To Be Like Jesus (Maturity)

Adolescence is the stage of human development between childhood and adulthood,

and a stage of development that a number of you are currently sitting in.

In medieval times, the adolescence didn't exist.

It's something that's really come to exist in sociological terms in the last 150, 200 years.

In fact, the concept of youth ministry, having a next-gen pastor, didn't exist in the church before the 1950s.

And so this is even a concept that's relatively new for the church.

But back in the Middle Ages, childhood ended at the age of seven.

You were a child and then you grew up and you started to work and make a contribution for the life of the family.

But since then, childhood and adolescence has constantly been refashioned.

And earlier this year, it received its latest round of remodeling.

Scientists announced, this is in the United States,

scientists announced that adolescence, previously thought to begin at around about 13 years of age

and end around about 18 years of age,

now stretches from 10 to 25 and some argue even up until 30.

And in fact, I'm speaking at a youth camp in Singapore in a couple of weeks

and I'm told that the youth there is 12 to 35.

So I'm just out of that bracket now.

Yeah.

Children, it's true on, you know, imagine 10 to 25.

Children are growing up faster nowadays as people are suggesting that they are.

But they are plateauing for an extended length of time.

They're staying in that bracket of adolescence for a long time.

Sociologists and psychologists suggesting that 20-somethings are not growing up.

They're not becoming independent or taking responsibility.

And I wonder whether there is a similar phenomenon happening in the church.

An extended period of spiritual adolescence.

Perhaps this may be you.

You become a Christian.

When you were young, you experienced what the Bible calls new birth.

You have new life.

You are a baby Christian.

And although there might be some initial growth, which often happens at that stage,

is an initial growth, for way too many people, it just stops.

They stay at this adolescent stage of spiritual development.

In fact, I can suggest to you that way too many Christians that I talk to

can talk about when they became a Christian,

but very few can talk about what God is doing in them right now

and how he's grown them even in the last 12 months.

That is, their growth has just kind of stopped.

And so they talk about things from the past, experiences of the past.

God answered the prayers from the past.

Some, unfortunately, have even got comfortable and, in fact, made peace with their immaturity.

And if that's you, I want to encourage you tonight to pay attention

as we explore this idea of spiritual maturity.

Because God's purposes for Christians is to grow up.

He wants them to grow up in their maturity.

In the same way, when parents have a baby, they are kind of intending for that baby to grow up.

That's the intention.

They don't ever give birth to a child and just hope it just sort of stops there.

Growth is a normal expression of life.

The New Testament writers assume that growth

and assume that there will be constant growth

and they urge constant growth.

They urge pursuing constant growth, spiritual growth.

In 2 Peter 3.18,

Peter urges us to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus

and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

In fact, as distinct from physical growth,

Christians are never to stop growing spiritually.

There's no such thing as an adult Christian who no longer needs to grow.

We're always looking to grow, whereas physically we stop.

I'm assuming you had the thing as you're growing up,

little pencil marks on the doorpost to see how fast you're growing,

little dates and stuff like that.

At some point, I plateaued.

I wasn't going any further.

It was a bit shorter than what I was anticipating and what I like,

but I look around the family and I go,

yep, it's anticipated.

I'm not really going to go beyond six foot.

You know, short legs is part of our family DNA.

And so I hit my plateau.

And in fact, I'm anticipating in about 20 years to start shrinking

because that also I've noticed happens in my family too.

We just start shrinking.

And so you get to a point physically where you just stop growing.

But that's not the case spiritually.

So this week, we're in third of our vision series,

My Purpose, Our Purpose, God's Purpose.

In week one, we answered the question,

what is the purpose of life?

And we saw that God created and saved us for his glory.

We use the word magnification to summarize that.

In week two, last week, we narrowed it down.

Well, if that's the purpose of life, what is the purpose of church?

And we saw that God had gathered us together,

those he'd saved, he gathers together,

as a new people for his glory.

And we use the word membership to summarize and to capture that.

Now, this week, now that God has gathered us together,

he's given us new life,

what is his purpose for his gathered people?

