The Road to Maturity in Christ I

The Road to Maturity in Christ

1 Corinthians 3:1–4

Theme: The Christian journey leads to maturity in the Word, discernment, and righteous decision-making.

Relevance: God designed the Christian life to grow continuously into obedience dominated by His Spirit and will.

Introduction: “As I write this chapter, we are watching our grandson and our granddaughter grow up. Becky is still being nursed by her mother, but Jonathan now sits at the table and uses his little cup and (with varying degrees of success) his tableware. As children grow, they learn to eat different food. They graduate (to use Paul's words) from milk to meat.”— W. W. Wiersbe

There are unsaved and saved people in the world, and regarding the saved, there are mature (spiritual) and immature (carnal) believers. As the "spiritual father," Paul brought this family into being with the gospel (1 Cor 4:15). During his ministry in Corinth, he tried to feed his spiritual children and help them mature in the Faith. Much like a normal family, everybody helps the new baby grow and mature, so in the family of God we must encourage spiritual maturity. We want to observe this progress in three movements.

Message:

I.                 “Walk as Men” (1 Cor. 3:3).

A.   The Church’s Spiritual Situation is Referenced. Remember the Bible's description of the lost condition; they were:

                                                             i.      Separated from God: a sin-created barrier between God and people (Isa. 59:2).

                                                           ii.      Spiritually Dead: lifeless to God because of their trespasses, moral failures, and sins (Eph. 2:1).

                                                        iii.      Blind to Truth: they are impaired by Satan’s lies, the god of this world (Eph. 2:2-3; 2 Cor. 4:4).

                                                         iv.      Eternally Condemned: they faced everlasting punishment away from God because they insisted on dying in their sin (Matt. 25:46).

B.    These Believers Resemble the ‘Lost Condition’

                                                             i.      Behaviors were governed by our corrupt, fallen, fleshly, godless selves, and sinful nature

                                                           ii.      These Corithian believers were behaving like lost people… “it means that they were acting fleshly, not that they were fleshly by nature.”^[1]

                                                        iii.      “You are thinking and behaving in a fleshly way.”^[2]

C.   This Church was Still Enslaved to Sinful Habits, Ways, and Tendencies

                                                             i.      Eph. 2:1-3, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2, Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3, Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 

                                                           ii.      Sinful desire is like cancer; it has many forms and affects many parts of the church in many ways—all of them destructive. Carnality is a general evil that has many manifestations. It will corrupt morals, weaken personal relationships, produce doubt about God and His Word, destroy prayer life, and provide fertile ground for heresy. It will attack right doctrine and right living, right belief and right practice.^[3]

                                                        iii.      Immature, fleshly Christians are never the result of deficient spiritual genes or of a spiritual birth defect. They are the way they are by their own choices. One of the worst and most disappointing problems the church can have is a congregation full of babes, Christians who are not growing because they seek to fulfill fleshly appetites.^[4]

Conclusion:

The Christian must drive forward focusing on maturity in the Word, discernment, and righteous decision-making pursuant of God’s plan. God literally designed us to grow continuously into a lifestyle of obedience dominated increasingly by His Spirit and will.

However, some need to be saved today. Stop putting it off and trust Christ as your Savior and Lord now.

Salvation involves coming to Jesus Christ as God and the supreme authority over our lives to graciously rescue us from the penalty of our sin. It is impossible for Him to save anybody who is not willing to acknowledge their sinfulness in a spirit of repentance. God can only save us when the right conditions exist in the human soul—repentance and faith. Bible examples of conversions present evidence of clear righteous changes in new Believer’s beliefs and behavior. These changes alone do not save us from sin, but THEY ARE certainly the FRUIT of genuine salvation. Such authentic conversions involves both repentance and faith (Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:10).

The Gospel requires sinners to repent turning to God in faith. As a result of genuine conversions, new converts are expected to do works in keeping with true repented. This launches a lifelong adventure of faith and repentance as the Believer grows in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1).

I am totally convinced that many professing “Christians” are not Believers at all because they never humbled themselves before God in repentance and faith. This is principally why there is such little or no evidence of spiritual progress in so many “Christians.” It gives me no pleasure to highlight these frustrations. My singular hope is to help those who are deceived to genuinely come to Christ God’s way to truly be saved.

