Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews #30

Comparison of Hebrews 6 & 10

Fred R. Coulter—August 23, 2004

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Let's review Hebrews 10:26-27 just a bit and then we'll analyze them a little bit more and we'll carry forward with this concerning the unpardonable sin.

Those who believe in universal salvation, and those who believe that it doesn't matter what you do, you're going to receive salvation, this is the ultimate end-product of believing that you don't have to keep the laws and commandments of God. If you read Alan Knight's book Primitive Christianity in Crisis, you'll see the quotes he has from contemporary preachers who say that once you accept Christ, nothing can take you from Him. Then what they have to do is they have to avoid, or they would have a hard time explaining these Scriptures if they didn't avoid them. Here is one of the greatest evidences in the book of Hebrews that you must keep the commandments of God, and that does not take away from grace. {note sermon series on Grace of God and the booklet Grace of God in the Bible}

Hebrews 10:23: "Let us hold fast without wavering… [holding fast is part of endurance] …to the hope that we profess, for He Who promised is faithful."

I think we are entering into a time that we need to understand that there are going to be so many problems that are going to be unleashed in this world which are going to affect us one way or the other; that you always have to remember that

• God is true
• God is faithful
• God is love
• God is there regardless of the appearance of the circumstances

That's what we need to understand. In that, we need to ask God for understanding, and if it's a difficult proposition around us we need to ask God

• for faith
• for safety
• for help
• for grace and favor

in every one of these things.

I can just tell you right now that with the way the economics are going in the world and in America—not just America alone but in the world—there are going to be some tremendous upheavals that are bound to happen not too far down the road. What do I mean by that? Maybe in a year, a year and a half, two years, maybe three years at the most; because all this fiat money worldwide is eventually going to catch up with everybody.

The reason that crude oil prices are going up is because of partly the situation in the Middle East, partly because China is using about between 11-15% more oil than it has in the past, so that's pushing it up. OPEC has kept production in balance with the price and now there are disruptions in oil and demands on oil that no politician can control. So, there is a possibility that we could be looking at $3-4, maybe $5 a gallon not too far down the road. We need to think about that. Whether it happens immediately or over a shorter protracted period of time we don't know. But in all of these things we're also going to see at the same time—as we've seen with this new Bible As Good as New—an assault against the Word of God that is almost unprecedented.

By the way, there's another New Testament that I'm going to get—a new book: Extreme Faith Youth Bible: Contemporary English Version, which is as bad as Good As New. I think that one: As Good As New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures has got to be inspired by demons and really is a mocking of the Word of God. It's interesting that all of these are coming out of the United Kingdom. I don't know what's going on over there, but the place where the English Bible was established in England—after the work of William Tyndale and then the King James Version and so forth. Now we have all of these horrible, abominable translations coming out. We're living in times when everything is going to come under assault:

• the Word of God
• what we believe
• how we live
• what we eat
• where we go

Everything is going to come under assault, and if it hasn't yet, the stage is being set to do so. Just to give you an example: The FBI is now alerted to investigating Christian groups that are 'sleeper cells' of Islamic terrorists undercover. So, the door is open now to look at all Christian groups. It's going to come! That's why we have to apply v 23 very carefully.

Verse 24: "And let us be concerned about one another, and be stirring up one another unto love and good works." This is what we need to do, because we're living in a world that attacks and picks apart and tears down and also has an exalted knowledge, which may be right or wrong. What it does, it's creating a division within the world. Also it's creating where we're told 'because inequity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold.' It does affect people in the Church—it does affect us—and one of the ways it affects us is because so much of this is going on in the world and all of the things that we have experienced in the Church and out of the Church, we become very defensive, very critical, or we become very picky and this leads to difficulties among each other.

When we come together as it says in v 25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…" let's really make that a good and a special time and let's set aside all of the silliness that goes along with the world and all of the defensiveness that we have, and let's really strive to love one another and get along and improve that.

"…even as some are accustomed to do; but rather, encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (v 25). Of course, we are more than ever before seeing the day drawing near.

Now then, here is the warning v 26: "For if we willfully go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins." We are going to see that v 29 interprets v 26; these verses come together.

Verse 27: "But a terrifying expectation of inevitable judgment and of fierce fire, which will devour the adversaries of God. Consider this: anyone who rejects the Law of Moses dies without mercy under the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, as an unholy thing, and has scorned… [insulted] …the Spirit of grace?" (vs 26-29).

