Focal Point

Pastor Mike Fabarez: You come to church, you're going to learn a lot. You come to church, you're going to see the world through a lens and a perspective of biblical truth, and you're going to see the light bulbs pop on in your head. You can either say that, or you can say this: I am a new man in Christ. The old man's dead. That's different. Non-Christians can come to church and have lots of new insights, but a real Christian has a new mind in Christ.

Dave Druey: If you want to know who is a true follower of Jesus, don't look for indications in church attendance, verse memorization, or even how much someone knows about Christ. Today on Focal Point, Pastor Mike Fabarez opens the book of Hebrews to find that faith in Christ is not evidenced by a one-time meeting at an altar, but in a consistent and life-changing relationship. Pastor Mike will illustrate exactly what this looks like in today's message, Watching Out for the Pacifying Benefits of Dating Christ.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Take your Bibles, if you haven't already, and turn to Hebrews chapter 6, which is a passage that is concerned with the danger of being in this period of knowing something about Christ and even experiencing the benefits of Christ, but never getting to the place of biblical repentance and faith. And it happens all the time.

Verse 4: For those who have once been enlightened—five things—who've tasted the heavenly gift, who've shared in the Holy Spirit, who've tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, it is impossible for those, verse 6, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance because to their loss, they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Then he gives an analogy in verse 7: Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it, that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But the land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed, and in the end, the analogy finishes, it will be burned. And he says, even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case.

We learned in chapter 3 and elsewhere in scripture that the proof of real conversion is longevity in the faith. We've just given a few examples, but you and I can probably think of people in our own life who we've watched associate with Christianity. They've had a Bible, they've got their name on the front of a Bible, they've been to Sunday school, they've learned verses, but no genuine conversion. Beware of that, because the possibility is that you and I could experience a lot in the community of the redeemed and never truly be redeemed.

Luke chapter 8, verse 13 is one of the synoptic reports and records of Jesus and the four soils. The sower and the soils, remember that? He describes the rocky soil this way: The seed goes out and it falls on the soil in the rocky places, and here's how Jesus in verse 13 of Luke 8 describes it. He says on the rocks are the ones who believe the word of God and they receive it with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe, but only for a while, Jesus said, because in a time of testing, they fall away.

Which leads me to a second passage I want you to jot down: 1 Peter chapter 1. This one we can turn to. Once you jot down verses 6 and 7, turn there with me. 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 6 and 7. Jesus said, now remember Peter was there listening to the parable of the soils, so Jesus taught this and Peter heard it, and he knew what he said. He's going to pick up on this phrase, "in a time of testing."

Peter elaborates on it. He says, here's what the time of testing is all about. It’s a time of difficulty, a time of trial, a time of struggle, it’s a time of pain. 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 6 says, in this you greatly rejoice. In what? In this great inheritance that’s coming for us, reserved in heaven for us, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of—what’s the word?—trials. What’s a trial? Another word for trial is a test.

These have come so that your faith may be proved genuine. You have a faith that when put under pressure is tested. And Jesus said if it’s tested and it fails, it’s not real. If it’s tested and it doesn’t fail, and it endures beyond the test, then guess what? It’s real. And it will produce all kinds of praise and glory when Christ returns.

Third passage I want you to jot down: 2 Corinthians chapter 13 should be something we periodically revisit in our personal lives, and that is that we subject ourselves to some evaluation. Paul put it this way, verse number 5: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Are you in it? Is it real? Next phrase: Test yourselves.

He says, now do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you unless, of course, you fail the test? You’d better be analyzing yourself to see whether you’re really in. Not in the doors of the church, but in the faith. How’s the test? Back to the words of Jesus: Luke chapter 8, they believe for a while. Now what happens if they believe for a while and then they bail out? What does the scripture say?

The passage I’ve quoted already in our study of the third chapter of Hebrews, 1 John chapter 2, verse 19. And you don’t need to turn there because you remember this one, don’t you? They went out from us, but they really didn’t belong to us. Had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their going out showed that none of them belonged to us.

