Pressing on to Maturity: A Study in Hebrews 6

• 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.").