Faith Baptist Church
12/08/24 Worship Service
- 204 The First Noel
- 206 Angels, From the Realms of Glory
- 211 There's a Song in the Air
- 205 Go Tell it on the Mountain
1 Corinthians 3.1-2NASB95
1 Corinthians 3.3-5NASB95
1 Corinthians 3.6-9NASB95
- “One Another” series. The heart of this series is to examine the biblical responsibilities of church membership.Significant StatementsWe will disciple one another, through participation with the Holy Spirit, to become like Jesus (Rom. 15:14; Col 3:16; I Thess. 4:18; I Thess 5:11)
Colossians 3:16 ESV 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.This “One Another” we have placed under the umbrella of making disciples. Why? Because in the Great Commission Jesus commanded us to teach others to “OBSERVE all things that I have commanded you.” Teaching one another to observe involves all the commands of Christ involves instructing, teaching, admonishing, encouraging, edifying, and stirring up.I want to make the argument that discipling- that is instructing, teaching, admonishing, encouraging, edifying, stirring up one another is the responsibility of ever single member of a local church. If you are a member of this church it is your responsibility to engage in making disciples. Some of you might be thinking, Pastor Jon- I love being a member of this church, I love sitting and listening to the sermons, singing in the choir, serving in the nursery, participating in the fellowships, but I don’t think I am cut out to be a disciple-maker. I don’t think I can teach what I know about being a follower of Jesus to someone else.This morning I want to argue against that notion. Teaching one another is a good thing, but it’s not for me. I want to prove you mistaken.How am I going to do that? Do you agree with this proposition?It is the responsibility of every member to become a mature believer.How can we prove that biblically?Ephesians 4:13 ESV 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,So can we all agree that it is the purpose of the church and the responsibility of every member to grow unto maturity?Here is my question for our text this morning: Are you a mature Christian? Go ahead and answer that question in your head right now. What is your gut inclination, what do you feel about yourself? Are you mature or immature as a believer? Hold on to that answer.How do we know if we are mature or immature? That is what I believe our text in Hebrews seeks to answer for us.I want us to look at four qualities of a mature Christian from this text. And once we have evaluated our text this morning, then I want you to reevaluate the question, “Am I a mature Christian?”Four qualities of a mature Christian:I. A mature believer has a disciplined ear for listening to truth (11)Hebrews 5:11 ESV 11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.“About this...” What is the “this” that the author of Hebrews is talking about?Previous context: Discussing how the believer has a future promise of entering into the rest of God. He is recalling to the minds of these saints the “rest” of the promised land in the OT. He reminded them that the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and then Joshua led them into the promised land and defeated their enemies and they for a time experience rest. But, not all of them entered into that rest. Who was not able to enter into the rest of the promised land?Hebrews 3:7–11 ESV 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. 10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ 11 As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”So who was not able to enter into the rest of the promised land? Do you know your OT history?Numbers 14:26–30 ESV 26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.Now why did the author of Hebrews remind these NT church saints about the “rest” of the promised land, and about the generation that failed to enter into that rest?Hebrews 3:12–14 ESV 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.Purpose of the letter of Hebrews: Writing to Jewish Christians who were facing severe persecution and they were thinking about turning away from following Christ and going back to OT Judaism.The author of Hebrews is warning these believers of the dangers of turning away from Christ. If you do that you will not enter into God’s rest, you will miss out on God’s blessing and will instead face God’s judgement.So don’t turn away from following Christ. And the beauty of the book of Hebrews is how he argues for these Christians to keep on following Christ. The whole book primarily has one objective and that is to argue for the supremacy of Jesus. Jesus is better than anything the Old Covenant has to offer you, so why would you turn back to it?And it’s not just that Jesus is better, the argument is that Jesus is far better, infinitely better than anything else so follow him!Jesus who is heir of all things, creator of all things, who is the radiance of the glory of God Himself, who is the exact imprint of the very nature of God, the one who upholds the entire universe by a mere word of power—follow Him!Jesus is far better than the angels. He is far better than Moses. He is far better than Joshua, than Aaron, than the Aaoronic priesthood, than Abraham. He is the mediator of a far better covenant. He is a far better high priest, He is a far better sacrifice for sins, His blood is far superior, He is Far Far better.Jesus is glorious and beyond compare so why would you ever think about turning away from him?Hebrews 5:11 ESV 11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.About this we have much to say— i.e. how Jesus is better than all these other things, and yet it is hard to explain. Why is it hard to explain?Tim Challies says this in his book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment,The author of Hebrews has much he would like to tell the recipients of this letter. There is much knowledge he would like to impart to them, so many important things they need to learn. Unfortunately, what he wishes to communicate is "hard to explain" not because it is obscure or difficult to understand, but because the people have become "dull of hearing." They are not stupid people and are not intellectually inferior, unable to grasp such truths. The reason he cannot relay these important truths is not because of what these people are by nature, but of what they have become. There is much the author would like to say, but he cannot and will not because of the spiritual immaturity of the people to whom he writes. They lack understanding, and they lack discernment.”These