Philippians 3 tonight. Tremendous, tremendous. Wait a minute, did I say Philippians? Chapter 3. I'd love to preach on the whole chapter tonight. but we won't even attempt that. Some tremendous, tremendous truths here, things that I think will be a real blessing to us. And as we read this portion of this chapter together, I want you to be thinking with me about spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity. I am convinced that one of the strongest things that a church can have in order to grow and be what it ought to be is a group, a nucleus, a body of people who have spiritual maturity. People who are just able to be confident in their own relationship with the Lord and are able to exude that confidence in their relationship with other people. And I see much of this taking place now here at Faith Baptist Church as some folks are growing and taking a stand and doing it in a balanced, mature sort of a way. I wonder what the citizens of Greenville and those in the Christian community, if there be such a thing, as perhaps there is, I wonder what those folks think of when they think of Faith Baptist Church. What do you suppose they think of? Do they think of a building? A grocery store? Do they think of a preacher? There have been various impressions that I believe Greenville has had of our church since I've been here. I think there would have been a time when someone said, I go to faith. They would have immediately said, oh yes, I've heard of that, that's where, and then they would have said a certain thing. That's where so and so is the pastor, or that's where My neighbor goes maybe or something like that, but that's that's the little church that meets in the building there and then that little building Or isn't that the church that has all those services? Or I wonder if they now say that's the church that meets in the grocery I really don't think that they would say any of those things, but I wonder what they would say Would they say you know I've known some people from faith and And they really have a love for each other and a love for the Lord, and they really seem to want to serve God. I wonder if that's what they'd say. If the only person someone knew from our church was you, what would they say? Well, I know a person that goes there, and boy, is he messed up. You think they would say that? No, I hope not. I wonder if, however, there would be a testimony of spiritual maturity. If our church is going to grow, and if we're going to attract and keep converts, or people that we can win, we're going to have to have a testimony of spiritual maturity. You know what will really attract the kind of people that will go on for God? If they know that this is a church where they can find an answer to their legitimate spiritual questions, where they can begin to grow into spiritual maturity. Can I say it this way? If they know that the Christians here in this church are the kind of people that under God they want to become, they will be attracted here. Did you know that? People are not really attracted to a church because of the eloquence of its preacher. Did you know that? I know people who go to churches where the pastor is boring, but because he teaches those people, and those people grow and become spiritually mature. And the testimony of those mature Christians is such that others, seeing them, say, Boy, you know, that's what I need in my life. That's what I ought to be. If there were a prayer that could be answered in my life, I'd like to be like those folks there. Now is that the testimony that our church is giving? And if it isn't, why isn't it? And I want you to think about those things as we read in Colossians 3. If ye then be risen with Christ, saved, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above and not on things on the earth, for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. in the which ye also walked some time when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of him that created him. Remember those verses. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man. Verse 11, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all and in all. Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." And then he makes some particular applications to wives, husbands, children, servants, and others that are in their relationships with other people so that their testimonies might be such that spiritual maturity would be what is seen. Notice what he says to servants in verse 22. Servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with high service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ." Now there are many things that we see in the verses that we've read together. We see that we are to put off our emphasis and concern with the world and we're to think about spiritual, heavenly things. We're to put off the old man and put on the new. We're to give up those things which are worldly and characteristic of a worldly way of life, and we're to put on or behave with those characteristics which are indicative of a spirit-filled life. And the chief thing that is said here, the bond of perfectness, the thing which maintains the maturity of the believers and demonstrates the maturity of the believers is charity. Above all, love. Charity is a word that's used today to refer to benevolent giving. And that's really what love is, is benevolent giving. Giving to meet the needs of others. Had an interesting conversation with some teenagers here recently. Some of our teenagers, you know, yesterday went up to Carowinds. And my wife and I also went. Now, I never have been terribly excited about paying good money to get nauseated. And so we rode the monorail, and we sat on all the benches. And we acted like old fogies. My kids have invented a new verb. It is the verb to fogue. That's what we did yesterday. We just fogued all day. And so there we were. We had a great time. Got our feet hot and tired. But enjoyed watching all of them get sick. And we didn't have to