Intro: I often reflect back on my childhood memories and I think about how fun and exciting it was being a child. I reflect back on the times when I was in elementary school and how exciting it was when we would get the opportunity to go outside at recess and play on the playground. There we would meet up with our friends and we would play basketball, kick soccer, dodge ball and football. And if some of us wanted to be more physically active, we could climb the steps of the slide or spin the merry go round or glide across the monkey bars. And this my brothers and my sisters was a time in our lives where we could just be a kid and have fun and enjoy ourselves. And we all everyone of us assembled here in this house today at some point in our lives, we lived in this place called the playground. But at some point in our lives we grew up and moved on with our lives and we found ourselves no longer interested in the activities of the playground. Yes we closed that chapter of our lives and moved on because there were bigger and better things to do. And so here we are today at this place and at this appointed time in our lives and we have the Apostle Paul speaking and teaching to the Corinthians about the greatest gift of all which is love. Paul tells them that without the perfect gift of God which is love, everything else means nothing to us or to God. Here in Corinth Paul also speaks to them on their immaturity he speaks to the Corinthians who were a people that were crude, unformed and puffed up with spiritual pride. Yes my brothers and my sisters Paul simply reminds them of the facts of human nature and life.
So here in the 11th verse Paul says " When I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. BUT when I became a man I put away childish things". The church of today this modern church today faces several issues. And one of the problems that the church faces is that there is a huge lack of spiritual maturity. There are to many people in the church who are immature and as a result of them being immature spiritually, they are unable to handle the work that God desires for them to do. Saints it may be a surprise to some you here today and for others it may not be a surprise at all to know that there are people in the church who are in leadership positions that they really can not handle. And so when you find individuals like this, you are sure to find confusion and chaos following them because they lack the ability to lead. And it's all because they haven't grown up in God and his word.
There are many characteristics that make up a great leader and the most important characteristics that I believe each leader should have in the church is that " YOU MUST BE LED BY GOD". And secondly you must " LEAD BY EXAMPLE". I say this because it's time that we the believers ( talking about you and I) it's time that we become the servants that God has called us to be. You know I find myself constantly quoting and repeating the scripture in Jeremiah 29:11. God says to the believer I know what I have ordained and commissiond over your life and it is my desire that you walk in it. God says I want you to have peace, harmony and tranquility in yur life. This simply means that you don't have to go through a lot of unnecessary hell in your life. It is God's desire that no ill will come our way but that you have an expected end. Simply meaning that if you walk in his desires he's going to give to you everything that you need. And when you get to the end of your walk everything that you've expected him to do and give to you , you will receive it. Because the bible says that " God is not a man that he should lie neither the son of man that he should repent" if God said he's going to do it guess what he's going to do it and not only do it but he's going to make it good and perfect for you.
But in God doing all of that, you have to take the initiative to mature in God and recognize the marks of immaturity in your life and make some changes and learn to put away childish things. It would amaze some of you here to know that not only here in this church, but all over the country in local churches that there are believers who have not matured in God and so their character or their characteristics reflect that of a child. And there are several characteristics that a child is known by. I've jotted down a few of them to share with you on today and I ask that you write them down as well because at some point in your walk your are going to come across or have an encounter with some folks who have some of these characteistics and you need to be on guard and on point. The first characteristic is:
Impressionable. Now this word is defined as " Easily impressed or influenced". Have you ever noticed that it really doesn't take much to impress a child. You can offer them anything and they'll take it. And when we look at the Christian realm, have you ever been around or been in a position where there were some Christians who really didn't know what they belived. The reason being is that they have never taken the time to grown in God and his word. These individuals set themselves as easy targets for the devil. Because he seeks out those who can not rightly divide the word of truth. So they are an easy prey to be persuaded or swayed by every wind of doctrine. And so every teaching they hear it sounds pleasing to their ear and it easily makes an impression on them. And that reminds me of something that my beloved mother would always say, she would always say " Everything that shines and glitters in not always gold". In other words my brothers and my sisters be careful of what the apperances looks like on the outside because looks can be deceiving. If you don't believe read over in Mark chapter 12 verses 38-40 and you'll discover that the scribes were ones who made grand entrances dressed in eloquent apparel just to be seen amongst many other things they did. When you get some time read it for yourself.
