MATURITY #7/7

#1 · March 30, 2009, 10:58 am

Quote from Forum Archives on March 30, 2009, 10:58 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
MATURITY #7/7

HITTING ONE OUT OF THE PARK

March 29, 2009

TEXT: Philippians 3:12-4:1

In addition to warming temperatures, which I welcome, spring also brings with it the start of Americas pastime. That, of course, is baseball. For those who like this particular sport, the air is filled once more with hope. Especially for Cubs fans. Their lives are all about hope. So Ill give you the Cubs fan greeting this morning: Just wait till next year!

Actually, I dont have to go very far to get a whiff of baseball in the air. All I have to do is step out on the parsonage front porch and look west. The Little League diamonds have begun to get busy with this years fresh crop of farm and little league teams. Im sure that dreams of baseball heroics are already filling the heads of some. Who doesnt dream of stepping up to the plate in that tied-game-bottom-of-the-ninth-inning-last-out scenario, getting the perfect pitch to hit over the middle of the plate, and just cranking it out of the park? Or even better, three runs behind, coming to the plate with bases loaded, and hitting one out of the park? It would be great to be the hero, wouldnt it? I always thought so. I could imagine fitting into that dream as well as anybody, but real life never worked out that way. In the season that I got to play ball, as I remember it, I touched the ball with the bat only once during a game, and that was a pop foul. Had no clue where the ball went to even though I knew that I had miraculously hit it. My excitement was short-lived. I went on to strike out and assume my normal position on the bench. So, like many others, I share in the joy of someone else hitting one out of the park.

Which brings me to the topic of this mornings sermon, which is Christian maturity. This makes you wonder what baseball has to do with this topic. Over the past few Sundays, I have been sharing some of the Biblical insights into the meaning of Christian maturity and how we attain it. This morning, as I complete this series, I will review and summarize the essence of Christian maturity.

Some of the questions I have asked myself about spiritual maturity include: What does spiritual maturity look like? How do we know we have attained it? Or do we ever attain it? How do we apply it to our lives? One insight to some of my questions came several years ago not from a Bible study but, oddly enough, from a baseball game. Ken Griffey, Jr., was still playing for the Seattle Mariners. Griffey is an accomplished player with homerun power. As I watched a televised game one afternoon, he came to the plate and took a swing at the ball. He missed for a strike, and immediately the announcers began dissecting his swing. They pointed out all kinds of errors concerning the mechanics of that particular swing which caused Griffey to miss the ball. It didnt look like a bad swing to me, but those announcers recognized problems with it. But they went on to say, Griffey is an experienced, accomplished player. He knows that was a bad swing, and hell correct it. As if they had all rehearsed this beforehand, the next pitch was over the plate, and Griffey hit it out of the park. A homerun.

This, I think, is a picture of maturity. As a baseball player, Ken Griffey, Jr., has had plenty of coaches. His father was a pro ball player, so Im certain that Jr.s coaching began earlier than most. He would have had them all: father, farm team, little league, high school, minor league, major league. No doubt, he probably had his moments where he rebelled some, but over all, Ken Griffey, Jr., listened to and learned from his coaches. If he had not done so, he would not have achieved the level of baseball skill and hitting power that he had. No matter how good he was at any level along the way, he knew that there was always more to learn.

Paul writes, Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. The great apostle acknowledges that he does not know everything, and that he still needs to learn. He knows that he is not God, and that he will never be God. So he is always humble before God. He is always learning from God.

Additionally, Paul knows that believers need to learn from other brothers and sisters. After being blinded while enroute to Damascus, Paul was visited by Ananias. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 9:17) He also spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. It wasnt long before Paul became the coach. Paul was set aside by God for this purpose, and he coached and taught the message of Christ for a long time. In his message to the Philippians, he wrote, Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. (Philippians 3:17) Athletes need coaches to mature, and Christians need coaches to mature. This is why God gives the spiritual gifts of teaching and leading and preaching and shepherding. Every Christian fellowship needs coaches. Christians who are maturing properly at every level seek to learn from their coaches. That is how we grow in Christian maturity.

