Oh Lord, he's acting like his daddy. But he's all right, correct? Amen, Molly, how you doing? Good? Amen. She's like jolly old Saint Nick. Amen, happy, happy all the time. Amen. Okay, Hebrews 6, let me just say, Sister Jenny here had asked Melissa to explain this to her, correct? Then Sister Melissa said, this is deep water, and wanted me to talk to them. And I just thought, you know, and God touched my heart, we need to know this. And I'm not sure I do. I think I do. There's four major interpretations of this. I believe I got to write one. But it just goes to show you, when you go, the book of Hebrews is like the book of Acts. You don't build doctrine off of some of these warnings because you got to understand the context. The context here is these Jewish, this is written to Hebrews around the world. This is written to Jewish converts who by persecution, pressure of their family, the synagogue, the temple at Jerusalem was pressuring them to go back to dead works of the Judaistic system, sacrificial system. Now, no true believer in Christ could ever do that. There's no way you're saved and repudiate Christ as a sacrifice. You can't do that. I don't think for a second. I don't think there's ever been a saved man ever become an atheist. I don't believe that. Or going back to ritualism that has no power in it. So you got to keep that in mind. Whatever This means it's in the flow of what's already been said, and it's in the context of who the Lord is speaking to, and that being these Judaizers. Now, in verse number one, let me just read, start with verse number one. I'm not even gonna teach on the verse one through three, just comment. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, that's maturity. Let us go on to deeper truth. Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith toward God. Now, that's important. You need to know that. But if you're saved, you should already know that. So you gotta get past the basics is what he's saying. Have the doctrine of baptisms, the land on the hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this will we do if God permit. We will go on to maturity. And not just drink the milk, but eat the meat. Nowadays, the meat of the gospel nowadays is salvation. because people don't even know the basics no more. The gospel of Christ is having to be dealt with all across this country because people don't even know what the gospel is. Well, they say, well, I believe in the death, burial, resurrection. The gospel entails a whole lot more than just that. Amen. I'm talking about what's involved in somebody being saved. I'm talking about repentance, gift of God, saving faith, gift of God, the drawing power of God, the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, the emancipation of the will of man, all that that's involved in someone coming to know Christ. Now, verse four, 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, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." Now, The next verses are an allegory of what's being said. You don't just go to the Bible and take a verse out of it. You got what's before, what's after it. Now here is the explanation of what this means. For the earth, which drinketh in the rain, that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs, make for them by whom it is dressed, receive a blessing from God, But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is none to curse him whose end is to be burned. Now, so what the Lord's talking about there is the fruit. The fruit, the evidence of salvation. That's what he's talking about. But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. He's talking to the brethren. We expect better from you. There is better from you. Because those of those that are the brethren have the evidence of salvation. So I'll talk to you tonight on the simple title of Hebrews 6, four through nine. Now, As I read these verses tonight, I've got to understand all scripture is to be interpreted in its context. That's what I've tried to lay the foundation of what I said tonight. Four basic interpretations of these scriptures. I believe the first two are impossible. They can't be right. The last two can be right. One of the three or four is right. I know one and two ain't right. I know that because whatever this means, it will not contradict scripture. Now, you young converts, there's no scripture of any private interpretation. You go to the Bible, you find a verse, that verse better line up with the rest of it. because we've got what we call non-contradictory interpretation. The Bible cannot contradict itself. If you think it has, then your understanding is what is a contradiction. First of all, there's the Armenian view that these were people who were once saved, lost their salvation, and now they have fallen away from Christ. Boy, they better hope that ain't right. I don't know of a grace follower that doesn't believe that if you lose it, you can't get it back. If that's what this means, you can't never get it back. It is impossible to renew them if that's what that means. All those people believe in falling from grace, you better hope that ain't what that means. Because if you ever get saved and lose it, you're damned. And there ain't no hope. So I know that ain't the interpretation thereof. I know that's not. Now, the problem is, here's the problem. I'm not jumping on these people because a lot of Baptists are just as bad. They think if 1,000 people say they get