature of the church, its ministry and its components, talking about future judgment, talking about the end of the world or what heaven and hell are like. There's a lot of good doctrinal things there, but that, Paul, the writer of Hebrews that is, does not call the solid food. That's just laying the groundwork, laying the foundation. But according to what we see in chapter five, and will be continued in chapter seven through 10, the solid food is to learn more about Christ from both Old and New Testaments, and be transformed into His likeness. Truth that causes me to behold the glory of the Lord, and in doing that, I am changed, I am transformed, I am metamorphosized into the same image. from glory to glory, not all at once, even as by the Spirit of our God. That's 2 Corinthians 3.18, just in a nutshell. And there was another chapter that was talking about Old Testament things and bringing up New Testament realities. We're studying the shadows to see what the substance is that makes those shadows. And so when you start beholding Christ, you don't just get your head filled, you get your life changed, your mind and your heart are transformed. by these things. Now that is solid food, which is for people who are being prepared to work and serve and teach and share and represent Christ. The babies are just sitting in the nursery, wanting to hear the John 3, 16 stuff. And some of them say, oh no, I want to hear prophecy. I want to get on deeper things in doctrine. And that could still be milk because it's not going any farther than just laying groundwork. You know, I had the painful experience of seeing a church that was struggling. They had property. They were going to build a new church building. They laid a foundation. You saw the base of it. You saw the brick walls going up, and it laid there, sat there. They had no more money. It sat there for years and years and years. Weeds are starting to grow up, and it became a laughingstock. And we start, and we build on this foundation, and then we don't build. We don't build. We're here to learn and grow and serve. Yes, as newborn babes, we're to desire the sincere milk of the word. We're to be like a babe in our desire, our hunger, our appetite, desperation. We want more, we want more, but it's so that we can grow. And Peter goes on to say, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Folks, now we're talking the meat. which some people would say, oh, that's just devotional stuff, or oh, that's just nice little things, but I don't need those, because I understand all the things about the gospel, and I understand about the doctrine of the church, and the doctrine of prophecy, and I can argue with the best of them which position I think is right, and that we're still milk eaters, unless we get to this. And Paul's saying, the writer of Hebrews is saying, you're dull. You've lost enthusiasm. You've gotten complacent about this. And so there's some really important scriptures I hope you'll consider in the top of the second page there with Hebrews 6, 1 through 3, that talk about our need to be established and to grow and to mature and go forward. It isn't like we haven't shared such scriptures before, but I'm doing it again. But Hebrews 6, verses 4 through 6, now here's where the sparks start flying. In verse three, Paul had said, or forgive me, I'm just going to keep saying it. I can't help myself. You can edit that if you want. But he said, this will we do if God permit. And I'm humbled just by that little statement because, you know, I could think of all kinds of things I want to teach you, all kinds of things where I'd like to take us. But I have to say, if God permits. There's a practicality that steps in there. You have to address issues and needs. In two years, they're going to be addressing some huge problems. with persecution and the attack of the Roman Empire and all of that. And we make great plans, but as we intend, God super intends. And I depend on God how this church really will grow and how you will grow. And I'm only just one tool in the toolbox. But he now gets to the nitty gritty, verse four through six, 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 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. If they shall fall away, it's impossible to renew them again unto repentance. Seeing they crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame. Now we just got to stop there. This is where it really gets tough. And people can get angry and scared and confused and want to give up or want to choke somebody. I mean, it's tough stuff. And maybe some of you have never bothered with it because you have been systematically avoiding it or you've had teachers who avoid it. Why do we have to do this hard one when we've got so many other nice ones we can talk about? But here I am. So tasted of the heavenly gift. Tasted of the good word of God. Tasted of the powers of the world to come. Here the phrase tasted means to experience the workings of the Holy Spirit, but not actually receive the Holy Spirit. People that are not regenerated, that is, they're not born again, can be enlightened about truth and even profess faith in Christ. They may witness what God's Spirit is doing in the lives of others. in the assembly of the saints, and even experienced personal conviction." Now, folks, I want you to know how I wrestled here. I sweat during this because I could have tried to put dozens of verses in here for all the things, and I couldn't. No room for that. I gave you a sample, something you can look up. But believe me, here is the kind of stuff that you'll have to dig and hunt and search, and other commentators can help you. I would help you if you asked, or God help you to compare scripture with scripture. But let me just say it again, because I labored hard for every word here, what I said. So, it is possible for them to experience the workings of the Holy Spirit, but not actually receive the Holy Spirit. People that are not regenerated, not born again, can be enlightened about truth, and even profess faith in Christ. They may witness what God's Spirit is doing in the lives of others, in the assembly