Services | Are You Pressing on in Maturing of Faith

Bulletin

FBCWest

September 5, 2021

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him. must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”

Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Ephesians 3:14 - 21

“This is What We Live For”
“Battle Belongs”

Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Are You Pressing on in Maturing of Faith?”

PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection

“More about Jesus” (Hymn #327)

Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
“To God be the Glory”

OFFERTORY PRAYER

SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Continued Praise and Worship
“Strong Enough to Save”
“I Know You’re There”
Benediction “Egypt”

Acknowledgements and Announcements

Sermon Notes
Hebrews 5:11 Can’t teach mre because dull of hearing
Hebrews 5:12 You ought to teach, but instead you need to be taught
Hebrews 5:13 & 14 Milk is for an infant, solid food is for the mature. It takes practice
Hebrews 6:1 – 3 Press on to Maturity

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

Uh, they think that this particular passage that we're going to be looking at this week.

Is directed to unbelievers.

And I don't think so.

I think it's directed to, well, I guess they're partially right. I believe it's directed to believers who have.

Just remained emitter.

Or two if you will. Unbelievers who think they are believers in the sense that they are the soil that has the the thorns and thistles and and the rocky ground. And so warning them. Check your soil. So that's my view.

Investigate the scriptures to determine it yourself. Because what's important is not what I think, but your study of the scriptures. And so taking a look at Hebrews chapter or five, starting with verse 11 it says concerning him and again him is.

Melchizedek

he's brought milk acidic up because he was a high priest, but he was not a part of the Aaronic priesthood and the writer of Hebrews is going to make a particular point about.

Jesus as our high priest and that comparison with Melchizedek. So he says concerning him, we have much to say and it is hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. So he's going. I really want to talk more about him.

But

you're just not listening you.

Just don't pay attention. You may think you're listening, but you're not hearing me. And so you become dull of hearing.

Now.

This initially looks like he's being pessimistic, but we're going to see in a little bit that ultimately he's going to be optimistic, and so he says.

I want and it's kind of like.

A teacher who loves to teach, and let's say this teacher loves to teach 17th century French literature.

I don't know why anybody would be interested in teaching 17th century French literature, but there are people who do, and people who are excited about it. But it's really tough to teach 17th century French literature if you don't speak French.

It's kind of in the same way the writers saying there's so much I want to teach you.

But but you're not ready yet.

You haven't paid attention. You haven't done what is necessary as the prerequisites to get there.

Says fourth, though. By not this time, you ought to be teachers. You have need again of someone to teach you the elementary principles of the Oracle of God, and you have become to need milk and not solid food.

So he goes. There has been enough time passed since you're following Jesus for your commitment to Jesus that you ought to know not only the elementary teachings of the God, but you ought to be able to teach those to others.

When it comes to spiritual matters, it's it's kind of interesting.

Because it seems that there are those.

Who become believers and get excited for an initial point of view. And then they kind of just move on. And they've been believers for 20 years.

But there might, and in spiritual age maybe six months old.

And others who.

Dig into the word of God and dig into the word God and become.

Willie knowledgeable of the word of God, and yet they may be six months old spiritually or 110 spiritually, but you can't tell by looking at somebody's chronological age, how old they are spiritually.

And he's saying there there is this time that enough time has passed, not in your chronology, but in your following Jesus to be able to teach people the basics.

And how I know that this is true today is that there are lots of times people will say.

Well Pastor, will you go to see my friend so and so and share the word of God?

That's your job. You should be able to do that. You should be able to tell them the basics now, if there's some you know super.

Intellectual, spiritual theological issues that you're not quite comfortable with. That's OK probably. I'm not either.

But when it comes to the basics, you ought to be able. So why is it that you're going to somebody you think is wiser and more spiritual when?

You need to be teaching and so he is.

Pain and can, and if you will.

Most condemning them in the sense of they haven't grown.

So much so that they need if you will milk.

And not solid food. And he's going to expand this analogy slightly says for verse 14 for everyone who partakes only a milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant, and he's going to compare him. 'cause when when an infant is born.

In each milk, that's what sustains it. That's what nourishes it. That's what helps it to grow.

But every mother.

Who is ever breast fed? Her child can't wait for the day when the child starts eating solid food. Whether that's parade or whatever, because you wanted to mature and you want it not to be necessarily so dependent on the milk that it can handle solid food so that when you go to a restaurant you can order a cheeseburger and he or she can eat and you can eat in peace.

He's going so if you're not accustom to solid food, you still need milk.

Now.

Notice it says Hooper takes only a milk. Now I'm an adult and I've been in adults a very long time. I won't tell you how long, but it's been a very long time. I've been adult. I still like milk and cookies.

Doesn't mean I'm in mature.

Means I like milk and cookies. Now. I know some adults. Oh how could you like? Milk is whatever.

