TIME TO GROW UP! -  Hebrews 5:9-14

9 “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Some people have been Christians for years have never matured in the things of God.  Paul is exhorting the Christians in these verses to “grow up”

1) THEIR DULLNESS – Vs. 11 – Paul had much to say about the Lord as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Vss. 1-10), but could not utter them because they were “dull of hearing”. 

A.THE HEBREWS HAD BECOME "DULL OF HEARING"...

1. When one becomes "dull of hearing" they begin to regress to a state of spiritual immaturity.

2. A believer becomes dull of hearing the Word of God due to laziness and indolence in spiritual learning, being preoccupied with worldly things such as money or pleasure, lack of faith and obedience, or failing to cultivate a spiritual sensitivity through diligent study and practice of the Word, which prevents them from discerning spiritual truths. (Al)

 Application: ARE YOU "DULL OF HEARING"?

Ask yourself these questions:

o   Is the Bible dull?

o   Are the Bible classes dull?

o   Are the sermons dull?

o   Is anything that is spiritual in nature (like singing, praying) dull?

o   If so, then you have become "dull of hearing"!

What are the symptoms of Spiritual Infancy?

Not able to hear well               - to pay attention

Not able to see well                - to understand basic truth

Not able to eat well                 - to receive advanced teaching

Not able to choose well          - to tell right from wrong

Not able to remember well     - to retain gospel truths

Not able to work well              - to teach what they learned 

CONCLUSION

There are certainly other indicators of spiritual immaturity.

But in our present text we have focused our attention on the four presented here:

     1. Dullness of hearing

     2. The inability to teach others

     3. A diet of "milk"

     4. The inability to discern.

-- All of these should serve as "warning signs" that something is amiss in our lives as Christians, for they are truly "Marks of Spiritual Immaturity"

 PRAYER:  “Father  help us to spiritually mature and grow in the knowledge of the Lord. Help us to open our spiritual ears to hear and also teach others the Word of God. Help us to feed them with milk and meat so that they have the ability to discern what is good and evil.

Help us not to be dull of hearing and lost our focus in the Word.  Give us the grace to grow in the Lord Jesus Christ daily. Amen.”