On to Maturity, Part 1

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. In Hebrews 5, 11-14, the author calls believers to maturity. He says, 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. God birthed us into his family with the expectation that we would grow up. Pastor Rich shares from the text what that maturity in Christ looks like, pointing out that Bible knowledge, intelligence, and how long someone has been saved don't lead to maturity in and of themselves. Let's listen to this message titled, On to Maturity.

Have your copy of the scriptures open now to Hebrews chapter 5. Today's message is entitled, On to Maturity. In fact, that's the title of this new mini-series for this parenthesis that the writer is giving us now, chapter 5, 11 through 6, 12, On to Maturity. And as I was studying it, there was actually three parts to it, part 1, part 2, and part 3. And then as I was studying this particular paragraph, I thought there's no way to get all that in there. And so today is actually part 1a, just so you're aware of that.

Part 1b will be next week. So as we're studying through Romans, we're now in chapter 5, and as we come upon chapter 5 and verse 11, we have here the beginning of a parenthetical warning. He is teaching us about the priesthood of Christ, but then at chapter 5 verse 11, it's like it begins a parenthesis. For example, if you were to look at chapter 5 and verse 10 and then skip right over to chapter 6 and verse 13, then you would see that there is a continual flow there. You'll see right there that chapter 5 verse 11 through chapter 6 verse 12 is a parenthesis.

He's taking a detour from teaching on the priesthood of Christ. He says this is deep, profound, very important truth that we as God's people need to understand. And so he takes this time as a parenthesis, and here he says this is a challenge because you all have not matured the way you ought to have by now, which is what the writer of Hebrews is writing to his audience. So what we have then in chapter 5 verse 11 through chapter 6 verse 12 is the third warning of the book of Hebrews. And we see it then at the end of verse 11, which is hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. So the negative way to put it, turn with me over if you would to chapter 6 verses 11 and 12. And let's look at those two verses 6, 11 and 12, which will be the end of this miniseries on the third warning of Hebrews, which is entitled On to Maturity verses 11 and 12.

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. So the negative way of communicating this third warning is that the people have become sluggish and they are therefore immature. They've been sluggish in their learning. They've been sluggish in their understanding and pursuit of truth. And they are therefore immature.

And because they are immature, they are unproductive, unproductive in terms of the economy of God's kingdom. So if we were to turn that around and put it in a positive way, the positive sense of communicating this warning would be that you ought to pursue truth earnestly. Understand this, truth is not just information. Truth has a name and that name is Jesus Christ. So pursue truth earnestly. And in that earnest pursuit of truth, capital T, that will lead you to maturity. And with that maturity, you will be productive in terms of the economy of God's kingdom. So here is the point that the writer of Hebrews is making then to the people. Those who have come to Christ, God birthed you into his family with the expectation that you would grow up.

No parent ever gives birth to a child with the expectation that they will just stay young and stay an infant all of their lives. Every child is expected to grow up and God birthed you into his family with the expectation that you would grow up. In that sense, the author of Hebrews is challenging his readers now at this point.

He says, it's time for you to grow up. You've been in the faith for a while. You need to grow up in the faith. And so his warning to them then, as we look at verse 12, for though by this time you ought to be teachers, he says at the end of verse 11, since you have become dull of hearing. When he says dull of hearing, he is referring to their capacity to digest truth.

What dull actually means is lazy. It just means lazy, that they are complacent with the truth that they have and they're not willing to get more truth. So they're not developing in the faith. They're complacent only at once at the infant stage of their faith.

Now, there are those who are new to the faith and you are therefore an infant in the faith. And that's OK, because that means that you now are able to grow. But every infant is expected to grow. That's why we feed them. That's why we exercise them.

All right. We take them for walks and they learn to walk. And every infant learns to walk on their own.

And they're not just bottle fed all of their lives. And so when he says dull of hearing, what does he mean by that? How would someone become dull of hearing?

