(1) Those who have been saved for many years but they have not grown spiritually one iota!
Illus: Do you remember the story of “Peter Pan?” He was a boy who refused to grow up.
Growing old is not always synonymous with becoming mature.
The tragedy of the church today we have come to accept IMMATURITY AS THE NORM!!!
Some will say, “I’ve been like this for years, so what’s the big deal.” It is a big deal for the Kingdom of God.
Illus: Imagine having a baby with all the joys, thrills, and even responsibilities a baby brings.
• That baby looks so cute taking turns sucking on its thumb and bottle. Changing the diaper is a time of bonding for most parents. Buying that formula and baby food is great because you know that this is the best way to take care of your baby.
• Fast forward 5 years. Your baby is still sucking on his thumb and bottle. You are still changing diapers and still buying baby food.
How does that sound?
Know what that sounds like to me? That sounds like a big deal, it sounds like a tragedy.
We know that no healthy 5 year old youngster would remain doing things he did as a baby.
Yet, in the spiritual realm this has become the norm in many churches today.
These babes in Christ are generally found among the older Christians.
They feel they have been around a long time and they have experienced all the growth they need to experience.
But this is not true, in the physical world when a person becomes around nineteen or twenty years of age they have experienced all the growth they will experience.
But in the spiritual world we grow until the day we die. It does not matter if you have been saved 50, 60, and 70 or a hundred years old we continue to grow spiritual.
(2) The second kind of Christian you will find are those that recognize they are not spiritually grown and they seek to grow spiritually.
They pray and study their Bible daily and attend church every time the church doors are open because they are hungry for the teachings of God’s Word.
Illus: These remind me of a young child that can’t wait to grow up.
God recognize they want to grow and that is why His Word tells us how to grow spiritually as a newborn.
Look at 1 Peter 2: 2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”
What a joy it is to preach to such people.
But when it comes to SPIRITUAL GROWTH I must say this again there are people in our churches today who has been in the church for years and have heard good preaching from God’s Word but they have not grown in the slightest spiritually.
Why?
To have spiritual growth, there are THREE things we need to consider, such as:
(1) THERE MUST BE A SPIRITUAL BIRTH IN ORDER TO HAVE SPIRITUAL GROWTH
This is sad to say but there are some in God’s church that thinks they are save but they have never been born again and this is why they have not gowned in the Lord.
The Word of God confirms that.
Remember what Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
To have spiritual birth you must first have a birth.
Also when it comes to SPIRITUTAL GROWTH-
(2)THERE MUST BE SPIRITUAL FOOD AVAILABLE FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
I think it can be said today in some churches the reason for immaturity falls in the lap of many pastors who do not spend enough time in sermon preparation to feed the flock of God.
Illus: Makes me think of 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.
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."
• And with the dry spirit which has no spiritual rain becomes immature.
It is the responsibility of every pastor to feed the flock of God.
The Bible tells all pastors in 1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.
Illus: I remember growing up I had an aunt that did not like to cook and about the only thing she fed her family was peanut butter sandwiches.
On special occasions she would smear some grape jelly on it also.
Now listen a good mother knows it takes time to prepare a good meal for her family.
Also a good pastor knows the importance of preparing a good neutrious meal for the family of God.
Illus: A good mother knows she cannot give her babies food off the table it will choke them to death. So she digests the food off the table and her body takes the food in and prepares it for a baby to have neutrious milk from the mother’s breast.
The same thing with a good Pastor and before the spiritual babes can eat the food off the table a good pastor digest the precious Word of God and get it in him and then he can feed it to the children of God.
This is the awesome responsibility of the Pastor.
There is a shortage of good spiritual food across America.
If you think this is off base:
• Visit some of the churches on your next vacation, and notice how little of the Word of God is being preached and taught in some churches.
• Listen to some of these television preachers how little of the Word of God is being preached and taught.
In order to have spiritual growth you must have a:
1) SPIRITUAL BIRTH,
2) SPIRITUAL FOOD PROVIDED
To the babes in Christ.
But also-
(3) THERE HAS TO BE THE RECEIVING OF THE SPIRITUAL FOOD FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Often the man of God spends many hours praying and seeking the Lord, and preparing the messages for the people, but some of the people, like stubborn children, sit there with their spiritual lips locked, making sure no spiritual 'food’ enters.
Did you know that?
• OUR SALVATION is based on our RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
• OUR CHRISTIAN GROWTH is based on our RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORD OF GOD.
Illus: D. L. Moody wrote on the fly-leaf of his Bible, “This book will keep me from sin, or sin will keep me from this book.”
If we are going to grow in the Lord, we have to do the same thing we do to grow physically.
That is, we all know people who seem to be getting bigger every time we see them, and they can’t figure out what is causing it.
