Episode Summary

In this message from Hebrews 5:11–14, we step into a sharp but loving rebuke. The writer of Hebrews pauses his deep teaching about Jesus as our High Priest to address a serious issue: spiritual immaturity.

The problem is not ignorance. It is sluggishness. A drift. A loss of hunger.

This passage challenges us to examine whether we are growing in Christ or settling into spiritual complacency. Are we moving from milk to solid food, or have we grown comfortable staying immature?

Scripture Focus

Hebrews 5:7–14

Hebrews 6:1–3

2 Timothy 3:16

Matthew 13:12–15

Romans 3:22

1 Corinthians 2:16

Key Themes

1. The Danger of Spiritual Sluggishness

The writer says, “You have become sluggish in your hearing.”

Spiritual dullness happens slowly:

The excitement fades.

The hunger weakens.

The listening becomes passive.

And over time, growth stalls.

2. Milk vs. Solid Food

Milk represents foundational truths:

Repentance

Faith

Baptism

Resurrection

Eternal judgment

These are essential. But they are not the finish line.

Solid food represents maturity:

Deeper theological understanding

Practical righteousness

Discernment between good and evil

The Christian life is meant to build on the foundation, not camp out on it.

3. Use It or Lose It

Truth heard but not internalized will be lost.

Jesus warned about this in Matthew 13.

Spiritual growth requires:

Engagement

Application

Repetition

Practice

Constant use leads to maturity.

4. Righteousness: Both Imputed and Lived

The “teaching about righteousness” includes:

Doctrinal truth

Practical truth

It is not either/or. It is both.

Orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Belief and practice.

5. Constant Use Produces Discernment

Maturity comes “by constant use.”

Like physical training, spiritual strength grows through practice.

You do not become mature by:

Owning a Bible

Attending church

Hearing sermons

You grow by:

Studying

Applying

Obeying

Teaching others what you’ve learned

Practical Challenge

Try this:

Choose one verse.

Look up its cross-references.

Follow those cross-references.

Spend 20 focused minutes exploring context and connections.

This simple discipline trains your spiritual senses and guards against sluggishness.

Reflection Questions

Am I growing spiritually, or coasting?

Do I know foundational truths well enough to explain them to someone else?

Have I become hard to teach?

Am I applying what I hear each week?

Closing Encouragement

The rebuke in Hebrews is not harsh for harshness’ sake.

The call is simple:

Move forward.

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In this message from Hebrews 5, Pastor Rick explores the obedience of Jesus and what it means for us today. Jesus’ obedience led to perfection and eternal salvation. Ours leads to direction, maturity, and discernment.

This teaching challenges believers to grow beyond spiritual milk into spiritual maturity, learning to love God deeply, walk in wisdom, and hold fast to Christ in a culture that often pulls in the opposite direction.

Obedience is not about moral perfection. It is about gospel direction. It is about loving God with all your heart and letting that love shape how you live.

Hebrews 5:8–14

John 14:15–31

Matthew 22:34–40

Hebrews 4:14

Romans 12:9

Hebrews tells us that Jesus “learned obedience” and became the source of eternal salvation.

His obedience included:

God’s timing — Christmas, the cross, resurrection.

Messianic prophecy — fulfilling what was spoken.

A holy lifestyle — power without corruption.

Protection of His disciples — guarding those entrusted to Him.

Obedience to the Word — defeating temptation.

Submission to the Father’s will — “Not my will, but Yours.”

Jesus’ obedience led to perfection.

Jesus says plainly:

“If you love me, keep my commandments.” — John 14:15

Love for God is not abstract.

Trust

Surrender

Alignment with His Word

Loving your neighbor

Obedience flows from relationship, not pressure.

Hebrews says mature believers have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice.

Discernment grows when we:

Know the Word

Stay close to the Spirit

Practice obedience consistently

Learn to distinguish good from evil

Spiritual maturity is not automatic. It is cultivated.

Hebrews 4:14 calls us to “hold fast” to our confession.

God reaches for us.

When we hold fast to Christ, He releases strength, grace, and power into our lives.

Obedience is a filter that protects your soul.

Maturity comes through practice, not just knowledge.

The Holy Spirit presses Jesus into your life.

Growth requires intentional response.

Ask yourself:

Where is God calling me to deeper obedience?

Am I moving toward spiritual maturity or staying on milk?

What would it look like to “hold fast” this week?

Want to get involved?

Give your life to Jesus.

Join a small group.

Consider the School of Ministry.

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In Hebrews 5, we are reminded of a powerful truth: you need a High Priest.

Every person must answer the question, “How am I connected to God?” Scripture teaches that no one appoints themselves to that role. A high priest is called by God. Jesus did not exalt Himself. He was appointed by the Father.

In this message, we explore:

• Why Jesus alone qualifies as our High Priest

Jesus’ suffering was not weakness. It was reverent trust. On the cross, He placed His life fully into the Father’s hands. Because He trusted the Father with death, we can trust Him with our lives.

The resurrection reveals the power of the Trinity at work. The Father raised the Son. The Spirit raised Christ from the dead. Jesus declared He would raise Himself. This is divine authority and divine love in action.

Hebrews then shifts to spiritual growth. Believers are called to move beyond milk to solid food. Maturity requires training. Discernment must be practiced. We learn to distinguish good from evil through constant obedience.

The message closes with a clear invitation: stop resisting God. Make it personal. Extend your life to Him in trust, and receive new life in Christ.

Hebrews 5:1–14

Jesus Is Our High Priest

The Sufferings of Christ

Resurrection Power

Obedience and Spiritual Discipline

Spiritual Maturity

• Examine what you are trusting as your “high priest.”

