Being a Maturing People [How to Grow in the Christian Life]

Sermon Series: Biblical Ways of Being
1 Peter 2:1-3; 3:18; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-16

January 20, 2008

Manuscript

Main Idea: Maturing in Christ is a process that follows specific strategies that increase understanding of God’s purposes and the disciplines that root out destructive behaviors to replace them with constructive ones.

Introduction

Here’s a definition of a Christian that you can mull over during your quiet time. A Christian is a person who has made the heart decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ and through that commitment develop a personal relationship with God and become a participant in his purposes. This morning we’re going to talk about how the Christian’s growth process takes place. It will be an overview of the total rather than delving into one or two areas in-depth. A synonym for the verb “maturing” is “developing”. We will explore ways a Christian can develop in their personal lives and walk with Christ so that we can effectively partner with him in his work in the world.

In contrast to the growth of an animal or human being that comes somewhat automatically, the Christian’s growth requires active engagement by the individual. We don’t simply grow because we have placed our faith in Christ. Growth in Christ requires our participation. Two weeks ago, Pastor Brian called for us to be committed and dependable people. We can’t mature as Christians if we waffle on our commitments, if we aren’t people who are trustworthy. Last week he spoke about the most destructive element that has undermined the church for more than 2,000 years: disunity because of special interest factions and plays for power. No one can hope for or claim spiritual maturity that functions like a termite, eating away the very foundation of the church.

Peter gives us two clear statements related to our responsibility for spiritual growth.

2 Peter 3:18 is a command: warning us about treacherous forces that seek to undermine Christian commitment, he states “you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The weight of responsibility is not on God to do something, but on our initiative. We are to get at growing. God will do his part and we will underscore that crucial point; he never fails; we do.

1 Peter 2:1-3 reads: “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”

Here Peter says we are to take action to stop some behaviors and to crave pure spiritual milk. We do the craving. That leads to the question if a person doesn’t cry out for spiritual nourishment, is he or she in fact newborn babies? Coming to church doesn’t bring the new birth. To repeat our definition, a Christian is a person who has made the heart decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ and through that commitment develop a personal relationship with God and become a participant in his purposes.

Specific strategies for spiritual growth include:

Choose to Begin the Journey (John 3:7)

Jesus told the religious leader, Nicodemus: “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

The first step necessary before a person can begin to mature in Christ is to become a Christian. How does that happen? Again, in contrast with human birth, a person chooses to be born into God’s family. We choose to acknowledge we are sinners under God’s judgment, that no amount of good deeds will offset the reality of our sin, and that the only Savior is Jesus. We confess our need of him and ask him to come into our lives and be our Savior. When a person takes those actions, the Bible says he or she is born from above or born into God’s family. If you haven’t done so, there is nothing to develop or grow. Repentance and faith are actions we take, not what God does for us. However, [this point is crucially important for us to get hold of] as in every aspect of the Christian’s life, when God tells us what he wants us to do, he knows our weakness. That is why he has given the Holy Spirit to live in these bodies of ours to empower us to be what he wants us to be. In this first step of coming to Christ, the Holy Spirit is the one who actively works in our hearts pointing out the need of a Savior and then prods us to take the necessary steps. God will do his part. The second step in maturing in Christ is…

Personally Surrender to Jesus as Lord (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:18)

Most often after our decision to become followers of Jesus, we come to a place where we realize we’re hybrids: part of us is for the Lord, and part of us is not. A teeter-totter life of up and down characterizes our Christian life. The Holy Spirit points out aspects of our lives where we don’t want God to intrude. That leads to a second basic decision in Christian development: a choice to surrender every part of our lives to the Lord; namely our minds, our wills for the decisions we make every day, our emotions for what we choose to love or dislike, our money, our business and vocational or professional goals, our children, and our bodies and its drives. Then we invite the Holy Spirit to control us and begin living Jesus’ life in us.

Romans 12:1-2 read: “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

The grammar of this statement indicates it is a decisive choice, not something that simply happens as life goes on from day to day. I deliberately give my body to God and I don’t copy the behavior and customs of the soaps and MTV or what culture tells me I ought to do.

Ephesians 5:18 challenges us to not “be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Christian is to ask the Holy Spirit to take control of every area of life surrendered to Jesus as the leader, as Lord. This is something we do. The Spirit waits to be invited to do his ministry as our guide, teacher, and enabler. He brings to us the character of Jesus. He enables us to obey the Bible’s commands to stop destructive patterns of behavior and replace them with wholesome behaviors that bring us to full development. Part of the Spirit-controlled life is corporate worship where we sing our psalms, hymns and spiritual songs and make music to the Lord in our hearts. It is a life characterized by constant thankfulness to God.

Another specific strategy for spiritual growth:

Determine to obey what God tells you to do

Pastors have a role in this part of the process.

Ephesians 4:11-16 read: 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.

