|
WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 3
14 June 2009
From Milk to Meat
(A Sermon Preached by Dr
Jeffrey Khoo at the Sunset Gospel Hour, Calvary Pandan BPC, February 1,
2009)
Text
“Called of God an high priest
after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard
to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought
to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first
principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk,
and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the
word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them
that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of
the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the
doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.”
(Heb 5:10-6:3).
Context
The Epistle to the Hebrews was
written to Christian Jews in the first century, probably before AD 70, who
were tempted to go back to the old Judaism. These Jewish believers were
about to deny the New Testament Faith and reject the Lord Jesus Christ as
their Saviour. The writer of this Epistle was trying to stop them from
backsliding or even apostatising by proving to them powerfully from the Old
Testament Scripture that Jesus was truly their promised Messiah—their
Prophet, Priest and King—who had come to save them from their sins, and how
the New Covenant is a better Covenant based upon better promises. The Old
Covenant was good, but the New is better.
In the first few chapters,
chapters 1-4, the writer argued very strongly from the Old Testament itself
how the Lord Jesus Christ was the Prophet of prophets, the special, unique
Prophet as foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. Jesus was not just a
prophet-servant, He was the Prophet-Son, Prophet-Supreme, superior to all
the other Old Testament prophets who came before Him: “And Moses verily
was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things
which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose
house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope
firm unto the end.” (Heb 3:5-6).
In chapters 5-6, the writer
proceeded to present the Lord Jesus Christ as the Priest of priests, not
like Aaron who had a temporary and passing priesthood, but a special
priesthood which was after the order of Melchizedek, an everlasting and
never-ending priesthood. Aaron, though a high priest, was but a
priest-servant. Jesus, on the other hand, was the one and only Priest-Son,
and Priest-King. “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high
priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten
thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after
the order of Melchisedec.” (Heb 5:5-6).
Laziness
The writer wanted to go on
expounding the great truths of the marvellous Melchizedekian priesthood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, but found himself totally frustrated by the Jewish
believers who were still so babyish in their knowledge of God’s Word and
Truth. Their biblical foundation was still so shallow and so weak that it
could only support an atap hut and not a skyscraper. He could go no further
about Melchizedek because they were “dull of hearing” (Heb 5:11). The
word “dull” comes from the word nothroi which speaks of laziness.
They were slow to understand the deep truths of the Christian Faith because
they were just too lazy to study God’s Word for themselves. This was also
what the Lord said of the Emmaus disciples, “O fools, and slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have
suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). And
He had to start from square one just to teach them what the Old Testament
Scripture had already said concerning Himself: “And beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the
things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27).
Was the author unreasonable to
rebuke his Jewish readers for their dullness, slowness and laziness? No, not
at all. Verse 12 says, “For when for a time ye ought to be teachers, ye
have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the
oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong
meat” (v.12). The Epistle to the Hebrews was written in about AD 70. The
Lord Jesus Christ completed His redemptive mission in AD 30. Shortly after
that, the Jewish Church was founded through the evangelistic preaching of
the Apostles at Pentecost by the power of the Holy Spirit. Forty years had
already passed since they became Christians. By this time, they should
already be teachers. But here they were, 40 year-old Christians but still
thinking and behaving like a one-year old, still babies in the faith. There
was hardly any growth in their spiritual knowledge and faith. This was
tragic!
First Principles
How long have you been a
Christian? Are you still like an infant in your knowledge of the Holy
Scriptures and the fundamentals of the Christian Faith? Do you know the
“first principles?” “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of
Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God” (Heb 6:1).
What are these “first
principles”? They are listed in Chapter 6:1, namely, (1) Christology: the
doctrine of Christ; (2) Soteriology: repentance from dead works, faith
toward God; (3) Ecclesiology: doctrine of baptisms, laying of hand; (4)
Eschatology: resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. These are the
basic doctrines of the Christian Faith; foundational material for new
converts. The Jewish believers ought to have already known such basics well,
but sadly they were still infants insofar as the first principles were
concerned (Heb 5:13). They were still not capable of receiving the meat of
God’s Word. They have not gone past “Theology 101.” Like babies, they were
still unable to discern right from wrong, true from false, good from evil
(Heb 5:14).