believers had become “Dull of hearing.”Dull- lazy or sluggish. This word is used in extra biblical literature for the lazy and careless workman.Lightfoot’s Apostolic Fathers in English (34)34. The good workman receiveth the bread of his work with boldness, but the slothful and careless dareth not look his employer in the face. 2It is therefore needful that we should be zealous unto well-doing, for of Him are all thingsLazy and careless workers do not even dare to look their employer in the face. Examples: piano lessons, security guard, watering garden…So, though these Hebrew believers had started out in their Christian life with an enthusiasm for Christ they had over time formed a kind of spiritual depression. They exerted a low level of intensity in their spiritual life. They became lackadaisical in their attitude toward doctrine. They became slothful in their intellect and understanding of truth.How do we know they had become dull or lazy in their hearing? They were seriously considering abandoning Jesus and going back to OT law. How could you turn away from the glories of Jesus?“This soul of ours hath love, and cannot but love some fair one; and O, what a fair One, what an only One, what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One is Jesus.” —Samuel RutherfordThat is what these believers should have said when faced with persecution! I cannot turn away from following Jesus, because O, what a fair One, what an only One, what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One is Jesus.” Instead they were seriously tempted to turn away from Jesus? Why? They were immature. They were childish in their faith. They had become dull in hearing.You see a mature believer has a disciplined ear for listening to truth.The Theological Lexicon of the NT says this about the dull of hearing, it “is culpable negligence, the failure to perform an obligation or a customary duty, and it is this inertia or lackadaisical attitude toward Christian doctrine that the author of Hebrews denounces in his readers. Whereas when they were converted they must have been eager to learn about Christ and the tradition of the church, they subsequently became listless, in a depressed state, as it were, like people weakened by sickness after the fever has fallen.”Are you a mature Christian? Is your hearing of the word dull? Lazy? Lackadaisical? Do you devote a lower intensity to your spiritual life and toward understanding the Scriptures? Perhaps the litmus test is your attitude toward Jesus.Do the words of Samuel Rutherford resonate with your soul? O, what a fair One, what an only One, what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One is Jesus.Is there something else in your life that you are more zealous toward?A mature believer has a disciplined ear for listening to truth.II. A mature believer teaches others the basic principles of the Word of God (12a)Do you remember the proposition I made at the beginning of the message?If you are a member of this church it is your responsibility to engage in making disciples.If you said in your head during the intro, “I don’t think I can teach what I know about being a follower of Jesus to someone else,” here is my argument for you.We at least agreed upon the proposition that it is the responsibility of every member to become a mature believer.Well then my argument is that by definition a mature believer teaches others the basic principles of the Word of God.Where do I get that?Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.Lets just walk through this verse shall we?Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.For though by this time… Evidently the recipients of this letter were not new Christians. They were not recently saved. The author basically says it is past time for you to be teaching someone else.Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)12 For though by this time you OUGHT to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.For though by this time you OUGHT to be teachers.Ought- to be under obligation to meet certain moral expectations, to be obligated.Hebrews 5:3 (ESV)3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.Because the human high priests in the OT were beset with the weakness of sin he was obligated to offer a sacrifice for his own sins before he offered a sacrifice for the sins of the people. He was under a strict obligation to do so. In fact what would happen to the high priest if he failed to first offer a sacrifice for his own sins?This is the word used in Heb. 5:12.Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)12 For though by this time you OUGHT to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.He does not say, by this time you should at least have the ability to be teachers. He does not say you should desire to be teachers. He says that they had an obligation to be teachers. Why? Because that is what mature Christians do. Mature Christians teach others.What do they teach?Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.Again quoting from Tim Challise,“The recipients of the letter to the Hebrews are not new Christians or recent converts, for the author says that by this time they ought to be teachers. This is not to say that they all ought to be ministers or preachers, but that they should all be sufficiently mature so they are able to understand and to teach others the basics of the faith. Sadly, though, they still have not understood the basics themselves. They do not have the childlike faith Jesus so values but a childish, immature faith. In this way they are like so many Christians since them.”Are you a mature Christian? Are you teaching someone else the basic principles of the Word of God? Do you even know the basics well enough to teach it to others? Do you need someone else to teach you again the basic principles because you have become dull of hearing or lazy in your pursuit of the Word?BrochureBecome a Disciple Maker: From Disciple to Disciple-MakerBe a Disciple: Know Jesus and have a desire to become like Him.Follow a Disciple: Begin a bible study with a mature believer in the church.Make a Disciple: Teach someone else everything you know about following Jesus.You might say in your head, “Pastor I don’t even know where to start when it comes to being able to teach others.”Where are you in this process? Are you a disciple of Jesus? Are you following a Disciple of Jesus. Many of you are at step 2. And that’s OK.Many of you haven’t not yet begun step 2.Let me encourage you, if you genuinely want to become a mature Christian would you prayerfully consider following a