I do.

But I don't live on milk.

It's like the reason I oftentimes drink milk with like cookies or cake is it helps to cut down the sweet.

Are these people who will drink like a soda and something sweet like a candy bar and it just way too sweet? The milk helps cut that sweetness down, but I like a good class of milk.

This is saying here that if you drink milk, there's a problem.

Now and in to kind of help you understand this a lot of times there are people.

Who just?

Want one of two things.

They either want.

The pastor to preach on salvation.

'cause they got that.

So it doesn't challenge them.

So they're still hearing the gospel over and over, but it causes them not to grow because it's still the elementary teachings. It's just the gospel, and the other is that there are times that people want the excitement they want. The emotional comfort that the milk provides.

And so there are times when when God says no no. I don't want you to be dependent on emotions.

Yeah, you all emotional when you came to know me and you're all excited. And when you pray you you feel like you're touching heaven and all those types of things. But then there comes a day in our spiritual walk when it kind of seems like it's a little bit routine and it's a little like maybe God isn't there and we're waiting for the excitement. And we wonder how come God moved?

God in move God saying it's time for you to get off the milk and start eating solid food.

Stop depending on the emotion.

And depend on the word of God.

Take the meat.

But solid food is for the mature.

Who, because of practice having their senses trained to discern.

Good and evil, so he's saying.

What this takes is practice. You can say, well, I read the Bible once and understand what it says. No, it takes practice to develop and to eat.

The meat of the word of God.

'cause sometimes there are passages that you can kind of scratch your head and well. Why is the Bible written like that? What's the point of that, you know? And and you hear, pastors will preach on a particular sermon title. I'll give you a perfect example. Almost everyone who's ever heard a sermon on the prodigal son thinks the whole point of the story is the prodigal son.

Then every once in awhile you'll get a passion. Says no no, the the the point of the story is not the prodigal son. The point of the story is the sun that remains at home.

'cause he's talking to the Pharisees. Then you get somebody like me who goes no no. The point of the story is not the prodigal son or the son who stayed at home. It's about the dad.

How the dad love both kids.

Even though one one of them dead and the other one.

Was dead spiritually himself.

And so if you get used to only hearing what other people think about the scriptures, you can be misled because, well, Pastor Joe and Joe so and so said this and pastor.

Watch McCall it said that and you know, if I like one over the other, then I'll pick what they said.

But when you read the word of God, you discern, and you say, OK, this is a difficult passage. Let me.

Eat on it. Let me chew it. Let me think about it let me meditate on it.

Now the sad thing is, this standard is pretty low here.

'cause I would have thought he said by training your senses.

You would have an acute.

Theological perspective.

Just what it says. It says so that you're trained to discern good and evil.

To me, that's pretty basic.

I shouldn't have to teach my children and my grandchildren for very long. The difference between good and evil.

Good and bad. Maybe you know, maybe a little more difficult, but good and evil. It seems pretty clear, but it apparently isn't because there is a sense of we need to train our senses, and I guess why? Because the world is different than us.

What the world thinks is not evil, we do.

At least I would wear to God does.

So we need to get a different worldview.

And that requires seen the word of God.

Chapter 6.

Therefore.

Because you need me to not.

The milk of the word.

Therefore, leaving the elementary teachings about the Christ.

Let us press on to maturity. I'm going to stop there.

He says we need to leave the elementary teachings.

It's time to grow up. It's time to start eating meat. It's not time to continue drinking.

I'm going to share three different groups of people, and before I do, let me preface it by saying this, none of the three groups of people that I'm going to talk about currently attend our congregation, so don't think I'm talking about you, 'cause I ain't.

OK, so there was this one couple.

He had been previously married and got divorced.

And married a woman who had been previously married and got a divorce.

And they again and they attended church regularly in and and whatever.

But every time there there was a course on marriage.

They took it.

I think they even took the same course three times in a row.

There gets to be a point when you stop taking the course and doing the course.

But there's always a sense of, well, I need to learn. I need to learn. I need to learn.

No, no, you need to do.

And we get trapped in this loop that if we hear the word of God that somehow that's significant, no, no we're supposed to hear the word of God and then do the word of God. And so they are stuck with the elementary teachings about marriage.

There was another.

Person.

He would loved to have a debate with me or discussion with me about the difference between predestination and.

Free choice.

And after the first couple times of having a discussion with him, I then started to realize.

He wasn't. It wasn't like he was challenging me on my point of view.

But it didn't seem like I was affecting his point of view, so I'm going. What's the point of doing this? We're just.

Spinning our wheels.

Because he couldn't get off that topic.

One of the ways to get on that get off of that topic. Study the word of God. Maybe read what?

Different.

Commentators and pastors over the last 500 years have said on the topic.