Well, let's consider three suggestions this morning. First of all, a person who has become dull of hearing would say, when it comes to this deep, profound truth, I don't want to chew on it or I can't chew on it. When it comes to the truth of God, God who has self-revealed, the God who is self-revealed, the person would say, you know, that's just challenging. It's difficult. I just don't want to chew on it. Or you come to church, you hear information and then you go home and it becomes like water through a pipe. There's no absorption at all. You're just hearing information and you're not chewing on it.

And you just, you know, I don't want to chew it because, you know, it takes work to chew on it. And so the person is content to be bottle fed all of their Christian life. A tragic, a tragic thing. And this apparently seems to be what has happened with some of the Hebrews that the author is writing to.

He says, you've just been bottle fed truth and you're not going on to solid food. And the writer of Hebrews says that ought not to be. The second reason why, how someone might become dull of hearing is that they say, you know, I've heard that. I know that.

Well, what do you mean, Rich? Well, this might be particularly true of someone who came to Christ when they were very young. I was 11 years, almost 11 years old when I came to Christ. So I've heard a lot of truth, but I grew up in a Christian home and I heard a lot of truth. And I've seen folks that have grown up all their lives, hearing truth all their lives. And they grow up hearing about the gospel, about Christianity. And you know, I've seen so many, they get to the point to say, you know, I've heard that. So it's kind of like when they hear truth or they hear the teachings of the Word of God, it's kind of like in their minds, they go, I know, I know, I know. And they become and they become dull of hearing. And the truth then that is taught is like water through a pipe. They don't absorb it.

There's no nourishment from it there. And there's two ways that one could respond to that. If you think, you know, I've heard that, I've heard this before.

You just go, I know, I know. Another response to that might be, you know, somebody just I've heard it. There's nothing new here.

And so we're looking for something fresh and something novel. And yet, folks, you know, the Word of God is the Word of God. And it's been around for how long and yet how fresh and challenging it is every day and how nourishing it is every time we're confronted and we're consuming the Word of God. So, first of all, be willing to chew the Word of God.

Secondly, don't just say, yeah, I've heard this, I know. Because every time the Word of God is taught, there is something fresh for you. Understand that it is the infinite sovereign God of the universe who is communicating to your heart and mind. Consume it and learn from it. Be nourished by it.

The third reason why someone might become dull is just simply because it's kind of a judgmental attitude. If you think you've heard it all and you know it, then you're just listening for somebody else. And you hear a really good nugget of truth and you say, yeah, you know, that guy up there, that's really good for him.

That'd be a good application for him. I hope he's listening to that. Listen, when you are here and when you're engaging the Word of God, don't listen for somebody else. You listen for you. You let God open up your heart and mind and allow him to teach you fresh truths and applications from his transforming Word. Because otherwise, the person who says they're listening for somebody else, it's like saying, I'm good, thanks. I don't have any more growing I have to do. But that guy over there, he really needs to grow. Don't do that.

Don't do that. Lest you become dull of hearing. There's a very challenging statement then that the author of Hebrews writes to his readers. Verse 12, for though by this time you ought to be teachers.

Wow, that's quite a statement, isn't it? Is he saying now that what the implication here is that some of the people who are reading his letters, that if not the majority of them, have been quote unquote in the faith for an extended period of time. And that's why there's the implication there that when God birthed you into the family, his family, he expects you to grow up. And so he's saying to his writing to his readers, he says, listen, by this time, for as long as you've been in the faith, you ought to be teachers by now, but you're still babies. You're unproductive.

You can't reproduce. You ought to be teachers, but you still need to be taught the basics. That's not the way it ought to be. Now is the author of Hebrews saying that all Christians ought to get to the point where they become formal instructors of doctrine and theology?

Well, not necessarily. Let's offer a definition for teaching. When he says by this time you ought to be teachers, it assumes a particular grasp and experience of knowledge, of truth. And remember, truth is a capital T. Truth has a name. So we're not just talking about information. We're talking about a person. So when he says by this time you ought to be teachers, let's define that.

And here's a definition for what it means. A mature believer who is a teacher, one who can confidently and adequately communicate truth to another in a way that glorifies Christ and draws them Godward. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.