How Can We Experience Spiritual Birth? The answer is by consciously opting to place our faith/trust in Jesus Christ—His death, burial and resurrection as the full payment for our sins. We acknowledge God’s acceptance of Christ’s redemptive work by raising Him from the dead. Therefore, we accept what God accepts as complete payment for our sins. Recall what the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:14-18, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17, For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Each person must utterly entrust our eternal salvation to Jesus Christ the Son of God. The story has been told many times with varying emphasis about the man who stretched a cable across a certain deep canyon. He first walked across the cable displaying fascinating balance and control. Secondly, he took a wheel barrel and made his way across with it and back again. Finally, he asked the watching audience if they believed he could carry someone across in a wheel barrel. Many of them gleefully responded with a “yes.” Then he asked for a volunteer and no one stepped forward. You see they did not really believe enough to trust him with their lives. When we trust Christ, it is like jumping into the wheel barrel and utterly depending on Him transfer us form no relationship with God into a relationship, from guilt to forgiveness, from condemnation to full acceptation, from death unto life, and from earth to heaven. We must believe on Christ Jesus!

This is exactly what Paul says in Romans 10:9-10, writing, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We cannot simply believe anything about Jesus, we must believe that the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried, and God raise Him up again the third day to declare us as right before The Father. Beloved, it is crucial that we exercise faith in the Person and Work of Christ to experience the spiritual birth.

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^[1] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 1 Co 3:3.

^[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 73.

^[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 72–73.

^[4] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 72.

I Feel Guilty at Times

 

I Feel Guilty at Times

Mark 15:34-39, And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ³⁵ And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. ³⁶ And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. ³⁷ And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. ³⁸ And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

Mark 15:34-39 recalls our Lord’s final moments on the cross, death, and anticipate His burial. Jesus cries out with a surprisingly loud voice "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" (My God, why hast thou forsaken me?), then Jesus intentionally dies after this incredible cry, and the temple veil is ripped in two from top to bottom. A Roman centurion responsible for the entire crucifixion site, who had witnessed many crucifixions before, convincingly admits Jesus is the “Son of God.” While I could examine this passage in many other ways, I feel compelled to focus on the ways it makes me feel inside when I honestly reflect on these thoughts.

Is all guilt for sin bad? I was listening again to Mark 15:34-47 just before and each time I hear it or read it I find that I want to rush through those verses because I don't want to feel guilty at that moment. I'd rather pass through this section quickly to save myself some form of grief or seemly interruptive feelings of responsibility for Christ being there on the cross for my sin. I am ashamed of the things I have done, the sins I sanctioned, and the stuff I permitted because I knowingly looked the other way at times.

On occasion I have read that same passage and felt acutely my guilt, the pain of my sinfulness, and at times I wondered at the crucifying soldiers' conviction that Jesus is the "Son of God." Even now I am struggling to hold back my tears because I still feel so wrong inside.... I feel incredibly responsible for making a mess in so many areas that I am ashamed to name any of them...or to count them…I am inept. I am ‘messed up’ completely!

You see this is why I desperately needed a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I am responsible for His being on that cross. It was my sin that placed Him there...though He did this voluntarily and willingly to satisfy justice on my behalf. I am now justified, forgiven, adopted, accepted, and sanctified in the Lord Jesus, but all these spiritual blessings came at an incredible price. I must never dear to take Christ's death for granted.

Yes, I will always know what I am, a sinner, and prayerfully, I will grow in my appreciation of Christ's sacrifice for me. I think such passages record accurately what happened that day at Calvary, but they also help us stay grounded and dependent on the same risen Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, there is tremendous value in looking back and appreciating the Cross anew.

I’m okay with respecting the death of my Savior more, and I sometimes feel guilty for my actions and history even though I have been forgiven. Certainly, this results in real repentance. I can live with this kind of guilt. Paul, Peter, James, John, and the list goes on…. All of them did. Every genuine conversion is predicated on acknowledging our guilt for sin before a holy God. Why should ‘Christian living’ involve forgetting this fact? Jesus wants us to remember His body that was “broken” for us and shed blood as foundational to the New Covenant. Certainly, we are to remember then….

Luke 22:19, And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:24-26, And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. ²⁵ After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. ²⁶ For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

God's Order for Husbands (Part III)

 

 “Adopting God’s Order for Husbands” 

1 PETER 3:7

SUBJECT: SUBMISSION AND MARRIAGE

THEME: Each believing husband is to submit to God’s order in his marriage.

RELEVANCE: the best husband first views his marriage as an expression of his submission to the Lord. Abandoning the ‘traditional,’ ‘romantic,’ and ‘institutional’ models of marriage he freely clings to God’s Order. He is not loyal to his wife primarily nor worldly models; the Christian husband is devoted to Christ first—above all. He fully submits to Christ’s authority in his life and seeks to guides his family accordingly.

INTRODUCTION:

Not only should you give your wife understanding but also respect—you give her this kind of thoughtfulness because of her limitations and uniqueness as a woman.

