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Hebrews
5:11-6:12
Such a Great Expectation IntroductionThis
morning’s sermon is the sixth sermon in a series of sermons on the Book of
Hebrews. This morning’s
sermon is entitled Such A Great Expectation.
We find great expectations in the gospel and those expectations
actually play out in the expectations of our future and the hope that we
have in God; and with this in
mind, I would like to read for you beginning in Hebrews Chapter 5, verse 11
and we will read thru Hebrews Chapter 6, verse 12; beginning in verse 11.
Scripture“We
have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow
to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need
someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.
You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an
infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid
food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to
distinguish good from evil. Therefore
let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity,
not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,
and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the
resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will
do so. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,
who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming
age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their
own loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting
him to public disgrace. Land
that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful
to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that
produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.
In the end it will be burned. Even
though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things
in your case things that accompany salvation.
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have
shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in
order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to
imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been
promised.” PrayerOur
heavenly Father, as we come before you this morning, we thank you for this
word that illumines and that enlightens the hearts of your saints.
We pray this morning that you would enable us to understand your will
for our lives as it is communicated through your word.
We pray that you would work in us that which is good and pleasing in
your sight. May you bless us
Father that our understanding might continue to increase… that we might
reach full maturity in Christ. These
things we pray in Jesus name. Amen. SermonYou
and I live in a day when it has become the norm to put the blame on
someone else. Think
about it. When was the last
time that you heard someone say “I am at fault.
I take full responsibility for my actions and for this mess that has
been created”? When was the
last time your heard that? No,
more often than not, we find today, it has become commonplace for
individuals to put the blame for our shortcomings and even our sins on
anyone and anything else, but ourselves.
Now I was prepared to come before you this morning and say I have yet
, in sitting on the session, heard anyone come before the session of the
church, in giving their testimony, say “I am fully at blame, for the sin
of my past, and I am fully at blame for failing to grow in maturity in the
faith.” Yet, this week at our
session meeting, we had one that is a mature believer in Christ, who came
and said “I have made mistakes in the past. I fully acknowledge all the sin, and that I am fully
depending on Christ and him alone for my salvation.
But at the same point when I look at the mistakes in the past and
errors that I have made in ministry and when I look at errors I made in my
family and all of these other things. I
can’t blame it on the church, it is not their fault.
It is not the fault of others around me but I take full
responsibility for where I have been and the insufficiencies that I have had
in my life.” But most often
as I sit on the session, when I hear the testimonies of people come through,
often we hear something along these lines:
“You know I don’t want to say it is the church’s fault …,
(you can fill in the blanks). The
question that I want you to look at this morning with me is this.
Whose fault is it? Whose
fault is it if we fail to grow to maturity in Christ?
Whose fault is it? I
think what we will find when we come to today’s text is:
God’s people need
to take responsibility for obtaining maturity in Christ.
Now
that is not to say that I, as pastor of this church, do not have a
significant role in your reaching maturity in Christ, for I do. Again, that is not to say that the session of this church has
not been set apart as overseers for those that have been put under their
oversight that they might also work along with you, that you might
experience the graces of Christ and that you might grow in maturity.
They too have a great responsibility.
At the same time that’s not to say that there have not been
teachers or pastors or churches in your past that might could have done a
better job of bringing you along to where you ought to be today. That might be the case.
As we come to today’s text, what we find is: more often than not, usually it is the fault of the
individual for failing to progress in the Christian faith, particularly in
areas where good teaching prevails. And
before you think here is a pastor who again is simply trying to shirk his
responsibilities and lay a guilt trip on the congregation, let me say that
is not the intent of this passage, nor is that the intent of this sermon
today. For what does the writer
of Hebrews say? He says there
are some individuals in this particular congregation who were falling away
and yet he says we expect “better things in your case, things that
accompany salvation.” So what
you will ultimately find is this is an uplifting message as we begin to
understand the plans and the expectations, and even the promises and
blessings that God has for us in our lives.
With that being the case, at the very same time I would like to say
this morning that those blessing do not come apart from us experiencing and
participating in the walk and the calling that God has for us in our lives.
Again, this isn’t a pastor who simply is wanting to shirk
responsibility and put it on you. I
will tell you why I begin with that central idea of this text that
God’s people need to take responsibility for maturity in Christ.
Look at with me at verse 11. There
we read: “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain
because you are slow to learn.” Consider
the context here. This was not
written directly to Brandon Presbyterian Church and yet at the same time it
has application as the time bound principles apply in our lives as well.
But the context in which the writer of
Hebrews presents this material is this … He has just been teaching
the wonderful and beautiful doctrines of
Christ … in which he understands that they are beneficial in
leading his hearers toward greater maturity in Christ.
