Engaging the Heart: The Path to Spiritual Maturity
Summary
Spiritual maturity is not a matter of intellectual ability, but of the heart’s willingness to engage deeply with God and His Word. The passage in Hebrews interrupts a theological argument about Jesus as our high priest to address a pressing concern: the spiritual immaturity of the audience. The root cause of this immaturity is not a lack of intelligence, but a laziness—a dullness of hearing—that leads to a failure to put foundational truths into practice. Just as a foundation is meant to be built upon, not left exposed to the elements, so too are the basics of the faith meant to be lived out and developed, not merely known and forgotten.
This spiritual laziness has significant consequences. Personally, it leads to a lack of spiritual skill and discernment. When we are content to remain consumers—always needing to be taught the basics again—we become unskilled in the word of righteousness and unable to discern rightly. This not only stunts our own growth, but also limits our ability to bless others. We are called to be contributors, able to explain and model the faith to those around us, whether in our families, workplaces, or church community.
The modern world, with its endless distractions and the “Google Effect” on learning, tempts us to settle for shallow engagement. We may know where to find information, but we do not internalize or live it. The call is not to abandon technology, but to resist the drift toward spiritual passivity. Instead, we are to pursue maturity by practicing what we know, letting our love for Christ drive us to obedience and deeper understanding.
Spiritual maturity is not reserved for pastors or leaders; it is the expectation for every believer. Growth comes not from accumulating knowledge, but from loving Christ supremely and allowing Him to transform our daily lives. This is a God-empowered responsibility: we work out our salvation, but it is God who works in us. The true measure of growth is not how much we know, but where our affections lie. When our love for Christ is vibrant, discernment and obedience follow, and the things of this world lose their grip on our hearts.
Key Takeaways
- Spiritual immaturity is rooted in laziness, not a lack of intelligence. The real danger is becoming “dull of hearing”—unwilling to reflect deeply or put truth into practice. This lethargy leads to regression, where even foundational truths must be relearned, much like a foundation left exposed and neglected. [09:16]
- Knowing the Bible is not the same as knowing God, but you cannot truly know God without knowing His Word. Deep engagement with Scripture is essential, not just for information, but for transformation. The mind is a vital part of loving God, and neglecting it leads to shallow worship and weak obedience. [13:37]
- The effects of spiritual immaturity are both personal and communal. Personally, it results in a lack of spiritual skill and discernment, making us vulnerable to poor decisions and spiritual drift. Communally, it prevents us from teaching and encouraging others, reducing us to perpetual consumers rather than contributors in the body of Christ. [21:44]
- Spiritual maturity is not measured by intellectual achievement or the ability to recite theological facts. It is evidenced by a growing love for Christ that results in joyful obedience and discernment. One can master doctrinal concepts and still be spiritually immature if love for Christ is absent; true maturity is always relational and transformative. [35:50]
- Growth in spiritual maturity is both our responsibility and God’s work in us. We are called to move beyond the basics, practicing what we know and relying on God’s power to change us. The true test of growth is not knowledge, but affection—do we love Christ more deeply, and is that love shaping our daily lives and decisions? [40:32]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[03:25] - Opening Prayer and Introduction
[05:00] - The Cause of Spiritual Immaturity
[09:16] - The Foundation Metaphor: Building on Basics
[13:37] - Laziness vs. Intellectual Ability
[14:54] - The Impact of Distraction and Technology
[18:21] - The Effects: Lack of Skill and Discernment
[21:44] - The Communal Impact: Teaching and Contribution
[24:39] - The “Google Effect” and Shallow Learning
[26:01] - Essentials Every Christian Should Know
[29:13] - Key Doctrines and Their Importance
[31:47] - Recommended Resources for Growth
[34:35] - The Expectation: Moving Toward Maturity
[35:50] - Maturity: Not Just Knowledge, But Love
[40:32] - Measuring Spiritual Growth and Final Challenge
Study Guide
Small Group Bible Study Guide: Spiritual Maturity – Moving Beyond the Basics
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### Bible Reading
Hebrews 5:11–6:3
(Primary text for the sermon; see [03:25] and throughout transcript)
Matthew 22:36–37
(Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind”; see [13:37])
Philippians 2:12–13
(“Work out your own salvation… for it is God who works in you”; see [39:45])
---
### Observation Questions
1. In Hebrews 5:11–6:3, what does the author say is the reason he cannot go deeper into teaching about Jesus as high priest? ([03:25])
2. According to Hebrews 5:12–14, what are the differences between those who need “milk” and those who can handle “solid food”?
