As Christians, we must be determined to grow in our faith to overcome the temptations of this world that want to draw us back to our old ways. Spiritual maturity gives us the strength to stand when things get difficult and the unexpected has occurred. Press into your faith and believe that God is Who He says He is and will make all things work together for your good.
hello and welcome back to our Sunday
conversation we’ve been talking about
the basics of our faith and why it’s
important not only to understand them
but to grow and develop from them the
theme for this conversation comes from
the book of Hebrews and the author of
the book of Hebrews many believe it was
Paul was writing to a group of
individuals who now had faith in Jesus
Christ they believed that he was the
savior they believed that he rose from
the dead they had heard the gospel they
had heard Bible teaching and listened to
the apostles and many people who also
had faith in God but they were
considering returning to Judaism they
were considering going back to the
sacrifices rather than accepting the
sacrifice that Christ had made they were
considering returning to their old life
primarily because what they were looking
for had not happened yet and the thing
that they were looking for was the
return of Jesus Christ remember what
Jesus said to the disciples before he
left I go to prepare a place for you if
it were not true I would have told you
and I will come again so the disciples
spoke often about Christ’s return the
angel in the gospels that spoke to the
apostles said ye men of Galilee why do
you stand here this same Jesus shall
return in like manner now here in the
year
2024 just like these Christians in the
book of Hebrews we’re still waiting for
the return of Christ and there’s a lot
of discussion that we could have about
prophetic times and a day with the Lord
is as a thousand years and A Thousand
Years is as a day but what Paul was
saying to these Believers that I feel is
much more applicable to our lives is
that the reason that you’re considering
returning to your old life is because
you have not grown and matured enough in
the things of Faith to have the strength
to stand when things get difficult how
many times do we have visits and
conversations with people that life has
gotten difficult the unexpected has
occurred the plan that they had didn’t
come to pass and rather than press into
their faith and believe that God is who
he said he is in control able to make
all things work together for good to
those that love him and are called
according to his purposes they
immediately want to return to their old
life return to their old vices return to
their old behaviors because I tried God
but he didn’t do what I thought he would
one of the most dangerous things that
you and I will ever do with our faith is
apply mortal logic to a Divine
God read what the Bible says his ways
are not our ways his time is not our
time Isaiah goes so far as to say that
as far as the heavens are above the
Earth so are the ways of the Lord above
man’s so when you and I bring our logic
into the equation rather than faith we
set up an exit ramp that says well if
God doesn’t do what I think he should
then maybe I don’t have to follow
God that’s a ridiculous notion
considering that he’s Almighty he’s all
powerful he’s all knowing he’s
everpresent none of us are those things
so how on Earth could we see or know
better than
God one of the reasons Paul says that
people act this way is because they
haven’t exercised their spiritual
muscles I’ll show it to you beginning in
verse 10 of Hebrews chapter 5 in Hebrews
chapter 5:10 Paul writing to the church
in he the Hebrew church he says that our
high priest by God this is Jesus Christ
has been called according to the order
of MDC MDC is an Old Testament figure
that Abraham paid tithes
to and Paul says in verse 11 of whom we
have much much to say and is hard to
explain since you have become dull of
hearing now that’s a very important
verse Hebrews chapter 5 and verse
11 he said one I want to teach you
something very important about how Jesus
Christ is a high priest like MDC is a
high
priest but I can’t teach it to you
because you don’t have enough spiritual
maturity to grasp it and the the reason
you don’t have this spiritual maturity
is because you’ve become dull of
hearing now we’re all familiar with
people who have hearing issues and
hearing loss and it’s hard for them to
listen but that’s not what Paul’s
describing when he says dull of hearing
he said you’ve become dull of hearing
because you don’t want to hear it you’ve
become stubborn mule-headed you need to
hear it but you don’t want to hear it
it’s like going to the doctor and you
know that the doctor is going to tell
you if you do these things diet and
exercise you’ll live a longer life
you’ll be in Better Health but if you’re
dull of hearing you don’t want to hear
what he has to say because you prefer
fast food instead of green food so Paul
is speaking to a group of people that he
says the reason you don’t want to grow
in your faith is because you do not want
to hear what is required in order for
you to grow there’s a lot of people that
we know and sometimes may even be
challenged ourselves that we know we
just don’t want to listen to what we
know is true so he says you’ve become
dull of hearing that’s why I can’t tell
you what I want to tell you verse 12 for
though by this time you ought to be
teachers you need someone to teach you
again the first principles of the
Oracles of God now here in verse 12 he
says that as long as you’ve known these
things you ought to be investing
something in someone
else but you have to go back to the
basic
because you should have and he begins to
describe meat and milk now he’s using an
analogy that the word of God is
food and indeed to our spiritual life it
is this is why the Bible is described as
the bread of life Jesus said to his
disciples man shall not live by bread
alone this is what he said to Satan when
he was tempted in the wilderness man
shall not live by bread alone but by
every word that proceeds out of the
mouth of God he was saying that the word
of God is spiritual food for me to eat
whenever he shared who he was with the
woman at the well in
Samaria he said to the disciples
whenever they came to him with natural
food he said to the disciples I have
food that you know not of and what he
was saying is doing the will of God Fe
feeds my spirit it feeds my soul so Paul
is using this analogy and he’s saying
you’re old enough to chew meat you’re
old enough to get the nutrition that you
need from content that’s substantive but
you need milk so in the theater of your
mind
imagine a 30-year-old
man that’s large enough to consume a
ribeye
steak but is still drinking from a missp
