Series: Jesus Is Better- The Better Priest [#3]
GROW UP
Hebrews 5:11-14
Introduction:
On this Father’s Day, I want you to think about your father, your children, and your grandchildren. As we watch them get older, we expect them to grow up and mature. As the “man of the house”, I work hard in order to put food on the table. What’s interesting is how the food changes as we get older.
I got to see a sonogram of my 1st grandchild. When she is born, she will drink milk. She will continue to drink milk only for a few months. Then she will start eating baby food. Later she will move on to regular food; but she won’t be eating a steak any time soon.
Our text is point and case for spiritual eating and growth.
Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV)
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 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! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Jesus is called of God to be a High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is one of the great mysteries of the Bible. We don’t know much about him. He is the subject of a deeper spiritual discussion that the writher had to discuss at a later time in chapter 7 because the writer first had to address a problem with these Christians.
This problem is still alive today. It is the problem of Christians who refuse to grow up in their faith. I say “refuse” because it is something they choose to do. As we receive the Word, act upon it, and obey it by becoming a Christian, we at that moment become a “new creation”, a baby in Christ. After that new birth, just as infants, we are to mature through the Word of God. The Word is our spiritual food.
There are 3 things concerning the Word of God in this text that I want to address.
1. The depth of the Word.
Our text reminds us that the Word of God is a Book filled with deep eternal truths. Each time you read and study the Bible; new meaning, new direction, and new discoveries are brought to our hearts. We can study it over and over again and still we are shown something new each time. That’s why we call it the “Living Word”. The Word of God is alive and is nourishment for the Christian. Although God’s Word is always expanding and growing to us in its content, it contains things “that are hard to explain”. As you grow in the Lord, more and more of these will be revealed to you when you are ready to handle them. We cannot understand the Bible by taking a casual approach, it requires our continuous attention. We must study continuously, give attention to the Word, and guard that which God has placed in our hearts.
2. The demands of the Word.
When we receive the Word of God, it places some demands upon us.
The Word demands that you…
Listen.
The writer had some deep things to say, but had to wait because they were hard of hearing.
The Word demands that you…
Share it.
The word “ought” means “to be obligated to do something”.
The Word demands that you…
Grow in it.
Those who are full of age as Christians know right from wrong. A young child has no comprehension of right from wrong. Yes, Jesus did say we were to be childlike in our faith, but He never said we were to be childish. We can excuse babies for the childish things they do, but tolerating a big baby is difficult.
3. The demonstration of the Word
The writer in verse 12 tells his readers that they have demonstrated their lack of growth. They were childish.
A baby Christian…
Needs milk and cannot handle solid food.
A baby Christian…
Cannot discern right from wrong.
A baby Christian…
Must continue to grow.
The Word of God is not just something we believe. It is something we do. Truth is something we do, something that must be demonstrated in our lives. This also shows that physical age alone doesn’t bring maturity. Some of these Jewish Christians had been Christians for 20-30 years when this was written, yet they were not any more mature than they were the day they accepted Christ as their Savior. If we don’t grow, we are stunted. You either move forward or backward. You cannot remain idle for long. These Christians had to be taught the basics again.
The word “elementary” here refers to the alphabet or beginnings. It is the very first thing we learn in any given study. For example, in school before you learn to read, you must learn the alphabet. If you continue to digress, you will be as an infant. Have you ever seen those children from other countries on television that have not eaten but once or twice a week? The 1st thing that happens is their stomachs become very bloated although the rest of their body is very skinny. As this continues they become so weak that they become as an infant again. Starvation also causes one to suffer mentally.
A baby Christian…
Cannot feed them self.
An infant will eat anything he can get a hold of whether it is food or poison. An infant must be directed and given those foods that will help them grow. God never intended that we be unskillful in the Word. He wants us to be strong, mature Christians.
A baby Christian…
Behaves immaturely.
When a child does not get their way, what happens? They throw “temper-tantrums” or they pout. They get mad when they don’t get their way. Baby Christians are no different, when things don’t go their way they get mad and throw fits. The mature Christian is the opposite; the maturity is seen in their daily life.
Conclusion:
It is a sad sight in our churches today of the amount of spiritual babies. How mature or immature are you? Take a hard look. If you fit into several or all of these indicators in your spiritual life, you have some growing up to do. It’s time to grow up.
