God Is Still the Creator

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This is a topical sermon based on various passages of Scripture speaking about God's creative activity in the world and in the lives of individual believers.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

(The idea for this message originally came from a message preached by Rev. Rex Bullock, “Is God Creating Anything New in 1992?” – 6/15/92)

A short while ago the Scriptures that were read for us were taken from the first book of the Bible and the last book of the Bible. In both of these references the God of the Bible is portrayed as a God that creates. He is portrayed as the all-powerful and creative source of everything, including the original heavens and earth, as well as the new heavens and earth. So the story of the Bible begins with the creative activity of God, and it ends with the creative activity of God.

Today, I want to talk to you about the creative activity of God in our world, but more importantly, in our individual lives.

I. God created the heavens and the earth.

How many of you believe the creation story in Genesis? Do you really believe that God created our world out of nothing? Are you convinced that God formed man from the dust of the earth? There was a time when nearly everyone in evangelical churches believed the Genesis account of creation, but that is not the case these days.

I know that I can’t answer all the questions that people might raise about the creation account, but in spite of that, I haven’t heard any alternative explanations that are any easier to believe than the explanation that is given in the Bible. I kind of feel like the old English author, G.K. Chesterton, and the comment he made about evolution.

G. K. Chesterton  – "It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then pretend that it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into everything." 

The Bible begins with a definitive statement that is not argued or defended, but it is just proclaimed; “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The statement presupposes the existence of God and it boldly proclaims that He is the reason all things exist.

Genesis is not the only place in the Bible where the existence of the heavens and the earth is attributed to God. See these references

Isaiah 42:5 (KJV) Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth….

Isaiah 45:18 (KJV) For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited….

Malachi 2:10 (KJV) Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? ….

Mark 13:19 (KJV) For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

The account of creation in Genesis says that God said, “Let there be…” and there was. John 1:1-3 speaks about the Word that was in the beginning, was with God, and was God. This same Word of God is attributed with the creation of everything.  “… by him were all things made, and without him was not anything made that was made.” God has the power to speak and things that did not previously exist suddenly come into existence.

II. God will create a new heavens and a new earth.

It is prophesied in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 65:17 (KJV) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

Isaiah 66:22 (KJV) For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

It is reaffirmed in the New Testament.

2 Peter 3:13 (KJV) Nevertheless we, according to his promise [ie the one in Isaiah], look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Revelation 21:1 (KJV) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

I honestly do not have any more idea how God is going to do this than I do about how He created the original heaven and earth. But, I can boldly tell you today that I don’t have to understand it in order to believe it!

So…The Bible begins with the account of the original creation and it finishes with the account of a future creation. This fact highlights the important truth that God loves to create brand new things. But…   This isn’t the main point of my message today. I didn’t come here simply to re-emphasize how much I believe in the biblical account of creation.

III. God creates new creatures in Jesus.

The main point of my message today is to let you know that I believe the Bible teaches us that God is also in the business of creating new lives in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

If God can just speak the word and it causes planets and stars and galaxies to suddenly come into reality, then He most certainly can take a life that has been broken and scarred by sin and heartache and make it completely new again.

How does God do it? How does the Bible describe the process of making new creatures?

A. It starts with a new birth.

John 3:3 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

It’s a radical new beginning. It is so drastic; Jesus describes it in terms of being born again. It is a point at which new life begins in the heart of the believer and the individual is no longer spiritually dead, but spiritually alive. It begins at the point a person abandons his own efforts at pleasing God and completely puts his trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.

B. It involves getting a new heart.

Psalm 51:10 (NKJV) Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

In this prayer King David realizes that the root of his problem and the cause of his sin of adultery and murder was a heart that was polluted with sin and turned against God. So David prays for God to create a clean heart in him.

The Lord, speaking through the prophet Ezekiel promises a new heart for the people of Israel.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NKJV) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

God was going to remove the stony, rebellious heart from his people and give them a brand new heart – a heart that was wholly devoted and committed to loving Him. God still does that for people today.

C. It also includes a new spirit.

Ezekiel 36:27 (NKJV) I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Spirit is that part of us that communicates with another world. It is the part of us that can hear the voice of God. There was a time when we enjoyed a spiritual bond with the world and we were in tune with all that was diabolical and sensual and even evil, but after we are born again, our spirits tune in to a different world. It’s somewhat like tuning your radio to a different frequency. We suddenly find ourselves bonding with things that are heavenly, holy and godly. We may not immediately notice it, but it happens.

