December 27 2020 Worship Service

Incomparable: A Study in the Book of Hebrews  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  1:09:11
0 ratings
· 35 views
Files
Notes
Transcript
We are mere days from the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. The irresistible, unceasing flow of time continues. At the dawn of a new year, we become a little bit more aware of time’s passage. This morning, let’s think about how the passage of time is affecting our relationship with God.
It is to be expected that, over time, we will make progress toward maturity in Christ. That’s what this passage tells us. It comes as an interruption to the flow of thought in the letter. The author of Hebrews introduced the priesthood of Christ in the preceding section of the letter; he will return to that theme in chapter 7 and beyond. He interrupts here to tell his readers that they haven’t made sufficient progress toward maturity to be able to understand the truths he wants to explain.
Hebrews 5:11–12 ESV
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 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,
Notice the pointed mention of time - “…by this time you ought to be teachers.” This letter wasn’t written to people preparing to become missionaries, pastors, and seminary professors. It was sent to ordinary Christians. And the expectation was that ordinary Christians should, as time passed, be able to teach basic Christian truths to others. That doesn’t mean that every Christian should become a public speaker. It means that every Christian should expect to understand the gospel fully enough to be able to have a conversation about it with those who do not know what Christianity is all about.
The author’s main point in this passage is to spur Christians on to pursue a mature understanding of the Christian faith:
Hebrews 6:1 ESV
1 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,
Three headings describe the message of this section of the letter to the Hebrews:
The call.
The warning.
The instruction.

The Call to Maturity - 5:11-6:3.

From verses 11-13 the author of this letter establishes the principle that growth toward maturity is the automatic expectation where life exists. As he rebuked his readers for their failure to make the progress that was to be expected, he used the image of infancy to make his point:
Hebrews 5:13–14 ESV
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
A newborn infant is only able to digest milk. Trying to feed a baby a steak or carrot or apple will be futile. The digestive system isn’t able to handle solid food. In the same way, a new Christian is not able to digest anything more than the most basic understanding of salvation.
But the expectation is that, as a newborn baby digests milk she will grow so that first soft foods, then increasingly solid foods can be eaten and digested. If, as time passes, that newborn isn’t able to digest more solid foods, it is taken as a sign that something is wrong. So also with Christians. The expectation is that, if the basics of the gospel have been taken in, the Christian will grow and develop a capacity to understand and believe increasingly difficult and complicated doctrines. It is just as serious a problem for a believer to be unable to “digest” deeper scriptural truths as it is for child to only be able to digest milk.
That’s why, in 6:1, the author gives the exhortation to “leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.” He isn’t saying there is anything wrong with the elementary doctrine of Christ. It is absolutely critical. But it exists as a starting point in the pursuit of spiritual maturity, not as the end point.
Unfortunately, the approach we take to evangelism may be part of the problem because we so often treat the moment of salvation as the end of what we’re looking for. Perhaps unintentionally, we imply that once you’ve accepted Christ you’re done with theological thinking.
A baby is not born to be a baby. A baby is born to be a person who progresses through all the stages of life.
A Christian is not born again to be a baby believer. A Christian is born again to progress from spiritual infancy to maturity. And the journey from infancy to maturity is a lifelong walk into ever deepening understanding of Christian doctrine.

The Warning Against Failure to Mature - 6:4-10.

