IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE SPIRITUALLY MATURE WHILE
REMAINING EMOTIONALLY IMMATURE
October 23, 2022
Dave Stephens
The Church and the Christian were meant to be different. Different than culture…different than humanistic movements. Not perfect…different. Our attitude should be the same as Jesus…who left the 99 and went to the one. Jesus represented for us the way to love those around us.
- He spoke about how to love and exemplified it to us.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus showed His love for others by blessing and serving the poor, the sick, and the distressed.
He told His disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
- The Good News given to us by this scripture is that even death has no dominion over those who love and are loved by the Lord.
1 John 4:11-12 : “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”
- Jesus taught that loving people well was central to the mission. The mission of Jesus has been passed to every Christian…you are not exempt from loving people well.
In order to learn how to have less chaos and love people well, we turn to our most important example: Jesus
Jesus had alot of conflict with the religious leaders of his day around this concept. He knew one of the main purposes of the church was to love people well, and yet he didn’t see it in the leaders of the temple.
- Dedicated their entire lives from early youth to knowing the things of God
- They could recite the Pentateuch from memory
- They prayed 5 times a day
- Some of them tithed all their income to the temple
- They gave money to the poor…they evangelized
The Apostle Mark quotes Jesus as saying that loving others is one of the most important things his followers must do, second only to loving God. We must love others the same way that we love ourselves (Mark 12:28-34; Luke10:25-37) and we must treat others the way we like to be treated (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31).
Matthew records Jesus saying this:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
Today there is a great need for people who can play the role of peacemaker, whether between nations, or labor and management, or students and administrations. There is even a fine organization called Peacemaker Ministries which seeks to mediate peace within churches or families. We should be grateful for all the people who seek to be peacemakers at various levels of society.
- But there is no doubt that Jesus did not have any of these people or organizations in mind when He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9)
He was addressing His words to people who were powerless to play the role of peacemaker on a national or international scale. He did not even have in mind people who are gifted and trained to bring peace within churches or families.
- He is speaking of something that was to be true of all His followers at that time and should be true of all believers today.
- You are called to be a peacemaker! Not a chaos creator.
Have you ever noticed in the New Testament how often conflict is addressed? In Galatians 5:15 Paul warns, “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
When he writes about the works of the flesh, along with sins such as immorality, he mentions sins such as enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, and the like (Galatians 5:19-21).
- James asks, “What causes quarrels and fights among you?” James 4:1
The answer comes back that we don’t have what we want. You know what we say about someone who fights about something they want but doesn’t have? We say “They are immature.”
- James takes us to this point of understanding - we need to grow up! Allow the spirit of God to work on our emotions so that we can become a peacemaker and not a Chaos creator.
Ok Dave…so becoming a peacemaker in tough situations…what might this look like in everyday life? How do I do that?
Paul gives some direction in Romans 12:14-21
14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
- We can easily pass by this instruction as not applying to us, because we do not suffer actual persecution.
- Where does that come from? Our human nature…that we fight against as children of God.
- This does not mean that we pray for God’s judgment on the person, but rather we entrust our situation to Him who judges with perfect justice.
Peter reminds us the example of Christ:
- “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”
1 Peter 2:22-23
Despite our best efforts, there may be times when the person(s) we are in conflict with will not reciprocate. In that case, Paul says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18)
- How can we do this? Jesus tells us,
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
A peacemaker absorbs the hurtful words or actions of others without becoming resentful, or retaliating, or even cutting off a relationship with the person.