• You "…trample underfoot the Son of God…" (v 29)

It means you just discount Christ as an evil thing. And more and more we are seeing that attitude in the world. You can see how predetermined and premeditated that the unpardonable sin is, as we covered last time. It is absolutely premeditated, especially for those who have received the knowledge of the Truth. We're not talking about whether those in the world can commit the unpardonable sin, but we're talking about those within the Church who could commit the unpardonable sin because:

• they don't have the faith
• they've gone back on Christ
• they ridicule Christ

—all these things trampling Christ underfoot

• "…and has regarded the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, as an unholy thing…" (v 29). That's pretty powerful!
• "…has scorned [insulted] the Spirit of grace." (v 29).

A Comparison of Hebrew 6 and Hebrews 10

Description of the apostate

I don't know if I have met anyone who fills all of these things, yet—I have heard of some people who are probably getting close to it, I mean, that is those who have been in the Church. I've often wondered about translators of these abominable translations of the New Testament. I wonder what God's judgment is going to be upon them? I think if we read the last part of Revelation we can probably get a pretty good idea.

Heb. 6:6:

• "…fallen away…"
• "…crucifying the Son of God…"
• "…publicly holding Him in contempt."

Those are pretty strong words in comparison to:

Heb. 10: 26, 29:

• "…willfully go on sinning…"
• "…trampled underfoot the Son of God…"
• "…has regarded the blood of the covenant, with which He was sanctified, as an unholy thing…"
• "…has scorned the Spirit of grace"

Prior Experiences

Heb. 6:4: "…once enlightened…" You have the knowledge of the Truth.

v 4: "…personally obtained the heavenly gift…"

Which then is God personally applying the sacrifice of Christ to you for the forgiveness of sin which is the gift of forgiveness. That's what the Holy gift is. That's different from becoming partakers of the Holy Spirit.

Impossibility of Renewal

Heb. 6:4: "…became partakers of the Holy Spirit"

Have received the begettal that comes from God the Father. This also shows that there comes a point if someone having received the Holy Spirit and they reject it, then God will take His Spirit from them.

v 5: "…have tasted the good Word of God…"

That means: have understood it, have lived by it, have made it a part of them.

v 5: "and the powers of the world to come"

Now compared with:

Heb. 10:26: "…after receiving the knowledge of the Truth…"
That is a convicting knowledge of repentance and baptism, living by every Word of God and the different things that we have covered so far—the knowledge of the Truth.

v 29: "…has regarded the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified…"

This shows the point of no return. Now we are given an example of this in Heb. 12. Are there some people—we don't know how many, and we hope that it is the very, very few—that have gotten themselves in this predicament?

Hebrews 12:16: "Lest there be any fornicator…" We can look at this as spiritual fornication. This is telling us any fornicator—anyone who goes back into the system of Babylon the Great—because drinking out of the golden cup of mother Babylon is the sin.

"…or godless person, as Esau, who for one meal sold his birthright… [that's a pretty strong statement there] …because you also know that afterwards, when he wished to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; and he found no room for repentance, although he sought it earnestly with tears" (vs 16-17).

These strong warnings in the Bible—in the New Testament particularly—are given to show that the gift of eternal life

• through disobedience
• through sin
• through neglect
• through hardness of heart

can be lost!

When we come to the experience of the Laodicean Church, where they are vomited out because of their sins, let's understand that God always gives a warning! That's what the whole book of Hebrews is, it is a warning to all of those long-time brethren, especially back then, because they were still expecting the return of Christ within their lifetimes, and it wasn't happening, and especially to the Jews as well as those who were not Jews.

In 61A.D. when this was written, the problems were already coming up:

• When is He going to return?
• Why are we going through this?
• Why are we suffering this persecution?
• Why are things not going the way that we thought they would go?

Does that sound a little familiar? Yes!

• maybe what we believed was not true
• maybe the Scribes and Pharisees were right after all
• maybe this could not be the Son of God

Therefore, since these things didn't happen the way we thought, God must be wrong, or therefore, the promises of God cannot be true.'

That's why he goes through and it says in Heb. 6 that God cannot lie! That's why we are to look to God, not just to circumstances. The circumstances can change. The circumstances, as we view them, may be entirely different than we expect and the timing of them entirely different than we have anticipated.

In reading this I want you to project this out even a little further and let's remember that what Christ told the apostles, when Peter said concerning John, 'Well, what's going to happen to this one, Lord?' And Jesus said, 'What if I desire that he remain or live until I return? What is that to you? You go do what you're supposed to do.'

