The HINDRANCE That Is SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY—Hebrews 5:11-14
Attention:
Before You Buy, Know Your Appliances
A blonde went to the appliance store sale and found a bargain. "I would like to buy this TV," she told the salesman.
"Sorry, we don’t sell to blondes," he replied.
She hurried home and dyed her hair, then came back and again told the salesman, "I would like to buy this TV."
"Sorry, we don’t sell to blondes," he replied.
"Darn, he recognized me," she thought.
She went for a complete disguise this time; haircut and new color, new outfit, big sunglasses, then waited a few days before she again approached the salesman. "I would like to buy this TV."
"Sorry, we don’t sell to blondes," he replied.
Frustrated, she exclaimed, "How do you know I’m a blonde?"
"Because that’s a microwave," he replied.
Immaturity can hinder the revelation of truth.
Likewise, spiritual immaturity causes a great deal of frustration for the spiritually mature..
Need:
The writer to the Hebrews was frustrated by his audience’s spiritual immaturity.
*Spiritual truth is hindered/frustrated by spiritual immaturity.
Spiritual immaturity frustrates/impairs/disables the Gospel/God’s truth & the Church’s mission.
How is truth hindered/ frustrated by spiritual immaturity?
3 hindrances produced/created by spiritual immaturity.
1—Spiritual Immaturity is a Hindrance to...
COMPREHENSION(:11)
Explanation:(:11)
:11—“of whom we have much to say, & hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”
As the Causer(:9) of our eternal salvation, Jesus had been called by God to be our “eternal High Priest.” & as such, He is High Priest in the same “order”/sense as “Melchizedek.” A discussion regarding him is pertinent to the spiritual well-being of the audience, particularly as the aura surrounding Mechizedek directly concerns the High Priesthood of Christ Jesus. A comparison of his ministry & very existence as it relates to that of Christ, is what the author of Hebrews desires to divulge to his audience. There is a great deal of spiritual truth pertinent to that of the priesthood of Jesus which can be seen in Melchizedek.
There is a great deal which can be learned & applied from a proper understanding the ‘types’ in the Bible—A historical occurrence lending explanatory value to weightier matters. Melchizedek, is one of those ‘types.’
However these truths are hard concepts for the writer to get across because of the spiritual condition of his audience. The author has reached an impasse with them as their ability to hear such spiritual truth has become “dulled.” In fact their dullness has effected the writer/speaker to such an extent that his God-called ministry & ability to communicate the truths therein have rendered his usual task of explaining the Gospel difficult or unexplainable.
Heb. 13:17—“Obey those who rule over you, & be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy & not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
The writer’s audience has “become” dull/slow/sluggish/slothful of hearing, which assumes that there was a time in which there was no sluggishness among his readers.
Their ability to heed/listen/apply/understand the more subtle aspects of the Gospel, has been negatively effected since their hearing has been slowed down to a halt.
*An audience in this state of spirituality will misinterpret truth, which in practicality, makes it untruth & proffers it as such. Slothfulness is self-perpetuating.
Minimally, They may....
i)Be Tired(dull) of hearing the same story...Why?
ii)Be Self-satisfied so that they no longer grow...Why?
iii)Assume that the finer points of the good news are unimportant...Why?
iv)Consider the word too complicated so that they trust others to ‘digest’ it & feed it to them. Self-esteem problem?
“Hard to explain/Hard to be uttered”—dusermhneutov—1) Hard to interpret, difficult to explain. Strong—Difficult of explanation:-- Hard to be uttered. Used 1X. From—dus—A prefix conveying the idea of difficulty, opposition, injuriousness, similar to our "mis-" or "un-" prefixes; & —ermhneuw(Eng.—hermaneutics)—1) To explain in words, expound; 2) To interpret—2a) To translate what has been spoken or written in a foreign tongue into the vernacular.
“Dull/Slow”—nwyrov—1) Slow, sluggish, indolent, dull, languid. Not Idle but sluggish, descriptive of constitutional qualities & suggestive of censure. Strong—Sluggish, i.e. (literally) Lazy, or (figuratively) stupid:-- Dull, slothful. Used 2X(both in Hebrews). From— noyov—adj.—1) Illegitimate, bastard; 2) One born, not in lawful wedlock, but of a concubine or female slave.
“Hearing/Learn”—akoh—Hearing (the act, the sense or the thing heard):-- Audience, ear, fame, which you heard, hearing, preached, report, rumor.
