Hebrews 6:1-3
The Christian Curriculum (2)
The writer of the book of Hebrews was making a point in these verses.
The point is that believers must learn some basic truths of Bible
and then move on to more advanced truths.
The book we are reading from this morning, was written to Jews who
were in a hard place. Many of them were being convinced that Jesus
was their long awaited Messiah, but to accept Him meant they would be
cast out of Judaism, rejected by their family, and persecuted by
their government. For that reason, many would not accept Jesus as
their Messiah and worse, some who had were considering renouncing
Jesus.
The writer of this book wrote to the Jews to urge them to continue
onward in their faith and not to revisit truths they already knew to
be true. He mentioned six doctrines in particular and calls them
"principle" or beginner doctrines. So these are doctrines that we as
mature believers should understand, have settled, and be moving
beyond.
We looked at the first three last week. This week, let’s see the
fourth beginner doctrine.
IV. We should believe and live the doctrine of laying on hands.
A. There is some confusion of this doctrine.
1. The doctrine of laying on of hands will take a longer to
discuss than the first three because there is more
confusion about that doctrine in the true church.
a. The reason for the confusion is that this doctrine
brushes up against the doctrine of the Holy Ghost and
many saved people have different views on the Holy
Ghost.
b. A lot of Baptists are scared to death of the Holy
Ghost.
(1) They think everything that has to do with the
Holy Ghost is charismatic.
(2) It isn’t.
c. So let’s go a little deeper this morning.
2. First, let me be clear that the truths of the laying on of
hands has nothing to do with salvation.
a. We are saved by repentance and faith and that is all.
b. Laying on of hands has to do with three doctrines that
are very close to one another.
(1) Dedication - The Christian deciding he/she wants
to give themselves to Christ.
(2) Consecration - The Christian changing their
lives so that they can give themselves to
Christ.
(3) Sanctification - The Holy Spirit taking the
Christians and setting him/her apart for His
service.
3. In fact, if you will look at the six doctrines mentioned
in these three verses, you will see they are doctrines
that guide you through the Christian life.
a. First, we—especially the religious Jews—must learn
that there are no works—including keeping the Law—
that can save. We must turn from such dead works.
b. Second, we must turn to God in faith, and specifically
His work of salvation through Jesus Christ.
c. Third, we must be baptized into the Holy Ghost, that
is saved. That baptism is a work we cannot see but
at or about that time, we should also demonstrate
that unseen baptism with a water baptism.
d. Fourth, we should seek the constant filling of the
Holy Ghost by surrendering ourselves daily to Him.
e. Fifth, we should understand and look for the
resurrections of the dead.
f. Last, we should understand and prepare for judgment to
come.
B. History
1. The act of laying on hands is not a New Testament
doctrine.
2. It was practiced much more in the Old Testament than in
the New.
3. To lay on the hands was to cleanse oneself of sin and to
prepare to worship God.
a. \\#Lev 1:4\\ Laying on of hands was done with the
burnt offering.
(1) The Burnt Offering was the consecration offering.
(2) It had nothing to do with dealing with sin but
with totally surrendering oneself to God.
b. \\#Lev 8:14,17,22\\ The sons of Aaron when being set
apart for service as high priests, laid their hands
on the head of their sin offering.
(1) Here the laying on of hands was symbolic of God
taking their sins and placing them on the
sacrifice, but it was being done to prepare them
for God’s service.
(2) If the laying on of hands was practiced with
every burnt and sin offering, it was done
hundreds or thousands of times daily in the Old
Testament.
(3) So to the Jew, the laying on of hands symbolized
being made clean, prepared for worship and
service to God.
4. Along the same lines, in \\#Num 27:23, Deut 34:9\\ Moses
shared the Spirit of wisdom and authority with Joshua to
prepare him for his service to God.
5. In the New Testament, laying on of hands meant more
things.
a. \\#Matt 19:15\\ Jesus laid hands on children, We are
not told why but no healing or special anointing is
mentioned. Most suppose it was Jesus imparting a
spiritual blessing, God’s good will, on this
children.
b. \\#Luke 4:40\\ Jesus laid His hands on a person to
give healing to him.
c. \\#Acts 8:17\\ Peter and others shared the Holy Ghost
with other Christians by praying and laying their
hands on them.
