This broadcaster has 536 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
July 19, 2021 8:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ and notice how he says he says only should you be teachers need for someone else and teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God. The ABCs of Christianity would have to teach you again the Jesus Christ is God incarnate that Jesus Christ came to earth and of the sinless life, and atelier died on the cross as a substitute under the start of the gospel that the teacher all the basic stuff 20 years. They went, they were walk with Christ, they thought and they didn't. They were just Peter Pan Christians are simply more mature enough to handle it, make any says in the imagery gives you think of it, he says, and you have come to need milk, not solid for joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work happening in America over the past 30 to 40 years. Early on, some people called it boomerang children and needs of the children that you raise in then you set him off and then they come back and live in a bedroom down the hall, but most of the experts in a look at this now call this whole situation. The Peter Pan syndrome based on JB BJM Barry's character from the 1911 novel Peter Pan. If you remember anything about Peter Pan is the boy refused to grow up and that actually this week I read this article and it said while there's no actual magic preventing children from physically growing up. Some adults continue to cling to the carefree days of youth and find emotional and financial responsibilities. In fact, almost all responsibilities to challenging as they enter adulthood Peter Pan syndrome. The current name for this pattern of behavior first appears in Dr. Dan Kylie's 1983 novel the Peter Pan syndrome, men who have never grown up while Colleen focused on the behavior of men Peter Pan syndrome can affect people of any gender or culture. Keep in mind this is in a recognized mental health condition.
Still, many experts agree this pattern of behavior can have an enormous impact on someone's relationship and their quality of life.
These people as I read about them have a tendency to have very shallow relationships they have are incapable of doing deep relationships. It's especially true by the way of millennial's are more than any other group. They have trouble keeping jobs they don't like jobs, a lot of responsibility and work, they struggle in any stressful situation and they tend to be very self-centered and narcissistic.
Maybe I describe your maybe I didn't but I don't really care. From my point of view about the Peter Pan syndrome out there, but I really care about is the Peter Pan syndrome in here during enormous numbers of evangelical Christians who spend their entire spiritual lives as Peter Pan syndrome Christians can never grow up spiritually and they choose not to grow up spiritually is not new it spinning existences. The church first began. If you remember last week I started a surgical think about it and I said the first thing I said was Paul writes and says look. The real battle of your life between your ears. The real battle in your life.
Your thought life and that we battle he said we don't war against flesh and blood.
We battle in war against Prince. He said against our speculations. In other words, it's the thought process. I also said last week that we have to make a decision as a Christian that from Romans 12 that I'm all in. With Jesus, I had to present myself as a living sacrifice, a moment I want this to be done. After that, he said, in the process begins. You only become a more mature Christian by the renewing of your mind. In other words, I have to learn to think biblically, rather than think on the basis of how my flesh of the world I live in. Thanks so this week I want to follow this up because I want to talk about the fact that many of us make a choice when it comes even to thinking that we want to remain spiritually childlike for entire existence. You see, if you don't change your thinking.
No matter how long you been a Christian. You'll die you'll die Peter Pan Christian will never grown up and I've seen it so many times so first of all, I invite you to open your Bible sleeve. The book of Hebrews chapter 5 will limit really look at it in verse 11. But I'll give you a context in just a moment. Hebrews 5 Hebrews is an extremely interesting book you never want to come to a passage and not understand the context of the passage. The book of Hebrews is written to a whole group of Jewish believers may see any Jews. These are people from Judaism who converted to Jesus Christ and saw Christ as not only their Savior but also their Messiah and what happened was when they first got saved, they were like a lot of us when we first get Savior on fire for Jesus and happy and really glad they find the reason and purpose of life and everything was going well but what ended up happening to them immediately after that was a little different for some other families disowned him, so that there are now members of the way or what we call Christians now, but members of the way and so the Jewish the Jewish families disowned the Jewish neighbors ostracized him. They could even do business with other Jews, the Romans and Greeks always hated him because they just viewed them as Jews anyway so they find themselves kind of isolated and they became extremely frustrated with this, to such an extent that they came up with an idea.
Their idea was simply this.
Why don't we just look back in the Judaism will still believe in Jesus, but let's look back in the Judaism become Jews in our families, all except this back. The neighbors will accept this back the marketplace looks at this back and that's where the writer comes in. He warns them. You can't do this. This is going to be catastrophic. If you do it. The reason is that he uses an analogy the whole way through.
He said if you do this you will be like the Exodus generation to generation. The Jews that actually were taken out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery in six weeks. They went right through the wilderness. The right on the cusp of the promised land. The land flowing with milk and honey they sent in the spies.
