Let us go on to Perfection
Hebrews 6:1-2 “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.
Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgement.”
These verses follow a correction to the Christian Jews, who had failed to “go on”.
They were still viewing Christ as their Messiah, coming back to re-establish the traditions of the Law.
They were to “leave the word of the beginning of Christ”; or the ceremonial law, which had in it a repentance which had to be repeated….sacrifices which were repeated.
Or even for the baptism of John to repentance….for he said “believe on Him that comes after”.
They had not let go of the fundamental doctrines, which linked their ceremonial law to the fulfillment in Christian teaching.
The one leads to the other, but you must let go of one, when the other comes….and they had not.
Instead they clung to the old, as well as trying to hold on to the new.
But Paul tells them to “go on to perfection”.
And this is what we will deal with: Going on to perfection.
Someone has said, that this verse pictures us as a sailing ship in the current of the sea, and the wind of the air…..being pushed along under their power.
For a sailing ship, there are two things which stabilize and move the ship along…..the ballast, and the sails.
The ballast is the weight in the bottom of the ship which keeps it from being knocked about by the waves.
Which holds it in the sea, which for us, is the Will of God.
We need that weight.
1 Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
1 Timothy 6:18-19 “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate,
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
This ballast, then, is when we are established in the faith: we have surrendered to the Jesus as Lord of our life. It is a life open to and receptive to Him….all the time.
That gives us real weight in the storms of life…..in our troubles and in our joys. We neither ride too high, or sink too low. We are “settled” in our will….we will with God.
Then, the sails, which move the ship along,…..when they are filled with the wind.
Of course the “wind” is the Holy Spirit. He comes and blows on our sails, and we move forward….again and again.
The sails are our willingness to yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
The sails will get a breath of wind,….and at first they “flap about”,…not really doing anything to move forward…..but feeling the wind.
Then, as the sails open up to the wind….suddenly we are moving toward God’s goal.
And isn’t it true, that as we yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance,….our lives open up in light!
Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
1 John 2:20 “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”
(Unction means anointing for consecration)
So with the “ballast” of our surrender to Christ;….and the willingness to open up and yield to the Holy Spirit, in our “sails”……we move across the waters, to our Rest.
The Captain of our vessel is Christ Jesus:
Hebrews 2:10 “For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through sufferings.”
Our Captain has laid a course for us….through many waters.
But they are measured waters (Ezekiel 47:3-5).
Waters which He has passed through before, and given grace for us to pass through, now.
The Helmsman is navigating, looking to the Captain; and relaying all that He says, to us, about our course:
John 16:13 “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.”
Let us go on unto perfection!
Let us,…..as a ship under sail yields to the wind,….and is driven before it……..Yield to the Holy Spirit,……that He might bear us along to the accomplishing of Our Father’s Will….today.
Praising God for the privilege of being surrendered and settled; so that the storms of our life will not wreak us.
(Yes, they will get us wet….soaked at times; but not sink us.)
Psalm 17:5 “Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.”
Psalm 119:117 “Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto Thy statues continually.”
The writer to the Hebrews called all who had first begun to follow Christ….to go on….on to perfection, or the completing of the Will of God for them.
The call is for us, as well…..Go on with Christ….to complete all the Will of God for us.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 