And you know by our experience. Those of you who have been in the Church a long time—from the 1972-75 syndrome and where it was said that this apostle of God would not die before Christ returned. That was just what men said about a certain man. Think what the disciples were believing coming up passed Jerusalem, passed the time it was destroyed, on into the latter part of John's life. I wonder how many brethren were there who were saying, 'Well, John's still alive, it's just around the corner.' That's why John was given the revelation that we have in the book of Revelation and was told to write it; which is a demonstration of a very important fact so that you keep your attitude correct.

• God's schedule is His
• God's schedule for you may be different than His schedule for the world

Therefore, we have to do the encouragement that we are told here:

• encouraging one another
• loving one another
• getting along with one another

Why is that so important? It's important because probably—and I know this is true in many cases—you can't get along with the world! If we can't get along with each other, what are we doing? We are bringing in too much of the world!

Heb. 10:26: "…there is no longer any sacrifice for sins"

What does that mean conscience wise? Something happens to the conscience and the conscience is what God gives to every human being as an inner-working thing that let's you know when you're doing wrong. You couple the conscience with the Holy Spirit of God. This is important to understand, because with the conscience and the Holy Spirit of God you're going to have many warnings internally and mentally and emotionally and never turn your heart, or your thoughts, or your back on the prompting of your conscience and the Holy Spirit within you. That's what has to happen for those who commit the unpardonable sin.

Then they come to the point as is described here in 1-Timothy 4:1: "Now, the Spirit tells us explicitly that in the latter times some shall apostatize from the faith, and shall follow deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons."

I tell you what, the world is full of doctrines of demons today. It's absolutely no coincidence that the heretical writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library in southern Egypt were discovered within two years of each other, and are now at the forefront of scholarly thinking in the theological circles, which are going to aim to destroy the Word of God once and for all. Satan wants to destroy the Word of God and to destroy it through corruption! So, there are those deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons that are doing so.

Verse 2: "Speaking lies in hypocrisy… [they know it] …their consciences having been cauterized with a hot iron." Most everyone has seen this, here is a small example of a cauterization: branding cattle or horses. You get the iron red-hot, you've got them all tied down and you burn them. That's permanent!

When the heart is cauterized with a hot iron—the hot iron of sin, the hot iron of doctrines of demons and deceiving spirits, and speaking lies in hypocrisy—then they are committing the unpardonable sin. Notice what comes out of that and this has its very roots in the church that is called today, the Roman Catholic Church.

We saw Pope John Paul II going to the shrine at Lourdes! I couldn't help thinking when I saw that: here are all these candles, all these idols and here he's dressed up in his miter and his golden robe and on a golden throne being wheeled up there, because he is so weak he can't walk. They were interviewing people and saying, 'Well, what do you think?' Oh, he's a 'holy' man. And one person said, when he does the sign of the cross, 'that's awesome!' I thought to myself, it's coming!

Verse 3: "Forbidding to marry…" Not only false doctrines and arrogating the prerogatives of God to themselves, but this is what's wrong with the priesthood.

"…and commanding to abstain from meats… [vegetarianism] …which God created to be received with thanksgiving by the faithful, even by those who know the Truth. For every creature of God designated for human consumption…" (vs 3-4)—because obviously every creature that God has created, God did not say is good for food!

"…is good, and nothing to be refused, if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer" (vs 4-5).
That gives us the interpretation for putting that into v 4 because it is sanctified—made Holy by the Word of God and prayer—and this has to be talking about what we call the Old Testament today. It tells you which meats are sanctified; it also tells you that vegetarianism, unless for specific health reasons, is not good. One major church that believes in vegetarianism, most especially the women, have to go to doctors to get B-12 shots because they're not getting the vitamins they need from meat. If a person has a health problem and they cannot eat meat that's another case.

What is one of the first things that we saw as a step to apostasy, which has now been fully completed in one of the largest Churches of God? The so-called new leader of the Church was seen in the Red Lobster eating lobster and shrimp, and someone in the church came by and saw him and said, 'You're eating unclean foods.' And he said, 'Well, I'm a Gentile' because he supposedly was Russian. First step! A little innocent thing you might say, but if you believe God and His Word, you will obey what God has said!

The whole point in all of this is that the first step in committing the unpardonable sin is a gradual, continuous breaking of the laws of God, the commandments of God. Then that gets into a willful, determined disobedience, like the phrase 'I'm a Gentile.' What does that have to do with anything? God requires the same of the Jews and the Gentiles! Isn't it profound that, that concerning clean and unclean meats follows this where it says of those who apostatize? Now granted, all of us at one time or another, I'm sure, have been sabotaged with some sort of unclean meat in the restaurant that we were eating in, and we didn't know that they were doing that. You're not going to die; you've not committed the unpardonable sin, but that will teach you a lesson—be more careful when you are eating out!

