"I can't wait until I grow up!"
How many of you have ever said or are currently thinking that? When
I was young, I thought being an adult meant having nobody telling me
what to do! I thought it meant I could stay up all night. I could eat
whatever I wanted to eat, and go wherever I wanted to go. Most importantly,
I thought it meant I would never have to ask permission from anyone,
anymore, to do anything! I couldn't wait to throw off all those restraints
of childhood and do whatever I pleased. My problem when I was young,
was that I thought I was in chains and that growing up meant the prison
doors would be thrown wide open.
But when we actually do grow up, reality sets in. Adulthood isn't the
non-stop party it seemed from the other side. There are work pressures,
car payments, difficult relationships, diapers to change, and receding
hairlines. Responsibility comes with freedom.
Children are driven by selfish motivations. They have to be taught what
it means to think of others, to share, and to care for others' feelings.
Growing up means finding the balance between personal freedom and responsibility
to others.
And that is what Paul addresses in this letter. In this part of the
letter, Paul tells us that it is time to grow up! Notice that Paul says
he is not writing this letter to embarrass us to the point we don't
want to be a Christian anymore-v. 14.
We almost miss this statement because we have become a shameless people.
Shame, for the most part, doesn't even play a part in our lives anymore.
In our legal system, we don't ask defendants if they are ashamed for
what they did. Instead, we ask them if the are guilty or innocent. In
our society we have robbed the Holy Spirit of using one of the most
powerful tools to bring about change: Shame.
In the movies about the mafia, when a person was brought in front of
the godfather for doing something wrong, you never heard the godfather
ask the person, "How do you plead?" Instead, the godfather said, "You
have brought shame on the family's name. Tonight you will sleep with
the fishes!"
One of the signs of God's work in our lives is the ability to feel a
good, godly shame at our sins. Remember in the Garden of Eden, before
Adam & Eve sinned, the Bible tells us that they "Were both naked and
were not ashamed." (Genesis
2:25) But after they sinned "God called to Adam and said, 'Where
are you?' So he said, 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid
because I was naked; and I hid myself.'" (Genesis
3:9-10) What caused Adam & Eve to hide from God was their shame
over their sin.
It should frighten us to realize how sin has dulled our senses to healthy
shame. We are now starting to call what is bad, good, and what is good,
bad. We laugh at the shows that teach that homosexuality is permissible.
We go to movies that glorify sexual promiscuity & senseless violence.
I wonder how many of us have we become so comfortable with sin that
it no longer embarrasses us? That's a shame, because it should.
If that's not bad enough, in Paul's day there were teachers going around
saying it was okay to live sinful lives. Sort of like today's pastors
who say that abortion is a women's right, or that it's okay to bless
same sex marriages, or it's okay to ordain an openly homosexual bishop.
Paul tells us that these kind teachers don't have our best interest
at heart-v. 15.
These people were nothing more than hired help. The word "instructors/tutors"
simply means "a guide of children." In those days, some people had slaves
whose only job was to escort their masters children to & from school..
Yet they didn't love the children. They were only doing their duty.
Yet Paul loved them because he was the one that brought the Gospel to
them! He was the one who nursed them by giving them the spiritual milk
they needed as babes in Christ. This is why he lovingly corrects them
as their spiritual father.
You can see right away that there is all the difference in the world
between someone who has to take care of children to keep from getting
in trouble, and a parent who takes care of his/her children out of love!
The difference between Paul and those other teachers was one of relationship.
Even though those teachers may have been the best teachers in the world
they still didn't have the love in their heart that Paul, as their spiritual
parent had for his children.
And even though, as our children grow up, they begin to think they know
a little bit more than their parents do. Which causes them to tell us
what they want to do, rather than listen to what we tell them they need
to do. They still have a healthy respect for us as parents. And since
God has placed a special love in their hearts, the last thing a child
wants to do is to disappoint his/her parent.
When I was 16, I stole a carburetor off another car. When the police
questioned me as to why I did it, I blamed my dad for not giving me
the money to buy it. Later on that afternoon, when he called me into
his room, he didn't tear my butt up like I deserved.
Instead, as I stood before him, he started to cry because he felt that
he had failed as a father. I would have rather had him beat me half
to death, then watch him cry for my stupidity. But his crying did more
for making me think about how I acted than any spanking ever would have.
