A Faith That Will Not Grow

INTRODUCTION:

The other day my wife and I were at Roby and my mom pulled out the old “Photo Album” of her 3 boys. She and Audra loved it. Me, not so much!

Do you have any pictures you’re super proud of from your growing up days?

I don’t know that I’d use the word “proud” but there are definitely some that stand out.

Baby (Sailor Outfit)

Todler (Dumb and Dumber Haircut)

Pre-teen (Nice Socks)

Teenager (Slim Shady)

High School Graduate (Pretty Hair)

Early Marriage (Young Love)

Today (Getting Grey!)

The great thing about photo albums is that they capture the development of your physical growth. You can really see how things change over time.

I wonder if, when we get to heaven, if the Lord has a Spiritual Photo Album that records our “spiritual growth.”

Growth is a Choice

What would your spiritual growth look like over the years that you’ve been a Christian?

For some of us there’d be huge leaps in development and for others there might be much small progress over a similar period of time.

That’s because physical growth is automatic but spiritual growth is not.

That means, for some of us, when we get to heaven and look at our spiritual photo album there might be extended seasons of our Christian life where it looked like we were “wearing diapers.”

That’s not an attractive look, is it? Could you imagine if we were talking after the service and out of nowhere I pulled out my pacifier and starting sucking on it?

I get angry when my kids even play around like they’re sucking on a pacifier!

What if I pulled out my soft little blanket or my teddy bear from my 2nd birthday?

If I did something like that, those of you who love me would gently but firmly say, “Wes, cut it out!” That’s not funny.

You’re a grown man. You’re almost 40 years old. Grow. Up.

And that is what the author of Hebrews is going to be telling his readers in our passage today.

Set the Table

For those of you who are new, we’ve been working through a series of warning passages in the book of Hebrews and they’ve been growing in their intensity.

Hebrews is like a “written sermon” in that there’s teaching followed by exhortation.

The goal of the book of Hebrews is to persuade the original audience that “Jesus is greater.” Their religious background was one of 1st century Judaism.

That means they would’ve been very religious and deeply steeped in temple worship, animal sacrifices, priestly duties and many rules behind the Old Covenant.

The author of Hebrews is warning these Christians NOT to drift back into their former life of Judaism but to rather press on to maturity in Jesus Christ.

In chapters 1-2 he explains how Jesus speaks a better WORD than the one spoken through angels to Moses in the 10 Commandments.

He warned the readers against having ears that didn’t hear because neglecting their greater salvation in Jesus would only invite a greater punishment from God.

In chapters 3-4 he explains how Jesus offers a better REST.

He warned the readers against hearts that couldn’t feel because through their unbelief they’d miss God’s rest in Jesus.

This week we’re making our way to the third warning passage and it begins in Hebrews 5:11.

Like warnings 1 & 2 it’s accompanied by an OT comparison. But this comparison the original audience wasn’t ready to understand.

The author compares Jesus to a priest named “Melchizedek.” (we actually looked at him in our study of Genesis 14.)

Like a parent who realizes his kids aren’t ready to hear what they’re about to say, he becomes frustrated that they aren’t mature enough to receive this teaching.

It was was difficult for them it will be even more so for us. So their warning is still relevant for us today.

We might not be tempted to slip back into 1st century Judaism. But, for many, their spiritual immaturity is keeping them from an abundant life in Jesus.

For an abundant life in Jesus we must mature in our faith.

I say this with great love and encouragement, some of us need to grow up in our faith.

You’ve been coming to church for years and years and you’re faith hasn’t developed from one year to the next.

You think the same old thoughts, you struggle with the same old sins and you stay disconnected enough that nobody else can tell the difference.

So for the next few minutes we’re going to examine what lazy faith looks like, how to grow up and why it matters.

Read the Text

Let’s read the text. Heb 5:11-14

Hebrews 5:11–6:3 CSB

11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. 1 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And we will do this if God permits.

