Maturity
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Though many of us have seen pictures of a huge eagle's nest high in the branches of a tree or in the crag of a cliff, few of us have gotten a glimpse inside. When a mother eagle builds her nest she starts with thorns, broken branches, sharp rocks, and a number of other items that seem entirely unsuitable for the project. But then she lines the nest with a thick padding of wool, feathers, and fur from animals she has killed, making it soft and comfortable for the eggs. By the time the growing birds reach flying age, the comfort of the nest and the luxury of free meals make them quite reluctant to leave. That's when the mother eagle begins "stirring up the nest." With her strong talons she begins pulling up the thick carpet of fur and feathers, bringing the sharp rocks and branches to the surface. As more of the bedding gets plucked up, the nest becomes more uncomfortable for the young eagles. Eventually, this and other urgings prompt the growing eagles to leave their once-comfortable abode and move on to more mature behavior. – Daily Bread
Today we are talking about Maturity. Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones writes, “Now…There are two telling signs of immaturity. Self-centeredness and Lack of Discernment.” One more time… Self-centeredness and Lack of Discernment.
Babies are extremely self-centered. They are cute, but clearly self-centered. They want what they want, when they want it, and they scream if they don’t get it. They don’t take into consideration that you are in the middle of something. Or doing something important. When you tell them that you will be there in a couple of seconds you have to finish your phone conversation with the President elect of the U.S….they just scream louder. What is more…They never say thanks ... they always take take take and take and never give give give anything.
Babies also lack discernment. They crawl on the floor and put anything they want to in their mouths... they don’t check the label, they don’t really look to see what it is and they don’t check to see if they are old enough to put it in their mouths, they don’t know what is best for them. They touch anything, they taste anything, they watch anything, they listen to anything. Not able to clearly discern what is good or bad for them concerning things around them.
Is this a lot like our church today? That’s kinda what I am seeing these days all around us. Lots of people and places that I reconnected with. Self-indulgent, Self-relying, Superficial and undiscerning Christianity. In many ways… clearly self-centered and undiscerning. Therefore, according to Jones, immature.
A Gallup poll stated that of the 22 million church going evangelicals, only 7 percent had taken any kind of evangelistic or discipleship training and only 2 percent had preached the gospel to another person... 2 percent? Why? Are we too self-centered to take time to learn about the kingdom of God that we will rule as a co-heir with Christ? Are we too self-centered to learn what it is to be a king or queen of the kingdom of heaven? Are we too self-centered to do what it takes to be a healthy mature disciple of Christ? Are we too undiscerning to know that this is an important piece of Christian ministry? Are we too undiscerning to know that this is an command of Christ? Are we too undiscerning to know or care that there are people dying and going to hell because we do not reach out to others with the gospel? Are we too immature to even call ourselves Christians? Trick question…
Why is it that we are failing so badly at accomplishing the commission that Jesus had given us? Immaturity. Christians that do not grow. Or Christians that may not even be Christians.
The immaturity of the church has caused pastors to become performers and the members of the church have become an audience .... giving its weekly critique as to whether it meets our felt needs or not. Like babies. It is said that we can always draw a crowd when we demand little and put on a good show... like undiscerning babies.
Bill Hull suggests in his book, “The Disciple Making Pastor.”
1. The church is weak in skills and weak in character...
2. The church lacks depth in both knowledge and experience...
Where immaturity shows the most is when the church is treated like consumers. And we are face to face with a severe secular epidemic in the church. We feed self-centeredness and we are undiscerning in being unaware that this is going to destroy our lives. This is gonna destroy the church. Mark Dever asserts that the thing destroying the church now, is Christians in the church who are not really Christians. And if they are, they are so immature that it’s hard to tell the difference.
Christians are not supposed to be treated like customers who are always right, but we are covenant members with a responsibility… taking responsibility for our part in building the kingdom of God, is a sign of maturity. Taking responsibility = Maturity. Irresponsible = Immaturity. Over time it’s become my definition.
Self becomes the center of life and the world and its commodities are in orbit around us ... and when they are not we need God to get them orbiting. And we do not realize cause we are undiscerning to know that this will destroy our lives. Self-centered and undiscerning. We get what we want, but we don’t know if it is good or bad for us.
Therefore, church goers will say that they believe that the ministry of the church is to meet their felt needs... just like parents are supposed to. And if I don’t know if something is good or bad, I’ll just call pastor Shane or Don or Steve. And because we are self-indulgent, self-centered and undiscerning, we will try and do anything to have our problems solved and our comfort level elevated, taste, touch, see, and hear anything and believe anything. Once again… Self-centered and undiscerning. We get what we want, but we don’t know if it is good or bad for us.
Today… know that Christ is calling us to grow up. To move on to maturity for ourselves and for each other. This is a good reminder for us all today. To grow as Disciples of Christ.
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.
It Is Required
It Is Good for Us
It is Good for Others
The Vine and Branches
Today as we go through our text, we will first look as to how, growing in maturity is not just a good idea, but required and commanded by our Lord for he calls us to make disciples. This should be enough for us to be motivated toward maturity. Second, we will look at how maturity is good for us as Christians. To die more and more to self and know the difference between right and almost right. Third, we will look at how our maturity is also for the benefit of others. Finally, we will see that our growth can only happen in Christ and with what he has given us to mature.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to remain in a state of immaturity for the benefit of the world, God is calling us to grow up, to move on to maturity for ourselves and for each others, growing in Christ by his means of grace and the power of the Spirit...remembering that he is the vine and we are the branches.
