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Let’s Grow Up!
Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 10, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: The need to mature in our faith. (PowerPoint slides are available for this talk on request - email: gcurley@gcurley.info
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Let’s Grow Up!
Reading: Hebrews chapter 5 verse 11 to chapter 6 verse 3.
Ill:
Children’s Wisdom
• Patrick aged 10
• “Never trust a dog to watch your food”
• Michael aged 14
• “When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don’t answer him”
• Joel, aged 10
• “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a cricket bat”
• Andrew aged 9
• “Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a Polo mint”
• Taylia aged 11
• “When your mum is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair”
• Armir aged 9
• “You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in your milk”
• Mitchell aged 12
• “Don’t sneeze in front of your mum, when you’re eating a cracker”
• Michael aged 14
• “Never tell your mum her diet’s not working”
Ill:
• It might not be considered wisdom;
• But I would guess everyone in this room has said it at sometime to someone;
• Those immortal words; “Grow up!”
• Or a similar phrase; “Why don’t you act your age?”
Growth is important to all of us:
• Ill: From the moment you were born you were weighed and measured.
• Ill: As children how many of you had a growth chart or marks on the wall/door frame?
• Growth is the sign of a healthy child;
• And if a child is stunted in their growth it usually it means that something is seriously wrong
Note:
• What is true in a physical sense has a spiritual parallel.
• You come into God’s family the same way you entered your physical family;
• By being born into it - i.e. ‘Born again’ – i.e. a baby.
• Now in the physical realm;
• We grow into healthy children, teenagers, adults by taking in nourishment, by exercising etc.
• It is an automatic process that happens without us really noticing.
• Ill: Our own kids every so often their clothes don’t fit – growth spurt etc.
• Now in the spiritual realm the experience can be very different;
• The number of years you have been a Christian does not mean you are growing!
• True you are growing older but you are not in practice growing up!
• i.e. becoming spiritually mature.
Ill:
• A man, after 25 years with one company,
• Was still doing the same old job and drawing the same salary.
• Finally he went to his boss and told him he felt he had been neglected.
• “After all,” he said, “I’ve had 25 of experience.”
• His boss sighed and said:
• “You haven’t had 25 of experience, you’ve had one experience for 25 years.”
Note:
• This passage in the book of Hebrews;
• Helps us to recognise if we are maturing or stagnant in our spiritual growth.
• These verses are really tragic;
• The picture they present to us is more like a nursery school than a Church.
I want to split the passage under 4 headings:
(1). These Christians were dull and deaf (vs 11).
N.I.V:
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn”.
N.A.S.B:
“Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain,
since you have become dull of hearing”.
Ill:
• An elderly man stopped at a hearing aid centre and asked about prices.
• The salesman said “We have them from £25,000 down to £1.50,”
• The elderly man asked; “What’s the £25,000 one like?”
• The salesman said “It’s as a clear as can be and it also translates in 12 languages.”
• He then asked; “And what about the one for £1.50?”
• “It’s this button attached to a string,” said the salesman, pushing it across the counter.
• “How does it work?” asked the man.
• “It doesn’t” replied the salesman said;
• “But if you put the button in your ear and the string in your pocket,
• You’ll be surprised how loud people talk!”
• These Hebrew Christians had become voluntary hard of hearing;
• They had plugged their ears to avoid the truth.
• In fact the Greek word translated in the N.I.V “slow to learn”,
• In the N.A.S.B as “Dull of hearing”.
• Is only used twice in the entire Bible;
• It is used here in verse 11 and one more time in the letter (chapter 6 verse 12).
• It means “thick, slow, sluggish, indolent, lazy”.
• The original term is from two words; “No” “Push”.
Ill:
• A dull preacher would be one with “No push”.
• We might say; “his get-up-and-go… got up and went!”
• But actually the problem in this Church is not with the preacher but the congregation;