This is why Paul started off his rebuke by calling them his beloved
children-v. 14(b). The principle that Paul teaches us here is that we
need to gently correct and warn those who go astray. Paul knew that
part of being a Christian was being willing to confront in love when
something is wrong in someone else's life. It is one of the one another's
commands of the New Testament, just like loving, helping, and praying
for one another. As a brother/sister in Christ you are to "Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom." (Colossians
3:16) Paul also tells us that if "Someone is caught in a sin, you
who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or
you also may be tempted." (Galatians
6:1)
Even though this is the hardest part of being a Christian, it is one
of the ways we show we love & care each other. Our prisons are full
of people whose parents didn't love them enough to correct them when
they misbehaved. I read a report done on teenagers in prison. It stated
that the majority of the teens said they were never punished by their
parents when they were growing up. This proves that God knew what he
was talking about when he said: "He who spares his rod hates his son,
but he who loves him disciplines him diligently." (Proverbs
13:24)
Have you ever gone out to eat and had your dinner ruined by kids whose
parents sat there while their kids fussed about their food, or fought
with their siblings? Paul wasn't going to let his kids keep on misbehaving.
So he warns them that as their spiritual father, he is soon coming to
correct their proud attitudes and sinful behaviors-vv. 18-19.
Remember growing up at how we hated those times we did something so
bad that our moms wouldn't spank us. Instead, she said, "Go to your
room and wait until your Daddy gets home." And the whole time you sat
there, all you thought about was what he was going to do to you when
he got home. And by the time he walked into the room, you threw yourself
at his feet, sobbing in total repentance, begging him for his forgiveness.
Paul is hoping that the thought of his coming would cause them to change
their ways. But if not, he was willing to take them out to the spiritual
woodshed-v. 21(b).
Please note that this is not a license to be a busybody. Some people
take delight in uncovering other people's sins. They love to point out
the faults they see in others. That's because it makes them feel superior
to everyone else. The other extreme, however, is total un-involvement.
Some people will never get involved in other people's messes, even when
if they see their lives falling apart in front of them. It is not love
to turn a blind eye to sin.
Not Paul. He was willing to get involved in not only pointing out people's
faults, but also in showing them the correct way to live. One of the
things I love about Paul was that he always practiced what he preached-v.
16.
The word "follow" in the Greek is the word that we get our English word
"mimic" from. We learn what it means to be an adult by watching our
parents, or those we setup as role models. As we watched them live out
their lives in front of us, we now practice, we now mimic, some of the
same attitudes & behaviors. And it doesn't matter if their behaviors
were good or bad.
Look at how many young girls want to dress like Britney Spears. Or how
many young boys want play basketball like Michael Jordan, or shot golf
like Tiger Woods. And even though basketball great Charles Barkley said
he wasn't trying to be anyone's role model, he was. As the saying goes,
morality is caught more than it is taught. And since we are born imitators,
Paul tells us to watch what he does, and follow his example.
How many of you said that you would never treat your kids the way your
parents treated you? How many of you have had to eat those words? I
was extremely hard on my son while he was growing up. That bothers me
extremely because I know that this is partly why he is not following
after Jesus with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength today. But
it also bothers me because he is treating his kids in the same way.
Of course, some of my good qualities rubbed off on him as well. When
we moved to South Carolina, I had worked in so many different places
that it was causing my son to socially regress. So I made a covenant
with God, and with Carol & our son, that we would stay in Aiken until
he finished high school. And even though I got laid off a couple of
times, I never made them pack their bags & move off to other locations.
Instead, I did whatever it took to take care of my family.
And thankfully, he too has adopted this work ethic into his life as
well. He never once not been able to care for his family. And he has
taken jobs I never thought he would, or I would have ever taken.
Is Paul being conceited when he says that his life is a model for us
to follow? After all, Paul wasn't sinless. And he didn't just cover
up his sins so well that nobody could discover them. But Paul committed
himself to living a godly life, and not only before others, but even
at home, as much as he could. And he calls us to make the same commitment.
To prove that Paul practiced what he preached, he sent them Timothy-v.
17.
Let's be honest here this morning, how many of us could stand up truthfully
and say: "Do as I do?" The truth of the matter is, we're all good at
saying "Do what I say, but not what I do!" But not Paul. In sending
Timothy to them, Paul is saying, "If you want to know if I practice
what I preach, just ask my spiritual child, Timothy."
Obviously, Paul had spent many years with Timothy. And not just once
a week on Sundays. Timothy lived with Paul 24/7. And he would know how
Paul acted when he got frustrated. He would know how Paul acted when
he was tempted by sin. He would know what Paul was like when he was
out of the public's eye. So if there was ever a man that knew what Paul
did, 100% of the time, it was Timothy.
