February 8, 2004
Morning Service
Text: Hebrews 6:1-8
Subject: Maturity
Title: We Want More
God has placed it heavily on my heart to begin praying once again for revival in this church. The wind of the Holy Spirit is beginning to fan a flame in my heart once again to see it happen. I now that many of you are with me on this. Last Sunday night I spoke to you about revival, especially about the manifestations of revival. But what is revival? J.I. Packer in his book, Your Father Loves You, says, “Revival is the visitation of God which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping and restores a deep sense of God’s near presence and holiness. Thence springs a vivid sense of sin and a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love, with an evangelistic outflow. Each revival movement has its own distinctive features, but the pattern is the same every time.
First God comes. On New Year’s Eve 1739, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and some of their friends held a "love feast" which became a watch night of prayer to see the New Year in. At about 3 a.m., Wesley wrote, "the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground." Revival always begins with a restoration of the sense of the closeness of the Holy One.
Second, the gospel is loved as never before. The sense of God’s nearness creates an overwhelming awareness of one’s own sins and sinfulness, and so the power of the cleansing blood of Christ is greatly appreciated.
Then repentance deepens. In the Ulster revival in the 1920s shipyard workers brought back so many stolen tools that new sheds had to be built to house the recovered property! Repentance results in restitution.
Finally, the Spirit works fast: godliness multiplies, Christians mature, converts appear. Paul was at Thessalonica for less than three weeks, but God worked quickly and Paul left a virile church behind him.
As in so many cases in our Christian walk, there are cycles that take place. As we mature in our faith, we should become hungrier for the things of God. As we become hungry and begin to steadfastly bombard heaven with prayer, we can expect God to send revival. When revival comes, people are saved, they mature in their faith, they become hungry and pray and the cycle continues.
One of the main problems is that we often lose the fire of revival and it is replaced by the spirit of complacency; we are just happy where we are with what we have. We want to look at what the writer of Hebrews has to say about that today. As we study you will begin to see that we are expected to continually move forward in our faith.
I. A PLACE TO START. (1-2)
A. Elementary Principles. The author has just finished writing about those elementary principles. He has said that, “You have come to need milk and not solid food… but solid food belongs to those who are of full age… and have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” This book was written to Jewish Christians. These Jews understood what the author has written about, the basics of faith, by understanding them in the light of Jewish tradition. When they came to the Lord, they understood about faith, repentance, baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. All of those things were part of their Jewish heritage. The difference is that for the Jew, these things are all just part of the religious ritual that takes place in temple worship. But because they used the same words or phrases does not in any way make the meaning the same.
B. Building Block Principles. Once those principles are in place there is need for the Christian to continue in them and beyond them. These are the basics. Get them in your heart, believe them, experience them, and then move beyond them. Repentance is more than making an offering for sin. It requires a turning away from sin. Faith is not believing that God exists, but trusting in His Son to save you when you can’t save yourself. Baptism in itself does not wash away sin. It is a religious expression. For the Christian it is and expression of what has happened to you on the inside. You’ve been made clean. For the Jew, the laying on of hands refers to the transfer of sin from mankind to the sacrificial lamb on the Day of Atonement. The Jewish Christians believed in the resurrection of the dead and the final and everlasting judgment. Once you have gotten a grasp on what these basics mean to you as a Christian, it is time to move on to the greater things God has in store for you.
C. Stagnation Principles. What happens to water that doesn’t move? It becomes stagnant. It is no good for anything. And if it remains stagnant for a long period, sickness and disease of every kind begins to grow in it. God’s intention for you is not to go backward, or even stay in one place, but to move forward in maturity. You are to “go on to perfection.” You will not be perfect this side of heaven. The Greek word that is translated perfection in verse 1 is better understood as “maturity”. So, the call is plain – continue to mature in Christ.
D. Expansion Principles. What is the one thing that the scriptures say should be most evident in our Christian lives? I John 3:11, 14, 16, “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another… We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren… By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us…” John 15:12, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” God has never intended for us to get saved and then be satisfied with having our foot in the door of heaven. (sponge illustration; first throw a dry sponge into the congregation. That is how a dry Christian affects others. Next a slightly wet sponge. May affect one person, the person it hits. Third a saturated sponge. The Christian who affects everybody around them.) If you are a loving Christian then you are an effective Christian. Jesus took fisherman and made them “fishers of men”. What is the foundation that this is built on? Love! I like to fish. I wish I had more time to do it. And I am not an expert on the subject. But this much I do know. In order to catch fish, you have to go fishing. You just can’t count on fish jumping into the boat. You have to go after them. Give them a little bait that appeals to their appetite. Let them see a joyous life. Tell them about the change Jesus brought about in you. And tell them with enthusiasm. Tell them. Why? Because Jesus loves them enough to die for them. Don’t let fear enter in. 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…” Maturing in your faith means bringing others to Jesus.
II. AN ATTITUDE TO AVOID. (4-6)
A. The Spirit of Complacency. You know, I think that the spirit of complacency is one of Satan’s favorite demons. I can imagine him whispering into the ear of believers, “You don’t have to share your faith with anyone. Let the preacher do that. You don’t even have to change your life. You’re saved by grace, you are no longer under the law. You can do anything you want. Once you are saved you are always saved. You can’t lose that. You are fine just the way you are. Don’t read your Bible. Don’t pray. Don’t worry about going to church…” all those things are contrary to scriptural evidence of how we are to live our lives.
