Measuring Your Level of Maturity, Part 2

Peter says this. He says, humble in spirit. Humble in spirit. How do you know you're growing spiritually? Let me tell you something.

You know you're growing spiritually when you really don't care if anybody sees or recognizes you ever at all. That's how you know you're growing spiritually. You see, we like to do things to get recognized. We like to do things for people to see us do things. We like to write our check on Sunday morning in the pew so somebody sees us writing a check. Say, no, we're giving to the Lord. And yet, the Bible says very clearly in Matthew chapter 6 something about that.

Christ said this. Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. Bew of practicing the righteous deeds in front of man so that you can be recognized by man or so that they can see what you're doing because that's going to be your reward. That 's all you're going to get. That 's all there is to your reward. He says this, when therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do. In the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men.

Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you give alms, Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your alms may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will rep you. He says, when you give, the idea of giving is to be so secretive, so discreet, that your right hand doesn't even know your left hand's in your wallet. Now, how are you going to do that? How does that happen? But he's trying to emphasize the fact that, listen, this is not a show. This is not for anybody else to know.

Never is. It's between you and the Lord. And the lowly mind recognizes that. The humble in spirit. The hypocrite, the self-righteous person, wants everybody to know what he gives. And when you pray, Christ says, Not to be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners in order to be seen by men.

Surely I say to you, they have their reward in full. Oh, they're praying, but the only reward they get is what men see of them. And say of them because God gives them no reward. Humble in spirit, lowly in mind, quiet in heart. And just doing it because God said so. You know that you're lowly in mind when you do something for someone and when they don't recognize it, it's okay. Because you didn't do it for them. You did it for the Lord. You asked the Lord, you know, Lord, I want to do this with the right motive, for the right purpose, for the glory of God, not for the glory of man.

And that's the direction we should be going. Carl Sand once related a story about a mother who brought her newborn baby to General Robert E. Lee. And General Robert E. Lee would take that little baby into his arms, cradle it. He said these words to his mother, ma'am, please teach him that he must deny him. Boy, that's the best baby dedication I've ever heard. Teach him he must deny himself. You know, boy, I tell you, that's just so important. Christ said, if any man connect to me and not deny himself, he's not worthy of me.

Right? Don't take up his cross and follow me. He's not worthy to be one of my disciples. Self-denial is about what Christianity is all about: dying to self. Living to God. Next, verse nine. Are you convicted yet? If not, you will be. It gets better. I'm convicted. Here it is. Verse 9. Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. You know how you're growing spiritually? You have a forgiving spirit.

A forgiving spirit. It touches all, listen, this verse 9 touches all the important areas of forgiveness. Here they are. You ready? Number one, you refuse to get even.

Number two, you restrain your words. And number three, you return good for evil. That's a forgiving spirit. Isn't that good? You refuse to get even. How do you know you have a forgiving spirit? You refuse to get back to get even. You restrain your words. Instead of lashing out and saying, Yeah, but yeah, you just restrain your words. And you return good for evil. You do something nice when someone To someone who has done something wretched to you. That is a forgiving spirit. Now, let me ask you, are you growing spiritually?

How's your maturity level now? See? Now we're thinking, oh, wow, now we're getting a little, we're going to start meddling a little bit here. It's getting a little bit too personal. But isn't that what Christ said way back in Matthew chapter 5, in the Serm on the Mount, verse number 38, when he said this? You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist him who is evil, but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. and whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him too. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Many of you have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. The way you prove you're a son of your father who is in heaven, that you love your enemy.

You pray for your persecutor. You don't seek vengeance. Instead, you have a forgiving spirit. You refuse to get even. You restrain your words. And you return good. For evil. Now, why do you do that? Listen to what Peter says: you give a blessing. You give a blessing. Instead of returning evil for evil, which is so natural for us to do, instead of getting back at someone, instead of insult for insult. You rip me, I'm going to rip you. You bag on me, I'm going to bag on you. You hit me, I'm going to hit you.

Instead of doing that, he says, This is what you do: you give a blessing. You bless them. You do something good, kind, sweet, gentle, lo. Why? Why do I want to do that? Why would I go against my nature? Why would I succumb to verbal abuse? Why would I succumb to a husband or to a wife that's so car in their behavior toward me? And not return evil for evil? Peter tells you: for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. You've been called to be blessed. And the only way you're going to be blessed is if you do what God says.

