Mimicking Maturity

Welcome

Well, good morning Lifepoint! If we haven’t met before, my name is Dan Osborn and I serve as the Teaching Pastor here for our Worthington campus.

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If you’ve got a bible with you, meet me in book of Philippians.

We’re continuing in our series called, “Joyride”

Series set-up

Introduction

And while you’re turning there.

There are so many times when I feel like my kids are like God’s mouth piece to me - totally oblivious to the fact that they can say something that just pierces me to heart!

One of the things I’ve been working on with Malachi, my 6 year old, is the importance of cleaning up his room. And, for the most part, he does a great job.

But, for some reason, the hurdle he just can’t seem to leap, is getting his socks to make the long and adruous journey from the side of his bed to the hamper. And it’s wild because he’s crushing everything else! The dude makes his bed every morning, cleans up his legos…put’s all the stuffed animals away…it’s flawless.

But day after day, when I walk in to check on kids…there...are...those...socks.

Taunting me in all their rolled up glory from the bedside.

And it’s not like he doesn’t know! We talk about it ALL the time! I have to tell remind him almost every day - and again, every day, it’s like this is brand new information to him - that his socks go in the hamper. It’s not that hard!

Finally, I had a convesation with him where I was like, “Buddy, what is going on with this? How do you keep forgetting that you need to put your socks in the hamper? Why are we having the same conversation over and over again?!

And he looked up at me, with all the confidence in the world, and said, “How come I have to do it, but you don’t? I’m just doing what you do!”

Pause

And we can laugh about that, right?

But I think it brings up a really important point for us. Often, it’s those things that are caught, not taught, that have the most formative power in us. Like I had the conversation with him over and over again, but the thing that was communicating to him the most was not what I was teaching him…it’s not what was taught…it’s what he caught from my way of life…my practice…what he saw me do…that’s what had the greatest impact on him!

He was just mimicking me.

And the reason I’m bringing this up today is because in the passage we’re looking at, we are going to focus in on this powerful practice of mimicking…it’s something all of us do…we all have someone or something that we mimic. We have no choice in the matter, we will mimic.

The question is what are we mimicking? And maybe, more importantly, how is it shaping us?

And if there’s anything I want us to walk away thinking about today, it’s this: followers of Jesus choose to mimic maturity. We mimic maturity.

So if you’re not there yet, open with me to Philippians 3. I’ll read the passage, pray, and then we’ll get started.

Philippians 3:17 ESV

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

PRAY

What is “Maturity”?

Alright, let’s get started.

Remember, the main thing I want us walking away thinking about today is that as followers of Jesus, we choose to mimic maturity. I think this brings up a very natural question? What is maturity? What does spiritual maturity look like? What are the metrics? How do we measure that?

And I think as we look closely at this passage, we get a pretty suprising answer from Pual.

Let me give some context.

You’ll remember this from last week - Paul, has been talking about his life following Jesus and pretty explicately lays out his deepest desires and motivations in following him.

He looks back over his life and says that he’s got every reason to be proud of his lineage, where he comes from, who he comes from…he looks at his CV - his professional career, all of what he’s been able to establish for himself over the course of his life but he says in v. 7 (Phil. 3:7-8):

Philippians 3:7–8 ESV

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

And he is making the remarkable claim that, in his heart of hearts, what he values, and desires most in this life is not all the acolades - it’s the not job, the money, the picture perfect house or family....what is of far more surpassing worth than all of these things....is knowing Jesus.

Last week, I think Braden did a great a job of drawing this out - that when Paul talks about knowing Jesus, he is not just talking about Jesus as an aquaintence - but that word for ‘knowing’ describes the deepest levels of friendship.

This is what he is pursuing…what he desires is a vibrant friendship with Jesus…where he knows and is known by Jesus. This is what it’s all about for him. This is the whole deal - Paul’s faith is not simply an intellectual thing…it’s not just a theological grid through which he views the world…it is not just about having his doctrine correct and all in place…it is a faith that is about friendship with God…where he is catching what it means to truly live the way we’ve been created to live…where there is enjoyment and rest…a relationship where there is no fear of abandonment…where Paul can be most fully himself. Paul is talking about a level of friendship that we all desperately want but rarely find.

Friends, this is what Paul is chasing after. In “knowing Jesus” he is saying, “I have organized my life in such a way to best pursue a deep and meaningful - vibrant friendship with Jesus.”

He has built up a set of habits and practices in his life to invest in this friendship - it’s an ongoing project, not something he has perfected, it’s what he’s pursuing. Look with me at v. 13 (Phil. 3:13-14):

Philippians 3:13–14 ESV

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

And I get it.

For some of us, to even think about a relationship with Jesus as friendship...just doesn’t really fit the grid. We’re comfortable with a Holy Jesus, but a friendly Jesus…that feels a bit “Mr. Rogersy”…even sacriligious. And I think we have to acknowledge for a moment how different this is from what so many of normally conceive of as “the Christian life!” The reality is, for most of us, the version of Christianity that we’ve caught is, if we’re honest, boring. It’s been about a series of things we should or shouldn’t do…pattern of going to church somewhat regularly…probably giving some money from time to time…being told to read a book that, honestly, has some pretty strange stories that don’t always make a ton of sense…all so that someday, you can go to heaven when you die.

And so it’s no wonder that, how ever much we might say we want to do this, deep down we really struggle with sharing our faith with other people - because we’re not even really all that excited about it! At the end of the day, we have actual problems…things that actually keep us up at night…and what people eventually start to find is that going to church and serving are eventually not as helpful as they once were.

And I know if feels like I’m getting off topic here, a bit, I know…hang in there with me.

