Original (in part) (Grow up) 05/1990
[s1]
Infant Syndrome
April 29, 2007 PM
Hebrews 5:10-6:3
Joshua 3 - 4
It seems we learn a lot from the wanderings of the children of Israel.
Just about any time we need a good object lesson – we can go to Exodus or Joshua, and we can learn what not to do!
No example like the wrong example - you know.
In today’s world every disease get a name;
So we’re going to look at “Infant Syndrome” tonight
Pray
We can begin by looking at Israel at the end of their desert wanderings
They have for 40 years wandered - at God’s leading – in the desert
And for 40 years they have grumbled, they have griped, they have murmured, they have complained,
They have blamed Moses, they have blamed Aaron, they have blamed the Levites,
They have blamed Egypt, they have blamed the devil, they have blamed the sand, they have blamed the cactus –
They have blamed everyone and every thing –
Except themselves –
[s2]
The real reason they were wandering in the desert was because of their own failure –
Their own listening to the wrong voices,
Their own following after flesh instead of God’s promise.
So what God did was to raise up a whole new generation that would follow him –
And he allowed the previous generations who rebelled, who murmured, who complained – those people, God simply allowed them to die in the desert.
[s3]
God raised up a generation of people who would listen and follow
Proof of that was when Joshua – God’s chosen leader – told the people to march around Jericho once a day for 6 days –
They did it
The previous generation would not have done that –
They would have murmured – They would have complained, “that was the stupidest thing they had ever heard of”
They would have tried to get some other people to form a protest group – and then organize a strike against Joshua
They would have griped and whined and grumbled
They would have tried to find them another prophet somewhere who would tell them they didn’t need to march around Jericho –
Someone who would side with them that their leader was wrong …
But by the time we get to Joshua chapter 3 - all those folks are gone now – they died in the desert
And now it’s time for God’s people to move on into the promised land
But how does that apply to us?
Simple –
Look at Hebrews chapter 5:
[s4]
Heb 5:9 (NKJV) And having been perfected, He (Jesus) became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
[s5]
Heb 5:10 (NKJV) called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”
[s6]
Heb 5:11 (NKJV) of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
[s7]
Heb 5:12 (NKJV) For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
[s8]
Heb 5:13 (NKJV) For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
[s9]
Heb 5:14 (NKJV) But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The generations of Israel that died in the desert had developed these same spiritual faults that the author of Hebrews shares with us;
[s10]
He says God’s people suffer from ‘Spiritual deafness’
Few people become deaf overnight, it happens gradually so we don’t notice it.
Increasingly people raise their voice when talking to us and we get upset because they are shouting.
We don’t realize that they have asked us the same question 2 or 3 times already!
This makes deafness hard to live with.
Of course deafness is not just a problem of old age.
Children can be quite deaf – particularly when you want them to do something like … hurry up or clean their rooms.
Strangely they tend to make a miraculous recovery when the conversation moves on to ‘let’s go get ice cream!’
Noise is another cause of deafness.
OSHA spends a lot of time and effort making machinery quieter or persuading people to wear ear protection
But, noise can reduce our ability to hear
What about us as believers?
How is our spiritual hearing?
Has exposure to noise from the World made us deaf to God’s voice?
[11]
Lk 8:18 (NLT) “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.
[s12]
But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”
With Israel – God was raising up a generation of people who would listen – a people not afflicted with spiritual deafness
[s13]
The second thing the author of Hebrews deals with is “childishness” – Infant Syndrome
Look with me again:
[s14]
‘For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.’
There is nothing wrong with babies drinking milk.
But God, like all good parents, wants us to grow up and become mature:
[s15]
Ephesians 4:14 says “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men”
Sometimes people claim to have been a believer for 10, 30 or even 50 years,
but it would be more accurate to say that some folks are one year old believers with 30 years of experience!
It is as though they have never progressed past the lessons of primary school.
We all want our children to grow and develop don’t we?
We know that there are certain milestones in a baby’s life;
At 3 months, most children will lift their head up when lying on their tummy
They’ll smile when talked to – maybe cackle a little
Then 11 or 12 months, most children can say ‘mama’ or ‘dada’ or ‘bye-bye’
They can usually crawl – pull up on a few things maybe even walk – depends on the kid
By 7 years old, most children can demolish anything, and can take over the world if we turn our backs for more than 30 seconds.
