How to Be a Growing Christian | Part 1

Maturing in our faith is not a Sprint it's a marathon here's a real Rogers dramaturgy is a lifelong process bulge is not 100 yard – it is a marathon wise man said he will grow washing 40 days of brutal development board you. You can be instantly spiritual. You can begin big you could be helping but you cannot be mature welcome to the kind through the insights and lessons, master teacher and author Adrian Rogers once said when we spend time with some we become like that some in our growing Christian is a maturing Christian because spiritual maturity is becoming more like Jesus.

In first John chapter 2, the apostle John compares spiritual maturity to three stages in our physical life.

If you have your Bible turn there now will begin in verse 12.

As Adrian Rogers reveals how to be a growing Christian Rasco Fry commercial? Are you a growing Christian. I asked if you are a Christian, I ask are you a growing Christian. Are you moving toward maturity. There can be young only wants what you can be immature for long walk home time and the problem and in many of our churches is that we have people been born. But they cease to grow so we want to talk to you little bit about how to be a growing Christian because fellowship in churches comes about when we grow Malik in verse 12, I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. I write unto you, fathers_Lord fathers because you have known him. That is, from the beginning I write under you, young man understood the phrase young man because he overcome the wicked one. I write in the little children because you know the father I've written under you fall this because you've known him.

That is, from the beginning. I have written to you young man because he is strong and the word of God abide in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one night mentions are three categories of persons children young man and follows and what he's talking about here is growing in two maturity coming from children to fatherhood now. What are the marks of maturity. What you say spiritual health is a mark of maturity, not necessarily a five-year-old can be perfectly healthy is not mature so you can have spiritual health and not be mature when you say having spiritual gifts. That's a mark of maturity all know you can be greatly gifted and not be mature. Samson was a man that had great gifts, but he was so immature. Paul had to talk to the Corinthian church, he said to the Corinthian church you come behind in no gift, but he said I cannot speak of your spiritual but is on the carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. Now we are talking now about not even spirituality.

You can be instantly spiritual. I mean you can get your heart right with God this morning and he filled Holy Spirit be as clean as the driven snow, but that does not mean that you are a mature Christian where talking about going on the maturity what is maturity.

Maturity is Christ likeness to put this verse in your margin Ephesians 4, verse 13, Paul says to we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man in the WordPerfect care does not mean send resumes mature onto a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. You know how I measure my ministry, not the size of the buildings of the love offering of the Sunday school attendance. Are you becoming more and more like Jesus. Are you becoming more and more like Jesus. That was the goal of Paul's ministry, but this verse and Colossians 1 and verse 28, Paul says, whom we preach, that is Jesus warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

And again, the WordPerfect means mature now. Maturity is a lifelong process bulge is not 100 yard – it is a marathon. Nobody is instantly mature, wise man said if you want to grow squashing 40 days if you want to groan okay. Do that in 40 years you can be instantly spiritual. You can be gifted. You can be healthy, but you cannot be mature so I'm trying to teach about how to move in to maturity to go from childhood to adolescence to fatherhood. That's what John is talking about the first of all he talks about the childhood stage look you be willing verse 12 I write of you little children now write this down.

The thrilling wonders of child the thrilling wonders of childhood all it's a wonderful little babies or someone we level babies are church loves little babies with joy as the thrills the excitement when God brings a baby into all when I let me tell you something. Folks I've been doing a survey of little children by way I am a bona fide grandpa and you learn things by being a grandfather that you learn by being father because when you're grandfather you can back yourself out and study a little bit and you can watch and hear what I have learned through my very scientific study as a bona fide grandfather through my humble but accurate opinion me tell you anything about little children, these wonderful children. Their selfish most selfish creatures on earth is a baby.

I mean every movement.

Is this what you take something away from and you going to write. Not a are they selfish, but their crude and rude. They will work in your face and think nothing of it after something else about lazy. They just lie around the house. They don't do anything they don't help because they will help clean they will bring anything and they lazy and unproductive. These pressures will jump out to something else about their totally inconsiderate they wake you up in the middle of the night and and I want to something else about you will agree with this but they mean and mean. We got our little grandson together.

I mean, they had not been on the floor for 30 seconds before Stephen Paul moved over and Andrew. I mean, good. Took a chunk out of Andrew mean mean little kid I went with about a sweet little darlings I'm telling you friend there selfish. They were rooted inconsiderate.

They lazy their unproductive and sometimes me if you little child like that you say about a human being out will be one member and if I say that's a Christian.

I don't be one of a little baby Christian. Thank God for little baby Christians but little baby Christians have to grow up and when you get saved.

