Marks of Maturity
Overview of the Letter of James
Our society is in need. We are suffering a shortage. Not of oil or energy. But of maturity – maturity of character and integrity. Can I point out something we all know? In our day…
We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less wisdom; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, and pray rarely.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom and lie too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've learned to destroy cities, but not our prejudice; we write more, but learn less; plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes; but lower morals; more food but less appeasement; more acquaintances, but fewer friends; more effort but less success.
We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure and less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom.
It’s true, isn’t it? Too many in our society have become empty shells of human beings. They have all the window dressing, but there’s nothing of value inside. And, too often, we Christians have followed suit. We, too, have gotten caught up in the race for more and more things while leaving behind the pursuit of God; the pursuit of righteousness; the pursuit of maturity in Christ.
But we should be different. We’re the only ones who know the real value of things – the only ones to understand what’s really important. We are children of the King. He as called us to greater things in this life than the emptiness the world is filled with.
The Bible emphasizes our need to grow into maturity:
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity. Hebrews 6:1
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13
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 toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. Philippians 3:12-15But, contrary to popular opinion, maturity is not determined nor can it be measured by your age, your appearance, your achievements or your academics. Maturity can, however, be demonstrated by your attitude. Let me tell you, this is good news to all of us!
Out West, a cowboy was driving down a dirt road, his dog riding in back of the pickup truck, his faithful horse in the trailer behind. He failed to negotiate a curve and had a terrible accident.
Sometime later, a highway patrol officer came on the scene. An animal lover, he saw the horse first. Realizing the serious nature of its injuries, he drew his service revolver and put the animal out of his misery. He walked around the accident and found the dog, also hurt critically. He couldn't bear to hear it whine in pain, so he ended the dog's suffering as well.
Finally he located the cowboy --who suffered multiple fractures--off in the weeds. "Hey, are you okay?" the cop asked. The cowboy took one look at the smoking revolver in the trooper's hand and quickly replied, "Never felt better!"
You see how easy it is to change your attitude? We just require the proper motivation!
I would like to say that Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is an excellent list of the characteristics of Christian maturity, but they are more abstract and difficult to "put in to practice". They are destinations to arrive at. But today we’re going to the letter of James to examine five marks of the mature Christian’s attitude. What James gives us in his five marks of maturity are really practical steps we can take to grow in order to, by the power of the Spirit, manifest those nine fruits Paul discusses.
These are the practices we must put into place in our lives in order to be transformed into His image. And when we live in this way, God can change us – not from the outside in, but from the inside out. It is these kind of people that the world needs to see – these kind of real people – not the hollow shells that are paraded about on our television screens and magazine covers. And it is these kind of people who will be able to witness to the world about the love of God.
I. A Mature Person Perseveres under Pressure - James 1:2-4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
A man went to the doctor after weeks of symptoms. The doctor examined him carefully, then called the patient's wife into his office. "Your husband is suffering from a rare form of anemia. Without treatment, he'll be dead in a few weeks. The good news is, it can be treated with proper nutrition."
"You will need to get up early every morning and fix your husband a hot breakfast--pancakes, bacon and eggs, the works. He'll need a home-cooked lunch every day, and then an old-fashioned meat-and-potato dinner every evening. It would be especially helpful if you could bake frequently. Cakes, pies, homemade bread--these are the things that will allow your husband to live.
"One more thing. His immune system is weak, so it's important that your home be kept spotless at all times. Do you have any questions?" The wife had none.
"Do you want to break the news, or shall I?" asked the doctor.
"I will," the wife replied.
She walked into the exam room. The husband, sensing the seriousness of his illness, asked her, "It's bad, isn't it?"
She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "What's going to happen to me?" he asked.
With a sob, the wife blurted out, "The doctor says you're gonna die!"
Most of us want to respond to struggles this way. We don’t want to go the distance. We search for the easy way out – for the path of least resistance.
But God has called us to persevere under our struggles and trials. To face adversity with joy. Indeed, Elbert Hubbard said, "God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but for scars."
