1.

Introduction:
Maturity matters
much
 Hebrews 5: 11-
6: 3
About this we have much to say, and it is
difficult to explain, for you have become
sluggish in hearing. Although you should be
teachers by this time, you need to have
someone teach you again the basic elements
of the utterances of God. You need milk, [and]
not solid food. Everyone who lives on milk
lacks experience of the word of righteousness,
for he is a child. But solid food is for the
mature, for those whose faculties are trained
by practice to discern good and evil.
 Hebrews 5: 11-
6: 3
Therefore, let us leave behind the basic
teaching about Christ and advance to
maturity, without laying the foundation all
over again: repentance from dead works and
faith in God, instruction about baptisms and
laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead
and eternal judgment. And we shall do this, if
only God permits.
 1 Cor 2:
6-8
Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are
mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of
the rulers of this age who are passing away.
Rather, we speak Gods wisdom, mysterious,
hidden, which God predetermined before the
ages for our glory,
and which none of the rulers of this age
knew; for if they had known it, they would not
have crucified the Lord of glory.
 1 Cor 2:
9-10
But as it is written:
What eye has not seen, and ear has not
heard,
and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love
him,
this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the
depths of God.
 1 Cor 2:
11-13
Among human beings, who knows what pertains
to a person except the spirit of the person that is
within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to
God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world but
the Spirit that is from God, so that we may
understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught
by human wisdom, but with words taught by the
Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual
terms.
 1 Cor 2:
14-16
Now the natural person does not accept what
pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is
foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The spiritual person, however, can judge
everything but is not subject to judgment by
anyone.
For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as
to counsel him? But we have the mind of
Christ.
 Col 1: 28

It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and
teaching everyone with all
wisdom, that we may present
everyone perfect in Christ.
 1 Cor 3:
1-4
Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual
people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were
unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able,
even now, for you are still of the flesh. While
there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you
not of the flesh and behaving in an ordinary
human way? Whenever someone says, I belong
to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are
you not merely human?
 Gal 3:
1-5
O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly
portrayed as crucified? I want to learn only this
from you: did you receive the Spirit from
works of the law, or from faith in what you
heard? Are you so stupid? After beginning with
the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did
you experience so many things in vain?if
indeed it was in vain. Does, then, the one who
supplies the Spirit to you and works mighty
deeds among you do so from works of the law or
from faith in what you heard?
2. What is Maturity?
What does the Word
mean?
PerfectionOld Testament
Shalem = finished, perfect, whole
Deut 25: 15
But use a full and just weight, a full and just ephah, so
that you may have a long life on the land the LORD, your
God, is giving you.
1 Kings 8: 61, 11: 4
Your heart must be wholly devoted to the LORD, our
God, observing his statutes and keeping his
commandments, as on this day.
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to
follow other gods, and his heart was not entirely with the
LORD, his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
 II Kings 20: 3
Ah, LORD, remember how faithfully and
wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your
presence, doing what was good in your sight!
And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
I Chron 29: 19
Give to my son Solomon a wholehearted desire
to keep your commandments, precepts, and
statutes, that he may carry out all these plans and
build the palace for which I have made
preparation.
 Tam = perfect, plain
Job 1: 1, 8
In the land of Uz there was a blameless and
upright man named Job, who feared God
and avoided evil.
The LORD said to the satan, Have you
noticed my servant Job? There is no one on
earth like him, blameless and upright,
fearing God and avoiding evil.
 Job 2: 3
The LORD said to the satan, Have you
noticed my servant Job? There is no one on
earth like him, blameless and upright,
fearing God and avoiding evil. He still holds
fast to his innocence although you incited
me against him to ruin him for nothing.
Psa 37: 37
Observe the person of integrity and mark
the upright;
Because there is a future for a man of
peace.
 Tamim = perfect, plain, complete, whole
Gen 6: 9, 17: 1
These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was
a righteous man and blameless in his
generation; Noah walked with God.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the
LORD appeared to Abram and said: I am God
the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be
blameless.
 Deut 32: 4
The Rockhow faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
A faithful God, without deceit,
just and upright is he!
PerfectionNew
Testament
II Tim 3: 17 (artios = fitted, perfected)
so that one who belongs to God may be
competent, equipped for every good work.