Nobody is saying full-grown and I don't care what age you are when you get saved you are a babe in Christ, and John is writing to some and he calls them level. She now thank God for little children. Thank God for people like this, folks, I mean I'm grateful for this, but don't don't find some some baby in our church and say well now that's what being a Christian is on will be Christian. That's a baby Christian. They have to grow up and I used to think that a great church was a church where every body was a mature Christian. That's not a great church that's a failing church that would be like saying a great home as a home where they are all adults and there are no children and no grandchildren. That's not a great home is not a great help.

Thank God for the spilled milk.

Thank God for the dirty diapers.

Thank God for materials on the floor. Thank God for all that comes with it and we need to make these baby Christians who come to Jesus feel at home. We need to love them and our church is in one sense a maternity ward.

Now the problem the problem is, some say the maternity ward far too long when you are a great big baby still on the bottle, still sucking your thumb not growing, not serving, not working. Having to be served. Thanks, selfish and still rude and still crude sense lazy and still thoughtful. May God have mercy upon your grow. There is a legitimate childhood bill.

Paul said to the Corinthian Christians you combine and will give but II can speak of using Spiritualism to call, even as the babes in Christ.

They were using spiritual gifts as toys, not to they did understand what it means to be spiritual in the Lord Jesus Christ and so very first thing I want to see is what I call the thrilling wonders of childhood. What's the main thing about a new Christian, what does he think about what you willing verse 12 I write any little children because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. That's a blessing getting space God my sins are forgiven. I'm on my way to heaven.

That's the main thing the little child was concerned about getting to heaven and Littlechild gives his testimony by large you go all the way back is about the only testimony has about how he got saved and how sins are forgiven and that is wonderful. Now here's the second stage the first stage is the thrilling wonders of childhood second stage, the triumphant warfare of manhood.

Look, if you will. Now in verse 13 he says I writing to you young man because you have overcome the wicked one. Look in the last part of verse 14. I have written of you young men because your scrawl in the word of God abide in you no longer milk bottles with my demands. These become workers and warriors. I wonder your work.

Are you a warrior are you no longer being served, but are you a servant, and many are still being served. You only one blessed thing that pops out a larger failing what you come up and sit here on Sunday morning. Thank you Ben got while favor of this charge upon you boat gently sat around here for many boats. I mean your say which are not worker you're not a warrior, not in the battle you have simply got saved and said yes I got my sins are forgiven you.

When you really go on. You move to the next stage, and John says the word of God has made you strong and you overcome the wicked one where you say pastor. I'm not afraid of the devil is not even a question.

The question is of the devil afraid of you. I mean, are you any threat to Satan's kingdom.

Have you you overcoming the wicked one. The Bible says reassess the devil and he will flee from you, the devil won't let me tell you what I want.

The devil wants the lineup like the Green Bay Packers against the kindergarten.

That's what he won't and Frank Mabry's church. That's what happens.

He calls the play and write up a little. I go because I want to. God hears a lot in kindergarten. They're not strong. They don't know anything about the battle and Satan is having his way because he is fighting against an army of children, young men strong. They overcome the wicked one are you a victor or a victim.

Are you in overcome or are overcome. Are you strong is the word of God abide in you, and you honestly, literally, say that you are in overcome with not even safe while shame on you for little baby yes welcome into the nursery with this delayed growth is a shame to Almighty God. Now here's the third stage, watch verse 12 is the thrilling wonders of childhood.

Secondly, the triumphant warfare of manhood.

Thirdly, but tested wisdom will falter fatherhood.

Because here's here's where the Lord is moving us to look in verse 13, I write in your father's because you've known him from the beginning.

Verse 14. Again I written of your father's because he have known him the idea of a father is a person who has come to mature wisdom. He knows he understands he's even move beyond building and battling. He has this wisdom he has this God likeness. He has been with the Lord so long that that his life is beginning to manifest the likeness of God is God like he's become the father, we speak of God as a father, our father, and by the way, he's not talking here about chronological age is not talking about gender. This is only an illustration of your woman. This applies to you if you young person. This applies to you. I mean you can be a spiritual father and be a teenager. What he's talking about here is spiritual maturity and so there the thrilling wonders of childhood is the triumphant warfare of manhood but there is the tested wisdom of fatherhood sale father is somebody who has children that he reproduced you have any spiritual children all talk of Timothy as his son in the faith, he said to the church currently sit on your spiritual fluff and no I I am a physical father, but I think God that God is give me the privilege of being a spiritual father. Did you know what I have a lot of spiritual children. I have some grandchildren-great-grandchildren. Spiritual people. I want to Jesus of one people to Jesus and one people. Jesus, are you going to go to heaven empty-handed harder going to be any children that I found a spiritual children when you come to the throne when you stand at Jesus feet when you say father. This is my spiritual family because I have become like you, I have become a father. His father is known for his wisdom father is known for his ability to get. I hope you will move into the father stage I of the great joys of my life. The stage of life is to give my children and my grandchildren. That is one of the greatest joys of my life and when you become a father and the Lord you're going to want to give to the spiritual children please all babes to help them to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I want to listen very carefully. God is not trying to say that you substitute fatherhood for manhood are that you substitute manhood childlikeness. No father is a composite of all of these things never lose the wonder of childhood that the Bible says, put away childish things. But the Bible says still be childlike. No child has that wonder that sweetness. Keep that in you will want to keep excitement, keep a job. Remember when their sins were forgiven. You matter.