How do you respond to problems? Are they opportunities to grow? Chances to demonstrate God’s sufficiency?
If we are to be followers of His, we must face our struggles with courage and hope – demonstrating faith in the midst of our battles.
We find strength to persevere in two ways:
II. A Mature Person is Prepared to meet the Needs of Others - James 2:8
"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’, you are doing right." James 2:8
Mother Teresa was in Phoenix, Arizona several years ago for the opening of a home for homeless and destitute people. During an off-camera moment, a local reporter asked her if there was anything he could do for her. Afterwards, the reporter admitted believing she would request a donation for one of the charities she works with or some such thing. However, when Mother Teresa answered, she said, "Yes, you may do something for me. Go and find someone who is not loved, and love them"
If there is any one mark of the mature Christian that would most immediately bear the resemblance of Jesus, it is service to others. But not merely service to others, the recognition of others. Jesus, despite his position and his mission, never seems to be "above" those around them. He is always in amongst them. Seeing their failures. Healing their sickness. Forgiving their sins. Jesus always seems to notice what those around him ignore – the outcast, the woman, the child, the blind or ill. Jesus is aware of the needs of those around him.
As we become more like Jesus, we will focus less on crowds and more on individuals. We will care less less about feeding the world and more about feeding our neighbor. We will fight less to get politicians elected and more to feed the hungry in our own cities. Jesus was always going on to bigger things in his ministry. The shadow of the cross stretched across his entire life. But you’d never be able to tell that by watching him with those who were in need. When he saw a need, that was the only thing that seemed to matter.
When you and I become like that, we will be mature.
We prepare to meet the needs of others in two ways:
III. A Mature Person is Protective of his Speech - James 3:2
"We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." James 3:2
The Arizona Republic reported, "As Terry Mikel was speeding toward Tucson, he passed a car, an unmarked Arizona Highway Patrol car. The officer pulled Terry over. When Terry explained that he was late for an English class he was teaching at the University of Arizona, the officer took pity on him and let him off with a warning.
Before he went back to the car he said, "Slow down and drive safe." Terry felt obligated to correct him. "Excuse me, Sir, but it should be, 'Slow down and drive safely.' "
The officer walked back to his car and wrote him a $72 speeding ticket.
Our careless speech gets us into a lot of trouble that the mature avoid.
I suppose there is no easier measure of a person’s maturity than assessing how they use their speech. When I think of mature, wise people, the one characteristic that leaps into my mind is how slow they are to speak – how circumspect; how thoughtful. They aren’t interrupting people to get their opinion aired. They aren’t insulting those who disagree with them. They aren’t turning disagreements on issues into personal attacks. Mature people are quick to listen, slow to speak. I long for that maturity in my life
What are some ways you and I abuse our speech – some ways we have shown our immaturity?
How many of you have enjoyed a joke at the expense of our President in the past few weeks? I have. But Scripture commands us to render respect to our governmental leaders. Now, understand, respect doesn’t entail or require agreement with or acceptance of what our leaders may say, do or believe. But it does require that we use our speech wisely – that we show proper respect and give the benefit of the doubt.
How many of us tell jokes at the expense of someone else (whether an individual or a group)?
How many of us commit ourselves to things that we shouldn’t because we are too quick to say "yes" and too slow to say "no"?
How many of us have spread gossip under the guise of Christian concern? How many of us have let careless words or thoughtless comments slip and thereby disrespect or slander Christian brothers or sisters?
How many of us just speak before considering the consequences? How many times have you said things you’d love to take back? There is an old saying, "You own the words until they are spoken; then the words own you."
Protecting our speech means several things – here are a few to dwell on:
IV. A Mature Person is a Peacemaker - James 4:1
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" James 4:1
We live in a culture that is intoxicated with "rights" – my rights, your rights, their rights, our rights. We are constantly worried that someone will violate our rights. Yet, we see in Scripture that Christians are to embody the exact opposite attitude. We are to joyfully lay down our rights for our brothers and sisters. We are to gladly welcome opportunities to serve others by depriving ourselves.
