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· 1 view"Spiritual Laziness debilitates the Body of Christ."
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MIS: "Spiritual Laziness debilitates the Body of Christ."
Introduction
Introduction
When I was a kid I dreamed of being an Astronaut. To be honest I still flirt with the idea.
There is something about being in zero gravity that kind of feels like flying.
But not everything is fun and games in space.
In the absence of gravity, your body quickly debilitates and you lose muscle strength.
Bone density drops by 1% per month. For comparison, an elderly person’s bone density drops 1% - 1.5% per year.
Because there is no gravity pulling your body, your heart doesn’t have to work so hard which may cause your heart decreasing in size.
One astronaut said that upon returning to earth, wearing his watch felt like carrying a brick!
⚠️ “Interesting to think that all these effects are simply the result of freeing your body from the need to work.”
⬇️😐 “Sadly, these results can also happen in our spiritual lives.”
“In fact, it was already happening to the churches to whom the author of Hebrews is writing to...
Hebrews 5:11–6:1 (ESV)
11 About this we have much to say, and it is 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 basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity […]
This morning I want us to look at a case of Spiritual Laziness.
And as we study our passage, I want us to answer three (3) questions about spiritual laziness.
What is spiritual laziness.
Why is spiritual laziness debilitating to the Body (the church)?
How can we overcome spiritual laziness?
1. What is Spiritual Laziness?
1. What is Spiritual Laziness?
The book of Hebrews is a dense book.
Its purpose is to warn Hebrews Christians from falling back to Judaism by demonstrating the Supremacy of Christ over all the previous oracles of God (Angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron’s Priesthood, etc.).
You can argue the Hebrews is to the New Testament what Isaiah is to the Old Testament: A bridge between Testaments.
Hebrews 5:11 begins a new division in the book. The author of Hebrews opens up saying...
Hebrews 5:11 (ESV)
11 About this we have much to say...
What is “this” that the author is referring to?
If you look at the previous verses, we see the author of Hebrews was about to put “his big boys theological pants” on to talk about Melchizedek and stuff...
All the sudden, the author has a “moment of frustration” with this audience.
“He says...”
Hebrews 5:11 (ESV)
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
😬 The author doesn’t doubt his competency to explain the subject of Melchizedek, he doubts his readers’ competency to understand the subject.
In his own words, they have become “dull of hearing”.
In the original, the word really means “sluggish” and talks bout laziness.
The perfect tense “you have become” indicates they were not always like this.
There was a time in the past when his audience were “sharp listeners”.
⚠️ The question you and I need to ask is this: How does a “sharp listener” become “dull of hearing”?
I think the picture of a knife helps us in answering this question.
When you buy a knife from the store, they always come out sharpened. At first, they work wonderfully, but the more you use them, the less sharpened they become.
Sooner of later, the knife becomes dull. Not because of poor quality, but because the owner neglects to sharp the blade regularly.
“To answer the above questions...”
We become dull of hearing when we neglect to regularly sharpen our spiritual senses.
“In other words...”
🔥 “Spiritual laziness is a passive neglect of our spiritual faculties.”
Earnest prayers become redundant prayers.
Rigorous study of God’s Word become seldom inquires on a Christian blog.
Intentional gathering with the Body of Christ becomes customary hangout with Christians.
⚠️ “The real dangerous of Spiritual Laziness is not that you actively embrace it, but that you passively accept it.
It doesn’t come as a result of something bad you do.
But as a result of something good you stop doing.⏸
2. Why is Spiritual Laziness Debilitating to the Body?
2. Why is Spiritual Laziness Debilitating to the Body?
…and by body I mean the Body of Christ.
Spiritual Laziness is not only a personal condition. There is a sense in which the whole body is affected by a member’s condition.
Here is how Paul tells it to the Corinthian church...
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
The condition of one member has a ripple effect on the whole body.
Where do we see that in our text? Read it again with me...
Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.
A Fruit We Don’t See
A Fruit We Don’t See
Every church ought to be a fruitful church. Consequently, every christian ought to be a fruitful christian.
❌ This doesn’t mean every believer should be a teacher - That is not what the author of Hebrews is trying to get at.
✅ But it does mean that every believer should be able to explain the truths of the Gospel and to make disciples.
It seems that these christians to whom the author is writing were on the road to barrenness.
☹️”Their fruits were long overdue.”
A Weight We Cannot Carry
A Weight We Cannot Carry
Their immaturity was hurting the body of Christ. How?
Not only were they depriving the church of mature christians who were able to teach and make disciples.
