Several years ago I pastored a small church in West Virginia. This town had more than 40,000 people and situated in a metropolitan area of more than 100 thousand people. Yet, there were few Baptist churches of any stripe and virtually no fundamental church in this community. One hundred thousand American people without an effective gospel witness.
There are vast regions of China and Russia where there is not one good church. In fact, if there was, it would likely be closed down by the government. A good church that is even safe to attend is a rare thing or simply non-existent in Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Laos, Vietnam, North Korea, the South Sudan, Pakistan, Myanmar (Burma), Libya , Cuba, Kazakstan, Turkmenistan, and on and on and on.
There are many countries in this world that do not have even one fundamental church to attend. The Maldive islands, Armenia, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Tibet, are examples. Millions of people and not one good church. In fact, some have no public Christian witness of ANY KIND. None.
A Greater Tragedy
This is a terrible situation: to live in a town or country that has no solid, fundamental Christian witness! But there is a worse tragedy than this: an even greater tragedy is having a good church to attend, and yet to not go there...or, to attend, but not listen. It is, by far, a greater tragedy to have the Bible preached truly, and to have right doctrine taught faithfully, but to not hear them because we’re not listening. To have the truth so readily available and to not avail ourselves of it is the very serious sin of being "dull of hearing".
Hebrews 5:11 says: "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing." This warning says God has many things to tell His church, things that need to be planted in their hearts and minds, things that are hard to be uttered...or literally "difficult to explain.." but He cannot do this. Why? Because the hearers were dull of hearing. They may have been faithful to church, faithful even to give, but they have become dull(or lazy) in their listening.
Friends, we don’t get "blessings" from God for just being in church. This isn’t Baptist Catholicism. The Lord is not impressed with our "sacrifice" of getting up, getting the kids and ourselves ready, starting the car and driving here...even in bad weather. He isn’t overly impressed with our service(which is only what an unprofitable servant should be doing!). God is impressed when we listen to what’s being said...and obey it! We get blessings for hearing and obeying what the Bible says! And we are condemned when we don’t!
I believe one of the many serious failures of this generation—especially those who are Christians—is that we are a people who aren’t very attentive! We aren’t listening to God. We are dull of hearing. In the 19th century during a revival among the churches, there was a marked increase among men and women studying "shorthand". It was discovered that this way, people could more easily take notes in church. That, my friend, was a fervent desire for the Word of God! These people were most assuredly not dull of hearing!
The Results of Being Dull of Hearing
A dullness of hearing God means we’re indifferent to Him. If this is the case, what will happen to us?
1. We will have forgotten the many good things that we’ve learned.
"ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God " (Hebrews 5:12)
It’s often been said: "A drop of ink is better than the best memory". The truth is, however, if I’m really walking with God -- staying in right fellowship with him—people won’t have to be teaching me again and again what is right. I won’t have to be constantly reminded what is right. I will know what is right! But when dullness of hearing has become a habit in my life, I will not only stop growing spiritually, but actually digress. To be dull or lazy in our hearing leads to a forgetfulness of the basics of the Christian life.
2. This dullness of hearing will also cause us to be ignorant of Godly principles.
Hebrews 5:13 "For every one that useth milk is unskilful (OR IGNORANT) in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." The writer isn’t criticizing a new believer (the babe in Christ). The Greek word for "useth" suggests a regular usage...or participation. His comments are directed toward the person who regularly lives on "milk" and not "meat", i.e., that is the one who stays with the early fundamentals and never grows to spiritual maturity. He’s admonishing the lazy Christians who — through indifference---haven’t grown in their faith: those who could have learned...but haven’t!!!
So often Christians reach a certain point in their walk and then "level off" and stop growing. When this happens, it is almost universally true that they become quite ignorant in spiritual matters. They become like "babies"...unable to even think for themselves.
We are commanded in the scriptures to "...grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18 ). This is not a suggestion! When we purposely live as babes in Christ for months and years, we’re going against a direct order from God!
3. We’ll also lose some of our discernment.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses (JUDGMENT) exercised to discern both good and evil.
When we aren’t listening and obeying God’s Word we’ll forget it! And when we have forgotten it, we will not be able to use it to discern good from bad!
The Bible gives us discernment (Psalm 119:130) and we desperate need it in this wicked and perverse generation! But understanding comes only when we regularly exercise ourselves in spiritual matters! We can’t exercise our judgment if we don’t have anything with which to exercise! If we’ve stopped listening to God, we have shut off our source of strength and wisdom. We become weak and deficient, and easily susceptible to sin. Thus, instead of discerning the evil, we’ll be destroyed by it!
4. We’ll also experience missed opportunities to serve.
Verse 12 says:"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers ye have need that one teach you again." There are believers who’ve been saved for years and still don’t serve! And this more than not teaching a Sunday School class! Every believer ought to be teaching(telling) the unsaved about Christ, and teaching the saved to grow in the Lord. As believers, we ought to be reproducing ourselves all the time. This is discipleship!
If there is any one thing your pastor desires, it is that you grow in grace and that you begin to teach others the same. If we fail in this, it may be due to the fact we’re not paying attention to God, that we’ve become dull of hearing. We don’t have to be ordained or go to Bible school to disciple someone. Anyone can do it...anyone that is... who is not "dull of hearing!"
If you’re dying on the vine in your church, you may not be able to claim you aren’t getting the right teaching and preaching! It may be you are not listening...or not acting on what you are hearing! What makes the Dead Sea so bad is that it takes in water from the Jordan River but has no outlet. The water has become so filled with salt and minerals over the centuries that it is essentially useless. Nothing gets any nourishment from the Dead Sea!
There are many "Dead Sea" Christians—who have heard the truth but aren’t doing anything with it. Long ago, they stopped listening to God and the preacher, and sadly, few of their acquaintances ever get any spiritual nourishment from them!
What Should We Do?
The writer says in Hebrews 6:1-2: "Therefore leaving (MOVING AWAY FROM) the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection (TO THE COMPLETENESS THAT WE’RE LACKING) ; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
He is not saying that these doctrines are wrong, but that they are foundational principles. We must move on to other things in the Christian life! To build on these good basic teachings. When Herod built the third Temple, he had the workers lay massive foundation stones. Some are still there today and make up the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Solomon didn’t build all the temple with these huge stones...he only used them as the foundation. Solomon knew a successful building had to have more than just a foundation. The same is true in the spiritual life. Christians need more than the basics of the Christian life to grow. Perhaps it is time for us to open our ears that have become dull, and to start listening to God’s Word. It is time for many of us to move on to greater and more noble things for the Lord!
