Hebrews 5:11-14
The Three-Group Message
For the sake of tonight’s message, let us say the world is divided
into three groups:
1. The Saved - Those who have chosen Jesus as their Savior.
2. The Lost - Those who have rejected Jesus as their Savior.
3. Those in the Middle - Those who have not decided yet.
Of course we know that everyone who is in the middle is actually part
of the 2nd group. They are lost, but for the sake of tonight’s
message—and to help us understand the book of Hebrews—let’s say
the world is divided into three groups.
Now these groups are not just figments of my imagination. Most Bible
preachers preach to all three of these groups.
1. To the saved, we encourage you to stay faithful, to finish the
race, to complete your course.
2. To the lost, we announce that it is not too late. As long as
there is life and breath there is hope. Repent and be saved.
3. To those in the middle, we warn that you cannot straddle the
fence. You must decide for Christ, repent, and be saved.
Not only do preachers preach to these three groups, but the author of
Hebrews did as well. In fact, perhaps more than any other writer,
this writer wrote to those in the middle.
Why? Because Jews were slow to decide to trust Jesus as their Savior.
Why? Several reasons:
1. Because the nation rejected Jesus, violently. You can see
that by the cross. They also rejected violently Jews who
trusted Jesus as their Savior. They stoned Stephen. They
persecuted Paul.
2. Not only did the Jews run the risk of violence from their
country men, they would be put out of the Temple. That was
determined before Jesus was crucified. This was major to the
Jews because their religion was not just a Sabbath Day event.
It was woven into the very fabric of the lives, their
culture, and their decision making—as it should be for every
Christian.
3. It was against Roman law to be a Christian. Herod killed John
the Baptist. Pilate killed Jesus. Herod killed the Apostle
James. And ultimately, the emperor executed the Apostle
Paul.
With all of this, we might can understand why it often took Jews time
to move out of the middle.
But here we have a problem. The book of Hebrews is a three-group
book, but today it is read mostly be two-group people. Most people
today just look at the world as saved or lost. That is
understandable, but this book is a three-group book.
When two-group people read this three group book, they often think
the author was saying things to Christians that he was actually
saying to the group in the middle. For example, when the writer tells
them that they are in danger of falling away, they conclude that
Christians can fall away from salvation and be lost.
Two Questions:
1. How do we know Christians cannot fall away from Christ and be
lost? Because of what the remainder of the Bible says!
2. How do we know who the writer was talking about? Listen to what
he says.
To that end, let’s look at a message this writer gives to each of the
three groups:
I. To the saved, you’re not listening.
Hebrews 5:11 Of whom we have many things to say,
and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of
hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be
teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of
God; and are become such as have need of milk,
and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in
the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of
full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil.
A. To whom is the writer speaking?
1. Look at what he writes.
2. He was speaking to those who were being taught and should
be teaching the Word of God.
3. That's not the lost nor those in the middle.
4. That would be the saved.
B. But the writer rebukes them - they are dull of hearing.
1. To be dull of hearing means the people are not listening
anymore.
2. Sadly, not listening is a common affliction of most
people.
3. The question that has been floating around Facebook is a
good one. It goes something like,
a. "Concerning ears on men, do they really work or are
they just there for looks?"
b. I’ve asked Kathy to quit posting that question, but
she keeps doing it.
c. The answer is neither. Ears are on men’s heads to
keep our caps from falling down too far.
4. The writer of this book was wondering the same thing about
the Jewish people to whom he was writing.
C. How did he know they were not listening?
1. Because they weren’t growing.
a. \\#12\\ By this time, they should have been teaching
the Word of God; but instead, they needed to be re-
taught.
b. That sounds pretty blunt. It is, but it is also true.
c. Christians aren’t supposed to be babes in Christ
forever.
d. Just as every infant and toddler are always pushing to
learn and to do new things, so the babe in Christ
should.
e. If all a Christian wants to do is sit and listen to a
sermon—which would be a great improvement for many
Christians—then they aren’t growing and are dull of
hearing.
2. How do babes in Christ grow?
Hebrews 5:14 …by reason of use have their
senese exercised to discern both good and
evil.
a. They exercise their spiritual senses.
b. What does that mean?
(1) Start discerning between the good and the evil.
(2) If you want to grow, trying using your newly-born
spiritual nature to figure out what is good and
bad, right and wrong, spiritual and carnal.
(3) And when you figure it out, stay away from the
evil and run toward the good.
3. The writer actually addressed this elsewhere.
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;
not laying again the foundation of repentance
from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on
of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of
eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
II. To those in the middle, you are in danger. Danger of what?
A. Danger of drifting away.
Heb 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more
earnest heed to the things which we have heard,
lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast,
and every transgression and disobedience received
a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great
salvation….
1. How do I know this was written to those in the middle?
a. They are not lost in that they have rejected the
Savior, but they have not accepted Jesus because in
\\#3\\ the writer warns them about neglecting
salvation.
b. If you are saved, you did not neglect salvation. You
accepted it.