At the same time, maturity means that we take what we have been taught, along with our gifts and abilities, and apply it. Returning to Ken Griffey, Jr., a moment, we recognize that when he went to the plate, it was up to him to apply what he had been taught about swinging a baseball bat. It was up to him to keep his eye on the ball and make that piece of wood connect with that leather sphere. Even though his coaches were at that game, they could not take his place. It was up to Griffey to make things work. And when things didnt go exactly right, it was up to Griffey to do a mental inventory of what he had been taught, make the adjustments, and do better the next time. That was not the time or the place for him to call out a coach and go over step by step what he needed to do. There was probably a lot of that when he next practiced, but it was not going to happen right then. What had to happen was for Griffey to apply what he had been taught. That is exactly what he did, as the results clearly showed. He hit one out of the park.

Paul writes, Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14) No matter what was in Pauls past, both failure and success, he had to forget about them if they kept him from applying what he had been taught. There were times when it seemed to Paul that he had been abandoned by about everyone. Others in the service of God have felt that same way when facing especially tough situations. Elijah called out to God that he was all alone after fleeing from Queen Jezebel. God assured Elijah that he wasnt alone, and that he was still doing taking the right actions in Gods eyes.

Like Ken Griffey at the plate, there will come those times when we have to make some adjustments at the plate. In other words, when we are serving God in some way, and it doesnt seem to be going right at the moment, we need to rely on our training and growth in the Christian faith and keep persevering. We are not to cave in or lose heart or forget what our coaches have taught us. Christians who have developed some spiritual maturity know that they can trust the Holy Spirit to lead them in making the adjustments they need to for any given situation and face a challenge in a way that is pleasing to God and edifying to those with whom they minister. Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Over the course of this series, we have learned that spiritual growth and maturity consists of two primary elements. Hebrews 5:13-14 says, Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. This tells us that the spiritually mature Christian is doctrinally sound. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul has written, All of us who are mature take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:15-16)

Individual believers, congregations, and denominations are going to differ on some of the applications of the Gospel. Thats fine; we can work together around such differences. But there are some fundamentals of the Christian faith that cannot be compromised. For instance, the saving work of Jesus cannot be compromised. He is the risen Savior. Anyone or any group who denies the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is immature and needs to move from milk to solid food. If a person or a group does not do so, then they cannot be a witness to the Christian faith. They cannot stand alone and make adjustments at the plate if they refuse to be properly coached beforehand. A few years back there was a story about a pastor ordained in the Christian faith who also worshiped as a Muslim. Some think that that is a wonderful expression of cooperation, tolerance, and unity. The only way that anyone can actually believe such nonsense is if he completely ignores the doctrinal content of both faiths. It is impossible to honestly worship as both a Christian and a Muslim, or as a believer of any other faith, because they are mutually exclusive. To think otherwise is an obvious sign of spiritual immaturity as defined by the Bible. Christian maturity means being doctrinally sound. Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Because the mature Christian stands on firm doctrinal ground, then the second piece of spiritual maturity is made possible. That is, as we become more Christ-like in our living, we become more humble. Why? Because that is the way Jesus is. The Scripture lesson I used to teach us this came from Matthew 20:25-28: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:25-28)

This is why and how Paul became willing to give up so much of his pre-salvation accomplishments. To hold onto them would have kept him trapped in pride and arrogance. Instead, he sought to be like his Master who came to serve. Paul replaced his self-righteousness with Christs righteousness. That is the proper, mature humility that we are to all strain toward. Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Spiritual maturity is a journey. For most of us, it is a steady journey with triumphs and setbacks. It is something that we will not completely attain in our lifetimes, but it is a goal for which we strive. It is a goal where we can recognize accomplishments and victories. And it is a goal that the Lord Himself gives us the strength, courage, and ability to work toward. Regardless of where we are on our personal journey to spiritual maturity, Paul reminds and encourages all of us to live up to what we have already attained.