What’s the point? The bailout, the temporary faith, the apostates, to put it in theological terms, proved they never had the genuine article to start with. Therefore, we look at a passage that lists five things that happened to someone who’s associated with the community of the redeemed and we say we’d better test ourselves. Are these the genuine article or the plastic fruit?

Let’s take a look at them. Verses 4 and 5 in Hebrews chapter 6, we’re going to consider the difference. We’re going to take the phrase, each one of them, and we’re going to say, how can this be a temporary, phony, less than biblical Christianity experience, and then what’s the real article look like?

First phrase is this, verse number 4: Who have once been enlightened. They’ve been enlightened. The word, it’s an analogy of light. They’ve stepped into the light. They have something new going on up here. They’re enlightened. Their minds are enlightened.

Now there’s a difference. You can date Christ and have a level of enlightenment. You can be a part of the community of the redeemed and you know what’s going to happen? You will have some enlightenment. I put it this way. Here’s what one person could say who’s dating Christ and it would be true: I have some new insights. I’m going to church now and, you know what, I’m starting to understand some things. This is better than Tony Robbins and this is better than the self-help section of the Barnes & Noble. I’m starting to get it now. This is enlightening.

I know some things now that are really changing the way I relate to my wife, and how I’m parenting my kids, and the business ethics at work. And, wow, it’s really changing things. You come to church, you're going to learn a lot. You come to church, you're going to interact with the truth. You come to church, you're going to see the world through a lens and a perspective of biblical truth, and you're going to see the light bulbs pop on in your head.

You can do all of that, though, and never be converted. Because if you’re really converted, that enlightenment’s not going to be "I have some new insights." You can either say that or you can say this: I’m a new person. I’m a new person. It’s not that I have some new insights; I’ve got a new brain now. As Paul said, I am a new man now. I am a new creature. To go back to our Sunday school memory verses, 2 Corinthians 5:17, if any person’s in Christ, he is a new creation. Brand new.

Not that I've got some new thoughts, I've got some new perspectives, I've got some new ideas and insights. No, I've got a new mind now. Now, the center of our emotions in Western culture is the heart, but in Eastern culture and in Old Testament motifs and even in Roman motifs in the New Testament, the heart is the center of my thinking. And the scripture promised in passages like Ezekiel 11. Let’s turn to that one. We’ve got time. Ezekiel chapter 11.

God says he’s going to give us that new heart. He’s going to change who we are, the fabric of our being. Paul called it a new man, a new person. I am a new man in Christ; the old man’s dead. That’s different. Now non-Christians can come to church and have lots of new insights, but a real Christian is a new person. They have a new mind in Christ.

Ezekiel 11, verse 19. Look at this: I will give them—this is very insightful—an undivided heart. Now here’s the thing. You’ve got an undivided heart before you come to church, right? I mean, if you don’t have a granny that’s trying to pound biblical stuff into your head, you’re out there in the world, just a normal person. You’re not undivided; you’re living for yourself and everything’s cool.

Problem is you come to church and you know what happens? Now all of a sudden you’re feeling guilty about things you didn’t before, you’re being pressed to do things you weren’t before, and now all of a sudden you’re divided. And God looks at the community of the redeemed, he’s talking about Israel here after the captivity bringing them back, and he says I’m going to give them an undivided heart and I’m going to put a new spirit in them.

New spirit, big S or small S in your English translations? Small S. I think that’s probably accurate. We’re talking about "I’m a new person." Paul said a new man, a new creation. Galatians chapter 6, verse 15: a new creation. That’s what matters. Am I a new creation?

And he says I'm going to put a new spirit in you. And I'm going to—guess what?—remove the old hardware, remove the heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. And they will follow my decrees and they'll be careful to keep my laws, and they will be my people and I will be their God. Different heart.

