Grow Up

Thank you for reading this sermon from Christ Fellowship. I hope and pray that this sermon will be a blessing of grace and truth to you. With that said, let me encourage you not to use this sermon as a replacement for your local church. Christ Jesus did not establish his Church simply for us to consume content. Instead, He calls us to be part of a real, covenant family.

Next Sunday, we will begin a new series in James. To set that up, I want to use Hebrews 6 this morning.

This text is somewhat heavy. At the end of chapter 5, the writer has made the claim that this church is not as mature as they should be. They’ve been nursing on a spiritual bottle and he’s pressing them to grow up.

Have you ever told anyone to “grow up”? Your sibling when they annoy you? Your child when they aren’t acting their age? Or your husband? Can you please just “grow up”?

That’s the tone of this chapter. Hebrews 6 verse 1:

[1] Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

[2] and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

[3] And this we will do if God permits.

These three verses are largely misunderstood by modern Christians. And this is one of the primary reasons I chose this text for today.

We read our developed theology into these verses, and we think he is saying that faith in Jesus is an elementary doctrine. But these basic doctrines here are things that any good Jew would agree with.

This was written to an early church full of ethnically Jewish Christians. He’s telling them to move on from the things that they found easy to accept towards a deeper knowledge of Christ’s person and work. They were trying to sprinkle Jesus into their Jewish faith. And that’s not good enough. Instead, the application here is that we must not settle for a version of Christianity that we find easy to accept.

You will hear some Christians say, “I worship a loving God.” He accepts everyone no matter what. But what they often mean is, God doesn’t really care about my sin.

Other Christians will say, “I worship a holy God.” He’s not OK with sin. And what they often mean is, God approves of my lifestyle but not yours.

But Jesus showed us that God is both loving and holy. In Matthew 11, he said come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. But in Matthew 16, he said that if anyone would follow Him, they must deny themselves and take up a cross.

It is our tendency to bend the story to our own comfort. The Jewish Christians were in danger of reducing Christianity to something that was easy for Jews to accept.

We still do that. The brand of Christianity accepted by most professing Christians is not the Christianity of the Bible. It is watered-down and easy-to-believe. It offends no one. It says this:

God is up there somewhere. He wants me to be happy. If I do good things, I will make God happy, and he will make me happy.

But that is not the message of the kingdom. That is pseudo-religious psychobabble that has nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is offensive. It claims that we are dead in our sins apart from Christ. It says that we can never do enough good things to make God happy. It says that we deserve eternal punishment because we are so wicked. God’s only solution to our mess was the death of His Son.

That tells us so much about God’s love, but it should also tell us something about the seriousness of our problem. Sin is offensive to God. Not just other people’s sin that we don’t understand. Our sin. My sin. My sin caused Jesus to suffer.

If we settle for a version of Christianity that we find easy to believe, then we are offending God even more by downplaying the death of His Son. And that carries one of the strongest warnings in the whole Bible. Verse 4:

[4] For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,

[5] and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,

[6] and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

[7] For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.

[8] But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

This is also a difficult section because it has been taken to mean a few different things. Some believe this is teaching that true believers can lose their salvation if they don’t grow. But there are plenty of other places in the Bible that make it crystal clear that can’t happen.

“Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

But there is here a clear warning to people in the church. He’s not talking to pagans. He’s talking to church goers. So, what is the warning?

The danger here is that they are believing a version of the truth that is close, but not really the Gospel and it immunizes them. They believe they are safe by exposure and they are not.

Being in and around the church does not guarantee your salvation. Saying and doing Christian-ish things will earn us no points with God.

If I have a plant in my yard that dies, what will I do with it? I will dig it up and throw it away, right? Would I dig it up and move it to a location with better sunlight? Would I plant it again in a place with more rain? Will it matter? A dead plant is still a dead plant no matter where it is planted.

Jesus taught his disciples in the Parable of the Sower that some plants would have the appearance of being healthy for a time, but would die when the cares of the world or struggles come. They never really took root. I think that is the meaning here.

There is a type of repentance that is not genuine – that does not truly rest in the finished work of Christ Jesus. This is why he says that people are crucifying again the Son of God, as if once were not enough.

You can be exposed to all the things that real Christians need to grow – the Word of God, the work of the Holy Spirit around you – but it can have no real effect on you.

