Hope Beyond Immaturity: Maturity Checkpoints, Part 1

Maturity doesn't necessarily follow chronological age. Whether you're 23 or 83, all of us have a measure of growing up to do.

Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll continues his study in 1 Peter called Hope Again. We've come to a couple of verses in chapter 3 that have a lot to say about growing up. Adding years doesn't necessarily make us any wiser unless we truly embrace the lessons we've learned through seasons of adversity. Could it be that you're a little stuck at a certain stage in life?

Chuck titled today's message, Hope Beyond Immaturity. Without a doubt, the process of spiritual growth is long and often a very painful one. On route to maturity, we all spill our milk. We say things we shouldn't say, and at times we do not act our age.

No matter what our age may be, we often don't act our age. Sometimes we act more like toddlers throwing temper tantrums. And the tragedy is that we often are unaware that what we're doing is wrong at the time. Other times we pout like little children, so self-centered that we simply don't care that we're misbehaving. Now we have the knowledge, perhaps, but we don't have the will to do what's right. Even those who are spiritually mature, hear me when I say this, even the spiritually mature have days when they take a return trip to the terrible twos.

It's not a pretty sight, but it's reality. Growing up is a stated objective for all of the members of God's family. Growing old happens, but growing up isn't automatic. We are all somewhere in the process of spiritual growth that hopefully will continue until our time on earth is done. The Apostle Peter provides a yardstick for spiritual growth, and it's very helpful. It's a tangible objective set of checkpoints we can all use to measure the levels of our maturity in different areas.

He summarized his comments and set forth eight marks of maturity in his first letter. I'm referring to 1 Peter chapter 3 beginning at verse 8. Let me read the passage for you today. 1 Peter 3 verses 8 through 12. To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted, and humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.

For you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. For the one who desires life to love and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. You're listening to Insight for Living.

To dig deeper into the Bible with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures Studies by going to insight.org slash studies. And now the message from Chuck titled Hope Beyond Immaturity. During my most obnoxious years as a teenager, I remember receiving two pieces of advice, one of which was rather simple to obey and the other one was much more complicated. Both of them didn't take long to say. The first one was simply, shut up. And I was able to accomplish that by keeping my mouth shut, which for some reason I found very difficult to do on occasion. So I was told that a number of times during my growing up years. But the other piece of advice I still receive in various ways, not only from other individuals, but from the Lord especially, and that is the counsel to grow up.

And that's much more difficult to follow. You can find out if someone has shut up by simply watching and listening. If they stop talking, they've obeyed the command. But it's tough to know if someone has grown up or is growing up, isn't it?

It's difficult to gauge that. How do you know when someone has grown up? Does it mean that their hair has started to turn gray? No, that means they've grown older but not necessarily grown wiser and grown up.

I've met people whose hair is snow white who still are very immature. So showing signs of age in no way means that one is showing signs of maturity. To be told to grow up is easy to say, but it's tough to know how to fulfill it.

And it's even tougher to know if you're on your way. How do you know that you're growing up? How do you know and how do I know that we are more mature this time or at this time of the year than we were at this time of the year last year? How do we know that we are any more mature having lived a year longer? We know we're older, but how do we know we've grown up? And is growing up something that God wants of us? Maybe he just wants us to live in his family, sort of exist between now and eternity, and then he's going to take us home.

No, on the contrary there is a stated goal for all God's children recorded in the sixth chapter of Hebrews. Maybe you haven't looked at it for a while, so let me address it while you watch, while you listen. Now I think the chapter break in Hebrew 6 is most unfortunate because the writer has been talking about growing and learning. In fact, he has even said in chapter 5 verse 11, he has a lot of things he wanted to say to the readers, wanted to write to these readers that were hard to explain and he just, it seemed as though in a moment of frustration, simply said I'm not going to worry with it. You become dull of hearing and I'm not going to get into it. Verse 11 chapter 5 concerning Melchizedek, which is mentioned, who is mentioned up in verse 10, we have much to say and it's hard to explain since you become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

How interesting that he puts it like that. You are back on baby food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness for he is a babe. Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. By the way, that is a great mark of maturity.

You can't get much better than that in your checkpoints. To discern good and evil takes maturity. Now on that context, he goes right into verse 1, therefore, and in verse 1 he states something that we should leave and he states next something we should pursue. What should we leave? Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ let us pursue maturity. What are we to leave? We are to set aside the elementary matters of the faith. We are to place them aside so that we set out on a pursuit of maturity, growing up, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith toward God. I think frankly he has referenced to the Old Testament signs and sacrifices and types.

He's saying we've gone beyond that. Perhaps in today's terms we could say go on beyond the gospel. You have heard the gospel. You have responded to the gospel.