By way of application, is the
Church today any different? It is disturbing to note that there are pastors,
elders, deacons, leaders in the Church today who are still babies in the
faith, and not able to discern right from wrong, true from false, good from
evil. Some may not even be born again; they are wolves in sheep’s
clothing—false Christs and false prophets. For example, in 1924, 1,274
ministers of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA)
denied these five fundamentals of the Christian Faith: The (1) Inerrancy of
Scripture, (2) Virgin Birth of Christ, (3) Miracles of Christ, (4)
Substitionary Atonement of Christ, and (5) Resurrection of Christ. They
insist that these were only “theories” and should not be made dogma and a
test of orthodoxy.
Born Again?
In the first century, there were
certain members of the Jewish Church who wanted to deny the Faith. Please
understand that the author of Hebrews was addressing a mixed multitude. All
these Jews to whom he was writing called themselves “Christian” but quite
possibly some of them might only be Christians in name, not truly
regenerated or born again. It should be pointed out that if a person is born
again, a babe in Christ, he will be thirsting for God’s Word just as the
Apostle Peter had said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet 2:2). But when there is no
evidence of thirst for God’s Word and growth in the faith, then the only
conclusion must be there was no rebirth in the first place, no life, and
therefore no growth. There was no faith, and that was why some after joining
the Church for a season, not truly a citizen of heaven, eventually fall
away, despise the faith and deny the Lord.
I believe the Book of Hebrews was
written by the Apostle Paul himself. There are many things in it that are
“hard to be understood” (2 Pet 3: 16). The Apostle Peter himself said of
the writings of Paul. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is
salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom
given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking
in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Pet 3:15-16). There are those
who study the Scriptures not unto their own conversion or edification but
unto their own condemnation and destruction.
Are you born again? Make sure
dear friends you are truly born again. You know you are born again if you
are thirsty and hungry for God’s Word. You know you are born again if you
are able to understand God’s Word, for spiritual things are spiritually
discerned, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). You are born again if you
see spiritual growth in your life, you see yourself changing day by day,
week by week, month by month, year by year to become more and more like
Christ.
Don’t Backslide
Even if we are truly born again,
the Apostle Peter warned that there is a real danger of backsliding from the
Lord if we are not careful, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” (2 Pet 3:17). Never be
contented with what you already know, keep on knowing the Lord more and more
through a deeper and deeper study and meditation of His forever infallible
and inerrant words in the Holy Scriptures. You know you are learning and
growing in the knowledge and wisdom of God when you realise that the more
you know about the Lord and His Word, the more you find that you do not
know; the more you know, the more you see that there is so much more to know
about Him and His Word. Our God is so big and His Word so deep.
The author in Chapter 6:1
exhorted the readers “let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” The
words “go on” (pherometha) tell us to be submissive to the Holy
Spirit who will move us along the spiritual road towards “perfection” (teleioteta)
or spiritual maturity. The same Greek word concerning the Spirit’s ministry
is used in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved (pheromenoi) by
the Holy Ghost.” In the same way the Holy Spirit had in the past
infallibly guided and directed the Prophets and Apostles to pen the inspired
Scriptures, the Holy Spirit at present infallibly teaches and guides the
saints to recognise and understand the inspired Scriptures which He has
infallibly preserved. If that is the case, then let us not grieve the Holy
Spirit by putting hindrances in the way. By allowing the Holy Spirit
Christ’s priesthood to do His work in our
lives, moving us along according to His Word, we will reach that expected
level of spiritual maturity within a reasonable time.
So let us “grow in grace, and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both
now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Pet 3:18).
To do this, we need to
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim
2:15).
Top
/ Back
|
