Practical Applications for Today • Cultivate relationships with other faithful churches; pray for them and receive their encouragement. • Prioritize church order: recognize, appoint, and submit to qualified leadership (elders/deacons). • Reject isolationist tendencies; pursue covenantal commitment for accountability, discipline, and growth. • Celebrate God's work beyond your local setting; let it strengthen your resolve and joy.

• Application: o A proper view of eternal judgment is critical. It must be seen as just as real and eternal as the promise of eternal life. o The pastor warns against modern-day versions of "elementary" or incorrect teaching, such as annihilationism (the belief that the wicked are simply destroyed and cease to exist after judgment). o This view diminishes the gravity of God's justice and the eternal consequences of sin. To move toward maturity is to hold a proper, biblical view of both eternal life for the believer and eternal judgment for the unrepentant.

• The Hebrew listeners were tempted to fall back on the Old Testament system as an end in itself. The pastor emphasized this is a misunderstanding of the Old Testament's purpose. • The Old Testament was never meant to be the final revelation; it was always pointing forward to the Messiah. As referenced in Hebrews 1:1-2, God spoke in many ways through the prophets, but has now spoken finally and fully in His Son. • The Apostles' Preaching: When the apostles like Peter and Paul preached, their primary text was the Old Testament. They showed how it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. On the road to Emmaus (Luke 24), Jesus Himself took the disciples through the Old Testament Scriptures to show how they all pointed to Him. • The Veiled Glory: The Old Testament was like a bride with a veil. The beauty and truth were always there, but veiled. In Christ, the veil is lifted, and we see the full glory of God's plan of redemption. • Application: To press on to maturity means we must not abandon the Old Testament, but read it through the lens of Christ's fulfillment. To do away with the Old Testament is to lose the full picture of God's redemptive glory. Conclusion and Prayer The pastor concluded by emphasizing the danger highlighted in Hebrews 6: some in the audience may not have truly believed in the first place. Their unwillingness to grow and mature in Christ was a sign that their hearts had not been changed. The ability and desire to "press on" is itself a gift of God's grace, as stated in Hebrews 6:3 ("And this we will do, if God permits.").

o The church must lead with alertness, firm faith, manly courage, and strength, always expressed in love. o Resist cultural pressures that erase distinctions; uphold biblical categories and virtues without apology. 1. Be on the alert: recognize real spiritual enemies and reject carelessness, indifference, and sloth. 2. Stand firm in the faith: anchor your stability in God's unchanging promises and Christ's commands. 3. Act like men: embrace courageous, mature, unflinching spiritual resolve—applicable to all believers. 4. Be strong: put spiritual strength into visible, obedient action against sin and for the gospel. 5. Do everything in love: practice truth-filled, restorative love that urges believers toward holiness.

From these commendations, the pastor drew three concluding observations about the nature of the Christian life: 1. There is no such thing as Christian individualism. Not even the Apostle Paul was an island. We are part of a body and are meant to live and serve together. 2. There is no such thing as Christian isolationism. The idea that one can follow Christ better by isolating from other believers is unbiblical. We need each other for accountability, encouragement, and effective ministry. 3. There is no such thing as a Christian who only has ideals. Christian ideals must have "legs"; they must be worked out practically in our daily lives. Paul commends these individuals because the ideals of the gospel were being lived out through them.

Key Points 1. Spiritual infancy persists when believers remain on "milk" and do not train their senses by constant use of God's Word. 2. Maturity requires anchoring in the person and work of Christ, building upon foundational doctrines without abandoning them. 3. Discernment between good and evil is central and formed by consistent engagement with Scripture. 4. Works-based righteousness is evil; Christ's righteousness is comprehensive and sufficient. 5. Do not forsake the assembly—Lord's Day worship is good and necessary for God's people. 6. God's wisdom is revealed in the church; covenant worship is the ongoing context for growth and blessing.

What This Teaches Us About God • God opens and directs ministry doors: o He providentially orders timing, place, and opportunity for Kingdom work. o Effective service often coexists with opposition; God sustains His servants amid adversaries (1 Corinthians 16:9; Acts 19). • God's providence guides ministry over time: o Clarity often emerges progressively (1 Corinthians 4:19; James 4:13–15). • God cares for the whole Church: o His heart is for both established congregations and fledgling plants. o He works through faithful teaching, strengthening existing believers, and planting new churches (Acts 18:23; Acts 19:9–10; Acts 20:31). • God is sovereign, purposeful, and wise: o His eternal plan and purpose encompass all places and times, advancing the Gospel for His glory (Romans 8–11). • God works all things for the ultimate good of those who love Him: o Even delays, changes, or hardships serve the believer's eternal good (Romans 8–11).

Bible Study in the book of Hebrews: Pressing On to Maturity in Christ ________________________________________ Sermon Summary: Pressing On to Maturity Introduction & Prayer The sermon begins with a reading of Hebrews 5:12-6:3. Hebrews 5:12-6:3: "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits." The opening prayer asks God for strength for those who are sick and battling difficulties, acknowledging human dependence on God's providence. The prayer concludes with a request for the congregation to grow in maturity in the truth of God's Word and in their life in Christ. The Danger of Stagnation • Recap from last week: The pastor revisits the previous discussion on the "dullness" of the Hebrew listeners. They had become "muffled in their hearing." • This spiritual dullness led them to a point of stagnation. They should have been mature enough to teach others, but instead, they needed to be re-taught the basics. • Analogy of Stagnant Water: A stagnant body of water may have growth, but it's often unhealthy

Brother Wright concludes with four points of application, encouraging the congregation to rejoice in these truths. 1. Rejoice, dear saint, God has saved you. Remember that your salvation is God's work, not yours. It is the joy of His salvation (Psalm 51:12). Suffering is the journey, not the end. 2. Rejoice, dear saint, God has loved you. God loves you not because of any quality in you, but because it is His nature and His good pleasure to love you. 3. Rejoice, dear saint, because God will keep you. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that will deliver you safely into God's presence. A future, complete salvation awaits where we will receive glorified bodies. 4. Rejoice, dear saint, your inheritance is sure. It is certain because Jesus is not dead; He is alive and reigning. He is our greatest reward. In conclusion, suffering is not our enemy. It is the forge God uses to make us more like Christ, and in that process, we discover the depth of His love for us.

As the church, we are the "holy nation" of God established by this New Covenant. We have not come to the terrifying Mount Sinai of the law, but to the welcoming Mount Zion, to Jesus, the mediator of a better covenant. We are called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Therefore, we can praise Him who loved us, freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us a kingdom. As citizens of this heavenly nation, we are called to live as light-bearers in the world, calling others to enter this glorious kingdom.