Decide what you think and then move on, but it's trapped in that loop of spinning.

And then the final one.

Which I've.

Feel spiritually sorry for.

Is we Baptists have a doctrine which I believe is very biblical, called eternal security.

We believe that Jesus, once he saves you, keeps you.

Nothing can separate you from the love of God, not even yourself.

So we believe in that, but there is this person who struggled with that kept thinking that there was something he could do.

To lose his salvation.

And I must have had six or seven conversations with that person about the Scriptures, not about what I thought showing him. The scriptures of quote unquote, eternal security. And he still had the emotional response. I can screw it up.

You see, he can't leave the elementary teachings.

There is a time to graduate from kindergarten.

If you were a parent of a child.

And your son or daughter comes home with a great picture and maybe see Jack run on the bottom of it and whatever and using.

Boy, my child is a brilliant.

Because in kindergarten.

They were able to do this.

And then the next year they were still in kindergarten and they drew the same picture and wrote the same words. You would start to say, maybe they're not as brilliant as I thought.

And then they get when they should be in high school, but they're still in kindergarten.

Drawing the same picture and writing the same words.

You've gone from them being brilliant.

To them needing.

Some help.

That's kind of where we are spiritually.

We expect our children to grow up in the world and to mature in the world.

But we don't expect them to grow up.

But

in maturity in the faith we don't expect even ourselves to grow up in the maturity of faith.

Let us press on to maturity.

Let us move from drinking milk to eating meat. Let us move from wondering what Jesus would do, and no, and do what Jesus would do.

Not laying again, a foundation of repentance from the dead works and of faith towards God, of instructions about washing and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

He's laid out what he considers the elementary teachings.

Which we think or somehow meet.

We think somehow understanding what God is doing means that we are somehow spiritually mature and the writer of Hebrews say, no, you're still an infant.

If if your claim to fame is that you know that you are saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves as a gift of God.

The writers saying wonderful, you got it right. You just drew a nice picture and wrote one sentence.

Move on.

Well, I believe that if you lay your hands on somebody that you can impart the Holy Spirit.

Wonderful.

What's Holy Spirit doing in your life?

Instructions of washings.

We used to.

Early on in the church washed people feet.

Kind of stopped doing that is kind of pointless 'cause everybody made sure they had a bath before they came to church.

To get their feet washed.

And of eternal well, the resurrection of the dead.

Even Paul.

Had to deal with this one.

'cause he kept being tried because he was preaching to Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead. He's going. Wait a minute guys.

I'm not giving you anything new Moses talked about it. The prophets talked about it. This isn't new, this is elementary.

And somehow we think we're super spiritual because we believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

That's basic.

When?

You're a child.

You're trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up.

Sometimes you start charting your life decisions.

A lot of people think that they're gonna be something when they grow up, but then never chart those decisions to be that.

I wanted to be a lawyer after I was seven years old.

In high school I took four years of Latin.

It's a dead language, nobody talks.

But the law had a lot of Latin phrases.

So I thought it would be beneficial for me.

To take Latin.

So I did.

And those four years of Latin did help me for one day in law school.

I had a professor in law school who was in torts and he was the fear of the campus. I mean on the first day of of class.

Second and third year students came to watch the girls cry.

That's how mean he was.

And so he would.

Basically his MO was.

He would call you. You'd have to stand up. He would ask you some question, make you look super ridiculous and it happened. Set you down and then call somebody else. Make them look super ridiculous and sit them down.

Well, he did this on this Latin phrase.

Nobody knew it.

Cinema reading material. Even if I hadn't taken Latin, not, I read it.

So I did the unthinkable. I raised my hand.

So he called on me.

So I told him what the Latin phrase was.

He goes so it gives me another Latin phrase, so I tell him what that is.

Then he says.

Take this hypo and that's a hypothetical. They give you a a fact pattern and you're supposed to analyze it. So it gave me a hypo and I analyzed it and gave him the answer and then he said.

Take this hypo, which was a modification of that, and I analyzed that.

And then he said very good. You may be seated every eye in that classroom. Looked at me.

And from that point on, everybody thought I had law school wired.

Because I got a very good from that guy and sat down.

Now I was just lucky.

Took four years of Latin, so I felt a little more comfortable.

But that was it, and so I had made a decision about law school and about being a lawyer. So I took Latin.

Let's say you want to be a.

Rocket scientists

the reason I'm using rocket scientists is because we tend to think that that's kind of like the molten 'cause we always say. Well, that's not rocket science, you know. So we, we say, you know, well, here's a 2 + 2 question. Well, it's not rocket science or you know it. Do I invest in Microsoft or Apple? Well, it's not rocket science, so apparently rocket science is like the epitome of knowledge.

So if you're going to be a rocket scientist, you probably need to take a lot of math classes.

