Kindergarten Christianity

Our Scripture lesson this morning is from Hebrews 5:11-6:3:

Hebrews 5:11–6:3 ESV

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.

One of the most iconic figures from the golden age of American television, was the handsome, but dim witted Jethro Bodine from the long running series, Beverly Hillbillies. He drives the family out to Beverly Hills to further his education. In season one he is in the fifth grade and in season two he graduates from the sixth grade. He claims he was “highest in his class,” because at six feet, he was the tallest in his class!

The church to which the letter of Hebrews was originally addressed to, apparently consisted of spiritual Jethro Bodines. The author of Hebrews shames them by writing:

Hebrews 5:12 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

In fact, their condition seems much worse than that of Jethro Bodine, in Heb 5:12-14, he compares them to infants and in Heb 6:1-2, he compares them to young children just learning their ABC’s. They haven’t graduated sixth grade, they are still stuck in Kindergarten!

Sadly, this kind of spiritual immaturity is not limited to the early church, many in today’s church are Kindergarten Christians. From today’s text, I want to show you how you can recognize whether or not your are a Kindergarten Christian and then how you can graduate from Kindergarten and move on towards spiritual maturity.

So let’s begin by learning to recognize the...

Signs You Might be Stuck in Kindergarten

In this passage, the author of Hebrews points to four signs of immaturity in the lives of his readers. The first is found in Heb 5:11:

Hebrews 5:11 ESV

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

So the first sign of spiritual immaturity is:

You Don’t Listen

We have already seen that “hearing” is a main theme in this preacher’s teaching. In chapter 2, we are told, “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away.” (Heb 2:1) In chapters 3 and 4, the author repeatedly cites Psalm 95, which contains the warning, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion.”

This should not surprise us, because “hear” is one of the most important words in the Hebrew Old Testament. Every morning, devout Jews recite these words:

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

This is know as the Shema, the Hebrew word of “hear.” In Hebrew, to hear means more than just to hear sound waves, it mean to pay attention to what is being said and to respond to it with appropriate action. Interestingly enough, there is no separate word in the Hebrew language for “obey.” In Hebrew, if you want to say that a person obeys, you will say they “shema” or “hear.”

Are you finding yourself reading your Bible or listening to a sermon and forgetting what you read or hear? Are you convicted by what you have read or hear, but find yourself not obeying God’s Word? If you are finding this happening in your life on a consistent basis, you are a Kindergarten Christian.

The second sign that you might be a Kindergarten Christian is found in Heb 5:12:

Hebrews 5:12 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

From this verse we learn that you might be a Kindergarten Christian if...

You Can’t Help Younger Classmates

The church, should be like an “one room schoolhouse.” In a one room school house all the grades were mixed together, from the lowest to the highest. In such an educational system, the more advanced students were expected to assist the teacher, by “teaching” younger students. When wisely managed, such a system was highly effective, because the best way to learn a subject is to teach it. By “teaching” younger students, the older students reviewed and mastered what they had previously learned. The critical role, that each person had in the discipleship process is what caused the author of Hebrews to write:

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

God does not gift every Christian, with the spiritual gifts to hold the offices of “pastor-teacher” or “teacher,” but he does expect every Christian to be actively teaching younger Christians. For example, the Apostle Paul writes this to women:

Titus 2:3–5 ESV

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Do you know the “oracles of God” well enough to teach others? If not, you might be a Kindergarten Christian.

The third sign is found in Heb 5:12-13

Hebrews 5:12–13 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

The third sign you might be a Kindergarten Christian is...

You Still Eat “Milk and Animal Crackers”

Remember “snack time” in Kindergarten? At my Kindergarten, we would always receive a little paper carton of milk and either Animal Crackers or Graham Crackers. It was a great disappointment to me that there was no “snack time” in first grade! However, I was told I was a “big boy” now and as a first grader I did not need milk and crackers any longer.