If you go the other route and you get even and get back and return bad for bad. You forfeit your blessing. It's gone. But you've been called to inherit a blessing. The question is: Do you want the blessing? Do you want to receive what God wants to give you? Well, you know what? Right in the heat of the conversation, we're not thinking about the blessing God wants to give us. We're thinking about what we can do next. That's why we've got to memorize the Bible. That's why we've got to continue the intake of the Word of God so that when those things arise, these verses come to play in the mind.

We begin to recognize them. How do you know you're growing? Simply this: you just stop fighting back. You just stop fighting back. That's how you know you're growing. Whenever the urge comes over you to get even. It's important to realize that retaliation is a sign of adolescence and immaturity. It is. It's not a sign of maturity. It's a sign of immaturity. But restraint is a sign of maturity. To be able to control your emotions. Control what you do. That's a forgiving spirit. And that's what Peter calls us to do.

James Montgomery Boyce, who is now home with the Lord, said these words about forgiveness. Forgiveness is, I give up my right to hurt you for your hurting of me. That's forgiveness. I give up my right to hurt you for hurting me. Do you do that? Well, now you're growing spiritually. Now you're understanding what it means to do what God says.

You've been called for this purpose. Next, he says, verse 10. For let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile. A controlled tongue. A controlled tongue. That's the seventh ele of maturity. Yea, but control your tongue. He says, as Peter quotes from Psalm 34, verses 12 to 26. He says you need to refrain your tongue. You need to stop your tongue. You need to control your tongue from speaking evil. You need to get control of your tongue.

It's the man who said, If my lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care, of whom I speak, to whom I speak, and how and when and where. We need to understand that the controlled tongue is the highlight of maturity. James, he said this way, If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, This man's religion is worthless. That's pretty clear, isn't it? If you think you're religious. If you think you're walking with the Lord, if you think you're growing in your walk with the Lord, yet you can't control your own tongue, guess what?

You have a worthless religion. Because the element in Christianity is the ability to control your speech. How you say it, when you say it, to whom you say it. The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, about our lips, about what we say, because it's the first evidence of the condition of the heart.

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. James would say this in James 3. He said, Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. If you're able to control your tongue, listen, you can control your whole body. If you can't control your tongue, you will not be able to control your whole body.

He says Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths, so that they may obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder. where the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire The tongue is afire, the very world of iniquity. The tongue is yet set among our members as that which defiles the entire body and sets on fire the course of our life and is set on fire by hell.

For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one cont the tongue. It is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. That's not the way it should be. And Peter says, if you want to see good life Or good days.

If you really want to love life, then you must learn to control your tongue from speaking evil. And from speaking guile or hypocrisy or lies. Now, think about that. Now, it's important to understand where Peter's quoting that from. So, if you've got your Bible, turn back with me to Psalm 3 for just a moment. If you want to see good days and you want to love life, it doesn't come because you have a life free of problems. In fact, just the opposite according to Psalm 34. If you want to be able To love life and see good days.

And I think that probably all of us would say, Yeah, I'd like to see a good day. I'd like to love life just once, maybe. Then it happens. Listen.

As the p said, when there were fears, verse number four. Troubles, verse number six, troubles, verse number seventeen, brokenness, verse number eighteen, and many afflictions, verse number nineteen. Amidst all those things is the quotation from Psalm 34 that Peter speaks of. When he says in verse 12, who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Amidst all the afflictions and troubles and fears, hardships, heartaches, what you say is important.

Now, the psalmist, according to Psalm 34, it was also a day in which, according to verse number 3, he magnified the Lord. Verses 4 to 7, he experienced answers to prayer. Verse number 8, he tasted the goodness of the Lord. In verse number 18, he sensed the nearness of God. All that to say this, if you want a great day tomorrow, if you want a super day tomorrow, you want to love life tomorrow, Then the way that happens is that amidst all your distress, amidst all your anxiety, amidst all your depression, amidst all your hardships, amidst all your heartache.

You refrain your tongue from speaking evil and from speaking guile. Say the right things. Boy. You know why that's so important? It's because it adds to your perspective. The next time you have a bad day and you hate life, read Psalm 34. And you may just discover, after all, that's really not a bad day, it's a good day. And you need not hate life, but you need to love life. What have you said that day? How have you spoken? How has your tongue been used? And last. He says, verse 11, and let him turn away from evil and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it.