of the saints, and even experience personal conviction. Sadly, they can be partakers of and share moments in which God's Spirit is working, yet not be a true believer. They have sampled but not swallowed and digested the grace of God. And you might want to think about 2 Corinthians 6, where Paul tells them, and I do mean Paul, tells them, receive not the grace of God in vain. And maybe you have never wrestled with it, but when more than once Jesus says, many are called, few are chosen, Many have been drawn to something, attracted to something, but they don't go in. They put it in their mouth, they spit it out, like a wine tester. People like this cannot be brought back to repentance with the simple truth of the gospel. You take somebody who has been going to church for years, and may be smart enough to know things and argue and debate with people, and can you just come back and say, oh, you just need to trust Jesus? Oh, didn't you know about John 3.16? They probably have plaques on their wall with that on it, maybe. But they cannot be brought back to repentance with the simple truth of the gospel. They know all of that, but it has not truly transformed them. They will become hardened and stubborn by their knowledge. It's kind of like the vaccination thing. Sorry to bring up a word we hate. But you get a small dose of something bad so that you build up resistance to it, antibodies, and not get the full-fledged disease. That's the theory behind that. And there are people who have received enough gospel to be inoculated, and they won't really catch it now. They got enough to feel good about themselves. Oh, I know stuff. You see these different plaques up there, and they'll say, I do this, this, and this, and I know things. They love to say that for some reason. They will think that they know as much or more than others. And scripture says they have fallen away. They've departed from the path. They are blinded from being able to see why they've fallen off the path. They don't get it. They justify themselves saying, I am just fine. Or perhaps in another sense, they'll say, I tried that and it didn't work. Now, this is connected to the previous lesson we just had from Hebrews 4, 1 through 2, where you have gained unprofitable knowledge. You've learned facts, you've learned information, you can state positions and all of that, and you've got enough to inoculate you, but you haven't been transformed, so it is unprofitable knowledge. Now, therefore, Hebrews 6, 7 through 12, I get to say something happier. This is a warning, what we've just studied. You can be religious but not right with God. How do I know? Have you ever had someone ask you, or maybe you have asked, I wonder if I've ever committed the unpardonable sin? Some people want to know, what is the unpardonable sin? And I'm going to give just a simple answer. The unpardonable sin, maybe only could have been committed in the days of Jesus when he walked on this earth, because they saw powerful demonstrations of the Spirit of God operating through Jesus as he spoke and as he did miracles. There was a power and a sense there, and it drove some people mad, made some people glad, had different reactions. But when someone could see a stupendous miracle, and it glorified God, and it was a fulfillment of Scripture, and they still identified it as the work of the devil. That's when Jesus brought that up, to attribute the work of God to the devil. Now, some people say that could only happen when Jesus himself was here, because that was so stupendously powerful. We weren't there to see it, but we can catch it when we read it. It's possible that what we're thinking of in the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost has to do with simply resisting the Spirit talking to you and just not ever surrendering, not ever believing, not ever repenting. And at the end, the one thing God needed to hear from you, He didn't hear. And that is, I believe in Jesus. Please have Him come into my heart. Please have Him wash away my sins. And you know, a person can repeat those words, but not mean them. And these are things that are hard. The Word of God, which is quick and alive, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, it discerns between the thoughts and the intent of the heart, the soul and the spirit. Even theologians can't get those two things straight. And here's something that I can't tell you about you. You have to find out from God about you. And this either reveals to you that you never were born again and you need to be, Or it reveals to you that you're acting like a religious lost person, but you need to straighten this up and get back on track with Christ. And awake thou that sleepest, and Christ shall give thee light. So it could awaken a dead sinner who's religious, or it could revive a Christian who has gotten lethargic, sleepy, indolent, if you like that word. So now, we come to a conclusion. Verse seven through 12. I'm going to read verses seven and eight. For the earth which drinketh in the rain and cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh or near unto cursing whose end is to be burned. Well, that's the tough part. We're told here in Hebrews 6.1 to go on to perfection or maturity. And we have some other scriptures that would confirm that. Hebrews 10.35-39, hopefully we'll see that next week. 2 Corinthians 7.1, but right here we are compared to herbs planted in a garden, drinking in the rain, and bringing forth fruit, but the plants that produce thorns and briars, or thistles, are rejected and burned. So we need to be careful and seek to be fruitful. Now, on one hand, it's the work of Christ to make us fruitful. On the other hand, we have a responsibility to be in place and seeking that fruitfulness. And you read John 15, one through eight. And Jesus says, on the vine, you're the branches, and you need to abide in me. You need, for my word, to abide in you. And if you abide in me, and I in you, you're going to bring forth fruit, and you're going to glorify the Father, and so shall you be my disciples. He goes farther on in John 15, 16, to say, you've not chosen me, I've chosen