(1) This is the first time the Holy Ghost was
imparted to another by the laying on of hands.
(2) We only know of the laying on of hands to receive
the Holy Ghost happening here and
\\#Acts 19:6\\.
(3) There may be one of two others passages where
laying on hands MAY have happened with the
coming of the Holy Ghost, but these are the only
two where I know it happened.
d. \\#1Tim 4:14\\ Paul reminded Timothy how God equipped
Timothy for the ministry at the time that hands were
laid on him.
6. In the Bible, the primary use of laying on of hands was
not to receive the Holy Ghost but to be cleansed and
sanctified for service.
7. The laying on of hands is a Biblical practice that the
church should be practicing today.
a. Our church will do this on September 17 when we ordain
our new deacon, Bro. Leroy Humphrey, to his position
as a deacon.
b. However, I am not sure that we should not be coming to
the altar every service, seeking God’s cleansing and
sanctification.
C. False notions about the Holy Ghost and the laying on of hands.
1. Some believe that to have the Holy Ghost and to be filled
with the Holy Ghost are the same thing.
a. There is a difference in having the PERSON of the
Holy Ghost and being filled with the Holy Ghost.
Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among
you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business.
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Ga 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also
walk in the Spirit.
b. Just because you have the PERSON of the Holy Ghost
does not mean you are filled with the PRESENCE of the
Holy Ghost.
(1) You only get the Person of the Holy Ghost once.
(2) I am not referring to getting more of the Holy
Ghost.
(a) That is a charismatic belief.
(b) The Holy Ghost does not come in pieces.
(c) He is a Person.
(d) You can have a person and not have the
presence of that person. (Marriage, cell
phones)
(3) The Holy Ghost’s stays with you but His presence
can come and go and for most Christians, He is
long gone.
(4) Christians need to be filled with the presence of
the Holy Spirit of God.
c. The false believe that Christians do not need to seek
to be filled with the Holy Ghost is the reason we are
so bereft of power today.
(1) I often say that if you get the presence of the
Holy Spirit you will get His power, His peace,
His provision, His purpose, and all the other of
His gifts.
(2) However, the reverse is also true. Without His
presence you will not have His power, His peace,
His provision, His purpose, and all the other of
His gifts.
2. Some believe that the Bible teaches that one who has the
Holy Spirit must lay hands on new Christians for them to
have the Holy Spirit.
a. That is not true.
b. While it did happen that way a few times in the Bible,
it is no longer true.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell
in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Ga 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent
forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father.
(1) The book of Acts is a book of transition.
(2) It went…
(a) …from having no church to having a church.
(b) …from having no Holy Spirit to having the
Holy Spirit.
(c) …from the Holy Spirit coming to those who
had hands laid on them to coming to all
believers.
c. The fact that God gave the Holy Ghost a few times
when hands were laid upon someone does not negate
the bigger teaching in the Bible.
d. The laying of hands has always pictured cleansing and
equipping the people of God for worship and service.
3. Some believe that the Bible teaches Christians need to
have hands laid on them to be filled with the Holy Ghost.
a. I do not believe that is true either.
b. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy from his
mother’s womb \\#Lu 1:15\\.
c. The first coming of the Holy Ghost involved no laying
on of hands at all but people praying, seeking God,
emptying themselves of self.
d. And that is the truth of being filled with the Holy
Ghost.
(1) To be filled, a Christian must empty himself of
self.
(2) No laying on of hands can accomplish that.
(3) The Christian must do that for himself.
(4) This is the reason God gave the command to the
Christian to be filled not to the preacher to
fill your congregation.
Eph 5:18 … be filled with the Spirit.
e. I will go a step further.
(1) The sign that you are filled with the Holy Ghost
is not that you speak in an unknown tongue.
(2) It is that you live a holy, pure life of service
for God—accomplishing something for Jesus.
Friend, this is not deep stuff. This is the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, the beginner school of the Christian curriculum.
We need to cleanse ourselves of sin and sanctify ourselves for
service. This is what the doctrine of laying on of hands is about.
And it is not just for the preacher, it is for the people of God.
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