I mean, you can put new programs on your old computer, right? Or you can get a brand-new motherboard and a brand-new operating system and you can keep putting those same new programs on there. Problem is there’s a lot of conflict trying to put the new programs on the old computer. And the Bible says it ain’t about that. And people come to church all the time, got the old motherboard, the old hardware, to use a very modern 21st-century analogy here, and just keep piling on all those new great programs.

They won’t work real well, but you’ll get them. I mean, some stuff’s going to help. Problem is you’re trying to work off the old platform. You need a new platform. All you Mac guys are going, "Yeah, you need a Macintosh, what you need." That’d be a good analogy, but I don’t have a Mac, so. Do you get the difference here? You can be enlightened and people are in church all the time, but what we need is a new mind in Christ, a new heart, a new person.

Secondly, he says back in Hebrews 6, not only are people once enlightened and then bail out, but they’re also people who have—look at this—tasted the heavenly gift. Tasted the heavenly gift. In the syntax and grammar of this, it makes the focus on the generosity of heaven. Heaven-sent generosity coming down from God. Nothing specified here, nothing specific, but God’s gift, his generosity coming toward you.

Let’s put it this way: People can come to church and they’re in the community of the redeemed and they start getting what I say, what I call here, blessings. And they start to say, I have some new blessings now in my life. I have some new blessings. Now notice this: In the world, there’s something we call in theology common grace. Because were it not for common grace, there’d be nothing happening on this planet but bad, right?

But God sends what’s called common grace. He allows people to enjoy sunsets and full stomachs and carne asada burritos and all kinds of things that they can enjoy, even though they’re sinners and bound for God’s wrath one day. They get to enjoy that because of common grace. You step into the community of the redeemed, you start going to small group, you come here to church every Sunday, you’re going to have common grace on steroids. A lot of common grace. God is going to step it up for you because you’re standing in the community of the redeemed.

It’s the difference between—I’ve got a son, my eight-year-old’s turning nine today. It’s his birthday, July 2nd. He’s going to have a party tomorrow, but it’s going to be a Mike Fabarez party. It won’t be a Bill Gates party, right? Those are different parties, I can assure you.

Now here’s the thing. I throw a party for my son John and he experiences that party, and that’s all good and fine. But let’s just say he connects with Bill Gates's kids, which I don’t even know if he has any, but if he does, how old they are, whatever. Let’s imagine he’s got an eight-year-old. My son gets to know on a chat room or something Bill Gates's son and they become friends. And Bill Gates's son says, "Hey John, you want to come up to my birthday party?"

And my son goes, "Yeah." Well, Dad’s going to send down the private jet, we’re going to pick you up Orange County Airport, we’re going to fly you up here to Seattle or wherever the guy lives, and you’re going to be able to, on the Gates estate, experience my nine-year-old birthday party. And you know what, my son is going to have a better time at his party than he’d ever had at his own party, because it’s going to be at Bill Gates's estate.

Now he’s going to get back and say, "Dad, I went to Joe Gates's party and, man, it was incredible. We had sparkling cider on the yacht, we bought a small country in the afternoon, we flew planes, whatever. We did amazing things. And at my party, we played GameCube, Dad. It wasn’t very good."

Now here’s the thing. You hang out at Bill Gates's kid’s birthday parties, lots of stuff will come your way that’ll be better than what you have in the world. But it’s totally different if you’re adopted into his family. It may not look different because Joe Gates, if there is such a guy that’s eight years old or nine years old, he experiences all the same stuff that John experiences at the party. But in reality, he’s got some trust fund somewhere where there’s like trillions of dollars that he’ll get to spend one day.

My son goes, gets cake, and goes home. Lots of great stuff, but my kid doesn’t have college paid for after going to the party. When he’s 18, he gets no trust fund. He gets a pastor’s kid’s savings account. Bill Gates's kids inherit the world, right?