you, and I've ordained you to bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. It's going to be the real stuff, not the superficial stuff. And Peter kindly gives us instructions to take and add to our faith virtue and knowledge and all kinds of other wonderful things. And if we do this, we shall never be unfruitful or barren. And he that can't see this is blind and can't see afar off, and they're headed for destruction as a religious hypocrite. God in his kindness warns us with firm scriptures and keeps some pictures before us of a plant that was planted in a garden or a vineyard. It was meant to be fruitful and bring something pleasant, whether it be herbs or whether it be grapes or whether it be the figs on a fig tree. We've got all these things. And someone was taking care of that. Someone was taking care of all that. And that's where the Father and the Son come in and how they work with us like the plantings of the Lord. But then there's that kind of garden that's been neglected. The Lord hasn't been brought into it. And so gardens left to themselves get pretty bad. Pretty bad with weeds, thorns, thistles, and all kinds of other stuff. We don't want that environment. And we need to say, I am destitute of the real fruit. I am destitute of that culturing, cultivating of the Lord. And we get the chance, a plant can't do this, but we get the chance to ask for it. To desire it and seek it. So, we go to verses 9 through 12. But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though thus we speak." So in other words, I had to lay out a hard lesson here, but I really in my heart think you're better than that. Using some positive treatment here, I think you're better than that. He gives hope that the readers are true believers who simply need to be diligent. and seek those things that accompany, or belong to, or go along with salvation. Let me read verses 9 through 12. But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though thus we speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which he have showed toward his name, and that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end. that you be not slothful, but followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises." So here's what that looks like. Why would the writer of Hebrews say, we are persuaded better things of you? He offers some things here that we maybe ought to look for as clarification as to what this fruitfulness is all about. what this diligence is all about. So he mentions labors of love for the sake of Christ's name. He mentions ministry and service to the followers of Christ. He mentions that there should be diligently and continually seeking assurance and hope from God's word. and not slothful, not lazy, not indolent, or lackadaisical, or all those other words we mentioned earlier. Not slothful, but following the examples of others who exercise their faith with patience, and they are motivated by God's promises. We have an inheritance. Christ has made us qualified to partake of the inheritance of the saints in light. But we are to strive and to seek that Christ truly is developing us. It's the work of Christ, not of my imagination, not of my temporary enthusiasm that might only last a moment, but the real work of Christ to change me. Now, we had talked earlier in this study about people who do not hold fast firmly to our confidence in Christ. And I didn't give you the list then. I've gone back in the notes to fix them now. But let me just mention these things here. We're in Hebrews 6. Let's go back to 4.14. Hebrews 4.14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Chapter six, verses 11 and 12, we just read, we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, that you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises We go on to chapter 10, verse 23. Chapter 10, verse 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful, that promised. And then also in chapter 10, and this will be hopefully dealt with more next week, but in chapter 10, verse 35, cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition or destruction, but we are of them that believe to the saving of the soul. And this gets lost sometimes as people argue about eternal security and the preservation of the saints. They don't understand the perseverance aspect. They don't understand that the results of a true salvation should be something more tangible. You know, I commonly will take Ephesians 2, 8, and 9, and make sure I add verse 10. Ephesians 2, 8, and 9, for by grace are you saved through faith. That not of yourselves, it's a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. Adds verse 10, for we are his workmanship. Some would say masterpiece. Created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. So let's see it through. Let's not just be believers intellectually in Jesus, let us be followers of Jesus. Jesus will take care of all those things that you're uncertain about. But as we understand his work to make us to will and to do of his good pleasure, His work to finish what He's begun in us. He calls us, He's also faithful to do it. He who has begun a good work in us will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ. But we are to cooperate, collaborate, connect, and stay connected to go on and know the Lord in such a way. Even Paul, after he knew the Lord for many years, he still aspired in Philippians 3 that I may know Him. in the power of His resurrection, in the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death. Folks, I hope that's a heart, desire, and prayer in you every day. Well, I've delivered my soul as best I could. Let's pray. Father, please give us grace to take of these words and receive the challenge, receive the encouragement, and if need be, scared and worried and move with a little fear to make sure these things are right with us before you. We don't add works to our faith, but we have to have a faith that does work. And just allow us, Father, to enjoy and not neglect so great salvation. and give faith where it's needed to each person in this room or anybody else that's hearing this message. I ask in Jesus' name, amen.