In this series on obeying, we will be discussing many things that will be very difficult for some to hear, they may be very personnel to you, and you may decide not to continue reading either this series, or any other of my letters to you, that of course would be your choice. These letters that I am prompted to write by the Holy Spirit of God are meant to serve only three purposes that I have been shown so far; the first and foremost is to glorify God, to exalt His name above the heavens; the second is to encourage all who would read, but specifically my brothers and sisters in Christ; and the third is one I have absolutely no control whatsoever over, conviction, only the Spirit of God can draw a man closer to our Lord, and that conviction must rest in Christ our Lord.
With all that being said, let me start with these seemingly harsh but truthful words, when all the excuses are taken out of the vocabulary of our lives we are left only with our own faults, faults that we alone are accountable for. There is no one left to blame, words, actions, or deeds whether done for motives outside of the eternal or left undone for our own selfish reasons, have become our sole responsibility, and we alone will suffer the consequences of them, they are our own faults. Though I speak not to all, those of you who see within yourself the many topics related to this word ‘obey’ will soon recognize yourself as one who is not obeying, not being submissive to the word and will of God, and it is only thru His word that we will find the answers as to how we can correct these faults within us.
By His mercies and guidance then, let me ask this first question of you, why are you still in the milk of the word of righteousness, why are you still a weaker brother, what excuses have you prepared for God when He asks these questions to your face on that day. Open your Bible and look at Heb. 5:11-14 please, but read first verse 9, “and being made perfect, He (Christ) became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.” What Paul says immediately after this is “hard to be uttered” because, and rightfully so, he does not want anyone to be hurt by what he is about to say, but as the mature Christian understands “reproofs of instruction are the way of life,” (Proverbs 6:23) and so he goes on to say to them that they are dull of hearing.
My friends, many are not dull of hearing because of old age or the physical incapacity to hear, they have simply chosen not to obey what they hear, or in our case in this age, what they have read in the Scriptures. This choice is of and by their own free will, and the excuses abound as far as ones imagination, instances need not be given, if you are one of those this particular letter has been written to, you have the thoughts of several already, rationalize them within your mind, and accept them as truth.
But now envision yourself before the Throne of Christ and giving him these same rationalized excuses, do you not think that the One with whom “all things are naked and open” (Heb 4:13) will be able to see through each and everyone of these reasons that you have come to falsely believe. If you have been saved for any length of time and fall into this category, then verse 12 here in Heb. 5 is probably not one of your favorite verses. You should have been a teacher by now, but you still need one to teach you, and then even in the first principles of the oracles of God, the basics, the milk of the Word. Granted, perhaps you could teach the very small children in the Sunday School class, a noble and honorable service to our Lord, but can you still perform this task every Sunday morning and then afterward sit at the table with those who are contemplating the strong meat of the Word. Can you discuss and disclose with others the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), are you able to expound on the righteousness of our Lord, the Sovereignty of God, can you lead someone to Christ because of your diligent and tireless study of the Word of God, do you study to show yourself approved, do you know how to rightly divide the Worth of Truth, are you prepared at all times to give an account of your Faith to whomever asks of you. (Romans 14:12)
Mature believers in Christ seek out the Faithfull wounds of a friend (Proverbs 27:6), they do not hide behind an invisible cloak of ignorance, memorizing only a “life verse”, and perhaps three or four other key verses for when they are questioned. There is no ignorance on their part, these of their own free will have chosen simply not to obey the commandments of our Lord but have chosen instead the life of ease that Satan and the world offers them. For the Word of God “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12) and they can see quite clearly that their thoughts are not in obedience to the commandments of Scripture, and their intent is not to glorify God in their lives at any cost, but to shy away from the embarrassment and ridicule of others, and the possibility of any suffering for His name. It is sad to say, but many want to stay in the milk of the Word, it is safer there, and any possible conviction upon them by the Holy Spirit has long ago been covered by what they consider plausible reasons.
This word “obey” is going to be a very, very difficult topic for many people. Do not envision the word “babe” in verse 13 to mean a small child, or even one new to the Faith of Christ, for it is quite clear in verse 12 that Paul is speaking to adults. Small children have neither the capacity or possibility for Spiritual awareness that is required for one to be a teacher, he is speaking not to those either that have heard the Word and simply “brushed it off” as it were. These individuals have been taught enough of the Truths of the Word of God to be teachers but have chosen excuses instead. He would not have said to anyone “ye ought to be teachers” (vs 12) whom he did not think possessed all the knowledge necessary to be a teacher. They were not ashamed, they were not fearful or unlearned, they simply decided not to obey, they decided excuses were the best course of action, let someone else do it. The excuses will run dry, the rationalizations will be seen just for what they are, irrational, and the truth of the individual who decided to stay in the milk of the Word, no matter how long they have been saved or how long they attended Church services, will be seen for what it is, a lack of desire to serve, purposeful disobedience, a fault within themselves to obey. Please remember, we are not speaking of the lost here, nor of those who have falsely professed Christ as Savior and are only putting on a show for the world to see, we are speaking about individuals whose name is written in the Lambs Book of Life, believers who have not just stopped for a while on the path that our Lord has placed before them, but have actually set up camp there, content with excuses, but never satisfied with the answers for them even within themselves.
They know for a fact these are spiritual faults that reside within them, but the excuses are too powerful, to ingrained in them to face. There is perhaps more fear in facing these faults within themselves than there is in facing Christ who will finally expose them to them. Become the Christian of Heb. 5:14 my friends, it will hurt terribly as you peel back those excuses for what they really are, but our Lord understands, and truly wants you to see who you could be in Him, mature, profitable to His service, and willing to obey no matter the cost. You cannot do this, but Christ can do it through you, if you but ask it of Him.
