A Maturing Life - Hebrews 5:11-6:12 - August 17, 2008

Sunday School Lesson – A Maturing Life – August 17, 2008

This is lesson three (3) in our series of study.

Our scripture is Hebrews 5:11-6:12.

Growing and maturing as a Christian is an interesting subject. I have journeyed with our LORD for many years and feel like I am still a spiritual baby. There have been milestones in my spiritual journey. I have always been in the church. My parents took me to church and I even taught Sunday school at an early age. [It was mainly reading the scripture and what the Sunday school material writers had to say.] I was baptized in my late teens. My Christian journey was much like a roller coaster, ups and downs, turns and twists. In my twenties, I rededicated my life to CHRIST. This meant, I went to church more including Wednesday night prayer service and Sunday night. I responded to the level of my understanding, which was works. Even though I did not fully comprehend my response, it was none-the-less a response of faith to all I knew to do. Each step of faith led to growth.

Spiritual growth has been a long process for me. Maturing spiritually has been even longer and still not there. Growth is a natural process. As we get older we grow. Maturing, as we get older, does not automatically follow the same natural process. It would be wonderful if it did.

We moved to Spartanburg and joined First Baptist Church. My wife and I sensed something different about that church. As we grew spiritually, we discovered it was the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT. I don’t recall much being said about the HOLY SPIRIT up to this time in my life. Living the Christian life was done on your own. It was during these years that I really wanted to live the Christian life on a daily basis. That is when I realized I could not in my own strength and asked the LORD to take my life just like it was, good and bad, and to help me live the Christian life.

That was a major turning point in my journey with the LORD. It was no longer me trying to live the Christian life in my strength but allowing the LORD to give the strength through the HOLY SPIRIT. Growth took off. I wanted all the LORD had to offer me. I sought the gifts of the Spirit. The LORD allowed me to explore and experience many spiritual things, which resulted in HIM teaching me. Some were very hard lessons but necessary for me. After a period of time I felt like I was not maturing as a Christian. I asked the LORD to make me mature. Most of us think that GOD will sprinkle us with Holy Dust and wham-o, we are mature. That is not the case. HE cleaned my clock so-to-speak and began rebuilding on the foundation of CHRIST as HE wanted. I had made GOD into my own image and had notions about how HE should act and what HE should do according to my will. It has been a hard journey but an exciting journey that continues daily.

Life continued with many ups and downs but always with the assurance of the LORD’S presence in my life. In the last four (4) years the LORD used the workbook “Experiencing God” written by Dr. Henry Blackaby and Claude V. King published by LifeWay to take me to a new level of spiritual understanding. It was all about my relationship with CHRIST.

I was struggling spiritually. I just did not sense that I knew the LORD as I should know HIM. Before my wife and I began the study “Experiencing God”, I prayed and told (attitude problem in retrospect) the LORD that I was going to be brutally honest with HIM. As I began working through the workbook, I told the LORD, “I am not going to leave one section in the workbook to go to the next until we deal with all the issues in that section.” The LORD revealed to me that I had an anger issue with HIM about certain matters. Not angry, angry but an underlying, disappointing attitude. I had issues between me and the LORD that needed to be resolved.
Through the search and revelation of the HOLY SPIRIT in my life and raising questions I had, HE soon put HIS finger on some problem areas. I had allowed some false notions to come into my life. The LORD led me on a journey of trusting HIM. [Too much for me to go into but it was awesome when it was over.] This is where I am spiritually at the moment. But I realize that there is much growth still ahead. My journey is not over and I am sure the LORD will continue to reveal more and more in my life to help us build and maintain the best possible relationship we can have.

The point is, to grow spiritually, we must stay in the game, so-to-speak. Many of us get frustrated as we journey with CHRIST. I had to come to the realization that the problem was not with GOD but my understanding of GOD. The problem was me. HE reveals to us a little at the time, so we can work on the issues in our lives that will lead us to spiritual growth and maturity.
The author of Hebrews believed that the Christian Jews needed to grow spiritually and mature so they could understand and comprehend more than spiritual basics. The name of the book is “Hebrews” and was written to encourage the Jewish Christians to continue their journey with the LORD. It is foundational for all Christians in their spiritual journey.