This is why Church of the Foothills systematically teaches the Bible. The Christian is built up and equipped to serve God and humanity as they understand God’s purposes as he has clearly stated them in his Word. The Bible is the only source that tells us how God designed life to work. It often counters contemporary thought. The Bible is not myth. The Bible is not the product of opium intoxicated dreamers or fiction writers. Rather, “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

Our adult Sunday seminars are geared to provide Bible knowledge and growth in skills of Christian service and life. This quarter Discovering Where You Fit in God’s Kingdom is specifically designed to help a person get plugged into Church of the Foothills by finding how God has hard-wired them to serve him. That meets at 9:30. Also at 9:30 in 207-208 is an on-going systematic study of a book of the Bible and currently they are in Proverbs. The Way of the Master meets at 11 and provides training in engaging people in a conversation about Christ. Basic Theme of the Bible introduces an overview of creation, sin, salvation, sanctification and community.

What does the Bible say about specific behavior and life-style? Let’s continue in Ephesians 4:17 to the end.

With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Our models are not Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan or Kevin Federline. Paul invited people to copy him. You ought to identify some godly people who follow Jesus and determine to be that kind of person, not some self-centered celebrity.

So stop telling lies…. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” If you are a thief, quit stealing…. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

There’s a trunk full of specifics. The metaphor used is that of changing from some dirty clothes to a new wardrobe. Now that should resonate. It will plug some good numbers into the retail sector. A friend I worked with went through a doctor-monitored rigorous diet to lose a large amount of weight, for he had a lot of weight to lose. Sounds like the New Year, doesn’t it? The bottom line was he had to go out and buy a new wardrobe. God wants his new children to get rid of an old batch of behaviors and put on a new set.

In Colossians 3:5-10, Paul wrote: “Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

What do you need to get rid of? Do you still have some old clothes hanging in the closet of your life that you need to throw out? In Philippians 2:15 Paul wrote, “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”

To live clean, obedient lives means there is no place for “everybody does it.” There is no place for cheating on our income taxes, or stealing company equipment, even if it’s a pencil. White lies, dirty language, sleeping around, getting high on a chemical, internet pornography, or slick magazines, listening to vulgar rap have no place in the life of a Christian who wants to mature in Christ.

Paul explicitly stated this in 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 3-5: “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more…. God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.”

Practice Spiritual Breathing

1 John 1:9 is a key verse for all Christians: “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Spiritual breathing involves inhaling and exhaling. Exhaling is confessing our sins as soon as we are aware of our actions. The Holy Spirit is always faithful to let us know when we’ve wronged the Lord. No rationalizing or excusing; acknowledge the sin, ask God to forgive you. That’s exhaling. Then, inhale, and that is ask the Holy Spirit to once again take control of your reactions and interactions, your behavior.

Practice disciplines that will produce spiritual growth

There are several things a person can do that will enable them to develop in Christ-likeness.

Prayer

Paul’s prayer Colossians 1:9-10: “We have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”

If Paul were here, that’s how he would pray for us. If you engaged him in personal conversation, those are the things he would ask God to do in your heart. That’s how we ought to pray.

Jesus’ prayer John 17:17: “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”

Interaction with the Bible. James tells us to not only hear the Word but do it. The Alliance has seven stated values. One reads: “Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.” Joshua 1:8: “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

We come to church as sermon-tasters to check out whether the pastor is hitting on all eight or if he’s limping along on four cylinders. To grow in Christ, we’ve got to point the finger at ourselves. A powerful helper in this is to enter a program of memorization. Scripture memory is a key part of the AWANA program. I earned my first Bible in the 4th grade through memorizing verses. It isn’t a kid’s game. It’s for all of us. Psalm 119:9, 11: “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Learn to be silent and listen to God

Isaiah (30:15) cited God’s complaint against his people who turned first to their own political savvy instead of to the Lord: “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.”

We are in a crazy, amped up, running nuts life-style sustained by caffeine. Some people can’t bear to slow down. They can’t stand silence. The front cover of the Life section of Monday’s (Jan 14, 08) USA Today had an article, “Spiritual growth nurtured within.” The subtitle: “Religious or not, Americans focus on their inner lives as a path to God or a shelter from the 24/7 storm.” The first of four strategies listed was “taking time for quiet and solitude.” That is a practice that is deep in the Bible. Tied to that was grounding spiritual growth in the support of community, which is contrary to the idea that I don’t need anybody else. I can talk to God in the woods. True, but I’m not going to make it and thrive if I’m not connected with others. That’s why we emphasize so strongly the need to become a part of one of our home fellowship groups.

Application

Here are some questions as we wrap up our time:

Are you a Christian? Have you made a heart decision to commit your life to follow Jesus Christ? That is quite different than asking have you prayed a prayer to ask Jesus to forgive you and take you to heaven.
Have you surrendered everything to Jesus to be the leader, the boss, the Lord of your life?
Have you invited the Holy Spirit to take control of the things you have given to the Lord and to live in you the life and character of Jesus?
How often do you pray, read and think about the Bible and memorize key passages to sustain you and help you grow?
Do you ever take a deep breath of silence to listen to God or is it only a one-way conversation?