Verses 4 through 8 of chapter 6 raise an uncomfortable question:
Is it possible for a person to lose their salvation?
In various places in the NT we are given assurance that our salvation is secure in Christ. “Who shall separate us from the love Christ?” the apostle Paul asked in Romans 8. He then proceeded to declare that neither death nor life, angels nor rulers, things present or in the future — that nothing in all creation would be able to separate believers from God’s love.
But here in Hebrews 6 we have a description of those who have tasted the heavenly gift and then fallen away. And it says it is impossible to restore them to repentance. How does this passage square with the passages that speak of the security of those who are saved?
Interpreters have historically taken a couple of approaches to answering this issue. One suggestion is that the author of Hebrews was only speaking hypothetically - describing what would be the case if a true believer were to abandon the faith. The problem with that interpretation is that it raises the question as to why the author would do that — write a warning about something that couldn’t actually happen. Another approach, and the one I personally think fits best with the passage, is that this section is not describing a believer but someone who has investigated the claims of Christ, recognized the worthiness of Christian faith, but willfully rejected personal faith in Christ.
The twice repeated use of the word “tasted” (vs. 4,5) supports this. My Greek dictionary provides this definition of the word used: “...to have perception of something either by mouth or by experience, especially in reference to relatively small quantity.” It seems to suggest the idea of someone who has merely sampled the Christian faith, never really committing to it, but hardening their heart against it and ultimately rejecting it.
Think about that in the specific context we have here. The author of Hebrews was disappointed by the lack of progress toward mature faith of his readers. They had become dull of hearing, lazy about learning the implications of their faith in Christ. He wrote this section of the letter to prod them to pursue their own spiritual growth. The person who needs to be concerned about what he warns of here is the one who isn’t concerned about going on to maturity.
Being satisfied with the level of maturity we have attained runs the risk that we find ourselves in the category of those who have sampled Christianity without actually partaking of it. That’s the warning of this passage.
The pursuit of a deeper understanding of the faith is a lifelong quest. One of the greatest sources of trouble in the church that I’ve observed is former Bible college students. Going to Bible school is a good thing. If you’re thinking about taking a year or two to go, I encourage it. But there are a certain portion of those who do that who get their Bible school certificate or diploma who think they’ve arrived at the pinnacle of spiritual maturity. And their pursuit of spiritual maturity ends the moment they step off the Bible college campus. They stop growing. In fact, as time passes they regress in spiritual maturity. Thinking they’ve already arrived, they turn their attention to the ordinary matters of life and the world gets in their hearts. And they become the ones who introduce harmful teachings into their church, who cause factions, who make life difficult for the pastors and lay-leaders of the church. The problem isn’t that they went to Bible college. It is that they stopped growing in depth of understanding when they got out of Bible college.
You don’t have to go to Bible college to become that kind of person. Whenever a person thinks they have nothing more to learn, and no further growth in character and understanding is needed they become that kind of person.
The safeguard against the danger we are warned about in this passage is the constant pursuit of greater maturity.

The Instruction About How to Mature - 6:11-12.

In vss. 11 and 12 the author make the application of the call and warning he has provided. In other words, he told the Hebrew Christians what he wanted them to do in order to pursue maturity:
Hebrews 6:11–12 ESV
11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Notice these three things the author wanted his readers to do:

1)Show earnestness.

The word “earnestness” is a word of commitment. To show earnestness is to demonstrate that you are committed to growing. Spiritual maturity is not a matter of passively waiting for time to pass. It is a matter of making intentional choices to seek to grow.
It is customary at New Year to make resolutions. This passage is really a call to resolve to grow. You will need to make choices to study scripture and pray and worship and serve and give so that you change and become more like Christ. Picture yourself as a different person -- a more Christlike person — a year from now. Then make choices between now and then that will result in you becoming that person.

2)Don’t be sluggish.

This is the same Greek word that is translated “dull” in 5:11. The basic idea is of being careless or lazy. One of the main causes of immaturity is laziness. It takes effort to grow. But so often we want the results but not the hard work. We live our lives at a frantic pace and find ourselves on the verge of exhaustion. And deepening our knowledge of Christ and our understanding of Christian doctrine is one of the easiest things to let slide. No one notices if we skip worship service every now and then, or neglect Bible study and prayer. It is easy to become lazy listeners and sluggish saints. But in order to progress the effort must be put in. All you must do to become stuck spiritually is nothing. Spiritual immaturity is effortless. Maturity is hard work.

3)Be an imitator.

One of the easiest things any of us can do to grow is to build an intentional relationship with someone whose understanding of the faith is deeper than our own. This passage concludes with an appeal to those who had become dull of hearing to become imitators of saints who were pressing on to maturity. I think it is a description of a mentoring relationship — a saint eager to grow hanging out with a more mature saint, talking about life and how faith in Christ can be practiced in the daily details. The word translated “imitators” is mimetes. We get the word “mimic” from it. We mimic someone by observing what they do and then doing what they do. If you watch what a more mature Christian does and then do what they do, chances are that you will progress in maturity.
I believe one of the most underappreciated and underutilized treasures in our church is the senior citizens. Many of them have walked with the Lord their whole lives and have experienced the diverse challenges to their faith that come over a lifetime. They have built a track record of faithfulness to the Lord. Instead of pushing them aside so the younger generation can take over, the younger generations should be trying to get close to them. What hidden treasures of spiritual strength might be found if growing Christians found seasoned saints to hang out with for a while every now and then to talk about life and the goodness of God in Christ Jesus.
--
Well, I had better wrap it up before New Year’s eve has come and gone. It is to be expected that the passage of time will produce greater maturity of doctrinal understanding and practical discipleship for those who are spiritually alive. As you prepare to take down one calendar and put up another, spend some time reflecting on the year gone by. Have you grown up in the faith during 2020? Then think about the year that lies ahead. Will you grow up in the faith during 2021? It is God’s will that every Christian go on to maturity. May He give us each grace to keep growing as long as He gives us life.
Amen.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more