saved, 1,000 people got saved. I doubt 10% of them do. Not nowadays. And where the deception comes is that everybody that comes of the altar is converted. That's not so at all. I was on my third time for God saved me. Probably most of y'all made professions before you got saved. Probably Michael and Josh made enough for 50 people. That's right, ain't it, boys? Make all those professions. They were sincere every time. I'm sure they prayed the right prayer. I'm sure they meant it. Prophet times shed tears, but somehow they missed it. So you've got to get in your understanding that people make decisions all the time apart from the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. It's their evidence that a person has been brought from spiritual death to spiritual life. When a person makes a decision to trust Christ, they have been transformed. If they really got saved, they got a new heart and they've got a new nature. Now, that doesn't mean they can't get out of God's will. I don't believe that at all. I believe they can. I don't believe you can ever be the same because your position with God is not the same. How do you undo what God did? See, people that don't understand grace thinks that God just forgave you of your sin when you got saved, and that's all it was. You got justified up to that point. Then you got put on probation, and you're being tested, and if you don't hold on, then you're gonna lose it. That's such a, my God. Salvation's a lot more than having your sins forgiven. It's you being forgiven for being a sinner, but it is an inner work of regeneration. How in the world can the act of a man, his will, they say, well, you get saved by an act of your will. Then an act of your will can undo it. No, you didn't get saved by an act of your will. You got saved by faith in Christ. You yielded your will, but God had to release your bound will before you ever got to God. No man comes unto the Father, Christ said, or to him for salvation if the Father doesn't draw him. You can just get there by yielding your will or making a decision. Why do we need the Holy Spirit? If you can understand this apart from God, why do you need the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of it? Salvation is of the Lord. That's the source. It's all of God. That's why this interpretation cannot be so. So everybody praises the sinner's prayer and sheds tears and shouts and preaches for about six months and then quit for 50 years. They didn't get saved, folks. Most Americans teach that salvation depends upon man's will. His will to choose, His will to decide. Folks, only God can give you saving faith. You do not possess saving faith. You can have faith that that seat will hold you up, but that seat can't save you and do a work that only God can do. So, Hebrews 6 describes a believer who some say loses their salvation, but what sin? At what point? At what time? Do you lose your salvation when you think about it? Do you lose it when you determine in your heart to do it? Or would you lose it when you do the act? And which sin? Well, you know, if you die drunk, you're gonna go to hell. What if you die and you didn't pay your tithes last Sunday? What if you die and you had a bitter spirit at your neighbor? Is that not sin? What if you die and you don't love God like you should? And you don't. That's why this has got to be grace, folks. And once you ever understand grace, you will never have a problem with what I'm talking about right here. The problem with this interpretation is that God the Father, in grace, chose a people that he gave to Christ, and Christ redeemed them, and the Holy Ghost applies that salvation to those who believe. John 17, that, what I just said, cannot be denied. It's there. So let me go on. The Father chooses to give the gift for God so loved the world that He gave. You say, well, I accepted it. I'm glad you did. Would you agree with me? Let's just get down here where it's at. Can a person be saved without being under conviction? No. Can you get to God without God? No. Then, if God's in charge of conviction, brother Chad, was you under conviction your whole life, every day, every minute, every second? No. So, if God's got to convict you, and convince you, and compel you, and constrain you, and convince you, and convert you, Then God chooses when to deal with you. You say, well, I rejected it. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about God is the one that chooses to touch people's hearts when he does, where he does, how he does, when he does. Then how would we take credit for anything? How does sin remove the new nature? Again, it is such a shallow view of regeneration. Dear people, listen to me. Your soul is what sins, your spirit doesn't sin. God put a brand new hell-proof, sin-proof spirit in you where the divine nature is, where the Holy Ghost dwells. 