Rev 3: 2 (pleros = to fill, make full)

Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is
going to die, for I have not found your works
complete in the sight of my God.
Teleios
Perfect or complete in the sense that
the desired end or goal (telos) is
completed
Not mere flawlessness but positively
developed, fulfilled
 Matt 5: 48
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father
is perfect.
Matt 19: 21
Jesus said to him, If you wish to be
perfect, go, sell what you have and give to
[the] poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven. Then come, follow me.
3.
My children, I am writing this to
you so that you may not commit
sin. But if anyone does sin, we
have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous one. (i) It is not
He is expiation for our sins, and
perfection in
not for our sins only but for
the sense of
those of the whole world.
absolute
1 John 2: 1-2
flawlessness
It is not that I have already taken
hold of it or have already attained
perfect maturity, but I continue
my pursuit in hope that I may
possess it, since I have indeed
been taken possession of by Christ
[Jesus].
Phil 3: 12 (ii) It is not
immediate,
Let us, then, who are perfectly present and
mature adopt this attitude. And total
if you have a different attitude,
perfection
this too God will reveal to you.
Phil 3: 15
You have heard that it was said, You shall (iii) Relates to
love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies, and
attitude which
pray for those who persecute you, leads to
that you may be children of your heavenly accomplishment
Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad
and the good, and causes rain to fall on the
just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what
recompense will you have? Do not the tax
collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only, what is
unusual about that? Do not the pagans do
the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father
is perfect.
Matt 5: 43-48
It is not that I have already taken hold of it (iii) Relates to
or have already attained perfect maturity,
but I continue my pursuit in hope that I
attitude which
may possess it, since I have indeed been leads to
taken possession of by Christ [Jesus]. accomplishment
Brothers, I for my part do not consider
myself to have taken possession. Just one
thing: forgetting what lies behind but
straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the
prize of Gods upward calling, in Christ
Jesus.
Let us, then, who are perfectly mature
adopt this attitude. And if you have a
different attitude, this too God will reveal
to you.
Phil 3: 12-15
Of its own accord the land
yields fruit, first the blade, then
the ear, then the full grain in the
ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he
wields the sickle at once, for the
harvest has come.
Mk 4: 28-29

(iv) Being as
full as
possible
in growth
and
obedience
NOW
Brothers, I could not talk to you
as spiritual people, but as fleshly
people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take
it. Indeed, you are still not able,
even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and
rivalry among you, are you not (iv) Being as
of the flesh, and behaving in an full as
possible
ordinary human way? in growth
1 Cor 3: 1-3 and
obedience
NOW
Maturity in the present is
the fulfilment of the stage of growth
which is now required of us.
All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory
of the Lord, are being transformed into the
same image from glory to glory, as from the
Lord who is the Spirit.
II Cor 3:18

Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit,

serve the Lord.
Rom 12: 11

Since you have purified yourselves by

obedience to the truth for sincere mutual
love, love one another intensely from a [pure]
heart.
I Peter 1: 22
Maturity in the ultimate is
the goal reached of personal growth,
fulfillment and attainment.
to know him and the power of his resurrection and [the]
sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death,
if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have
already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my
pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed
been taken possession of by Christ [Jesus].
Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have
taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies
behind but straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of Gods
upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
Phil 3: 10-14
Therefore, brothers, be all the more eager to make your
call and election firm, for, in doing so, you will never
stumble.
For, in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our
Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for
you.
II Pet 1: 10-11

The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God,
and he will be my son.
Rev 21: 7
4.
Although you should be teachers by this
time, you need to have someone teach
you again the basic elements of the
utterances of God. You need milk, [and]
not solid food.
Everyone who lives on milk lacks
experience of the word of righteousness,
for he is a child.
But solid food is for the mature, for those
whose faculties are trained by practice to
discern good and evil.
Heb 5: 12-14

i. To refuse to go beyond the stage

reasonably expected of us
 Whenever someone says, I belong to Paul, and
another, I belong to Apollos, are you not merely
human?
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
1 Cor 3: 4-5

ii. To refuse to be open to all things God has given

us, ie to restrict ourselves to one party
 Although you should be teachers by this time, you need
to have someone teach you again the basic elements of
the utterances of God. You need milk, [and] not solid
food.
Everyone who lives on milk lacks experience of the word
of righteousness, for he is a child.
But solid food is for the mature, for those whose
faculties are trained by practice to discern good and evil.
Heb 5: 12-14

iii. To refuse to go from the milk of the word to the

meat
 O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes
Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? I want to learn
only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the
law, or from faith in what you heard? Are you so stupid? After
beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did
you experience so many things in vain?if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you and works
mighty deeds among you do so from works of the law or from
faith in what you heard?
Gal 3: 1-5

iv. To walk in the principle of Law-way rather than

grace-way, works-way rather than Spirit-way
 How do you see the words
perfection and maturity?
What are the things that hinder you
from maturing?
What are the things that can help
you to mature?