Message 9: A New Maturity
Renowned Christian pollster George Barna, writing in his new book Revolution, makes this bold statement about the future of Christians in America:
“There is an explosion of spiritual energy and activity we are calling the Revolution – an unprecedented reengineering of America’s faith dimension that is like to be the most significant transition in the religious landscape that you will ever experience.” – George Barna; Revolution
Authors Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch in their book The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church, write:
“This is a time when the need for, and relevance of, the gospel has seldom been greater, but the relevance of the church has seldom been less. If ever there was a time for innovative missionary effort in the West, it is now.” – Michael Frost, Alan Hirsch; The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church
James Rutz’ book Mega Shift, which details the exciting new ways God is working world-wide, says:
“Thousand of committed teams around the world are producing a new culture of responsible freedom. This is the next step up from Protestantism, though the beliefs remain the same. It is a joyful megashift away from pastor-centered, spectator religion toward a more Biblical church where God works directly through you – and you are freed from your problems and empowered to do wonders.” – James Rutz; Mega Shift
All over the world, God is raising up a generation of new Christians who are serious about become SPIRITUALLY MATURE.
For example… In the village of Mundee, India lives a young Christian man named Haroon who is becoming spiritually mature. Also living in that village is a 45 year old woman named Kulawati. Kulawati became demonized over three years ago. Her family and friends tried gurus, psychiatrists and witch doctors – no one could help her in the least.
After several months of this, Kulawati grew worse. She started crawling on all fours, eating nothing but grass, hay and weeds – by the basketful. Someone in the village got the idea – take her to the young Christian man. And they did. When Kulawati saw Haroon, she charged at him like a wild bull and had to be restrained by three large men. The startled Haroon assessed the situation and said: “I’ll be back in three days.” and left. Haroon went home and prayed and fasted for three days. At the end of the third day, he returned to where the demonized woman was being kept.
The entire village came to watch. He quickly cast out the demons. Kulawati returned to her right mind, and the entire village came to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
That is spiritual maturity.
Look at Ephesians 4:11-
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:11-15
It is God’s will that you become spiritually mature. And it seems to me, that we’d better get at it.
Now, I want to talk with you about how. Turn over to Luke 8:4
“While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:4-15
In this parable of Jesus, I see four very clear responses that lead to spiritual maturity:
To become spiritually mature… you gotta…
1. FIGHT for your life! (Spiritual Warfare) Luke 8:5, 12 (Path)
In verse 5 & 12 we hear Jesus say: “As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up… The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”
God plants His word in your heart. And Satan does everything he can to yank it out!
Becoming spiritually mature requires that we not only accept that spiritual warfare is normal, but that we learn to FIGHT with God’s weapons. We are going to start studying spiritual warfare in just a couple of weeks on Sunday mornings.
In the meantime, if you are going to become spiritually mature, you’ve got to accept the facts of life: You have an enemy who is out to destroy you.
In Jesus’ parable, did you notice the condition of the dirt that the seed landed on? HARDENED PATH. Do you know why the path is hard? Because this is the one that most people take. They many hear the gospel, but they don’t let it penetrate them and they are easy prey for Satan.
If you are going to grow spiritually, you’ve got to let God soften your heart. Just as a farmer plows the hard ground after the cold winter, your heart needs softening. But, here’s the great thing: God promises that if you’ll keep coming to Him in faith…
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
God takes out the old and replaces it with something new and beautiful! And we know from the account of the creation in Genesis that everything God makes is GOOD.
Yet another reason to get into the battle – God has made your heart good! That’s why Proverbs 4:23 says…
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23
Do you want to grow spiritually? Do you truly desire to become fully mature in Christ? Then learn how to fight for your life!
Here’s a second thing that Jesus’ parable teaches us: The Spiritually Mature… take a…
2. FIRM STANCE in times of testing! (Spiritual DEVELOPMENT) Luke 8:6, 13 (Rocky Soil)
Verse 6 & 13 say… “Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture… Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” V. 6 & 13
This probably breaks my heart more than anything: A person or family come along, discover Christ, start growing – and then TROUBLES hit. Instead of hanging on to Christ, and letting Him come through for them, they GIVE UP.
It’s time for the spiritually mature to view trials, testing and troubles differently. Two reasons we need to think differently
1. Because we know we are at war
2. Because God uses trials, testing and troubles to develop us as spiritual people.
In James 1 we read…
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:2-5
I know this is a hard truth – but it is truth nonetheless: When you a going through hard times – God will use those hard time to create spiritual maturing in you!
James say: “Consider it pure joy…”
So, the spiritually maturing person encounters trouble – and He starts looking for God to show up! God is going to show up so that He can help you grow up!
So, take a firm stance – don’t get blown over by the winds of temporary troubles! Take a firm stance, ride the earthquakes of life…
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
There is a third vital truth Jesus teaches in this parable…The Spiritually Mature Keep themselves…
3. FOCUSED on God’s Kingdom! (Spiritual FOCUS) Luke 8:7, 14 (Thorns)
“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants… The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” V. 7, 14
When I was a photographer, I made sure that the most important elements in a photograph were in sharp focus. There is something called “depth of field” which refers to how much of the image – from front to back is in sharp focus. If I wanted to make one particular element of the composition stand out, I would open up my lens which would make everything in front of and behind that element fall out of focus, causing the main element to leap out in sharpness.