Let’s read Hebrews 5:11-14:

The Problem of Immaturity

11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become slow to understand. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of God’s revelation. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

In verses 1-10, the author of Hebrews addressed the role of the high priest. At the time Hebrews was written, the Romans selected the high priest to serve in Jerusalem. However, those who knew the Old Testament scriptures knew that GOD had appointed Aaron and his descendants to serve as high priests. However, these high priests were sinful and had to first offer a sacrifice for their own sins, then they could offer a sacrifice for those seeking forgiveness. GOD chose CHRIST as the final High Priest, Who knew no sin, to become sin for the people. HE was tempted in all ways as humans but HE did not sin. Being tempted gave HIM the knowledge of the power of sin without HIM having to yield to sin. Therefore, HE understands what people are dealing with as they journey through life. CHRIST was and is sinless, therefore, HE does not have to first offer a sacrifice for HIS sin. HE is the perfect advocate to the FATHER for our sins. HE understands. Believers no longer have to go through an earthly priest to approach GOD but believers can go directly to GOD with all of their requests. The name of Melchizedek (mel KIZ uh dek) is mentioned in verse 10. Melchizedek was the priest of Salem during Abraham’s time. Salem was later known as Jerusalem. GOD designated CHRIST to be the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Verse 11 begins with the statement that all stated in verses 1-10 was too hard to be explained because those to whom this was written had not grown and matured spiritually enough to comprehend. The author addressed this subject in Chapter 7.

The author stated that the audience was believers but they had stopped growing. By this time, in their spiritual journey, they should be teachers but instead they need someone to teach them. This did not necessarily mean all should be formal spiritual teachers but they should not be in the position of having to be taught. Every believer in essence is a teacher. As we journey though life we teach through our actions and our words. Being a formal teacher is a calling. All believers are to teach their children.

The author compares their spiritual journey to their growth as a human. When we are born, we are fed milk and as we grow, we are fed solid food. Feeding an infant solid food too soon can cause problems. Eventually, as we grow and mature physically, we can handle solid food. The emphasis is on growing and maturing.

How do we grow and mature spiritually? How do we know when we are growing and maturing?
When we grow as children what do we do? We are weighed and our height is recorded. I think most of us can remember the marks on the wall recording our height. We wanted to grow. To grow we ate the proper foods, exercised, studied and got our rest.

The same is true with our spiritual growth. First, believers have to be born spiritually. Then we get our nourishment for GOD’S Word, prayer, listening to what GOD is telling us through the HOLY SPIRIT and putting into action what GOD asks us to do. HE gives us baby steps then HE challenges us to walk, run and climb. We need our rest in HIM as we journey with HIM. We need to pause and reflect and ask questions. The HOLY SPIRIT is our teacher. Ask HIM to reveal truth to you and then look for HIS teaching from many different sources.

I remember years ago, I was having dinner in a restaurant. There was a family seated across from me. I saw how the parents cared for their children. Then the thought came into my mind that these parents had likely had their children vaccinated. The vaccination hurt. Were the parents being bad? No, they loved their children and they knew that the temporary hurt would protect them from far greater harm. GOD used this moment to translate it to a teaching moment - GOD allows HIS children to suffer temporary pain to protect them from greater harm, as they journey though life. None of us like pain. I know, I do not but here is where trust comes in. GOD is sovereign. Sometimes our pain is our own fault and that is another matter. This is where GOD tells us that even when we make a mess, HE is at work to make the best out of our mess. We still may have to suffer the consequences of our actions but HE will do all HE can to make the best out of it.

Let’s read Hebrews 6:1-8:

Warning against Regression

1 Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the • Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings,[1] Or about baptisms laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And we will do this if God permits. 4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, 5 tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, 6 and who have fallen away, because,[2] Or while to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt. 7 For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it, and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.