See, I think there is an epidemic in the church today that we almost never talk about - and the epidemic is so normal…it’s so common, that we’re hardly even aware of it except for this vague sense from time to time that there’s got to be a bit more to it, right?

There’s got to be a little more than going to a church service…maybe jumping on a Sunday morning serving team…

Here’s the epidemic in a nutshell…it’s that we take this paradigm…this model of going to church…serving…maybe being in a Lifegroup…we look at those who are doing that and say, ‘Yes, this is spiritual maturity.’ And the person who does them becomes some kind of poster child for a Mature Follower of Jesus. Now, we don’t ever say that…it’s never taught…but what gets caught is that this is the goal! And our churches today - our systems and structures subtly reinforce that this is what you need to do - attend, serve, lead and you’re good.

But when this is the goal, the problem is that eventually life throws something your way that your church attendance, your serving team, and your Lifegroup will not have equipped you to deal with. Eventually, you’ll get the rug pulled out from under you with a diagnosis, a betrayal, something swift that knocks the wind out of you…and then what?

You will either get bored and just stall out…perpetually stuck in the same place…with the same issues that pop up with predictable regularity

Or...

You’ll get so frustrated that move on to something else that promises to work in your life.

This is why we see across the American church a rapidly increasing number of people walking away from their faith. For a lot of people, it’s because they’ve been following the model…they’ve been doing the right things…it’s just not working.

Some of you know all to well what I’m talking about because you’re there right now.

But what if I told you this epidemic has a vaccine?

(You know what, it’s too clost to the election and some of you are triggered by that metaphor)

What if I told you this “problem” had a solution?

As a pastor, one of the things I get to engage in fairly regulaly is some initial counseling with people - and when I talk with couples, there’s often some version of the following phrase, “I know we’re married, but I don’t feel like we’re friends.”

And what the person is really trying to say is that something has happened in the relationship that, while it hasn’t fractured, it’s created a lot of distance…and in that distance, things grow stale. Legally, functionally, positionally, there is still a husband and wife…but relationally, there is no friendship.

And in the same way, this is what we get used to in the church today - this may be exactly how you would articulate your relationship with Jesus - that you know something is there…you may even have the theological vocabulary to label it correctly, that Jesus is your Lord, your Savior…and yet…no friendship.

Friends, I think what we have to see here is that spiritual maturity is not measured by our attendance, activity, resume or record. It’s measured by our affections…

Spiritual maturity is friendship with Jesus.

Let me ask you…how many of us, if we’re really honest about it…how many of us can say along with Paul in v. 8 (Phil. 3:8a)

Philippians 3:8 (ESV)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...

Jump down to v. 10 (Phil. 3:10-11

Philippians 3:10–11 ESV

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Transition

How do we get there? If that’s maturity…what produces that?

Mimicking Maturity

We’ve already said the goal for us as followers of Jesus is not just to attend, serve, lead in the church…it’s friendship with Jesus. So how do we get there?

Look with me at v. 17 (Phil 3:17)

Philippians 3:17 ESV

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

That word for “imitate”, in the original language, which is Greek, not English, essentially means to mimic…in fact, it’s where we get the english word “mimic” from…it means to follow the pattern. It’s what Malachi was doing with me as as he followed my example, my pattern, of leaving my socks by my bed, right?

And this is not Paul being arrogant. In fact, he’s already said back in v 12 that in his pursuit of spiritual maturity, he is imperfect. He’s still very much a work in progress.

And yet he can still say, if you want to pursue this kind of Spiritual maturity, imitate me.

Paul says, in my own pursuit of spiritual maturity…in my own pursuit of friendship with Jesus…come and do what I do. Come take up my way of life…come be engaged in the kinds of activities I am engaged in…mimic maturity in mimicking me.

He says it this way in 1 Cor. 11:1.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

And I think this fills in more details about what exactly he is calling us to mimic - not just his lifestyle, but Jesus’ lifestyle.

In mimicking Paul, we are mimicking Jesus.

It is an invitation to a way of life that is not confined to Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights…but a way of life with a set of patterns and habits designed to cultivate friendship with Jesus — because that’s the goal! That’s spiritual maturity. That is what this whole thing is about.

Spiritual Disciplines

So what practices specifically do we mimic? What do we take on in our lives?

We talked a bit about this two weeks - but there is a long history of Followers of Jesus pouring over the pages of the New Testament and the life Jesus to see what he was regularly engaged in…to see how He organized his day…all so that we might mimic Him! And that lifestyle is what we commonly refer to today as Spiritual Disciplines.

These are the activities that Jesus himself regularly engaged in...

Prayer Rest Scripture Meditation Fasting Serving And we could add to that list, but these are just some of the ongoinog patterns and practices in Jesus’ life that Paul was mimicking and are therefore the same things he calls us to mimic in our own lives.

In practicing the dicsiplines there are elements of following Jesus that are caught that cannot simply be taught. You see, I can teach whole series on any one of these activities…we can spend our time going over everything the bible has to say about prayer and fasting…we could talk for hours about sabbath and rest, serving and everthing else...but unless you mimic Paul…unless you mimic Jesus in these practices, all you will be taught is a bunch of details about these topics. What won’t be caught, is the real friendship with Him that we’re actually looking for.

So What

Here’s what I want for you today.

Some of you are in that space we talked about earlier, where you are thuroughly disenchanted with Christianity. You’ve been disappointed. I’d invite you to consider this question this week…what version of Christianity have you caught over the years? Is it the formulatic, attend + serve + lead = you win? Or have you caught the real kind of friendship with Jesus?

Some of you are spiritual mature…who is mimicking you?

Some of you are here and you are not a follower of Jesus at all. Gospel. John 15:13

John 15:13 ESV

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

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