D. It includes a new song

Psalm 40:1-3 (NKJV)   …I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

When God makes new creatures out of us, He gives us a brand new song to sing. We no longer sing about the pleasures of sin and the brokenness and despair it leads to, but we sing about the “Wonderful Grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin, how shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin…” and “My heart is stirred whene’er I think of Jesus, that matchless name which sets the captive free…”

E. This new life that God has created includes new works (deeds or actions.)

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Dear friends, when God creates a new person in Christ Jesus, He does a thorough job. Some would have us believe that a born again Christian is someone that keeps on living the same kind of life he/she used to live. But the Bible describes it differently.

We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works. What God has done inwardly, He works outwardly. Good works do not earn our salvation, but they certainly testify to our salvation. They demonstrate that God has created a brand new person here and this is the proof.

Conclusion:

In all of God’s creative activity, He did something or made something that had not been done before. Remember, God can create planets, stars, galaxies, as well as, insects and micro-organisms out of nothing. The Bible states that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” God is still able to create a miracle out of your life.

What is your need today? What are your circumstances? What disasters or tragedies have you experienced? Really bad choices? Bad relationships? Broken marriage? A life that is completely ruined and futile?

Give it all to the Lord. He can take the ashes of your failures and create something of beauty. He may do something miraculous in an instant, or He may do it over a longer period of time, but He will do the work. All He asks is for you to come just as you are. Don’t try to get yourself straightened out good enough so He’ll take you. He wants you as you are. He won’t leave us the way we are, but He will take us the way we are.

Let us sing this song and apply its message: “Just As I Am”  (#488)

Five Perils to a Dynamic Faith (Conclusion)

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This is the conclusion of a message based on Hebrews 12 in which the author of Scripture presents five warnings to the Christian believers in the first century. These warnings are still relevant for believers today.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction to concluding segment

Last Sunday I started this sermon but didn’t have time to finish it, so we are concluding the message today.

In Hebrews 11 the author provided a working definition of faith for his readers, and then he proceeded to list individuals and groups of people who were examples of dynamic faith. He described what faith did for them as a source of encouragement. I believe he was hoping to generate this attitude in the readers, “If faith can do this for them, I believe it can do it for me.”

In chapter 12 he begins by reminding them that they are surrounded by that great “cloud” of witnesses – those who have testified or witnessed to a vibrant, dynamic faith, and he urges his readers to not only remember them, but to also remember the central figure of it all – Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. He continues through the rest of the chapter to warn them of the kinds of perils that could sabotage their faith. There are perils that these readers needed to be alert for, and these same perils threaten destroy the faith of all believers in all ages.

The perils or dangers are introduced throughout the chapter in each case by the use of the word “lest” (KJV) or “that not.”

Last week we talked about the first three perils, which I will list again for those who weren’t here.

The danger of weariness (v.3)

The danger of waywardness (v.13)

The danger of gracelessness (v.15a)

Today we are going to look at the last two perils that are given:

The danger of bitterness (v.15b)

The danger of profaneness (v.16)

IV. The Danger of Bitterness (v.15b)

Hebrews 12:15b (KJV) lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

“root” – a word that was translated in the Septuagint to refer to any specific person in Israel who may turn away from God and worship pagan idols or cause others to do so(Duet. 29:18); and in Matt. 13:21 it is used to describe a person who has a superficial experience of truth as illustrated in the parable of the sower or the soils. Here in this passage it refers to a Jewish believer who is in danger of apostasy and inducing others to do the same. (Wuest)

Bitterness will bring trouble to one’s self. Bitterness will harm you and me more than any trouble that anyone else could ever do to us.

Bitterness will bring defilement to many others around us.

“many be defiled” – literally, “the many” i.e. the majority.

Every one of us has an influence on dozens of others around us. We have the privilege and responsibility to either lead them forward in faith or lead them away from the grace of God.

V. The Danger of Profaneness (v16)

Hebrews 12:16 (KJV)
¹⁶  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Fornicator is understood in its usual meaning – one who engages in illicit sexual relations. Probably not to be understood as a description of Esau.

“profane” – literally accessible, lawful to be trodden; giving the idea of unhallowed and common. It is the opposite of holy, sacred or set apart. (It is okay to walk on this, there is nothing sacred about this.)