Jesus suffered so you could be forgiven.

Respond to Him.

In this teaching from Hebrews 4 and 5, we enter what Scripture calls the “deep waters,” exploring Jesus as our great and eternal High Priest. Unlike every human priest who came before Him, Jesus alone fully bridges the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God.

This message unpacks why every person needs a high priest, how Jesus uniquely fulfills that role, and why believers can approach God with confidence rather than fear. We also confront false ideas of spiritual mediation and are reminded that forgiveness, mercy, healing, and restoration flow only through Jesus Christ.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you can come back to God again, whether grace really covers ongoing weakness, or what it means to live as part of a “royal priesthood,” this teaching speaks directly to those questions.

Why the book of Hebrews presents Jesus as superior to all others

What a high priest does and why humanity needs one

Jesus as the only true mediator between God and humanity

The difference between the Old Testament priesthood and Jesus’ eternal priesthood

Why believers can approach God with confidence, not shame

The role of confession, forgiveness, and ongoing grace

What it means to share in Christ’s priestly ministry without replacing Him

How God uses weakness to cultivate dependence and spiritual growth

The compassion of Jesus, even in His suffering on the cross

Jesus is not a distant or harsh mediator. He is a compassionate High Priest who understands human weakness, invites honest repentance, and continually offers mercy, healing, and grace to all who come to Him.

If you are carrying spiritual weight, unresolved sin, or deep discouragement, Jesus invites you to draw near. He remains faithful, present, and powerful to restore what has been broken.

In this episode of the Ranch Church Podcast, we continue our study through the book of Hebrews, focusing on Hebrews 4:14–16.

The author of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is not only our Savior but our Great High Priest, one who has passed through the heavens and now intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. Written to a small, persecuted house church with many Jewish believers, this passage addresses the temptation to return to familiar religious systems instead of fully trusting Christ.

This teaching explores the contrast between the temporary Levitical priesthood and the once-for-all priesthood of Jesus. While earthly priests entered the Holy of Holies year after year with fear and limitation, Jesus entered the ultimate Holy of Holies through His own sacrifice and sat down, His work complete.

We are reminded that Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was fully human, tempted in every essential way we are, yet without sin. Because of this, He does not merely understand our struggles intellectually. He shares in them, empathizes with them, and intercedes for us personally.

The passage culminates in a powerful invitation. Because of Christ, we are invited to approach the throne of grace with confidence, receiving mercy for our past and grace to help us in our present need. This grace comes at exactly the right time and is accessed through prayer.

The message closes with three key responses for believers today.

Confession of Christ as our living High Priest

Understanding Christ as one who truly empathizes with our weakness

Prayer as the means by which we access God’s grace and mercy

This episode offers deep encouragement for anyone facing pressure, hardship, or temptation to look elsewhere for relief. Jesus is sufficient, present, and faithful.

Sermon from Jan 18th. 2026

Hebrews 4:1–13 is a direct warning and a gracious invitation: don’t let your heart harden. This message explores how God’s acceptance, on God’s terms, softens the heart and produces real transformation. A key takeaway is simple but penetrating: spiritual experiences are powerful, but experience alone is not acceptance. The tender heart is formed when we receive God’s Word, obey His voice, and rest in what He’s done.

We also walk through Psalm 95’s rhythm, worship and joy, followed by the urgent “today” warning. From there, we explore Sabbath rest as a creation principle, and practical pathways that keep the heart soft, including healthy community rhythms and the Spirit’s work of making us new.

Key Scriptures

Key Themes

The danger of a hard heart, and how it forms over time

“Today, if you hear His voice”, respond, don’t resist

Experience is not acceptance, surrender to God’s terms

Sabbath rest as worship, wisdom, and spiritual alignment

The Word of God pierces in order to heal and restore

Sermon from Jan 11th, 2026

In Hebrews 4:1–7, we hear the best news: God’s rest is still available, and we’re invited to enter it by faith. This message reframes acceptance, not as self-acceptance, but as Father God’s acceptance of us through the blood of Jesus. From there, real identity, authenticity, and spiritual power begin to take root, and the inner conflicts that keep us restless start to lose their grip.

We also trace the warning behind the passage, Israel received good news but didn’t benefit because they weren’t united by faith. The invitation stands for us today: don’t harden your heart, don’t drift into unbelief, and don’t settle for a version of “rest” that leaves God out.

Key Scriptures

Key Themes

God’s rest is promised, available, and entered by faith

The difference between cultural self-acceptance and God’s acceptance

Identity and inner peace flow from God’s finished work, not our self-effort

A warning and an invitation, don’t miss what God is offering today

Sermon from Jan 4th, 2026

Hebrews chapter 3 confronts a critical question for every believer: will we finish well? In this message, we’re reminded that while Moses was the greatest figure in Israel’s history, faithful as a servant and prophet, Jesus is infinitely greater. He is both the Apostle sent from the Father and the perfect High Priest who brings us full access to God.

The writer of Hebrews warns new believers, and us today, not to drift into unbelief when hardship comes. Using Israel’s wilderness story and Psalm 95, we see how a strong beginning can still end tragically if faith gives way to disbelief. The issue isn’t a lack of miracles or evidence. It’s a hardened heart that forgets what God has already done.

The call is urgent and personal: today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart. Encourage one another daily, hold fast to the hope we first confessed, and trust that God will do exactly what He has promised.

Key Scriptures

Key Themes

Jesus is greater than Moses, servant versus Son

The danger of unbelief after a strong spiritual beginning

Why disbelief leads to disobedience

The importance of encouragement and community

“Today” as the moment to respond, believe, and persevere

Sermon from 12.14.25