In too many church quarrels, we, like the worldlings around us, are concerned about making sure our rights are defended; making sure our case is heard; making sure our vote is counted. But in James – and from the mouth of Jesus himself – we are told not to worry about ourselves – rather, we are to seek out the needs of others.
There are two immature, sinful sources of conflict between Christians discussed in James 4:
Selfishness (4:2-3)
I suppose all of sin can be traced back to this one thing: getting our perspective confused as to how important we are. Once we put ourselves above God or above others, we have entered upon a course that leads inevitably to idolatry and sinfulness.
In the case of conflicts between Christian brothers and sisters, this is no less the case. When I forget to keep my own interests and desires in check, I can be assured that I will be soon sowing discord amongst those I love.
Judging Others (4:11-12)
Perhaps growing from an improperly high view of ourselves, we are often guilty of taking on airs of self-righteousness – of pretending we are better than we are. When we do this, it becomes insurmountably difficult not to pass judgment on my brothers and sisters.
Note that judgment isn’t just about calling something a sin – pointing out some else’s wrongdoing. In fact, it’s not even this kind of judgment James is addressing. Rather it is that judgment that seeks not in love to correct another’s wrong, but, rather, seeks to elevate oneself by sneering at another’s shortcomings. It is also that judgment that seeks to wound and hurt, rather than help and heal. It is that judgment that speaks behind-the-back instead of face-to-face.
When we become selfish in our judgment – when our motives are anything other than healing and helping – we have become guilty of sin.
The mature Christian always confronts sin. But he does so in love and in person and in private and without talking to anyone other than the person in sin (at least at first).
Questions a peacemaker asks:
V. A Mature Person is Prayerful - James 5:16
"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16
Perhaps no aspect of the Christian life is more diligently sought, more frequently taught and so poorly practiced as prayer. I say this at minimum from my own perspective. Prayer is the most difficult pursuit of my life as a Christian. Study, teaching, worship, evangelism – all these are easy by comparison.
Why, I wonder? Perhaps, I think, because success in prayer, unlike all other areas of the Christian life, truly demands that I empty myself. I can serve others and secretly pat myself on the back. I can teach others and swell with pride. I can become learned and wise and inwardly boast at my accomplishments.
But in prayer, to succeed, I must diligently empty myself before God. I must lay down my accomplishments in order to acknowledge God’s greatness. I must admit my weakness to call on his strength. I must confess my confusion in asking for his guidance. I must acknowledge my failure to ask for his forgiveness.
Perhaps this is why Dwight Moody said, "I'd rather be able to pray than be a great preacher; Jesus Christ never taught His disciples how to preach, but only how to pray." Prayer is more important than preaching. It is more important than singing. It is more important than giving. Because these things, without prayer, are merely my own accomplishments anyway – and do not draw glory to God.
"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results." - R. A. Torrey
A woman asked G. Campbell Morgan, "Do you think we ought to pray about even the little things in life?" Dr. Morgan, in his typically understated British manner, replied, "Madam, can you think of anything in your life that is big to God?"
Being prayerful means at least two things:
Conclusion
Where are you in your maturity? Have you let God guide you and change you since you’ve been a Christian? None of us have arrived. All of us, however, should be pressing on – each day surrendering just a bit more of ourselves to God’s control than the day before. Do you persevere? Are you prepared to serve others? Do you protect your speech? Are you a peacemaker? Are you prayerful? These are the things we must grow in to mature in Christ.
It is a constant struggle to grow in Christ. Yet there is a real joy in the journey. And the joy is this – that no matter how slow our progress – no matter how many backward steps we may have taken along the path, we are promised victory in the end regardless of our failed attempts and puny efforts. Ours is a labor of love. We strive to grow in Christ not because He will forsake us unless we are perfect. We strive to grow in Christ because he who is perfect has promised to never forsake us as long as we are his.