So not only in mathematics, but then you need to take algebra and geometry and trigonometry and calculus and you need to take physics and antonian physics and you need to take astrophysics and you probably need to take things like chemistry and you need to take things like engineering.

So that you might be a competent.

Rocket scientists

here's the problem with becoming a rocket scientist.

At some time in our future.

It'll be as but as useful to be a rocket scientist as it is to manufacture buggy whips.

What do you mean by that?

Because there's going to be some way that somebody in the future, just as we had never considered an automobile. There's somebody in the future who's going to develop some type of transportation system that you don't need rockets.

You need something, so being a rocket scientist is like you're not unemployed soon. Who needs a buggy whip now?

And even if sometime in our future we don't do away with rockets when Jesus comes, we won't need rockets because he was able to be transported from the heavenlies to Earth and back.

Without any kind of mechanical device.

If you're going to spend that kind of time.

On something that eventually is going to be obsolete.

Why would you not spend that kind of time?

In understanding the word of God.

There is a phrase that there is a the statement that says that there was.

A group of scientists.

And philosophers and educators and other brilliant people climbing the mountain of knowledge.

And when they got on top.

What they found was a band of theologians.

We need to mature in the word of God because the word of God will last forever.

So when we have become believers, we should not be contending well, I got my fire insurance. It's good enough. I'll put myself on layaway. And when Jesus comes, everything will be wonderful. No, that's not why he called you. He called you to be in his relationship with him and to grow and to Minister to others. And you can't grow and minister to others unless you not only take milk like a milk and cookies, but that you eat the meat of the word so that you know the word of God so that you could communicate.

The word of God.

Verse 4.

This is where I say he's optimistic.

Because he started.

Back on verse 11 saying.

Y'all are dull and hearing.

I wish I could teach you.

But you're just.

Not with it.

And this.

We will do if God permits.

He's saying, OK, I know there's a group of you.

Who just hanging on to elementary teachings?

But there is a group of you who want to move on.

And I'm going to spend my time with them.

And if God permits.

I'm going to teach you more about Melchizedek, and I teach you more about things that are not just the elementary teachings and so that you might move to maturity.

It's more about Jesus.

To more about who he is, I am so tired of pastors telling you what Jesus would do.

You read the scriptures and determine what Jesus would do.

Jesus isn't political.

Jesus came to establish his Kingdom. He could care less about ours.

Jesus isn't a Republican or a Democrat or an independent.

Or a communist or socialist?

He's the king of King and Lord of Lords.

Don't tell me what Jesus would do to to justify what you're doing.

Tell me what Jesus is doing so that you will do it.

No him.

And the power of his resurrection.

So I guess.

If you had to shorten these views versus it would simply be grow up.

Would you say we don't want to do that? 'cause we don't wanna hurt anybody's feelings?

So the more thing is, come on baby.

Let's go from crawling to walking.

And honey come up, come from walking to running.

And go from running to sprinting.

And go from Sprint sprinting to flying with the Eagles.

Grow up.

Mature.

And the awesome thing about that?

Is the more mature a congregation is?

The more loving they are.

The more merciful they are, the more forgiving they are, and so in a congregation of mature Christians you don't find judgmental people. You find people with open arms.

Saying, I remember when I was in kindergarten.

Let me help you get the first grade. Let me help you get the second and not only let me help you graduate high school not only let me help you graduate.

College let me help you get a.

PhD.

In the word of God.

I'm here to help you to teach you so that you can teach others.

More about Jesus.

More about cheese.

More about it.

There is never a time.

Just like a lot of.

Other areas of life.

You could dedicate your life on.

Rocket science.

And never fully grasped at all.

But even more so, you could spend your life studying the word of God and never grasp at all.

But the difference is.

One will never, ever fail.

And the other will someday become irrelevant.

Let us spend our effort, our time, our sweat, our blood, our intentions.

Of studying.

His work.

His work.

Who he said?

To love us. To die. For us, to be raised again those elementary principles so that we may leave them secure in that knowledge.

And to understand things like I don't know.

You think you got it all down?

Write a paper on the Trinity.

As I tell you what.

No one has ever written on the Trinity that hasn't been a heretic. 'cause every time you tried to explain it, you mess it up.

So you want something really complex to to wrap your head around and to contemplate and to meditate on and to figure out.

How is it?

The hero, Israel, the Lord our God is one, and yet he's three people, the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. How can one God be on earth walking around, saying, I'm going to do the will of the father while the father is in heaven and the spirits doing other things.

It's one of the reasons I know.

That that's true.

'cause no human can explain it.

It's not. I'm starting imagination of human thought.

Is a mystery revealed by God?

We have not yet fully grasped.

So there's a lot in the scriptures.

To learn.

And to teach.

And all God's people said.