The Letter to the Hebrews
The Danger of Dull Hearing
Hebrews 5:11-14
Let’s turn to Hebrews 10. If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring a Bible to you. Hebrews 10 is on page 1007 in the Bibles we are passing out.
This letter was written to believers who had started their Christian lives with passionate, joyful faith in Christ. You can see that in ch.10 vv.32-34 --
32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,
33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.
34 For you had compassion on those in prison [you took food to fellow-believers in prison, thus identifying yourself as a Christian, and so people could steal your stuff and the government would not care], and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
So they started with passionate, joyful faith in Christ. But as we read through this book we can see that for many of them, something terrible had happened.
Ch.2 shows some of them were drifting from the faith (v.1). Ch.3 shows some were no longer holding fast to their trust in God (v.6). Ch.3 also shows that some were starting to fall away from God (v.12). And ch.10 shows that some had stopped gathering with other believers (vv.24-25).
They had started with passionate, joyful faith in Christ -- but some of them were on the brink of falling away. So how did that happen? What brought about this change? And what can they do to get their passion back?
The author tells them in today’s passage – Hebrews 5:11-14. Let’s turn there -- and listen carefully for what the author says the problem is --
11 About this [Christ as our high priest according to the order of Melchizedek] 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.
So what was their problem? What had happened to them so they had moved from passionate, joyful faith in Christ to being on the brink of falling away?
Some think it’s that they had settled for the milk of the Word, but had not gone on to study more advanced doctrine – the solid food of the Word. Milk would be the truth of God’s existence, their sin, the Cross, salvation – but they had been content to just drink that milk. They had not grown into maturity by studying deeper doctrines like Jesus as a high priest, or God’s work of election, or the end times.
So some think their problem was lack of advanced doctrine – lack of solid food. Which would mean that if they would study these deeper truths they would mature, they would distinguish good from evil, and all would be well.
But as I looked closer at v.12, I saw that that could not be what the author is saying. Verse 12 doesn’t say they need to hear deeper doctrine -- they need to hear basic doctrine. They don’t need solid food – they need milk. Look again at v.12 --
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.
So what they need is not solid food. They need milk. They need to have someone teach them again the basic principles. So the problem isn’t that they have the basics and need more. The problem is that they don’t have the basics.
But why not? What happened so they lost the basics? What is their problem? What helped me understand this was to see what the author says in v.11 –
11 About this [Christ as our high priest] we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
There’s the problem. They had become dull of hearing. It’s not that they were hearing the basics and needed deeper doctrine. It’s that they weren’t even hearing the basics. It’s not that they had milk and needed solid food. It’s that they weren’t even drinking the milk. Their problem was that they had become dull of hearing.
So what does it mean to be dull of hearing? To answer that I want to show you the one other place in Hebrews the author uses the word “dull.”
Look at what the author says in ch.6 vv.11-12. The same Greek word is used here, although here it’s translated “sluggish.” Look at vv.11-12 --
11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,
12 so that you may not be sluggish [that’s the word], but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Notice that sluggishness is the opposite of earnestness. So to be sluggish or dull would mean to lack earnestness.
So with that in mind read ch.5 v.11 again –
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull [not being earnest] of hearing.
Notice. The problem isn’t that they had stopped hearing. They were hearing and reading God’s Word. The problem was that they were hearing and reading God’s Word without earnestness. What does that mean?
Imagine you were in an elevator at the top of a 100 story building – and suddenly the elevator started to free fall. Think of how you would feel. And then think of how you would feel when you saw an instruction manual hanging on a chain with the title – “How To Stop An Elevator If It Starts Falling.”
You would think -- I need to be saved – and this manual is going to save me! And as you opened it you would read with earnestness. Because everything depends on you getting what this manual is saying – life and death depends on these words! That’s hearing with earnestness.
But imagine if instead of being in a falling elevator, you are sitting in your living room. And someone hands you that same manual – “How To Stop An Elevator If It Starts Falling” – and they ask you to read it. So you read it – OK, Ok, Ok – that would be hearing without earnestness.
So what might this look like with the Bible? Let me use Hebrews 11:6 as an example. Go ahead and turn there. This verse lays out one of the basic principles of the oracles of God. So this verse is truth that you might think of as milk. So what would it look like to read this with dull hearing – with no earnestness?
It would look like this --
And without faith it is impossible to please him [OK, I know that], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists [I know God exists] and that he rewards those who seek him [yes, I’ve heard that before].