3. In Matthew 22:36–37, what does Jesus say is the greatest commandment, and what does it include? ([13:37])
4. According to Philippians 2:12–13, what is the relationship between our responsibility and God’s work in our spiritual growth? ([39:45])
---
### Interpretation Questions
1. The author of Hebrews says the audience has become “dull of hearing.” What does this phrase mean in the context of spiritual growth, and how does it relate to laziness rather than intelligence? ([09:16])
2. Why does the author use the metaphor of a foundation in Hebrews 6:1–3, and what does it teach about the purpose of basic Christian truths? ([09:16])
3. How does the “Google Effect” or reliance on technology, as described in the sermon, impact our ability to internalize and live out biblical truth? ([24:39])
4. According to the sermon, why is spiritual maturity not just about knowing facts or doctrine, but about love for Christ and obedience? ([35:50])
---
### Application Questions
1. The sermon says spiritual immaturity is rooted in laziness, not a lack of intelligence. Are there areas in your spiritual life where you have become “dull of hearing” or lazy? What is one step you could take this week to engage more deeply with God’s Word? ([09:16])
2. The “foundation” metaphor warns against leaving basic truths unused. Is there a foundational truth of the Christian faith you know but have not been living out? What would it look like to build on that foundation in your daily life? ([09:16])
3. The sermon challenges us not to be just consumers but contributors in the body of Christ. Can you think of a time when your spiritual immaturity affected your ability to encourage or teach someone else? How could you begin to change that? ([21:44])
4. The “Google Effect” means we often know where to find information but don’t internalize it. Are there spiritual truths you tend to “look up” rather than memorize or meditate on? What is one truth you want to internalize this month? ([24:39])
5. The sermon says spiritual maturity is measured by our affections—our love for Christ—not just our knowledge. How would you honestly describe your current love for Christ? What is one practical way you could nurture that love this week? ([40:32])
6. Hebrews 5:14 says maturity comes by “constant practice.” What is one area of obedience or discernment you want to practice more intentionally? How can the group support you in this?
7. Philippians 2:12–13 reminds us that growth is both our responsibility and God’s work. Are you more likely to rely on your own effort or to wait passively for God to change you? How can you better balance working out your faith and depending on God’s power? ([39:45])
---
Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Ask God to give each person a deeper love for Christ, a hunger for His Word, and the courage to put truth into practice this week.
Devotional
Day 1: Spiritual Immaturity Is Caused by Laziness, Not Lack of Intelligence
Spiritual immaturity is not the result of a lack of intellectual ability, but rather a consequence of spiritual laziness—a reluctance to engage deeply with God’s Word and put it into practice. The original audience was rebuked for being “dull of hearing,” meaning they had become sluggish and lethargic in their spiritual walk, preferring distraction and comfort over the hard work of reflection and obedience. Just as a foundation is meant to be built upon and not left exposed to the elements, so too are the basics of faith meant to be lived out and developed, not simply known and forgotten. When we neglect to grow, we risk regressing and losing even the foundational truths we once held. [09:16]
Hebrews 5:11-12 (ESV)
"About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 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."
Reflection: In what area of your spiritual life have you been content to remain passive or distracted, rather than actively seeking to grow and apply what you know?