1 John 3 tells you that which is born of God, that spirit man, cannot sin, cannot commit sin, so which part of you is gonna go to hell if you lose your salvation? Are you seeing what I'm saying? It's a total lack of understanding of Bible salvation and its effect. Again, if I was an Armenian tonight, I'd cut that out of the Bible. That's right. Now, why is it if you lose your salvation? Think about that. It ain't yours to lose. But if you lost salvation, Then how are you just a backslider that needs just to get right with God again? You would have to get saved again. They never say that. They say, I just got right with God again. Well, if you lose your salvation, you gotta get saved again. Is Christ gonna die another time? No. Listen, I may not be as dogmatic on this scripture as I ought to be, but I'm dogmatically sure that ain't the interpretation. Number two, genuine Christians can deny the faith, yet remain saved, although they lose their rewards in heaven. My dear people, don't think that people don't believe in eternal salvation, don't have reasons that they don't believe it. If you take certain verses in the Bible, just by what they say, you can make that argument. Yep, now what's this? A lot of people may misbrand them and they misbrand us. Some of us. I do not believe that you can get saved at five years old and never serve God for 80 years and go to heaven. I don't believe a word of that. But the problem is you gotta have something to lose it. That just proves they never had it again. This is why our meanings have a problem with what we believe, because there are some, not my camp, but there's Baptists, don't doubt that a bit, that believe if you take Jesus as your Savior, you can become an atheist and still go to heaven. They believe that. Zane Hodges believes that. He wrote a book refuting lordship salvation. And then you talk about lordship salvation, and then you get tagged with the wrong brush with that. I don't believe in work salvation. But I believe when you get saved, you yield to Christ. You yield to God. You don't take Him as Savior to stay out of hell and make Him, how in the God's name you make Jesus Lord anyhow, He is Lord. But that's what they believe. Now seriously, even if you become, as long as you prayed that prayer, that's why, listen now. That's why easy-believing some people do not believe in lost church members. You take a pastor that's locked into that stuff, that high-pressure evangelism. If a man will come in his church and preach on the wheat and the tares and church members being lost, he'll run you off. It sets you down. You're confusing these people, because they believe, they believe this, that if you pray that prayer, you have obligated God to save you, or God is a liar. The devil can pray a prayer. Three-year-old kid can be taught to repeat words. You can be sincere and pray prayers. Folks, that's not salvation. Salvation is a transforming work of God in the heart of a person. It is clear that some profess to believe, yet they never give evidence of salvation. It's all through the Bible. Hey, if you read Scripture, you declare Balaam was saved. Hey, he gets hired to curse Israel. That's one way you know he ain't saved, because he's going to take money to try and curse the people of God. He gets up on that mountain, old Bailey, the king of Moab has got him up there. He's looking down on the camps of the children of Israel. He opens up his mouth as a prophet to speak forth the curse, and out of his mouth comes blessing. He can't curse him. But he said, I brought you up here to curse me. He said, I'm trying. Every time I open my mouth, comes out a blessing. Think he tried that three times. And then he's the one that gave the prophecy of Christ. Yeah, of the scepter coming out of Jacob. That's a lost man saying that. and God anointed him to say it, and put the words in his mouth. But who believes, Valen will say. He told Moab, take your daughters, they're seductive, and go and get them to seduce them Hebrew boys. And when that happens, God'll have to judge them, and he did. How about Judas? Judas was a devil from the beginning, Christ said. And he performed all them miracles. He preached and cast out devils. How do you explain that? I don't explain that. What about Simon Magus over the book of Acts? On and on you could go. First John 2, 3, and 4. Hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. That doesn't mean to keep them to perfection. That talks about the sincerity of the heart and making a real attempt to serve the Lord. So what God is saying there is those that live an habitual life of sin and never repent do not know God. That's what he plainly said. Jesus said, by their fruit you shall know them. Now dear folks, listen. A salvation that is that powerless is an insult to God. I believe God can deliver the alcoholic. I believe God can deliver the drug addict. I believe he can deliver the sex addict. Or there's no power to none of this stuff. Amen. Praise his name. The third view. That could be so, is the hypothetical view. Now the problem with that, the Bible says, what they say is, why would God say if they should fall away if they can't fall away? If it's impossible, why does God repeat something that cannot be done? The answer to that is, and this may be the interpretation. I used to think it was, I don't think it is no more. What that says is God is showing the church that if a person would leave Christ and the sacrifice of Christ and go back to work's religion, they are not saved and never have been. And this is hypothetical. That proves you can't be lost after you're saved. Instead of proving it can, it proves the opposite, it proves you can. Because it would be impossible to remove sin. How would somebody repent if you don't believe Christ is a Savior who's gonna save you? If you turn your back on the blood of Christ and His redeeming work, who's gonna forgive you? What's the means of your salvation? So it is impossible for a person that puts aside the belief in the substitutionary death of Christ, when you leave