psalm 40:4-5 blessed is the man who makes the lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to...
TRANSCRIPT
Psalm 40:4-5Blessed is the man who makes the
LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous
deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they
are more than can be told.
Blessed Be the Lord God God Almighty 1x / All Creatures of Our God and King vs, 1,4,5
62 / 63
1 Chronicles 16:29
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring
an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of
holiness;
Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us vs. 1,2,3 # 688
Hebrews
The Superiority of Christ
“Spiritual Immaturity”
Hebrews 5:11-14
Part 2 of 2
Hebrews 5:11-14 (ESV)11About this we have
much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you
have become dull of hearing. 12For though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you
again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
Hebrews 5:11-14 (ESV)13for everyone who lives
on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14But
solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of
discernment trained by constant practice to
distinguish good from evil.
4 topics the writer discusses
1) The PRESENCE of Spiritual Immaturity
2) The PERIL of Spiritual Immaturity
3) The PROBLEM of Spiritual Immaturity
vs. 11 ...About this we have much to say...
vs. 12 ...you ought to be teachers...
vs. 13 ...unskilled in the word of righteousness...
3) The PROBLEM of Spiritual Immaturity
A) It HINDERS the church
So many Christians are frozen in spiritual immaturity. They are easily
offended, often distracted and without prayer or spiritual
discipline. We think God is requiring of us simply to hang on, yet the
Lord is looking for mature Christlikeness to emerge within us.
He feeds us with His Spirit and Word that we might have every
resource we need to obtain His very life and character. He baptizes us in
fire that He might create proven character within us. He is relentless with His goal, expecting we should
be also. - Francis Frangipane
Forgiveness
Compassion
Unconditional Love
Edifying Conversation
Knowledge of the Scriptures
Sacrificial Service
Victory
Unforgiveness / Grudges
Harshness and Unkindness
Conditional Love
Gossip
Ignorance of the Scriptures
Self Serving Service
Defeat
3) The PROBLEM of Spiritual Immaturity
A) It HINDERS the church
B) It HELPS the enemy
1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)Be sober-minded; be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Lions are not afraid of children they are weary of
warriors
An immature church filled with immature Christians is one of the greatest allies of
the devil because they do his work for him
3) The PROBLEM of Spiritual Immaturity
A) It HINDERS the church
B) It HELPS the enemy
C) It HURTS the lost
“...you ought to be teachers...”
There are people in this world that need to be taught
“...unskilled in the word of righteousness...”
A word of truth is needed in this world of lies
A Question for Our Age
Are we losing the battle for the souls of men because the enemy has a better
message, a better way, or a better hope or is it that we
are simply unskilled, immature, and unwilling to
grow in our faith to accomplish the plan God has
for our life?
4) The PRIVILEGES of Spiritual Maturity
vs 12 “…teachers...”
vs 14 “…have the powers of discernment trained by
constant practice to distinguish good from
evil...”
4) The PRIVILEGES of Spiritual Maturity
A) We are able to INSTRUCT others in the
ways of God
I believe that if an angel were to wing his way from earth up
to Heaven, and were to say that there was one poor, ragged
boy, without father or mother, with no one to care for him and teach him the way of life; and if
God were to ask who among them were willing to come
down to this earth and live here for fifty years and lead that one to Jesus Christ, every angel in Heaven would volunteer to go.
Even Gabriel, who stands in the presence of the Almighty,
would say, "Let me leave my high and lofty position, and let me have the luxury of leading one soul to Jesus Christ." There is no greater honor than to be the instrument in God's hands of leading one person out of
the kingdom of Satan into the glorious light of Heaven.
Dwight L. Moody
4) The PRIVILEGES of Spiritual Maturity
A) We are able to INSTRUCT others in the
ways of GodB) We can IDENTIFY
both harmful and helpful things
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
(Psalm 119:9 ESV)
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every
good work.(2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)
Things we can do when we are mature in Christ
→ We can confidently and compassionately witness to
others
→ We can avoid the deceptions of the devil
Things we can do when we are mature in Christ
→ We can train other Christians in the faith
→ We can counsel others effectively who are in need
of help
Things we can do when we are mature in Christ
→ We can and will deal with problems in a Christlike
manner
→ We will visibly show the love of Christ through the
actions of our lives
Maturity doesn't come with age; it comes with
acceptance of responsibility.
Ed Cole
Perhaps the Spirit of God is saying to many of us today, "I want to minister through you. But before I can ever minister
through you, I must minister to you." Don't despise the
educational experience of your drying brook. Don't throw in the towel... Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be
mature and complete. He wants to make you just like His Son.
-- Howard G. Hendricks
It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We
must be hatched or go bad.
C. S. Lewis
Steps to Spiritual Maturity
Pray for guidance, passion, maturity, purpose, and
patienceRead and listen to grow and
learn about God and His Word
Move out of your comfort zone
Challenge yourself
Not until we have become humble and teachable,
standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty...
acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our
own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned
upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.
J. I. Packer
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be
gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
Just as I am vs. 1,2,4 488