The spies came back and said 10 of the talking back and said I don't think we can do it looks too tough, so they said were not going that brought the wrath of God on M&A spend 40 years wandering in the desert. Everyone 19 and over every one of the adult Jews died in the desert and that's with the writer Hebrews said that's exactly what's going to happen to you. You're never going to entered, not the promised land. He calls it the faith rest life. That's the life of the mature Christian. That's a life it's filled with joy hold in peace. You're never going to get there. He said you what's going to happen to you if you're just going to die in the wilderness and I'll add this as Peter Pan Christians. That's what happens is a never grew up. So we come down to 511 and he says in the end it by the way, in the first few verses now give the media context in the first 10 verses he's talking to them about a superiority thing. One of the things that the writer does all the way through using Moses is great is nothing compared to Jesus you think angels are great there nothing compared to Jesus. That's what the book does you think the Levitical priest of great see you think the nothing compared to Jesus. Everything in the Old Testament, and he's writing is this is a shadow of the substance that's coming so if you look up to verse at the end of verse five in verse six he said who is he said this to you are my son that I have begotten you just as he says in another passage. You are a priest.
He says forever. According to the order of Melchizedek know they revered Levitical priest. He said yeah but Jesus is the son of God and these Melchizedek he's a Melchizedek increased and the response that he got from them that he knew would get is the same response for many of you get when I said Melchizedek here whose Melchizedek.
I don't know is we should see that that's what he's trying to say you indebted you don't even know McCulloch Melchizedek is I'm trying to make an argument here and I can even give it to you because you don't understand it so it picks up in verse 11, he said concerning him. We have much to say. I would love to tell you all about Melchizedek.
He is a king priest of Salem he only shows up in Genesis, Abraham paid him a tie. Most scholars believe he is a theophany. He is an appearance of the son of God, which is Jesus Christ. He's an appearance of the son of God. I have a lot to tell you about him. He said concerning him. We have much to say. He said, and it's hard to explain now because he doesn't know the material watch since you will become dull of hearing you listen, you won't listen. One of the great characteristics of the Peter Pan Christian. They don't listen and have an annular that's like you just trying to indoor it. Some of you right now. Maybe I just need to get through this. I really got a Father's Day lunch and there's a barbecue, I'm thinking about all these things of this this let the guy go going go and on and will get it done. I will be fine if your child that's okay I'm talking to the dogs. You see the dull of hearing how many times did Jesus say this is interesting to me. Let him who has ears, let him hear. Doesn't that seem like a little bit of an insult to you because if it does, it's true. He was insulting to see he was insulting. If you have ears, why aren't you listening you have ears on June listen to what I'm about to say and they do know exactly how to respond to this. So he says you become dull of hearing two Greek words, it's a compound literally, you have no push to get you have no push and I went to the world you have no push. You have no energy.
Toward this end.
Good English word you're lethargic you just lethargic.
Soon as I stop speaking you glaze over. You're not interested in a and by the way the church of Jesus Christ is been like that while for a long time when I was in Pennsylvania before I ever went to seminary I do a lot of interim speaking. I spoke of one smaller church in Meridian, Pennsylvania, and asked me to Steve's. I spoke every year.
It was available. Church I went for a year and spoke every Sunday and I was wrong to not be a wonderful group of people and even supported me the whole way through Dallas summary for four years.
The church send me a check to help us along our way, but every time I speak and I can still see I speak the numbers. A man like right in their right and no matter what was going on before and as soon as Mike voiced her mind after one sentence to go every single time. Soon as I started this and then you have to go to the door at the end, and a 100 Dr. Hendrix called the glorification of the worm that's we have to stand at the door's pastor good to see you.
Good to see all was a wonderful sermon past. He was the guy that every time you tell me what a wonderful sermon this and I'm think I'm watching the guy and I don't think he ever heard anything. You know the whole time I was there. That's dull hearing he's conditioned himself to not listen and he said that's exactly what's happened to you.
That's one of the prevailing marks but they have. He said you become dull of hearing. That's what immaturity does. Then he says over in verse he says in verse 12, for though by this time you ought to be teachers. He said you have need for someone else to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, you have come to need milk.
No solid food. By this time is about 20 years. These people were saved about 20 to 25 years ago. From this writing, he said you should be teachers. He doesn't mean rabbis doesn't mean all I have to be a teacher guided me to formally he means that if you been a Christian for multiple years. You should be able to bring the word of God to bear to your family to friends. The people you work with, you should be able to give God's perspective on things that the teacher you should be allowed to do that but you don't.
He said you become so darling you having to say to people you and there's nothing you can do, he said. But notice how he says he says not only should you be teachers, you have need for someone else to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God. The ABCs of Christianity.
