JFC “Mature in the Lord”

😀 Have fun, slowly preach with confidence, you were born for this

Introduction: (Walk Worthy) Paul, through the Holy Spirit, calls us to lead a life worthy of our calling

What does it mean to “Walk worthy”?

Mark 8:34 “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”

a) Paul pointed out, it was through Jesus that the church recieved gifts…

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (The five fold ministry)

b) Their responsibility equip and build up the church

That doesn’t mean reinforce the actual building, with new floors or roof, but its a call for the body of Christ to be built up and mature in the Lord

Build up the church that they might walk worthy of the calling

“Mature in the Lord”

a) I believe the church lacks maturity

Why do people fall away from church or why do people go back to their old way of life that they lived prior to coming to Christ?

The pandemic was a perfect example, the mature believers used it as an opportunity to share their hope, but those who barley hanging on never came back to church

Many reasons why this takes place, but I believe a lack of maturity reflects one’s priorities and a hardness of heart

Other things take priority over Jesus

Unwilling to fully surrender their life, holding on to pet sin

Unwilling to spend time with the Lord in prayer or reading the Word

1 Timothy 4:7 “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.”

Maturity involves effort on our part and then God does the rest

I cannot take credit for where I am at today, its God who has done the work, but I use my free will to pursue Him

b) What does it mean to be mature in the Lord?

Maturity is NOT simply adding years to my life or grey hair on your head or in my case me losing my hair?

“Christian maturity requires a radical reordering of one’s priorities, changing over from pleasing self to pleasing God and learning to obey God”.

Is Jesus King over your life?

The Making of a Man of God, by Alan Redpath, he says this, “Let me say to you very lovingly that Jesus is only King when your will and His will agree together”.

“The word “Christian” means Christ’s man and whenever your will diverges from His will, then at that point you are not His man”.

The Apostle Paul lays out Five keys to becoming a mature Christians in 4:13-16

The mature Christian is unified in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ

You are strong in the faith and not swayed by clever lies

Willing to speak truth in love

You are actively growing and becoming more like Christ

Each person is using their gifting as they do there share in creating a healthy body of believers

1. (V13) The equipping and the building up of the church will continue until..

We take our first step towards maturity as we come to faith

Remember, Christ gave the gifts to the church to equip with the knowledge of Christ and to be unified in the faith (The gifts will continue to operate)

Colossians 2:2 “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.”

a) A mature Christian has strong ties of love for their brothers and sisters

b)They have complete confidence in their understanding of God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ

Hebrews 6:1 “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.

The key to maturity is consistency, perseverance in doing those things we know will bring us closer to God.

People begin every year with New Years resolution, but most fail because of lack consistency and perseverance

These practices are referred to as the spiritual disciplines and include things such as Bible reading/study, prayer, fellowship, service, and stewardship.

Why is maturity important? Christian maturity increases and there is greater intimacy in the experience of God

1.1 Measuring up to the complete standard of Christ

Here are three verses that explain what it the complete standard of Christ

a) 1 Corinthians 14:20 “Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.”

Be innocent concerning evil.

We know the fire is hot, so why do some people insist on getting so close that they get burnt

(Be innocent concerning evil)

b) Colossians 1:28 “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.”

We willing and dare I say eager to give out the Word of God

c) Hebrews 5:14 “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

You have spent time building yourself up in the Word of God and you have the skill to know right from wrong

***The complete standard of Christ is becoming more and more like him

2. (V14) Then we will no longer be immature like Children, tossed and blown around

a) The mature Christian is no longer child like, who is tossed and blown around and easily influenced by clever lies that sound like truth

The ancient Greek word for tossed to and fro is from the same words used to describe the stormy Sea of Galilee in Luke 8:24 (raging of the water).

Have you ever met someone who is all over the place with what they believe. Maybe they listened to a new podcast and now they are out in left field in their beliefs because of the latest greatest new teaching?

My old neighbor was an older women who was disabled. I believed she a Spirit filled Christian

She was always sending me weird religious videos on Youtube

She was easily tricked because she never read the Bible

Colossians 2:7 “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

2.1 Not influenced by tricks and clever lies

a) The enemy is clever and he comes to deceive with lies that sound like truth

Often times, the enemy will use partial truth that is wrapped in a lie

Colossians 2:8 “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

3. (V15) Speak truth in love

a) Be willing to speak truth

Called to love people, parting of loving them is speaking truth

b) It must be done in love

You can speak truth but if its not done in love there is a large possibility it will not be received

3.1 We must continue to grow in every way more and more like Christ

a) Why do we stop growing?

Maybe we get lazy and were no longer spending quality time with the Lord (A dangerous place to be)

4. (V16) He makes the whole body fit together as each one does their part

1 Peter 4:10–11 “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”