I. It Is Required
- Because the Lord commands us to grow and mature that should be enough reason to do so.
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Hebrews 6
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. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.
1 Corinthians
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.
A. We can go on and on about scriptures urging us toward maturity in the faith. This should be motivation enough for us to pursue all things that will bring us to maturity in the faith.
B. This is our scripture... he is exhorting the people who are struggling with hanging in there. We need to grow so that we can be strong. We get stronger when we grow. Good idea, yes. But it is actually required and that should be enough for us…right? And he gives us things so that we can grow.
C. God gave the Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to the church so that we can grow and mature... it’s real, he pulls men from all kinds of professions and dreams to be in the ministry. This is our purpose.
Colossians 4
Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God.
2 Peter 3:
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
1. Grow here in the Greek is an imperative... it is a command written by the Apostle Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is required and that should be enough.
2. He is directing us to make progress in our spiritual journey
3. John Calvin - He also exhorts us to make progress; for it is the only way of persevering, to make continual advances, and not to stand still in the middle of our journey; as though he had said, that they only would be safe who labored to make progress daily.
D. It is required and that should be enough to be motivated to grow in grace and knowledge.
II. It Is Good for Us
- No Longer Tossed To and Fro Between the Winds and Waves.
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
Ephesians 4:
A. I can remember Jeanine and I trying to get Sean when she was younger to come to us. She would say come and I would say come. Jeanine bribes with milk, then I show candy, she shows toy, I show another toy. She was swayed. Children can be swayed.
B. Immature Christians are tossed to and fro by waves of doctrine and moreover… Deceived by human trickery, by craftiness and deceitful scheming. Look at all the false doctrines and teachers today... we will believe anything… false prophets. If life is easier, then I’ll believe whatever you want. Forgetting that mature Christians would say… it’s not about an easier life, it’s about Christ being glorified.
C. If we want to stop being deceived, then we need to grow up. We want to stop being tossed into spiritual sea sickness. Then we need to grow up. Immaturity is all about take take take. Maturity is about give give give. It is good for us.
D. Maybe we don’t want to grow, maybe we don’t see it as important, maybe we don’t care... Well I can assure you, in the end we will care and it will be too late. It is good for us.
E. Sometimes we have messed up thinking... way too much going on in there. Maybe Lots of immaturity going on in there.
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.
You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
2 Peter 3:
F. It is imperative that we grow up. Peter also encourages us to be sober minded. Be discerning. For ourselves… not out of self-centeredness, but out of self-preservation. It is good for us.
G. We must grow in grace and knowledge of Christ. We cannot delay anymore. We do not know what tomorrow holds. Tomorrow is promised to no one. We cannot let the World tell us its ok to stay as we are. God calls us to grow up.
III. It is Good for Others
- Our Maturity will not just be a blessing for ourselves but for others as well.
A.
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
A. The whole body joined together... makes the body grow. We grow together for the benefit of us all. We need other people to grow. For our own good. But for their good. For our own good, but for their good. For our own good, but for their good.
B. We need each other, some may be more mature than others needing help encouragement, and teaching.
Titus 2:
Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.
C. We need to mature and we need the person next to you to mature as well. We need to help others, so that they don’t die on the stage like Mariah did last night. She needed a hero to come along with strength to carry on. But does it matter… or are we too self-centered to notice or care?
D. It’s like we need mature people in our lives... normally for guidance, support, encouragement, reproof, training, conversations, safety, protection, fill in the blank. In the same way, we need each other in the church. We need mature believers here in CBC... So we can mature as a body, as a family, as a church. For others!
IV. The Vine and Branches
- Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
A. Immaturity and “The customer is always right” mentality in the church is a simple result of deception combined with our own sin…deceived because we stay ignorant and controllable. But we like it because they meet our felt needs, but the problem is that our felt needs a sinful most of the time. Sin and deception.
B. Sin has and continues to infect us and our growth... This is part of our sanctification. Less like ourselves for ourselves and more and more like Christ for His glory.
C. We know we should be in Sunday School to grow in knowledge. We know we should be at Wednesday Night to grow in knowledge. We know Sunday morning worship to grow in grace and knowledge. But it is our self-centeredness and sin nature that shows us that there are things more important.
D. We suffer from Sin we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
E. Church we must grow, but we cannot grow apart from Christ... for it is only by being in Christ that we are able to bear fruit. Only in Christ that we will be able to grow in grace.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
F. Christ is calling us to him... this is why He came. To seek and save…
G. Jesus died for our sins and he was buried and he was raised…
H. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance ... that Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
I. He made a promise. We can grow in Him. He desires us to be united with him to grow in truth and to bear fruit in sanctification. It is in Christ that we grow. We do not grow by stretching and pumping us full of air. We eat healthy. It is the same with Christ. We hear the preaching of the Word, we are baptized, and we eat at the Table of the Lord. This is how we grow. We do not run to popular self-help seminars to grow… we run to Christ and Christ alone.
J. Christ is calling us to come to him. We may be weary. We may be lost. We may be in the dark. But the mature will find their way... find their way back to Christ. The way the truth and the life. He is the author and perfecter of our faith.