worry about it. But we had a lot of fun. But some of the teens were saying, well now how come every time that we get ready to go to something like this, they always break us up into groups and they won't let us go with who we want to go with? You can find out why that was done. What would happen if everybody just did what they wanted to do? All the popular kids would have gotten together with all the other popular kids. You know what makes a kid popular, by the way? He has convinced the other kids that he is the way they want to be. Okay, that's what makes a kid popular. And then the unpopular kids, the ones that haven't been able to convince the others that they are the way the others ought to be, they would have a tendency to hold back and not participate in a group. And they would just kind of wait and maybe get together by themselves. And these other kids that are the ones to take the initiative and get together in these little groups, they would go off and have fun and impress each other. And then the other kids would, you know, not get to interact with them. And so the important thing about putting them in groups is so that these kids who are leaders, who take initiative, who are the first ones to pair off, they need to be giving of themselves for the other kids. Yeah, but that's no fun, is the next answer. Well, now let me ask you a question. Do you honestly believe, I say, that the reason that Faith Baptist Church takes the teenagers to carowinds is just so you can have fun? I mean, is that why the church is in the business of doing these things? Is that all we're here for? Look, Friday night comes around. Teenagers are supposed to come play volleyball, watch a film together. Is the only reason we're doing that so you'll have something to do on Friday nights, keep you off the streets and let you have a good time? This is a church. We're here to help you grow spiritually, to come to spiritual maturity. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. In other words, we're not just here to be an entertainment facility. We're here to help people become what they ought to be. And one thing that young people, as well as older people, need to be becoming is folks that give of themselves for others. Now, if people get the idea that, well, yeah, but I don't like to be around them because they're no fun. I would rather go and be with other people so that I can have a good time. There's an attitude there, and we call that attitude selfishness. And that's characteristic of immaturity. Mine, mine, mine. Give to me, let me do what I want to do. And we need to be growing out of that. The reason we let our teenagers play volleyball is not so that they can have a good time only. Now, we don't mind if they have a good time, and we do want them to have a good time. One of the main reasons we let them play volleyball is so that they can reveal to themselves what they really are. And then see what their needs are. You know, you put a young person in a pressure cooker, and get him in a competition, and let him lose, and he's liable to tell the whole world how he really thinks. Did you know that? His guard's down. He's no longer able to consciously concentrate on his lie, and all of a sudden, his selfishness is revealed. His determination just to have a good time comes out, and all of a sudden, he has to be honest with himself. And he says, oh boy, something wrong with me. That's exactly why we do this. That's why we have competition, that's why we take our kids to camp, that's why we do all those things, is to help them see what they really are, so that they can become what they ought to be. Because a person can never become what he is supposed to be until he realizes and admits what he is. Did you know that you and I are spending so much time trying to convince each other that we're something that we're not, that we're not able to give any energy at all to becoming what we ought to be? Did you hear what I said? And that is the truth. We are so busy trying to convince each other that we're something that we're not, that we're not able to give any attention or energy to becoming what we ought to be. Now the Bible says, lie not one to another seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Don't lie about what you are. There are a number of dangers in that, and perhaps the greatest of those dangers is that you will become convinced that your lie is the truth. You will act like what you ought to be and fall in love with your act and never become honest about what you really are. You see? And ways that this is manifest is the pride that we feel when we do right, the inordinate and defeating shame that we feel when we do wrong. Now, I'm not talking about honest conviction. or repentance. I'm talking about inordinate, debilitating shame, guilt. The thing that just says, oh boy, I just can't face the world anymore. You know, oh, what if people find out? You know, and all this kind of thing. That's just another form of pride, my friend. You see? I told you a couple of weeks ago, I see three groups of people when I counsel folks. I see these groups over here, this group over here. These people are very proud of what they're doing or what they're not doing. And then I see another group of people over here, they're totally defeated by what they're doing, or not doing. And then I see some balanced folks in the middle who realize that Jesus did everything, and they're doing the best they can. And they're honest with themselves, and they're honest with others. They're not putting on airs, they're just trying to be honest about things. I'm convinced that one of the big problems that we see in witnessing today is that some folks believe that they have to have a tremendously strong argument, and they just have to blow away all the opposition, and that if somebody asks them a question they can't answer, boy, they, you know, they almost are tempted to make something up, or to become angry. One of the most