Embracing Spiritual Maturity Through Personal Faith
Summary
In this sermon, I explored the concept of spiritual maturity and the importance of personal experience in faith. I began by discussing the process of sermon preparation and how it led me to the topic of spiritual maturity. I shared personal anecdotes about my own journey and misconceptions of maturity, emphasizing that it is not about superficial changes or adopting certain behaviors, but about a deep, personal relationship with Jesus. I stressed the importance of not just accepting teachings at face value, but testing them and experiencing the truth of God's word for oneself.
In the second part of the sermon, I delved deeper into the concept of spiritual maturity, emphasizing that it is not about progressing through a series of steps or achieving certain milestones, but about knowing Jesus personally. I warned against the dangers of hollow and deceptive theology, urging the congregation to test their faith and grow in maturity. I also discussed the importance of not treating the gift of salvation lightly, but valuing it and using it to reflect the goodness of God. I concluded the sermon with a call to action, urging the congregation to live out their faith and make Jesus known in the world.
Key Takeaways:
- Spiritual maturity is about having a personal relationship with Jesus, not about superficial changes or adopting certain behaviors. ([00:30])
- It's important to test your faith and not just accept teachings at face value. This helps you to grow in maturity and experience the truth of God's word for yourself. ([22:49])
- The gift of salvation should not be taken lightly. How you treat this gift reflects how you value it. ([33:15])
- The biggest damage to the church often comes from within, when Christians do not reflect the goodness of God in their lives. ([34:23])
- We are called to live out our faith and make Jesus known in the world. ([37:36])
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Colossians Chapter 2 [37:36]
2. The Book of Romans [34:59]
Observation Questions:
1. What is the main message of Colossians Chapter 2?
2. How does the Book of Romans discuss the concept of grace and sin?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does Colossians Chapter 2 relate to the concept of the gift of salvation?
2. What does the Book of Romans teach us about the relationship between sin and grace?
Application Questions:
1. How are you treating the gift of salvation in your daily life?
2. Can you identify a time when you took the gift of salvation for granted? How did it affect your relationship with God?
3. How can you better appreciate and utilize the gift of salvation in your life?
4. How can you demonstrate the grace of God in your interactions with others this week?
5. Can you think of a situation where you could have shown more grace, as described in the Book of Romans? How would you handle it differently now?
Devotional
Day 1: The Danger of False Theology
False theology and philosophy can lead us astray from the truth of Christ. It's important to be aware of these dangers and not to get caught up in them. Instead, we should focus on growing in Christ and understanding His teachings. This growth in maturity is not about following a set of rules, but about knowing who Jesus is ([30:28]).
Colossians 2:8 - "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you were tempted by false theology or philosophy. How did you respond and what did you learn from the experience?
Day 2: The Importance of Personal Experience
It's crucial to experience the truth of God's word for ourselves. We shouldn't just believe something because someone else says it's true. Instead, we should test our faith and grow in maturity by knowing Jesus for ourselves ([22:49]).
John 7:17 - "Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."
Reflection: How have you personally experienced the truth of God's word? How has this experience strengthened your faith?
Day 3: The Sufficiency of Jesus
Sometimes we may feel like we need something more than Jesus to feel fulfilled. However, the truth is that Jesus is all we need. We don't need to add anything to our faith in Him ([08:03]).
2 Peter 1:3 - "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
Reflection: Have you ever felt like you needed something more than Jesus? How did you overcome this feeling?
Day 4: The Call to Maturity
Spiritual maturity is not about following a set of rules or regulations. Instead, it's about growing in our understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us ([09:11]).
Hebrews 6:1 - "Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God."
Reflection: How have you grown in your understanding of Jesus? What steps can you take to continue growing in spiritual maturity?
Day 5: The Power of the Gospel
The good news of the gospel is not just for us to keep to ourselves. Instead, we should share it with others and let them know about the gift of Jesus ([37:36]).
Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."
Reflection: How can you share the good news of the gospel with others this week?
Quotes
1. "God's mission for us here at Boulevard is really simple - we help people find Jesus and we help people follow Jesus. Our teaching team hopes that this message that you're about to listen to will help you learn to grow and trust him more than before." - 00:00
2. "At what point do you want to experience the goodness of God for yourself? There's lots of hollow and deceptive teaching. Don't fall into it. If your faith in Jesus is something that you've never tested, take it out for a spin. You have to grow in maturity. It means knowing who Jesus is." - 22:32
3. "If you believe that Jesus is the greatest of all time, we need to live like it. I'm asking you to work in us when we cannot work, asking you to move in us when we cannot move. I'm asking you to be faithful even when we are not." - 37:24
4. "As you mature and as you grow into Christ, what you will experience is a deeper capacity for things like kindness. You'll become more generous with your time and with your resources. Your love that you display to the community is not something that you just did and you checked it off your list. What you will see is as you mature, that act of service grows into a passion to see people know Jesus." - 15:06
5. "When you accept Jesus, you're both at the starting line and at the finish line of your faith. When you follow Jesus, there's no more salvation for you to earn. You don't have to earn it anymore, you don't have to clean yourself up. But in another very real sense, when you accept Jesus, you're not done. You're just getting started." - 15:06
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