that, you cannot be brought to repentance. It's impossible. It's impossible for a person to be saved that doesn't believe that Christ is the Son of God. It is impossible for a person to be saved if they don't believe that Christ is the Savior, the Lord of glory, the sacrifice for sin, and on and on I could go. Now, to me, this view, and I gotta get to this fourth one, that makes more sense than the first two's totally wrong. I got total assurance of that. Here's the fourth one. It's what I believe. And I think this is right. And I think it's right because of the verses that follow in this and the chapters that precede it. I'm trying to understand this by the context of Hebrew six. Not by just what it says, but by what God is saying around it. That's how you interpret the Word of God. Notice this, I believe that these verses speak of those who have associated themselves with the people of God, and have known the blessings of God, and have been in the power of God, heard the power of the Word of God preached in power, Being there when the worship of God was there. Being there when God saved people. They witnessed in the first century, all those apostolic miracles. They witnessed the power of the world to come. They witnessed God moving in a great way. But somehow, they missed being saved. They sure appeared to be. Boy, everybody thought they were. You know what the proof of salvation is, don't you? It's called continuance. I'll take continuance over a trip to the altar any day. Devil can give you all kind of emotions. That's right. You can have all kind of emotions, but where's the yielding? Where's the surrender? Where's the submitting to God? Where's the commitment? Now, notice here that these people appear to be saved, but usually all you gotta do, that's why I preach this so much here, is a parable of the sower and the seed. That explains this whole thing. Those that received that seed in a shallow ground, man, they received it with great joy. But when the sun comes up, when the heat gets on and the pressure gets on, they will go down into the root system and hit the rock and they're not established. There's no depth to their profession. There's no debt to their salvation. And when the temptation comes, by cause of the Word, by and by they are offended. They started out like Brother Max just said, trying to win the race on the first lap, trying to win the whole world, and they fizzle out. And you can't find them. Oh, I've seen a pile of them since I've been in this thing. So usually you're in a crisis or a great testing, their true colors come through. See what you got to understand, trying to understand your loved ones. A lot of them ain't never been saved to start with, that's your problem. Got no desire for God. No desire for truth. They don't yield to truth. They do whatever they want. They are their God. They're not yielded to Christ. They're not under the lordship of nothing. They're not under the authority of a church or a pastor, nobody. Boy, they just winging it. You know what? They made some emotional profession. Boy, they know that feeling. Boy, they know that feeling they had, and you and God, neither one's gonna talk them out of it unless He just determines to. So they repudiate the faith in Christ and go back to Judaism, to the world, and to those who have crucified the Son of God and put Him to an open shame. One time, they're so double God's people. One time, it's in all that truth. Then they go right out to Judaism. The crowd that don't believe Christ is even the Messiah, that don't believe he's the son of God, that believe he was born of fornication, that believe he's a blasphemer of God and full of Beelzebub, that prints up demons and go line up back up with that crowd. And God said, they just prove what they are. The Christian faith is worthless to them. These people are apostates. How would they be renewed? Once you say, I repeat myself, once you say the source of salvation is not right, how you gonna get saved if you ain't got a savior? And if Christ isn't the savior, who is? And if there's nothing to salvation, why would you ever wanna try it again? They hardened their heart against the truth that they were exposed to for a while. It seemed that they were so saved. Boy, I've got some people got me in a state of confusion. I can't explain them. By their profession and their testimony, and sometimes they serve God, you'd know they're saved, but they can just keep staying out there. and stand out there. And God's not treating them like they're his children. And they're not acting like God is their father. And there's no chasing in their life. I got some people I'm really concerned about that used to go to this church that I thought got converted. I got my doubts, because they're getting by. There ain't a bit of chastisement in their life. They go right down the road as if there's no God. and they walk away from the truth and get tied up in these emotional churches that have no, they got power. It ain't God's power. And they got no discernment to even know the difference. They don't even know the difference. Go from the bold proclamation of the Word of God to these skin-tight jean boys, up there showing off their body, and the women lusting after them, and they're telling them how to be rich, how to have prosperity, how to walk by faith, and there's not a lack of holiness in it, or separation from sin, or lordship. You just give God a tip, or you clash glasses