Hebrews #12: an exposition of Hebrews 5:11-14. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, June 29, 2014.
Intro:
It is the universal desire of every child. The desire to grow up. “When I get big I’m going to .” You can fill in the blank. “Be a fireman,” “a professional baseball player,” “teacher” or “ride that really big roller coaster at the fair!” Whatever that child sees as the sign that they have achieved adulthood. There is a joy, an excitement, a longing to grow up. “I’m going to go to that school when I get big.” When you are young it feels as if that time will never come. When something happens to arrest or halt that growth it is universally considered a tragedy. Most tragic of all is the one who just refuses to grow up. It’s sad when you run into someone from high school and though it has been 20 years or 30 years they have not moved on. They’ve not taken on adult responsibilities. They’ve not learned to act like a grown up. Isn’t it sad to see a 50-something throw a temper tantrum? More tragic, is the “Peter Pan” Christian. The believer who refuses to grow up. The one who has never grown beyond those early days in Christ. They have known Christ for decades but have never grown beyond those first struggling steps of faith. They do not know anymore about Christ or the things of God today than they learned as a 10 year-old in Vacation Bible School. Yes, we are called to a childlike faith but not a childish faith. It is the willfully immature the writer of Hebrews addresses in this next section. Our text this morning is found at the end of chapter 5 beginning with verse 11.
Text: Hebrews 5:11-14
The writer has just demonstrated the superiority of Jesus in his priestly function.
He our Great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
One who identifies with sinful humanity.
One who sympathizes with our weaknesses.
One divinely appoint as priest and king.
He pointed to Jesus as High Priest to inspire those who are struggling.
Weighed down by persecution and rejection they are on the verge of giving up.
His solution? Look to Christ! Take your eyes off of your struggles and burdens and look to the one who is able to deliver you. Look to him who has walked this path; who has felt this sting; who emerged victorious. Look to Him and find mercy and grace. The writer knows this congregation. He knows there are those who do not understand. Here he expresses his frustration. In love he rebukes them. He rebukes them and instructs them out of love because he knows their souls are in danger. To abandon Christ is no small thing. To walk away from the gospel is to walk away from your only hope. Yes, in their distress they need encouragement and hope but they also need to be warned that their souls are in danger! Assurance in times of danger is not love. Thus he rather bluntly addresses their willful immaturity.
As we work through this brief passage we discover that…
Thesis: God sovereignly rebukes the willfully immature.
The language in this passage is stern.
It is direct – you would have to “work” to misunderstand what he is saying.
Does this language bother you?
Does it seem “out of place” to you?
There is a time to encourage and a time to rebuke.
I want to point out 3 things along the way.
- The willfully immature believer stubbornly refuses to grow up. (5:11-12)
- Such immaturity stems from a neglect of both doctrine and practical holiness. (5:12b-13)
- Spiritual maturity is demonstrated by the ability to consistently discern good and evil and thus live righteously. (5:14)
Conclusion:
We have been called to a child like faith. A faith that believes and trusts wholly in the truth and authority of God’s Word. May God grant us a passion for spiritual growth and development. A longing to move beyond the elementary things of the faith and launch out into the deep.