powerful testimonies that you can have is an honest fellow who will just tell you what he knows and what has happened to him, and be honest if he doesn't know something. I told you about my dear friend Gary Lapridge up in Saginaw, Michigan, the fellow that won me to the Lord. I asked him more questions to try to trip him up, trying to make fun of him when he was witnessing to me. I was still a lost man. And every time I'd ask him a question he didn't know the answer to, you know what he'd say? He'd say, in all honesty and simplicity, boy, you know, I don't know. I, uh, I'm not real good at these things. You know, I read kind of slow and, and, um, I don't know. I'll tell you, I'll find out. But I'll tell you something I do know, and he'd come right back to the gospel. I ask him another question. Boy, I don't know. That's a good question. Boy, you think of a lot of questions, don't you? He'd just say things like that to me. What could I say? This guy wouldn't argue with me. I couldn't embarrass him, couldn't make him feel dumb. I mean, whenever I'd try to make him feel dumb, he'd just say something like, boy, you know, I'm pretty dumb. And then he'd just go right on and just, you know, tell me the truth. You can't lay a glove on a guy like that. He was honest. He wasn't trying to put on airs. He was just trying to tell me, look, you know, I'm just a sinner saved by grace and the Lord saved my soul. And hey, you know, he wants to save you too. And boy, that convicted me. And the power of the Holy Spirit was there. You see, when he witnessed to me, he wasn't using human wisdom. He wasn't using the eloquence of his mouth. He was using the power of the Holy Spirit. We said in our Sunday School class on Sunday that it's the Holy Spirit's job to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And you and I sometimes get the idea that that's our job, but it isn't. And we'll never be able to do it. We might convince the intellect, but we'll never convince the spirit of man. And so, in this passage of Scripture, it talks about Christian attitudes and how we can demonstrate Christianity to others. You've put on the new man. We're all one. Put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Now when it says put this on, I don't mean to be facetious. It doesn't mean to put it on like you're acting it. You know, I'm just going to put on, you know, like I feel this way. No, that's not what it means. It means to put it on like you'd put on a garment. Take off the old garment, put on the new garment. Wear it. Wear your Christianity visibly and comfortably. And when you do those things, other people will see that you're real. and have honest responses. And if you have these honest responses and they're flowing out of you and you have humility and meekness and long-suffering, which is patience and these kinds of things, people will see that there's something different about you because those are not the attitudes that the world generally demonstrates. The world generally demonstrates selfishness, impatience, demanding, frustration, and this kind of thing. Sometimes Christians do too. And when they do, they have to be honest about it, and they have to make restitution, they have to make repair. You and I need to be known for a Christian maturity, and these attitudes right here are the attitudes of Christian maturity. Now I'm telling you, I have met so many people that believe that Christian maturity is sinless perfection. That's not so. Now, I don't think that if you're mature, you're going to say, well, I realize that righteousness is not in what I do, therefore it doesn't matter what I do. That's not true either. But on the other hand, this legalistic attitude that says, I never do wrong, you know, since I have become so strong and mature, I now don't fail. Listen, the more mature you get, the greater your humility is going to increase, and the greater your humility becomes, the more you're going to realize what a failure you really are. You hear what I'm saying? Now, the Lord taught the Pharisees this in Matthew chapter 5. They said, we keep the law. He said, you don't even know what the law is, in essence. We've never killed anybody. He said, but you've hated. We've never committed adultery, but you've had lust in your heart. We've never sworn, but you've made unrighteous vows. He said, the law is not a matter of what you do with the outward man, it's a matter of your heart, and your hearts are wicked. Now folks, you and I have got to realize that Christianity is a heart matter. Yes, out of the abundance of the heart, the life is lived. Proverbs 4.23 says, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. What you and I believe and what we are in our hearts is how we're going to live and how we're going to behave. And generally when we're under pressure is when we are exposed. I know of no greater pressure that can come on a person than the pressure of your own home. Your job puts pressure on you, yes. And from time to time what you really are will be revealed on the job. Circumstances out in public life will put pressure on you, but nothing will put pressure on you like your own home. You know why? Because there's this unwritten agreement between you and all your other family members that says, this is the one place where we can be honest. Now, when we go out in public, everybody walk the chalk line, so to speak. Everybody do what they're supposed to do. Let's not make each other look bad. Let's cooperate together and maybe we'll get away with this kind of an attitude. But boy, when you're at home, what you really are is seen here. You might be surprised to hear this, but I do not look like I look now when I get up in the morning. You believe me, I can tell. I remember one day, I don't know what was going on, Saturday or something, and I got up and, you know, my hair was all like a bird's nest and I hadn't shaved and everything. And some of our young adults, I think they may even still be here as