Profaneness produces a twisted sense of value.

This is true because it focuses on the temporal rather than the spiritual. It causes people to sell something of lifelong value or even eternal value for something of momentary value. This is very true in the case of a fornicator. Fornication involves the decision to sacrifice future long-term benefits and treasures on the "altar" of immediate gratification.

Also true in the case of Esau. Esau gave up, surrendered or sacrificed something of future, long-term value in order to obtain something that only had immediate and short-term benefits.

Profaneness produces actions that cannot be undone. (Because that which is lost can never be regained.)

“no place of repentance” – Repentance here is not to be understood as sorrow or remorse or regret, but in the sense of changing one’s mind about something resulting in a change of actions or direction. Esau found no place of repentance, because the action he took and the decision he made could not be undone. There was no opportunity for him to change his mind and retract his action.

This illustration of profaneness is applied to the Jewish believers in reminding them that they no longer needed the literal, physical and temporal temple, because they are now participants in the worship at the eternal temple in heaven. (vv.18-24)

Even believers today must be aware of the danger or peril of profaneness. We are dangerously suseptible to the peril of surrendering eternal possessions and eternal values on the altar of immediate, earthly, temporal values.

Conclusion:

One of the ways we can avoid these perils is to have methods for reminding ourselves of the things that are more important and the things that have eternal value. The celebration of the Lord's Supper is one of the ways believers have to help remind us of what's important.

As we prepare to share the elements of Communion this morning, let us start by singing a couple verses of the familiar hymn, "Near the Cross."

Five Perils to a Dynamic Faith

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This is a sermon based on Hebrews 12:3-24 regarding five warnings given by the author to alert the readers to some perils that threaten their faith.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

How many people here really like to come to church to feel encouraged and inspired? How many like to hear sermons that are comforting and uplifting? How many like to hear messages that are close and searching and expose our actions or attitudes to the searching light of God’s truth?

Well, let me remind you what God’s Word says the task of the pastor is by reading to you a passage from the Apostle Paul’s letter to a young pastor named Timothy. 2 Timothy 4:2 (KJV) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

So you see, dear friends, I’d love to only preach comforting and uplifting sermons, but that’s only half of my responsibility. I have the responsibility before God to reprove and rebuke as well.

Well, apparently the author of Hebrews felt the same way. There are many warnings given to believers in God’s Word and the book of Hebrews is a prime example. As one reads through this letter you will find numerous warnings given to the readers of the letter. If the believers back then needed to be warned of the perils to their faith, I suppose that we need to pay attention to the warnings as well.

In our Scripture lesson for today the author of this letter gives five warnings concerning the perils that threaten the faith of the believers. These warnings are all introduced with the word “lest” in the KJV. Five times in this chapter the writer uses the word “lest,” which literally means, “that not,” and each time indicates a threat or danger to be avoided by the believers.

(The main outline of this message is borrowed from a message preached by Rev. Marc Dodrill.)

The reason I chose the title that I have chosen is because I believe the author is warning of the perils that not only could ruin the faith of those early believers in Palestine, but they can jeopardize the faith of any Christian even today.

He started out at the beginning of the chapter by reminding the Christians that all of the men and women of faith mentioned in ch. 11 are like a large crowd of witnesses who have just testified of their confidence in God and God’s promises. In light of all that these people did and endured, he urges the readers to take every possible course of action to follow their example. In other words, he is admonishing them to keep their faith as well, in spite of all the adversity and persecution they might have to go through.

However, as one tries to maintain his/her faith, there are threats and perils that lurk all around. There are hazards that can cause one to abandon his faith and bring ruin and disaster to his soul. What are the dangers that we must avoid? What are the things that hinder and even destroy many Christians?

There are five perils listed here in chapter twelve that have often caused deep trouble to many, many Christians. Some of these have even caused spiritual shipwreck from which they never recovered.

(Most of the definitions and word meanings given in this message are taken from Word Studies in the Greek New Testament by Kenneth Wuest.)

I. The Danger of Weariness (v.3)

Hebrews 12:3 (NKJV) For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

A. Weariness is not a sin, but it can lead to sin.

The connections we have already noted between the warnings of this chapter and the witnesses of the previous chapter would indicate that the primary threat of weariness is that it can cause one to abandon his faith because he is just too tired or faint to keep trying (striving) any longer.