One lie of women’s liberation is the idea that women are biologically identical to men. Feminist ideology ignores the biological clock and the natural desire of many women to be wives and mothers who prioritize getting married and raising children over climbing the corporate ladder. For a young girl to desire being a good wife and mother is frowned upon and belittled as if choosing this route is living beneath her potential. Conversely, it is a Bible fact that the most valuable ‘thing’ on the entire planet is a human being. God commits babies (new humans) to young wives because they are best suited for this most important job! Allow the reality of that to soak in.

MESSAGE: HUSBANDS MUST ADOPT GOD’S ORDER IN MARRIAGE. 1 Pet 3:7, Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

II. RESPECT HER AS THE SOFTER GENDER, VS 7

In contrast the Bible immediately acknowledges a women’s differences, does not trap her in masculinity or a male role, does not encourage her to lose her identity as a woman or major on ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ duality. God calls on husbands to make provisions considering her limitations and these confinements rise out of the fact that she is a woman—the softer gender. Immediately, using this kind of language will infuriate some, but we believe God and not necessarily people. Test this reality based on biblical teaching. Let us begin with this idea of respect or honor.

                 1. Give Honor to Your Wife.

“Giving honor unto the wife”. “Honor” points to value, respect, esteem, and counting her as precious. A good husband is to count his wife as a beloved jewel, as a person of incredible worth.

This involves actively demonstrating high respect, and love through cherishing her, and protecting her well-being. Actions like active listening, speaking kindly, sharing household responsibilities, encouraging her passions, defending her reputation, and ultimately treating her as a spiritual equal before God. Honoring your wife is a proactive, daily, and conscious decision that strengthens marital closeness. This is not primarily based on what she deserves, but more of what a husband does for his wife according to the Word! A husband’s submission to the Lord results in his wife being treated delicately and treasured—honored. 

                 2. Honor Her Because of Natural Vulnerabilities.  

“As the weaker vessel” is the next phrase in 1 Peter 3:7. By nature a wife is frailer and more gentile. She is also usually more emotional than her husband. God wants husbands to honor their wives by recognizing them as physically or socially more vulnerable. God is not highlighting inferiority but rather calls a husband to protective and respectful treatment towards her. She needs tenderness due to physical, emotional, or societal differences.

She is the ‘weaker vessel’ which implies that the husband is ‘weak’ also. The weakness he senses in himself should help him gauge his consideration and treatment of his more vulnerable wife. This understanding should lead him to act with tenderness and wise consideration concerning her. Again, it takes a real man to be a godly husband.  

Additionally, a wife is not necessarily ‘weaker’ intellectually or spiritually, but she has less physical strength—she is weaker physically. She is usually softer, and generally more slenderly made. God instructs the husband to respect this difference about her and compensate for it. Therefore, the husband is to protect, provide, lead, and instruct her.

As a good husband you aim to be a solid protector. Any husband feeling responsible to the Lord for his wife will protect her and sometimes that feels a little like him controlling her. Simply stated if a wife is a ‘precious gift’ from God to him, then automatically he wants to show God thankfulness for her as a gift and then increase her value to the Lord and himself. Naturally you would want to protect a wife because she is more fragile and delicate. However, this ‘protection’ can be misunderstood as too controlling, limiting, restricting, or even answering to a man—accountability to the husband. To properly respect her demands protecting her from any dangers—no God-fearing woman wants a careless and carefree man. A wife will never feel ‘safe’ with such a husband. She may be aware of some of those threats and welcome your protection, but you are also aware of potential additional threats to your wife’s well being and you take measures to keep her safe and secure. Please do not mistake protection for meaningless or selfish controlling. Communicate this requirement and this feeling clearly to each other to achieve understanding and appreciation for each other’s very different roles.

Husbands are to honor their wives by loving and tenderly taking care of them. They are to look after and care for them with warmth and tenderness, esteeming them highly.—Unknown

According to God’s order, husbands are characterized as caring, giving, self-sacrificing, and extending love focusing on the highest welfare of a wife.

              3. Honor Her with Your Service.

Eph 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;   

This “love” of a husband is a sincere appreciation, concern, affection, and a high estimation of your wife.

