“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalm 103:1-5 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.103.1-5.ESV
Sermon message:
You can carry someone on your faith for awhile but then they’re going to have to extend their own faith and grow on their own faith.
Thesis: Growing to maturity.
Goal of become a fully functioning Christian with power.
Your age doesn’t matter; how much time you’ve been in church doesn’t matter either; it’s about how much you’ve spent time with Jesus and grown to be like Him.
Another note: gifts don’t correlate to maturity. You can be gifted and immature.
It’s all about how close you’ve grown close to Christ. How much you’ve spent time with Christ and grown in knowledge of Him.
2 Peter 3:18
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
The more knowledge we have about Jesus the more we mature.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
By grace = by Jesus Christ
The more we understand about Jesus Christ and fall in love with Him, we really get more mature and develop a better foundation under our feet.
Ephesians 2:9
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
If we get obsessed about the “hard work” we did we would lose any maturity we would’ve begun to have/develop.
Everything we need in order to mature is found in Jesus Christ and in the Word of God.
Point #1: Jesus is our example of maturity.
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Ask “what did Jesus do?”
Luke 2:52
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
We need to increase in wisdom and understanding.
Point #2: The Word of God nourished believers.
The Word of God nourishes believers with the nourishment needed at every stage.
1 Peter 2:2
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The above two passages: the word “may” is used. In the first, you “may” or “may not” grow depending on whether you desire and receive the pure milk of the Word. In the second, the devil “may” or “may not” devour you, depending on how close you are staying with God. In both cases, it is dependent on what you do, whether you receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord and choose to grow in faith and knowledge of Him, or whether you don’t.
Caution: don’t let condemnation bring you down on the next verse. It’s just conviction, not meant to be condemnation.
Hebrews 5:12
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
Sometimes we may need spiritual milk and not meat if your maturity isn’t there yet. But it’s an exhortation to mature.
Hebrews 5:13-14
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 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.
“Full age” - full age in Christ; mature in Christ.
Point #3: Signs that show you are maturing.
- One way is the presence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
Galatians 5:22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
- Another way is whether we are walking in the truth of the Word of God.
Be very accurate if/when you’re giving a testimony—don’t exaggerate it.
2 John 1:4
I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.
John 8:32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
- Another way is whether we are about our Heavenly Father’s business. The Great Commission. Witnessing.
Mark 16:15-16
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
- Another way is whether the words of our mouth speak life or death. Speaking faith or speaking unbelief. Confessing well or confessing poorly.
James 3:2-18
2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Closing Statements:
What you say with your mouth can sabotage your growth and efforts in maturity.
By the grace of God we can choose to confess well and quit confessing poorly. We cannot do it on our own. But we can do it on God’s strength.
Wisdom from above is first pure, peace loving, always gentle, wiling to yield to others, full of mercy, full of good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
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