It's easy to pretend you are holy when you get around other Christians.
But who you really are comes out when you go home or when you go to
work. It is said that integrity is how you live when no one is watching.
Would your spouse, kids, friends, or co-workers say you acted Christ-like
at all times? If you were to be arrested for being a Christian, would
there be enough evidence against you to find you guilty?
There is a huge difference between people who merely say they are saved,
and those who live out their faith on a consistent basis. The difference
is that the people who really are saved display power in their lives
over sin, rather than just talk about how holy they are-v. 19-20.
The supreme test in whether or not you are saved is not if you've been
baptized. It is not how many times you've read the Bible. It is not
how many hours a day you spend in prayer. It is if the power to live
holy is being displayed in your life. Paul is saying that salvation
is not just some concept you embrace only in your mind. Rather, it is
a force that manifests itself in a life of holiness. When you invited
Jesus Christ into your life, you received the fullness of the Spirit
who gives you the power to live a life like Jesus lived.
The crux of Paul's message is that you can't say you have been transformed
by power of the Holy Spirit if you are not practicing holiness on a
consistent basis. This is serious because it means that you may not
be saved if sinning is the norm of your life. John tells us that "No
one who is born of God continually practices sin, because His seed abides
in him; and he cannot continually sin because he is born of God." (I
John 3:9)
Now don't go away this morning saying: "I'm going to try to be better."
Or, I'm going to try to be more spiritual." Or even, "I'm going to try
to quit sinning!" Because you'll fail!
It's only through the power of the Spirit of God that we can live holy
lives. The only way that we can live a holy life is through the divine
nature of Jesus Christ that has been imparted to us through the Holy
Spirit! The Bible tells us that: "It is God who works in you to will
and to act according to His good purpose." (Philippians
2:13)
But God expects us to cooperate with his Spirit. We are responsible
for pulling the weeds out of our spiritual lives by confessing & turning
from our sins. We are responsible for pruning the spiritual deadness
from our lives by continually asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
And we are responsible for watering our spiritual lives by spending
time daily in God's Word. God tells you to "Work out your salvation
with fear and trembling." (Philippians
2:12)
All
of us must work hard at being the people God calls us to be. Christianity
is hard work. It requires discipline, self-denial, sacrifice, and commitment.
It requires picking up our cross, denying ourselves, and daily following
after Jesus Christ.
Paul tells us that talk is cheap. People judge us by what we do, not
by what we say. When we put fish stickers on our cars, or wear Christian
T-shirts, we are advertising for Jesus. We are inviting people to put
us under a microscope. We give them permission to look at our lives,
and see how we react to the same circumstances they go through. And
the worse remark anyone can make about us, when they see us mess up,
is: "I thought you said you were a Christian." I would rather have them
cuss me out, then say that to my face.
Therefore, we must live holy lives. What Paul is getting at is that
there must be a correspondence between our words and our deeds. Our
walk must match our talk. Talking about holiness is not enough, we must
simply do it!
God expects us to use our freedom wisely. None of us are victims of
fate, circumstances, or genetics. You will reap only what you sow. If
you practice sin, you will reap a harvest of destruction. But, if you
practice holiness, you will reap a harvest of love, joy, & peace in
the Holy Spirit.
So let me ask you what you want your life to look like? Do you want
it to look like Jesus' life, or like everyone else's life. Paul wanted
his life to look like Jesus' life.
And he wanted our life to look like Jesus' life as well, because this
is God's will for us. But God can't impose his will on your freewill.
He simply says, "You decide"-v. 21(a)
As we close, I want you to look again at v. 15. This verse is the pattern
of Paul's life. Paul's passion was that others would come to know the
Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's passion was driven by his love for people
& for God. Paul loved people so much, he made sure that his walk matched
his talk. That way, when he talked to others about Jesus, they would
be willing to listen to him.
Paul also committed his life to model after Jesus' life because he loved
God. He took seriously Jesus words when he said, "If you love me, keep
my commandments." (John
14:15) And it was out of his love for Jesus that produced his passion
for keeping the commandment to "Go into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature." (Mark
16:15)
Do you have such a passion for God? Are you committed to reach the people
in your world for Jesus Christ? Is your life causing others to see their
need for a relationship with God?
I believe that the Spirit of God is saying to his church this morning
that he wants us to grow to maturity in Jesus Christ so we can be a
blessing to others. He wants us to move from spiritual adolescence to
spiritual adulthood. So let us put away childish things, and in all
things grow up into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
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