Heb. 6:4: "For it is impossible… [v 6]: to renew them again to repentance"

There are some people who are keeping Sunday and you can't renew them again to repentance, because they have experienced the Truth of keeping the Sabbath. By the way, it becomes very, very important that you separate the problems of men from the Truth of God.

• What do I mean by that?
• What if a minister goes wrong?
• Does that mean God is wrong? No!
• What if an individual brother or sister goes wrong? Does that mean God is wrong? No!

We found there in 1-Cor. where Paul had to say, 'You are carnal'; which in it he is saying you need to put aside your carnality and grow.

But I tell you what; anybody walking into the Church at Corinth was in for a treat at the zoo! They had one group over here saying, 'We're following Paul' and another group over here saying, 'We're following Peter'—probably the Jews out of the congregation who had been to Jerusalem and had seen Peter and James and so forth. Then you have another group over here saying, 'We're following Apollos, he's more educated; he is out of Alexandria.' Then we have another group over here saying, 'Oh you're all wrong; we're following Christ!' They were probably undoubtedly more correct to the Truth. Then you have another group over here saying, 'Well, we know an idol is nothing. so if we eat foods that have been sacrificed in a pagan temple, and we buy them out of their little local restaurant—which is an anteroom of the temple—we're still fine.'

Then you walk into services and not only do you have these groups, you have this: you have a group over here and they have Psalms; you have another group over here and they're speaking in tongues; you have another group over here that says, 'Oh, we're looking to miracles'; then you have another group over here saying, 'Well, I don't know about what the Apostle Paul is writing. There are some of these other apostles, these traveling apostles that have been visiting us who actually saw Christ. They're telling us a different story.'

If you came into a church like that you would think: How on earth could this be the Church of God? That was not only written for the problems then, but to show us the problems that would come into the Church at any time down through history so we'd know how to handle them.

What about grieving the Holy Spirit? That is obviously how God's Spirit works with you and your conscience to keep you from committing the unpardonable sin. Those who commit the unpardonable sin have had to bat that away, bat it away, bat it away, bat it away, over and over and over and over again to where they have no conscience left.

We'll see a flow and sequence of how things go and what Paul is talking about, Ephesians 4:22: "That concerning your former conduct, you put off the old man…" That's something we're continually to do. Rom. 7:

• we're still to be overcoming
• we're still to be changing
• we're still to be growing
• we're still fighting sin and temptation
• we're still fighting the effects of the law of sin and death in us

That's why we have this inner battle that's going on. People in the world who don't have the Holy Spirit of God don't have that battle, they just go along with whatever is there.
Ephesians 4:22: "…which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts; and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man, which according to God is created in righteousness and Holiness of the Truth" (vs 22-24).

That's why the Truth of God is so important, the Word of God is so important. That's why the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of Truth. The God who is the God of Truth sends the Spirit of Truth and has given His Word of Truth so that you can understand the Truth, so that this creating of the spiritual character within you can be accomplished.

Verse 25: "Therefore, let each one put away lies and speak the truth with his neighbor because we are members of one another. When you become angry, do not sin…. [there's a righteous indignation and there's a sinful indignation] …Do not let the sun go down on your anger" (vs 25-26).

As we know today, if you go to bed mad all the time, you're going to end up being mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally a wreck! Chances are you'll lose your health over time; it doesn't happen all at once. You can put in there: any problem that burdens your mind, pray about it and put it before God when you go to bed; don't take it to bed with you. If you do, you're going to toss, you're going to turn, it's going to run through your mind, and you won't get to sleep, all those things! God knew what He was talking about long before what we call psychologists ever came along to even tell us in secular words—don't do the same thing.

Verse 27 is key: "Neither give place to the devil." He is the one who is going to inspire the unpardonable sin, important to understand. Thoughts will come along as a temptation, which are actually inspired of Satan the devil or his agents. What do I mean by his agents?

• the media
• entertainment
• things in the world
  • television
  • radio
  • music
  • other people

Satan's got a lot of willing workers out there today. He doesn't have to be everywhere all the time because he can't be, but he's got so many working for him that he can guide and manipulate the ones at the top of his hierarchy and so the word goes out. 'Don't give place to the devil'—who works with what? What does Satan like to work with?

Galatians 5:14: "For the whole law is fulfilled in this commandment: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" That contains everything there, not only do good to your neighbor, but if you love your neighbor as yourself and you are loving God, then you're going to have a Godly character and Godly love toward your neighbor.

Verse 15: "But if you bite and devour one another, watch out lest you be consumed by one another. Now this I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (vs 15-16).