And yet at this point, in understanding he is going to some deeper
teachings concerning the relationship between Melchizedek and Christ, who
has become our eternal high priest, …He understands there is going to be
difficulty in presenting this teaching of the doctrines of Christ.
Not because “HE” doesn’t understand them,
and not because the “teachings” in and of themselves aren’t
clear, but because of the “sluggishness” that he has come to know in the
lives of those who were hearers in this particular congregation.
What’s clear in this passage is, it wasn’t the fault of the
apostle. It wasn’t the fault of the writer of Hebrews, he says we
have “much” to say to you regarding this.
We know that it is not the fault of the “scripture” itself, for
we know the scripture is clear. It
is “our eyes” that are blind and it is “our responsibility” in
working in accordance with the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us to
become good handlers in order that we might rightly divide the word of
truth. In this particular case,
we find that the teacher experienced difficulty in explaining the deep
truths of the faith, because his students were slow to learn, or they had
become sluggish in their learning. I
find it interesting this letter was not directed specifically to those who
had been backsliding (those some were tempted, even to turn from the faith).
These are not those who were irregular at tenders at church.
I know that because in verse 10 we read these words.
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you
have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
And so he is talking to people like you and me, those who are the
core of the church, those who are faithful in attendance and faithful in
participating in the work of loving the saints.
Yet, at the same time they were participating in the work of
ministry, he said they showed another problem in their lives, they were
“slow to learn.” There
are many reasons why a listener might be slow or sluggish in learning.
First of all they might not be interested in the subject to begin
with. And that is the case of
unbelievers, they could take this Bible or they could leave it, more often
than not leave it because they don’t believe it and have little to no
interest in it. Others
might be sluggish because they are failing to apply themselves.
It may result from their own immaturity.
They may feel comfortable with their lives, where they are, and feel
I’m fine, staying exactly where I am in Christ.
I am very comfortable with where I am in Christ and don’t really
desire to grow anymore at this point. Or
perhaps, they are sluggish because they fail to understand the need and the
benefit of growing in the knowledge and understanding and maturity in
Christ. Perhaps they have
become sluggish because the teachings don’t appeal to their desires much
anymore, because the teachings have gone on to more significant teachings in
the doctrines and because they failed to master the fundamentals.
These additional teachings have become hard for them.
The sinful nature says that if it is hard, let’s not have anything
to do with it, or let’s not give our one hundred percent to it.
I tell you, my hope for myself and for the session of this church is
this: In addition to being “good people” and in addition to
being “good Christians” if you will, who have come to now Christ and
know our responsibilities in Christ; my hope for myself and for the session
of this church is that we will continue to grow in the knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ…that we might abound in the knowledge of the doctrines of
Christ. For you see, it is not
enough for us simply to come here and to try to be “good” people and
serve and to love the people of this congregation.
For in order to do that well, we must deepen, we must be deepened in
the doctrines concerning Christ. For
he is our model, he is our example. It’s
as we come to understand Christ and his love for us that we also more fully
come to understand how we are to truly and in wisdom love one another.
That’s my hope for myself and for the session and even the
diaconate of this church. That
we would not stay where we are, academically, educationally in the faith,
but that we might progress, that we might continue to go forward. My hope for the congregation is this: that each one of us might continue to be enlightened and that
each one of us might continue to grow in our knowledge and in the doctrines
of the faith…that we might grow toward maturity… not only that our own
relationship with the Lord might be right and that it might continue to
develop, but that we might be more fruitful as we live for his name’s
sake. My hope also includes the
desire that even that the ministry of this church might continue to
advance… that we might be
more capable in meeting the needs of this community and the world in which
we live. You know I often feel
a burden that I have so many people in this congregation to lead from point
A to point B in the faith. Imagine
with me if you would, if it was not left up to me, but that if so many
people in this congregation would begin to assume personal responsibility
for their own maturity and their own growth in ministry.
Think of the difference that it would make …for us as individuals,
& as a church body … and even in our ability to minister outside the
walls of this church. You see
God’s people need to take responsibility for obtaining maturity in Christ. I want you to look at that with me under three categories
this morning. Believers
who fail to take responsibility, will again find themselves lacking.
We
say okay it is up to the church, it is up to he session, okay I will give
myself, I will go to Sunday School, and learn a little bit and so forth.
But believers that fail to take what’s being taught here in the
book of Hebrews seriously, and to take full responsibility for their own
maturity and growth in Christ… what they will find is they will not just
stay neutral, but will actually find themselves lacking or needing again in
the future. Where do we find
that? Hebrews 5:12:
“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need
someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over
again.” The Greek makes it
even more clear when it says “though you ought to be teachers because of
the time, again need you have of someone to teach you the
basic principles of the oracles of God.”
