No Greater Love Than His
  • In The Son of His Love--a blog
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  • Relational Theology 101
  • Mystery of Godliness I Tim. 3:16
  • Galatians- Learning to Rest
  • The Body of Christ
  • Romans 1:16-17 The Gospel
  • Ephesians, the Father's adopted family
  • Prevailing Intercession-Henry Law
    • Psalm 2 Henry Law
  • A Practical Study of Hebrews
  • Satan's Hatred of Women
  • Quotes from old authors
  • John Welch on Romans 8:1
  • Topical Analysis of the Bible
  • LEARNING TO LIVE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
  • The Kingdom of God in Christ
    • The Kingdom Foretold
    • The King and His Kingdom Come
    • The Kingdom in its Biblical Context
    • The Kings introduction-the wild man and the real man
    • The Ultimate Test of the Father's Word-The Temptation
    • The Goal of the Kingdom Conquest
    • The Blessed of the Kingdom
    • Blessed are they that mourn
    • Blessed are the meek
    • Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
    • Blessed are the Merciful
    • Blessed are the Pure in Heart
    • The Blessed of the Kingdom are the Salt & Light of the World
    • Kingdom Righteousness
    • Sermon on the mount-Getting the Law Right
    • Restoring God's Most Reflective Relationship
    • Being Sons and Daughters of the Heavenly Father
    • Understanding our Lord's Father Context
    • Breathing Pure Air in a Polluted World
    • Living in the Presence of the Secret Benefactor
    • What Serving God Looks Like
    • Self Righteous need not apply, but beggars can't be losers
    • Final Warnings From Our King
  • Audio Studies
    • Audio & Outline--On Spiritual Gifts
    • From the Futility of the Human Mind-to the Mind of Christ
    • Audio Study: I Corinthians 6:1-11
    • AUDIO-Waiting On God
    • Audio-Gospel of John
    • AUDIO-A Relational Discussion of the Holy Spirit
    • Audio-Studies on the Sermon on the mount
  • From Death to Life
  • All Creation Groans
  • Traveling down the ladder of self knowledge
  • Zions' hymn
  • Power in Weakness
  • What's In A Name?
  • The Heavenly Father's Pity/Spurgeon
  • On Affliction
  • Christ Our Intercessor
  • Spurgeon's Dream
  • Sitting at the Feet of Jesus
  • Stomping Among Lillies
  • The More Excellent Way
  • All Creation Sings Praise to the God of Heaven and Earth
  • The Lord of Heaven and Earth, the Ruler of the Nations
  • From Captivity to God's plan for peace, a future, and an eternal hope
  • Man Looks on the Outward Appearance, but the Lord of Hosts Looks upon the Heart
  • The Earth is the Lord's
  • The earth is the Lords
  • A Wedding Meditation-The Gospel Mystery
  • Be Strong in the Lord
  • The Girdle of Truth
  • Having feet shod with Gospel of Peace
  • Shield of Faith
  • Helmet of Salvation
  • Praying with all prayer & supplication
  • Sword of the Spirit
  • A Wedding Meditation
  • The Power of the Gospel is the Resurrection
  • What is this Mystery
  • A letter of encouragement to faith
  • Great is Mystery Part 3
  • The Mystery of Godliness part 4
  • Mystery of Godliness part 5
  • Seen of angels part 2
  • Preached among the nations
  • Great is Mystery of Godliness Part 8
  • Mystery of Godliness part 9
  • Great is mystery of Godliness part 10
  • A Father's Hand--on Affliction
  • Great is mystery of Godliness part 11
  • Mystery of Godliness part 12
  • Great is mystery of Godliness part 13
  • Great is mystery of Godliness part 14
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 1
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 2
  • It is the Power of God
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 4
  • Christ, the Glorious Hybrid of God
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 5
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 6
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 7
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 8
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part
  • Romans 1:16-17 Part 9
  • Romans 1:16-17 Pt 11
  • The Necessity of the Body of Christ
  • The Perfection of the Body of Chhrist
  • The Role of the Holy Spirit
  • The Application of Body II Pet 1:1-4
  • application of body of Christ #3
  • Practical application body #4
  • Part 5 The application of the body
  • Application of body of Christ #6
  • The Application of the Body #7
  • application of body of christ #8
  • Application of body of Christ #9
  • application of body of Christ #10
  • The Kingdom of God
  • Galatians 1:1-6
  • Galatians 1:6-9
  • Abraham's Gospel-Melchizedek
  • cutting the covenant
  • The Mark of the Covenant
  • Gospel to Abraham-resurrection
  • Galatians 1:10-17
  • Galatians 1:18-2:10
  • Galatians 2:11-21
  • Galatians 3:1-9
  • Beholding the Glory of God
  • Intro to Gospel of Abraham
  • Melchizedek Gen. 14:18-20
  • Melchizedek #2
  • God's cutting the Covenant
  • Mark of the Covenant
Beware of Dullness of Hearing
Hebrews 5:10-14

