Lesson 8



Lesson 8 It’s Time To Grow Up, For Heaven’s Sake It is God’s will that we grow up and not stay as spiritual babies (Hebrews 5:12-14). Maturity for the Christian means becoming like Jesus . Notice we say "becoming" because it is a process , and there are no shortcuts! God Is Holy! One aspect of being Christlike is God’s character trait of holiness . He revealed His holy character to us in His Word . God gave 10 commandments to His people by writing them on stone tablets and giving them to His servant, Moses. These commandments are a summary of how God expects us to act . They are also an expression of His character and nature . The Ten Commandments You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, nor bow down to an idol. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:1-17 It’s A Heart Thing When Jesus came He raised the standard even higher. In Matthew 5:24-27 Jesus explains, "You have heard it said, ‘Do not murder,’ but I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement . . . You have heard it said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ but I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Here Jesus points out that God is not only concerned about our behavior, but also about our intentions , motivations , and attitudes . God is so focused on the condition and motivation of our heart that when Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, He said, "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39) A New Heart The bad news is that our hearts have been very defective . Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things." The good news is that God promises to give us a new heart. In Ezekiel 18:30 & 31, God says, "Repent! Turn from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit." In Ezekiel 36:25 & 26 God says, "I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and to be careful to keep my laws." These promises were fulfilled in us when we were born again by the Spirit of God. (John 3:8) Guard Your Heart! In Proverbs 4:23 we are warned, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well-spring of life." Just as a farmer keeps weeds out of his garden, we must keep weeds from being planted in our heart. How? As the saying goes, "The best defense is a good offense." In other words, when we are so focused on pursuing or "seeking" God, we have no time for distractions that the tempter would offer. This process is called "walking in the Spirit" or "living by the Spirit." Galatians 5:15 says, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." How Do I "Live By The Spirit?" As always, the real key to our personal success as a Christian is our association, attachment, and identity with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross . Christ’s death and resurrection purchased our freedom from slavery to sin, giving us the opportunity to live dead to sin and alive in Christ. Verse 24 says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." That Sounds Good But How Do I Do That? We attain what we focus on. People who have focused intently have built "skyscrapers", sent men to walk on the moon and performed great medical feats on the human body. If people can do those things without earnestly seeking God’s help, imagine what we can do by earnestly allowing God’s Spirit to help us! The real battle is in our mind . Remember we are to "love the Lord your God with all your . . . mind." (Matthew 22:37). Satan knows that if he can control your mind he will win the battle for your life. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. " How do I renew my mind? We must refuse to allow evil thoughts into our minds. It is vital that we restrict what we view on TV, the computer, books, magazines and places of amusement. We must allow into our minds only what is pleasing to God as taught in Philippians 4:8: "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things." To sum it up . . . Die to the desires of your "old self." (Colossians 3:5-11) Keep in mind that you are a new person since being "born again." ( II Corinthians 5:17) Worship the Lord out loud and on purpose. Do this continuously and enjoy your relationship with Jesus. (Ephesians 5: 18-20) Read, study, memorize and quote the Word of God. Allow the Word to work in you! "For the word of God is living and powerful..." (Hebrews 4:12) Life is a journey through time. Each day we should be stronger in the Lord. Don’t remain a spiritual baby. Let’s grow up, for heaven’s sake!
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