When we choose not to grow, we do not just remain stagnant. We begin slowly drifting away. Our relationship with God needs to be current – not just “current” as in happening at the present time, but “current” as in a body of water MOVING FORWARD in a definite direction. God has a plan for us to be used for His purposes and we need to allow Him to refine us and make us into exactly who He created us to be. Listen to the write of Hebrew’s frustration with the complacency of the believers:

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. – Hebrews 5:11-14

Father, we stop right here and ask for you to reveal to us ANY way in which we may be guilty of what the writer of Hebrews is accusing the Jewish Christians. Have we become spiritually dull? Are we not listening to what you are saying? Are we comfortably stuck on “milk” when you are ready to MOVE US FORWARD into a deeper knowledge of you? Lord, help us to grow and become mature in our understanding. Train us to recognize the difference between right and wrong. May the study of your word be alive and active, sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. Expose our innermost thoughts and desires and refine us into a tool to be used by you (4:12).

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will MOVE FORWARD to further understanding. – Hebrews 6:1-3

There is no reason to turn away from God or lose hope in His promises. We can trust that what God promises is true and what He promises He will do. God promises He will condemn those who turn away from Him and reject the Son of God. But He also promises eternity to those who hold on to their faith and show endurance in all situations. You can be certain that what you hope for will come true when you fully put your trust in God!

For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened – those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come – and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, AS YOU STILL DO. Our great desire is that you will KEEP ON loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. THEN you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. – Hebrews 6:4-12

Hebrews gives us the example of the life of Abraham. God promised Abraham, “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number” (6:14). Abraham believed in God’s faithfulness and patiently waited for God to do as He had promised. Just like Abraham, we can be perfectly sure that God will not change His mind because it is impossible for God to lie (6:17-18).

Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (6:18b-20).

Jesus is our High Priest. That sounds like a great place to pick up on Monday morning!

Earlier this week, we talked about Peter’s second letter to the Church. Peter used that letter to warn the church of how important it was to grow in their relationship with God. He talked about the dangers of walking away from our relationship with God and back into sin, instead of taking steps of growth. The writer of Hebrews, who is unknown, gives the same warning. He speaks not only of willfully walking away, but also of slowly DRIFTING AWAY.

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may DRIFT AWAY from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? And God confirmed this message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose. – Hebrews 2:1-4

Why would the writer take such effort to get the attention of his listeners regarding DRIFTING AWAY from their faith? He was writing to the Jewish believers, the Israelites who had a history of being fickle in their faith. Look at the entire Old Testament. It is full of the history of a nation who, although chosen by God to be His people, over and over again waivered in their obedience and loyalty to God. They would sing His praises in one generation and then worship idols and false gods in another generation. They would be content with God’s provisions and then they would grumble against God’s plan.

There were false teachers stirring up trouble in the early Church and the Jewish believers were in danger of doing exactly what their ancestors had done – turning their eyes away from the truth and letting new ideas confuse their theology. They were in danger of DRIFTING AWAY from the truth. False teachers were creating this idea that believers needed to pray to angels in order to access God. They were teaching that Jesus was an angel – the highest ranking angel. The writer of Hebrews dispels this crazy idea by revealing who Jesus is.

This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” God also said, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.” – Hebrews 1:4-5

And here is where the writer of Hebrews helps us understand exactly how Jesus death on a cross changed everything. He explains the plan of salvation and how the sacrifice of God’s Son, not an angel but fully human while being fully God, enables us to be His children.

Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. – Hebrews 2:9b-11

So now that you understand WHO you are – that you are brothers and sisters who belong to God and for whom God is preparing an eternal home (3:1) – understand that God calls you to be faithful. Just as Jesus was faithful and Moses was faithful, we need to remain faithful and grow instead of being deceived by sin and hardened against God. We need to stand firm in our faith instead of DRIFTING AWAY.

Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we KEEEP our courage and REMAIN confident in our hope in Christ.

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, TURNING YOU AWAY from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. – Hebrews 3:5-8,12-14

Precious Father, thank you so much for the privilege of being called a “child of God”. Thank you for having a plan to save us out of our sin into your perfect plan for our lives. Our hearts desire to draw near to you and stay in a wonderful relationship with you. Please forgive us for our moments of drifting away or placing our focus on the philosophies of this world instead of your eternal truth. Help us to grow in our faith today. Today, when we hear your voice, we choose not to harden our hearts as Israel did – we choose to draw closer to you instead of drifting away.

“…through the Son he created the universe” – Hebrews 1:2b. The writer of Hebrews preaches an incredible sermon in the first four chapters. I love the flow of these four very powerful points he makes.

1. Jesus participated in the creation of the world therefore, He is our Creator.

He also says to the Son,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands” (1:10).

But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise that the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God (3:3-4).

2. Jesus, who created flesh and blood, became flesh and blood so that He could die for our sins and set us free from death. So not only is He our Creator, He is our Savior!

Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (2:14-15).

Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people (2:16-17).

3. Because He was human, experiencing suffering and temptations like we do, He is able to understand our weaknesses. How perfect, then, that He would be our High Priest!

Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested (2:18).

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will RECEIVE HIS MERCY, and we will FIND GRACE TO HELP us when we need it most (4:14-16).

4. Just as He shared in our sufferings, He generously gives us the opportunity to share in everything that belongs to Him – to enter into His rest.

But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ (3:6).

For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ (3:14).

For only we who believe can enter his rest…

“Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” – Hebrew 4:3a,6-7

God’s rest is not something we can earn by our own efforts but is a result of our faith in God and our trust in Him – that we believe He created us, became flesh for us, died for us and rose to life for us.

For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from THEIR labors, just as God did after creating the world (4:10a).

