Series: BLUEPRINTS
Sermon 1: Blueprints for Growth
Hebrews 6:1-3
Retarded growth is tragic in every area of life. Birth is wonderful. It is one of the mysteries no one really understands. But it does not matter how beautiful an experience of birth is, if there is no growth after birth we would be worried. For people to be born and never grow into maturity is a terrible waste. But it happens in the spiritual life all the time.
People are born again, saved and converted.
They become a part of God’s family in Christ Jesus.
But they fail to go from that experience of birth to maturity in the Christian life.
The writer of the Hebrews was aware of this so he wrote our text.
This passage challenges us to move from a born again experience to maturity in our Christian life. The writer is scolding them or their failure to grow. They had been Christians long enough to be teachers, yet they hadn’t grown and needed to be taught. By this time they should have been eating strong meat, but could not digest it spiritually. They were still spiritual bottle babies. They had been born again. Believe it or not, there is more to the Christian life than birth, being saved and the first step. So we are challenged in this passage to go on to perfection. Perfection does not imply sinless-ness but rather maturity, It is being what God wants us to be fulfilling His intended purpose for us.
And what is God’s purpose for our lives? Jesus is our standard. And so we are to grow up to become like Jesus . Never be content just to escape hell, or even jus to make it to heaven! But to be like Jesus, to become all that God wants us to be into the fullness of the statues Christ.
I think I need to tell you in this preachment hour, that we must leave the foundation. Leaving does not mean forsaking. But it means leave as a tree leaves its roots to become a tree. It is all still attached to and at the base on the roots. The Christian must have roots, but it can’t be all roots and foundations. Having built our lives on these principles, we can’t stay there we must go on.
Here are some principles mentioned here.
1.Repentancec from dead works (the efforts to save ourselves by being good).
2. Faith
3. Baptism (outward expression of an inward commitment)
4. Receiving the Holy Spirit (laying on of hands)
5 The Resurrection of the dead
6. The Judgement.
We can build on these, but we can’t stay here.
I think I need to tell you in the commencement of this preachment that you need to be determined to grow. You don’t just drift into maturity. But you can drift into sin. "Slip means to drift not intending to do it. You can fall into sin. But in order to grow you must climb like you’re climbing up a mountain.
I think I need to tell you in these closing moments of this preachment hour that you must be dedicated to God. Depending upon God’s strength, power, and help. Learn the secret of depending upon God. We can be mature Christians if God strengthens and helps us.
