October 20, 2010, Hebrews 5

Key Verse:

"By this time you ought to be teachers. Instead, though, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food."

(Hebrews 5:12)

Central Truth:

We can go to church forever and never be spiritually mature.

TIME TO MAN-UP (WOMEN, TOO)

In the fifth chapter of Hebrews, we are told of the Hebrew Christians who went through the same experiences again and again, all the years of their Christian lives, but had never grown. The unknown writer of Hebrews makes it very clear that age will never, in itself, bring spiritual maturity.

Dr. Warren Wiersbe, an American pastor and author of Christian literature, explains it best when referring to four marks of spiritual immaturity:

1) Dullness toward the Word - One of the first symptoms of spiritual backsliding is dullness toward the Bible.

2) Inability to share - Not all Christians have the gift of teaching, but all can share what they learn from the Word. One of the hardest lessons children must learn is to share. The same is true with many Christians when it comes to sharing spiritual things.

3) A "Baby Food" diet - The "milk" of the Word refers to what Jesus Christ did on earth -- his birth, life, teaching, death, burial, and resurrection. The "meat" of the Word refers to what Jesus Christ is now doing in heaven as our High Priest.

4) Unskillful in using the Word - Little children lack discernment. A baby will put anything in its mouth. An immature believer will listen to any preacher and not be able to identify whether or not they are true to the Scriptures.

Our capacity to feast on the deeper truths of God's Word will depend on our own spiritual growth. In order to feast at God's banquet table, we must grow in the Lord and put into practice what we have learned. Only then will our capacity to understand increase.