TITLE:  Are you mature?
TEXT:  Philippians 3:15-16
PROPOSITION:  God wants us to grow up.
QUESTION:  What?
KEY WORD:  Marks
SCRIPTURE READING:  Same

 INTRODUCTION:

1. We often say to teens and some adults, “Grow up.”
2. Children can do some things and we laugh.
3. When an adult does the same thing, we shake our head.
4. There are some marks of maturity and immaturity.
5. Man has 5 ages. A person might be:
   1. 50 Chronologically
   2. 40 Physically
   3. 60 Intellectually
   4. 15 Emotionally
   5. 10 Spiritually
6. Luke 18:9-14 – Pharisee had a hard time seeing his own faults, he could see faults in others with ease

 Marks of Immaturity

1. Selfishness in attitude and action – Love is not selfish – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
2. Ingratitude – Where are the nine? – Luke 17:11-19
3. Demand to have one’s own way
4. Little sense of responsibility or obligation – job, home, pay bills, raise family
5. Fail to finish what they start – change jobs, short interest span
6. Unable to handle conflicts with control – temper, fuss and fume, run home to mama
7. More blessed to receive – Acts 20:35
   Matthew 5:1-13 – Beatitudes teach us how to be happy
8. Has a poor way to love and to be loved

 Marks of Maturity

1. Independence – Leave and cleave – Matthew 19:5
2. Proper attitude toward commitment
3. Willingness to make the other person happy
   Agape (Greek) – seek what is best for another
4. Feeling of gratitude instead of self-pity
   Matthew 5:43-48 – immature complain, gripe, full of self-pity
5. Filled with Christian love
   1. Without love – other things are worthless
   2. With love – small things become significant
   3. With love – we will do other things we should do
      John 14:15 – If you love me, do what I command you
   4. Love has transforming power – 2 Corinthians 5:14 – love of Christ constrains us
      Love is live changing – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – you are washed, justified, sanctified