I don’t know if you will remember or not, but when I preached a series of messages on faith from chapter 11, I mentioned that “genuine faith will enable one to keep on believing when he would have otherwise given up.” So, here the author is urging them to NOT give up.

“wearied” and “faint” – literally the words are very similar in meaning. The first means to grow tired and is actually translated “sick” in one passage. The other one means to be faint or to relax due to exhaustion.

B. Weariness can be avoided.

1. By considering Jesus’ example. (v.3-4)

“consider” – reckon by comparison.

No matter what persecution these believers have had to endure, they haven’t yet suffered the level of pain, suffering and even death that Jesus suffered, yet Jesus didn’t give up.

“resisted unto blood” – Probably a reference to the shed blood of Jesus indicating His sacrificial death. But there may also be an intentional connection to the martyrs referred to back in chapter 11.

2. By remembering God’s ways of working. (vv.5-11)

Chastisement (Discipline) is a means of teaching us lessons and truths that we cannot learn any other way.

The KJV uses the word chastisement, which we normally understand as “punishment” for something we did wrong. But…The words paideía and paideúō relate to the upbringing of children, who need direction, teaching, instruction, and discipline. Both the way of education and the goal are indicated by paideía. (Theo. Dict. of the N. T.) It covers the whole idea of teaching and instruction, which by implication includes correction.

I’ve known a number of people who automatically ask this question when things are going wrong or they are suffering in some way. “What have I done to make God punish me like this?” Correction does include punishment at times and it is possible that the purpose behind your circumstances is for that reason.  However, it is also possible that it is not punishment at all. It may simply be God’s way of teaching and instructing you in truths and concepts of grace that you wouldn’t be able to learn any other way.

If we can always keep this in mind, it will help us not grow weary and contemplate giving up our faith.

II. The Danger of Waywardness (v.13)

Hebrews 12:13 (KJV) And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

A. Waywardness is caused by…

1. “Hanging hands” and “Feeble knees.”  (v.12)

“lift up” – means to “restore to straightness or erectness, to reinvigorate.”

“hang down” – literally disregard, neglect, then also relax or loosen.” May be a reference to their neglect of prayer (lifting up holy hands).

“feeble” – this is the same word that is translated “sick of the palsy” or a paralytic.

2. “Crooked paths.” (v.13)

The word for “straight” used here is a Greek word that does not emphasize the opposite of “crooked” so much as it stresses the concept of “plain” and “smooth.” So, by implication, the crooked paths that cause believers to stray from the path would be paths that are not plainly visible (understandable).

B. Waywardness can be corrected.

1. By healing the lame.

Those who are suffering from hands that are hanging down in neglect and knees that are paralyzed need to be revived and reinvigorated; restored to new life and vitality. They need renewal; a great awakening and a spiritual revival.

2. By straightening the road.

Those who are straying from the road because of ignorance need to be enlightened with plain, simple truth.

III. The Danger of Gracelessness (v.15a)

The third peril that the author is warning the readers about is the danger of “failing of the grace of God.”

Hebrews 12:15a (KJV)  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God…

To fail of the grace of God literally means to “fall back from or fall away from; implying a previous attainment.” (Wuest)

“looking diligently” – compound word meaning “look intensely” or “look over” (i.e. oversee)

I believe that this is a reference back to verse 14 regarding the admonition to follow after peace with men and holiness before God. The implication of this warning seems to be teaching that when we give up on seeking and following after peace with our fellowmen and we give up on pursuing holiness before God, then we risk the condition of falling away from the grace of God.

People run out of grace because of pride. (James 4:6)

More grace is available from God. (James 4:6)

Conclusion:

We have run out of time today and I will not be able to finish talking about the last two perils, so I will conclude this message next Sunday.

These warnings given to the first century believers are certainly appropriate for us today. I trust that the Lord will help each one of us to heed these warnings and remain alert to these and other perils that would threaten our faith.

For our closing song, we are asking God, Who has certainly helped us in the past, to continue to guide us through these perils of life.

Let us sing: O God Our Help in Ages Past

Growing Up

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This is a sermon based on Hebrews 5:11-6:3 and it discusses the topic of spiritual maturity.

