The writer of Hebrews tells his readers, “Get off the bottle.” What is the bottle? And what does this passage have to teach us? Pastor Jason closes out 2023 with a message from Hebrews 5:11-14.
Enjoy this message? Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is serving as the Senior Pastor. Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Send The Dirt Path Pastor a message. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thedirtpathpastor
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The writer of Hebrews tells his readers, “Get off the bottle.” What is the bottle? And what does this passage have to teach us? Pastor Jason closes out 2023 with a message from Hebrews 5:11-14.
Enjoy this message? Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is serving as the Senior Pastor. Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason? Send The Dirt Path Pastor a message. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thedirtpathpastor
Help spread the gospel through this podcast by subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing this episode.
George B. McClellan was a brilliant man. He graduated second in his class at West Point, not an easy task. When the American Civil War broke out, McClellan would be named General of the Amry of the Potomac by President Lincoln. He would gather an impressive force and have it well organized. Unfortunately, that is all McClellan would do with it.
When it came time to fight, McClellan would make every excuse for not facing the enemy. McClellan’s tactics would baffle the Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, and frustrate President Lincoln. At one point, Lincoln got so annoyed with McClellan’s failure to act that the President sent a telegram that read, “If General McClellan does not want to use the Army, I would like to borrow it for a time, provided I could see how it could be made to do something.” Lincoln would go on to fire McClellan.
Coming to faith in Jesus is the first step in the life God has for us. It is like we finally realize there is a race and now find ourselves at the starting line. But what would happen if that starter pistol was fired then everyone else took off and we just stood there? We would kind of be like McClellan with the Army of the Potomac.
The writer of Hebrews is going to address this issue with Christians in our text today.
Hebrews 5:11-14(CSB)
We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
This is the Word of God.
For the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
The writer begins this section by stating, “We have more to say, but it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand.” Wow, hard words. This is both an indictment and a challenge to the readers. It is an indictment because no one likes to be called lazy, but the writer would not have claimed if it were not true. But their laziness does not stop the writer from proceeding forward. The challenge is for the reader to press onward in reading and understanding.
Those reading this letter are Christians who have already heard the preaching. They had become lethargic in their understanding. This is a symptom of indifference or not paying attention. Most likely it is not because they lacked intelligence, but the desire to learn more. As Hebrews, they had come to faith in Jesus, but they were still holding onto the practices of their Jewish heritage.
No one starts lethargic in faith. The Hebrews would have found the faith exciting in the beginning. Somewhere along the journey, they had grown tired, which led to sluggishness. Faith is a journey that begins with being changed, but then it leads down a path of changing still. Weary of the process, the Hebrews made it more difficult for themselves by trying to drag old methods that could have been abandoned. They had a new faith in Jesus which guarantees freedom in Him and power in the Holy Spirit, but they were denying themselves the use of that power.
In verse 13, the writer goes on, “Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.” The moment they placed faith in Jesus, the Hebrews were born again. Though they were sinners, the Hebrews recognized that Jesus took their punishment. That is everything in the Christian faith, but notice that moment and focus get the Hebrews labeled as “inexperienced” and “infants.” Infants, new believers, need this milk. But at some point, infants grow up and need meat, fruit, and vegetables. At first, those foods are mushed up so a child can eat and digest them, but that is only a stage. Justification is everything, but that moment and knowledge was only the beginning for the Hebrew Christians. Their spiritual appetites should be craving more, but they were not.
Verse 14 says, “But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.” The writer used the word “trained” which is the same word connected to athletes preparing for the Olympic games. They do not just wake up and compete in running, wrestling, and whatever other activity. There was a process to get ready for that moment.
The Hebrew Christians are being challenged to get off the bottle, although not because it was wrong. It is the truth that is everything. But it is the truth that leads to so much more. They are to grow by paying attention to what was taught, reading the scriptures, praying, and obeying what was revealed. It took a whole lifetime to learn broken patterns for living in a broken world. Now they must grow into new patterns as citizens of the Kingdom that has come and is to come.
Before I get into the application of this, I want to say it is okay to be new to the faith. It is okay to be a born-again infant. Faith in Jesus and understanding His blood has washed your sins away is everything. There is no spiritual growth without this foundational knowledge and crisis moment.
While it is okay to be a born-again infant, it is not okay to stay one forever. There is so much, no one can understand it all and conform to every part all at once. Like children, no one grows the same way at the same speed. However, if Jesus has changed you, you should be changing still.
Salvation in Jesus is everything, but that step of faith is only entering into the doorway of heaven and all it has to offer us. Jesus died to bridge the gap between us and God, but why was the bridge necessary? So, God could dwell with us. How? Through His Holy Spirit dwelling in us. If the Holy Spirit dwells in us, what does that mean? God is there with us to help us make holy decisions leading to broken patterns in us God wants to make unbroken. All those things I just mentioned are things we uncover as we journey with God. Each discovery leads to our surrender and obedience. We come to them through prayer, listening to teaching, and reading the Bible.
What hinders us is not getting off the bottle. Our spiritual stomachs grumble for something more, but we do not know what those new things will taste like so we cling to the bottle. God wants us to storm the gates of Hell, but we do not want to go because we do not want to leave where it is safe. What we fail to realize is that the full effort of the fullness of God would go with us, also with the full effort of all of heaven. There are wonderful new patterns God wants to show us and instill in us, but we are too busy clinging to old patterns (even sinful ones) we have named and dressed in a cute Christmas sweater.
You and I can be filled with the Holy Spirit. We cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit without faith in Jesus first, but Jesus will lead us to the Holy Spirit. When we become lethargic, we can be renewed by the Holy Spirit. In moments when anxiety and fear seek to suck us into them like quicksand, the Holy Spirit can give us the courage and determination to press onward. The Holy Spirit can give us hearts and minds that hunger and thirst for righteousness, a holy curiosity to seek more. With the Holy Spirit we can be changed and ever-changing still.
Let us get off the bottle. God has given us everything through our faith in Jesus, so let us be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can begin to understand what He means.