They were also occupying the few teachers the church had available!
Moreover, the writer of Hebrews also compares their spiritual lazy christians to the likes of a baby.
Hebrews 5:12–13 (ESV)
12 […] You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
⛔️Please don’t get me wrong! Spiritual babies are a blessing to any church! Its is a joy to see new christian learn the ABC of the Christian faith.
⚠️ But if you are 14 years old and acts like a baby, then we have a problem.
When I was a kid, I used to pretend I fell asleep in the car so that my dad would pick me up and carry me home. I remember one time late at night that I when we got home my dad woke me up and told me:
Son, I need you to wake up...
You are too old now and I cannot carry you anymore. You are hurting my back.
In essence, the author is telling these Christians...
🔥🐢 “You are too old and the church cannot carry you anymore. You are hurting the church.”
A Question We Must Ask
A Question We Must Ask
⏸ These verses should prompt us to ask a question...
Where in our Christian life, have we become too comfortable?
Have we limited our service only to the things listed in our job description?
Have we relinquish our gospel witness to simply inviting people to church?
⏸️ 💣 Can we, with all honesty, say that if we remove the scaffolds of The Summit Church and the Summit Institute from our lives, that our spiritual lives will not crumble and fall?
⏸️ Are we exhausting the resources of the body of Christ, when we should, in fact, be replenishing them?
⚠️Please don’t get me wrong, if you ever need help, that’s what the body of Christ is here for!
The church will never, and should never turn away a sheep in need!
⏸️ 💣But there is a difference between a sheep in need ⏸️ and a needy sheep.
“That’s what the author of Hebrews want to get at…”
3. How Can We Overcome Spiritual Laziness?
3. How Can We Overcome Spiritual Laziness?
Spiritual Laziness is a dangerous condition, but it is not an irreversible condition.
In fact, the whole purpose of this section is to encourage his audience to overcome this “dullness of hearing”.
The author of Hebrews just shared some harsh true with his audience.
He called them “slothful” people.
He compared them to “immature, ever-depending babies.”
But he doesn’t leave them there. He shows them who they can (and need) to become in Christ.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Understand What You Need To Do...
Understand What You Need To Do...
How does the author of Hebrews describe mature christians?
They are capable of digesting solid food. In other words, they are capable of wrestling with Scriptures (Ex. The book of Hebrews).
Their spiritual faculties (“power of discernment”) are trained. They are capable of distinguishing between good and evil, thus living a moral life which is pleasing to God.
They are more secure. Infant christian are vulnerable to apostasy (that is the argument of Heb 6:1-8). Mature christians cannot easily be persuaded to renounce (deconstruct) their faith.
⚠️ “Spiritual lazy Christians will never achieve maturity because they lack the one thing they need: Diligence.”
Diligence overcomes difficulties, sloth makes them.
Benjamin Franklin
“Look again how the author of Hebrews puts it.”
Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
...And Just Do It!
...And Just Do It!
Therefore… (v1 - Heb 6:1) let us pray for diligent hearts...
Is this what the author is commanding us? ⬆️ NO!
He says...
Hebrews 6:1a (ESV)
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity […]
⬆️ Wake up from your slumber.
Get out of your spiritual couch...
Do what God is asking you to do!
🔥🐢 And stop trying to gaslight God for your spiritual laziness!
“⏸️ 😄 I’m sorry if I am coming off a bit too aggressive, but I am actually preaching to myself here...”
“You see, for the longest time I used to think that, if I don’t feel like ____________, it was due to the absent of Holy Spirit working in me.”
Praying
Or sharing the Gospel
Or reading my Bible
Subconsciously, I blamed the God for my spiritual laziness because Scripture says...
Philippians 2:13 (ESV)
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Therefore, if I lacked will and discipline, it was due to God taking a day off.
⏸️💡 “Until recently, when I read this verse in context...”
Philippians 2:12–13 (NLT)
12 […] Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For (because) God is working in you, (already) giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Verse 13 is not an invitation to wait on Jesus.
But a command to act upon what Jesus has already done for me!
💣 “There are many fruits of the Spirit, diligence is not one of them.”
⏸️ Nonetheless, diligence is rooted in the work of Christ.
Diligence is simply my response to what Christ has already done for me.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I know we said a lot so let me recap what we have talked about.
What is spiritual laziness? It is a passive neglect of our spiritual faculties.
Why is spiritual laziness debilitating to the Body (the church)? Because it deprives the church from much-needed mature christians.
How can we overcome spiritual laziness? Look at the finish work of Christ, and just do it!
“Let’s pray...”