The Context of the Warning:
            1.  Hebrews (nor any other book in the Bible for that matter) is not about fixing our stuff here so we can live comfortably in this fallen world.  It is about holding fast our confession firm unto the end and God's Gracious means to that end.  2:2, 3:6, 12-14, 4:1, 14, 10:23
            2.  That Gracious Means is the ministry of our Great High Priest, Christ Jesus Whose qualifications the author has carefully laid out for us.  He is fully God (chap. 1), He is fully man (chap 2),  He has entered into our need and distress, and made full propitiation for our sins.(2:14-18, 4:14-16)  His goal is to bring us into the complete Rest of God's sufficiency  by the mediation of His Righteousness and Satisfaction, using His written Word by the Holy Spirit as His continual "change agent".  (4:9-13)

The Problem:
            1.  The author's hearers were dull of hearing—this is not the same as "hard of hearing."  He wants to expand further their understanding of their Great High Priest, for their greater assurance of holding fast their confession, but they do not have ears to hear it.  Jer 5:19-24, Ez 12:2, Zech 7:9-12.  Our Lord's "Who has ears to hear, let him hear".  Mt 11:15, 13:9, 15, Acts 28:23-28—the seal of Jewish unbelief.  Dull hearing is a symptom of a hardening heart, or at least a divided heart!
            2.  Dull hearing has nothing to do with lack of intelligence or limited information.  "In the things of God, a tender conscience and a surrendered will are more that the highest intellect." (Andrew Murray)  Matt 11:25-26

The disturbing implication of 5:6-12:
            1.  Everything the author has said to this point is milk!!!  Where does that leave us?  Do we think we have been dealing in "high doctrine"?  The author says it is milk, the first principles of the oracles of God!  To quote Andrew Murray again, "Spiritual truth can only be received by the spiritual mind, by a heart that sacrifices this world for the knowledge and enjoyment of the Unseen One.  They (the Hebrews) were content with their knowledge of the crucified Christ; but the Heavenly Christ, and His power to draw them up out of the world, and to give heaven into their hearts, had but little attraction."  To limit our understanding of our Saviors' atonement to His work on the cross, as absolutely essential, glorious, and complete as it is, without an equal "considering of His High Priestly ministry of intercessory salvation (Heb 3:1, 7:24-25) is to live our lives in immaturity.

The key phrase of spiritual maturity:  "The Word of Righteousness".  Vs  13
            1.  Isa 46:12-13  "Listen to Me you stubborn hearted (dull of hearing), Who are far from righteousness:   I bring My Righteousness near, My salvation shall not be far off:   My salvation shall not linger.  I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My Glory."
            2  Rom 1:16-17  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes…for in it the Righteousness of God (apart from the law) is revealed from faith to faith (from milk to meat): as it is written, The Just shall live by faith".

Simply put:
            1.  As chapter 6 will reveal, the Hebrews were dabbling in legalism, the attempts to please God with the former religious duties, or a remaining in the foundational truths of the gospel.  It's like gaining entrance to a glorious mansion, but spending your life in the hallway!
            2  The growing dependence upon the Word of Righteousness leads us to constantly pray Heb 4:14-16, to growingly live in the truth that our Jesus is the only Righteousness, the only Man that the Father is or ever will be pleased with.  And Praise God, I have been chosen IN Him, I have been accepted by the Holy God IN the Beloved, I have been gathered together IN Christ, I have been created IN Christ, and I am Complete IN Him.  (Ephesians and Colossians)

Spiritual maturity is basking in Who Christ is, not trying to change who I was or am or wish I was.  Feast on the meat, the Body and Blood of Jesus, ever before the Father declaring you the Righteousness of God in Him.  Be at rest, God is!  John 6:53-58, Hebrews 4:9-10