“The Seven Marks of Spiritual Maturity"
Romans 15:14-21
1.
What does it mean to be a “mature Christian?”
What does that look like?
a.
Been a Christian for a long time?
b.
Someone who can recite the bible?
c.
Never missed a Sunday service?
d.
What marks do we look for?
2.
The word carries the meaning of being ripe,
fully developed,
a.
In psychology, maturity is the ability to
respond to the environment in an appropriate manner.
A mature person understands who they are, what they’re supposed to do,
why they’re supposed to do it, how they’re supposed to do it, and then they do it!
3.
As we come to the middle of chapter 15, it’s
like we’ve been sitting in a classroom, the Apostle Paul teaching us,
encouraging us, sharing not only his heart, but his knowledge and wisdom,
a.
And most of all the timeless truth of God’s word
4.
But now the class is over, and as the case in a
lecture, some of the students have fled the room, busy with their agenda,
a.
While the more diligent students, those wanting
more, have gathered around the teacher, and the teacher is giving some final
words of encouragement.
b.
and the encouragement seems to center around the
theme of being spiritually mature…
c.
Today we’re going to look at Seven Marks of
Spiritual Maturity
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren,
that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to
admonish one another. 15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to
you on some points, as reminding you,
#1 The Mature Christian has their heart in the
right place - they were full of all goodness
5.
Paul could sense that the Spirit of love and
truth and goodness was at work among them, which is to say the fruit of the
Spirit was evident
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22-23
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