Let Us Mature Series

#2

"LET US MATURE"

TEXT: Heb. 5:7-6:3

INTRO: There has been a dramatic shift in our society over the past generation.

We have gone from a sense of duty and responsibility to a demand for services

and entertainment. The society around us has put great emphasis on "how do

you feel?" as being more important that "what should we do?" Our society has

turned inward rather than outward, a reflection of self absorption and

immaturity.

It is tragic, but the Church can reflect society all too much. Probably the

weakness of Churches today is that they fail to challenge those Christians in

the congregation to move on to maturity. If we are not careful we will strive

to make people HAPPY rather than make them HOLY, that we will make them

FEEL GOOD rather than make them FAITHFUL and GODLY. We must be

careful not to encourage just EXCITEMENT and avoid EDUCATION spiritually.

ILLUS: The story is told about an old American Indian who attended a church service one Sunday morning. The preacher’s message lacked real spiritual food, so he did a lot of shouting and pulpit pounding to cover up his lack of preparation. In fact, as it is sometimes said, he "preached up quite a storm." After the service, someone asked the Indian, who was a Christian, what he thought of the minister’s message. Thinking for a moment, he summed up his opinion in six words: "High wind. Big thunder. No rain." Yes, when the Scriptures are neglected, there is "no rain." Only when preaching is based on God’s Word ard His people are challenged to respond and be responsible to that Word are they blessed and refreshed.

Excitement, feeling good, even entertainment can certainly be a part of our

experience as a Christian, but it must not be a substitute for spiritual maturity.

While there is an appropriate time to be immature as a Christian, we must not

stay in such a state. If we had our Children never physically mature after

several years after their birth we would take them to a doctor to see what is

wrong, if our children never matured emotionally we would take them to a

counselor, why is it we will ignore the lack of spiritual maturity in our lives?

PROP. SENT: The Bible clearly teaches us that Christ wants us to move toward a

mature walk with God, it is not enough to just get saved and wait for the rapture

of the Church, growth should be a normal part of our walk with God.

I. THE MATURE WALK 5:7-10

A. Servanthood 5:7

1. Christ is the perfect example of maturity, but it is interesting to read here

that even He "learned obedience"....growth came through being stretched!

a. The obvious statements here have to do with "serving"

b. Maturity is a process of taking the focus off ourselves and putting it on

others.

2. How do we mature?

a. Jesus was a student of the Scriptures

b. Jesus was not ruled by emotions, He did not avoid them either!

c. Jesus’ focus was not His own needs, but those of others

d. Jesus’ motivation was not from how He would benefit, it was motivated

by His love for others and His duty to His heavenly Father.

ILLUS: A hospital visitor saw a nurse tending to the sores of a leprosy patient, and said, "I’d never do that for a million dollars!" The nurse answered, "Neither would I., but I do it for Jesus for nothing."

3. The writer here first gives us a picture of Jesus so that when he makes the

statement that they needed to move on to maturity they would know what

that means!

a. Jesus sets for us the emphasis for growing spiritually

b. His focus is outward, what He can do to minister....servants in the Kingdom of God are those who are growing.

c. Those who never serve rarely grow spiritually!

4. Jesus’ focus on His disciples was similar, while He did teach them, He also

washed their feet and served and called them to do the same.

a. teaching without connected responsibilities leads to intellectual arrogance.

b. Even our school systems are becoming aware of this principle, many of

them have included community service as a requirement for graduation.

c. there must be a connection between what we know and what we do!

(1. too many times some of the most difficult Christians to deal with are those who like to argue Scripture but don’t have their own life together!

(2. The Pharisees were great theologians and had command of large portions of Scripture, but Jesus said they made their disciples

"twice the son of Hell" as they were (Matt. 23:15) Their prayers and

their service was done to be seen of men, not out of service to God!