Becoming a Growing Christian
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Would you take God’s Holy Word this morning and turn with me to 1 John and if you’re new in the Bible, that's back towards the end of the Bible.
1 John 2…and in a moment we’re going to read from there.
But first if you would look up here and let me ask you a question.
And answer it silently, but answer if honestly.
Are you a growing Christian?
Are you a growing Christian?
Do you love and know the Lord Jesus Christ better than you did last year or last week?
There are some people who are saved and a Christian but they are not growing.
They are not like a tree, they are like a stump…a stick in the mud, and they aren’t growing.
Now, you ought to be a growing Christian.
And you will never know the kind of victory that you ought to know and the kind of joy that you may have unless you learn to be a growing Christian.
Now, when I’m talking about growing Christians, I’m talking about maturity, maturity.
You grow on toward maturity. You can be young only once, but you can be immature for a long, long time.
You can be 40, 50, 60 plus years of age and still be spiritually immature.
Now the Bible says in Hebrews 6:1 that we are to go on toward maturity.
1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
So I want to talk to you about “Becoming a Growing Christian.”
There is not a person in this sanctuary that does not need this message, and that includes even myself. Because no one has yet arrived.
So if you want like to get a pencil and paper you may want to write these things down.
Now let me tell you, first of all, what maturity is spiritually and what it is not.
You can be spiritually healthy and not mature.
A five year old child can be more healthy than a 50 year old man, but that child is not mature.
Now, if you’re a newborn babe in Christ and you’re rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re healthy.
But that does not mean that you do not need to go on and mature.
Look, you can be gifted and not mature. As a matter of fact, if you’re gifted and not mature, you may get yourself and others in a mess.
The Corinthian Church, one of most carnal churches, the apostle Paul said to them, “You come behind in no gift” (1 Cor. 1:7)
They were gifted, but they were immature. God gifts all His children, you can be gifted but not mature.
So What is maturity?
Let me just give it to you in a simple sentence. Don’t forget this now.
Maturity is Christ-Likeness
Maturity is being like Jesus.
The apostle Paul said in Eph. 4:13
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Now that word PERFECT means MATURE. It doesn’t mean sinless.
So what I want us to do this morning is take a closer look at 1 John 2:12-14 and see how we are to become a growing Christian
12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.
In this passage we see the Mark of Maturity
Mark of Maturity
Mark of Maturity
One of the marks of maturity is how it all begins, a little child. You must be born again to become a little babe in Christ, but what happens when a person becomes a brand new believer in Christ…
The Thrilling Wonders of Childhood
The Thrilling Wonders of Childhood
They are thrilled and in wonder about their new life that has been given. All this are new and wonderful. Look again at 1 John 2:12...
12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
Children live in the realm of feelings.
Little children are wonderful, but we don’t want them to stay little children.
They are lazy.
They’re rude.
They’re selfish.
They’re uncooperative.
Babes in Christ can become the very same thing. It can become all about them. If you stay a baby you continue to act like a baby. We see this kind of behavior in the physical world, babies act like babies don’t they. Well, it is also true in the spiritual since, spiritual babies can act like spiritual babies.
We also see another mark of maturity in the passage.
The Triumphant Warfare of Manhood
The Triumphant Warfare of Manhood
1 John 2:13 and 14
The New King James Version Chapter 2
I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.
The New King James Version Chapter 2
I have written to you, young men,
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.
Growing in Christ is to become like Christ through abiding in the Word of God, that is what strengthens you causes you to grow and cause you to become overcomers of the wicked one.
It leads into the ministries of Christ’s work within the church body as well outside of these walls to face the challenges of being a witness of Christ will new boldness and strength to share and proclaim to all what Christ has truly done for you.
Can you say that you are or even becoming a worker and a warrior of God?
Thank God for the workers in our church.
The devil doesn’t want you to be strong. He doesn’t want you to be a worker and a warrior.
The third mark of maturity we see from this mornings text is this...
The Tested Wisdom of Fatherhood
The Tested Wisdom of Fatherhood
1 John 2:13-14
The New King James Version Chapter 2
I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning
The goal of my life and your life is to be Christ-like, which is really to be like God the Father.
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Fatherhood here symbolizes the goal of spiritual growth. You are not to remain as a little child, nor are you to remain as a young man, you are to continue to grow in all wisdom and understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember, growth/maturity is to become like Christ. To have the mind of Christ.
What do fathers do?
Fathers…Reproduce through soul winning and discipleship.
Provide for others.
Have wisdom.
As you mature you do not:
Substitute fatherhood for young manhood.
Substitute young manhood for childhood.
All three are legitimate and fatherhood is a composite of them all.
Fatherhood has the zeal and vision of young manhood.
Young manhood has the wonder of childhood.
You don’t progress from one stage to the next, you add one stage into the previous.
Now, is there any Biblical character to help us understand what this kind of growth/maturity looks like, and yes there is, in fact this same John The apostle John wrote this Scripture can be a very good example.
John could be selfish and mean like a child.
17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
John was a mean old cus. His nick name was Son of Thunder...
No only that John was started off as being selfish and self centered.
37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
John could be prejudiced.
54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
John could be intolerant.
49 Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”
50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”
John grew under the discipleship of Jesus. And as John grew under Jesus’ authority he began to transform.
John is no longer selfish and mean.
23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John is no longer prejudiced.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
John is no longer intolerant.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Now we have looked at what the marks of maturity look like let me briefly tell you what the means of maturity look like.
THE MEANS OF MATURITY
1. There must be the miracle of life.
You can’t begin to grow until you have life.
You have to get saved.
You have to receive Jesus.
2. There must be the passing of time. (It takes time to grow)
There is no instant maturity.
You’re not going to be mature overnight.
3. Growth requires nourishment.
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
You’re going to have to feed on the Word of God.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
4. Growth demands the discipline of exercise.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
You must exercise your spiritual senses just as you exercise your physical body.
Most Christians are spiritually flabby because they have no vitality from a lack of exercise.
CONCLUSION
It takes life to grow.
It takes time to grow.
It takes nourishment to grow.
It takes exercise to grow.
Bow your heads and close your eyes....
Now those of you here this morning who have life in Christ let me ask you something...
Are you a growing a Christian? Are you actively growing in Christ and in His Word. Pray right now, Lord help me to grow, write this message on my heart I want to be growing a Christian.
Now those of you who know deep down inside that you have never come to faith in Christ nor have recieved new life in Him. Can I ask you this morning, Do you want to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Because you can.
You can pray to Him today by asking Him to come into your life.
Call upon Jesus today.
Repent (turn) from your sins, and turn to Jesus.
Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and acknowledge Him as Lord of your life.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
If you want to place your faith in Christ this morning and repent of your sins pray this prayer to Him
Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins, I turn to you, the only one who can save me, forgive me and receive me. By faith in your alone I come crying out for your mercies. Take my life, My heart, My mind, my soul and my all. Be my Lord and thank you for being my Savior…Amen.