Destination Maturity. Series

Destination Maturity!!!!!!!!!!

Here is Pooh Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.4

As someone once put it, if you have time to get it wrong you have time to get it right. Although Pooh Bear cannot do anything but be pulled downstairs on his head, we can make small changes. Although these changes may seem insignificant at first, it is the constant implimentation of small changes that often usher in the miraculous changes.

The results may not be statistically significant, but they may mean that we see fewer bruises.

Hebrews chapter 6 has been one of the most discussed passages of the bible in scripture.

Sometimes in our christian walk we may feel we are bumping our heads down the stairs - there has got to be a better way!!!

hebrews chapter 6 points towards a better way of getting up and down the stairs of life.

With this in mind I want to ask a question this morning of this scripture.

The question is what does it have to teach us that will help us to live

Closer to Christ?

What is in it that will motivate us to reconfigure our christian lives in such a way that we don’t bang our heads on the stairs?

Of course the reason that Pooh bear banged his head on the stairs was, that he was carried down the stairs by Christopher Robin who was an infant - in the words of the previous chapter he was still on milk not on solid foods - again speaking in picture terms.

There are three moments in this chapter that want to encourage us to move forward in our Christian lives.

This morning I want to look at these three great moments and to ask - What is it that God would have us know? And then, What would God have us do about it in our lives?

HEB 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ The therefore of Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 1 relates to the passage before it which said:- HEB 5:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews six goes on to say HEB 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

I have been involved in building a number of small buildings in my time. Anyone who has seen my workmanship would call it adequate but not great. My son who normally works for a builder would be less kind. But one thing I have learned is that you have to get the foundations right. Certain basic things have to be done before you can move on to the framing and structure of the building itself.

In the childrens book called Alice in Wonderland there is a scene I would like to read to you in the second chapter entitled The Queens Croquet - Ground.

A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden: the roses growing on it were white, but there were three gardeners at it, busily painting them red. Alice thought this a very curious thing, and she went nearer to watch them, and just as she came up to them she heard one of them say, `Look out now, Five! Don’t go splashing paint over me like that!’

`I couldn’t help it,’ said Five, in a sulky tone; `Seven jogged my elbow.’

On which Seven looked up and said, `That’s right, Five! Always lay the blame on others!’

`You’d better not talk!’ said Five. `I heard the Queen say only yesterday you deserved to be beheaded!’

`What for?’ said the one who had spoken first.

`That’s none of your business, Two!’ said Seven.

`Yes, it is his business!’ said Five, `and I’ll tell him--it was for bringing the cook tulip-roots instead of onions.’

Seven flung down his brush, and had just begun `Well, of all the unjust things--’ when his eye chanced to fall upon Alice, as she stood watching them, and he checked himself suddenly: the others looked round also, and all of them bowed low.