HOW TO BECOME A MATURE CHRISTIAN
Text- Ephesians 4:11-16
Introduction
This morning our text is found in Ephesians 4:11-16 and the title of my sermon is, "How To Become A Mature Christian".
Ephesians 4:11-16 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 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. 14 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. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (NIV)
Here in out text Paul admonishes us that “we will no longer be infants”, but instead “we will in all things grow up”. When a living thing does not grow it indicates there is a problem. People were created by God to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. God’s goal for us is to have us grow up spiritually and become like Christ.
Romans 8:29 For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him—and all along he knew who would—should become like his Son... (LB)
Today there is a genuine need for many to stop being babes in Christ and start growing and maturing as children of God.
A baby is a very beautiful sight. But a baby that never grows and remains a baby forever is a very pitiful sight and would cause its parents great sorrow.
Even worse though is a child of God that doesn't grow spiritually. A lot of people grow older, but never grow up. God wants us to mature and develop. When Christians and members of the Lord's church do not grow as they should, this causes God to be unhappy and it causes the church to be ineffective in the cause of Christ.
For every living thing on earth there is a span of life. It varies with different creatures and plants, from a few hours to perhaps hundreds of years. Everything in God’s creation has it’s limit when it comes to growing. A tree will reach a certain height and stop. After that, it will stand for many years and finally die. Man too attains his full growth soon after his teens. But spiritually, we as humans can continue growing and maturing as long as we live. In fact, the Bible is very clear that even after we die and get to heaven we will continue to grow spirituall.
In his book The Fisherman and His Friends, Louis Banks tells about a man who was spending a summer near the shores of Lake Superior. One day he came upon an old pine that had been blown down by a recent storm. Knowing something about trees, he was intrigued by that huge evergreen tree lying on the ground. He examined it closely and figured that it was at least 250 years old. What impressed him most, however, was what he discovered when he stripped away the bark. It was evident to him that on the day the tree fell it was still growing.
That's the way is should be in the life of a believer. The years pass and our physical strength declines. The outward man perishes, but the inner man should keep on developing--mentally, emotionally, and above all spiritually--until the day we die.
This morning I would like us to look at the ways to grow, the hindrances to growth and the essentials for growth.