2. What is drifting away?
a. Drifting away is getting so caught up in the secular
world that you lose interest in the spiritual.
b. This doesn’t just happen to the lost. It happens to
the saved as well.
3. Why does it happen?
a. Because you cannot keep carnal people with spiritual
activities.
b. I like carnal activities: cook outs, games, contests
c. But unless you turn the church completely carnal,
those in the middle will drift away sooner or later.
d. There is a limited number of times an unsaved person
will come to church before he drifts away!
B. Danger of departing.
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in
any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God.
1. Again, to whom was the writer speaking?
a. These have NOT departed from God but they had not
believed on Him either.
b. The writer said it was possible that they had a heart
of UNBELIEF.
c. A believer cannot have a heard that does not believe.
d. He was talking to those who were in the middle.
2. These people don’t just drift away. They cut and run.
3. You can call them, invite them, visit them, but they
are done.
4. They may say that they are coming back, but they won’t—at
least not until a tragedy comes.
C. Danger of being disavowed.
1. That’s a fancy way of saying they dumped, ditched, or
discarded.
2. By whom? By the Holy Ghost.
3. Again, to whom was the writer speaking?
a. I believe he was speaking to those in the middle.
b. It is for certain the Holy Spirit does not discard His
own!
4. For those who stay in the middle for too long, it is
possible the Holy Ghost will tire of you putting Him off
just like He did in the days of Noah and might discard
you.
5. Here, the writer showed what might happen to those who
would not accept Jesus AFTER ALL the Holy Ghost did.
6. He started by listing four words we want to keep in mind,
but then he listed five things that the Holy Ghost had
done for those who were still in the Valley of Decision.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were
once enlightened…
7. Remember those first words, "it is impossible." We will
come back for them in a minute.
8. What did the Holy Ghost do for those who were in the
middle?
a. He enlightened them.
(1) "Enlightened" means to see the light or to
understand something.
(2) You can see the light (i.e. know who Jesus is and
even be convicted) and stay lost!
…and have tasted of the heavenly gift…
b. He gave them a taste of the heavenly gift.
(1) A taste is a sample.
(2) This term is used here and in all of the thoughts
of verse 5.
(3) In BC (Before Corona), you could walk through
some grocery stores on Friday evening and fill
up on food samples—without ever buying anything!
(4) You didn’t own the sample. You were just
testing it.
(5) Just because these people had learned enough,
been exposed enough, been convicted enough
to be saved, does mean that they are saved.
(6) They were just TASTING what God was offering
to them.
…and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost…
c. He made them partakers with Himself.
(1) Of all the phrases used, this one suggest
salvation more than any of the others.
(2) The word "partaker" means partnership.
(3) You may not agree, but I believe everyone is in
partnership with the Holy Ghost.
(4) \\#John 16:8\\ His part in the partnership is to
(a) Reprove, ours is to repent.
(b) Illuminate, ours is to obey.
(c) Draw us, our part is to accept Jesus.
(5) So one can be partaker of the Holy Ghost and
remain lost.
(6) Still, this is a phrase which indicates the Holy
Ghost has done a strong work on the unbeliever.
5 And have tasted the good word of God…
d. Again, He let them taste or sample the power of God’s
Word.
…and the powers of the world to come,
e. And He let them taste the power that will recreate a
sinless world.
4. But if you experience all of these things and then
walk away from God…
Heb 6:4 "It is impossible…"
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to
an open shame.
a. You will likely never be saved or even convicted
again.
b. I have seen people under such conviction of the Holy
Ghost that they sat and wept, and then rejected Him.
c. Afterward, they got cold to the things of God.
(1) They might still attend the church, but they do
not wept anymore.
(2) Some of them would not come back to church or
let me talk to them again.
(3) Why? The Convictor left them.
D. Understand that if you are in the middle, trying to straddle
an imaginary fence, you run the risk of drifting away from
God, departing from Him, or even being disavowed of Him.
III. To the lost, you are out of options.
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment
and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries.
A. To the third group, the ones who have rejected Jesus, the
writer has some solemn words: You are out of options.
1. This is not the saved.
2. And it is the ones who are still uncommitted.
3. These are the ones who have decided to reject Jesus.
a. Maybe they decided to reject Jesus because they feared
Rome.
b. Maybe they decided to reject Jesus because they did
not want to get cast out of the Temple.
c. Maybe they decided to reject Jesus because they
actually doubted who He was.
d. Whatever their reason, they were out of options.
B. \\#26\\ They are told there are no other sacrifices for sin.
1. Remember, the writer is writing to the Jews.
2. They are accustomed to having the Sin Offering, the
Trespass Offering, their Yom Kippur Offering; but all of
those offerings became obsolete the moment the Lamb of
God died.
3. That means they are gone. They will not help you now.
C. \\#27\\ All that remains is a fearful and fiery judgment.
D. Friend, as long as you have life and breath, it is not too
late. Turn to Jesus today.
Hebrews is the Three Group Book. It has a message to you no matter
where you are. My message is if you are lost, get saved. If you are
saved, get and stay right.
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