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

[email protected]

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

MATURITY #7/7

HITTING ONE OUT OF THE PARK

March 29, 2009

TEXT: Philippians 3:12-4:1

In addition to warming temperatures, which I welcome, spring also brings with it the start of Americas pastime. That, of course, is baseball. For those who like this particular sport, the air is filled once more with hope. Especially for Cubs fans. Their lives are all about hope. So Ill give you the Cubs fan greeting this morning: Just wait till next year!

Actually, I dont have to go very far to get a whiff of baseball in the air. All I have to do is step out on the parsonage front porch and look west. The Little League diamonds have begun to get busy with this years fresh crop of farm and little league teams. Im sure that dreams of baseball heroics are already filling the heads of some. Who doesnt dream of stepping up to the plate in that tied-game-bottom-of-the-ninth-inning-last-out scenario, getting the perfect pitch to hit over the middle of the plate, and just cranking it out of the park? Or even better, three runs behind, coming to the plate with bases loaded, and hitting one out of the park? It would be great to be the hero, wouldnt it? I always thought so. I could imagine fitting into that dream as well as anybody, but real life never worked out that way. In the season that I got to play ball, as I remember it, I touched the ball with the bat only once during a game, and that was a pop foul. Had no clue where the ball went to even though I knew that I had miraculously hit it. My excitement was short-lived. I went on to strike out and assume my normal position on the bench. So, like many others, I share in the joy of someone else hitting one out of the park.

Which brings me to the topic of this mornings sermon, which is Christian maturity. This makes you wonder what baseball has to do with this topic. Over the past few Sundays, I have been sharing some of the Biblical insights into the meaning of Christian maturity and how we attain it. This morning, as I complete this series, I will review and summarize the essence of Christian maturity.

Some of the questions I have asked myself about spiritual maturity include: What does spiritual maturity look like? How do we know we have attained it? Or do we ever attain it? How do we apply it to our lives? One insight to some of my questions came several years ago not from a Bible study but, oddly enough, from a baseball game. Ken Griffey, Jr., was still playing for the Seattle Mariners. Griffey is an accomplished player with homerun power. As I watched a televised game one afternoon, he came to the plate and took a swing at the ball. He missed for a strike, and immediately the announcers began dissecting his swing. They pointed out all kinds of errors concerning the mechanics of that particular swing which caused Griffey to miss the ball. It didnt look like a bad swing to me, but those announcers recognized problems with it. But they went on to say, Griffey is an experienced, accomplished player. He knows that was a bad swing, and hell correct it. As if they had all rehearsed this beforehand, the next pitch was over the plate, and Griffey hit it out of the park. A homerun.

This, I think, is a picture of maturity. As a baseball player, Ken Griffey, Jr., has had plenty of coaches. His father was a pro ball player, so Im certain that Jr.s coaching began earlier than most. He would have had them all: father, farm team, little league, high school, minor league, major league. No doubt, he probably had his moments where he rebelled some, but over all, Ken Griffey, Jr., listened to and learned from his coaches. If he had not done so, he would not have achieved the level of baseball skill and hitting power that he had. No matter how good he was at any level along the way, he knew that there was always more to learn.

Paul writes, Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. The great apostle acknowledges that he does not know everything, and that he still needs to learn. He knows that he is not God, and that he will never be God. So he is always humble before God. He is always learning from God.

Additionally, Paul knows that believers need to learn from other brothers and sisters. After being blinded while enroute to Damascus, Paul was visited by Ananias. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 9:17) He also spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. It wasnt long before Paul became the coach. Paul was set aside by God for this purpose, and he coached and taught the message of Christ for a long time. In his message to the Philippians, he wrote, Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. (Philippians 3:17) Athletes need coaches to mature, and Christians need coaches to mature. This is why God gives the spiritual gifts of teaching and leading and preaching and shepherding. Every Christian fellowship needs coaches. Christians who are maturing properly at every level seek to learn from their coaches. That is how we grow in Christian maturity.