Written excerpts:

Introduction:

For the past several weeks I have been speaking from different passages found in the letter written to the Hebrews. For those who haven’t been here previously, I just want to explain that I am not doing a verse-by-verse series through this book. I am simply going through the book and selecting passages that I had underlined or noted in my Bible while listening to other sermons or while doing personal reading and study. These are passages that stood out to me as I read/heard them and made me think of truths that I thought would be essential for all believers to keep in mind as we endeavor to walk with the Lord in obedient faith.

The topic that is emphasized in the scripture selection for today relates to the issue of growing up, or spiritual maturity.

Before we go any farther I wanted to share a couple of stories related to this matter of growing up. The first one is on the lighter side.

CHILDISH FEAR C. S. Lewis – “When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man, I put away childish things—including the fear of childishness and the desire to be grown-up. (Illustrations Unlimited)

This next one is a story that is also somewhat humorous, but it applies a more serious message…

FAITH OR HUNGER? Ellen Hammonds – “My husband is a minister who conducts an expanded altar call at the end of his sermon. He asks those who wish to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, as well as those with prayers or other requests, to come forward.

“To the surprise and delight of the congregation our three-year-old daughter, without a word to me, got up and made her way forward. She waited patiently while the others ahead of her made a request.

“When her turn came, my husband leaned down to ask for her request. She whispered, ‘Can we go to the restaurant after church?’" (Illustrations Unlimited)

In my years of ministry I have witnessed various occasions when a sermon or some other medium was used to convey a serious message about salvation or eternity, only to watch/hear grown adults immediately change the subject to the weather, sports, or something else that had absolutely no spiritual or eternal significance. It made my heart ache to think that there apparently was no ability and/ or desire to contemplate such serious subjects. It reminds me of a child that either cannot understand or will not consider any subject that requires deep thought.

Well, whether we’re talking about something serious or something that is a little more light-hearted, there are numerous situations that remind us of the importance of growing up and becoming mature adults. That is exactly what our Scripture lesson is about today. With the help of God’s Spirit, I want to talk to you about the need to grow up in our faith and in our spiritual lives.

I want to first of all take some moments to explain the meaning of the scripture text that we have before us. Then I want to use the basic principle that is expressed here and make some additional applications to Christian / Spiritual maturity in general.

I. The meaning of our text.

Our “first order of business” here this morning is to briefly describe the actual meaning of the verses in Hebrews 5. (Most of my information is taken from Greek scholars, Kenneth Wuest and William Barclay.)

We are starting in verse 11…

“of whom” (of which) – the prepositional phrase can be understood grammatically to refer to either the person Melchisedec or to the subject of his priesthood. Since the person is not mentioned again until chapter 7, it would be more appropriate to read it as referring to the subject of his priesthood and its application to Jesus Christ.

“hard to be uttered” – lit. difficult to interpret into words; not because of the speaker but…

“you are dull of hearing” – lit. slow or sluggish in hearing or understanding. The word “dull/slow” literally means “no push” i.e. no self-motivation or interest.

The structure of this phrase emphasizes that they had become slow in understanding in the past with the result that they are now unable to grasp difficult concepts. They apparently had learned better and known better in the past, but had become dull in hearing, i.e. had not continued to hear, or had carelessly listened, or had completely omitted the preaching and had forgotten what they heard. (Adam Clarke)

v. 12

In fact, their understanding is so dull/slow that now they have a repeated need for someone to continually instruct them at a time when they ought to be teachers instructing others.

“first principles” – the rudimentary or elementary ideas of God’s revelation.

“milk…strong meat” – metaphor used by the author to emphasize the contrast between the need for “first principles” (milk) like a young child/infant, rather that “strong meat” (i.e. solid food) that would be the primary diet of an adult.

v. 13

“everyone that uses milk” – not referring to occasional use of milk, but those for whom milk is their exclusive diet, nothing else.

“babe” – word used here is not the only word used for infant or child in the Bible. In this context it is a word that denotes one that is immature in contrast to the one that is of “full age” (v.14)

v. 14

“strong meat…full age” – solid food is the diet of those who are mature. Metaphor meaning spiritually mature people can “digest” more difficult concepts because of their habitual use of their “senses” or faculties.

This regular use of reasoning / thinking skills produces the ability to discriminate between good and evil.

The more one practices sound reasoning resulting in good moral choices, the more one will be able to continue to discriminate between good and evil; right and wrong; etc.

