Dana Van Scoy, of Oxnard, CA, talks about the time when her son had graduated from the 8th grade and was getting ready to enter high school. He was the first of their children to reach this point in life, and she wasn’t real sure about how to prepare him for the pitfalls lurking in the halls of his new school. Nevertheless, she sat down with an air of assurance and discussed the experiences and temptations he must be prepared to face in September. She had hoped that their little session had made an impression on him. It had! She overheard him tell his father later, “Well, I'm ready for high school, but I don't think Mom is.” (Dana Van Scoy, Oxnard, CA, "Lite Fare," Christian Reader, www.PreachingToday.com)
Growing up is hard to do, probably more for mom than the kids, but it is absolutely necessary if they are going to survive and thrive as they face the challenges ahead. The same is true when it comes to one’s spiritual growth at any age. Believers must continually grow in their relationship with Christ if they are going to face the challenges of life.
The question is “How?” How can a believer continually grow in his or her relationship with Christ? How can one who has started the journey with Christ move on with Christ even when the going gets rough? How can you and I who know Christ continue to mature in our walk with Christ even in the hard times? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Hebrews 5, Hebrews 5, where God tells us how to grow in tough times.
Hebrews 5:11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (ESV)
If you want to grow, then don’t be a dull listener. Don’t be lazy in your hearing of God’s Word. Don’t be slow to put the Bible into practice.
Lee Eclov, a Chicago area pastor, talks about a conversation that took place between Max, a first grader in Lee's congregation, and Max's dad, Todd.
The dad says “Max! Why didn't you answer me when I called you?”
Max replied, “I didn't hear you, Dad.”
“What do you mean you didn't hear me?” Dad asked him, and Max does not respond.
Then dad asks him, “How many times didn't you hear me?”
To which Max replied, “I don't know, maybe three or four times.” (Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois, www.PreachingToday.com)
Oh, Max had HEARD alright. He just didn’t LISTEN. Don’t you do the same when it comes to hearing God’s Word. Don’t be a “dull listener.”
Why? Because it will delay your growth. Your obstinance will obstruct your maturity.
Hebrews 5:12-13 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. (ESV)
When you don’t practice the Word, you don’t progress; you remain a pupil; you remain a child, who is still sucking on a bottle. You can’t handle anything beyond the basics.
On the other hand, when you practice God’s Word, you grow in your discernment. You mature in your ability to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (ESV)
Those who practice God’s Word are like athletes in the gym. That’s the picture here, since the word for “trained” in the original language is the word gumnadzo, from which we get our word “gymnasium.” That’s where athletes work out and exercise as part of their training, and that’s what you need to do if we want to grow in your ability to distinguish right from wrong.
When you learn a new truth from God’s Word, exercise it; work it out; practice it until it almost becomes second nature. Then determining the right thing to do in each situation becomes easier and easier. That’s what spiritual maturity is all about – gaining the wisdom to choose the good over the evil, the right over the wrong, the real over the fake.
Some time ago, Scotland Yard conducted a private exhibition of forged paintings for art dealers. They wanted to warn the dealers about the sale of forgeries, which some experts estimate make up 40 percent of the art market. The sale of fake art can undermine the value of the genuine articles.
The forgeries at the exhibit were created with remarkable proficiency. Reliance on documentation alone won't solve the problem, because even that is often forged! Fiona Ford, of the Association of Arts & Antiques Dealers, said the level of skill displayed by the forgers was “terrifying.” She added, “If every dealer saw this exhibition, it would further impress on them how careful they have to be.” (Associated Press, “Police Display Fakes at Exhibition to Warn Art Dealers,” www.topix.net, posted on 11-23-06; www.PreachingToday.com)
What’s true in art is also true in life. There is a lot of “fake news” out there – information which looks good but will lead you astray every time – so you have to be very careful.
In fact, a year and a half ago (September 2016), The Economist magazine ran an article entitled, “Yes, I’d lie to you: The post-truth world.” The article analyzed the dishonesty that's wreaking havoc in politics, journalism, social media, and many other areas of our common life. One expert quoted in the article said, “Right now, it pays to be outrageous, but not to be truthful.”