At the same time, maturity means that we take what we have been taught, along with our gifts and abilities, and apply it. Returning to Ken Griffey, Jr., a moment, we recognize that when he went to the plate, it was up to him to apply what he had been taught about swinging a baseball bat. It was up to him to keep his eye on the ball and make that piece of wood connect with that leather sphere. Even though his coaches were at that game, they could not take his place. It was up to Griffey to make things work. And when things didnt go exactly right, it was up to Griffey to do a mental inventory of what he had been taught, make the adjustments, and do better the next time. That was not the time or the place for him to call out a coach and go over step by step what he needed to do. There was probably a lot of that when he next practiced, but it was not going to happen right then. What had to happen was for Griffey to apply what he had been taught. That is exactly what he did, as the results clearly showed. He hit one out of the park.

Paul writes, Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14) No matter what was in Pauls past, both failure and success, he had to forget about them if they kept him from applying what he had been taught. There were times when it seemed to Paul that he had been abandoned by about everyone. Others in the service of God have felt that same way when facing especially tough situations. Elijah called out to God that he was all alone after fleeing from Queen Jezebel. God assured Elijah that he wasnt alone, and that he was still doing taking the right actions in Gods eyes.

Like Ken Griffey at the plate, there will come those times when we have to make some adjustments at the plate. In other words, when we are serving God in some way, and it doesnt seem to be going right at the moment, we need to rely on our training and growth in the Christian faith and keep persevering. We are not to cave in or lose heart or forget what our coaches have taught us. Christians who have developed some spiritual maturity know that they can trust the Holy Spirit to lead them in making the adjustments they need to for any given situation and face a challenge in a way that is pleasing to God and edifying to those with whom they minister. Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Over the course of this series, we have learned that spiritual growth and maturity consists of two primary elements. Hebrews 5:13-14 says, Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. This tells us that the spiritually mature Christian is doctrinally sound. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul has written, All of us who are mature take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:15-16)

Individual believers, congregations, and denominations are going to differ on some of the applications of the Gospel. Thats fine; we can work together around such differences. But there are some fundamentals of the Christian faith that cannot be compromised. For instance, the saving work of Jesus cannot be compromised. He is the risen Savior. Anyone or any group who denies the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is immature and needs to move from milk to solid food. If a person or a group does not do so, then they cannot be a witness to the Christian faith. They cannot stand alone and make adjustments at the plate if they refuse to be properly coached beforehand. A few years back there was a story about a pastor ordained in the Christian faith who also worshiped as a Muslim. Some think that that is a wonderful expression of cooperation, tolerance, and unity. The only way that anyone can actually believe such nonsense is if he completely ignores the doctrinal content of both faiths. It is impossible to honestly worship as both a Christian and a Muslim, or as a believer of any other faith, because they are mutually exclusive. To think otherwise is an obvious sign of spiritual immaturity as defined by the Bible. Christian maturity means being doctrinally sound. Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Because the mature Christian stands on firm doctrinal ground, then the second piece of spiritual maturity is made possible. That is, as we become more Christ-like in our living, we become more humble. Why? Because that is the way Jesus is. The Scripture lesson I used to teach us this came from Matthew 20:25-28: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:25-28)

This is why and how Paul became willing to give up so much of his pre-salvation accomplishments. To hold onto them would have kept him trapped in pride and arrogance. Instead, he sought to be like his Master who came to serve. Paul replaced his self-righteousness with Christs righteousness. That is the proper, mature humility that we are to all strain toward. Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Spiritual maturity is a journey. For most of us, it is a steady journey with triumphs and setbacks. It is something that we will not completely attain in our lifetimes, but it is a goal for which we strive. It is a goal where we can recognize accomplishments and victories. And it is a goal that the Lord Himself gives us the strength, courage, and ability to work toward. Regardless of where we are on our personal journey to spiritual maturity, Paul reminds and encourages all of us to live up to what we have already attained.

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! Thats how a Christian hits one out of the park.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

[email protected]

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]