Pursue purity and peace. Pursue a pure life. Pursue a peaceful life. Are you growing spiritually? Do you have a forgiving spirit? Do you have a controlled tongue? Do you have a lowly mind? Do you have a tender heart? Do you have a sympathetic he? Are you like-minded with one another? Do you pursue peace? Do you pursue purity, holiness? Is that your chief pursuit in life? To be more like God? To honor Him and glorify His great and wonderful name? That's so important. Now, why would I do all that? Remember the context of Peter.

Everything about what's happening in their life is falling apart. Nothing for them that's happening to them is good. It's all bad. That's the context of Peter. People who suffer unjustly. And they're good people. They love the Lord. But they're about to die. And Peter says, Listen, this is the way you got to be. Let me sum up everything for you.

This is how it's got to be. You've got to be growing spiritually. This is how you know you're growing spiritually. This is what you're pursuing. This is how you are reacting to your fellow man. This is what your tongue is saying. Who you're speaking. This is how you're feeling on the inside. This is what you're doing. So when I said, well, why want to do that? Three things. He gives them to us in verse number 12. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, his ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

Right there. Three things. Number one, the eyes of the Lord are on his people. God's eye is right on you. He sees everything that you do. He watches over the righteous. He knows and hears your speech. He knows and sees your conduct. He understands the purpose that you have inside of you and your aspirations. He knows all that's happening to you, and he sees, and because he sees, he longs to deliver you. Listen to what the psalm said in Psalm 11, verse number 4. The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven.

His eyes behold. His eyelids test the sons of m. Proverbs chapter 5, verse number 21. For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he watches all his paths. God sees. The eyes of the Lord are on his people. Listen, and the ears of the Lord, this is number two, are open to their prayers.

The eyes of the Lord are on his people, and the ears of the Lord are open to their prayers. He says, and his ears attend to their prayers. He's listening when they cry. He hears. He listens for the faintest whisper. Psalm 10, verse number 17, reads this way. O Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Thou wilt strengthen their heart. Thou wilt incline thine ear. He hears, the text says, the desire of the humble. Now we go back to the measurements before and say, Are we humble in spirit? Because you see, he desires to hear the humble in spirit, desires to hear them.

He desires to strengthen them and incline his ear to them. Maybe if when you are going through difficult times and you cry out to the Lord and you don't receive any answer, maybe it's because of your arrogant spirit and not your humble spirit. Because the Bible says that he inclines his ear to the humble.

He hears them. Because those are the ones he wants to strengthen. See? It also says these words, but the face of the Lord is again your persecutor. The face of the Lord is against your persecutor. It's one thing for his eyes to be on his people, his ears open to their prayers. But now his face is against your persecutor. He says, as Peter quotes, But the face of the Lord is against those. Who do evil. Now, Psalm 34, where this is taken from, says these words in verse number 16. The face of the Lord is against evild.

Listen, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. That's comforting, isn't it? Those who are your persecutor, those who are against you, God's face is against them to cut off their memory from The earth. God will deal with them. See, for the most part, we just don't want to let God deal with them. We got to deal with them. And God says, No, you don't.

Let me do it. That's what I'm designed to do. That's what I want to do. And we need to let God do what God can do. I love Matthew chapter 18. When the Lord is talking to his disciples, and he says these words in Matthew 18, verse number 10. He says, See that you do not despise one of these little ones. In the context, it's those who humble themselves as children and give their lives to Christ. These are Christians. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually behold what?

The face of my Father who is in heaven. Why is it the angels behold the face of my Father who is in heaven? The reason being is because the angel is constantly looking at the face of the Father. And the very moment that there is any inkling of concern that comes across his face, the angels are immediately dispatched to minister to you. That's why. Those angels are ministering spirits, are they not? And God sends them to minister to us in our time of need, just as Christ throughout his ministry was ministered to on several occasions by angels.

During his temptation, during the time in the garden there in Gethsemane, the angels would come and minister to him in his point of need. That's what God does. Because his face is against your persecutor. God's on your side. God's on our side. God's on the side of his children. And therefore, we can be totally committed to saying, Lord, I want to be like you and do what you've called me to do and grow toward maturity in Christ.