cup we would look at that individual and
say there’s something wrong he’s
underdeveloped he’s malnourished he’s
weak he’s mentally deficient we could
come up with a long list of things as to
why someone with so much physical
capability instead of eating what
someone in his size and stature should
eat is acting like a
toddler but spiritually people who do
not grow in their faith are a lot the
same
way so Paul is saying you should be on
the meat you’re still on the
milk and then in verse 14 is where we
get to this concept of exercising he
said solid food belongs to those who are
of full age that is those who by reason
of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and
evil what enables you to know the
difference between good and evil
exercising your spiritual senses which
comes by learning and listening and
reading and believing and behaving in
the word of
God and
then in Hebrews chapter 6
verse1 he describes the elementary
principles of Christ he says therefore
leaving the discussion of the elementary
principles of Christ let us go on to
Perfection not laying again the
foundation now listen to what he calls
the
foundations repentance from dead Works
Faith towards God the doctrine of
baptism the laying on of hands the
resurrection of the dead and eternal
judgment as we will do if God permits so
those topics are the things that he says
are milk that’s not meaty stuff that’s
just the milk of the word of God that
each and every one of us should have so
let’s begin with some of the milk that
Paul describes to the church and see how
much more we need to grow consider God’s
Plan of Salvation one verse that tells
us about this need and God’s Plan of
Salvation comes out of Romans chapter 6
and verse 23 it says for the wages of
sin is death but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
right there that one verse encapsulates
really the entire conversation the wages
of sin the reward of disobeying God what
you’ve earned for your behavior whenever
you go to work and you earn a wage you
should be accomplishing measurable tasks
that the company compensates you for
well that’s what sin is measurable tasks
except the compensation for it is death
separation from God the wages of sin is
death then it says but now anytime you
find that word it cancels out what
preceded it there’s several places in
scripture where you find the words but
God for example Ephesians chapter 2 and
verse 4 after it describes how we were
dead in our sins it says but God who is
rich in Mercy so being dead in our sins
was canel out because God is rich in
Mercy here the wages of sin being death
is canceled out because we have a gift
of God and what is that gift of God
eternal life in Christ Jesus our lord
God the creator of all things all things
spiritual all things natural God gave us
a gift nothing that we earned simply
something that he wanted us to have not
that we deserved it but out of his great
love he delivered
it and all we have to do is open it up
and receive
it I promise you
this it is something that you could
spend the rest of your life trying to
better understand or even more fully
explain but the only way that you’ll
ever receive it is in faith
not in your
logic because your logic doesn’t apply
in this kind of grace and
mercy the ways of a man would look for
Retribution or to say that if I receive
such a great gift then I owe
someone and indeed there’s a lot that we
do owe the Lord but none of it is
required for him to give you the gift of
Salvation the only thing that he wants
you to do is believe in your heart and
confess with your mouth that Jesus
Christ is Lord and the Bible says you
shall be
saved consider the thief on the
cross I’ve Heard lots of sermons about
all of the required works that people
have to accomplish in order for them to
have salvation and yet this one
individual defies all of those
statements I’ve heard people say you
have to have good works that’s not
really what the Bible says the Bible
says that we were saved and the reason
we were saved is for good works you see
doing good things is not what I have to
do to get saved doing good things is
what I do because I am
saved I do good things because God has
done something great for me not good
great not great astounding not
astounding
unbelievable and because he’s done such
a wonderful thing in me I feel like it’s
my responsibility to show others his
love God doesn’t give me a quot of kind
acts that I have to engage in or I lose
my salvation he says if you really have
Jesus in your heart because you have his
love you’ll treat others like Jesus
would treat them that’s what it means to
be saved for good works instead of Saved
because of good works so the thief on
the cross had no good works he had a
life of
crime he had a life that honestly got
him the conviction he deserved three
people were executed on the day that
Christ died one of them was innocent the
other two were
guilty and between these two thieves one
cursed God in his guilt if you are the
Son of God get off of that cross and
save us the other one professed God God
in his
guilt and his profession wasn’t a drawn
out written
prayer his profession was simply one
request remember
me remember me when you come into your
kingdom with those words he was saying a
whole lot one I believe you are a king
otherwise he would have never referenced
the kingdom
and
two I believe that if you will simply
remember me then whatever reward belongs
to those who are in your kingdom I’ll
receive and what did Jesus say to him
this day you’ll be with me in
Paradise he didn’t say you’re going to
spend a thousand years in some Cosmic
prison paying for your crimes which
certain doctrines and theologies teach
he didn’t say I’ll go talk to the powers
that be in Heavenly places and we’ll
vote on your admission as if it’s a
country club he didn’t say you’ve done
way too many wrong things in your
past he immediately out of his grace and
his love and his
Mercy while he is being crucified
himself said I’ll pardon you from the
wages that sin has earned you and this
day you’ll be with me in
Paradise I think it’s a remarkable thing
that the first person who was ever saved
by the grace of God and the gift of
Jesus Christ was a lifetime
criminal under the death penalty what a
better portrait and picture of each and
every one of us all criminals and
sinners against God’s perfect plan and
yet in his grace and his love and his
Mercy he sent his son to redeem us and
save us study it for the rest of your
life I promise you as many years as I’ve
looked at it I still don’t fully
understand it but every day I thank God
for it what a wonderful gift
salvation hi I’m Kendall haggy thank you
for connecting with us today God bless
you and we pray that you’ll join us
again next
week