Argumentation:
Jn. 1:1-5, 10-13—“In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, & the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, & without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, & the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, & the darkness did not comprehend it.”.....“He was in the world, & the world was made through Him, & the world did not know Him. He came to His own, & His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Eph. 3:14-21—“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
Illustration:
People with physical hearing problems have ways to overcome COMPREHENSION problems—some adequate some not so adequate.
*But they must work at it!
They can:
Purchase ‘Hearing aids’.
Learn sign language.
Use closed captioning on the TV.
Install visual signals for the doorbell, phone, stove, etc.
Set phones up visually.
Attend worship with hearing assisting devices, etc...
Are you doing your utmost to Comprehend God’s truth?
Application:
?Your Spiritual Immaturity Hindering your COMPREHENSION?
?You Spiritually Immature?
?Has that Immaturity become a Hindrance to the Good News of Jesus?
2— Spiritual Immaturity is a Hindrance to...
TEACHING(:12)
Explanation:(:12)
:12—“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; & you have come to need milk & not solid food.”
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers,...”
The other side of the coin from Comprehension is Teaching.
By the time of this writing, the audience should have reached a level of spiritual maturity which exhibits, at minimum, one characteristic trait. The author informs them that they “ought to be teachers.” However, they are either...
1)Not teachers at all
or...
2)Teachers lacking foundational knowledge of the subject matter.
Jn. 3:3-10—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb & be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, & you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from & where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered & said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered & said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, & do not know these things?”
This is directed to the entire church. Thus this is not the ’office of teacher’ but the fact that all Christians can & are expected to share their faith.
They have not matured. They have remained in the same state in which they began. They are stagnant.
Thus they need to be taught again “the elementary principles” regarding God’s decrees. These “beginning/first principles” are the minimal features of being a Christian.
They have not advanced beyond the point of needing milk(as mere babies in the primary stages of growth). As babies, they cannot yet handle solid food. Their “need” can only be met by—not even baby food—but by mother’s milk.
*They are incapable of self-support, much less of outreach.
Implies that they should be able to process “solid food,” & God’s intent for them is to handle that solid food.”
Spiritual maturity is God’s intent for all who have approached God in Christian faith. He never wants you to be ignorant of His revealed will.
Spiritual maturity is intended to be directly proportional to one’s age in Christ. Our time in Christ should be well spent.
“Time”—cronov—Time either long or short. Time in general.
“Ought to”—ofeilw—To owe—To owe money, be in debt for—that which is due, the debt; Metaph. the goodwill due. Indicates rather the personal obligation; it is that which is proper, something that ought to be done.
“Teachers”—didaskalov—A teacher; In the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, & the duties of man.
“First/Elementary”—arch—Beginning, origin; The person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader; That by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause; The extremity of a thing—of the corners of a sail; The first place, principality, rule, magistracy.
“Principles/Truths”—stoiceion—Any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal.
“Oracles/Word”—logion—A brief utterance, a divine oracle (doubtless because oracles were generally brief). From logiov meaning ‘Eloquent’ Diminutive of logov —‘Word’=‘Little word.’
“Need”—creia—Necessity, need; Duty, business.
“Milk”(See :13)—gala—Milk.
“Solid/Strong”—stereov—Strong, firm, immovable, solid, hard, rigid.
“Food/Meat”—trofh—Food or nourishment.
Argumentation:
Isa. 28:9-13—““Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” For with stammering lips & another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go & fall backward, & be broken And snared & caught.”
Little by little—small steps—ensures that those who disregard it are self-condemned, seeing as God’s truth is presented so that anyone can grasp it.
1Pet. 1:10-12—“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call & election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know & are established in the present truth.”
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Mat. 23:15—“Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land & sea to win one proselyte, & when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
This result is comparable to the TEACHING mentioned our text!
1Cor. 14:18-20—“I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
Col. 3:16—“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching & admonishing one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Php 3:1-2—“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!”
Illustration:
Chores/Teaching kids to care for others & learn to take care of themselves/They refuse!/TEACHING
Application:
?Your Spiritual Immaturity Hindering someone’s TEACHING?
?You Spiritually Immature?
?You a Hindrance to the Good News of Jesus?
3— Spiritual Immaturity is a Hindrance to...
EXPERIENCE/Skill(:13)
Explanation:(:13)
:13—“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.”
All who still suck at their mother’s breast have no skill regarding meatier(“solid”) food. In fact physical babes are physically unable to do anything but drink milk..
Likewise, there are those who, as Christians, remain as spiritual infants. They are not in this state because of physical hindrance or necessity. They have all the equipment needed to relate to God fully. Thus it is by choice that they remain as mere “babes.” It is inferred here that all Christians are expected to grow beyond their birth so that they reach maturity.