We know what to expect from children, as they grow older –
[s17]
There is a certain level maturity we expect.
So where do we stand?
Are we maturing as believers?
Do you need for your Bible teaching to be pureed or do you enjoy a nice juicy spiritual steak?
The writer of Hebrews, is not complaining about the education or mental powers of the believers.
We can have a great head knowledge – we can have scripture after scripture committed to memory –
We can read every new Christian book on the market
We can use all the right words and know all the latest Christian phrases
We can have been in the church for 20 years –
None of that has anything to do with spiritual maturity
This warning in Hebrews has much more to do with the heart than the head,
For only a growing heart can make a better, mature, growing – child of God.
Spiritual maturity does not come with years, but by yielding to God with a heart that thirsts for Him.
As Jesus promised: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Mt 5:6
It’s not just about hearing with our ears –
But it’s about hearing with our hearts
And the only way to prove we have heard with our hearts –
Is when it shows in our actions.
[s17]
You can tell people how mature you are all day long …
But when you’re standing there with a pacifier in your mouth, and wearing a diaper – we don’t buy it.
Your actions speak louder than your words
You don’t normally have to help babies to grow, it comes naturally.
The same is true of their intellectual development.
You don’t send babies to language school so they can learn to talk.
It just happens.
They are programmed to learn.
The pathway to maturity and to solid Biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person.
God could not get Israel into their land of promise until he could count on them to follow instructions.
From the point of taking Jericho on – Israel had to be able to respond to God’s commands without grumbling, complaining, or backbiting.
They had to trust God’s plan
There had to be a different mindset than that of the desert wanderers
The author of Hebrews said that there is a stage beyond ‘infant syndrome’
The Hebrews had been believers long enough for them to have been helping and teaching others.
Instead they still needed someone to teach them the first principles again.
Too many believers never get beyond the stage of being fed; they never progress to feeding and helping others.
They don’t really apply God’s word to their own lives and so are never strong enough to help others to grasp its truth and apply it to their lives.
God’s not saying we all have to have a Life Group, or that we all have to have some formal setting where we are the class teacher.
But our focus is not so much on somebody else spoon feeding us –
But us spoon feeding genuine baby believers.
[s18]
Tit 2:1 (NKJV) But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:
[s19]
Tit 2:2 (NKJV) that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;
[s20]
Tit 2:3 (NKJV) the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—
[s21]
Tit 2:4 (NKJV) that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
[s22]
Tit 2:5 (NKJV) to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
[s23]
Tit 2:6 (NKJV) Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
Tit 2:7 (NKJV) in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
[s24]
◙ Tit 2:8 (NKJV) sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of ◙ you.
[s25]
Or how about Col 3:16 (NKJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
[s26]
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
[s27]
Col 3:17 (NKJV) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
[s28]
Col 3:18 (NKJV) Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Col 3:19 (NKJV) Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
[s29]
Col 3:20 (NKJV) Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
Col 3:21 (NKJV) Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
[s30]
Col 3:22 (NKJV) Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.
[s31]
Col 3:23 (NKJV) And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
Col 3:24 (NKJV) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for ◙ you serve the Lord Christ.
[s32]
Col 3:25 (NKJV) But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
How different we would be if this was the focus of our conversations.
Let us go on to maturity
Put these truths into practice.
There is a big difference in understanding the theory of heart surgery and being a good surgeon!
The same can be true for believers and followers of Christ.
Joshua 5:13 is the defining moment for Joshua personally – and in turn for all of Israel
[s37]
Jos 5:13 (NLT) When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand.
[s38]
Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”
Jos 5:14 (NLT) “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.”
[s39]
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
[s40]
Jos 5:15 (NLT) The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.
God is not on our side – he is on his own side
[s41]
It is up to us to get on God’s side – not sit around and wait for God to choose our side.
It’s not up to God to bless what we’re doing –
It’s up to us to do what God is blessing
It’s up to us to decide to get out of the ‘infant syndrome’ and grow up.
And get on with reaching this world for Christ.