with Jesus and drink to salvation. Ain't that what it is? Hey, you know how people don't believe in Christ? It ain't lack of evidence, it's wickedness. It's the wickedness of their heart. It's time y'all in here, you better wake up. You praying your kids, your grandkids, get back right, well God, you probably need to be praying they get saved. Hey, are you listening now? This thing is winding down. God, my own family, concerns me. Boy, it's serious stuff. Better God cut the grass close. Oh, Lord. Help us, Lord. Now, we gotta separate something here. This is a true apostate. your boy, your girl, your grandchild, your brother, your sister, this week in the flesh. Some of them may be saved. There's some of them out there are. They are. I don't know who they are. I mean, God knows all that, because some of them come back, get right with God, and they have the evidence they were saved. But I'm not talking about people that go back out into the world and they know where they ought to be. They know what they ought to be doing. They're just weak and they've lost their power with God. Or they get out from among God's people, they get out of the flock and they're out there for Satan to abuse them. And they got no power against his lies and his temptation. I'm not talking about people like that now. This isn't either. This isn't talking about people come to church a while and then go back cause they don't drink a while. This ain't talking about that. Well, then people go back to that. They know Christ is the Son of God. They know salvation's real. They know the Bible's real. I'm talking about apostates here that go back to a religion of works and leave the doctrines of grace. True apostates. Now, if somebody, God, they say, the Lord has burdened me to leave this church and go somewhere else, that's their business. That's between them and God. Now, don't leave here and go to some watered-down mess. I'm gonna know you wanna sin. I'm gonna know you don't want the pressure on you. I'm gonna start thinking there's something bad wrong with your heart. Now, if you leave here and go to church preachers of gospel, then you could well be right in the middle of the will of God. They went out from us, but they were not of us. Now, folks, that's not talking about everybody leaves this church and goes to another church. That's the wrong application of this. They went out from us, but they were not of us, for they'd been of us. They no doubt would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be manifested that they were not of us. That's apostasy. That's not leaving a local church to go to another local church. That's leaving the gospel of Jesus Christ to go to a works religion or a religion that don't even preach the gospel or doesn't even preach Bible salvation. If a man stands in the pulpit and says Christ died on the cross, he is buried and rose again, but then he turns right around and pray this prayer. and you're saved. That doctrine is heresy. Sure as I'm standing here. It'll damn your soul in hell, too. These people in Hebrew 6 once assembled with us, but they never really belonged with us, otherwise they would have stayed with the truth. When they left, it proved they did not belong to us. A Christian cannot deny Christ. You can't. I'm talking about that he's the Son of God and the Savior. Simon Peter denied that he knew him. He never denied who he was. Big difference. You can get in the middle of a crowd and all that peer pressure get on you and you won't speak up that you're saved and don't have the courage. We're not talking about that now. We're talking about denying who he is and what he did. So I readily confess there's problems with what I just told you. There's two of them in my interpretation of this or what I think it is. First of all, the text does sound like it is describing true believers and not false believers at first glance. Secondly, if they are not truly saved, then from what can they fall from? In the first place, watch this right quick. What's context say? What's context? The context is people in the church that profess to be saved, that profess Christ, and then they're leaving to go back under the system of works called Judaism. Folks, you talk about an insult to God to say that some works religion is superior to the person working Christ. That's such blasphemy, I can't hardly even say it. Christ is so superior. Why would anybody want to shab when you have the wheat? Why would anybody want to counterfeit when you have the real? to abandon Christ for an old system of works. Now, folks, listen now. We're not talking about people. There's people that don't believe in eternal salvation, that you're safe forever, that are saved. Now, we gotta be careful when we're explaining this stuff. Everybody that doesn't believe they're safe, that's what they've been taught. You can't really drill that out of somebody if they've been taught that, because it's put there by confusion and fear. A whole lot of people that say you're saved eternally are not saved. So let's just confess that too. Amen. A whole bunch of men, probably most of men. If 100 million people would profess Christ to be saved, I doubt 10 million of them are. Because I know how they live. If this Bible means anything, Brother Keith, If fruit inspection means anything, some people may be safe, but they bring the validity of their salvation into question. You know, I know people that I believe are safe, but they got