So it would go in one ear – bounce of a dull heart – and out the other. That’s hearing without earnest faith. That’s dull hearing. That’s what many in the Hebrews’ church were doing. That might be what some of us are doing.
So let’s try that again with earnestness --
And without faith it is impossible to please him.
Think of God with infinite power and majesty and holiness – and then think of not pleasing him. Oh, I want to please God. Nothing’s more important than pleasing God!
… for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists …
To please God I must believe that he exists – think of it, Fuller, there is a God who has created you and created everything and to whom one day you will give an account. He will either be pleased or displeased with me. Think about this – this is crucial!
… and that he rewards those who seek him.
Wow. The only reason he could reward someone like me is because of Jesus’ death -- so the Cross is the foundation. And this means that if I seek God, he will reward me. And all through the Bible the reward is more of Himself. So if I seek God, I will receive the heart-satisfying reward of knowing him more, seeing him more, worshiping him more. Fuller – this is what the entire universe is about – so seek him!
That’s reading and hearing with earnestness.
And what will happen when we read with earnestness?
First, we will want the deeper truths of God’s Word. Read the end of v.12 with v.13 –
12 … You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness.
You would think he would have said – you need solid food, not milk, because if you live on milk you will be unskilled in righteousness. But that’s not what he says. He says you need milk, not solid food, because if you live on milk you will be unskilled in righteousness.
The point is that we have to start with milk. If we start with earnest hearing of the milk of the Word, then we will want the solid food of the Word. So we won’t live only on milk anymore. But it starts with the milk.
We have to start every day earnestly hearing the milk – the basic truths of God’s Word: that God created me for the joy in knowing Him; I have sinned by turning my back on God and seeking my joy in other things; that God sent Jesus so I could be forgiven, changed, and satisfied; so I am going to trust Him and seek my joy in Him.
As we hear those basic truths with earnestness – the Holy Spirit will do something beautiful. He will give us a supernatural taste of God’s presence. We will see and sense God’s glory in Christ – and be overflowingly satisfied in Him.
And as a result we will want the deeper truths of God’s Word. So if understanding how Melchizedek pictures Jesus will show me more of God’s glory in Christ so I can have even more of that joy – I will want it.
That’s why the author says we need milk, not solid food. When we start with the milk – the basic truth of trusting Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and Treasure – the Holy Spirit will give us such a taste of His glory that we will want to dig into the solid food so we can behold even more of His glory.
Imagine a book whose first chapter is how to gain $10,000 in 2 minutes. That’s like milk. And you read it with earnestness and sure enough – cha-ching -- $10,000. Then you notice that chapter two is ten times as long – but is titled – how to win $10 million dollars in one hour. That’s like meat. Because you read the first chapter with earnestness and experienced what it promised – you are going to want to read that much longer chapter.
That’s how it works -- when we read the milk of God’s Word with earnestness we will receive so much that we will want the solid food of the rest of God’s Word.
Second, we will be able to distinguish good from evil. That’s in v.14 --
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.
So when we read the milk of God’s Word with earnestness we will taste the joy of God’s presence – and that taste will help us make hundreds of decisions that are not clearly spelled out in God’s Word.
For example –
- You will be able to discern when a TV show is turning your heart from Christ.
- You will be able to discern when a conversation is moving into gossip.
- You will be able to discern when you love money more than Jesus.
- You will be able to discern when you are seeking your joy in drinking too much.
You will be able to distinguish good from evil.
But that won’t happen if we are dull of hearing. So let’s ask -- how could we tell if we have become dull of hearing? How could we tell if we had stop hearing God’s Word with earnestness? Here’s some clues –
We are dull of hearing if --
Reading God’s Word is something we want to get out of the way so we can move on to what we really enjoy.
By Sunday afternoon we’ve already forgotten what the sermon was about.
We are bored reading through passages we’ve studied before.
We are more excited talking about Kaepernick’s passing rating than talking God’s promises.
It’s been a long time since reading God’s Word has convicted us of sin -- filled us with joy – or made us weep.
So what can we do?
First of all, listen to this message earnestly. As we will see next week, dull hearing is serious spiritually. Eternally serious. So hear this message earnestly.
Second, as you prepare to read God’s Word this week, ask him for help. Ask him to motivate you. To give you earnestness. To incline your heart to his word.
And third, read slowly and thoughtfully. Don’t rush. Give it time. Intersperse our reading with prayer for God’s help.
As you do that – God will meet you. He will stir your heart. He will satisfy your soul. He will show you his glory. You will want the solid food. You will be able to discern good and evil. And you will become strong and mature. He promises.