• But it is obvious to everyone that knows them that the problem is they are always “munching” on something throughout the day.
• If we are going to grow spiritually, we are going to have to “munch” on the Word of God every time we get a chance.
If a Christian is going to grow spiritually he has to do two things:
1. He has to READ THE WORD OF GOD
2. He has to HEED THE WORD OF GOD
Look at James 1:25. "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, BUT A DOER OF THE WORK, this man shall be blessed in deed.”
Let me show you two things that James says we must do to grow in the Lord.
Let us look at-
I. THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS SUFFERINGS
Did you know that suffering is one of those unrecognized blessings in our life?
Now we might wish that was not the case, but suffering will cause us to grow in the Lord like nothing else will.
That is why in James 1:2, we read, "My brethren, count it all joy. When ye fall into divers temptations."
Growing physically is similarly to growing spiritually.
Have you noticed?
• It seems like anything that is good for us does not taste good
• It seems like anything that is not good for us, tastes good
When it comes to SPIRITUAL GROWTH, the things that make us grow could be classified as those “yucky” things in our lives that we have to partake of frequently.
Now I must confess to you, I don’t understand why God made things like that.
Illus: Have you ever wondered why God put all the vitamins in things like collard greens and turnips?
So many of us do not eat these things because we like them, we eat them because we have been told that they are good for us, because that is where God put the vitamins and other things that our bodies need.
If we want to be healthy those are the things we must eat, even if we must force ourselves.
Now, if I was God, I would have put all the vitamins in things like milk shakes and ice cream.
But God, who knows what is best for us, did not choose to put the vitamins in those things.
Again it seems like the things that taste the worst are the best for us.
WHY DOES GOD DO THINGS LIKE THIS?
Because God knows that many times it is NOT the ‘good tasting’ things in our life that will cause us to become strong, and grow as we should spiritually.
Did you know that our society today is raising a bunch of wimps?
• Up until the 50’s, we never heard of a child having to be placed on drugs to cope with life.
• Today we live in a society where every time some problem comes up, we herd the children off for counseling.
Listen, it is true they might see some terrible things in this life, and even personally experience some of these things themselves. But they can survive them!
God made us so that we can face all kinds of difficulties and even grow spiritually from those things we see and experience.
Spiritually speaking, God, in His wisdom, knows that if Christians went through life without any suffering we would never develop into mature Christians.
He allows suffering to come our way because it is the best thing that can happen to us, if we are going to grow spiritually.
Illus: Back in the 50’s they did not have all the drugs they have today. But in every home you could find a bottle of Cod Liver Oil.
It seems that whatever was wrong with you, your parents would make you take a swallow of this horrible stuff that taste like kerosene and motor oil mixed together.
• If Parents today would make a child swallow that stuff, they would be sued for child abuse.
• However, it seems like after you took it, you seemed to feel better, and I believe I know why!!!
• The reason you felt better after you took it, was because it was so bad when you took it, you had to feel better once you had that rotten stuff out of your mouth.
To get that stuff down you had to hold your nose and swallow it.
The same thing goes for us spiritually. Sometimes when suffering comes our way, we just have to hold our nose and swallow it.
Suffering will cause us to grow in the Lord faster than anything else will.
God is not like some of these parents.
I mean that sometimes a child can do something wrong, and they will need their bottom tore up, but instead all they get is a little speech, “Honey, you shouldn’t do that!”
You don’t need to tell the little child they shouldn’t do that, they knew that when they did it.
What they need is some parents who know how to bring about some suffering on the back side of that child’s bottom so they want do it again.
When the pleasure of doing wrong is outweighed by the suffering they will think twice of doing it again.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger said when I was principal at a Christian school when parents enrolled their children in our Christian school we told them if they misbehave they were going to get an old fashion paddling.
And if they did not want me as principal to administer this paddling when they miss-behave I would call them and they could come down to the school and use my paddle and give them a paddling.
And if they were not willing for me to do it or for them to do it they were told to take their child out of school.
Sometime a little suffering is good for a child.
Illus: A television preacher stated on national television that ALL the trials of life are from the devil.
He said that it is the will of God that we all live in a spiritual utopia, and every time something bad happens to us it is from Satan, who wants to keep us from enjoying this utopia that God wants us all to enjoy.
Listen, that man ought to be ashamed to get on national television and reveal how ignorant he is of the Word of God.
• Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
• Proverbs 12:1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
• Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
• Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
The devil IS NOT responsible for ALL trials of life.
God ALLOWS and CAUSES some trials to enter our lives because it is the best thing in the world for us to grow and develop spiritually.
