Hebrews 5:11-6:3 Signs of a Growing Believer

Intro

Introduce Pastor Felipe & Nelson

David Guzik’s prayer of dedication

Vision:

The lost & hurting will come and find hope

People will come from all over because the Spirit is moving

A training ground for ministers

Today we are going to talk about an important topic, spiritual maturity

We are going to see that it is unbiblical to be a vegetarian

No, I’m joking

We are going to look at how believers need to crave the meat of the word of God

Did you ever notice that vegetarians are always trying to get their food to look and taste like meat

No chef ever tries to get a steak to taste like broccoli

Just saying

I saw this week that Beyond Meat sales have dropped 30%

It turns out that even vegans are rejecting the sludge they produce

There is no substitute for real meat

Now I am not trying to start an argument, but I’ve never tasted a vegetable that tastes as good as a piece of red meat

Especially when that meat is put over the hot coals of oak wood and cooked for a couple of hours

God never commanded vegetables to be sacrificed

The writer of Hebrews uses that analogy to talk about spiritual maturity

Mature, growing believers desire the meat of the Word

New believers need to be taught the basics which is equated to milk

As we grow spiritually we should transition from milk to meat

If you’ve been a believer for a long time and still need to be reminded of the basics you fall into the immature category

Read Hebrews 5:11-14

Transition

Up until this point writer of Hebrews has been dealing with basic doctrine and theology

He is reminding them of the first things

Jesus is greater than angels, Moses, and the law

Now he is transitioning into deeper theology and gives his third warning

The first warning was against drifting away from Jesus

The second was against letting your heart depart from the Word

This third warning is against being dull of hearing

That is a fancy way for saying that his readers need to grow up

They have been Christians for years but haven’t matured in their faith

They still need the basics explained when they should be desiring the meat of the word

This morning we are going to look at the signs of an immature believer and then look at the signs of a mature believer

The goal is to be a growing believer

Signs of an Immature Believer vs. 11-13

vs. 11-13 gives us three signs of an immature believer

Notice I didn’t say new believer

An immature believer is someone who has stagnated in the spiritual growth and hasn’t grown in a long time

They’ve could’ve been a Christian for 20 years but they’ve repeated the first two years ten times

vs. 11 Dull of Hearing

The first sign of an immature believer is that they are dull of hearing

The writer has a lot to say about Melchizedek but can’t because it is too deep

The listeners have become dull of hearing

Their spiritual condition made it hard to explain

Being dull of hearing is not a problem with the ears, but a problem with the heart.

The hearer isn’t really interested in what God has to say.

Think the teacher’s voice in Charlie Brown

Not wanting to hear the Word of God points to a genuine spiritual problem.

It can even be a reason for unanswered prayer,

Matthew 13:15 (ESV)

For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed’

Dullness leads to a lack of desire for the Word of God

When the Word of God starts to seem dull, we should regard it as a serious warning sign.

The word “become” is important. It indicates that they didn’t start out that dull of hearing, but became that way.

How do you overcome dullness?

Isaiah tells us to incline our ear

Isaiah 55:3 ESV

Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Incline means to lean in towards

If you are experiencing dullness it may be because you are inclining your ear towards something else besides Jesus

If you incline your ear to Jesus your soul will come alive

Busyness can produce dullness

You can be having the time of your life and become dull

vs. 12 Out to be Teaching

The second sign of an immature believer is that they out to be teaching

These Jews had been Christians for a while

They should be teaching others but they need to be taught the basic principles again

They need the milk of the word when they should be eating solid food

1 Corinthians 3:2 ESV

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

If we don’t have the basic principles of the faith down we will never mature

Surveys show that a majority of the church not only don’t have them down, they don’t believe them

It wasn’t that these were unique people who should hold a unique role of teaching.

Every Christian must be a teacher, because we can all help disciple others.

We really only master something after we have effectively taught it to someone else.

Teaching is the final step of learning.

vs. 13 Unskilled in the Word

The final sign of an immature believer is that they are unskilled in the word

You’ve been this great weapon, do you know how to use it?

So many Christians don’t know how to use the Word of God

They don’t know how to ward off attacks by the enemy

They don’t seek the counsel and comfort it provides

Use the Sword

Have you ever seen someone use a sword when they aren’t trained?

They often grad it with both hands, raise it above their head, and charge their opponent

To a skilled swordsmen they are easy prey

Even worse they don’t know how to defend themselves

Because they are unskilled they out of control

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Immature Christians are defenseless against the attacks of the enemy

You need to become skilled by reading it and being taught how to use it

EnduringWord.com

David Guzik reading method

25 million use his website each month

250 million have downloaded his app

Signs of a Mature Believer vs. 5: 14-6:3

The writer of Hebrews tells his people to leave the basics and and go on to maturity

NKJV calls it perfection

vs. 14 Exhibits Discernment

The first sign of a mature believer is that they crave the meat of the Word

Mature people crave solid food

That solid food empowers them

Here it tells us that we have the power of discernment

It enables us to distinguish between good and evil

Mature believers are able to sidestep temptation and sin because their senses are finely tuned

vs. 1-2 Moved Beyond the Basics

The second sign is that they understand the basics

They understand the elementary doctrines of Christ

This has the idea of “rudiments” or “ABCs.”

They are basic building blocks that are necessary, but must be built upon – otherwise has only a foundation and no structure.

These elementary principles are given in three pairs.

Repentance and faith go together.

Baptisms and laying on of hands go together.

Resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment are paired together.

Notice something missing from this list?

There is no mention of Jesus or the cross

These elementary principles here are something that Judaism and Christianity have in common

The word baptism actually refers to ceremonial washing and not the immersion we believe in

vs. 3 Desire Growth

The final sign is that they desire growth

This final short verse means to have complete dependence upon God

It shows a desire to mature and grow in your faith

Communion

Closing: Gospel

GOD created us to be with Him. 

OUR sins separate us from God.   

SINS cannot be removed by good deeds. 

PAYING the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.   

EVERYONE who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. 

LIFE with Jesus starts now and lasts forever!