Joshua Boyd
Overview
This message concludes our Parenting 101 series with a focus on maturity — both in parenting and in our spiritual walk as children of God.
Parenting mirrors how God relates to us: we guide our children toward independence from us, while God teaches us to grow more dependent on Him.
God’s Purpose in Parenting
- Malachi 2:15 reminds us that God’s goal for families is “godly children from your union.”
- Earthly parenting trains children to move from dependence to independence.
- Spiritual parenting is the opposite — God wants His children to grow more dependent on Him over time.
- Maturity, both natural and spiritual, is revealed through trust and responsibility.
Consequences and Growth
- A good parent teaches that decisions have consequences.
- God does the same — His mercy doesn’t erase the principle of sowing and reaping.
- Galatians 6:7 principle: you cannot reap what you haven’t sown.
- Teaching children this truth early develops wisdom, self-control, and accountability.
The Goal: Maturity
- Parenting success isn’t just age milestones — it’s spiritual and emotional maturity.
- God looks for believers He can trust with responsibility, just as parents look for signs their children are ready to leave home.
- Spiritually, there’s no graduation date — maturity isn’t about years in church, but depth of relationship and obedience.
Measurements of Maturity
(a) Walking in Love – 1 Corinthians 13:4–11
- Love is the first and greatest marker of maturity.
- Children — and spiritual children — tend to be impatient, jealous, boastful, demanding, or easily irritated.
- Mature believers demonstrate patience, kindness, humility, and endurance.
- Paul said, “When I became a man, I put away childish things.”
➤ Maturity changes how we think, speak, and reason. - Love that “never gives up” shows true growth.
(b) Looking Ahead – Philippians 3:13–16
- Mature believers stop living in regret or focusing on past failures.
- Like Paul, we “press on toward what lies ahead.”
- Spiritual children dwell on the past; mature believers focus forward.
- Looking ahead means:
- Not being stuck in guilt or nostalgia.
- Growing in understanding beyond the basics (Hebrews 6:1–3).
- Pursuing deeper truths in God’s Word.
- God calls us to move beyond “Christianity 101” — repentance, faith, baptism — into greater revelation and obedience.
(c) Speaking with Wisdom – Matthew 12:33–37
- Jesus said, “A tree is known by its fruit.”
- Our words reveal our maturity.
- Words show what’s in the heart.
- Immature believers complain, compare, or doubt.
- Mature believers speak faith, blessing, and the Word of God.
- We’ll give an account for every idle word — our speech shows whether we’ve grown up spiritually.
- Like Paul in 1 Corinthians 2, when among mature believers, we can use “words of wisdom” because our understanding has deepened.
Putting Away Childish Things
- Children say “I need” all the time. Immature believers pray that way too.
- Maturity means moving from “God, I need” to “God, what do You want me to do?”
- Maturity shows up in initiative — like a child cleaning up without being told.
➤ Spiritually, it’s when we obey God’s Word without needing reminders. - Mature believers:
- Serve others instead of self.
- Speak faith instead of fear.
- Live by the Word rather than by feelings.
The Fruit of Maturity