Day 2: The Effects of Spiritual Immaturity—Lack of Discernment and Spiritual Skill
Spiritual immaturity leads to a lack of skill in handling God’s Word and an inability to discern right from wrong. When we remain on “milk” and do not move on to “solid food,” we become unskilled in the word of righteousness and our powers of discernment are dulled. This not only affects our own spiritual health but also leaves us vulnerable to poor decisions and spiritual confusion, as we are unable to distinguish what is truly good from what is evil. The mature, by contrast, have trained their discernment through constant practice, enabling them to navigate life’s complexities with wisdom rooted in God’s truth. [18:21]
Hebrews 5:13-14 (ESV)
"For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."
Reflection: Where in your life do you need to practice discernment, and how can you intentionally train yourself to recognize and choose what is good according to God’s Word?
Day 3: Spiritual Maturity Is Expected of All Believers
The call to spiritual maturity is not reserved for church leaders or a select few, but is the expectation for every follower of Christ. The author urges all believers to move beyond the elementary teachings and press on to maturity, emphasizing that growth is both possible and necessary for everyone in the faith. This journey is not about intellectual achievement, but about a deepening relationship with Christ that transforms our lives and enables us to teach and encourage others. Spiritual maturity is a continual process of building upon the foundation of the gospel, striving to know and love God more fully. [35:50]
Hebrews 6:1 (ESV)
"Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God."
Reflection: What is one step you can take this week to intentionally pursue spiritual growth, moving beyond the basics and building upon your foundation in Christ?
Day 4: Spiritual Maturity Comes Through Loving Christ and Obeying Him
True spiritual maturity is not measured by how much we know, but by our love for Christ and our obedience to His commands. It is possible to have extensive theological knowledge and yet remain spiritually immature if our affections are not set on Jesus and our lives are not being changed by Him. As we love Christ supremely, our actions will reflect that love through daily obedience, and our understanding of biblical truths will deepen as a result. Spiritual maturity is ultimately about letting Christ transform us from the inside out, so that our knowledge leads to genuine worship and joyful obedience. [38:10]
John 14:15 (ESV)
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
Reflection: How can you express your love for Christ today in a concrete act of obedience, no matter how small?
Day 5: Spiritual Maturity Is a God-Empowered Responsibility
Growing in spiritual maturity is both our responsibility and something that only God can empower. We are called to work out our salvation with diligence, yet we must also depend on God’s strength and grace to accomplish this growth. Our progress is not measured by intellect or knowledge alone, but by the affections of our heart and the evidence of Christ’s work in our daily lives. As we pursue maturity, we do so with humility, recognizing that it is God who works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose. [40:32]
Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)
"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."
Reflection: In what ways do you need to rely more on God’s power, rather than your own effort, as you seek to grow in spiritual maturity this week?
Quotes
So he talks about spiritual immaturity's cause and effect, and then he describes what the expectation is for really all Christians here. So that's going to frame our discussion on this text this morning. We're going to look at the cause of spiritual immaturity. We're going to look at the effect of spiritual immaturity, and then the expectation for all Christians. So I'm going to pray, ask God's blessing, and that's going to frame our discussion here over the next few minutes here. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this opportunity that I have to stand in front of people, open the word, and teach. Lord, I pray that I would be very faithful to the text here in front of us. I pray I'd be faithful to your word, and that the things that I say would be true to what your teaching is here. [00:03:25] (47 seconds)
I thought that was a problem, okay? I was like, well, wait a minute here. So isn't that going to be a problem? He's like, well, you know, as I get to it. And now, eventually, as the story goes, about another 15, 20 years later, he does move into this house. But the point is, is that he let this foundation just sit there for years and years and years. That's not what a foundation is for. A foundation isn't meant to just sit there and be by itself. It's actually meant to build upon and be the ground that other things are built upon. But if you just leave it there, then it becomes a problem. Because then, you know, the weather starts beating on it and all sorts of cracks begin to appear, all this. And so there's things that this person had to do to mitigate against this. And so the point is, is that... [00:10:30] (46 seconds)