And the word that we're using to summarize all of this is maturity.

So we're up to point two on your outline.

Grab a pen.

There's pens there.

You can follow along, take notes as you go.

What is God's purpose for his gathered people?

Now, to understand, to help us understand God's purpose for his children,

his gathered people,

we're going to trace a dominant theme that runs through the Bible.

And so what I'm going to do is I'm going to give you the big idea.

I'm going to give you the dominant theme,

and then we're going to take a bite at it, if you like.

So the big idea is this.

God wants to have children in his image and likeness.

That's his purpose.

That's his design.

So we're going to go back to the beginning,

Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

If you've got your Bibles there and you can come with me, that's great.

If not, skip ahead and go to Psalm 8.

Psalm 8, you see that's two verses down on your outline.

Just jump to Psalm 8.

I'll get there in a moment.

But I'm going to start in Genesis 1, 26.

Then God said,

So God makes humanity in his image and likeness,

which gives them a dignity and an honor that no other creature on earth has.

And when he creates us in his image,

he's including people in his plan to declare to the world that he rules all things.

So if you go to North Korea now and you would walk into that country and you would discover images and likenesses of Kim everywhere.

Classrooms, public meeting places in the street.

There'd be his likeness displayed everywhere.

And the reason for that is we just want to remind everyone all the time who's in charge around here.

Just so you don't forget who rules this place.

And that is what God's design is, is in making people in his image and likeness,

is that they are there to display to the universe the God who rules all things.

But there's something interesting in Genesis 5, when we jump there.

Genesis 5 verse 1.

Genesis 5:1

It says,

This is the written account of Adam's family line.

When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.

He created them male and female and he blessed them.

And he named them mankind when they were created.

So that's Genesis 1.

We've just seen that.

But have a look at what happens next.

In verse 3,

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son.

Now that in itself boggles the mind.

You know, like, imagine being 130 and sleepless nights and stuff.

Just, man, I was done at like 45 with that.

130 years, he had a son.

And see what it says?

In his own likeness, in his own image.

And he named him Seth.

And it's the exact same words that are used there in Genesis 1.

In his likeness and in his image.

So God creates Adam and Eve in his own likeness.

And then Adam has a son in his own image and likeness.

That is, to father someone is to have them in your image and likeness.

Whether you have a relationship with them is irrelevant.

But they carry your DNA.

Adam can be called God's son.

That's little son.

But he is, in fact, still a son.

In fact, if you go to Luke 3.38,

that's who Adam is called.

God's son.

So this is regardless of how Adam lives.

Regardless of how, what he does.

He is created in God's likeness.

And he is God's son.

I am the son of my father.

As you are the sons and daughters of your fathers.

I am in his image.

I am in his likeness.

We have some similar features.

I have his DNA.

And so there's a whole bunch of stuff that I share with him.

Irrespective of how I behave.

We are related.

I am his offspring.

In the same way that I've got three daughters who have my DNA.

And some of my features.

Fortunately, they've got some natty in there as well.

But there is a sense.

And even to a greater or lesser extent.

Where I reflect my dad's image and likeness in the way that I behave.

So I have his DNA.

But I can, in a greater way, reflect his image and likeness by my attitudes and my behavior.

As my girls can with me.

There are times when I do or say something.

And I just hear my dad saying exactly the same thing.

And not that Nat ever does this.

But she would have every right to say, well, hello, Keith Jeffrey.

But she doesn't do that.

And I see it in my girls too.

I see the way their mannerisms and their attitudes.

Their way of speaking.

Their sense of humor.

It's all stuff that they've picked up from me.

Or, you know, from Nat.

But from me.

But I can certainly see my bits picked up and passed on to them.

When Adam and Eve were creating God's image and likeness.

God was giving them a dignity and honor as his offspring.

As his children.

And nothing else in creation had that.

But he also, at the same time, extends an invitation to them.

To become like him.

To reflect him.

To reflect and mirror the God in whose image they were created.

That is, regardless of how Adam lived as his son.

As a child of God.

Still his son.