That's how you overcome lust and covetousness, by the Spirit of God and by the Word of God. It's a battle and it's something you have to work on all the time and it's something that is very important to realize as we are growing and overcoming and so forth.

This is something that we really need to exercise today. I was listening to the news and after the first cycle all they do is repeat it. So, you try to change stations and that doesn't work; you put on a tape and that doesn't work; you listen to the music and it's something you've heard a hundred times, and I finally said, 'Phooey!' I'm just going to drive without anything—any sound or music or noise. I got to thinking after I did that: we all need to ask ourselves: What is it that controls our mind? Do you control it with the Holy Spirit? with the Word of God? Remember this: Whatever occupies your thoughts is controlling your mind!

This was brought out very vividly when I saw a young kid, about 12 or 13, had his earphones plugged in and was walking around with his little CD with the rock music blasting into his head and he couldn't concentrate on anything else other than what was going into his head. What was he doing? Sitting there bobbing his head! Well, what was happening was that music was occupying and controlling his mind. He couldn't be decent; he couldn't talk to you; you couldn't reason with him and surely if you tried to tell him, 'Take those out and wrap it up and put it away. And by the way, I'm going to do you favor; I have a hammer in my right hand and I'm going to smash this thing so you can get your brain back together.' Hey, you would get called into court.

So remember this: Whatever you let occupy your mind controls your thoughts!

Proverbs 16:1[corrected]: "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, are from the LORD…. [the right one] …All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes…" (vs 1-2). In other words, everyone is going to think that whatever he is doing is right.

"…but the LORD weighs the spirits…. [the spirit of man] (Here is the solution; profound and important): "Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established" (vs 2-3). What does this also tell us? This also tells us that if you don't do this:

• if you don't control your mind
• if you don't control what goes into it

You're never going to have your thoughts established, or they will be established in the wrong way. So, if you have them established, there is a promise.

Let me just say this: If you have a problem and temptation mentally that keeps coming back to you, go to Prov. 16 when you are praying and read these verses; claim the promise of God! Ask Him for His Holy Spirit to establish your thoughts. This is what Paul was talking about there in Rom. 7.

Verse 4: "The LORD has made all for His own purpose; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though joined hand in hand, he shall not be unpunished" (vs 4-5).

This is talking about how we live in the world. We see all of this going on in the world. And lots of times you look at these things and a lot of people do this: How can God allow this? Well, God knows; He raises up the wicked for the day of the wicked.

Always remember this: Never say, 'How can God allow this,' but be thankful for what God has done in your life and know that sooner or later God will take care of it. It's all a part of faith and all a part of not letting yourself get into a mind or an attitude that begins to pull away from God.

The other part of v 3 is v 6: "By mercy and Truth iniquity is purged…" So, you have repentance, mercy and forgiveness, and Truth. And put in there, Psa. 51:

• God wants Truth in the inner parts
• Your Word is Truth
• the Holy Spirit is Truth

That's how you get your mind squared around living in the world that we are living in, even in the midst of seeing people going off and committing the unpardonable sin.

"…and by the fear of the LORD, men depart from evil" (v 6). There is a proper fear of God.

Galatians 5:16: "Now this I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh…. [use the Spirit of God to apply Prov. 16] …For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these things are opposed to each other, so that you cannot do those things you wish to do" (vs 16-17). Why does God allow that to continue once we've been converted?

• so that you can understand how bad sin is
• so that you can realize you need to overcome
• so that you can realize that it all has to come from God

You can put in there Rom. 7, the fight and the battle that we have, and as long as you are alive in the flesh you're going to have that.

Verse 18: "But if you are led by the Spirit… [that is by the Spirit of God] …you are not under works of law." In this case that means under, or subject to, the penalty of the Law.

Verse 19: "Now, the works of the flesh are manifest…" These are the things that Satan always uses. These are perfect receptors for Satan's missiles that he throws as 'prince of the power of the air' to tempt people.

"…which are these: adultery, fornication…" (v 19).

I mentioned before about going out through the checkout stand at the store and I was standing there and waiting and here's a grandmother and a daughter. They were looking at all these different magazines and so forth and I said to the grandmother, 'Do you suppose that these magazines are aimed at women?' Being older she said, 'Obviously, they're all there.' Yes! What are they filled with? Adultery, fornication! You take a good look at them again when you go through the checkout stand.

"…uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strifes, jealousies, indignations, contentions, divisions, sects, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such things as these; concerning which I am telling you beforehand, even as I have also said in the past, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God" (vs 19-21).