Have
you ever heard the expression if you don’t use it you will lose it.
For the very same thing is true when it comes to our spiritual lives
as well. The truth of the matter is if you and I do not master the
fundamentals of the faith and if we do not use them on a daily basis, and
then not forgetting them but moving forward and building upon them and
moving beyond them… Then, what you and I will soon find is we will need to
be retrained (built up again) ourselves in the basic fundamentals of the
faith. Now
I remember one of my earlier flights in the Navy.
I was flying a T-34 aircraft …a little, one prop aircraft with
seating for two. And I remember
studying for weeks, and preparing for my first hop in that aircraft.
I memorized where every button, every switch, every radio, every
instrument in that aircraft was, and I took several flights, but as the
weather down in Pensacola began to get worse it was about two to three weeks
before I had another flight. In
the mean time, I worked out and did a lot of other things.
And yet I remember so vividly sitting in that aircraft again on my
next hop. Two days prior, I
began to look at the charts again as to where those switches were, but as we
began to taxi down that runway, I was dumbfounded.
I couldn’t remember where the switches in the plane were.
We were all the way to the runway and I was still trying to find the
switches for the radio to ask to taxi.
I was so far behind that airplane.
You see, if I had I been flying each and every day, maybe one or two
hops a day in that airplane, I would not even had to given thought as to
where the mike switch was, but I would have simply reach down, pushed it
forward and made my calls. But
because I had not been exercising those skills, it was as if I was having to
be retrained all over again (this time while taxiing down the runway). The same thing is true when it comes to our spiritual lives.
If we are not exercising the basic doctrines and truths of the faith,
and if we are not continuing to build on that faith, we will again find
ourselves having to be re-taught the faith ourselves.
The church is full of Sunday School classes with members sitting
there soaking it up for ten, twenty, thirty years or more, who can’t
communicate the way of salvation, or the basic beliefs of the Christian
faith, either publicly, or even privately to a friend.
It’s sad! This
much we know: The church whose
members fail to take responsibility in obtaining spiritual maturity will
find itself lacking too! …
not only in the lives of it’s members (who lack understanding and
maturity, and therefore need teachers of their own); but also in its’
corporate ability to provide ministry to others… because those who could
or should be teaching (or participating some other way in ministry) either
aren’t (because they don’t feel qualified), or worse… they are, even
when they aren’t qualified. IT
IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU & I TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN
SPIRITUAL GROWTH!
In Heb 5:12, we read “You
need milk, not solid food!”
Here were believers who like babies, ought to have grown to the point
in spiritual lives and understanding that they would be ready for more
substantive teaching, but instead, they needed to be retrained in the milk
again. Heb 5:12
“In fact, thought by this time you ought to be teachers, …”
(The Greek also lends itself to mean “because of this age/tim… you ought
to be teachers[the age in which we live])
Either way, whatever the motivation & standard, the believers had
failed to progress as they should have. The
truth is … Even though the common cry from so many pews is often “We
just need to keep it simple, and stick to the basics” (it’s true, we
need to know the basics well, and teach all doctrines clearly, but…); the
Writer of Hebrews says there is more to the Christian Life & to
Spiritual Maturity than just the basics!
The expectation in Scripture is that you and I will move beyond the
ABC’s of the Christian Faith and FEED UPON THE MEAT OF GOD’S WORD! HOW
DO WE DO THIS? Heb 6:1
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and
go on to maturity {How?] not laying again the foundation of repentance from
acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms,
and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal
judgment.” The Greek of Heb
6:1 puts like this “Wherefore,
having left the beginning teachings of Christ, to the FULL GROWTH we should
go on…” Have we become too
comfortable today with just “growing” in the faith?
The goal of the apostles was not to just grow (however much or
little), but to reach FULL MATURITY! Next
we read “…let us leave the elementary teachings…”
I visited a man this past wee who said “When I go to church, I
don’t want to feel bad every week. I
want to be told I’ve done wrong, but be picked up so I can go out and do
better the next week.” He
simply wanted to hear the same message of the law, of faith and repentance,
and of the need for sanctification every week.
Heb 5:13 “Anyone
who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the
teaching about righteousness.” It’s
IMPORTANT that in coming to the faith, we learn about the Fundamentals (the
writer of Hebrews lists six of them in verses 1-2. (Repentance
– from acts that lead to death; Faith in God; Instruction about baptisms
(cleansings); Laying on of hands; Resurrection of the dead (this life is not
all there is, & therefore we need to prepare for the afterlife, &
even participate in the resurrection associated with this life); and Eternal
Judgment (accountability; reward & punishment)) …BUT,
it is ALSO IMPORTANT that we ADVANCE BEYOND these teachings! As
we study the remainder of the Book of Hebrews, there are going to be some
“meatier” teachings. Question:
How are you going to respond? Will
you become sluggish in hearing (summertime, “OK if I miss this Sunday,
etc); or Will you recognize these teachings concerning Christ are
“essential” to your growth in grace?
