It's Time to Grow Up

Introduction

· as we reach the end of a year, we often look back over what has happened in our lives. all the joys, difficulties, challenges, and changes.

but perhaps one of the best questions we can ask, especially as Christians, is “have I seen growth in my life this year?”

Now, I’m not talking about how tall you are. I’m not talking about the size of your muscles or your waistline. (although we might all see some growth there after yesterday)

I’m talking about your growth in your spiritual maturity. growth in your relationship with God. Growth toward becoming who he has designed you to be

this is the process of sanctification

Illustration- brother and sister always saying, “come on Reid, Grow up already!”

but how often, as followers of Jesus, do we need to here the same exhortation, “It’s time to grow up!”

Transition- This is the problem that the author of Hebrews sees in the New Testament church, and it’s the same problem that we face today, spiritual immaturity. This morning, as we look back at a year past and another just around the corner, I want us to focus on how that problem affects us as believers and what we can overcome it.

Read

Hebrews 5:11–14 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.

Earlier in this chapter, the author is talking about some deep spiritual concepts surround the priesthood of Christ- but he stops, perhaps because he believes his readers are getting lost, that they aren’t understanding the truth of what he is saying

The Problem- Still only drinking milk

A. What is milk?

1. The basic principles or elementary teaching of God’s Word

2. The foundation of the Christians faith- what we must know in order to be begin a relationship with God

3. Christianity 101

B. Milk is not the problem

1 Peter 2:2 ESV

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

2. Milk is valuable and necessary for growth

Oreo illustration

C. The problem is a lack of growth and spiritual maturity

1. Today we measure the health of a child by how they grow or develop-

a. When they don’t meet the_________ it’s an indication that something could be wrong

2. Your level of spiritual maturity is not simply how long you have been saved

3. Verse 11 says, “you have become”- this implies that they were not always like that

b. perhaps, like many, when they began their relationship with God, they were on fire for him- growing in their faith daily

a. but now stagnant- pools of water in Palau

The Effect

A. Dull of hearing (v. 11)

1. This is not saying that they are incapable of hearing

a. You can physically hear someone, but not really listen to them

Kids

2. (NIV) you no longer try to understand

a) Not an intelligence issue, it’s a heart issue

3. Again, this is a stark contrast to when we were first saved

4. This happens when we are spiritually unreceptive and lazy

School- We can sit in class all day, but if we are not learning and retaining the knowledge, we aren’t going to move on to the next grade

John MacArthur “Failure to appropriate the truth of the gospel produces stagnation in spiritual advancement and the inability to understand or assimilate additional teaching.”

B. Unskilled in the word of righteousness (v.13)

1. Not benefiting from the teachings of God’s word

2. Not able to teach others

a) This doesn’t mean everyone needs to be able to stand up in front of a group and teach

b) But as Christians we should be able to explain the things we are learning to others. (Children, friends, neighbors, coworkers)

c) We can also teach others with our life

3. A baby is unable to help others

C. Not discerning/not making right choices

1. Being able to apply God’s word to everyday life is a sign of spiritual maturity

a) A lot of decisions we have to make in life are not clearly outlined in the Bible, this is where we have to train our spiritual discernment through constant practice, and we cannot do that if we are not growing in God’s Word

2. V. 14 “powers of discernment”- This is speaking of intellectual, moral, and spiritual judgment

So we’ve identified the problem, a lack of spiritual maturity, and we have shown the effects of allowing this to take hold in our lives, but what do we do about it? How do we change? How do we grow?

The Solution

A. Receive the Word

1. How do we receive the Word? Church AND personal study- need to have a steady diet

a. reading God’s word, listening to God’s Word, journaling, reading good books, listening to sermons and podcasts, discussing what you learn with others

2. What are your habits?

3. You can’t come to church on Sunday, hear the Word, and then sit back and do nothing until the next Sunday and expect to grow and mature

4. Are you in the Word on a daily basis?

5. Desire the sincere milk of the word

a) Long for… crave

Illustration of Sylvie- like a little bird

c) It’s not always like this- that’s why we need to develop habits

6. “But it’s too difficult to understand….”

RC Sproul “The Bible is simple enough for a child to wade in, yet deep enough for an elephant to drown.”

B. Listen to the Spirit

1. He has convicting power

2. Prayer

C. Act in Obedience

1. In order for listening to be of any value, you have to act on what you learn.

a) You can teach a child to be safe, but they have to put it into practice if it is going to benefit them- Palau illustration- touching things in the ocean

2. What do you do when the Spirit of God convicts you?

3. Do you act on what you are learning

4. When we put God’s word into practice, we will strengthen our ability to make right decisions, to discern between good and evil- v. 14- “trained by constant practice”

a) Train or exercise- like a muscle- to build muscle, you need food, but just eating makes us fat!

D. Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

1. See with their eyes

2. Hear with their ears

3. Understand with their hearts

4. and Turn

Conclusion

- 3 Responses to this rebuke- offense, apathy, or change

- We need to examine our lives and determine, to the best of our ability, our spiritual maturity level, where you are in your walk with Christ.

o Have you seen growth over the past year or are you stagnant?

o This requires honesty- if we don’t realize our need, we won’t change

o We cannot be content to remain a “baby Christian”, if we do, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we are in real danger!

- The opposite of dullness is diligence!

Hebrews 6:11–12 ESV

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

- We must be diligent in our walk with Christ

- The truths of God’s Word ought to drive us to maturity. They should grow our faith and move us to obedience!

o But we cannot just listen to His truths passively. We cannot be dull of hearing. We need to listen and ACT!

- Spiritual maturity requires a genuine desire for growth and a commitment to study and to put into practice the things that you learn

So What?

o Come to church!

o Get a bible reading plan

o Schedule time daily to read and pray

o Make sure you ask God to develop your understanding of His truths

§ “What is God saying to me? What am I Going to do about it?

- Even though this is a harsh passage, we can leave here today excited about the opportunity to grow- to go past where we were

o The writer wants us to respond to this passage by saying, “Hey! I’m not a baby!”

o When you start doing this consistently, you will change! You will grow! You will look back and see how God is making you more like Christ. That’s exciting!

- If you are here this morning and you don’t know God, you haven’t made a decision to follow him, you may be looking at your life thinking… I want to change