The article also highlighted one of the most effective ways to tell lies – by hiding the truth in a glut of information. Zeynep Tufekci, of the University of North Carolina, says, “Information glut is the new censorship.” For example, Chinese authorities no longer try to censor things they do not like on social media. They just flood it with distracting information. (“Yes, I'd lie to you,” The Economist, 9-10-16; www.PreachingToday.com)
So how are we to live in such a “post-truth world”? Well, that takes a lot of discernment, and discernment comes from constantly practicing the truth of God’s Word. You see, children believe everything they hear. Adults, on the other hand, through experience and practice, learn to know the difference between the real and the fake. So, if you want to grow in these tough times…
PRACTICE GOD’S WORD.
With God’s help, work out His truth in your everyday life. Exercise God’s principles until they become second nature. Then…
PERSIST IN THE PRACTICE OF GOD’S WORD.
Be diligent to learn and grow. Press on to maturity.
Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity…”
Now, the English translation makes it sound like spiritual maturity is something we do to ourselves; i.e., we MAKE ourselves grow. But you can’t MAKE yourself grow any more than a baby can! Actually, in the original language in which this was written, the verb is passive. That means the subject is acted upon, not doing the acting.
It’s NOT that we must in our own effort “GO on to maturity,” but that we must “let ourselves be moved on to maturity; or we must “let ourselves be carried on to adulthood. You see, growth is not something you DO to yourself. It is something that happens to you if you eat right and get some exercise.
That’s also the way you grow spiritually! You don’t make yourself grow to become more like Christ; Christ carries you on to spiritual maturity as you live your life in dependence upon Him. Christ causes you to grow in His image as you consume His Word and exercise its principles in your everyday life.
Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (ESV)
These are the elementary doctrines of the Christian faith. They’re teachings that even the newest Christian should know and practice.
The first is turning from “dead works” to “faith in God.” All believers should understand that they cannot save themselves through their own good works but must depend on God to deliver them from sin.
Second, all believers should have experienced “washings” or baptism. Now, baptism is a testimony of your faith in Christ. It’s an expression that you have died to an old way of life and have been raised to a new way of life in Christ. It’s the first step of obedience in your life with Christ; so, if you haven’t taken that first step, how can you expect to take any more steps in your walk with Christ? If you’re a believer and haven’t been baptized, please, contact me, and we’ll get that taken care of as soon as we can.
Third, all believers should know about the “laying on of hands”, i.e., which leaders they should follow. In the First Century, the church laid hands on the people they recognized as leaders (Acts 6:6; 1 Timothy 4:4; 2 Timothy 1:6), and there are very clear instructions in the Bible about who to recognize as your spiritual leader. You don’t follow just anybody. Instead, you follow those who KNOW God’s Word, who can TEACH it, and who LIVE it!
Fourth, all believers should have the assurance of their own resurrection from the dead. They should know that because Christ was raised from the dead, they too will be raised. Death is not the end for the believer; it is only the beginning of a new and glorious life with Christ with a new and glorious body, which no longer experiences any pain, sickness, decay, or sorrow. And…
Fifth, all believers should understand what eternal judgment is all about. Those who have not put their trust in Christ will spend an eternity in hell, a place of conscious torment forever. Such knowledge should motivate you to do everything you can to make sure your unbelieving friends come to faith in Christ. Pray daily for opportunities to share Christ; and when God gives you that opportunity, be ready to share the Gospel. Be ready to tell them that they can have eternal life by turning from their own “dead works” and by trusting Christ alone to save them from their sin.
This is basic Christianity, introductory level stuff, which every believer should know and practice. The problem is some get stuck at this level and never move beyond it.
They’re like Peter Pan, who didn’t want to grow up. Psychologists call the condition “gerascophobia”, which means “the fear of growing up.” A few years ago (December 21, 2104), Case Reports in Psychiatry described a 14-year-old boy who tried hard not to grow up.