God, we praise you for sending your Son to radiate your own glory and to be an expression of your character (1:3)! Jesus, we thank you for your willingness to become a man for your guilty creation. We do not deserve what you have done for us but, by your grace (2:9), you died for us anyhow. Christ Jesus, you have displayed your love for us and your understanding. You have set an example that we do not have to sin – that we can face temptations and suffering yet win the battle through the same strength of God you used to remain without sin.

God, we thank you for your word we have the privilege of studying this morning. Your words are alive and powerful – sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from you, God. Everything is naked and exposed before your eyes. You, oh God, hold us accountable (4:12-13).

Precious God, we lay it all out before you this morning knowing that you understand our weaknesses and have extended your mercy and grace to help us when we need it the most. Thank you for this kind of love – for this kind of grace! We give today to you – our creator and our savior! Today, we choose to hear your voice and rest in you! Amen.

Peter spends the rest of his second letter warning the believers. The first chapter talked about growing in our relationship with God. The next two chapters talk about the dangers of walking away from our relationship with God and back into sin, instead of taking steps of growth.

Peter starts by warning them against false teachers who would slander the truth, making up clever lies in order to obtain money from unknowing believers (2:1-3). This is one way we could be led away from God’s truth rather than growing in the knowledge of Him. Then we begin to let sin slip into our lives instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to produce holiness.

Consider the stories from the Old Testament we grew up learning about. God did not tolerate sin then and He doesn’t now.
– God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:4).
– Consider Noah. God protected Noah and his family but did not spare those around him who were living in sin. They were destroyed by the flood (2:5).
– Consider Lot. He lived in a city surrounded by shameful immorality of wicked people. Instead of joining in the sin, Lot was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. God rescued Lot while making an example of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, showing this is what will happen to ungodly people (2:6-8).

God will judge those who follow their own twisted sexual desires (2:10).
God will judge those who despise authority (2:10).
God will judge the proud and the arrogant (2:11).
God will judge the false teachers who delight in deception and indulge in evil pleasures, committing adultery with their eyes and luring unstable people into sin (2:12-14).

You are a slave to whatever controls you. – 2 Peter 2:19b

That is a powerful statement. The false teachers Peter was talking about had been believers at one time but had wandered off the right road. For them, the love of money was what began to control them. They then became arrogant and boastful, bragging about themselves. Next came twisted sexual desires, which they tried to use to lure others into this lifestyle of deception. They promised it would bring freedom – the freedom to do what you want and live as you would like. It’s your right! But there is no freedom in sin and they became slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.

And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.” – 2 Peter 2:20-22

Peter reminds us of how God destroyed the wickedness of the world with a flood and how the day is coming when He will use fire to destroy ungodly people. The day is coming, even though it seems to us like God is taking his time to judge the sin. 2 Peter 3:9 is one of my favorite verses about this wonderful God who spends time with me each morning over a cup of my morning coffee. This reveals His heart.

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. – 2 Peter 3:8-9

Peter wraps up his letter with words of encouragement. He has described what happens when we grow in our relationship with God vs. what happens when we let sin control us. Peter also explained how we can grow in our knowledge of God – by coming to Him, by responding to His promises, and by experiencing Him. It’s our choice now. What will we choose?

And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen. – 2 Peter 3:14-15a, 17b-18

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you GROW in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. – 2 Peter 1:2

What a great blessing to start out our week. This is why I pour a cup of my morning coffee each day and sit down to spend time with God. I desire to grow in my knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. This morning I noticed in the first chapter of Peter’s second letter three different ways to GROW in our knowledge of Him.

By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by COMING TO KNOW HIM, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. – 2 Peter 1:3

The first way to grow in our knowledge of God is obvious – by coming to know him. When we come to God, intentionally spending time in His word and bringing every detail of our life to Him, we grow closer to Him. Our understanding of this Almighty God increases each day as we soak in His Scriptures and pray to Him. Daily we GROW in our relationship with God.

And because of HIS glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to RESPOND TO GOD’S PROMISES. – 2 Peter 1:4-5

So a second way to grow in our knowledge of God is to respond to His promises. God promises that He has given us everything we need to live a godly life. Because He is a glorious God and an excellent God, He is able to promise us the possibility of a godly life. He makes it possible by enabling us to share in His divine nature, with which we can escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. So when our human desires say to sin and the world is pulling us to sin, God promises that He has given us the ability to choose holiness – to respond to the Spirit instead of to the sinful nature.

But we still have to RESPOND to His promises. We have to accept the gift given. By His grace, we can grow in our knowledge of Him and, in response, claim His promises. Peter explains how this growth takes place and what it looks like.

Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. DO THESE THINGS AND YOU WILL NEVER FALL AWAY. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 4b-11

A third way Peter mentions we can GROW in our knowledge of God is through experiences. He spoke of his own eyewitness account of the Transfiguration of Jesus and then how that experience increased his confidence in the message of Jesus Christ (v. 16-18).

Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place – until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. – 2 Peter 1:19-21

Because of His grace, we are able to come TO Him, respond to His promises, and grow from our experience OF Him. In all of this, we grow in our knowledge of who He is – not just because we understand what we are reading, but because we are experiencing Him firsthand. He fills us with His Holy Spirit and begins to speak through us!

WOW! I love God’s plan of redemption. It’s about so much more than the forgiveness of my sins. It’s about a relationship – a growing process that produces godly living and magnificent experiences! So, I wake up each morning and pour myself a cup of coffee. Then I sit down with my God and His word – the words that are LIKE A LAMP SHINING in a dark place. And then I experience Him; I experience Christ the Morning Star shining in my heart. And I GROW…by grace…through faith…coming to Him…claiming His promises…and daily experiencing Him! Praise God!!!