the basic message #E207
10/28/03
Hebrews 8:11
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
What did the writer of Hebrews mean when he wrote these words? I believe it means simply, "Be your own pastor". That might strike many of you in a strange way, but before you reject my theory, hear me out. Prior to the coming of Jesus, religion was big business. Only a select few could even approach God. I've been told that the priest making atonement for the people had to acknowledge and atone for all of his personal sins before entering the temple. I'm also told that his was a very dangerous job, since any unresolved sin in his life would result in God killing him for entering into the temple "unclean". I heard a preacher once say that it was common to tie a rope around the ankle of the priest prior to his entering the temple- that way if God killed him they could pull his body from the temple. Serious? You bet. Some folks seem to think that God changed after coming to the earth in the form of a man, but I tend to think God hasn't changed one iota, rather he has simply given us yet another break in the form of Jesus Christ.
In the passage above we hear that believers won't have to teach each other about the Lord. Has that admonition come true? I think not, since the vast majority of the Christian church still seems to need someone to teach them. Let me be clear that I'm not saying that Pastors and Teachers aren't valuable to the faith community, but let me be just as clear in stating that a mature believer shouldn't need a pastor or teacher. How can I say this? It's really pretty simple- after you're involved in any activity for 10,20,30- even 50 years or more, you should be proficient at that task, yet every week senior citizen Christians flock to the church to hear what Pastor has to say. Hebrews spoke about this as well.
Hebrews 5:11-14
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
So what's the problem in the mainstream Christian church today? I think it's clear that we have a large population of milk-suckers rather than people who have the tenacity to handle solid food. Why chew when all you have to do is swallow milk? Why indeed. I have a mental picture of millions going to the "pearly gates" after their death to hear God say, "What do you know about me and my Heaven?" Make no mistake, the path to salvation is narrow, and few find it. Take some of your precious time from the golf course or from watching NFL football and give God a few minutes. How do you think God feels when we spend countless hours on things that have no ultimate value yet fail to spend any time with him? The time is slipping away quickly, so as the commercials say, "Act now!"