Husbands are commanded, Love your wives (cf. v. 33) just as Christ loved the church. The word “love” (agapaō) means seeking the highest good for another person (cf. 2:4). This is an unselfish love as seen in Christ’s sacrificial death in which He gave Himself up for the church (cf. 5:2; John 10:11, 15, 17–18; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 5:25; Heb. 9:14). A wife’s submission in no way hints that a husband may lord it over his spouse, as a despot commanding a slave. The “submit-love” relationship is a beautiful mixture of harmonious partnership in marriage.^[1]

Husbands are to love their wives as sacrificially as Christ loved the church! His love for her is primarily evidenced through his service to her! Any wife, like any husband, is not even close to perfection, but a man must choose a bride wisely. And contrary to the patterns of wanting, expecting, and demanding, a good husband lovingly serves and attends to the needs of his wife expending himself for Christ’s glory and her good. There is no room for a self-centered lazy man! The following is a glimpse of Christ’s love for the church.

When we feel incapable of showing our love or we have nothing left to give, we need to ask God to fill us with His Spirit and grace. During these fruitless and frustrating times, we must ask our heavenly Father to give us the strength and wisdom to love sacrificially. Our prayer should be, “Teach us how to love as you loved. May your mercy and compassion overflow from our hearts to our wives.”—Unknown

What Can Husbands Learn from Christ’s Love for the Church?    

                      a)  Christ Suffered and Died for the Church—We should labor unselfishly and sacrificially for her ultimate good. We are not consumed with our expectations but her NEEDS! Put your wife before yourself.   

                       b)  Christ Provided Grace for the Church—We should give honor to the wife even if she doesn’t deserve it.  Because of the grace of God in you be gracious in your dealings with her. She is not perfect and nor are you! Remember ‘grace’ is for the undeserving person, so learn to live with and tolerate a few things! Love, forgiveness, patience, kindness, listening and second chances are not earned, they are freely given by grace!

QUOTE: “The most impressive example of tolerance is a golden wedding anniversary.” —Grit

                      c)  Christ Provided Structure and Guidelines for the Church—We should lead our wives with God’s eternal truth, giving structure, guidelines, healthy limitation and household rules. The Word of God, not mere selfishness, should shape the values and responsibilities in any home. Read, study, and pray over Bible obligations of devotion to the Lord and each other. Entertainment venues may need to be paused for a while or even discontinued to avoid interference with the Word and it teachings. Be very careful with tradeoffs and exchanges…the relationship should result in becoming more consecrated to God and not accommodating selfish desires.

1 Cor 14:35, And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.  (Eph. 5: 25-27)

                      d)  Christ Gave Gifted Men to the Church to Build it Up—We should labor to build up our wives spiritually, intellectually, physically, ministerially, and emotionally. This is a major function of a God-fearing husband. So, we notice her famine charms, appreciate her contributions, praise her for her strengths, and value her opinion even if you don’t completely adopt it on this occasion. Use your position to increase her value to Christ…she should become more devoted to God through your influence.

Prov 31:28, Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

(Also SOS 7:1-9)

                      e)  Christ Gave Spiritual Gifts to the Church—Acknowledge she has God given strengths, gifts, and abilities, that would make a wonderful contribution to your home and the church. Also give her domestic opportunities to use these strengths. This is not the time to be jealous or fearful of her growth or become insecure about her development. Also occasionally give her a nice gift on birthdays or anniversaries to show your appreciation and celebrate her growth.

                      f)  Christ Provided Security for the Church—Husbands are to provide her with the safety and security of a Christlike love, a faithful heart and eyes, commitment to your vows, and daily devotion to her only. Let her know that you will not walk out on her and forsake her. Assure her you are not looking for her replacement. Remember, to abandon her is to forfeit God’s will in that important area.

This zone has been a tremendous area of failures since childhood for many girls. Many of them take these scars into their marriages with an apparent need to look out for themselves…a kind of survival strategy. Much assurance is necessary once this category has been violated.  

LIMITING LOVE FOR WIFE

“A young man once went to see Dr. Harry Ironside to confess a fault. “I’m loving my wife too much!” he told the well-known Bible teacher. “In fact, I’ve put her on such a high plane, I fear its sinful.”  “Do you think you love your wife more than Christ love the Church?” inquired Ironside. The husband didn’t dare say he did. “Well, that’s the limit to which we may go,” he continued (Eph. 5:25).”—H.G. Bosch

In a major way part of a marriage is showing Christ to the world. Shockingly, the husband or the wife are not the primary concerns. Christ is and He deserve such honor and distinction. Your home is to be a place where Christ is manifested, magnified, adored, and lived for in very concrete and daily matters! Proactively taking out the trash, cleaning up after yourself, caring for the yard, choosing the restaurant, managing the finances, and planning the vacation and short get aways aren’t too much to ask. It is true not every woman should be a wife, and not every man should be a husband, but when Christians believe it is God’s plan for them to marry, then they should subscribe to God’s order in marriage.  

 

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^[1] Harold W. Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 641.