Still his child.

But he could live in a way that would really display.

He is God's true son.

True child.

You see, being created in the image of God.

And we can go blue in the face.

Talking about will.

And all kinds of different things.

And intelligence.

And all sorts of stuff.

But being created in the image of God.

Has purpose to it.

It has a mission attached to it.

It is to mirror God.

It is to reflect his glory.

And his magnificence.

To live in such a way.

That when people see us.

They see a reflection of the character.

And the quality of God.

And I think that's the point of Psalm 8.

So I hope you got your finger in there.

If you go to Psalm 8.

And I want you to look what happens here in this Psalm.

We had it read out to us a couple of weeks ago.

But let's go there now.

Psalm 8 begins with this.

Oh Lord, our Lord.

How majestic is your name in all the earth.

That's how it begins.

And then in verse 9.

It ends in exactly the same way.

Oh Lord, our Lord.

How majestic is your name in all the earth.

That's its bookends if you like.

God is majestic.

That's clearly the point of this Psalm.

It's interesting, however, how verses 2 to 8 all connect with that thing.

You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.

Because of your enemies.

To silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens.

And the work of your fingers.

And the moon and the stars which you have set in place.

What is man that you're mindful of him?

The son of man that you would care for him.

So get that?

That you've created all of this universe.

And yet, what?

This people thing.

Why did you choose them like that?

What's the answer?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings.

And you crowned him with glory and honor.

Or you've crowned him with glory and majesty.

And then the psalmist here goes on describing the uniqueness of humanity.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands.

That's Genesis 1 again.

You're created to rule.

You put everything under his feet.

All flocks and birds and beasts of the field and birds of the air.

The fish of the sea.

All that swim the paths of the seas are under the feet of humanity.

And you've made them just a little bit lower than the heavenly beings.

So you see, Genesis 1 is coming out here in Psalm 8.

And you would imagine, therefore, that you get to verse 9.

And you'd hear the psalmist, oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is people.

He doesn't do that.

He says, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

So the psalm ends with the point of praise of God.

Which means, the point of the subordinate majesty of humanity

is for the praise and the glory and the majesty of the God to whom they reflect.

That's the point in Psalm 8.

And so the invitation from God to all of humanity

is to grow up and reflect his magnificence in the lives that they live.

We are made with a mission, with a purpose,

and it is to display the majesty of God in whose image and likeness we bear.

And then you get to Genesis 3.

Adam and Eve reject the invitation.

They reject God.

They decide to make life about them, not about God,

to pursue their own majesty.

They're scattered from God's presence, as we saw last week.

And even though sin has ruined everything,

they still bear the image of God after Genesis 3.

They are alienated from their father,

and therefore they won't grow up to reflect his true character.

And yet God's plans are not ruined yet.

He is still committed to having kids in his likeness.

So let's fast forward in the Old Testament.

A number of years later,

God calls another son to himself,

and this son is called Israel.

In Hosea 11, verse 1, we read this.

Hosea 11:1

When Israel was a child,

I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son.

You see, when God calls the people of Israel out of Egypt,

out of slavery in Egypt,

and through the Red Sea,

it's like he has given birth to a new nation,

a new people, a new family, new children.

They become God's people,

his children, his son.

And at Mount Sinai,

when he gathers them to himself at Mount Sinai,

he gives them his word, his law.

And in a sense, what he's doing there,

he's extending to them the invitation again

to live in his image and likeness,

to reflect his character,

his purposes,

his priorities.

What does Israel do?

Well, if you read on the very next verse of Hosea 11,

it says this in verse 2.

But the more they were called,

the more they went away from me.

They sacrificed to the Baals

and they burnt incense to images.

Just like Adam before them,

Israel too fails to be the true son of God,

reflecting the image and the likeness of God.

And then there's silence in the Old Testament.

And then you get to Colossians chapter 1 verse 15.

Colossians 1:15

And here we discover the one who is not just the son of God in name,

but also the son of God in character and purpose.

This is the one who truly mirrors the magnificence of God.

The apostle Paul makes this comment that is just so profound.