Then he gives the fruit of the Spirit, and it's really quite a miracle. I mean, think about this: the miracle of conversion! That's why only God can do it. You take something that previously was dedicated to the works of the flesh and you convert that so that the individual is going to become a son or daughter of God. That is an absolute miracle! I mean, think about that!

Let's also understand something that's profound—that's why God has the Last Great Day. He's going to prove and show that in spite of everything men have done and Satan has done, with the exception of those who have committed the unpardonable sin, God is going to save them! Now, that's something!

Verse 22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (vs 22-23).

The way that you avoid the unpardonable sin is to put away the works of the flesh, as we just read here, and put in the righteousness of Christ with the fruits of the Spirit. Notice how this is done:

Verse 24: "But those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts."

Note Luke 14, you have to carry your cross and forsake father, mother, brother, sister, children, lands, your own life also and take up your cross and follow Christ. That's what it means to take up the cross. What does this do? It shows that being a Christian is an active work on a daily basis—to grow, to change, to overcome!

• you have the greatest goal
• you have the greatest promises
• you have the greatest help in the world

and it all comes from God!

Verse 25: If we live by the Spirit, we should also be walking by the Spirit. We should not become vainglorious, provoking one another and envying one another" (vs 25-26).

With all of these things what I'm trying to do here is to see that there is a lot of encouragement, that there are a lot of steps that we can take to not commit the unpardonable sin. The Word of God gives us the warning not to commit it, and it does need to be preached, but it's not one of those things that should be preached every Sabbath, if you know what I mean. It's not to be used in a political sense for self-control to inflict fear upon people when it should not be.

Ephesians 4:27: "Neither give place to the devil." That's how you don't give place to the devil. If you are really having a struggle, you do exactly like Christ did, 'Satan be gone!' or 'Satan get you behind me!' And you do so in the name of Jesus Christ and they must obey.

Verse 28: "Let the one who stole, steal no more; rather, let him labor with his hands, working at what is good, so that he may impart something to the one who has need…. [rather than taking from him] …Do not let any corrupt communication come out of your mouth… [that's a goal we all need to strive for] …but that which is good and needful for edification that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not vex the Holy Spirit…." (vs 28-30).

What is he saying here? All of these things that we have covered which are sin and lust, works of the flesh! What do they do? They grieve the Holy Spirit! What happens when you grieve the Holy Spirit? God's Spirit and your conscience are going to prick your mind and your heart so that you're going to understand that what you're doing is wrong and sin. You may avoid it for a while, you may put it out of your mind, but it's going to become more intense as you go along and then something is going to happen which is going to bring it to your attention, because God is working with you, that what you have done or what you have been doing is not right.

Verse 30: "And do not vex the Holy Spirit of God by which you have been sealed for the day of redemption." How many people are boarder liners? What do I mean by that? They go as far as they can toward sin, yet not cross over the threshold of actually doing the act. Christ in Matt. 5, 6 and 7 talked about boarder-liners concerning: adultery, murder, hating your brother.

Verse 31 tells us here are other things that come along. Now listen, He is speaking to Christians! In the book of Ephesians, outside of Philippians, are perhaps what you might say are the most advanced Christians you'd want to find—those who've been in the Church quite a while, those who understand the plan of God and so forth. Now notice what he says, because these are things that can come back and trip you up.

Verse 31: "Let all bitterness, and indignation, and wrath, and clamor, and evil speaking be removed from you, together with all malice; and be kind and tenderhearted toward one another, forgiving one another, even as God has also in Christ forgiven you" (vs 31-32).

That's very important. We can go back and go through other verses which show if you don't forgive, you're not going to be forgiven, etc. etc. All of those things you can apply here with all of the verses, but this is how we can avoid committing the unpardonable sin.

Heb. 6:4: "For it is impossible…"
v 6: "…to renew them again unto repentance…"

They come to the point that it is impossible.

Heb. 10:26: "…there is no longer any sacrifice for sins"

Heb. 6: 8: "…being cursed…"

Put in there, Matt. 25, about those who are cursed go into the Lake of Fire.

Heb. 6:8 "…the end of which is for burning"

That's compared with:

Heb. 10:27: "…terrifying expectation of inevitable judgment…"

It may be delayed, as some people may count delay, but it is inevitable in that it's going to come.

v 27: "…fierce fire…"

And every time I read that, I can't help but in my own mind's eye think of a volcano where you're looking down into it and there's a boiling cauldron of lava—"…fierce fire…"

v 29: "…much worse punishment…" than sinning against Moses
v 31: "…a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the  living God"

This is what it's important for us to understand; let's understand this is going to happen.