But at the party, you really can’t tell the difference because they all get to use the diamond-studded bounce house or whatever. No difference. Here’s the thing: People join the party every weekend. They get to experience church with Christians and God’s common grace is poured out on steroids to us. But one has an inheritance in the eternal kingdom and the other doesn’t. And it’s hard to tell the difference when they’re sitting next to each other in church.

They experience a lot of emotions in the worship, they experience a lot of edification in the preaching. Yeah, they get a lot of common grace, a lot extra. It’s more than common; they get uncommon grace, but they don’t have salvation. It can happen; matter of fact, it happens all the time. Do you think Judas didn't experience some incredible things for three years on the front rows, being an apostle? Yeah, but he is in hell, right? He’s in a holding tank right now awaiting the great white throne judgment.

The difference: One had it and one didn't. One said I got some blessings; the other one, let's put it this way, is captivated by grace. And that’s different. Captivated by grace, and that’s different.

There are people that I know that are in the church that often talk about the blessings of being a part of the community of the redeemed, but you never really hear their heart in sync with grace. And in scripture, you look all over the place and all you see is the apostles going, "Wow, it is amazing that I as a sinner, a hellbound sinner, now have the lavished grace of God poured out on me."

Couple of passages to quickly jot down. 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 14. Paul is talking to Timothy about the fact—here’s how he puts it—that the grace of our Lord Jesus was poured out on me abundantly. And he’s not thinking of the blessings he gets for going to church; he’s thinking of eternal salvation. He says, along with the faith and the love that are ultimately in Christ Jesus.

2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 16. He says, God who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and hope. That’s different. That’s not, "Wow, it’s really great to go to church. I hope I get to go back next week and get another blessing." This is eternal encouragement and hope because I’m celebrating the grace of God.

One more. Jot it down and then this one would be good to turn to. Ephesians chapter 1, verses 5 through 8. Captivated by God’s grace. Look at the focal point here. Look at the interest. Look at what the spotlight is on. It’s not on the temporal goodies, it’s not even on the spiritual goosebumps; it’s on something far greater and bigger. And this is where real Christians are; they're stuck on this.

Ephesians 1. Got to pick up the last two words of verse 4 to catch the sentence. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as sons. Even that phrase—you don't hear people that just attend church and get some of the blessings talking about that. He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the pleasure of his will, to the praise, verse 6, of his glorious—there’s the key word—grace. To the praise of his glorious... You know what you’re going to be focused on in eternity as you get your inheritance? Man, this is incredible, I don’t deserve this.

And here, the earthbound real converted hearts are always focused on and captivated by the grace of God, which he freely gave to us in the one he loved. In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of his sins. And you find a lot of people that casually associate with church and they talk about the blessing of their kids or their grandkids or their friends at church, but they never talk about this incredible glorious grace that was granted to us in redemptive love by the blood of Christ. You don't hear a lot of that unless they're singing a hymn about it. Their hearts don't connect with it.

In accordance, here it is again, with the riches of God's what? Grace. It’s all about grace that he, I love this word, lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Real converted Christians don't say, "Well, I get a lot of blessings being a part of this thing." They are on their knees; they are overwhelmed with grace. And if that hasn't happened to your heart, maybe you're just dating Christ, because once you get on the other side of this thing called real Christianity, something happens to your heart as it relates to grace. You get it and you celebrate it, and that will be your focus and theme throughout eternity.

Enlightened, it’s more than new insights. Tasting the heavenly gift, it’s more than new blessings, being captivated by grace. Look at the third one, back to Hebrews 6. The third one, bottom of verse 4: who've shared in the Holy Spirit. And some people go, "Wow, that just seems like a strong statement." It is a strong statement. Shared in the Holy Spirit.