disciple of Jesus in this church?What does that mean? What exactly does following a disciple look like?BrochureStep 1: Begin a bible study with a mature believer in the church. Why should you study? Foundations: Bible Truths for Christian Growth.Ignore everything else for the moment. Just focus on that first initial step. Meet weekly with a mature believer in the church and study the basic principles of the oracles of God.Why do we want everyone to study the basics? You might be thinking, “I’ve been saved for years! I don’t need to study the basics.”We want you to study the basics so that you can fulfill your obligation of teaching someone else.Look at the bottom right hand corner of this sheet. The green box.Become a Disciple-Maker:Join the church as a memberGo through Foundations with a mature believerContinue following your disciplerBegin teaching someone elseWe want ever member of this church to reach Christlikeness. We want ever member to become a mature Christian. And a mature Christian teaches others the basic principles of the Word of God.Are you a mature Christian?III. A mature believer eats the solid food of the Word (12b-14a)Hebrews 5:12–14 (ESV)12 You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature,Solid- pert. to being firm or solid in contrast to being soft or viscousSolid food n. — any solid food (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment.What is the solid food that author of Hebrews is speaking of?1 Corinthians 3:1–3 ESV 1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?The milk of the Word is the basic principles of the oracles of God. The solid food of the Word are the advanced principles of the oracles of God. There should be a natural desire in everyone of us to move on from milk to solid food. No one likes to be thought of as immature.Ever noticed that? What happens when you call your little 3 year old child a baby? “I’m not a baby, I’m a big boy.”What happens when you call your teenager a child? “I’m not a child, I’m an adult.”Apparently, God has built into everyone of us the desire to mature, to grow up. And that is a good thing. What would you think if a baby grew to a toddler and moved on from milk to baby food to real grown up food only to regress and go back to eating baby food? What would you think of an adult who went back to eating nothing but baby food? Something isn’t right! But, that is essentially what these Hebrew Christians were doing.Hebrews 5:12 ESV 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,At one time they knew the basics and they should have progressed from there, but instead they had regressed and needed once again to be fed baby food.Are you a mature Christian? Do you regularly feed on the solid food of the Word?BrochureStep 2:The God who hears: Strengthen your prayer lifeSimply Blessed: Learn to study God’s WordEvangelism for the Faint Hearted: Learn to share the gospelMTP Midwest Class:Thank you to those of you who have challenged yourself and taken a MTP class. Let me encourage the rest of you to move on from milk to solid food.We want you to become a mature Christian and that means eating a steady diet of the solid food of the Word and there are many practical paths to accomplishing that. Are you up for the challenge? Or are you content with baby food?IV. A mature believer constantly trains their skill of discernment (14)Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.Challies, Tim. The Discipline of Spiritual DiscernmentDiscernment is the skill of understanding and applying God's Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong.Now we are moving on from merely the ability to eat and digest the solid food of the Word. Discernment is a step beyond that. As a prerequisite you must have a steady diet of the solid food of the Word, but then you must constantly train or hone the skill of exercising that discernment in real life.You must be able to, in all areas of life, understand and apply God’s Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong.Notice this is a skill that must be trained or honed in one’s life.Hebrews 5:13 (ESV)13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.That means discernment is a skill. It is not an inherent ability like breathing or chewing. It is a skill like playing the piano or public speaking. If you want to be an expert at playing the piano what must you do? Practice! If you want to be an excellent public speaker what must you do? Practice!Also, you might practice the piano for thousands of hours and then all of a sudden stop playing for a year. What happens to your skill? It gets rusty! So not only do you need practice, not only do you need to train yourself in the skill of playing the piano, you also need constant practice.Mature Christians are those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice so they can do what? Distinguish good from evil.BrochureStep 3: Notice the subheading! Your Life-Long Learning.Below is a sample of resources and topics to studyMarriage, parenting, overcoming sexual sin, thinking biblically about the world, etc…Not just disciple-making either, sermons, morning bible study, personal devotions, personal bible study, MTP classes… All of these things are meant to help you hone and train your powers of discernment. All are meant to help you constantly practice to distinguish good from evil in every area of your life.Hebrews 5:14 ESV 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.Are you a mature Christian?Do you remember how you answered that question at the beginning of this sermon? How would you answer now?Do you meet these four qualifications?Do you have a disciplined ear for listening to truth?Are you teaching less mature Christians the basic truths of the Word of God?Do you have a regular diet of the solid food of the Word?Are you constantly training your skill of biblical discernment?Are you a mature Christian? If you answered NO… what are you going to do about it? Are you satisfied with being a spiritual infant? What steps will you take to begin your growth in spiritual maturity?If you answered YES… what are you going to do about it? The moment you become less disciplined, the moment you get lazy or dull of hearing is the moment you begin going backwards. What activity will you apply yourself towards this week to engage in training and constant practice in the word of righteousness? Colossians 3:16NASB95
Ephesians 4:13NASB95
Hebrews 5:11NASB95
Hebrews 3:7–11NASB95
Hebrews 3:12–14NASB95
Hebrews 5:11NASB95
1 Corinthians 3:1–3NASB95
Hebrews 5:12NASB95
Hebrews 5:14NASB95
- Come All Christians Be Committed
