Moving Forward into Maturity
Summary of the Message
Even though spiritual immaturity is a mortal threat to the faith of Christians the Holy Spirit’s response is not to condemn us or to send us back to spiritual kindergarten but instead he exhorts to step into maturity. Surprisingly, the path he lays out for us is to move beyond the foundational principles of the gospel and embrace all that it means to be a mature Christian in this broken world.
Even though spiritual immaturity is a mortal threat to the faith of Christians the Holy Spirit’s response is not to condemn us or to send us back to spiritual kindergarten but instead he exhorts to step into maturity. Surprisingly, the path he lays out for us is to move beyond the foundational principles of the gospel and embrace all that it means to be a mature Christian in this broken world.
Key Sermon Points
1. Let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ
One reason we don’t grow as we ought is that we are convinced that all our life in Christ requires is our salvation, anything beyond that is optional. We have all learned that believing orthodox truth is vitally important, but we are also discovering it alone does not transform anyone. To be transformed, we must move beyond those truths & add the attributes of maturity to our faith. Those attributes are outlined nicely in 2 Peter 1:5-11.
2. Let us be taken forward to maturity
In Christ, even though we are immature, we have all that we need from God to be mature; we don’t have to relearn the basics. The goal of our Christian life is to be mature, which means to look like Jesus in our action, words, and thoughts. The Spirit of God is calling us to simply yield to him and step into that maturity.
3. Don't get it twisted, God wants this for you, Christian!
We should understand that just as maturity is a goal for us, it is also God’s goal for us. He is committed to it and it is a guarantee for us, if we long for it.
Over the next few weeks we will talk more about what maturity looks like and then we will discuss how to step into it.
1. Let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ
One reason we don’t grow as we ought is that we are convinced that all our life in Christ requires is our salvation, anything beyond that is optional. We have all learned that believing orthodox truth is vitally important, but we are also discovering it alone does not transform anyone. To be transformed, we must move beyond those truths & add the attributes of maturity to our faith. Those attributes are outlined nicely in 2 Peter 1:5-11.
2. Let us be taken forward to maturity
In Christ, even though we are immature, we have all that we need from God to be mature; we don’t have to relearn the basics. The goal of our Christian life is to be mature, which means to look like Jesus in our action, words, and thoughts. The Spirit of God is calling us to simply yield to him and step into that maturity.
3. Don't get it twisted, God wants this for you, Christian!
We should understand that just as maturity is a goal for us, it is also God’s goal for us. He is committed to it and it is a guarantee for us, if we long for it.
Over the next few weeks we will talk more about what maturity looks like and then we will discuss how to step into it.
Discussion Questions
- How important has it been for you in your Christian life to look, sound, and think like Jesus?
- What questions do you have about this text or about the sermon? Share them with others in the comments section below!
- Do the writer's comments about moving beyond the elementary teachings about Christ surprise you or make you uncomfortable?
- We will talk more about this soon, but what are some barriers you see to your growth?
Posted in Grow & Discern
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