Now remember this when you hear that and you think, "Wow, that's got to be a converted person." No. Look at this: John chapter 16, Jesus talked about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In John 16, verse 8, he said the Spirit’s going to go into the world and convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Remember that verse? The world is going to be convicted through the work of the Spirit, sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Now, you have a conscience when you’re born; we all do. Romans chapter 2, and it helps us understand what’s right and what’s wrong, and it’s written on your hearts by God, the law of God, and an impression of it, albeit weak and subject to misunderstanding and subject to being quashed and diluted. You have a thing called a conscience. That’s what the Bible says.

Your conscience helps you know that’s wrong, you shouldn’t have done that, don’t do that, and this is right and you ought to do that. You step into church where people around you are all now filled with the Holy Spirit, they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and the guy in the front is teaching about the book that the Holy Spirit wrote, and you know what your conscience is going to be aided. You’re going to pour in the ethanol, the fuel, the high-octane fuel. Because the Holy Spirit now is going to from the outside start to enforce what already is written on your conscience, and he will start to press upon you because his job is to convict you of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Therefore, you might say, being a part of the redeemed, that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is impacting you. I put it this way: You might say, hey, I have some new conviction. Conviction not only when I do wrong, but I have new conviction to do what’s right. I’ve been going to church for a while and when they first did that Mexico mission thing, I didn’t even feel prompted to pull out my wallet. But, you know, I’ve been going to church for a while now and when that Lucas guy got up and talked about that, man, I wrote a check. Man, and I did it because, you know, I feel like I should; I felt convicted to do the right thing. Great, new conviction, your conscience is now on steroids in church.

Doesn’t mean you’re redeemed, but it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus pointed the difference out between the Holy Spirit with you and the Holy Spirit in you. It’s a total different thing. As a matter of fact, the person that’s truly redeemed on the other side of the line can say this: It’s not just that I have some new convictions. Other side: The Holy Spirit is resident in my life, and that’s a different thing.

Dave Druey: Being a Christian is more than adopting a new set of beliefs. Following Jesus allows us to experience a brand-new life. You're listening to Focal Point and a message from Pastor Mike Fabarez called Watching Out for the Pacifying Benefits of Dating Christ. We're journeying through Hebrews together, and every message is archived at our website for whenever you need it. Just go to focalpointradio.org, or take us with you anywhere you go by downloading the Focal Point app free from the App Store, or subscribe to the Focal Point podcast.

Well, it makes our day when we hear from our listeners. Patty wrote to us and said, "I listen to Pastor Mike every weekday morning in my car on the way to work. It’s through the Focal Point programs that I get fed spiritually." Thanks, Patty. And if you’ve never taken the time to contact us, we hope you’ll do that today. In fact, when you call, there’s a free booklet from Pastor Mike we’d like to send you. It’s titled What Happens Next?, and it offers helpful insight on the book of Revelation. It’s available online when you reach out at focalpointradio.org, or when you call 888-320-5885.

You know, more than ever, believers are seeking solid answers about what the Bible actually teaches concerning our future. And that’s why we’re proud to offer a special resource as a gift for any donation this month. It’s Mark Hitchcock’s The Revelation Answer Book. This powerful read addresses those perplexing questions about prophecy and the events ahead. Whether it’s the Rapture, the Millennium, or other end-times topics, Hitchcock delivers biblical clarity on subjects that can seem confusing. Get your copy of The Revelation Answer Book by standing with Focal Point through a generous donation. You can call and give over the phone by dialing 888-320-5885 or go online to focalpointradio.org.

I’m Dave Druey, inviting you back tomorrow for more Bible teaching. Pastor Mike Fabarez encourages us to open our lives up for appraisal to answer the question: Are we truly Christians? Find out how to know for sure Thursday, right here on Focal Point.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Pastor Mike here. Ever wish you could corner your pastor and challenge him with your toughest questions about the Bible, about faith? Well, now you can. Send me your questions. Head on over to focalpointradio.org and click on Ask Pastor Mike, or send me a note on facebook.com/pastormike or x.com/pastormike. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Dave Druey: Today’s program was produced and sponsored by Focal Point Ministries.