It says,

The son,

we're talking about Jesus,

the son is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

Jesus Christ is the son of God in a far more profound sense than Adam or Israel ever were.

If you keep reading,

let me just keep reading in Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

For in him,

this is Jesus still,

all things were created,

things in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities,

all things have been created through him and for him.

He is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

This is God the son

in the person of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 says this about Jesus,

Hebrews 1:3

The son is the radiance of God's glory

and the exact representation of his being.

John 1 verse 14 says that Jesus is the word.

John 1:14

He became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us.

We have seen his glory,

the glory of the one and only son

who came from the father full of grace and truth.

Jesus is God the son,

the son of God in his image and his likeness.

But he also reflects the image and likeness of God perfectly

because he lives a life of righteous obedience to the father.

So why does this matter to us?

Let me keep reading in Colossians 1 verse 18.

Colossians 1:18

And he,

we're still talking about Jesus,

and he is the head of the body,

the church,

he's the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,

so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwelling in him

and through him to reconcile to himself all things,

whether things on earth,

things in heaven,

by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God,

you were scattered from God,

you were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior,

because you rejected the image and likeness.

But now he has reconciled you by his,

by Christ's physical body through death

to present you wholly in his sight

without blemish and free from accusation.

That is because of the son of God

doing his work on our behalf,

he now presents us in such a way

that we bear the image and the likeness of our father

through Christ.

That's what matters to us.

He gives us the image and the likeness

that we were created for.

You see,

God created us out of love to be part of his family.

However,

not just Adam and Eve,

but all of us have rejected him

and lived for our own magnification.

We are his offspring.

He gives us life,

but we walk away from his family

and he scatters us from his presence.

But because we have dignity and honor

at a level

that no other thing in creation does,

he holds us particularly accountable for that.

Death and separation from him,

eternal separation,

eternal scattering

is what we deserve.

And the good news is

that Jesus Christ,

the son of God,

God the son,

stepped into our world

and lived the life

that we should have lived.

He became like us.

He didn't just bear the image of God.

He bore the image of humanity.

He lived the perfect life

that we should have lived

and he died the death

that we should have died.

He faced separation from his father,

but he rose triumphant

over sin and death.

Now those who trust in Jesus

and his finished work for us,

we get adopted,

gathered back into the family.

Jesus dealt with our penalties

so effectively

that when God looks at us,

he doesn't see the flaws.

He doesn't see the sin.

He doesn't see the pursuit

of personal magnification.

He looks at his son

and he sees us covered

in the blood of his son

and he sees unblemished sons

and daughters

bearing his likeness,

his image.

God has gathered us together

through and in Jesus Christ.

So what does he want from us?

We exist for his magnification.

He's saved us through Christ,

gathered us through himself.

What does he want for us?

What does he want

for his children?

Is it just that he wants

to give us new birth?

That's it?

Just to be saved?

You know,

along the way to get to go to heaven,

that's the main thing?

Is that all it is?

Or does he have

a much bigger purpose?

Romans 8, 28.

And we know that in all things

God works for the good

of those who love him,

who have been called

according to his purpose.

And so you ask the question,

well, what is his purpose?

And then you just need

to read the next verse.

Verse 29.

And for those God foreknew,

he also predestined

to be conformed

to the image of his son.

God's purpose

is to form us,

transform us,

conform us

into the likeness

and the image

of his true son,

Jesus.

God wants

every single one

of his children

to grow up,

to be more

and more like Jesus,

to grow up,

to be like,

to act like,

to have the attitude

of the priorities

of Jesus.

And maturity

is the word

that the Bible uses

for becoming

more and more

like Jesus.

We see this

in Ephesians.

So if you've

got the service outline,

let's go to Ephesians now.

We can use your Bible.

Going to linger here

for a bit.

Actually, use your Bible

because not every verse

I'm going to refer to

is right in front of you.

But if you've got your Bibles,

that'll be good.

We see in Ephesians 4,

Ephesians 4:1

verse 1.