Romans 14:8: "For if we live, we should live unto the Lord; and if we die, we should die unto the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." That's what we always need to keep in mind.

Verse 9: "It is for this very purpose that Christ both died and rose and is living again, so that He might be Lord over both the dead… [whom He is going to resurrect because He was resurrected] …and the living.Now then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ… [we are all going to do that] …because it is written, '"For as I live," says the Lord, "every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God"'" (vs 9-11).

Each one of us shall give an account of himself to God; remember that. In dealing with each other we also need to remember that not only are we not to be judging each other unto condemnation, but we also need to understand that if you see a problem or a difficulty, also know that God knows, and pray that God will help that person to overcome. This is important to understand, because God can change the mind of that individual through the power of His Spirit and circumstances in their lives and there can be a change.

I know that in dealing with people, that's why it's called one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is long-suffering, we've suffered long with some people over a long period of time, but the thing is this—if they are trying and growing and hopefully overcoming, there will come a day when a change is going to take place, and God is the One Who has done it.

Let's see that so we can draw a difference between a sin that is unto death and a sin that is not unto death. Sometimes in our own mind what we do is treat a sin and a problem that a person does—which is not a sin unto death; in other words, it can be repented of—as if it's the unpardonable sin and give them no space; when, in fact, God gives them space.

1-John 5:16: "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that is not unto death… [that means the unpardonable sin which is the second death] … he shall ask, and He will give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death; concerning that sin, I do not say that he should make any supplication to God."

There is a difference. Most of the sins that we are involved in, in our lives and are involved in, in the lives of brethren—which also impact our lives from time to time—are sins not unto death. Therefore, the command is to pray for them. If it's something that is very particular then you need to follow the instructions of Matt, 18, but there again it needs to be done in an attitude of humility and love and understanding.

To make it clear, he says in v 17: "All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death." But what we're taking about here in Hebrews and the unpardonable sin, is the sin unto death.

Comfort

After you have been severely corrected or warned in the Bible, the principle that God always gives is this: correction, next there needs to be repentance, and then comfort. Even when you go back and look at the prophets and look and see the tremendous thing that Ezekiel had to do; he had one of the most condemning ministries of all. Yet, when you go through all the blood, guts, gore, death, famine, plague, pestilence and upheaval, when you come to Ezek. 33, what does God say? He says, 'I don't have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that you would turn.' In other words, repent! 'Turn you, turn you, for why will you die?'

We have the same thing here in the book of Hebrews: this also shows the mind of God in inspiring the Old Testament and the New Testament in exactly the same pattern. You can also see this through the book of Proverbs and through the book of Psalms. In Proverbs, what do you have? You have good/evil almost in every verse, comparing the two. After giving all of the warnings concerning the unpardonable sin, then Paul was inspired to write encouragement and comfort.

• Basis

Heb. 6:9: "…we are persuaded of better things…"

NO! You don't want to commit the unpardonable sin do you? No! No!

Heb. 10:32: Appeal to "…remember the earlier days…"

• think about what it was like when God was first calling you
• think about what it was like when you first began to understand the Truth
• think what it was like when you were baptized and received the Holy Spirit
• think what a great relief it was to your mind to have all this sin lifted from you

Remember the earlier days.

• Past Experience as Christians

Heb. 6:10: "…work, and the labor of love…" God is not going to forget that.

v 10: "…have served the saints…" God is not going to forget that. Here is the parallel:

Heb. 10:32: "…endured much conflict in your sufferings…"

Think of what the Christians there in Judea went through. Almost from the get go they were suffering persecution up until you come to the martyrdom of Stephen. Stephen gives a good example of really having the Spirit of God and understanding how to handle evil in the face of death. He said, 'Lord, lay not this to their charge.'

v 33: "…companions of those who were enduring the same things"

v 34: "…showed compassion to me in my bonds… gladly endured the plunder of your possessions…"

What does that mean? They came along arrested them, threw them out of their homes and took everything they had!

Let me tell you an account we just got from Nigeria. We sent the books over there, the book The Day Jesus the Christ Died, and these were given to one of the brothers in a village that was quite a ways away. So, he took one box of books to take back to the brethren in his village and he was accosted by thieves and shot and left for dead. They stole the books. This is almost like the story of the priests and so forth where the man was left in the ditch and the only one who came and saved him was a Samaritan.

So, someone finally came and took him to the hospital. They took the bullets out of him and he is going to recover. But here in America and Canada and Australia and England, we're not confronted with those things, yet! But the day will come when we will be.

We need to understand that there are people who are going through things; there are people who are killed for the name of Christ, even if they have only the scantest knowledge of it, as we covered between the martyrdom of the saints and the martyrdom of those who profess the name of Christ, there is a difference between the two.