THE PROBLEM: IMMATURITY

The author begins this warning with an accusation of spiritual laziness. The phrase literally reads, “you’re ears have become dull.”

The word means to become sluggish, lazy or inactive. (cf CSB)

I love when the Scriptures uses sensory language to describe our spiritual faculties. It’s a reminder that we are “embodied beings.”

We have physical eyes, ears, hands, nose and mouth with which we can see, hear, touch, smell and taste.

But we have spiritual faculties that do the same. We can taste and see that the LORD is good.

Just like our physical faculties can grow dull so also can our spiritual faculties do the same. Just like you can lose your sense of smell you can also lose your sensitivity to the Lord.

You basically lose your spiritual appetite and sensitivity to the things of God around you.

The result of lazy ears and hard heart? You become a spiritual baby.

Lazy Ears + Hard Heart = Baby Faith.

The word translated “lazy” is a perfect tense verb which means it happened in the past but has ongoing effects into the future.

Which means, on the one hand, it didn’t used to be that way. At one time their ears WEREN’T DULL and they were GROWING in their faith.

On the other hand, it suggests a dynamic correlation between dullness of hearing and spiritual regression.

That’s why he gave the rebuke about drifting in chapter 2. There’s not such thing as neutral in the Christian life. You either grow or you shrink you never stay the same.

As we warned last week, spiritual hardening happens progressively. It’s not something that happens overnight all at once. It’s gradual and slow.

How Does This Happen?

A good question to ask then is “How does this happen?” What causes the hardening of the heart and dulling of the ears?

I could point to many things in my own life that have that affect. But we don’t have to do that because it’s identified in the text.

Neglect of God’s Word was the cause of their regression.

Did you notice that in the text? He says “by this time you ought to be teachers but now have need for someone to teach you the basic principles again.” (Heb 5:12)

The phrase “basic principles” literally means the “ABC’s” of God’s Word.

The alphabet metaphor is followed by the nutritional diet of an infant.

If you’ve ever had kids you know that milk is indispensable in the early days of a baby’s life. But as the baby matures it’s important they transition. (unfortunately for those changing diapers!)

This wasn’t happening with that group of Christians. Not only were stuck on the ABC’s of faith, they weren’t even practicing those things they’d be taught.

Information without application means there can’t be any transformation.

Profile of Immaturity

Verse 12 is actually a perfect description what neglecting God’s Word looks like for the spiritually immature.

It’s not that you “stop” reading the Bible. It’s that you stop reading it for transformation.

It’s like a sailboat without a sail. It doesn’t matter how strong the wind is, without a sail to catch it there can be no movement.

I see at least three different ways that’s true in this text. They actually work synergistically in the human heart.

1.) You no longer share what you’ve learned.

2.) You no longer show that you’ve learned.

3.) You no longer seek after more.

Not Sharing

First, they didn’t share what they had learned.

He says “by this time you ought to be teachers…”

Both sides of this sentence are important. First what he means by teachers and second when he expected it to happen.

By teachers he doesn’t mean they should be preaching from the pulpit. That’s a different idea all together.

He’s just saying that they should be pouring into others what God has been pouring in the them.

The Word was never meant to be “only received.” The Gospel is always poured in so it can be poured by out.

God blessed Abraham so that he could “become a blessing.” That’s why we put discussion questions on the back page of the sermon notes.

That’s why the NT encourages us to teach and admonish “one another.” It’s why small groups are so important and good discussion within them.

The other thing to note is the phrase, “By this time…”

It’s one thing for a new Christian to feel intimidated by sharing the things that they had learned. (none of us are confident to teach something we just became aware of.)

But imagine if you were a 9th grade freshmen and you were still incapable of helping your sister with her first grade math homework. That’s pretty shameful!

You ought to be able to share what you know.

Not Showing

But it’s actually worse than that. Not only were they not sharing what they learned, They also weren’t showing THAT they’d learned. (Hebrews 5:12)

They actually needed to be taught the basics again.