no desire. They go to church out of duty. I mean there's no burden for nothing because they're not feeding that inner man and they're weak in the faith. Let's go on. Chapter three and chapter four of the book of Hebrews is why I believe this interpretation is right. Before you get to chapter 6 now, you got chapter 3 and 4. And what the author of this book, I don't even know who wrote it. Some say, Paul. I don't know. If he did, he did. But some people, chapter 3 and 4 of the book of Hebrews gives the negative example of Israel in the wilderness and their unbelief. from Psalm 95 and then goes right in to chapter 6. Tell one of these Hebrew Christians not to fall away because of an evil heart of unbelief like the Israelites did in the wilderness. He urges them not to fail to enter into God's rest. That's not just salvation, though it is. That's that life of rest, Canaan land, when you are possessing your possessions. to not to fail to enter into God's rest, all of it. And then in heaven, of course, because of disobedience and unbelief. Listen to chapter three, verse 14. For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Hey, if you got something called the perseverance of the saints, if you got something driving you to pursue Christ and that initial, that initial, initial rather, I'm trying to get it, that initial testimony is lived out. It's lived out. How do you live for God? Say, well, you got saved. You got saved by believing and repenting and trusting. That's how you live for God. You repent every day. Or if you sin, God convicts you. Then you believe God's Word. He's faithful and just to forgive you. And then you pursue on in serving the Lord. And in other words, you want the full reward. If we stay faithful unto the end, there is no ambiguity. if we were saved. Dear people, do you think that I've got one, Brother Ronnie, let's use Kathy. Do you think I've got one ounce or one drop of doubt if she was saved? No. I got none about my daddy. I got none about my mama. Amen. I got none about my grandmas. None. Why? Because they had the evidence that only a Christian can have. Now there's some Christians have more fruit than others, but there are evidences in your life that only the Holy Ghost can produce. And one of them is love. The other one's forgiveness. Another one is gentleness, kindness, meekness, temperance. You'll see. You know, in our lives, we want to enhance that. We want more of that. But somebody saved's gonna have some of that evidence in their life. Number one, they're gonna have a report that's believable. They're gonna have a testimony that the Holy Ghost bears witness with. Amen. Now, stay with me here, young'uns. We're about done here, I think. The entire nation of Israel put the blood on the doorpost and the lintel, and a majority of them went to hell. That's right. One man put the blood on the doorpost and the lintel. He kept the Lord, let's call it the death angel, Bible don't say that. The death angel didn't touch the house, because the blood's on the doorpost and the lintel. There's babies in there. They don't even know what that blood means. That don't mean everybody in the house is saved. That means you're saved from the plague. That is an analogy of salvation. When I see the blood, I'll pass over you. If the blood of Christ has ever been applied to your heart, God will pass over you in judgment. Amen. The entire nation of Israel put the blood on the doorpost, which is analogous to saving faith. They all passed through the Red Sea. They were all delivered from Egypt by the blood of the Passover lamb and the power of God. They all ate the same spiritual food. They drank the same water from the rock, which was a type of Christ. They all lived under the illumination and the protection of the cloud and the pillar of fire. They all enjoyed spiritual benefits, and yet most of them were lost, and they tried to make a captain to go back to Egypt. God sent Korah and all that multitude with him. I'm going to say a lot of Percy Ray then. He sent them to hell in their shirt tails. The earth opened up and they fell into the fire. Cora, those men, their wives, their family, their animals, all descended into the pit. And that's the men of renown. Brother Keith, that was the men of power in the tribes, the men of renown, and they all went to hell, like an elevator going through a shaft. Boy, I'll come out of Egypt, didn't I? If I've got to live from Pharaoh. God delivered the whole nation. That doesn't mean they had faith in their heart. In the wilderness, God swore in his wrath, they will not enter in his arrest. Listen, listen to this. Here it is, here's the children of Israel. This is these Hebrew people in the church. They had the gospel preached unto them, but it did not profit them because of their unbelief and their disobedience. It was not mixed by faith. Listen to verse number two. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them. But the word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Chapter four, verse three, for which have believed to enter into rest, if we have said, as I've sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Only believers can enter into God's rest. Dear people, their unbelief, their disobedience, their so angered God, he got red hot in rage and in anger. He said, no one of them will enter into my rest because they had all that light. They seen all those miracles and they wanted to stone Moses. People who want to stone God's men ain't saved. Right. that all these experiences, they chose not to believe in the face of overwhelming evidence. People don't go to hell for lack of evidence. I'm gonna say it again. They go out of the wickedness of their heart. They go because they don't wanna give up their sin. They go because they won't yield to God. God swore he took an oath. In other words, God said, I'll cease to be God for I'll let one of them. Not the whole nation now, but those that insulted God in these situations, those. God is as done with them as a doctor is a dead man. That's what Dr. A used to say. You say, well, I still got a desire for God. Then God didn't give up on you. God didn't give up on you. You say, I don't want to be saved. I really do. Well, God didn't give up on you. That's God dealing with you. So, Brother Keith, they were enlightened in the sense of being exposed to God's ways, to the gospel. They had the gospel, the wilderness people had the gospel every time they killed an animal. The gospels preached unto them of substitutionary death. I gotta hurry. I'm sure I'm thinking, I knew this was gonna take a while. They are enlightened in the sense of being exposed to God's ways, God's word, God's gospel, they know. And then they tasted of the heavenly gift. Tasted it. They didn't partake of it, they tasted it. In the deliverance from Egypt physically, in their physical deliverance, God provided a way from heaven. The heavenly gift refers to the salvation of Christ himself. Probably in reference to that power, that early church power. Saul was so strong. They knew this was real and they would not believe. It looked like they did. They did intellectually, they didn't in the heart. Israel in the exodus corporately, here it is. That's what he's referring to. Before you get chapter six, you get chapter three and four. He has taken the children of Israel to explain chapter 6. Israel in the exodus corporately experienced the miraculous signs. They tasted of the heavenly gift, partakers of God. They saw the miracles in that momentous time. They tasted the good word of God, the promises of God, all that God had promised them. They experienced all that powerful worship. Man, and it was powerful. Don't ever doubt that, I mean powerful. So in the midst of all that, Now if they want to go back to dead, dried up Judaism, when you got the bread and you don't want to go back to eating dirt, this is insanity. It's the depravity of the heart. That's why God said, when they go back to apostasy, it is impossible. Now only God knows exactly who he's talking about there. I'm not qualified to say. But these apostates here are definitely, they tasted the powers of the world to come. Now look at the miracles Israel experienced. Walking through the Red Sea. God feeding them out of heaven every day. God giving them victory. God protecting them from that desert sun with the pillar of cloud. God protecting them by that freezing cold at night with a pillar of cloud by day. God performing all these miracles over and over again. Eyewitness to all this power. And they still missed it. You didn't know what Jesus said. He said at the judgment, Many will come to me in that day and say, Lord, Lord, did we not cast out devils? Did we not do many mighty works in your name? We cast out devils, we won multitudes to Christ to you. We saw multitudes, that's what they said, Christ didn't say that, they said that. Because these false preachers think they have all these converts. because they got no power to live for God. Christ didn't like that drunk come up to D.L. Moody on the street of Chicago and said, Mr. Moody, you saved me 10 years ago. D.L. Moody said, I must have it sure. Heaven and so Lord didn't. Christ said, you say, you say, you say, you say, you say, you say, you say, you say, you say. You cast out devils, you want all these souls. You say, you done all these mighty wonderful works. You say, I say, depart from me, I never at any time ever knew you. God, that's scary. He talks about the ground that drinks in the rain, the water. Symbolic of what? God's blessing. The Word of God. The work of the Holy Spirit is the rain. Revival. It bears a crop. It fulfills its purpose. It's blessed by God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it's not blessed by God. It's not blessed by God. It is worthless and nigh or close to being cursed and ending up being burned. This story fits Israel in the wilderness to the T. And that's exactly, God poured out the blessings of God on Israel in the wilderness. And what did they produce? Thorns and thistles. They were faithless, disobedient, threatening to go back to Egypt, would not listen to God's word, hated God's man. Are y'all understanding the comparison? He's comparing this wellness generation with these apostates. That in the light of all this power, partakers of the Holy Ghost saw the works of God, tasted the good word of God. In spite of all that, for the ages to come, they missed it with a wicked heart. but they participate in a corporate sense in God's blessings. Now they're tempted to return to Judaism. They fall away from Christ and go back with those that would crucify him again, and again, and again. If they found his body, if he hadn't resurrected, they'd probably buried him, then dug him up and burn half of him, and then dug him up again, burned the rest of him, and then dug him up again and burned his bones and crushed him to powder. That's the