The article described an adolescent, who “does not eat much because according to his own research food contains nutrients needed for physical development. In addition, he adopted a stooped posture to hide his height and began to distort his voice, using lower volume and higher pitch than usual… Every time he notices a physical change that indicates that he is growing, he feels fear and anxiety, to the point that has considered undergoing multiple surgeries to hide it. If people tell him that he is taller or older, he becomes extremely upset and cries… He is currently in the 25th percentile, according to the BMI for his age.”
After treatment, the boy showed significant signs of improvement. “However,” the article concluded, “he continues to express a fear of commitment and responsibilities that he feels will be required of him in adult life. (Case Reports in Psychiatry, 2014, December 21; www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4283456)
How sad! But no more sad than the believer who refuses to move beyond the basics in Christian doctrine and practice. Please, don’t be that person, who fears the commitment and responsibility that growth brings. Let’s leave the elementary doctrines and let Christ carry us on to greater growth and maturity.
Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do if God permits. (ESV)
The only reason God would NOT permit further growth is if you’re not ready for it. If you’re not putting into practice the things God has already revealed to you in His Word, then He is not going to give you any further revelation, because you’d just choke on it. The immature can only drink milk; the mature can enjoy steak!
So if you want to grow in these tough times, practice God’s Word; then persist in the practice of God’s Word, and…
DON’T BE PIG-HEADED IN YOUR WAYS.
Don’t be obstinate. Don’t be stubborn in your refusal to change and grow.
Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
Wow! That’s a mouthful! So let me unpack it for you.
First, these are believers. Verse 4 says, “They have been enlightened” – I.e., the Holy Spirit has opened their eyes to see the truth of the Gospel. And “they have tasted the heavenly gift” – I.e., they have experienced Christ, God’s gift from heaven. This is not just a sampling of Christ. This is the full experience of Christ. In Hebrews 2:9, the same word is used where it talks about Christ “made lower than the angels… so that… He might TASTE death for everyone.” Jesus did not merely sample death on the cross; He experienced it to the full. So those who have tasted Christ, the heavenly gift, have experienced Him to the full. He is their Savior, and He dwells within. They have also “shared in the Holy Spirit”, who only indwells believers (Roman 8:9). And in verse 5, they have tasted, or fully experienced, the goodness of God’s Word and God’s power.
It’s clear that these are true and genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, but these are believers who have fallen away, verse 6 says. Now, this is not the word for “apostacy” used elsewhere in this book (Hebrew 3:12 &12:25). They did not deliberately turn away from or reject Christ. They just got tripped up on the road to maturity. They just got waylaid and stopped growing. They just stopped practicing the principles of God’s Word.
These are believers who have fallen away, AND they refuse to repent. Verse 6 says, “It is impossible… to restore them again to repentance.” Repentance literally means “a change of mind,” so there is nothing anyone can do to change their minds. When believers stop practicing the principles of God’s Word, they become obstinate; they become stubborn in their refusal to change and grow.
These are believers who have fallen away and refuse to repent to their own harm. Verse 6 says, “They are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” Their refusal to change and grow shows great disrespect to Jesus, so much so that it is like they are crucifying Him once again. And they do it to their own harm!
Hebrews 6:7-8 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
Those who practice God’s Word are very fruitful. They become useful for the expansion of Christ’s Kingdom. God uses them to bring others to faith in Christ, and they are blessed.
On the other hand, those who refuse to change and grow become barren and dry. They become useless in Christ’s Kingdom, producing only thorns and thistles, producing only those things that are an irritation to others.
Every generation has its great evangelist. In the 2nd half of the 20th Century, we had Billy Graham, who just passed away. In the 1st half of the 20th Century it was Billy Sunday, and in the last half of the 19th Century, it was D. L. Moody. He was a shoe salesman, who came to faith in Christ and wanted to join the church. However, he was so ignorant of the Bible, they almost refused him membership.