Believers who fail to take responsibility will again find themselves
lacking! Believers
who take responsibility will find what they are looking for
Heb
6:12 “We do not want you to
become lazy [Take Responsibility], but to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised.”
Heb 6:11 “We want each
of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your
hope sure.” As
God’s children move forward in faith, they experience the blessing of God
in receiving ALL that He has promised, and their hope and assurance of
eternal security and salvation is made sure.
But these blessings do not come apart from continuing and progressing
in the faith. You and I need to
take responsibility and grow spiritually (including doctrinally) in order
that the salvation that has been delivered to the saints might become ours
in our experience. How
do we do this? What does it
look like? Believers who take responsibility must “continue” in the teaching of Christ (Progress thru Solid Food) Here
are 6 Principles we find: We
must have the desire to grow!
- Heb 5:11 “…it is hard to
explain because you are slow to learn.”
The point is: We must possess the right attitude.
Heb 5:13-14 “Anyone
who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the
teaching about righteousness. But
solid food is for the mature.” We
must exercise the senses of our soul!
- Matthew Henry says:
“In same way our body has senses, so our soul has senses, that
hunger, thirst, etc.” Heb
6:12 “We do not want you to
become lazy…” Heb 5:14
“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained
themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
To illustrate this, I was passed by a runner yesterday who flew by me
and kept accelerating as he went. As
I saw this man, I realized if I trained for 6 months, I would not be able to
run like that. But you see,
this long time runner had developed his body and muscles, so that he could
even keep on improving to areas of fitness that were impossible for me to
acquire at this time. The same
is true in the area of faith. As
we develop and grow, it enables us to grow even more.
Spiritual Apathy results in
Spiritual Atrophy We
must not rest if there is any indication that we have fallen away.
- Failure to move forward in maturity indicates a failure to fully embrace
Christ. Such failures raise the
question of whether the lack of growth is from being unsaved to begin with,
or from failing to embrace the Lord in that particular area of our lives.
There’s a WARNING in Heb 6:4-8. This is
a difficult passage but the truth is clearly stated in the illustration
provided. As I read these
verses, think about what you have done with the word of God that you have
received over the past week, or month, or six months.
“… Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that
produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing
of God. But land that produces
thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.
In the end it will be burned.”
If you have been blessed with the graces & teachings of gospel,
& you are not embracing Christ as the only hope of your life (and
therefore want to progress in him), then you need to be concerned that your
falling away is not just failing to grow in Christ, but failing to be in
Christ (Apostasy). By
way of Application - Is your life FULL of the Lord’s BLESSING?
Or, Are you PRODUCING THORNS & THISTLES? Two Lessons: (1)
It will NOT BE GOOD for those who drink in God’s word over and over
and over, yet fail to produce righteous fruit in their lives; (2)
We need to be more interested in the TYPE OF FRUIT we are producing
as a result of participating in God’s services, rather than worrying about
the number of those who participate or don’t participate with us. We
must understand the hope that is ours.
- Heb 6:9 “Even though we
speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your
case – things that accompany salvation.”
The true believer WILL assume responsibility & experience
growth in both understanding and maturity.
Does the depth of your understanding and the level of your maturity
coincide with the claims you make concerning the condition & state of
your soul? We
must persevere without ceasing.
- Heb 6:11 “We want each of
you to show this same diligence to the very end…”
There’s no such thing as “Doing your Service/Time & Turning
it over to Someone Else!” We
must not think we can do it alone.
– Our maturity ultimately rests not in ourselves, but in God!
Heb 6:1 “Therefore,
let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…
(v. 3) And God permitting, we will do so.”
This points us to the need for prayer (that God will do this work in
us, and others) and the need to be submissive to this teaching (it’s not
enough to pray and then rebel against the teaching of this passage. Heb
6:12 says: “We do not
want you t become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised.” Many of you have heard the story or illustration of the 2
Sheep called “goodness and mercy” that some remember to remind them that
goodness and mercy will follow them all the days of their lives (Ps 23).
If “goodness & mercy” are the sheep that follow the person,
then “faith & patience” are the sheepskins (promissory notes) he
holds in his hands … that enables him to receive the family inheritance
that he has long be told about. Take Responsibility for your spiritual growth! And as you do, you’ll experience the blessing like never before!
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