So Christ himself,

he's about halfway

down the page,

Christ himself

gave the apostles,

the prophets,

the evangelists,

the pastors,

and the teachers.

And he goes,

well, he did that,

so what's the purpose

of that?

Verse 12,

to equip his people

for works of service.

Well, why do you want

to do that?

So that the body

of Christ might be

built up.

And how long

is that going to take?

Verse 13,

until we all reach

unity in the faith,

in the knowledge

of the Son of God,

and become mature,

attaining to the

whole measure

of the fullness

of Christ.

God's plan for you

conforms us

more and more

into the image

and the likeness

of his true Son,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

He does that both

individually and corporately

as a church.

That is what God's

plan for you

if you are part of

his rescued and

adopted people.

He doesn't just want

to give birth to you

and you to be a baby.

He wants you to grow up,

to be more and more

and transformed

in the image

of the Lord Jesus.

That is his design.

And according to

Romans chapter 8,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

he will throw

anything at you

in order for you

to pursue that.

He will throw

anything at you

that you might grow

to become more

like Jesus.

So,

last point.

How can we grow

in maturity

on purpose?

Spiritual growth

doesn't just

happen.

Spiritual growth

occurs as a result

of

intentional

and appropriate

effort.

There is intentional

pursuit

of a

clear goal

and there is

an appropriate

use

of God-given

means for growth.

It's both.

Intentional

and appropriate.

Over 170

years ago,

Archibald Alexander,

the first president

of Princeton

Theological Seminary,

wrote down

some thoughts

on hindrance

to spiritual

growth.

And the first

hindrance he listed

was what he

called a defect

in our belief

in the

freeness

of divine grace.

And he went on

to say

that a

correct

understanding

of God's

grace

and a

constant

appropriation

of God's

grace

of the

gospel

in our

life

reminding us

that we

are true

sons of

God

made in

his image

and likeness.

It's all

by the

work of

Christ.

It's not

by my

effort

but all

by Christ.

He says

must be

the foundation

of all

personal

efforts to

grow.

Otherwise

it's just

pure

legalism.

Otherwise

it's just

pure

humanism.

Just my

effort to

make me

grow.

We need

the gospel

to shroud

us,

consistently

permeate

every effort

that we

make.

God's

grace

underpins

every

means

that God

gives us

to intentionally

grow up.

So I'm

going to

mention

four.

They're

on the

page

real quick

and they're

from

Ephesians

4.

Daily

devotions.

The

key

influencer

in us

growing

to

maturity

is the

Bible.

If you

want a

child to

grow up

into

maturity

you have

to feed

them.

Without

that the

child will

become malnourished

and die.

That's

certainly the

case when

they don't

have a

pantry

that they

can access.

The

word of

God

is your

spiritual

food.

I'm not

going to

go into

a theology

of that.

It's

everywhere.

I'll just

take that

as a

given.

The

word of

God

is your

spiritual

food.

To

grow up

into

spiritual

maturity

we need

to feed

on the

word

and live

out what

we feed

on.

It's not

just a

matter of

getting

Bible

knowledge

into your

brain.

It's about

obedience.

We'll come to

that in a

moment in my

second point.

We see the

significance of

the word of

God in

Ephesians 4.

Who does

Christ give to

the church so

that they might

mature?

Verse 11

says the

apostles,

the prophets,

the evangelists,

the pastors,

the teachers.

What is

interesting is

all of

those roles

are word

based ministries.

It's the

word of

God that

grows the

church.

Now the

Center for

Bible

Engagement

in the

United States

released a

research paper,

extensive

research paper

back in

2009.

The title

of it is

Understanding

the Bible

Engagement

Challenge.

Scientific

Evidence

for the

Power of

Fall.

Now the

bottom line

conclusion of

this research

was that

people who

read the

Bible,

engage in

the Bible,

personal

devotions,

four or

more times

a week

saw

significant

spiritual

growth.

Four or

more times

a week.

What is

troubling

however,

was the

conclusion

that those

who read

the Bible

between

one and

three times

per week

on average

experienced

the same

level of

growth as

those who

didn't read

it at all.

