Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
February 4, 2001 a.m.
Meeting the Challenge: Working Toward Spiritual Maturity
Reading - Philippians 3.7-16
I hope you see this budget presentation as being more than just a jumble of man-made figures... More than just a way to spend church monies. I hope you see this as our program of work for the year 2001. Christian maturity has a lot to do with how we accept the challenge our Eldership has set before us.
I am impressed with the fact that over 70 percent of our budget is dedicated to preaching and teaching the Word of God both at home and abroad. And that we spend roughly 30 percent more in foreign missions than we do preaching here at home. I challenge you to find another church that has these kinds of ratios. May God help us to accept the challenge our Eldership has set before us this morning. May He help us achieve the spiritual perfection that He wishes for us in all things---Not just in how we respond to budget matters... RIGHT?
I believe Paul has given us a Biblical plan for spiritual Maturing... For reaching toward perfection in our scripture reading in Philippians 3, consider verses 12 through 16 with me
... 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. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should 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.
Do you see it? I don’t have it made yet. But this one thing I do. Forgetting the past. I press on.
What we want to do this morning is examine this four-step plan for accomplishing what our Eldership has outlined... READY?
The first step is a realization that we haven’t made it yet. Genuine spiritual growth must always began with a dissatisfaction of status quo. If we are satisfied with what we are right now; we have eliminated the possibility of ….Being... Doing... Becoming any better. Satisfaction breeds apathy.
This is our problem in the church today... Isn’t it?... We have the truth... We are working to restore Apostolic Doctrine... But, we are becoming apathetic... We’ve stopped moving forward individually... Corporately as a church, and as a brotherhood.
Is the church at Bella Vista growing?... Numerically?.... Spiritually? How about us individually?
Are we a better person today than we were yesterday?
Are we into the Word more?
Do we pray more?
Give more?
Do we have more faith, trust and confidence in God and His promises through the Word?
Are we more Loving... Forgiving... Patient... Caring... and MORE kind?
Are we serving others more today than in the past?
Are we sharing the gospel with others with more enthusiasm today than in the past?
You see, where we are this morning individually and corporately is OK... What is not OK with God is that we stay here... He wants us to go on to perfection... To press on to the goal. Christianity is an ongoing... Never-ending struggle for us to conform to the image of our God and Savior.
Peter tells us that we must ADD to our faith...
Virtue,
Knowledge,
Temperance,
Patience,
Godliness,
Brotherly kindness
And love.
He says... These things must abound in you... Increase in you... Multiply in you.
We must be dissatisfied with status quo.
Self satisfaction... Self righteousness... Thinking we have arrived, thinking we have done our part in the church... Thinking this is not my job... Let someone else do it, is a sure sign of spiritual immaturity... RIGHT?
Step number two is singleness of purpose. Note that Paul says,
This ONE thing I do.
Regardless of what we find Paul doing:
Making and minding tents.
Writing letters to churches or young preachers.
Preaching in Philippi.
Teaching in a school in Ephesus.
Sight-seeing in Athens.
Sailing the high seas.
Or, imprisonment in Rome
He was DRIVEN... DRIVEN by ONE all-consuming, all-controlling purpose... To be like Jesus and to share His Gospel with others.
Here it is church, unless Jesus, and becoming like Jesus, is first and foremost in our lives; there isn’t much chance we will become mature Christian people... Not individually and not corporately as a church or as a brotherhood. Jesus says, our all consuming purpose is to seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Our problem today is that we have too many:
Goals,
Purposes,
And interests.
We have plugged into too many things... Too many projects in this world. We have so many interests that we can’t give our wholehearted support to any one of them. This is spiritually self-defeating.
Paul is saying...
We must keep the MAIN THING THE MAIN THING.
The main thing is glorifying God. Living in constant worship and service to Him. The main thing is for us to always reflect the image of Jesus, and to share His Gospel with the lost about us.
Here’s the real question: What are we living for?
To make more money?
To be a business success.
To impress others?
To hoard things?
To keep up with our neighbors?
To play better golf?
Or,
to become more like Christ?
Jesus said...
This is my purpose... I came to do the will of the Father. This is my overriding obsession... I must be about my Father’s business.
Church... Spiritual maturity is making sure our priorities are always correct...
God first...
The well being of others second...
Self, third...
And, things last.
Accept the challenge... Stay focused... Keep the main thing the main thing.
Step number three is forget the past.
This church has a great past... Even though we are only 22 years old this month, we have a great past. This church has touched the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, at home and abroad.
We have made a difference in the lives of others; however, we can never rest on past accomplishments... RIGHT? There is just no example for this in the Bible.
God expects us to keep-on-keeping on.
Christianity is a life of perseverance.
This message is echoed to the church in almost every New Testament book.
One other thing here... There is not one thing in my life or yours that should keep us from doing and being what God wants us to do and become. It’s true, we’ve made some serious mistakes in our past... But, as His children, God has forgiven us... So that we can move on.
Paul says
... Forget it!! FORGET IT!! Forgetting the past... I press on.
When Paul was ready to change his life, Annais said, arise and be baptized and wash away your past... Your sins.
Sins forgiven in the act of New Testament baptism, need never to be faced again.
1 John 1.7 tell us that our sins are continually forgiven, by the blood of Christ, as we continue to walk in the light of truth.
Question!... Have your sins been forgiven in baptism?... Are you walking in the light?
Then forget the past... It’s over... It’s just that simple
Now, I have people tell me... But Randall, I can’t forgive myself. Of course
you can’t forgive yourself... You never could. You don’t have the resources. Only the blood of Christ, shed on the cross, can forgive sins. Genuine Christian maturity is accepting the fact that we are forgiven... And then, Living... Rejoicing... Basking in the fact.
Step number four is... I press on.
The Greek word for PRESS is Dee-o’-ko.
It means:
To serve,
To pursue,
To follow on,
Even though that pursuit must travel through suffering and persecution.
Dee-o’ko has the same root word as dulos, which is translated slave.
And dee-ak-on-ee-ah meaning servant... One who serves or ministers.
It is the word from which we get our word deacon.
You see, the price:
Of spiritual success,
Of reaching perfection,
Of maturity,
Is not only being dissatisfied with status quo... But also includes not giving up.
Jesus demands in Revelation 2.10 that we be faithful until and unto death.
Listen to Paul, as he instructs Timothy and us,
Therefore my son, be strong in the grace... Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus. For if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. But if we deny Him, He will deny us.
Listen to the Hebrews writer admonish his people in the church: Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Question... Will you accept the challenge?... Will we try Paul’s four-step plan for going on to perfection... For moving toward Christian maturity?
Perhaps you’re here this morning and need to start your journey by becoming a child of God by faith, repentance and New Testament baptism.
Perhaps we need to confess our apathy and rededicate ourselves to the task of doing and becoming what God wants us to do and be.
Maybe, as a baptized believer, you would like to join this church family and pursue your maturity and perfecting with us.
The invitation is yours as we stand and sing this song together... Will you come!!