The author of Hebrews is saying that as far as their spiritual appetites go, his readers are spiritual infants. Their is nothing wrong with mother’s milk, in fact, for an infant it is the very best food. However, as a child matures, there comes a time when they need to move on to solid food. The teaching about Jesus being a priest after the order of Melchizedek is “solid food.” This is why the author of Hebrews is covering this topic of maturity before he continues teaching about Jesus as our great high priest.

It is important to understand what the author of Hebrews is saying here. He is not saying that they are not ready because they are newborn Christians, but because they are “dull of hearing.” This word “dull” can be translated as “sluggish” or “lazy.” These people were immature because they were not acting their age! They were six foot Kindergartners!

Are you growing in your knowledge and practice of the faith, if not you might be a Kindergarten Christian.

The final sign is found in Heb 5:14:

Hebrews 5:14 ESV

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

You might be a Kindergarten Christian if...

You Don’t Know the Difference Between “Right and Wrong”

This is one of the signs of immaturity. Young children have not learned the difference between right and wrong. The point the author of Hebrews is making is not hard to understand, you can judge your spiritual maturity by how well you are able to distinguish good from evil.

As we see so many Christians adopting more and more of the world’s sinful values, we can see this as evidence that spiritual immaturity is a growing problem in the church.

So how do you measure up to this standard? Is your world view biblical or is it worldly?

If you have found yourself no measuring up to one of these four signs, take heart, you can graduate from Kindergarten!

How to Graduate From Kindergarten

We began by looking at the problem of “hearing” and from this we can learn the most important step in going “on to maturity” is to...

Be an “Active” Listener

James, the Lord’s brother, gives us a good definition of active listening:

James 1:23–25 ESV

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

It is only as we start putting into practice what we learn for God’s Word that we grow. For example, if you go away from this morning’s sermon with a renewed commitment towards obeying God’s Word is proves that you have really “heard.” On the other hand, if you go away without such a renewed commitment, it demonstrates that you haven’t really heard.

The second thing you can do to graduate from kindergarten is to...

Open Your “Book”

A student who never opens their books, will never advance academically. Studies have shown that students who are read to when young and read for themselves when they are older perform better academically.

In Heb 5:12-13, the author of Hebrews is implying we need to be skilled in the word of God:

Hebrews 5:12–13 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

As you have already discovered and will see even more clearly, to understand Jesus, we have to understand our Old Testaments. This takes time and effort. If you are not reading and studying the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments, you will never mature as you should in your Christian life.

Time and effort lead to the third thing we can do to graduate from kindergarten. It is to...

Practice, Practice, Practice...

We find this in Heb 5:14:

Hebrews 5:14 ESV

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Our powers of discernment are developed by constant practice. Why are so many Christian’s lacking discernment today? Because they are not developing their discernment by studying and obeying God’s Word. As we have already seen, doing both are critically important. We must fully “hear” in the Hebrew sense.

There is one final thing we can do. We must...

Build on the ABC’s

In Heb 6:1-2, the author lists the “foundational” doctrines of the faith. Many have called this list, the ABC’s of the faith. There is a reason the author calls them foundational. Just like the foundation of a building is critical for that buildings structural integrity, so the integrity of our faith is build on the foundational doctrines.

I am stressing this, because these Christians had received a good foundation of doctrine—they just were not putting it into practice. However, as I look at the church today, I fear that many have never received good foundational teaching. Too many pastors have fallen into the temptation of giving their congregations what their etching ears what to heard, not what God’s Word says. We strive to give you a good foundation here at Greene Valley. Good solid doctrinal preaching is the most practical preaching you will ever receive. Don’t come to church expecting your “felt needs to be met,” come to church expecting to learn what God says your real needs are!

Your real need is to have your faith founded on solid doctrine, to be skilled in the Word of God, who gives their full attention to it, in order that they might be a person who can distinguish good from evil. In other words, to not be a Kindergarten Christian!

Let us pray.

Forgive us for being “dull hearers” of your Word. By your Holy Spirit, help us give our full attention to your Word, in order that we may obey it fully. Amen.