"GET ON THE RIGHT TRACK"
MF Blume
JANUARY 17, 1999 am
Hebr 5:12-6:2 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. For every one
that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is
a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age {of
full age: or, perfect}, [even] those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 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, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and
of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
The issue that is being spoken about in this
part of the Bible is coming to the end of the journey.
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It is a journey.
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We progress.
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It is not that you simply get saved and then wait
for Jesus to return.
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There is a whole lot more involved.
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There are others out there who would accept this
as much as you did if they only knew about it.
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So we have a job to do in letting them know.
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But there is also a growing process involved.
We are supposed to journey in this life.
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We learn more about Jesus and not just for the sake
of knowing more and having much knowledge, but for the sake of victory
in whatever we go through in this life.
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There is a goal for you to come to.
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After you are saved, before you die and get to Heaven,
there is an extremely powerful life you can enjoy in the Spirit.
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If all you do is throw everything over into Heaven,
and not know that there is this place in God in this life, then christianity
will be a pretty dull thing to you, and won't help you very much in practical
things of life.
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There are too many christians who start this life
and never come to realize that there is this place to grow into.
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Hebrews 4:9 says there is a rest we can enter into.
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The Bible speaks about joy unspeakable and full of
glory.
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If most were honest they would admit they do not
have that.
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If you look carefully at many believers' lives, you
would see the only thing different about them is that they go to church.
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There might be little things that really do not amount
to anything that are different, but when it comes to the important things
in life, like peace of mind, and strength in the hard times, most are no
different than the people in the world who have no God to hold on to.
There are many on the wrong track and do not even
know there is supposed to be a growing after they are saved.
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All that they know is how to be saved, and no more.
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That is good for sinners, but what about those already
saved?
The book of Hebrews was probably written by Paul,
so we will use him as the author.
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Paul said that we must go on unto perfection.
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Please understand he was writing about growing to
maturity and coming to this place.
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He spoke to people who were christians who were unskillful
in the word of God.
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They could not relate to some mighty things concerning
their salvation.
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They were on milk, spiritually speaking.
And he said they had to learn the principles again.
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The principles of the doctrine of Christ are things
you must become aware of if you want to come to this place of strength
in God and maturity.
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Principles are the word of the beginning of a thing.
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So they are the teaching of the beginning of the
doctrine of Christ.
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Things you must understand or else you will never
get anywhere in your christianity.
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So if you want to grow strong in your life, and get
the point of God's purpose for your life, then you must come to know these
principles.
Principles are the foundation of the Christian life.
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And if that christian life has the proper foundation,
then it can be built up to a mighty fortress.
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You can enjoy all the blessings that anybody could
ever enjoy if you have this foundation in your life.
You all want to know God more.
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That is why you are here.
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But let me warn you there is a devil who would not
like anything more than to sidetrack you and have you miss, or better still,
not even understand the goal God wants you to journey towards.
We spoke about the Past, how that Jesus WAS crucified,
and WAS buried and WAS resurrected, but that is not His PRESENT TESTIMONY.
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Presently He is seated above all powers.
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Absolutely nothing can dominate Him.
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And since we united with Him at the starting point
where everyone must unite with Him, His death, we shared everything He
experienced.
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We were crucified with Him. (Ro. 6:6)
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We were buried with Him. (Ro. 6:4)
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We were resurrected with Him. (Col. 2:12)
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And if we even faith to fully understand that we
share His testimony, then we will se that we are seated with Him above
all powers, and nothing can dominate us either.
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But if we cannot get that into our heads, then the
natural thing to do is simply be convinced we are not strong enough
to stand against whatever attacks our christianity and our peace of mind.
We have this power, but it takes understanding some
things before we can enjoy it.
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Otherwise it will seem only a philosophy and you
won't enjoy that power in everyday life where you face the real world with
real pressures and troubles.
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So let us understand these principles, build a proper
foundation for the chance for our lives to be built up high into the heights
of power in God.
God can use some of you right now, but you are not
fully aware of the principles enough to see what where you are seated.
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Repentance from dead works.
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The first thing you must understand is that God is
a live and this is a living thing.
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We must realize that we can never do a dead deed
to get anywhere with God.
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Deeds are things you do... activities.
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Most people are so far offbase at this very first
principle and that is why they never get anywhere.
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Nothing you can do by way of an action will get you
to Heaven, let alone spiritual maturity.
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People think that carrying the BIble around with
them somehow makes a power field all around them and the devil cannot touch
them.
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Like a cross around their neck that is supposed to
keep evil away.
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No deed you can do will help your spirituality.
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Jesus said that all the religious-sounding prayers,
so long and so dramatic, that the Pharisees spoke for people to hear were
simply like the outside of a tomb that was kept clean by the graveyard
janitor, while inside they were dead.
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God had the fruit of LIFE as the goal for Adam.
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The devil succeeded to get Adam and Eve to shirk
that and instead go to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
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And he made them fall into a spirit of death.
Actions do cause our spirituality to progress.
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Thinking that the Bible under our beds or a good
deed we do to a friend will keep the devil off our backs and make God bless
us is nothing more than a good luck charm.
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Wearing certain clothes to think that God will bless
us for that is superstitious nonsense.
The next principle shows us where we must direct
ourselves to:
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Turn from dead works and have FAITH TOWARDS GOD.
Hebr 11:6 But
without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him.
Not "a rewarder of them who do certain activities
or certain deeds."
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We seek GOD.
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Not a thing.
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But HIM.
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God is alive.
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He is a living being.
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And works and deeds are "dead things" that are not
alive.
The cherubim kept "the way of the tree of life" in
Gen 3:24.
