Spiritual Milk Or A Thanksgiving Feast Series

When we think of Thanksgiving we often think of food. While we all know that Turkey is the top food for the Thanksgiving meal in America; the favorite side dishes vary. Yet, this week I did a little study to see which side dishes are America’s favorite.

Are you ready for this?

1. Stuffing; of course

2. Mom’s macaroni and cheese

2. Sweet Potato Casserole

3. Green Bean Casserole

5. Garlic Mashed Potatoes

What about the favorite desserts?

1. Apple Pie

2. Pumpkin Pie

3. Cheese Cake

4. Pound Cake

5. Kentucky Derby Pie

But what is interesting is, that 11,034, 857 people will have only milk for Thanksgiving dinner. That’s 3.3% of America’s population. Crazy right? The reason why is because 3.3 percent of the population are babies.

Babies, unfortunately can’t enjoy a Thanksgiving meal like you and me. It’s not a matter of the meal being unavailable; it’s a matter of the having the maturity and development necessary to experience it.

Transition:

As the writer of the Hebrews approaches the recipients of this book; He looks at them and says in verse 12: “...you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

The Book of Hebrews was written around 30 years after Jesus had died, risen, and ascended to heaven and many of the people this passage was originally written to had been followers of Jesus for up to 30 years.

Yet, the writer says: “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.” Vs. 12

In other words, you should have been feasting on God’s Word and living out an abundant life in Jesus for a long time now, yet you are still in the spiritual high chair, sitting and sucking on a Biblical bottle when you should be preparing the spiritual meal and feeding others while enjoying the journey yourselves.

Yet, instead leading you have been loitering and laying around like a baby.

Yikes! Not the easiest thing to hear is it? Yet, as we approach this Thanksgiving, let’s take a moment to think about our spiritual maturity. Who are we currently like? This guy?

or this guy?

Transitional Sentence: In this passage God gives us three important lessons about growing spiritually. It tell us that if we are going to grow spiritually three things have got to happen:

I. We’ve Got to Know Why We Need To Grow

Vs. 11- “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

Explanation:

When you were born, you were born to grow. As a matter of fact, God designed your body to grow. It started in your mother’s womb.

Think about it: When you were born, your body was designed with feet. Yet, those feet, in your mother’s didn’t have much purpose. If you were designed to stay in the womb, those feet would have been pretty useless. It’s pretty tight in there. There’s no room nor opportunity to run, walk, or even roam around.

Your feet were designed for the “outside” not the “inside.” They were designed to grow, gain coordination, and to walk on the ground “outside” the womb. You were designed for a better place, You were designed to grow. To walk. To run. To get places outside the womb.

Physically it is obvious that growth matters. Failure to thrive is a serious issue for babies and children who fail to grow properly.

Yet, failure to grow spiritually often goes unnoticed or undetected.

But, lack of spiritual growth is even more critical than lack of physical growth. Notice what Ephesians 4:14 says: “We are not meant to remain as children at the mercy of every change wind and teaching... instead we are meant to hold firmly to the truth in love and the grow up in every way into Christ.”

As the writer of Hebrews addresses the lack of spiritual growth; he describes it in an interesting way. He says: “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” Vs. 11

In this statement, He clearly notes that one of the first signs and signals of the lack of spiritual growth is this: There is a break down in the ability to hear and follow Jesus’s voice.

Listen: If you can’t hear God speak to you; your spiritual life is in a critical state. This is why:

In John 16:13 Jesus said this: “...but when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”