If one could create a photograph of everything in all of creation – the camera lens would not be focused on you. Or me. God is the focal point of all creation! His Kingdom is what life is about. He is the center of all things.
Now in our lives, there are a number of things competing for our focus. Jesus says that focusing on worries, possessions and pleasures create immaturity. They are thorns that block your view of what is really important.
Maturing Christians focus on God and His Kingdom.
You may be a student, or a worker or a business owner – but what really matters in life is that you do what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33…
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33
You cannot become mature, so long as you life is out of focus. You will live for a period of time on this earth, and then you will enter into eternity. This life is preparation for eternity. Prepare well. Focus on what lasts. Focus on what matters.
And lastly, the parable of the seed teaches us that… Over time the Good Soil of…
4. FAITHFULNESS produces maturity. (Spiritual TRANSFORMATION) Luke 8:8, 15 (Good Soil)
“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown… But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” V. 8, 15
Spiritual maturity requires spiritual transformation. You cannot stay the way you are today and expect to be spiritually mature tomorrow. Just as a seed goes into the ground and is changed into a plant, which then blossoms and produces fruit – so you must be willing to undergo transformation.
Jesus said in John 12 that…
"…unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:24.
The Seed of God came into the ground of this world – and died. Christ came to earth and died. In dying, He produced a new seed – the Gospel. The Gospel goes into your life and changes you.
By faithfully following Christ over an extended period of time, He faithfully transforms your life. We must remain faithful to Him over the long haul of life. Good times and bad times. Easy times and hard time. Exciting times and boring time.
Jesus said…
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit…” John 15:5
Christ calls us to remain faithful. Maturity comes as a result of faithfulness. And with maturity comes results. Jesus says: “a hundred times more than was sown…”
If you could put money into an investment that guaranteed a return of 100 times over – you’d sink every dollar, every quarter, every dime, every nickel and every penny you could find in that!
Christ promises – you live your life faithful unto me – you remain each and every day – fully devoted to Christ – and He will give you a return of 100 fold!
I need this kind of return in my life. As do you.
It is God’s will that you become spiritually mature. In this parable, He shows you how. Now, the question remains: Will you?
The world desperately needs to see Christ lived out in our lives! The day is over when people will come to church – the church must go to them! And what do we offer? LIFE! And how do we show them? Through our CHANGED LIVES.
“There is an explosion of spiritual energy and activity we are calling the Revolution – an unprecedented reengineering of America’s faith dimension that is like to be the most significant transition in the religious landscape that you will ever experience.” – George Barna; Revolution
Authors Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch in their book The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church, write:
“This is a time when the need for, and relevance of, the gospel has seldom been greater, but the relevance of the church has seldom been less. If ever there was a time for innovative missionary effort in the West, it is now.” – Michael Frost, Alan Hirsch; The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church
James Rutz’ book Mega Shift, which details the exciting new ways God is working world-wide, says:
“Thousand of committed teams around the world are producing a new culture of responsible freedom. This is the next step up from Protestantism, though the beliefs remain the same. It is a joyful megashift away from pastor-centered, spectator religion toward a more Biblical church where God works directly through you – and you are freed from your problems and empowered to do wonders.” – James Rutz; Mega Shift
All over the world, God is raising up a generation of new Christians who are serious about become SPIRITUALLY MATURE.
For example… In the village of Mundee, India lives a young Christian man named Haroon who is becoming spiritually mature. Also living in that village is a 45 year old woman named Kulawati. Kulawati became demonized over three years ago. Her family and friends tried gurus, psychiatrists and witch doctors – no one could help her in the least.
After several months of this, Kulawati grew worse. She started crawling on all fours, eating nothing but grass, hay and weeds – by the basketful. Someone in the village got the idea – take her to the young Christian man. And they did. When Kulawati saw Haroon, she charged at him like a wild bull and had to be restrained by three large men. The startled Haroon assessed the situation and said: “I’ll be back in three days.” and left. Haroon went home and prayed and fasted for three days. At the end of the third day, he returned to where the demonized woman was being kept.
The entire village came to watch. He quickly cast out the demons. Kulawati returned to her right mind, and the entire village came to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
That is spiritual maturity.
Look at Ephesians 4:11-
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:11-15
It is God’s will that you become spiritually mature. And it seems to me, that we’d better get at it.
Now, I want to talk with you about how. Turn over to Luke 8:4
“While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:4-15
In this parable of Jesus, I see four very clear responses that lead to spiritual maturity:
To become spiritually mature… you gotta…
1. FIGHT for your life! (Spiritual Warfare) Luke 8:5, 12 (Path)
In verse 5 & 12 we hear Jesus say: “As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up… The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”
God plants His word in your heart. And Satan does everything he can to yank it out!