I'm really looking forward to reading the entire book. The book title is called Strolling Ourselves to Death. Okay? As you can imagine, what the book is about is about the effects that social media has and the effect of technology on us, the negative effect that technology can have on us. I enjoy technology, most Sundays. Okay? All right? I enjoy all the benefits that they bring to us. [00:14:25] (29 seconds)
so that we can be a blessing to other people. That's the point of this, okay? So things like the basic story of the Bible. Could you explain that to someone? If someone says, so what's the Bible about? You know, creation, fall, redemption, repentance, slash faith, return. That's a great way to summarize this. [00:28:17] (15 seconds)
Those are key theological concepts that we, if you are growing in your faith, you should be able to explain those at some point. Now, some of you, you're starting out. And so you're in a place where you're learning these things, and there's nothing to be ashamed of about that. And that's wonderful. So if you're reading this, and you're like, yeah, I don't know about this, and you've been a Christian for a short time, don't feel bad. You're still learning, okay? This is more directed to the people who have been in church a long time, and they've been a Christian for a long time. If we're not mastering some of these things, we're falling into right of what happened here in Hebrews. [00:29:39] (35 seconds)
And I have holiness twice, so apparently it's very important. So holiness, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, goodness. Could you explain these things? And again, my purpose in putting this isn't like to try to put up some arbitrary test in front of you and say, pass or fail, if you could say yes to all those, you're a mature Christian. If you can't, you're an immature. That's not the point of this, okay? The point, though, is just to try to give you some things to get your hands around and say, okay, if I'm a maturing Christian, and we never arrive, but if I'm maturing a Christian, could I be able to at least have these concepts? That's what this author is saying. He's saying, this foundation you should be building upon, but you're not because you're spiritually immature. [00:31:04] (43 seconds)
And it's about giving yourself to Christ more. Okay. So, here's what he says here is that spiritual maturity isn't only possible for all Christians, it's expected. He doesn't say the leaders among you should leave and go on to maturity. He expects every Christian to move on to maturity. That's the expectation. And we see this, like, he mentions a similar thing, or not, he's a different author. Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians. He says, but I, brother, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you're not ready yet. He's basically saying there that they should be growing. [00:36:11] (44 seconds)
you see they could do all those things you know every one of those things on that list I could write a paper on but that doesn't make me spiritually mature the only hope of spiritual maturity I have is if my affections are in Christ and he is changing my daily life that's spiritual maturity and then we'll be able to explain those things then we can move on so when we stop loving God supremely we stop obeying God daily spiritual maturity leads to this discernment that he talks about here these powers of discernment they're trained by constant practice distinguish good from evil verse 14 there [00:39:42] (50 seconds)
in other words good decisions we make good decisions with our actions that's what spiritual maturity helps us do and the things of this world will grow strangely dim because our affections are in Christ and Christ alone and that will affect our daily life and our actions let me close with this spiritual maturity is our God -empowered responsibility it's our God -empowered responsibility verse 3 of chapter 6 he says and we will do this if God permits at the end of all this of him telling him you need to move on to spiritual maturity that's what we're going to do we're going to leave this immaturity we're going to move on and then he says we're going to do this if God permits so it's both it's something that it's their responsibility to do but it's also something that God has to empower so we work hard at holiness we work hard at obeying but we are also dependent upon God's power in the process of doing that this is where Philippians 2 is helpful work out your own salvation with fear and trembling that's your responsibility work it out and then verse 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and work for his good pleasure we can't do it in our own strength it's our responsibility but we have to lean on God for this so the question is is are we growing in our spiritual maturity and then the other question is how do you measure that [00:40:42] (87 seconds)
That's how you know if you're growing spiritually or not. Don't start with the list of things. Start with your affections. And then you should, as you're growing in your affections, the list will come behind that and be proof of that in some ways. So the author of Hebrews was writing to people who allowed their love for Jesus to cool to the point that they were considering abandoning him. [00:41:59] (28 seconds)
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