In the previous verses the author said the audience was slow to understand. This scripture tells us that the audience is not beyond help. The audience has a foundation in CHRIST but they just have not grown and matured spiritually. They are still babies in CHRIST and need to be fed milk. It is time to move on to maturity building upon the foundation of CHRIST and not upon the

Jewish religious traditions:

· Works are dead activities. A person cannot earn their way to heaven by observing rituals or traditions. Faith in CHRIST is the only foundation believers build upon as HE leads them.
· Belief in GOD does not save a person, it is faith in CHRIST. Head knowledge does not get a person to heaven. It is heart knowledge of CHRIST through the miracle of spiritual rebirth.
· Ritual washing only cleans the outside of a person and cannot remove sin. JESUS washes away a believer’s sins through HIS shed blood.
· When the Jews worshipped in the temple, they would lay hands on the sacrifice to demonstrate a transfer of their sins from them to the sacrifice. Faith in JESUS, by HIS shed blood, removes all of a believer’s sins. Past, present and future sins are covered by the blood of JESUS. Believers confess their sins, as they occur, so they will not give Satan a foothold in their lives and strengthen the rule of the flesh.
· Some of the Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead. Jewish hope for the resurrection of the dead was not founded upon their faith in CHRIST but in dead works, rituals and tradition.
· Eternal judgment was acknowledged by both Jews and Christians. Believers, at the moment they accept CHRIST, will not be judged but will be rewarded according their obedience.

Depending upon the translation, this scripture can be used to highlight the Christian foundation of:

· Repentance and faith.
· Ritual washing (baptism) and laying-on of hands.
· Resurrection and eternal judgment.

I lean toward the tie to the Jewish religious emphasis. But either interpretation gets the point across that they need to move on toward maturity. The author says in essence, “Since you have the basic foundation in CHRIST, with GOD’S help, along with your willingness to move on to a higher level, it is possible for you to mature in CHRIST.” The key to growing and maturing in CHRIST is a decision by each believer to yield his or her will to HIM and seek the fullness of CHRIST in his or her life.

Some Christian religions use verses 4-6 to counter the Baptist doctrine of “Once saved always saved.” I believe that once we ask CHRIST to forgive us of our sins and to come into our lives, we are born spiritually into GOD’S family. We become HIS children and nothing can ever change that fact. I compare it to our physical birth. Once the sperm unites with the egg nothing will ever change the fact that person is the result of that union.

As I read these verses, here is my understanding. Once a believer has experienced the saving grace of GOD, through CHRIST, that experience can never be repeated. Once we become believers, we have a choice of living for CHRIST and letting HIM rule our lives or letting our flesh rule our lives. Allowing the flesh to rule prevents a believer from growing and maturing in CHRIST. To me, the potential for growing and maturing spiritually is always in a believer’s life but remains dormant until the believer chooses to seek more of the LORD in their lives. Believers have their “fire insurance” so-to-speak but they fall short of their potential in CHRIST when the flesh rules. If you realize that you are in this situation, repent and yield your life to CHRIST now. It is never too late regardless of your age.

The author compares the obedient life in CHRIST to rain falling upon a field. What grows in the field is evidence of what is planted in the field as revealed when the rain fell and produced a harvest. GOD pours out HIS blessing upon all HIS children. HIS desire is for all of HIS children to produce a good harvest or fruit in their lives. HE showers HIS children with blessing. How do we use HIS blessings? Do we plant good seed or do we plant thorns and thistles?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 captures the essence of the obedient life versus the self guided life:

11 because no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid—that is, Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become obvious, for the day[4] The Day of Christ’s judgment of believers will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.[5] Lit yet so as through fire

Let’s read Hebrews 6:9-12:

9 Even though we are speaking this way, dear friends, in your case we are confident of the better things connected with salvation. 10 For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love[3] Other mss read labor of love you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them. 11 Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, 12 so that you won’t become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.

The author gives the audience a ray of hope. The author does not consider that the audience is doomed. The author acknowledges them as fellow believers and they have the potential of moving on to grow and mature in CHRIST. They had demonstrated their faith in CHRIST through their acts of obedience. They just needed to be encouraged not to become complacent and lazy but to become motivated to keep on keeping on in their faith in CHRIST.

Our service to our LORD on earth is never over until we exit our earth suits and depart this earth.

No matter your age, if you have not been obedient to the LORD, as you should over the years, do not let that discourage you from committing your life to CHRIST NOW!!! HE will welcome you with open arms and your journey through the rest of your life will be awesome!!!

Remember you were not created for time but for eternity. Time is immaterial to GOD but you are precious to HIM. Seize the moment and ask HIM to take all of you just like you are and to make you into the vessel that pleases HIM.