You have believed the gospel. Now go on, grow up, get into areas of teaching and learning that touch deeply into your life and give you solid food, give you strength. In fact, I've heard it rendered leaving the ABCs of the faith, playing blocks and drinking milk and being entertained. Leave the things that characterize infancy and get on with a growing up lifestyle.

That's what we're to pursue. Few things are more pathetic to behold than a person who has known the Lord for years but still can't work his way out of a paper bag doctrinally, biblically. You've grown old but you haven't grown up. Let me ask you something, just very frankly, do you feed yourself on the Word of God regularly or must you have the teaching of someone else to keep growing? Now I don't decry good teaching. In fact, that's the reason, that's my job security. There's a need at all times for someone to instruct us and exhort us in the things of God but I don't do that because you have no way of taking it in on your own. I do that as a food supplement. Is all of your food something served by someone else or are you digging into it? Are you cracking open the scriptures? Are you engaged in a ministry of concerted and prevailing prayer? Are you personally on your own growth chart further along than you were a year ago, two years ago, five years ago?

Are you still needing just milk? Well, how do I know is a good question. How do I know I'm growing up? I need some checkpoints along the way and it occurred to me when I looked into this grand small section in 1 Peter 3 that what we have here is a series of checkpoints to help me know I'm growing up. I'm getting on in life.

I'm not only growing older, I'm becoming more mature. Now once again verses 8 through 12 fall within a context of a series of other thoughts that began way back in chapter 2 verse 11 and the thought on Peter's mind as he says in verse 8 chapter 3 to sum up, his summing up has to do with a series of thoughts he's been delivering in his letter regarding submission to authority or as we've mentioned before falling in rank under the authority of someone who is over us, who is in a position of superiority if I may use that word and it goes back to chapter 2 verse 11. Look at the different categories in 2 11 these are Christians living in a secular society. I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Here is the Christian living in a secular world under the superiority of the lordship of Christ. Now there's another category verse 13 submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution. So these are Christian citizens who live under the authority of the Roman government. He describes them as kings and authority governors sent by him for the punishment of evildoers.

We are citizens and we are to live under the authority of our government 2 13. In 2 18 he changes the subject to servants. Servants are to fall in rank under the authority of masters. Well the servant could think well if I have a good master I'll be obedient. He says even if you don't have a good master be submissive to your masters with all respect not only to those who are good and gentle verse 18 but to those who are unreasonable and so far it's nice and safe everything's fine and dandy that's all first century stuff till you get to verse 1 chapter 3 and then wives are addressed. Wives are told to fall in rank under the authority of their own husbands.

I didn't mention this earlier but the word own is very important. I know some wives who are more in submission to me than they are to their own husbands. That's not what God commands. Submission to me is not as important as submission to your own husbands wives. Well you say that's fine if I have a good husband but the passage is written to those who don't have good husbands. To those who have husbands who are disobedient to the word. You're in an unfair situation and yet he doesn't give you grounds for getting out of it. Look at verse 7 now the husbands likewise it's easy to miss that word isn't it man there is a submission for us as well. I didn't say it last time and I talked about the husband-wife relationship but I needed to. If a husband is fulfilling the full the requirements of verse 7 he will have no trouble with his wife fulfilling the requirements of verses 1 to 6.

Except in very sick cases rare cases I have not seen it fail. Husbands who correctly fulfill their job in verse 7 will not have trouble with their wives fulfilling their roles in verses 1 to 6. Now to sum up he kind of brings it all to conclusion it's kind of coming down to a funnel and he describes in verses 8 through 12 some of the qualities of maturity that you can check off to see how you're doing. I was flying to Denver most recently and I watched from the Ontario California Airport I watched the pilot as he literally with a with a clipboard was checking off certain things on the plane outside and when he walked in I'm sure he finished his check his checking with the whole list of things. Here was a seasoned pilot here's a man with perhaps thousands maybe tens of thousands of hours in the air still with a clipboard still with a pen and checking off one after another before the flight.

These are checkpoints before the flight. As I read over verses 8 through 12 I thought this is a good place to check them off in fact I think of them kind of like stair-step and I see eight steps in the list of things that are here and they're all very objective and and you don't have to know Greek to understand what they're saying so let's sum up a checkpoint or series of checkpoints for maturity let's see how we're doing as we're on our way from earth to heaven in this pilgrimage. First of all let's put down the word unity that is what I see in this word let all be harmonious harmonious it refers to a oneness of heart a similarity of purpose agreement on major points of doctrine.