I'm just trying to help somebody today. If you're going to grow up and spiritually mature, then you're going to have to come off the playground and you're going to have to get to a place where you will trust God and believe his word. The second characteristic is:
Manipulative. Now this means " One who consistenly attempts to make personal gain at the expense or expenses of others". Simply saying I've got to get what I want and if anyone gets hurt in the process OH WELL. Yes this is a part of childish behavior when you have to resort to manipulating people just to get you're way. And if you don't believe me on today that this is true, just go and ask a parent who is raising or has raised children and especially teenagers. They will tell you that children will play one parent against another just to get what they want. And believe it or not there are people in the church who can get people to do what they want. And if by chance you decide not to follow their program, these individuals will begin to exclude you and make you become an outsider and will not include you in the in crowd and they will at some point disassociate themselves from you. It's sad, it's sad saints that there are people like that in the house of God. The bible instructs us that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to be but rather to think with a sober mind. I've come to let somebody know that there is no need in you jiving, putting up a front pretending to be something when you are nothing. To be honest with you just KEEP IT REAL. If your struggling with something be real and just ask God to help you and make you better. Jesus said that the things that the world honors are disgusting, distasteful and despicable in the sight of God. And the only way to avoid getting caught up with individuals like this is that you must learn the word of God and use it to you're advantage. Jesus gave to us the perfect example of this in Matthew 4 verses 1-11. When he was tried by satan the deceiver, Jesus used the word to walk on the devil. I want someone to know in the house today that when you are at your lowest point and the devil shows up to take advantage of you, don't give in to the devil but you turn it around and begin to take advantage of him with the word of God.
The final characteristics that are a mark of childishness are that children are Selfish, Self-Centered and Self Indulged. This type of behavior comes with temper tantrums. You've seen it before where children fall out on the floor kicking and screaming until they get their way. And that's the way some of us behave when we are spiritually immature. If the Pastor suggest something or says something and you don't agree with it, you begin to yell and scream like a child and then after doing all of that you walk away thinking to yourself you've accomplished what you set out to do. But only to discover that moments later when you return and see that things didn't go your way, you begin to revert and start the process all over again. God help the one and God have mercy on the one who makes this mistake twice. 2Peter 2:20-22 states " And when people escape form the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again they are worse off than before; it would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life; They prove the truth of this proverb A dog returns to his own vomit and another says a washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud".
What Peter is saying here is that if God has delivered you and set you free from the chains of sin, if God has brought you out of darkness and brought you into his light then it is his desire for you to live and to walk in the light. He doesn't want you to revert back to sin. He said that it would have been better if you would have never known the way of righteousness than to know it and still reject to live a holy life. And the proverb of the dog returning to it's vomit and the pig wallowing in the mud. The vomit and the mud represents SIN. My brothers and my sisters it is not God's desire that you revert back after you have been washed in the blood of the lamb and cleansed from all unrighteousness it is God's desire that you take up your cross and follow him.
Closing: I just want someone in the house today to know that it's time for you to come off the playground and grow up in Christ. I know you've been stuck in this place for quite some time, I know that you've grown accustomed to it and you've become comfortable at the playground. This place the playground has held you down long enough, this place has afflicted, bruised and has even made you feel like you are scared for life. This place your in is cold, dark and damp and you feel there's no escape there's no way out. But I come bearing good news on today because there is a way out. God says today is your day to come out of this place. Because he himself is the way the truth and the life. You've been battered but come out, you've been tossed about but come out, you've been made to feel like you are nothing but God says today you can come out . Touch 2 or 3 people and tell them I'm coming out today. Can I get somebody whose ready to let go and let God have his way, lift your hands up tell the Lord I surrender all to you take my life and have your way if you believe it and if you receive it open your mouth and begin to praise the Lord tell him THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