B. The Danger of Complacency. Do you know what happens when you stop moving forward? When water stagnates it just sits there waiting to evaporate. Meanwhile, the green scum begins to form on it. It is no good for anything. Those who encounter it are in danger of sickness. Sickness brings death. Look at verses 4-6. There is plenty of discussion as to the mean of these verses. Some would say that there are people who go through all the motions of being a Christian. They make a confession of faith; the get baptized; they belong to a church. They do good works. But they were just going through the motions all along and were not sincere. If they return to their former lives, they cannot be brought to repentance. We believe that this is speaking of those Christians, who were sincere in their faith and commitment and after a period of time have decided that everything that they once believed is not valid and they turn their backs and walk away from the Lord. They cannot be brought back to repentance. Though we may disagree in theology, we do agree in the result. Don’t allow your faith to become stagnant but continue to move forward in the Lord. Don’t listen to the voice of complacency because where you are now is not where the Lord wants you to be tomorrow.
C. Resisting Complacency. Verses 4-5 again tell us what we need to know about sanctification. 1) You have been enlightened. If you have trusted the Lord Jesus as your savior, then your spiritual eyes have been opened. The scripture are being revealed to you and the truth that is contained therein becomes evident to you. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says, “We have the mind of Christ…” 2) you have tasted the heavenly gift. You have experienced eternal life in Christ. You know how good it is. You didn’t just see it and wonder about how good it might be, but have experienced it for yourself. 3) You have become partakers of the Holy Spirit. Paul said that those who walk in the Spirit are children of God. When you are saved from the wrath to come, you receive the Holy Spirit. Another encounter with the Holy Spirit comes when you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He is your power source. 4) You can taste the word of God. It is your roadmap for life. Read it, study it, memorize it, and follow it. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) 5) You are recipients, now, of the powers of the age to come. The power of the Holy Spirit gives you the strength you need to continue in the faith and to become mature. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. When you have done all that you can do to stand, stand therefore in God’s power. Jesus is your rock. He is your firm foundation. If you fall back into your old life, you crucify Christ all over again. Verse 6 says, “you put Him to an open shame.”
III. A PROCESS TO EXPECT (7-8)
A. Rain is Falling. Do you know that all the ingredients for revival are already in place in this church? How many of you have been praying for lost souls for years? Prayer is an ingredient leading to revival. When Paul went to Philippi he found some women gathered by the river, “where prayer was customarily made…” We know that there was a revival in the house of a businesswoman, in a prison, in the house of a jailer. This revival continued for some time, changing lives and hearts. How do we know this? This church, though in a financially depressed time, was Paul biggest financial supporter. The Holy Spirit moves in revival. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit will bring people to their knees. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit accompanies revival. Philip was preaching in Samaria when revival broke out. The people heeded the words spoken by Philip and saw the miracles that he did – the power of the Holy Spirit being displayed. Then the apostles came and lay hands on the believers and they received the Holy Spirit baptism. Rain is falling on the earth today to bring revival to this town.
B. The Earth is Receiving. When rain falls on the earth, if it stays on the surface, how much good does it do? It is necessary for the moisture to get down to the roots to nourish the plants. We have the opportunity for revival in our very midst. We have to receive the rain of the Holy Spirit that is falling. We must open ourselves up to drink it in like a freshly disked field in the summer rain. Then watch it grow. Like the seed that is sown on all types of ground in Jesus’ parable, this seed is falling on fertile and properly prepared ground. We are opened to receive the seed of revival and where the Holy Spirit waters revival grows.
C. We Must be Cultivating. Finally, prepare your hearts for the good things to come, the blessings from God. We have to be about the Father’s work. There is an awesome song that is on the radio now by a group called “Casting Crowns” that goes like this - But if we are the body, why aren’t His arms reaching? Why aren’t His hands healing? Why aren’t His words teaching? And if we are the body, why aren’t His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
Remember the cycle that I told you about at the beginning of the sermon? We’ve come full circle. If we are moving forward in Christ the way we should be, the Holy Spirit will begin to flow out of us. People’s lives will be touched. When the Holy Spirit touches people repentance comes. When those come to the Lord there is a desire to grow. With growth comes hunger. You have to stop and ask yourselves the question, “What is more important to me, my relationship with the Lord, which means moving forward in Him, being obedient to Him, or, my comfort zone?”. There is a quote that says it all. “Revival is the church falling in love with Jesus all over again.”
A U.S. Lutheran bishop tells of visiting a parish church in California and finding a stirring red and orange banner on the wall. "Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!" it declared in words printed under a picture of a fire burning. The bishop was also interested in the sign directly underneath the banner which said: "Fire extinguisher." So much for that parish’s commitment to spiritual renewal. One World, May, 1982.
I believe that this church is going to be a revival igniter and not an extinguisher. Let the excitement begin to well up in you. Let the anticipation of Holy Ghost stirrings begin in your hearts now. As you do, take a look at your heart. You are the body. Are His arms reaching? Are His hands healing? Are His words teaching? If you are the body, are His feet going? Is His love showing the lost that there is a way?
We’ve got the message.
We’ve got the power.
We’ve got the promise.
Do we have the heart?