The NIV/NASB translate it as elementary truths. (In that way, the school analogy is aprapo.)

We neglect God’s Word when we no longer show what we’ve learned.

If you aren’t able to do 1st grade math you’ll never be able to do 9th grade algebra. And 9th grade algebra is where math finally gets pretty interesting!

It’s like a spiritual Billy Madison. They were incapable of growing past the spiritual milk of God’s Word.

It’s one thing for a baby to be physically dependent on milk for their diet. But If you saw me out at Cotton Patch sucking down a bottle of baby formula you’d think “that’s not cool at ALL.”

And that’s what this author is saying about these Christians.

Not Yearning

Which leads to the last way we can neglect the Word of God.

You no longer seek for something more.

If you ever get to the point in your Christian life where you feel like you’ve already learned everything there is to learn - then you’re drifting.

By seeking for something more I don’t just mean adding “more things” to your knowledge base about the Word of God.

The Bible is a big enough book you could spend many years for a mere cursory level knowledge of what’s going on.

But the truth of God’s Word isn’t just “broad” it’s “deep.” In fact, the truth of the Gospel is SO DEEP that even angels become envious that we’ve given the opportunity to understand it.

The love of God is so deep, and so wide and so long and so high that Paul says we need a spiritual wisdom that extends BEYOND knowledge.

That means your yearning for the things of God ought to NEVER DIE. I never get tired of studying the Scripture. (much less preaching it!)

I can get lost in my time when I’m mining the treasures of Scripture. When you become bored with that enterprise you’re going to stop growing.

Or, if you get to the place where you stop exploring the deeper

The Elementary Truths

What were these “elementary truths” they needed to graduate from and build upon?

He goes on to list them in Hebrews 6:1-2

Hebrews 6:1–2 CSB

1 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

When he says “let us leave” he doesn’t mean forget or ignore. He means let us “build upon” this foundation so we can “go on” to maturity.

While these six categories apply to doctrines within the Christian faith, I actually think they’re specific to this Jewish audience.

Remember, the author is warning them of slipping back into their former ways of thinking.

They were being lulled to sleep spiritually and drifting back into the spiritual bondage of being justified by the Mosaic Law.

The challenge is to BUILD on the foundation instead of letting it get destroyed.

If you lose the foundation then what is built cannot last.

Notice he calls it a “foundation of repentance.”

Remember, repentance isn’t just saying “sorry for immoral acts.”

Repentance is changing your mind so that you agree with God about what’s true.

It indicates these believers had been discipled in their faith. Somebody had already done the hard work of explaining how and why Jesus alone can save.

These foundational elements would’ve represented fundamental shifts in the way they thought about themselves, about God about worship and righteous living.

The author is saying, “if we lose that foundation we’ll never have a shot of spiritual maturity”

Dead Works

The first is the concept of “dead works.” That’s not a phrase many of us would use to characterize our life before Christ.

But if you were a Jewish Christian it would have DEEP meaning.

You would’ve spent an incredible amount of energy trying to keep the Law through “Good works.”

This is the whole idea behind the book of Galatians and Paul’s rebuke of the Judaizers who said the cross of Jesus is great but we also need to add good works.

He rebukes that idea as a doctrine of demons. You can’t be justified by works of the Law because no human is capable of measuring up to God’s holy standard.

God gave us the law as a mirror to make us aware of our sins. If you try and use a mirror as a lifeboat you’ll sink to the bottom of the ocean.

The Law shows us we are dead in our trespasses and sins and the only thing that can make us alive is the grace God through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Foundational Truth #1: We are spiritually dead and saved by grace.

Faith In God

How does God’s grace save us from our sin? How can what Jesus accomplished on the cross be applied to our life and future?

That’s exactly where he goes next in the line of truths. Because we couldn’t be justified by works, God invites us to be justified by FAITH.

We’ve saved by grace through FAITH in Jesus.