How are you doing there? Are you a person that promotes harmony? Please remember it is not the same as uniformity. Uniformity has to do with everyone looking alike thinking alike dressing alike it's what I call a little cracker box mentality where everyone must agree at every point uniformity it is not the same as unanimity 100% agreement across the board that's not the word used here it is not even the same as union which means you link arms and affiliate with all the other ministries around the world that's not that's not necessarily involved in the word harmonious this word has in mind being like-minded not allowing petty things to cause division the great secret of unity I have found is focusing full attention on the person of Jesus Christ agreeing on points related to him his message his kingdom his model okay first checkpoint how are you doing in your maturity in the area of unity being like-minded with other believers in the family of God second I don't know quite how to put this next one called sympathetic you would expect me to write or to think sympathy but that's not quite what is conveyed let's put the words mutual interest mutual interest we do get our word sympathy from this original term but this word really means to feel with it is the absence get this now of competition envy jealousy and comparison it is a feeling joy with those who are joyful feeling pain with those who are hurting feeling loss with those who have lost feeling honor for those who are being honored entering into the feeling of the other person it stated no better than in Romans 12 15 where we read rejoice with those who rejoice weep with those who weep 16 be of the same mind toward one another share in mutual feelings I think it's blessed be the tie that binds speaks of mutual woes and mutual sadness and mutual joys one of the wonderful things about being involved in church ministry is you have a context in which you can do that and you can have that done with you and for you you rejoice there is a congregation that rejoices with you that's one of the wonderful things by the way about being in ministry you go from a particular church where God has blessed your efforts and he leads you to another you don't just kind of drive into the city and and get involved in an occupation and start a job and and and kind of work your way into the community you are met with open arms by a church full of people who welcome you and receive you in and enter into your your your life right away you're surrounded by a family now a checkpoint for you how are you doing in your mutual interest with other people's feelings do you give yourself into the feelings of others when they hurt you hurt when they enjoy life are you enjoying it with them when God blesses them wonderfully do you applaud that or do you envy that or when they lose do you feel the loss with them someone has said maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself so good we've taught our children through their growing up years that the more selfish they are the more immature they are it's still true today easy to grow up or to grow older and still be selfish well this is a convicting message founded on the biblical principles of first Peter you're listening to insight for living and a message from Chuck swindoll titled hope beyond immaturity to learn more about this ministry visit us online at insight world org stay with us because Chuck has prepared a closing comment for you in just a moment first I thought you'd be encouraged to hear this feedback from one of your fellow listeners from Buffalo New York she describes the remarkable journey of spiritual maturity from childhood into full-time Christian service she said Chuck I began listening to your radio broadcast as a little girl my dad would have the radio on as he dropped me off at school each day and I would hear your program when I became a young adult I was hungry for God's Word so I began tuning in every morning as I took my children to school through your teachings and testimonies I've been able to minister to my children work in youth ministry and lead countless children to God it's also helped my marriage and now my husband and I have answered the call to pastor a church wow that is such great news and let me say thanks to all those who financially support inside for living because in many respects your generous giving has impacted families like this one and so many more so thank you Chuck it's so encouraging to hear stories like this one because it really is a bright light in a culture that seems to have so much darkness well that's true bill watching the evening news can be depressing the flashing images and the fleeting sound bites stir up fear we see shocking violence and politicians shouting at one another and scandalous displays of moral depravity sometimes be frank with you Cynthia and I shut down our TV we look at one another and we sigh well my friend God never intended his children to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders we're not wired to solve the world's problems let alone feel those heavy emotions all at once it's just too much so when Cynthia and I shake our heads and sigh we're reminded that God in fact does neither one he's not in the heavens watching the evening news and wringing his hands our God is sovereign he's in full control and he stands before us with open arms prepared to infuse his children with hope since 1979 insight for living ministries has served as a beacon of God's hope and as we close the financial books on June 30th would you ask God to guide you seek his will in the amount you should give to support insight for living and then as God prompts you please respond to his call and don't delay this year insight for living feels the weight of enormous financial challenges even so we refuse to wring our hands with worry instead we place our confidence in the Lord our God yes we can trust him so together let's give generously so that insight for living ministries can continue to serve as an oasis of hope to a world that desperately needs it all of these hope-filled words that Peter gave to Christian friends back in the first century friends who were under enormous pressure he wrote them so be truly glad there is wonderful joy ahead though you do not see him now you trust him and you rejoice with a glorious inexpressible joy and that's my hope for you my friend together during the fearful times in which we live let's trust in our God knowing that he will produce in us inexpressible joy well this season marks a major deadline at insight for living and we're asking God to help us close the books on solid ground so we can step forward into the next fiscal year with boldness your support today will make all the difference in reaching this goal to make a donation today you can call us if you're listening in the United States call eight hundred seven seven two eighty eight eighty eight that's eight hundred seven seven two eighty eight eighty eight or you can give a donation online at insight dot org I'm bill Meyer inviting you to join us next time when Chuck Swindoll continues to describe hope beyond immaturity on insight for living the preceding message hope beyond immaturity maturity checkpoints was copyrighted in 1988 1990 1996 2006 and 2010 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2011 by Charles are Swindoll Inc all rights are reserved worldwide duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited you