Title: Solid plants (Hebrews 5:11-14)
Contents
The human growth process is when a fetus eats nutrients supplied through the umbilical cord in the mother's womb, and when a newborn baby eats breast milk or milk. And as they grow up, they move on to baby food, and as they grow older, they eat rice and solid foods. When a baby is born, the whole family, including the parents, rejoices. I enjoy watching this little boy grow up. A child must grow up physically, mentally and spiritually in a balanced way. When a child does not grow up, parents are worried. The child is sick or something is wrong. As such, if you have not grown spiritually after believing in Jesus, you are like a spiritual infant or infant. Therefore, in order to become a spiritually normal child, faith must continue to grow. If you do not grow, you are ill. There is no joy in being sick. Prayer is blocked. You cannot taste the happiness of faith. Therefore, we must grow in our faith.
Humans and animals sometimes need to eat foods that are easy to eat, such as porridge. Then, of course, you should eat soft foods such as milk. The problem, however, is that we humans tend to prefer easy-to-eat foods over solid foods.
There are many people in the world who have children inside adults.
An easy-to-eat food, such as porridge, can sustain life. But life support is not the best. What kind of life it is is more important. However, if you continue to eat porridge, your body will become weak and sick. If you only eat porridge, your body will not be able to use its strength properly. In other words, it becomes a life that cannot function as a human being.
The same is true of spiritual life. Only by eating solid plants will the power of the soul be strengthened.
1. Faith to eat solid plants means mature faith
In today's text, it is said, "Solid food belongs to the mature."
A hard plant refers to a believer who can discern good and evil by undergoing refinement using perception. In a word, those who eat solid food are “those who experience the word of righteousness” (Hebrews 5:14). This means that they have experienced the word of God in their body, that is, they have faith in obedience. In John 4:34, Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to complete his work."
1) Those who use perception
This refers to spiritual perception. It is the knowledge of God. It refers to spiritual discernment. Mature Christians are people who follow God's will through deep communion with God through the sensitive perception of the Holy Spirit. In this world, you can never live a happy life with only human tricks and tricks. We must have spiritual perception and live through the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit. You must not interpret, judge, and use the Word of God as your heart leads you, and you must not lead a life of faith. May you remember that my ignorant heart is a sin, I bless you in the name of the Lord. You can become a mature believer when you obey the enlightening words of the Spirit of the Lord and live through the words that the Holy Spirit reminds you.
The key to spiritual maturity is enlightenment. “He who is in honor, but does not understand, is like the beast that perishes” (Psalm 49:20).
2) Those who have undergone refinement
Now is the time when plants are growing all over the world competing for each other. The plant of yesterday is not the plant of today. There are already many sprouts growing. You can feel that the soft new shoots are getting hardened little by little through the strong wind and sunlight in April. When it becomes hard, flowers can bloom and fruits can be produced. Above all, it must be hard enough to support the fruit.
Spiritual maturity doesn't just pass with time, and you don't become a mature person with time. This can only be achieved through nurturing and training.
America was originally a land of Indians. they are the owners. However, the number of Indians keeps decreasing and disappearing from American society. Why? This is because they receive various subsidies within the protected area and enjoy special privileges so that they can lead a prosperous life without doing any work. They may have abundance, but there is no self-reliance and no growth. So, in the end, they disappear from their own land, America. Iron rusts if not used, and water that does not flow loses its purity. In the same way, our indolence also causes us to lose the vitality of the mind.
In the book of Exodus, the Jews did not receive any favors and worked hard. But their descendants only prospered. They gave birth to children healthy enough that there was no need for a midwife.
1 Peter 4:13-14 “Rather, rejoice in your participation in the sufferings of Christ, that you may rejoice and rejoice in His glory. for the Spirit of God is upon you.”
The famous sculptor Michelangelo was slicing a large, expensive marble with a hammer and chisel. Then a passerby said, "Honey, why are you ruining that expensive marble?" But when Michelangelo said, "Ah! Sir, when the marble breaks like this, the sculpture comes to life." It is said that
All neurosis is what happens when you avoid legitimate pain. The part to be cut through pain is to be cut off, and the part to be cleaned must be organized. However, if you do not go through this process, you will suffer from neurosis.
3) One who distinguishes between good and evil
You need to know the difference between growing and gaining weight. Just because you gain weight doesn't mean you'll grow. Young children are not interested in their bodies. It is impossible to distinguish between good and evil. You are the center of the whole world. I cry when things don't go my way. If you don't like it, you'll get a bunch.
A mature person is one who distinguishes between good and evil, even when alone, as when someone is watching.
2. Feeding hard plants is the heart of the father and the heart of God.
We need to read the heart of a father who takes away a baby bottle and tries to feed him solid food, the heart of God. There should never be any misunderstandings here. One child said that the mother bit off the mother's nipples because her mother refused to breastfeed and kept trying to feed her. You misunderstood the mother's heart.
In today's text verse 12, the heart of the father, the heart of the Lord, and the heart of God are clearly revealed. "Since the time is long, you should be teachers. A teacher is someone who takes one step ahead and builds others up.
In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become saints who can understand the heart of the Father who wants to be a teacher who builds up others, builds the body of the Lord, and builds the kingdom of God in all nations.