Eventually, they let Moody join, and he developed a great hunger for God’s Word. In fact, he spent so much time reading it, and was so quick to obey it that he became a “menace” to some of the other believers in the church. His rapid spiritual growth was an embarrassment to those, who, though they had been believers for years, never grew up in their relationship with Christ.
Week after week, in the church Moody attended, he would share a new experience he had with the Lord. Finally, some of the older saints, who just couldn’t stand feeling humiliated by Moody’s rapid spiritual growth, urged his uncle to quiet him down. While they were sucking their thumbs, Moody was growing until he had left them far behind. (Bible Illustrator #995)
In 32 years of ministry, I rarely (if ever) have trouble with the new believers or even the non-believers, no. My greatest trouble usually comes from the old “saints” who have stopped growing. They have stopped practicing the principles of God’s Word, and so they have become stubborn and all prickly in their relationships, who are very hard to get along with.
In the end, everything they have accomplished will be for nothing. It will all be burned up. 1 Corinthians 3 says of this kind of a believer, his work is “burned up… [but] he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). These are believers who have fallen away and refuse to repent to their own harm.
Please, don’t be that kind of a believer. Don’t be stubborn in your refusal to change and grow, lest you become a worthless thorn in somebody’s side.
On the other hand, if you want to grow in these tough times, practice God’s Word; then persist in the practice of God’s Word, and don’t be pig-headed in your ways.
Michael O'Brien tells a haunting story in his fictional book, entitled Sophia House:
In the Middle Ages, a famous young painter was hired to create a mural above the high altar of a great church in Paris. The subject was the life of Christ. The artist labored with persistence for many years, and his mural became known as the marvel of its time. Yet it remained incomplete. The artist, try as he might, could not complete two of the faces: the Christ Child and Judas Iscariot. Whenever he attempted to fill in these empty spaces, the results were out of harmony with the rest of the work.
The artist was greatly dissatisfied with the situation and could not understand why, despite his talents, he was unable to bring the mural to completion. He prayed for inspiration daily, and not long afterward, while walking on the streets of the city, he happened upon a group of children playing. Among them was a boy who had the face of an angel and who radiated goodness. The artist invited him to sit as a model of the Christ Child. With his parents' permission the child did, and the finished image was considered a masterpiece. Yet the painter could still find no model for the face of Judas Iscariot.
The story of the artist's quandary spread far and wide throughout the country, and many people, considering themselves the possessors of wicked, deformed, or corrupt faces, offered to pose as the betrayer. But to the artist, none of them seemed quite right for the part. He wanted a face so twisted and ruined by its surrender to depravity that all who gazed upon it would see sin incarnate. Years passed, and the artist would often go to the church to pray for inspiration. He longed to complete the mural, yet in his heart he hoped that the face of Judas would forever elude him, that no human soul would ever be so deeply sunk in sin that it would provide the perfect model.
Then one afternoon as he sat in the church, a beggar staggered down the aisle and knelt at the steps of the altar. He reeked and his clothing hung in rags from his haggard figure. He was not an old man, but he was hunched over, as if weighted by an immense burden of dark memories. His face was exactly what the artist had been looking for. He took the broken man home with him, fed him, washed his diseased flesh, clothed him, and spoke to him warmly, as if with a friend. He instructed his children to treat the visitor with the greatest respect. His wife, a kind and devout woman, prepared fine meals for him. But the poor man dwelt in their midst as if he were made of stone. He was completely unable to speak.
He was, however, willing to sit as the artist's model. Weeks went by, and as the work progressed, the beggar would look from time to time at the image of himself materializing on the canvas. A curious grief and horror would fill his eyes. One day, seeing the model's distress, the artist paused in his labor, laying down his brush.
“My friend,” he said, “your heart is troubled. What is it?”
The man buried his face in his hands and burst into tears. After a long moment he lifted his eyes to the old painter. “Do you not remember me?” he said, “Years ago I was your model for the Christ Child.” (Michael D. O'Brien, Sophia House, Ignatius Press, 2005; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the warning to anyone of us sitting here this morning: Keep growing, or else become grotesque and miserable with your life.