For those who have FAITH in Jesus, God becomes but just and justifier of those who believe. (Rom 3:26)

You can never be good enough for God, but that’s okay because Jesus Christ has been good enough for you.

All you have to do is believe in him and trust that HIS life has achieved what yours could not.

Salvation is received freely as a gift through faith. It’s not earned. It’s received.

It’s a great exchange wherein Jesus gets your sin and you get His righteousness. When God sees us, He no longer sees us, He sees His Son.

And He pours out all of his love and acceptance and approval on us for the sake of Christ though we could never deserve it.

Not just because He loves his SON but because he loves US who are made in his image.

Ritual Washings

But he doesn’t stop there. Probably because those Christians were like many of us. We begin slowly slipping away from these truths.

The author is saying “this drifting back into ritual washings makes it seem like your forgiveness is based on what YOU DO instead of Jesus.”

The phrase “ritual washings” is the plural form of baptisms. It’s a reference to the ritual washings that were performed in Judaism.

The idea is that you could clean yourself from ceremonial and moral impurities by performing certain washings at certain times of the year.

The author is saying, “Those things are obsolete because of what Jesus Christ has done.” Don’t go back to that system because it’s all fading away.

The temple system and Judaism were literally about to be destroyed with the Roman invasion of Jerusalem.

He’s reminding them our cleansing isn’t from ritual washings it’s from the shed blood of Jesus.

In JESUS you are washed, justified and sanctified by the Spirit.

As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:11 “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God.”

Hands, Resurrection, Judgment

The list continues with the “laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.”

The laying on of hands was something done by the priest to take the sins of the people and cast them onto the head of the scape goat.

Some say it’s a reference of the priestly work of Jesus in that makes atonement for sin and it set apart for the Lord’s service.

In either case the idea of justification and forgiveness of sin is in view.

The ideas of resurrection and future judgement both had theological traditions in Judaism. The pharisees believed in a resurrection whereas the sadducees did not.

Jesus comes in and turns the whole thing upside down. He says “I AM” the resurrection and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is our salvation from beginning to end. Our past forgiveness, our present transformation and future glorification are always in him.

In Jesus Christ we are washed, forgiven, set apart and eternally secure.

PRESS ON TO MATURITY

These Jewish believers were falling AWAY from that foundation and the consequences for doing so were eternally severe.

We’re going to look at those consequences in next week’s sermon but I want to close this morning with our author’s exhortation.

Hebrews 5:13–6:1 CSB

13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. 1 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity…

The problem to avoid is spiritual immaturity.

The challenge to heed is growing up in our faith.

These verses don’t just give us an exhortation towards spiritual maturity. They also give framework for how it might happen.

First, let’s talk about the responsibility.

We share a responsibility to GROW in our faith.

There’s no question from Scripture that spiritual growth is God’s will for your life.

The idea that you can be a baby Christian forever and that’s okay because God doesn’t mind - does not exist in the pages of the New Testament.

God’s Will

In fact, there are many things God wants for your life that I have no way to discern.

He might want you to buy a certain house, marry a certain person, pursue a certain career. I have no idea. Even you will have to be wise in how you navigate those waters.

One thing we DON’T have to wonder about is God’s ultimate will for our life.

God’s will for our life is that we grow in our faith.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 CSB

3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification…

Paul goes on in that passage to talk about all of these different sins to avoid and virtues to pursue but at the end of the day it’s spiritual growth.

To make God happy just grow in your faith! He loves to see his kids grow up.

Some of you have gotten WAY TOO COMFORTABLE with the fact your not growing in the Lord.

You’ve been coasting and drifting and totally cool with it. I’m sure part of the reason is because you’re still doing “good things” for the Lord.

This audience is about to be commended for their hospitality in the Lord’s name and kindness to other people.

But that didn’t excuse their spiritual immaturity. It’s not okay to God to stay a baby Christian forever. It’s not!