6:1-2

Two different views regarding this section.

a. “leaving the principles… foundation of repentance… let us go on to perfection…

These are all phrases that emphasize the need to leave behind (abandon) all the “elementary” teachings of the old covenant involving those ideas and practices that they were tempted to return to, and let’s move on to faith in the new covenant and the finished sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

b. These items mentioned that must be left behind are the elementary principles of the gospel necessary for the beginning of faith. However, they must recognize the importance of growing in their understanding of Christ, His nature and His work.

I personally think it is more likely that the first option is correct because of the background information we have mentioned several times in the past… The believers in Palestine who were suffering severe persecution and were tempted to abandon their faith in Christ and return to the temple sacrifices and OT practices.

In this case, the lesson I take from it is that the writer is urging them to move away from their dependence on physical, temporal, elementary symbols of salvation and trust in the real thing. The more one relies on physical and symbolic images and practices to maintain his/her faith, the less the are able to wrestle with the invisible truths of the faith.

II. Spiritual applications of the biblical principle of maturity.

A. Christians need to recognize the necessity to grow up mentally and intellectually.

I see this point clearly in the text that we have just reviewed. The writer was obviously frustrated with the fact that his readers were not capable of digesting difficult concepts and ideas regarding the new priesthood of Jesus Christ and how much better it was than Aaron’s priesthood in the OT. They didn’t seem to have the mental stamina to follow his message. Far too many Christians in our modern culture in America are intellectually and mentally lazy. Can I lovingly remind you dear friends that if you haven’t bothered to stretch your mind a little to meditate and process some deep theological truth that boggles your mind, then you are acting like a child.

Let me put a plug in here for the adult Sunday school class. There are topics discussed in that class that make a person think. This quarter that has just started today is a good example: “Studies in Christian Holiness.”

B. Christians need to recognize the necessity to grow up emotionally.

One of the passages that we read earlier in our responsive scripture reading was taken from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. 3) In that text he rebukes them for the envy, strife and divisions that had developed among them and presents that as evidence that they are still babes; children; and carnal. He is urging them to grow up and get past all the petty things that they have allowed to divide them from their fellow believers.

I have been amazed at the kinds of issues or problems that Christians have allowed themselves to become offended over and allowed divisions to develop between them and the brothers and sisters they are supposed to love. I recognize some of this comes from the emotional baggage that people have accumulated before they come to Christ, but there is help and victory in Jesus to overcome and grow out of all that, if we are willing to allow Him to work on us.

I currently have 300+ friends on Facebook. (I know some of you are surprised that I’m on Facebook. The rest of you are probably surprised that I have friends!) But I’ve noticed a host of people posting cute little sayings about “everyone just needs to accept me the way that I am, cause I’m not changing.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful that I am not still acting in some of the ways that I used to. I’d like to think that I’ve learned to handle some things better than I used to…. God does accept us the way we are, but thank God, He doesn’t leave us the way He found us. He stretches us, molds us, forms us and rebuilds us into His likeness; not just spiritually, but emotionally and mentally.

C. Christians need to recognize the necessity to grow up spiritually.

The Bible is full of admonitions and exhortations for believers to “go to perfection” or “maturity.”

Much of the emphasis in Scripture regarding holiness and sanctification really relates to the issue of becoming mature in our walk with Christ. It is moving on from the elementary principles of repentance and the new birth, and learning the life of a disciple. Some of the references are strongly worded as commands for believers to experience the cleansing fire of God’s Spirit and to develop Christ-like attitudes and conduct.

Another emphasis in Scripture regarding spiritual maturity involves the issue of suffering and its usefulness in developing our faith. Read again through Hebrews 11 and see how many of these people listed there demonstrated the quality of their faith by the suffering they endured.

Conclusion:

I’ve been frustrated many times by the attitude among some Christians that seems to say, “I have confessed my sins and put faith in Christ, and I’ve ‘got my ticket to heaven,’ and that’s good enough for me.” They don’t seem to have any desire to grow more like Christ or to develop their understanding of the Christian faith. They are content to “stay a baby their entire Christian life.” I don’t believe it works that way. First of all, because I believe if someone’s conversion is really genuine, then they will desire to grow up just as naturally as a child wishes to become an adult.

Secondly, I don’t think we can just stay in the say immature status, because I believe we cannot remain static in our spiritual development. We will either grow up and become more mature or we will get farther and farther way from the Lord and eventually die spiritually.

The closing song I have chosen for us to sing emphasizes one aspect of the Christian life that facilitates maturity.

“Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken”