The Real Meat Of The Word

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Pastor James May

THE REAL MEAT OF THE WORD

Hebrews 5:12-14, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

A few years ago the Burger King Restaurant Corporation ran a commercial on TV where an elderly lady would walk up to the counter with her hamburger in her hand, open the bread up and cry, “Where’s the Beef!” It seems that she got a burger with a meat patty so small that you couldn’t find it. Of course the commercial was trying to make the point that Burger King offered more “meat” for your money.

In the course of my ministry through the years I have heard many people say that they wanted to experience the real meat of the Word of God. Yet, when the meat of the Word was presented they went back to sucking their milk bottle because they couldn’t handle the real meat at all.

It was only about a year ago that someone who told me that they wanted to hear the real meat of the Bible approached me right in this very church. Their claim was that too many preachers talk about the real meat but never really get into the Word deep enough to bring out anything with real meaning to it. I want you to know that the same person who said this to me was one of the very ones who would not hear the real meat of God’s Word and continued to live only on the milk. Today I don’t even know if they are drinking the milk of the Word. I fear that they have quit tasting of the Word altogether and are spiritually dead.

If we are to grow in Christ and mature into vessels of honor that are useful to the Kingdom of God it is important to know what “meat” Paul is talking about in his letter to the Hebrews.

As our example in all things spiritual, the life of Christ is referred to in this chapter. Jesus is God’s Son and as God’s Son, he came to earth and was born of a virgin and became a man, a human being, with all the ramifications of being a human being in a world of sin except that He knew no sin, committed no sin, and never came under the same penalty of spiritual death that other men have known.

Hebrews 5:8-9, "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"

Before He could be our example, Jesus had to go through some pretty rough times of learning obedience to His mission as our Great High Priest.

It is no coincidence that Paul talks about the suffering of Jesus in the Garden just prior to the Crucifixion and Jesus’ obedience even unto death before Paul writes concerning maturing through exercising your spirit by chewing on the meat of the Word.

So, just what is the milk of the Word? What is it that only baby Christians can stand to eat because they aren’t strong enough to digest or absorb anything any stronger?

Here’s what the milk is:

1 Peter 2:2-3, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

The Milk of the Word consists of those promises, blessings and good things that God has given in His Word that are easy to swallow and require no real commitment to obedience and suffering for the cause of Christ.