Forget it. Forget it.

I write annual children because your sins are forgiven you. Thank God for that by writing to you young men because your strong word of God abides in you overcome the wicked one when you get to be a father. You don't cease and you will lose the wonder you don't step out of warfare. You just had all these things to it and you become a full-grown man and that's the reason a person who is really mature in the Lord.

Did you know that little children enjoy these kind of people because they themselves still have a childhood they never lost the wonder did you know there'll be a little boy and every man a little girl and every woman whose full-grown still love to laugh, to play to have the good times and I don't care who you are now to be that manhood you want to stay in about a euro to stay in the warfare of the word of God will be in you. You just simply add all these things together unto you become a full orbit individual. What the Bible calls a father and then you are at home in any crowd with little children to little children love Jesus. They come sit in his lap and the older men. The apostle John when he was old. He loved to be with the Lord Jesus Christ and so what were talking here about is growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus by limiting folks what a vascular obvious question who wrote this book of first John. John wrote this and if you use at all. Dear sweet old John the beloved disciple now that that's when we think of John.

Don't you just love a nice idea.

John the disciple whom Jesus loved the one who wrote about love and those leveling I want to tell you friend if you have been around John when he was a young man you would not have wanted to be around John limiting what John was like you wonder what John was like my matrix to let his nickname was so that was his nickname. He had a hairtrigger bill. I was by his natural disposition selfish as all get out. James and John came to Jesus is the Lord when you come into your kingdom.

What I do so in the right hand and my brother here with us on the left-hand side when they were there going through Samaria and the Samaritans were not receiving what John said.

He said Lord you want us to call down some fire from heaven or little heavenly napalm benefits. These folks are less milk until they blow it when she remembered our flock because God has given Jesus had said on your what future of I don't get the idea that John was Mr. nice guy job was not Mr. nice guy when Jesus got all loving buddy in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ missing later own skull, beloved apostle simulator only went to Samaria. He was the one that led that revival there was a consuming fire. But Holy Ghost file that he brought down upon.

The second time when he came he was the one who wasn't trying to be first but it was a woman taught us to love one another. You see what John is talking about now.

The apostle John.

He has experienced here has grown in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And that means if it was old John there's hope you you can grow. Now ask another question are.

I then asking safe. Are you a growing Christian, I mean listen to fail to grow as a sin if you love Jesus Christ more today than you did yesterday your backslidden you need to be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now how you how you integrate one of the means of growth because a growing church is a healthy and happy church. That's where the fellowship this week will number one must be the miracle of life.

There must be the miracle of life that he calls them little children verse 12 actually uses two words for little children the same passage of Scripture uses one word but just simply means born ones and they use another word which means children under discipline technician Padilla. You've got to be a born one. You cannot grow up and then get born talks about him and to try to limit Christ and they say well I got some things in my life. I need to straighten out when I get all that done that I'll become a Christian part. Maybe that's not very bright. That's like saying I will grow up and I'll get born know you see it is birth that precedes growth. When we were here many, many, many years ago. In the old church building downtown. I have all the boys and girls. I was trying to teach a lesson on growth and so I we got some little potted plants, and we gave them different Sunday school classes and we told one get this plant, water, sunlight, and fertilizer.

We told others get this plant water and fertilizer but no sunlight another one give us sunlight, but no water and fertilizer do we have all of the different combinations that you could get and some plants growing like this and some like this in some way, like this, then we gave the kids a stick just a plain wooden stick and a pot we said to them, give it a light give it water and give it fertilizer and so the kids would bring their different plants Sunday morning but you know a lot of those kids that had a stake there.

Stick never brutal just wouldn't grow because the state had no life.

Now don't try to grow up for you get born. I give your heart to Jesus Christ and first of all, there has to be. You have to be born from above in order to grow. Are you saved, I mean do you know the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you have that life in you first thing growth requires the miracle of life. Second thing, growth requires the passage of time, you will not be instantly to their are no shortcuts. There's no instant mature and just keep plodding along and you will find out that you will grow coming up tomorrow on the broadcast to your part to this important lesson.

But maybe today you have questions about who Jesus is what he means to you.

How to begin a relationship with God through Christ, go to where discovered Jesus page@lwf.org/radio you'll find resources and materials. There they can answer questions you may have about your faith again LWF.org/radio and click Discover Jesus nephew like to order a copy of today's message. Call us at 1877 love God and mentioned the title how to be a growing Christian this message is also part of the insightful series sweetest fellowship this side of heaven.

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