The Peril of Not Progressing

Intro:

Over the past few weeks, we have talked about the excellence of Christ, and how Jesus is worthy of our total devotion. Last week, I shared that our chief aim is to know Christ, and make Him known. Today, I want to take some time to dig a little deeper into how we do that.

Last week, I shared from Hebrews 4:11-16 how the Word of God discovers our condition by revealing the inner man. Let’s refresh our memory.

Hebrews 4:11–16 says, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Knowing Christ begins with the word. The word, living and powerful, opens our eyes to see spiritually. It is intended to help us gain and live from an eternal perspective, to aid us in overcoming our weaknesses through sin, and discover the divine enablement of heaven, which is the grace of God.

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Submit:

Now, with this in mind, we look ahead to what the writer of Hebrews says as they continue in chapter 5. In Hebrews 5:12-14 the writer conveys that the word should bring us to a place of spiritual maturity.

Hebrews 5:12–14 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Let’s break this down:

The general consensus is that after a period of time, we should all be able to teach the things of God, but the audience addressed is in need of being taught the basic principles of God again and again. 

•       The idea of being unskilled relates to something that is not being mastered due to a lack of use.

•       The picture of solid food vs. Milk brings to mind the example of human development. Babies need milk processed through the mother because they lack the capacity to digest and care for themselves. Yet as they develop and mature, they begin to shift to soft foods, and then solid food. In each stage, the child takes on greater responsibility by learning to feed themselves. 

•       The kingdom of God works in a similar fashion. As a babe in Christ, we have need of someone breaking down the fundamentals of the gospel for us. We receive nourishment (spiritual milk) through the knowledge of others. *Note we are not intended to stay here.

•       As we begin to grow in our relationship with Christ, we should progress towards maturity. The way we do this is by putting into practice the things that we are learning in the word. This step for a season will be similar to the highchair phase of eating. Some of it makes it where it’s supposed to go, but we will make some messes. During this time, we still need someone of maturity to make sure we are getting enough nourishment and staying on course.

•       Becoming consistent in this process teaches us to discern good and evil, eventually bringing us to spiritual maturity. This is when we begin to feed ourselves. This doesn’t mean we eat in isolation. We begin to dine with others. We share back and forth what we are learning, and it increases the overall growth. 

•       An important principle to understand: Spiritual maturity is not defined or limited by earthly age. Wisdom and spiritual fruit come through the application of the word. The only prerequisite is spiritual hunger and thirst.

•       If I choose not to eat, I will become malnourished spiritually, and my spirit man will atrophy. I can also choose to eat spiritually and grow in spiritual strength.

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Apply:

If we are to become mature in Christ, we must orient and position ourselves to do so.

A general observation I have made about the pace and intensity of our individual pursuit of Christ and personal growth is that it is limited by our view and understanding of who Christ is. Let me explain. Turn with me to Psalm 95:1–11 “A Call to Worship and Obedience”.

Psalm 95:1-11, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.”

The command: This Psalm begins by telling the reader to sing to the Lord, to shout joyfully, and come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us worship, bow down, and kneel before the Lord our maker.

The Perspective: He is the Rock of our salvation. The great God and King above all. His hands hold the deep places of the earth, the heights are his, the sea because he made it, and the dry land. He is our God, and we are the people (sheep) of His pasture.  

I want you to see this morning that the depth of your pursuit will be largely determined by our view and awareness of Christ. If you read to check the box or don’t read at all, the command to sing to the Lord, to shout joyfully, to worship, bow down, and kneel will seem strange.

Yet, when you slow down with intentionality and seek to know Him through the word. You will find Him. He will reveal himself to you and it will change everything.

You won’t have to be told to worship. You will worship because you begin to see that He is worthy of your worship. He is your rock, your creator, and you belong to Him. The sense of gratitude and awe that follows makes you desire to worship Him even more.

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Closing:

The word helps to shape our perspective of who Christ is. And if we choose the way of maturity from milk to solid food, we will see him clearly. If we choose not to pursue, then worship will continue to feel like Christian Karaoke, prayer will be a chore, serving a dread, and generosity a source of frustration. 

But If we see Him, everything will change! The songs we sing will no longer feel like karaoke. They will become a declaration of who he is to you. Prayer will become the avenue by which you commune and deepen your relationship, serving will express your gratitude for what He has done in your life, and generosity becomes your normal because you desire above all to become like Him.

If you desire to go deeper, consume the word until it consumes you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to you and get ready for growth like never before.

Let’s Pray!

Lord, would you open our eyes and help us to see you.

Salvation