Basically

none is

what they're

saying.

So how's

your Bible

reading going?

I think

there's very

good reason

here to

adopt the

motto

more than

four.

more than

four.

Write it

down,

stick it

in your

diary,

more than

four.

There is

no

shortcut

to growth.

There's

no

shortcut.

Don't,

you know,

if you're not

actually engaging

with the

Word of

God as

a regular

personal

devotional

thing,

don't assume

you're growing.

growing.

The mistake

we make

in churches

is because

we're hanging

around the

place,

we just

think it's

an osmosis

thing.

Because we've

got longer

history,

we've got

more stories

to tell,

we just

assume we're

growing.

But you're

not.

If you're not

reading the

Scriptures,

you're not.

You've got to

understand you're

an adolescent.

So friends,

as I said,

there's no

shortcut here.

At some

point,

you're going

to have to

make a

conscious

decision to

prioritize the

reading of

your Bible,

the reflection

on your

Scriptures,

the meditation

over it,

reflecting on

it,

praying over

it.

You've got to

prioritize that

over responding

to emails,

Facebook,

TV,

sleep,

even sleep.

And if

you follow

the words

of Jonathan

Edwards,

even food.

Nothing

gets in

the way

of this.

You know,

like,

okay,

we'll move

to point

two.

Regular

repentance.

Too often,

I think,

in the

Christian circles,

we think of

repentance as a

one-off moment

when we come

to Jesus,

need to repent,

forgive your sins,

and turn to

Jesus.

The biblical

word for

repentance,

means to

change your

mind.

And so,

as we

engage with

the Bible,

so it's not

just Bible

knowledge,

it's not

just understanding

more and

more the

technicalities,

academic stuff

in the

Bible,

but as

we read

the Bible,

God is

constantly

working in

our hearts

to bring

our minds

and our

lives in

line with

it.

Repentance

is this

constant process

of changing

course.

I'm heading

down this

direction,

and I

engage

with the

scriptures

and it

says,

I need

to go

in this

direction.

This is

the life

that

pursues

God's

glory.

This is

for my

joy.

This is

for my

good.

I go

this

direction.

It's the

daily

process of

what Ephesians

4 calls

taking off the

old self and

putting on the

new self.

Have a look.

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4:22

verse 22.

If you've

got your

Bibles

there,

you were

taught with

regard to

your former

way of

life to

put off

your old

self,

which has

been corrupted

by its

deceitful

desires,

to be

made new

in the

attitude of

your minds

and to

put on

the new

self

created

to be

like

God.

Created

to be

in his

image and

likeness in

true righteousness

and holiness.

So I

wonder if

one of the

main reasons

so many

Christians

start well

and then

they just

hit this

plateau

of

spiritual

adolescent

stage is

frankly because

they've just

stopped repenting.

I asked you

two weeks

ago,

I asked you

two weeks

ago,

when was

the last

time you

lamented

over your

sin?

We hit

this thing

where we

just stop

repenting,

we just

stop changing,

we get

into a

settled

position.

You know,

is there

part of

your old

self where

you've just

become

comfortable

with it?

Like an

old blanket,

just got

comfortable

with it.

Maybe

you've

got friends

with it,

started to

make excuses

for the

smell.

Is

there?

bitterness,

unforgiving

spirit,

pride,

arrogance,

an ungodly

relationship,

greed,

gossip,

pornography,

spiritual

laziness.

You

could just

go on.

Paul says

here,

take it

off and

put on

the new

self in

the image

and the

likeness of

your father.

Number

three,

other

Christians.

The third

thing that we

need to

mature on

purpose is

other

Christians.

You see,

reading your

Bible,

listening to

sermons

online,

getting prayer

updates on

your phone

and mission

newsletters in

your mailbox.

They're all

good stuff.

But if that

is all you

do,

then it is a

sign of

immaturity.

It's a sign

of immaturity.

Let me push

this point.

You can have

every Bible

app on your

phone from

all the

ace

Christian

organizations

and receive

their prayer

points.