Illus: A Christian man was once faithful to the Lord and his church. He started a business and the business became an overnight success. It wasn't long before this successful businessman was dropping his wife off at church while he went to the office to do some work there. Soon he had money to buy a nice home, cars, clothes, and take expensive vacations. The more money he got, the farther he got from his family and God.
Then, as fast as his business became a success, it failed. He went all to pieces as he saw that thriving business fold before his very eyes. He soon had to sell his business and eventually had to sell the new building he had built to house his business.
That same man, who went so high, had to be brought low.
• BY WHO?
• BY GOD!!!
The lower he went, the closer he got to his family and his God. You see, some people cannot:
• Handle success,
• Popularity,
• Good health, etc.,
And it is a blessing in disguise when God allows something to strip him of those blessings.
That is why in James 1:2, we read, "My brethren, count it all joy. When ye fall into divers temptations."
Why?
Because many time the seemingly devastating trials that come our way are the best things in the world for us.
Those who think that God does not ALLOW or CAUSE trials to come into our life need to read the book of James.
But let me say this, GOD NEVER SENDS A TEMPTATION TO DO EVIL.
James wants to make that perfectly clear.
Look at James 1:13. We read, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil. Neither tempteth he any man.”
Some may be quick to point out that in Genesis 22:1, we read, “And it came to pass after these things, that God tempt Abraham...”
The Bible teaches there are two kinds of sufferings. And there is as much difference between the two of them as day and night.
The two kinds of suffering are:
(1) TRIAL SUFFERINGS
(2) TEMPTATION SUFFERINGS
You might think God’s Word contradicts itself, but not so!
The answer is found in the ETYMOLOGY of the word for sufferings.
The difference in these two kinds of “sufferings” is this...
(1)Trial sufferings.
These are of God for the purpose of making us mature in Him.
(2)Temptation sufferings.
Temptation sufferings are from Satan, and for the purpose of tempting us to do evil.
God NEVER HAS and NEVER WILL tempt anyone to do evil. He is altogether HOLY and RIGHTEOUS, and sin has no appeal to him at all.
Did you know that God who is Holy does not know how to tempt anyone to do evil?
Since God cannot be enticed by sin, it is impossible for Him to tempt us to do evil, because the holy God of heaven cannot be tempted to do evil.
Illus: For example, I do not know the first thing about calculus. If I had to teach it to someone, it would be impossible, because I do not know anything about it.
The same thing is true with sin. God is a 100% holy God and does not know the first thing about sin. It is impossible for him to temp anyone to sin.
• God TESTS men.
• Satan TEMPTS men.
But look what the Bible says about these sufferings.
There are three things in particular:
A.SUFFERINGS ARE SUDDEN
Look at verse 2 again, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
Illus: James was painting the picture of a man who is going down the road of life, and perhaps things are going so well that he is whistling and singing, but then, all of a sudden, he stumbles over something in his path and falls. It happened so fast he couldn’t catch himself.
B. SUFFERINGS ARE SETTLED
Notice, James did not say, "Perhaps they will come," or "Maybe they will come..." He said, "My brethren, count it all joy WHEN..."
Scripture tells us this is a fact of life. We can depend on it!
Temptations will come!
C. SUFFERINGS ARE ASSORTED
Look at verse 2 again, "My brethren, count it all when ye fall into DIVERS temptations."
This means there are various kinds of sufferings.
• Some are physical
• Some are mental
• Some are spiritual
• Some are financial
• Some are domestic
But all these sufferings are for the purpose of helping us grow spiritually.
We looked at one thing that causes us to grow spiritually…
THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS SUFFERINGS but let us also look at-
II. THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS SINCERITY
Look at how James shows us that some are insincere when it comes to spiritual things.
Sincerity is a biblical term that means being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.
It is derived from Latin and Greek words that mean "without wax", "pure", "without mixture", or "unadulterated"
Illus: For example, a person could buy a vase and it has a crack in it. The owner would take the vase and cover it with wax and paint over it and you would never see the crack.
So the buyer would buy it and he wanted to know if it was genuine or if it was covered with wax.
This is how the word SINCERE IS USED!!!
A lot of folks love is not SINCERE in other words it is not genuine.
Illus: They make me think of the singers called the Platters.
They use to sing a song I AM THE GREAT PRETENDER. Many of the words in that song make me think of some who profess to be saved.
The Platters - The Great Pretender (Original Footage HD)
YouTube
17.3M views
Sep 19, 2013
Many are the GREAT PRETENDER they pretend they love folks but that love is not genuine. It is not a sincere love.
He is not saying they are not saved but he is saying in James 1, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
How are they having respect of person?
Look at James 2:2-4. We read, For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”
In this passage of scripture James is describing the insincere Christian.
A sincere Christian does not show respect of person.