• Present Responsibility

We have already covered some of this in great detail; how to avoid the unpardonable sin.

Heb. 6:11: "…demonstrating the same diligence…"

v 12: "…be imitators of those with faith and steadfast endurance…"

What did Jesus say in Matt. 24? 'The one who endures to the end, the same shall be saved.' He said that in the midst of all the troubles and things that He enumerates there. We have been over that hundreds of times. Those words will be fulfilled; they will come to pass and we will see them in our lifetime. It's good that we are going through these things so we can be geared up for some of the things that are going to happen, because they are going to happen and that's what He is saying here.

Heb. 10:35: "do not cast away your confidence [boldness]…"

v 36: "…need to have endurance…"

There we have endurance in both. Steadfast endurance; need to have endurance.

• Incentive

Heb. 6:11: "…the full assurance of the hope until the end"

Because we know God cannot lie and God has given those things.

v 12: "…inherit the promises"

Now compared with:

Heb. 10:35: "…great reward.
v 36: "…may receive the promise"

Note book: From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born?

We have our existence from conception to birth in the womb; that's the first level of human existence and in there you were prepared for birth; you grow to a certain size and weight; that you practice all the things you are going to do when you are born, such as: sucking the thumb in the womb, reacting to things around you by sounds, by smiling, by yawning, by opening the eyes (though the little child can't see anything) and by moving the limbs in practice for being born.

Being born, you would have to say, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Yes! You don't remember anything of it. In order to be born your little old head goes squish together and is designed to do that way. When you are born and come out, you're all covered with this white grease, which protects you from becoming like a prune within your mother's womb in the amniotic fluid or the water. Then you have to do something you have never done before, you have to breathe!

Now then, you are ready for human life as a living, live human being. You have to grow. You start out with the mother's milk and all of this sort of thing and you grow and you're taught and you live your life and you finally come to conversion and changing, growing and overcoming, and you endure to death and you're put in the grave and await the resurrection—that's the second phase of life.

The third phase is going to be very like the first phase; that's why it's called born again. In the resurrection you're going to be born again, and you are going to do things that you have never ever done! Your first experience from the resurrection is going to be carried up by the angels to the Sea of Glass!

This is why when we are looking to the great reward and receiving the promise, that whenever you get 'down in the dumps' and way down, you've got to get your mind on the promises of the Word of God, of what it's going to be like to be a son or daughter of God. That's looking to the hope that is set before us!

That's why you have to put all of these sins and difficulties and problems and stress and trauma and everything we go through today, you've got to put that behind you day-by-day. You've got to have in the forefront of your mind:

• the hope of God
• the promises of God
• the eternal life that comes from God

—and that will see you through anything!If you do that, you don't have to worry about committing the unpardonable sin, you're not going to! You can have, as it says here:

• the full assurance of eternal life
• the full assurance of being in the Family of God!

That's why God inspires it to be: warning, encouragement, and comfort, so that we can have hope!

All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References

• Hebrews 10:23-29
• Hebrews 6:6
• Hebrews 10:26, 29
• Hebrews 6:4
• Hebrews 10:26, 29
• Hebrews 6:4-5
• Hebrews 10:26, 29
• Hebrews 12:16-17
• Hebrews 10:26
• 1Timothy 4:1-5
• Hebrews 6:4, 6
• Ephesians 4:22-27
• Galatians 5:14-16
• Proverbs 16:1-6
• Galatians 5:16-26
• Ephesians 4:27-32
• Hebrews 6:4, 6
• Hebrews 10:26
• Hebrews 6:8
• Hebrew 10:27, 29, 31
• Romans 14:8-11
• 1 John 5:16-17
• Hebrews 6:9
• Hebrews 10:32
• Hebrews 6:10
• Hebrews 10:32-34
• Hebrews 6:11-12
• Hebrews 10:35-36
• Hebrews 6:11-12
• Hebrews 10:35-36

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Romans 7
• Psalm 51
• Luke 14
• Matthew 5-7; 25; 18
• Ezekiel 33
• Matthew 24

Also Referenced:

Books:

• Primitive Christianity in Crisis by Alan Knight
• As Good as New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures (a new Bible version)

Extreme Faith Youth Bible: Contemporary English Version

• The Day Jesus The Christ Died by Fred R. Coulter
• From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? by Fred R. Coulter

Sermon Series: Grace of God
Booklet: Grace of God in the Bible

FRC/jea
Transcribed: 02/22/09
Formatted/Corrected: bo—January/2017