Christians who remain “babes” are thereby “unskilled” with God’s word regarding “righteousness.” They are inexperienced with spiritual discipline as mere babes are inexperienced in the battle between flesh & Spirit. It is not their chosen fare & not in their repertoire.
There is no personal passion to go beyond...to experience more in Christ. They see no need to expand their horizons by growing closer & deeper in Christ. They are self-satisfied & comfortable in their relationship as is. As long as it does not get in the way of their real desire they are happy. Those who are unaccustomed to spiritual discipline, are mere babes.
Perhaps those who have chosen to remain “babes” have no experience with God’s word detailing the difference between right & wrong.
“Partakes/Useth/Lives on”—metecw—To be or become partaker; To partake.
“Unskilled/Accustomed”—apeirov—Inexperienced in, without experience of. Used 1X.
“The word”—logov—Of speech....A word. A discourse a doctrine a decree, a precept, a weighty saying.
“Righteousness”—dikaiosunh—In a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God.
“Babe”—nhpiov—An infant, little child; A minor, not of age; Metaph. childish, untaught, unskilled.
We should be as little children in faith only, not be little children.
Little children are ultimately & entirely faithful regarding their parents/authorities. However children also generally approach life very selfishly.
Mat. 18:1-4—“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, & said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted & become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
1Cor. 14:20—“Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
Argumentation:
Eph. 4:11-16—“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Illustration:
The greenhorn approaches his mentor in management of a large corporation/How did you know what to do in that situation?/ “Experience!”/How did you get the experience?/“Failure!”/EXPERIENCE
Application:
?Your Spiritual Immaturity Hindering your EXPERIENCE?
?You Spiritually Immature?
?You a Hindrance to the Good News of Jesus?
4—Spiritual Immaturity is a Hindrance to...
DISCERNMENT/Exercise(:14)
Explanation:(:14)
:14—“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 & evil.”
In contrast to the one who has chosen to remain a “babe” in Christ, “solid food,” likewise, exists & is for the mature Christian.
Mature Christians must also be nourished continually. In order to remain healthy they must partake of solid food. The spiritually mature have grown beyond the point where milk will suffice to serve their needs.
Mature Christians are always in the process of(“by reason of use”) having “their senses” trained to know the difference between “good & evil.” Utilizing this discernment is the key to having properly trained senses.
Immature Christians do not have their senses trained. Mature Christians, having their senses trained, are able to discern good from evil. Thus, immature Christians have no means of discerning good from evil. The equipment for so doing is lacking.
“Full age/Mature”—teleiov—Brought to its end, finished; Wanting nothing necessary to completeness; Perfect; That which is perfect.
“Reason of use/Practice/Constant use”—exiv—a habit whether of body or mind; A power acquired by custom, practice, use.
“Senses/Themselves”—aisyhthrion—Faculty of the mind for perceiving, understanding, judging. Strong—An organ of perception, i.e. (figuratively) Judgment:-- Senses.
“Exercised/Trained”—gumnazw—To exercise naked (in a palaestra or school of athletics); To exercise vigorously, in any way, either the body or the mind.
“Discern/Distinguish”—diakrisiv—A distinguishing, discerning, judging.
“Good”—kalov—Beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable. Distinctly the beauty which comes from harmony, the beauty which arises from a symmetrical adjustment in right proportion, in other words, from the harmonious completeness of the object concerned.
“Evil”—kakov—Of a bad nature—Not such as it ought to be; Of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting—base, wrong, wicked; Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful. Frequently means evil rather negatively, referring to the absence of the qualities which constitute a person or thing what it should be or what it claims to be. It is also used meaning evil in a moral sense. It is a general antithesis to agayov(good).
Argumentation:
1Cor. 3:1-4—“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk & not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, & even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, & divisions among you, are you not carnal & behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” & another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?”
1Cor. 2:14-15—“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.”
Illustration:
A carpenter-woodworker can identify types of wood readily/He would thereby know what wood was best for which application/He can do this because he works with it constantly/He uses each in different ways—finding the wood’s strengths & his weaknesses/DISCERNMENT
My copepod identification at Skidaway/Important to identify the species correctly/How did I do it correctly?—Thru experience I gained DISCERNMENT
Application:
?Your Spiritual Immaturity Hindering your DISCERNMENT?
?You Spiritually Immature?
?You a Hindrance to the Good News of Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Blonde’s attempts at buying the TV(microwave)
Action:
Spiritual Immaturity is a Hindrance to...
1. COMPREHENSION(:11)
2. TEACHING(:12)
3. EXPERIENCE/Skill(:13)
4. DISCERNMENT/Exercise(:14)
Presented 11/07/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