You can

even have

a fish

sticker on

your car.

But if

you are

doing it

all in

isolation,

you can

listen to

the great

preachers of

the world,

download your

podcast on

the way to

work.

But if

you're doing

it in

isolation,

it's

actually a

sign of

immaturity,

not maturity.

Maturity is

a team

sport.

Have a look

at Ephesians

Ephesians 4:15

4 verse

15.

Speaking the

truth in

love, we

will grow to

become in

every respect

the mature

body of

him who

is the

head that

is Christ.

So verse

11 tells

us about

the apostles

and others

who have the

job of

bringing the

word of

God to

the church.

That's

verse 11.

And then

verse 15,

we are

instructed to

speak the

word that's

brought to

us to

each other.

Speak the

word, speak

the truth to

each other so

that together

we might

grow up.

As we, the

church, speak

the truth to

each other,

the whole

church grows

up.

So let me

highlight again,

it was said

already tonight,

I'm going to

do it again,

the important

place that

community groups

have in the

maturing

process.

this

tonight is

an opportunity

for you,

if you're not

in a community

group, this

is an opportunity

for you to

repent

tonight.

That is,

change your

mind, start

hitting on a

course to

grow up, and

go out there

to the sign

up table,

speak to

Paul, speak

to James, and

get yourself

into a

community

group.

Don't

deprive

others or

yourself.

Fourthly,

worship

Christ.

That is,

pay attention

to the

affections of

the heart.

What do

the

longings of

your heart

tell you

that you

are worshipping?

You see,

what we

revere,

we come

to resemble.

Whatever

it is that

we revere,

we come

to be

like it.

Get

remade in

its image.

We become

what we

worship.

Set your

affections on

Christ, and

you will

more and

more become

like Christ.

Of course,

if you long

after and set

your affections

on other

things, apart

from Christ,

on money,

sex, power,

approval,

control,

you'll be

controlled by

those things,

and it will

ruin you because

you're not ever

meant to be

controlled by

those things.

Now, we

can apply

this fourth

point to a

whole range

of things.

Let me

just take

this opportunity

given that

Vision Sunday

is two

weeks away,

and we

are looking

to raise

$55,000

on one

day and

increase our

offertory for

next year by

5%.

So I want

to take money

as an

example,

because Jesus

does.

Matthew 6,

24,

Jesus says,

no one can

serve two

masters,

either you'll

hate the

one and

love the

other,

or you'll

be devoted

to the

one and

despise the

other,

you cannot

serve both

God and

money.

One way we

worship God

with our

money is

giving it

away.

Now, I

don't have

time here to

go on a

full theology

of giving,

so just let

me say that

radical generosity

is a sign of

spiritual maturity.

So again,

in the next two

weeks, you have an

opportunity to

repent, to

change your

mind, to

engage with

God in his

word, to

obey him and

be made more

into the

likeness of

the Lord

Jesus.

Spend your

time in the

next couple of

weeks, ask

yourself the

question, how

can I worship

God with my

money?

How can I

take steps to

grow, mature

in radical

generosity?

The German

church reformer

and theologian

Martin Luther

once said that

everyone needs

three conversions,

conversion of

the mind to

gospel truth,

conversion of

the heart to

embrace the

Lord Jesus as

saviour and

master, and

conversion of

the wallet, the

laying of one's

money at Christ's

feet, and he

says that's always

the last one,

because Jesus

was right.

You cannot

serve both God

and money, and

he put money up as

the alternative.

Luther certainly

knew that taking

off the old

self in relation

to our money is

one of the most

difficult dimensions

of our maturity

as Christians.

What we need as

a church is not a

whole bunch of

rules on this

stuff, is a

vision of what

God could do in

us and through

us as we pursue

maturity.

We won't attain

full maturity

until Jesus comes

back, but he does

call us to grow

up.

And so don't

settle.

Wherever you are,

and maybe you've

been settled there

for a long time,

don't settle for

being an adolescent

Christian.

Do the My Purpose

check-up, as I've

been reminded of

again tonight, and

plan to grow up.