Malnourished Christians is a real problem today. In a few weeks I’m going to be preaching about our world-view. A world-view not based on the Word of God invites disaster for the Christian and the church. A survey done by Probe Ministries a year ago among 3,000 Americans reveals among U.S. born-again Christians between the ages of 18 and 39, more than 60% say there’s more than one way to salvation, including Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad. More than 30% say Jesus sinned while living on earth or they’re not sure whether he did.[1]
What a sad state of affairs. No wonder the church (as a whole) is in a such sad shape today. The church no longer has the influence it once had in American life. When someone comes to the point in their live where they realize they are bound for an eternity of torment, and they cry out to be saved and they come to that point of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus, their journey has only just begun. That point of salvation is most important and not to be trivialized. We have been justified but the sanctification process has only just begun. We have been called to a changed life and our being disciple (student) of Jesus has just commenced.
The message this morning deals with just that. One of my commentators, Kent Hughes, explained:
"The truth is, there is simply no such thing as a static Christian. We either move forward or fall back. We are either climbing or falling. We are either winning or losing. Static, status quo Christianity is a delusion!" [2]
Hebrews 5:11–6:3
A few years ago I read an article entitled, “Milk, Meat, and the Malnourished Church” by Steven Furtick, Lead Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He made some interesting observation about the church today. He mentions that many complain about not being fed at church as it relates to the worship experience. Let me give you some interesting quotes from the article: [3]
“Most American Christians aren’t malnourished because of what they’re getting fed on Sunday. They’re malnourished because they don’t feed themselves Monday through Saturday.”
“The crisis facing the church today isn’t what people are getting fed on Sundays. It’s what they’re not feeding themselves the rest of the days.”
"It is the shepherd’s job to feed the sheep (John 21). And feed them well based on their needs and faith development. But it’s also the sheep’s job to eat …"
"If you refuse to study the Word, apply it, pray some during the week, join a small group and dig deeper with others, there’s not much we can do to help you. Your malnourishment won’t be cured by anything we give you on Sunday."
There is a responsibility from the pastors and teachers of the church, but there is also a responsibility on the part of the individual disciple.
The writer of Hebrews faced this problem when he wrote to Jewish Christians. One of the purposes for this letter to the Hebrews was to explain to these Jewish believers how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. He explains how Jesus fits in the big picture of where they have been. This called for some in-depth instruction.
Hebrews 5:11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Concerning who? Who is the “him” being referred to here? “Him” in context was the Old Testament priest and king named Melchizedek. We read about him in Genesis 14 and his encounter with Abram. The writer of Hebrew will spend some time (Hebrews 5-7) on how Jesus is our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Time does not permit me to elaborate on this. This is a whole study in and of itself. But this is part of the in-depth instruction this writer wanted to give. But the writer of Hebrews wants to go deep into the teachings about Jesus, but his listeners are “dull of hearing.” They are unable to absorb these deep truths from the Word. Jesus had the same problem with His disciples:
John 16:12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
Why can they not take this advance teaching? As we will read, they are still working on the basics, the elementary things of the faith. They are still learning their ABCs. So the writer of Hebrew chastises them:
Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
These Jewish Christians had been believers for some time. They had been in the faith, but there was a danger of many of them slipping back where they had come from. Forgetting the basic fundamentals of the faith. Where many were slipping, they should have been to the point where they are teaching others. We have people who have been in Sunday School all their lives but never taught anyone.
For those asked to teach, I don’t need to hear that you have not been given the Spiritual gift of teaching. How do you know? Have you done any teaching? Kent Hughes says: “The great scandal of today’s church is Christians without Christian minds—those who ought to be teachers, but need someone to teach them the elementary truths of God’s Word all over again.” [4]
I have said this many times in the past, “If you want to learn more about the Word, teach it! No one learns more than the teacher.” But for many, they are content to sit back in Sunday School and be spoon fed. The writer of Hebrews says: “you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God” The ABCs of the Word if you will. Oracles here means the Word or message and teachings from God. The Hebrews are only up the basics, they were not ready for the advance stuff.
Equating teaching to milk and solid food was a common illustration in that day. Milk was for infants, babies. Solid food was for those more grown up. Paul said the same thing to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 3:1–2 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able …
We have in our hands the very mysteries of God, answers to the origin and secrets of the universe, the very nature of who and what God is. It is here for us if we would only explore it, study it, and digest it. But so many people just memorize John 3:16 and say they learned all they need to know. The writer of Hebrews wants to explain to these Jewish Christian show Jesus is their new High Priest, but is unable because they are still on the basics. Why?
Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
They are not accustomed to the Word. The NKJV and ESV has "unskilled," and the NIV has "not acquainted with the teachings," and the HCSB has "inexperienced." Doug’s (my own) translation say, they have failed to read and study their Bibles. They are like those who have a Bible for good luck, but have never opened it to the treasures found inside. They are waiting for someone to spoon feed it to them. Only milk and not the good stuff, because they have failed to progress.
Herein is a problem in today’s world (and back then too). Infants, children are gullible. If it sounds good, they will believe anything that is told to them, and many are led astray because they have only had the milk of the Word, not the meat, the solid food of the Word. Paul warns the Ephesians:
Ephesians 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
As we mature, we can begin to see the fallacies of the world around us.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Growing in the Word means living out the Word every day. Babies need to be taught right from wrong and as Christians, so do we. In a world where the prophet Isaiah says they will call evil good and good evil, and bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20), we need to know the word to know up from down and vise-versa. This takes practice. We learn the word by not just reading it, but by living it out. By obedience to the Word we learn and gain understanding and wisdom in the Word. We begin to see more and more every day the difference between the good and evil in our world.
Who are ready for the deep things of the word? Who are maturing? It is those “who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” This is so much more the mere reading the Word, but living out the Word of God everyday, by "practice" of the word in their daily lives.
A baby will put anything in their mouths, but as that baby gets older and more mature, that child learns what is good and not so good. The same with us. We are to be doers of the word.
James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Paul tells the church in Rome:
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
In so many places in the Word we are told to grow. Not to grow means we are moving backwards. As said earlier, “there is simply no such thing as a static Christian… Static, status quo Christianity is a delusion!”
Hebrews 6:1a Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity …
We do not out-grow milk, but we do move on. We build on the foundation of the basics laid before us. As we move forward to maturity we also gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the basics. The foundation has been laid and should not have to repeat learning these elementary things over and over. That does not mean these things will not be reviewed, but covered with deeper truths from the Word. The writer of Hebrews goes on and remind them of what them basics are:
Hebrews 6:1–2 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
Now remember, this is being written to Jewish believers who already know the particulars of the Jewish faith, and the writer is trying to move them forward.
“Repentance from dead works” the dead works being referred to here is those ritualist practices of the Jews. The practices are fulfilled by Jesus and are not capable of imparting the life they have found in Jesus.
“Faith toward God” as we have discussed many times before means a learned dependency of God, not filling ritualist squares.
“Washings and laying on of hands,” some translation may have baptism here, but these have to do with relationship to the local assembly of believers, the church. We come into fellowship with the church through a common baptism any laying on of hands, a practice we still see today mostly in the ordination of our deacons in pastors.
“The resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.” Even many today do not fully understand this elementary principles of our faith. All will be raise one day, and the Bible is quite clear, some will experience the resurrection of life and the rest the resurrection of eternal judgment and punishment.
But many not grounded in the faith, will repeat the heresy of saying "there is no hell" and "there are many roads to heaven."
But we need to be grounded in these elementary principles and active in teaching them to others. And the writer of Hebrews concludes by saying “let us press on to maturity.” There is so much more for us to learn in our sanctification.
Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do, if God permits.
And as we read through Hebrews, this writer attempts to do so. But the limiting factor are these Jewish Christians and not God.
The question here is not salvation, but in sanctification. Growth results in being fruitful for the Kingdom and the building up of rewards for eternity.
Is salvation enough? Yes, but we are save for greater works as wells for eternity. If we received so great a salvation, would we not want to serve our Lord who shed His blood which gave us this free give of life? Would we not want to know more about Him? Would we not want be bring others into this wonderful relationship with our living Lord?
The question this morning is “Are you growing?” Or are you still needing milk, to be spoon fed? At what point will you be teaching and leading others?
[1] https://churchleaders.com/news/403929-survey-more-born-again-christians-embrace-pluralistic-worldview.html
[2] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. 1, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 149.
[3] “Milk Meat and the Malnourished Church” by Steven Furtick. https://outreachmagazine.com/features/5149-milk-meat-and-the-malnourished-church.html
[4] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. 1, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 148.