And some of you have become baby Christians for the reasons we listed earlier.

You’re not seeking after God through engagement with Scripture.

You’re not sharing God’s Word through engagement with Community.

Unhealthy Norms

It goes back to what we talked about on week one of this series. You’ve grown accustomed to a “spiritual normal” that not cool with the Lord.

Sin doesn’t bother you because you don’t bother with spiritual growth.

And so you’re living in open and unrepentant sin before the Lord and with each passing day your spiritual faculties are growing duller.

You don’t hunger and thirst for God’s presence.

You criticizing the sermon instead of applying it.

The sins that used to bother you don’t bother you anymore.

You maybe because God is cool with it but what if he isn’t?

He’s not cool with sex outside of marriage.

He’s not cool with your greed or unwillingness to give.

He’s not cool your screen time or internet history.

He’s not cool with the gossip you justify as “real concern.”

He’s not cool with your reasons for missing so much church.

He’s not cool with your unwillingness to mend that broken relationship.

There’s are SO MANY THINGS God is not cool with but what if you’re not longer able to sense it?

And the reason you can’t is because you’re spiritually immature.

You can grieve God’s heart and not be able to sense it!

Sure, not at first. It takes time for your heart to harden. But overtime a rebellious spirit has a cumulative affect.

You’re like a baby sucking his spiritual pacifier and it’s breaking the heart of your heavenly Father.

If we could see what God sees I’m sure we’d be embarrassed.

I want to say this as lovingly and humbly as I know how to do. Trust me, I’m preaching to the mirror as I say it.

It’s time for some of us to GROW UP.

It isn’t funny. It isn’t cute. God is NOT LAUGHING he’s GRIEVING!

Why? Because he desperately desires you to have an abundant life in Jesus. But that abundant life requires a commitment to spiritual maturity!

So will you build on the foundation of God’s grace for you in Jesus and commit to pursuing a life of spiritual growth?

How you pursue growth might look different than how I do it but we’re going the same direction.

How To Grow

So how to commit to a life of spiritual maturity. It’s the direct opposite of the immature faith described in verse 12.

Hebrews 5:13–14 CSB

13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

These two verses give us three commitments if you want to become spiritually mature.

Progress in what you know.

Practice what you learn.

Prove it when it matters.

Progress

First, you’ve got to make progress in what you’re able to understand about the Bible.

“Solid food is for the mature…”

The Bible is not an easy book to understand. You won’t become a scholar overnight. It’s going to take some time.

But you CAN develop an appetite for solid food. And the more solid food you eat the more of an appetite you’ll develop.

Practice

Next you need to practice what you learn. There’s a relationship between walking in the light you have and God giving you more light to walk.

He intentionally withholds greater levels of knowledge when we’re unwilling to walk in the knowledge we have.

The phrase translated “senses have been trained” is where we get our word “gymnasium.”

So by practice I don’t just mean “do it.” But do it with the mindset of an athlete training for game day.

If you only wait until you need God’s Word to fix a problem in your life - you will have waited to late. Treat it like exercise or a season of development.

Prove It

Which leads to the last thing which it “prove it” when it matters.

Notice that the solid food and training expresses itself in a time of choosing.

Discerning the difference between good and evil isn’t just a reference to knowing right and wrong or what’s moral or immoral.

It think it’s also a reference to living in wisdom.

It’s the ability to distinguish what God really wants even in those times when the situation is really messy.

People who live with that kind of wisdom are the best illustration of spiritual maturity. We NEED these kind of people in the world.

CONCLUSION:

So as we bring our time to a close I want to encourage you to commit to these three things.

For some it’s as easy a starting a Bible reading plan.

Maybe you need to go back and lay down that foundation of repentance or begin to build more deeply upon it.

For others it might be a serious willingness to repent and put into practice what you know God desires.

For some it might be a courage to admit immaturity even though before today you didn’t eyes to see it.

However the Lord leads let’s enter in to this presence with humility and faith.