Many of the ancient Israelites did all the things they were supposed to do, but they had no genuine love for God in their hearts. David said it clearly in Psalm 51 – God cares nothing for our sacrifices if they come from hearts that are not broken.

So how do we know if that’s us? How do we know if we are deceived? Are we really Christ-followers or are we just doing spiritual stuff when we feel like it? Let’s finish reading.

[9] Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.

[10] For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

[11] And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,

[12] so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Assurance of salvation is something true believers will desire. This is the hope I see in these verses.

So, if you care about what I’m saying at all, then that is a good sign. The word of God speaks to believers. It confirms itself in our hearing and receiving the Word with joy. The Holy Spirit confirms His presence in our hearts through conviction and greater affection for Christ.

But there is also an expectation that believers will bear good fruit. He mentions work. He mentions love for others. He mentions faith and patience. He tells them not to be lazy.

This is an encouragement to self-evaluate and find some confidence that God is really at work in our lives. That confidence will produce maturity. Do you want that? Are you hungry for more of Christ? More of his ways? More of his words? More of his life?

At a bare minimum, the heart of a Christian is more passionate about Christ than politics, more interested in God’s Word than sports, more concerned with Christ than entertainment.

A lot of American Christians have grown content with a version of following Christ that is packaged and thin. We flavor our busy lives with a few hours of Christianity a month. And for even those few hours, the content better be good enough to hold our interest or we will move on.

Do you think the Christians in Nigeria are sluggish consumers? No, because their faith is costing them something more than a few hours of their time.

And so, as we think about how to apply this text – especially headed into a new year – I want to ask us three questions:

Are you growing in your walk with Christ? Is your spiritual gift being used in the church? Are you engaged in the mission of the church to make disciples?

Let me give you some examples, to help you think through it. Let’s start with the first question: Are you growing in your walk with Christ?

• Maybe you’re a new Christian with a desire to learn more about God, but the Bible is huge, and you have no idea where to start.
• Maybe you’ve been a professing Christian for years, but you feel stuck in the same place with no movement.
• Is there anyone holding you accountable? Is there anyone concerned for your heart?
• If you want more of the means of grace – more Bible, more prayer, more fellowship, more of Christ – tell someone. Tell me. Send me or another elder a text this morning. Help us help you.

This is how the church is supposed to operate, led by the elders. And we want to do a better job.

What about the second question: Is your spiritual gift being used in our church?

• Maybe God has given you a desire to help or serve others, but you need someone to point you in the right direction.
• You are willing to give more of your time, money, abilities, or other resources if you knew of specific needs.
• Kids – you are just as important to the church as adults. Your gifts matter. You can pray for others. You can teach and lead with your words and actions. You can tell people what you believe.
• What needs in our community are you passionate about and how can we help you meet those needs?
• Because of some personal experiences, you might be able to relate to and encourage someone who faces a similar experience.

We have a gift survey on our website that you can use to help us find your place. Or we can just have a conversation about it. This is something the deacons are especially passionate about.

Now what about the last question: Are you engaged in missions of the church to make disciples?

According to the Bible, not everyone has the gift of an evangelist and not everyone is called by God to pastor or shepherd others. But every Christian IS called to engage in the mission of the church to make disciples.

• Would you like to be more intentional in training your children and need guidance or resources?
• Can you start a Bible study with your co-workers, neighbors, or ball team families?
• Can you offer fellowship around a meal in your home or host a party?
• Can you mentor young people and help them glorify and enjoy God in their lives?
• If God were to put someone in your life who doesn’t know Christ, what would you do? How would you pray? How would you start the conversation?

The mission of the church is a teamwork thing. It’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of thing. It’s also a serious thing. We’re wandering around in our spiritual lives like toddlers, but these are eternal things. Some will inherit the promises, Hebrews says. But some will be cursed and cast into the fire, according to verse 8.

He doesn’t say these things to shame us or discourage us. But he does want us to be uncomfortable. Healthy change never comes easily. It was not easy for Jesus to save us and it won’t be easy to follow Him.

I can tell you that if God is doing something in your life it will be uncomfortable. It will often hurt. Jesus called it taking up our cross to die. Sacrifice is not easy. Please do not settle for a version of Christianity that comes without sacrifice. It has no power. It has no life. It has no hope.

Let’s grow up together. This we will go if God permits.