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There is "a way" God has for people to walk in order
to get what He wants them to have.
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The people who think there is not much to this christian
life, after they think they tried everything christianity has to offer,
simply were blinded to this way of the tree of life.
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Few there be that find it.
Gene 3:24 So
he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims,
and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree
of life.
Since Adam was cast out from the sanctuary of the
tree of life, the way has been protected for men to return through one
day to get there again.
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But the same enemy who managed to dupe Adam into
being cast out is also the enemy that tries to keep us from finding the
true way.
Matt 7:13-16 Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because
strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or
figs of thistles?
Notice we read about false prophets who offer evil
fruit after we read that few can find the way that leads unto life.
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He uses the same fruit to keep us out as he used
to first get Adam out.
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It is a dead thing.
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Knowledge is not alive.
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It is just a thing of sorts.
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God wants us to have fruit of LIFE.
John 14:6 Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me.
The way of life is alive!
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It is Jesus!
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He is the goal -- LIFE -- Father.
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And He is the WAY to get to the Goal, -- SON.
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Notice that the proper understanding we need to be
fruitful christians is the following:
After Jesus speaks of Himself being the way, we read
in the next chapter:
John 15:1 I
am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
John 15:4 Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine,
ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
If Jesus is the LIVING WAY, then to get to God's
goal for us we must use this way.
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How do we use CHrist as the way to Life?
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Get connected to Him and like a vine, He pumps life
into you.
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And you start to live a life that is touched by heaven.
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Fruit grows from the branches because it is attached
to the vine that pumps life into it.
Notice what is also said about a branch that is put
onto a vine.
Roma 11:24 For
if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert
graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree...
We were branches grafted onto a good olive tree.
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That describes our salvation.
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The Good tree is Christ.
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Compare Romans 11 with John 15.
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And we came from a wild olive tree that was contrary
to the nature of the good one.
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But something happens to a wild olive branch that
is grafted to a good olive tree.
Roma 11:16 For
if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root
[be] holy, so [are] the branches.
The root of the good tree is holy.
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Christ is holy.
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And it makes us CHANGE to become HOLY over time.
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By nature we were wild.
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But Paul said that God took a wild branch and
put it on a holy tree that has a holy root, then the wild branch changes
and is said to be holy since the root is holy.
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The key is to ABIDE in the vine.
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ABIDE in Jesus.
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In other words, believe that your love for Him and
desire to melt into one single being with Him is the means of seeing your
life change.
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Change does not come from efforts to simply
do more good deeds and stop doing bad deeds.
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That is only a plan and a dead work.
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But the way IS ALIVE.
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STAY in Him.
Hebr 10:19-24 Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us,
through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And [having] an high priest
over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our
bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of [our]
faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;) And let us
consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
It is a living way.
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Have faith towards God.
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Turn your faith away from DEAD WORKS.
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You need faith in God.
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A living God.
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And they way is through the LIVING WAY.
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Jesus.
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Rituals and good deeds are dead works and dead ways.
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Repent means to turn, so we must turn our faith away
from dead works and turn it instead towards the living God.
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Faith is a living way.
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And since it is faith in union with Jesus Christ,
then it makes Jesus that "way."
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You want to grow, and the way to do it is to depend
upon Him to walk with you and actually give you courage in the storms of
life.
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Get so united to Him in your love for Him to allow
the thing to occur naturally.
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Fruit naturally grows from a branch if it sticks
to the vine.
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But all the efforts we take to make ourselves
better "Christians" only help others see God's glory.
Matt 5:14 Ye
are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Matt 5:16 Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.
You are the light of the world.
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You are attached to Jesus.
John 8:12 Then
spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
How can we be light if Jesus is light?
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We attach to Him and we actually become branches
for his light to come out of us.
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That is why God had them put a candlestick with six
branches coming from a stem in the temple.
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It shows how He is light and we are light.
Isai 53:2 For
he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out
of a dry ground:
How can a root that takes nutrients from the soil
around it for energy and food, grow up in a dry ground with no water and
nutrients?
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In order for a root to grow out of a dry ground,
that root has life in itself and needs no life from anybody else.
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And we are connected to Him.
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In a dry world where there is no life to offer you,
you can be alive in Jesus, since He has life in Himself.
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Stick to Him.
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Stay living in Him.
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Depend upon the simple fact that your connection
to Him when you were baptized into Him and received His Holy Ghost in you
is the way to come to this place of power.
He is like a rock in a desert that gives water when
there is no water anywhere nearby.
John 5:26 For
as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have
life in himself;
1Cor 10:4 And
did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual
Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
He does not need this world and it s resources.
As impossible as it looked for 3 million people
to leave Egypt and cross a dry wilderness for forty years to reach the
promised land, they made it because they had a rock in a weary place
and shelter and they fed from it..
Isai 32:1-2 Behold,
a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from
the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great
rock in a weary land.
Jesus is that man.
God became a man.
Get on the right track towards the Goal of God
for your life.
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You're on a journey, child of God.
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But the right track to the journey's end is found
in the principles and foundation points of Hebrews 6:102.
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We spent this service talking about the first two
principles.
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Without this understanding you will never reach maturity
or full age, or perfection.
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"Full age," in Hebrews 5:13, means perfect, or mature.
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"Perfect" here does not mean flawless.
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It simply means come to full age and maturity.
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God wants you to grow.
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And the only way to grow is to understand these foundation
principles.
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And once you have this foundation after you are saved,
you can be built up mighty and tall in Christ's Kingdom in full maturity!
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And, oh, what a life for Jesus you will have!!!!
Once again, turn from thinking dead works and deeds will cause you
to progress.
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Have a relationship with God.