I would have to teach you again that Jesus Christ is God incarnate that Jesus Christ came to earth and live the sinless life I military died on the cross is your substitute receipt I give you the guy. I'll start with the gospel. I went to teach all the basic stuff again 20 years they went, they were walk with Christ, they thought and they didn't they would just Peter Pan Christians. They just simply were mature enough to handle it, make any says in the imagery gives here. Think of it, he says, and you have come to need milk, not solid food. When was beautiful pictures of nature as a baby's desire for milk and Harry's not talk about bottled milk start in my breast milk is a beautiful picture of mother feeding a baby. I mean, you can't look at anything on that this little guy that's amazing.
They start out that way. We just are not with milk these people been Christian for 20 some years, and he said you know what you need milk, someone was teasing after the first service and said here because he heard a whole sermon. He said of those empty bottles I did for some of the people in the church and I said yes they are and what were going to do is write, you can have those people come up when I given bottles but just imagine if you saw on a dog come in any setting like this, and instead of having his mocha coffee or whatever it is that he has a baby bottle with a newborn with milk any deficits or drinks it will be to think really some wrong or right to marry someone when he's aforethought, why is he drinking milk because is a baby Christian. He never grew. See that's what Paul I mean the writer of Hebrews is saying it.
He says he wouldn't have need of it. He says then in verse 13 he goes on any says for everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
Here's what he said about him.
We had a great English word for we have it right here in the church, rooms]. That's what the word means he's a toddler is talking about people that are said to been Christian for 20 some years and their toddlers what you know about toddlers.
By the way, if you want to know they always love volunteers. Volunteer.
Go back and spend a Sunday with the toddlers just get a good feel for what toddlers like there there. Interesting. First of all, toddlers have the attention span of a gnat. Okay they got back to they are there just toddlers. They have a very limited vocabulary but their favorite word, the favorite word of toddlers mind. Just go back and watch what's mine's mind when yours is mine.
Mine that's toddlers, there's notice they are completely self perspective everything as it is about them and it's cute when you're three years old when you're 33 years old is not so cute.
You see you you said you I just liked babies due by toddlers to. That's the way you act in our country, probably over the last hundred years, thereby been thousands of churches that have split, and almost always I could tell you why there for what toddlers if you will Peter Pan Christians mind. This is mine. I see it this way. I know I'm of them will split and start to the just children it can happen almost any one of us because the point of a Peter Pan Christian is they choose to be that way. They're happy to be that way.
You see, you might be sitting here now nothing and I don't I want hearing more this stuff you see him very content the way I am. But you should be you and I were saved to be conformed to the image of Jesus were to mature what is steadily mature. That's what were to do. We should never be content. And you know it gets hurt the most. If you stay at a Peter Pan Christian, you do. I'm telling you never going to experience ever, the peace and joy and hope every day your life, you never get together just don't think that way you're going to be what I call a circumstantial Peter Pan Christian. If you take any teenager winter teenagers really happy when everything they want to have happen happens right, and if it doesn't, their miserable is either completely completely controlled by the circumstances of our life. When you and I both know Jesus said it in this world. You can have tribulation. You have a lot of terrible days just going to happen.
Are you learning mature enough to handle him or not. For a lot of us is not. I really can handle. So as you go through this whole thing.
You come to this idea that he says you are an infant you want your own way and then he goes to the next verse, and he says in verse 14 he said limited. What a mature Christian, a maturing Christian looks like I want you to see what a maturing Christian looks like he said, but solid food is for the mature four characteristics easily.
For questions I want you to ask yourself this morning my eating solid food you eat solid food. As a Christian, I mean the mill not there's a variety of ways you can eat it. You could have someone teach you solid food. Hopefully that's that's happens occasionally from here we can teacher solid food. But there's so much more. Other than that in today's world. A Christian who believes I can get fed with the word of God teaches is just uninformed.
Every single teacher in the whole world that I that I would say truly respect as great teachers you can you can go online and listen anything they want to teach on and 30 seconds, 30 seconds I will name up there is the subject he's been a teacher. Just amazing.
We have access to everybody back here, they would've had that they have the teacher in front of them and that's it. But we have access to. I feed on solid food. There's more to it than that one word for myself. Anything am I teaching myself anything. Ask yourself do you teach yourself anything from the word of God honestly exit what a Peter Pan Christian will do even in a place like this. You open your Bible for this 40 minutes and then you throw in the back of the car pick it up next week is not enough and I can make it easy. This is not enough. You have to figure out how I do this on my own heart.
I like seek in my don't want to pray to God on the type prayer is me speaking to God.
The Bible is God speaking to me.
I want to have a conversation with God. I want him to speak to me and I want to speak to him.
We have to do that on Pastor Bill Gilbert on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike the message one more time.
Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word.
We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly fourth is the one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that SBC 10 oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listening room. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge.
Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt, unseasoned and heart. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order