Intro: On his sixteenth birthday a son approached his father and said, "Dad, I’m sixteen now. When I get my license, can I drive the family car?" His dad looked at him and said, "Son, driving the car takes maturity, and first, you must prove that you are responsible enough. And one way you must do that is to bring up your grades. They are not acceptable. Second, you must read the Bible every day. And finally, you must get that hair cut; it looks outrageous." The son began the task of fulfilling his father’s requirements, knowing that the last might be impossible.
When his grades came out he went to his dad with a big smile. "Look, Dad, all A’s and B’s on my report card. Now can I drive the family car?" "Very good, son. You are one-third of the way there, but have you been reading the Bible?" the father replied. "Yes, Dad, every day," said the son. "Very good son. You are two-thirds of the way there. Now when are you going to get that hair cut?"
The son, thinking that he could outsmart the father, responded, "Well, I don’t see why I should get my hair cut to drive the car. Jesus had long hair, didn’t he?" The father looked at his boy and said, "That’s right, son and Jesus walked everywhere he went."
. It seems that the young man had a skewed sense of maturity didn’t he?
. Maturity as defined by Merriam Webster is:
. The quality or state of being mature; especially: full development.
. Full development, Notice it doesn’t say anything about age.
. I have met mature teenagers and immature 50 year olds.
. Maturity doesn’t have anything to do with our age.
. Maturity is measured by our actions. By how we act or live.
. Our scripture this morning addresses our spiritual maturity or growth.
. Our full development as Christians.
. Hebrews 5:11-14, 6:1-3:
. 11There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.
12You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food
.13For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.
14Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
1So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.
2You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgmen
t
.3And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
. The writer of Hebrews has spent the first five and one half chapters telling the readers about whom Jesus was and how He had become their High Priest
. There was more he wanted to tell them but the theology was somewhat difficult to explain to them because they weren’t ready to understand what he wanted to teach them.
. He told them that they had been believers for a long time now but they still weren’t seeking all the truths that could be found in God’s word.
. They weren’t living the life that Jesus said that they could and should live.
. Look at verse 12&13 again:
. 12You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food
.13For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.
. The writers says that you folks have been born again for a long time now but you haven’t progressed in your faith.
. He uses the analogy of a baby who can only eat a very limited diet. They have to be spoon fed everything. They don’t use their own initiative to feed themselves, they depend upon others to feed them and all they can handle is a very limited diet.
. They are not Meat and Potato Christians.
. They are Christians who have never moved beyond just what is necessary for their salvation.
. They have done just what the writer says. They have accepted Jesus as their High Priest, the One who atones for their sin and they have just sat down and gotten real comfortable in that knowledge and lifestyle.
. Sound familiar?
. Our churches are full of people today who are just like these guys.
. They want to hear over and over again about how they have eternal life through Jesus’ saving sacrifice.
. Have you ever noticed that we preachers get the most amen’s when we preach the basics of Christianity? When we preach the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
. People want to hear over and over again how we are all sinners and that the only way they can be saved is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior.
. It’s almost like we are proud that we are sinners.
. I hear so many people say that we are all sinners and we will always be sinners but forgiven.
. Have you seen the bumper sticker that says that Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven?
. We are forgiven but we are forgiven to aspire to be perfect.
. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was telling His listeners that they should aspire to be perfect in their relationships with others when He said this:
. Matthew 5:48
. 48But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
. Can we get there, I don’t think so but that doesn’t mean we don’t try.
. We don’t accept the fact that we are sinners and just depend on Jesus’ forgiveness and don’t try to live the life that Jesus wants us to live.
. look at verse 13 again,
. 13For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.
. The writer says that if you are this kind of Christian, you don’t even know what is right.
. How can you know when all you do is depend upon Jesus’ forgiveness and don’t even try to learn how to live.
. In John chapter 8 we find the story of the woman caught in adultery.
. Jesus had been up on the Mount of Olives and the scriptures tell us that early the next morning He returned to the Temple there in Jerusalem and a big crowd gathered around and He began to teach. All of a sudden there was a big commotion and the Pharisees dragged a woman who had been caught in adultery and placed her in front of the crowd.
. The Pharisees looked at Jesus and told him that the Law of Moses said that they should stone her.
. What did He have to say on the matter at hand.
. Jesus looked around, the bible says that He bent down and started writing something in the dirt and then He stood up and told them that anyone who had never sinned could fulfill that requirement of the Law and throw the first stone.
. The bible says that Jesus then stooped back down and started writing in the dirt again. Meanwhile all the people slipped away quietly until there was no one left but Jesus and the woman.
. Look at verses 10&11 of John 8:
. 10Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
11“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
. We can and do use this story to illustrate many things but I want to focus on the last five words.
. “Go and sin no more”
. Jesus said that He didn’t condemn her, He had forgiven her.
. She could have rested right there.
. She could say that she is resting in the fact that God Himself didn’t condemn her.
. That’s the Gospel of Jesus. Forgiveness of sin.
. But Jesus also said “Go and sin no more”
. Don’t just live in this forgiveness. Change your life.
. Go and sin no more.
. Don’t just sit there and say I am a sinner forgiven by Jesus, stop sinning.
.Change your life. That is a part of salvation
.
.Mature Christians will learn how to live a life that is pleasing both to them and to God.
.Meat and Potato Christians are the ones who are mature and realize that there is more to this salvation thing than the forgiveness of sins.
. Look at verse 14 again:
. 14Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
. If you are to be a Meat and Potato Christian, you must go through training the writer says.
. We get that training through studying God’s word through listening to others and being taught what God’s word says.
. I am going to meddle a little bit this morning.
. I asked someone last week if Sunday School has always been this poorly attended or was it a recent phenomenon.
. I was told that it has always been this way at Mtn Creek.
. Folks, that’s where the bulk of the training that the writer is talking about happens.
. In our bible teaching programs.
. In our small groups on Sunday night.
. In our bible study on Wednesday night.
. The writer says that if you are to be more than a baby Christian, if you are to be a mature Christian, then you need to participate in training.
. We can find all sorts of reasons or excuses why we don’t participate in bible training.
. I’m not going to list them this morning. All I can say is that people always find the time to do the things they want to do.
. Many are like these Christians the writer is talking about here.
. All they want is for someone to reinforce the basic fact that their sins are forgiven and they have no desire to mature in their faith.
. They stay “Baby Food Christians”.
. Where are you in your maturity this morning?
. Are you a baby food Christian or a meat and potato Christian?
. Look at verse 3 again
:
. 3And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
. As a church, we are moving forward. If you are not currently involved in our bible study opportunities, I invite you to come and join us.
. On Sunday morning we are using the Gospel Project to understand the Gospel and how to live out that Gospel.
. On Sunday nights, the ladies are going through a study with Pricilla Shirer on hearing God’s voice.
. The men are currently looking at 1 John.
. On Wednesday evening we sit and go verse by verse through a book of the bible. We are currently in 1 Peter.
. God commands us to become Meat and Potato Christians.
. Christians who learn and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