hatred they had. and you're gonna leave Christ and go back to that crowd of such animosity? No, a real Christian can't do that. I'm telling you, a real Christian can't do that. They can get out of God's will, a real Christian. They can go back to drinking beer. They can go back to smoking dope. They can go back to the world, but they can't stay out there. Just on and on and on, or this Bible is meaningless. They'll find in a hurry, buddy. They'll find in a hurry. Buddy, they're eating ashes. For them to do this, put them in a place of curse. Beloved, we're persuaded better things of you that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. Now folks, I know this is tormenting to you, because we got a whole lot of folks we really think are saved, but we probably really know are not. And it disturbs us because of what it means. That's what it means. You say, well, I know people that really serve God. So did Judas Iscariot. Did you know not one disciple thought it was him? Not one of them. Jesus told them, the one that takes the sop. and turns right around and gives it to Judas. And they got so much confidence in Judas, brother Mike, they don't believe it still. Because they got so much confidence in Judas Iscariot. He is the man with the bag, the treasure. So I'm convinced, dear people, these verses we're talking about do not refer to true believers. They refer to those who have apostatized from the true faith and went back to Judaism. So verse four through six do not apply to genuine believers. They're like Balaam. When Balaam was confronted, He repented, but not unto salvation. When Judas Iscariot was confronted with his sin, he felt remorse for betraying Christ. He even returned to silver, but it was not repentance unto salvation. Simon Peter condemned the apostates in 2 Peter. I'm about done. Verse 20, it just lets you come on, don't we? For if they have escaped the pollutions of this world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, For a while, daddy quit beating his wife. Daddy quit drinking liquor for a while because of the knowledge of Christ in the church. They escaped the pollution for a while. They are entangled therein and overcome. The latter is worse with them than the beginning. because it was all shallowness and not genuine faith. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they had known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. It has happened unto them again according to the true proverb, the dog, that's a male false prophet, the dog is returned to his own vomit, and the sow, that's a woman false prophet, that was washed through her wallowing in the mire. So I believe the author here is talking about false believers associated with God's blessings, God's blessings of salvation, who were not truly saved, who repudiated substantial light in doing so, rejected Christ, went back to Judaism, and now they can find no place for repentance, because when you deny Christ as the Savior, there is no salvation. It's dangerous to profess Christ and never have a lick of evidence, spiritual fruit in your life. You just make sure, friend, make sure you haven't been deceived. You say, well, you want me to say, yeah, you better search this out. You better search it way out. Boy, they just something about knowing God. And I'm talking to you about something dangerous about being saved and hurting your heart. Amen. True believers persevere in faith and obedience. Brother Keith, can you imagine giving up on Christ as the Savior? You can't. You could deny your name before you get everything. You can't do that. A Christian can't do that. You may not be living right, but you know who Jesus is. I guarantee you that. But we're not of them who draw back under perdition. but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." That doesn't just mean from hell, that means God delivers your soul. The saving of the soul happens every day when God's delivering you from things. Delivering your soul from guilt, delivering your soul from shame, delivers your soul from you embarrassing yourself. Salvation's not just a description of something that keeps you out of hell, it keeps you out of sin. Well, y'all go home and study that out. And I give you permission to help me see the light if I've interpreted this wrong. God, I've looked at this for 40 years. This is confusing. But I know one thing, I know what grace is. And I know God's talking to Hebrew professing believers who go back to Judaism. I know that. And I know God compares them to the wilderness and he compares some to ground that soaks in the rain and brings forth the fruit and others that don't take the rain. and they don't bring forth good fruit. They've just got thorns and thistles, which are worthless and useless. But Jenny, I hope that explained to you a little better. Amen, Melissa, what do you think? Amen. Thank you for asking. I love that. Makes me study. Makes me find out myself, because I ain't preached on that in years and years. Now you know why. But I believe, hallelujah, God's people will persevere. White man, old Chief George said, the white man, Abe Lincoln, brought us to Washington, D.C., put these big black hats on our heads and said, persevere, persevere. Outlaw Josie Wells, we are to persevere. Let's bow our heads. You know a lot of times people, listen, false professions I made, it wasn't my fault, because I done all I knew to do. You got to understand that. Sometimes people try to