Becoming spiritually mature requires that we not only accept that spiritual warfare is normal, but that we learn to FIGHT with God’s weapons. We are going to start studying spiritual warfare in just a couple of weeks on Sunday mornings.
In the meantime, if you are going to become spiritually mature, you’ve got to accept the facts of life: You have an enemy who is out to destroy you.
In Jesus’ parable, did you notice the condition of the dirt that the seed landed on? HARDENED PATH. Do you know why the path is hard? Because this is the one that most people take. They many hear the gospel, but they don’t let it penetrate them and they are easy prey for Satan.
If you are going to grow spiritually, you’ve got to let God soften your heart. Just as a farmer plows the hard ground after the cold winter, your heart needs softening. But, here’s the great thing: God promises that if you’ll keep coming to Him in faith…
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
God takes out the old and replaces it with something new and beautiful! And we know from the account of the creation in Genesis that everything God makes is GOOD.
Yet another reason to get into the battle – God has made your heart good! That’s why Proverbs 4:23 says…
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23
Do you want to grow spiritually? Do you truly desire to become fully mature in Christ? Then learn how to fight for your life!
Here’s a second thing that Jesus’ parable teaches us: The Spiritually Mature… take a…
2. FIRM STANCE in times of testing! (Spiritual DEVELOPMENT) Luke 8:6, 13 (Rocky Soil)
Verse 6 & 13 say… “Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture… Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” V. 6 & 13
This probably breaks my heart more than anything: A person or family come along, discover Christ, start growing – and then TROUBLES hit. Instead of hanging on to Christ, and letting Him come through for them, they GIVE UP.
It’s time for the spiritually mature to view trials, testing and troubles differently. Two reasons we need to think differently
1. Because we know we are at war
2. Because God uses trials, testing and troubles to develop us as spiritual people.
In James 1 we read…
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:2-5
I know this is a hard truth – but it is truth nonetheless: When you a going through hard times – God will use those hard time to create spiritual maturing in you!
James say: “Consider it pure joy…”
So, the spiritually maturing person encounters trouble – and He starts looking for God to show up! God is going to show up so that He can help you grow up!
So, take a firm stance – don’t get blown over by the winds of temporary troubles! Take a firm stance, ride the earthquakes of life…
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
There is a third vital truth Jesus teaches in this parable…The Spiritually Mature Keep themselves…
3. FOCUSED on God’s Kingdom! (Spiritual FOCUS) Luke 8:7, 14 (Thorns)
“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants… The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” V. 7, 14
When I was a photographer, I made sure that the most important elements in a photograph were in sharp focus. There is something called “depth of field” which refers to how much of the image – from front to back is in sharp focus. If I wanted to make one particular element of the composition stand out, I would open up my lens which would make everything in front of and behind that element fall out of focus, causing the main element to leap out in sharpness.
If one could create a photograph of everything in all of creation – the camera lens would not be focused on you. Or me. God is the focal point of all creation! His Kingdom is what life is about. He is the center of all things.
Now in our lives, there are a number of things competing for our focus. Jesus says that focusing on worries, possessions and pleasures create immaturity. They are thorns that block your view of what is really important.
Maturing Christians focus on God and His Kingdom.
You may be a student, or a worker or a business owner – but what really matters in life is that you do what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33…
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33
You cannot become mature, so long as you life is out of focus. You will live for a period of time on this earth, and then you will enter into eternity. This life is preparation for eternity. Prepare well. Focus on what lasts. Focus on what matters.
And lastly, the parable of the seed teaches us that… Over time the Good Soil of…
4. FAITHFULNESS produces maturity. (Spiritual TRANSFORMATION) Luke 8:8, 15 (Good Soil)
“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown… But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” V. 8, 15
Spiritual maturity requires spiritual transformation. You cannot stay the way you are today and expect to be spiritually mature tomorrow. Just as a seed goes into the ground and is changed into a plant, which then blossoms and produces fruit – so you must be willing to undergo transformation.
Jesus said in John 12 that…
"…unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:24.
The Seed of God came into the ground of this world – and died. Christ came to earth and died. In dying, He produced a new seed – the Gospel. The Gospel goes into your life and changes you.
By faithfully following Christ over an extended period of time, He faithfully transforms your life. We must remain faithful to Him over the long haul of life. Good times and bad times. Easy times and hard time. Exciting times and boring time.
Jesus said…
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit…” John 15:5
Christ calls us to remain faithful. Maturity comes as a result of faithfulness. And with maturity comes results. Jesus says: “a hundred times more than was sown…”
If you could put money into an investment that guaranteed a return of 100 times over – you’d sink every dollar, every quarter, every dime, every nickel and every penny you could find in that!
Christ promises – you live your life faithful unto me – you remain each and every day – fully devoted to Christ – and He will give you a return of 100 fold!
I need this kind of return in my life. As do you.
It is God’s will that you become spiritually mature. In this parable, He shows you how. Now, the question remains: Will you?
The world desperately needs to see Christ lived out in our lives! The day is over when people will come to church – the church must go to them! And what do we offer? LIFE! And how do we show them? Through our CHANGED LIVES.
posted by Doug Love at 7:28 AM
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