Notice the childish behavior in this passage of scripture.
They show partiality in the church because the scripture says, And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing.
Everybody that attends church should be loved and welcome in the house of God regardless of race, clothing or social level.
But you would be surprise how some churches are so immature that they make a difference among those who attend.
The issue of childishness is disastrous for the church.
Look at how James deals with it in James 3:10 we read, Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Out of the same mouth goes forth blessing and cursing. It is not right, my brethren, that these things should be thus.
Illus: Children are known for fussing, saying unkind things about others, pouting, not speaking to each other.
THESE THINGS JAMES SAYS OUGHT NOT TO BE AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE.
Mature Christians are known for loving each other.
Did you know that it is impossible to say that you love the Lord and hate your brother in Christ? ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD.
Let me illustrate from God’s Word.
Look at 1 John 4:11-12, we read, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
The Bible says that if we love one another, “God dwelleth in us.”
To grow spiritually a Christian has to be SINCERE IN THEIR LOVE FOR OTHERS.
Illus: In the Peanuts comic strip.
• One day Linus said to Lucy, “I’m going to be a doctor when I grow up.”
• Lucy replied, “You a Doctor! Ha! You could never be a doctor! You know why? Because you don’t love mankind. That’s why!”
• Linus defended himself, saying, “I do love mankind….it’s people I can’t stand.”
We love everyone even when they do things that displease us.
Illus: I like the story of the man who found his children’s tracks in his freshly poured cement and he came into the house and let loose at the kids with an angry tirade.
• His wife quickly interrupted him asking, “Don't you love the children?”
• He replied, Of course, I love the children in the abstract, but not in the concrete!”
This reminds me of old saying:
• To live in love with the saints above—Oh, that would be glory.
• But to live below with the saints we know—Oh, that's a different story!
Listen, if we are sincere in serving the Lord, we do not just love the Lord some of the time…we love THEM ALL OF THE TIME!
And if we are sincere in serving the Lord, we do not just love some of the people of God, we love all the people of God.
This is not a take it or leave it proposition. It is the very proof that we are God’s children.
The person who loves his/her brethren truly knows God. And the person who has received God’s love must give of the same to others as well.
Verse 8 tells us: The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
This verse is the natural conclusion that has to be made from verse 7.
That is, if one knows God and loves God by loving God’s family, then it is equally true that the one who does not cannot either know or love God.
These people might know something about God, but they do not know Him.
One of the worst places in the N.T. was the FBC Corinth. Paul called them “babies”. He said “Put away childish things.”
Let me illustrate childishness….
(1)A Child Cries Easily
You don’t have to teach a child to cry. They are experts.
Why do they cry?
• Ever been in a restaurant and a cry baby was there crying. A baby does not care if they disrupt everyone’s dinner all they care about is they want to have it their way.
• The same thing can be said of church of a crying baby can destroy a church service.
This is the way also with the adult babies that are in the church. Everyone has come to worship God the Father and a cry baby could care less why everyone came.
They want to be the focus of attention, not God the Father.
(1)A Child Craves Attention
They love center stage. “Look at me.” That’s why they interrupt and pitch tantrums in the grocery store.
Put that child into an adult body and you have good old fashion “ugly”.
(2)A Child Has Little Gratitude
Whatever you do it’s never enough. Give him ten presents and he’ll want eleven.
Know any church members who have much criticism but little gratitude for their church?
Those are people who feel they should be visited, petted and begged to be faithful to the church.
You can never do enough for them.
• The only visit they remember is the one you didn’t make!
• They only concentrate on what’s due them not what’s been done for them.
God forbid they ever think of doing something for others.
(3)A Child Feels Little Responsibility
Children are guided by the words “want” and “have to”, not by “ought to”. There’s no sense of obligation.
Their attitude is let everyone else pay the bills.
They feel little responsibility.
(4) A Child Is Selfish
All can be summed up in one word – selfish. It’s the root cause of every sin. We all have the tendency to live in our own little world.
Every child of God needs to get in the MILK AND MEAT OF GOD’S WORD AND GROW SPIRITUALLY.
Immaturity is one of the biggest problems in the Christian church today.
When you have immature people, you have:
• People fussing and arguing like children
• People playing games with God instead of serving God
• Jealousy among the membership
• People who cannot be used of God because immature people are not able to carry out God's work
Illus: Suppose you worked for a corporation that employs five hundred people.
What would happen if you took all the adults out of that corporation and replaced them with 7 and 8-year-old children?
There would be instant chaos, and it would just be a matter of time before that corporation would have to close the doors.
A church has to have MATURE CHRISTIANS to keep God’s church a strong church.
I. THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS SUFFERINGS
II. THE CHRISTIAN IN HIS SINCERITY
