It's Time To Grow Up! Part Ii Series

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Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Pastor James May

IT’S TIME TO GROW UP – PART II

Last week we began to teach concerning the fact that there is such a great lack of spiritual maturity in the church and that this lack of spiritual maturity is the source of most of the turmoil that occurs within the church. We talked about the child like attitudes of many Christians that must be given time to grow and to change if we are ever going to accomplish the work that God has given to us.

Tonight I want to continue in that same vein of thought as we discuss the problem of spiritual immaturity a little further.

Looking together at the scriptures I want us to consider two separate passages where we will get the idea that most who never grow up spiritually will begin to act in similar fashion to babies in the nursery or to small children in the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes.

You cannot turn your back for long on small children. They are in need of constant monitoring and constant care for their own protection and for the good of the whole.

Likewise those who are Spiritually Immature need constant tutoring also.

Galatians 4:1-3, "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:"

Please understand that this is not necessarily a condemnation of those who are Spiritually Immature for all of us must grow in the Lord. Those who are newborn babes in Christ are expected to be spiritually immature but those who have been saved for any period of time should immediately begin to grow up.

Babies are cute, huggable and lovable but anyone who still acts like a baby after they have grown a few years are looked upon much differently. The older we get while still acting like a baby, the worse it becomes offensive. A new born baby sucking on a bottle is natural but a grown man with a beard and mustache who is still sucking a bottle certainly isn’t natural, in fact, it is downright foolishness.

To a certain extent we all have to go through the growth periods spiritually just as we must do in the flesh. No one ever becomes a man or woman by skipping the adolescent years between childhood and manhood. Sometimes we may wish we could skip those troublesome teenage years with their flights of fancy, mood swings, raging hormones and attitude problems but it simply can’t be done. Going through the rough times of the formative and learning years are an essential part of your life and they shape your character for many years to come.

Even so, there are far too many who choose to remain in the Primary Department instead of moving on to bigger, better and more mature things. Sad to say, many never come out of that Primary Department.

Hebrews 5:12-14, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Perhaps it would helpful for us to take a quick look at what types of behavior we find in the nursery and primary classes to see if there are spiritual and moral applications to our lives so that we avoid some of the mistakes and grow into the Spiritually Mature man or woman of God that He desires us to.