Spiritual Maturity #9

Last Week we talked about choices we make in regard to temptation. Deliberate choices that lead to sin. 1 Cor. 10:13. Choose to take God’s way of escape. Jas. 1:13-14. We cannot blame God. We can not blame any one for our wrong choices except ourselves.
“God provides a way of escape from every temptation.” That’s the way we want to go. We strive to be what God wants us to be because we sincerely desire to be what God wants us to be.
2. I don’t know anyone who wants to eat the bitter fruit of sin. We all try hard to please God and sometimes we still end up eating the bitter fruit of sin. We don’t remember sowing the seed. Yet we’re reaping the harvest of sin. Why?
(1) Evidently I made a wrong choice, look at the mess I’m in. What happened? Have you ever had an experience like that? I have. Whether You realize it or not, sometimes we make decisions based on faulty judgments.
Good intentioned decisions that, in the end, led to sin. Jas. 4:13-16. Decisions
based on what we want. Selfish decisions.
Not talking about out and out rebellion. This is not a decision where you deliberately vote against God and reject Him. Hasty, scatter-brained decisions. Made with no wisdom, thought, or communication with God.
Times when you just leave God out of the equation. Thoughtless Christians. Your children do that. Friend ask to go somewhere and they get excited and say, “Yes!” Guess who they forgot to ask first? Thoughtlessly gotten self in trouble.
(2) Jas. 4:3. Decisions that are not wrong, sinful in or of themselves. Not an outright sin. But they can, and do open the door to some unintended sinful activity or indulgence that takes the edge off your spirituality that makes it easy for you to sin.
Did you ever start to worry, get in a hurry, end up in a panic and make a wrong decision? Matt. 6:31-34. Leave things in God’s hands. Trust God. Don’t panic and try to quickly do things yourself Because you think that If you don’t it won’t get done.
Panic decisions never work. End up worse. Patches and quick fixes don’t last. There are a lot of Bible examples about what we are talking about this hour. Only have time for one. Gen. 12:10. That’s a panic decision.
God told Abraham, “Trust Me, go where I tell you.” Simple instructions to understand. He runs down to Egypt and one of the first things he does is commit a terrible sin. He tells a lie, puts his wife in a very sinful and humiliating situation. He really blows It. He sins against both God and his wife.
He violates the principle of Heb. 11:6. Abraham failed to believe what God had promised him.
God said, “Stay beside Me at the altar of Bethel and I will make you a great nation and I will provide your every need.” At the first sign of touble he panics and bolts like frightened deer during hunting season.
If God has pledged to provide, How destructive can a famine be? It may affect everyone else, but it won’t affect Abraham because God is pledged to care for him. Where is the faith that enables him to make the right decisions? The fact is, Abraham has stopped trusting God. That’s sin number one.
(2) Gen. 2:11-13. That’s sin number two. You see how one Sin leads to another with
No effort at all. Abraham’s choice was based on a lack of spiritual maturity, without
which there is not much faith and trust in God. We need to see and understand that.

That’s why we’re teaching this series about growing into spiritual maturity. Next time we’re going to talk about choices based on hypocrisy that harm the home. Lack of maturity cause Abraham to panic, make bad choices and commit some terrible sins against both God and against his wife Sarah.
Known young people who came to the ripe old age of 24 and were not married. Pushed by other peoples opinions. They panicked and today, they’d gladly give their right arm to be out of that horrible, miserable marriage.
3. Caused by impatience, spiritually immature. Not wait for God to bring them to the right mate. Guess what? Regret it for the rest of their Lives.
(A) Decision about a life mate. Rock solid spiritual decisions are absolutely necessary. Don’t run ahead of God. Don’t panic and grab the first thing that comes along. Don’t Let
other people panic you by pushing you into something less than the best that God can and will give to you.
(1) Don’t chain yourself down with some selfish person who cares nothing for their soul much less for yours. You will never have the blessing of sharing life with another child of God who strives to be the best they can be for God. And who because they love you will encourage you to be the best you can be for God.
(1) People will encourage you to do things that they want you to do. And they may have good Intentions but those intentions are almost always not God’s intentions. People who will try to live your life for you usually don’t how to live their own lives correctly. Seek God’s will, wisdom and guidance in all you do.
(2) When you decide to do it your way or some other person’s way. It ceases to be God’s way and you can end up eating the fruit of a harvest you never intended to plant.
(2) Memorize and repeat Rom. 8:28, when you get out of bed every morning and start your day.
(1) Wait on God to work out the purpose and course of your life and you’ll never go wrong. Waiting on God is a sure sign of spiritual maturity. Isa. 30:18. He invites you to come to Him. Trust in Him to lead you to victory in your life.
(2) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 11/17/02 am