married couples now, but a couple of young ladies who were in a young adult group came to the door and I answered the door. And they just stood there and stared at me. What happened to you on their faces, you know? I remember one day, the first time that this particular young man in our church had seen me in other than my suit. And I had on a pair of jeans and a work shirt and I was all grubby and we were working around the property there. And the fellow came up and he looked at me and I thought, what happened? What did I do? Did I say something? What's the matter? And I said, are you alright? He said, I just never saw you look like this. And I said, oh, okay, well I look like this from time to time. What am I saying? We come to expect people to appear a certain way, and we come to think that others perceive us in a certain way, and we always try to put our best foot forward when we're out in public. But you know, my children see me when I am at my absolute worst. And believe me, my worst is probably worse than you would think. And the awful thing about being a preacher's kid is they have to sit here and listen to me when you see me at my best. I say this reverently, honestly. There was a little girl here one time, same age as my oldest daughter. They were little girls at the time. And my daughter invited her friend over. Oh no, no I can't come over there. Well why not? Your dad is over there, she said. And she said, in her sweet little way, so what? And she said, I don't want to talk to him. I don't want him to see me. And then she said, and I quote, he's so holy. Don't you laugh at that. No, you see what I'm saying? It was this little girl thought, well, you know, he is the pastor. I guess they think I got one of these at home or something. And that when I get up in the morning, I climb into this thing and speak to my family or something. I really don't. Sometimes I don't wear shoes around the house. And, you know, that's just the way it is. That's what we really are when we're at home. We're just relaxed. And, you know, when we're at home, our attitudes and our hearts are more readily exposed. Men, it's a hard thing to have to be honest about that, isn't it? It's a hard thing to have to be honest about the fact that our wives know what we really are. And the reason we love them so much is that they're not going to tell anybody. Right? And the reason they love us so much is because we haven't told anybody yet. You see what I'm saying? Our kids know. The only trouble is that kids don't play this game right. They don't let you get away with it. They make you be responsible. And they say, you know, I've got to tell these folks this in public and then come home and do this other thing. You see? And they really put the pressure on you. And they say, you know, how come this is this way here and it's that other way over there? And then they get out in public and act the same way they do at home and you hate them for it, see? Now, the truth of the matter is, we've just got to be honest about what we are. Lie not one to another. And I'm just appalled. I am really just appalled at the lack of compassion in most churches today that causes people to believe, and sometimes rightly so, that they just cannot tell their Christian friends what they really are. We're so busy putting on a show for each other. And I'm telling you, friend, that is wood, hay, and stubble. It's accomplishing nothing. It's accomplishing. You know what that is? That is eye service. We are men pleasers. We behave in a certain way because we want others to think, boy, that guy has got it together. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4.13 that all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. God knows what we really are. And I'll tell you, there's probably one circumstance in which we are even more transparent than we are at home, and that's when we're alone. That's what we really are. And we just need to be honest about that. You know, folks, A local church ought to be a family. And the kind of family in which a person is going to feel confident and comfortable and able to grow is the kind of a family where everybody can put their guard down without fear that somebody else is going to hit them unfairly. You've heard me say before that, you know, this is the only outfit I've ever served in that shoots its wounded. You know, somebody's down, somebody's having a problem, and everybody else comes along and says, Boy, look at him, what a mess he's in. Boy, did he mess up bad. That's bad. That's bad. The Lord told His disciples that sometimes you have to leave the ninety and nine and go out into the one. Go out and find the one that's in the wilderness. And sometimes we need to have that same attitude. It's so easy for people to fall by the wayside. Sometimes I just as I'm in prayer, I catalog in my mind the lists and the names of dozens of people that have become a little bit discouraged because they felt like they couldn't measure up. And they just dropped out. Oh, that's awful. That's awful. That ought never to happen. This place is not a museum. This place is an emergency room. That's what it is. It ought to be a place where folks can come and have their wounds bound up and where they can have their spirits refreshed and where we can come up to you. Now, look, look, I'm not talking about one of these folks that wants to show you their scar every time you ask him how they are, but I'm talking about folks that will just be honest that if they got a problem that they can say to you, Well, you know, I'm struggling along, but, but, you know, I got some discouragement. I wish you'd pray for me. Now, at the same time, you know, if a person's in balance, they ought to be able to say that once in a while. And then sometimes they ought to say, boy, things are going real well right now. And I think because some who always complain are the ones who complain, the rest of us don't want to be like that. So we say, well, I'm sure not going to be a complainer. To share the burden of your heart doesn't make you a complainer. Unless you really are one, you see. So it ought to be a balance. Sometimes you ought to be able to say good things, and sometimes you ought to be able to share the burdens of your heart. And that's what a local church is all about. Where folks can just be honest with each other, and folks can bear their burdens with each other, and folks can have compassion one for another. And you know, there are several things that will characterize an honest heart. Talks here about these things. kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. You ever ask a person how they're doing, they talk to you about a problem and then you enter into prayer with them and you try to hold them accountable and you try to minister to them and encourage them. I'm not talking about taking over their life, but I'm talking about trying to encourage them a little bit and then all of a sudden they start pulling away. People have these little keep off signs. They're not really signs, but they might as well be. You come up to somebody, and have you ever touched somebody with a sunburn? Last two or three weeks, you know, we've had a lot of people that have been going out and getting fried and everything, and a lot of times I'll shake people's hands and pat them on the back a little bit. And I've had some people, I reach up and they start going like this, you know, don't touch my shoulder, sorry. You know, or somebody, I catch them off guard. And then instead of turning around and saying, boy, you know, I got a sunburn, I shouldn't do that, they holler, don't do that, or something. You know, it's just so sensitive. You know, some people are that way emotionally or psychologically or in their spiritual lives. You reach up to have a little fellowship with them and all of a sudden, don't touch me. I've got a hang-up. I've got a problem. I don't want to talk about that. Keep off. And there goes the sign. And so you try to touch them again. Keep off. And after a while, you get all these keep off signs. You know what folks are going to do? They're going to keep off. And then what are you going to do? You're going to go around and say, it's not a very friendly church. You see, sometimes it's your fault. Sometimes you're the one with the hang up. Sometimes you need to be willing to say, you know, I got some problems, but you know, there are two kinds of folks that won't talk about their problems. Those who have been hurt so bad by unconcerned and unloving people that they're afraid they're going to get hurt again. And the other group are folks that don't want to change. They don't want to do anything about it. They don't want to be responsible or accountable. And so they're not going to tell anybody because if they tell somebody sooner or later, somebody's going to say, well, what are we going to do about that? And they don't want to have to say nothing. I'm going to stay this way. Because if I change this, then I'm not going to have any excuse. You hear what I'm saying? Now it says here, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not what I service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. That means whatever we do, we need to do it because that's what God wants us to do. Have you ever heard a person that'll lie about something? You tell them, this is what I expect of you, and then they try to act like that's what they're doing. Or you challenge them on what they're doing that's wrong, and they'll lie to try to make themselves look good. A person that'll do that needs to realize that if they already know how they're supposed to look. And if they really want to be thought of as that, the best way to accomplish that is to be that. Let me give you an illustration. I had a friend over in Myrtle Beach that was a building inspector for the county. And he came along one day and was inspecting a concrete sidewalk out in front of a housing complex. He got to looking at it and it looked a little funny. There were expansion joints in that concrete. You know what that is? A crack in a sidewalk, you know? And so he came up and he took a nail and he stuck it down in there. And it was about a half inch deep. And this particular place was supposed to have a separation. It was supposed to be a true expansion joint, not just a groove. And he checked several more. And he called the construction manager out. This man was a building inspector, was a Christian. He called the fellow out and he says, you know, You boys know how to make it look right, don't you?" He said, what do you mean? He said, you made it look like you really put the expansion joints in the concrete. So you know how it's supposed to be and you want me to think that's the way it is. He said, I'll tell you what, that's the way it's going to be. If you know how to make it look right, you know how to do it right. Not tear it up and do it over. He wasn't very popular, but The people who bought the houses and things that were built there appreciated him because he made people do what was right. Christian people know how to make themselves look right today. Now let me tell you something. If you know how to make it look right, you know how to do it right. The problem is not that you don't know how to accomplish what's right, it's that you don't want to pay the price. Right? If you know how to present yourself and fake other people out that you're something that you're not, why don't you just be honest with yourself and say, I want it the easy way? That's immaturity. It's the child that wants his dessert before he eats his beans, isn't it? It's an immature person that says, give to me without me having to pay a price. It's a baby that cries and whines and makes demands to give them what they want without having to pay a thing in return. It's the mature person that says, I want it, but I can't have it right now. It's going to take some time. It's going to take some time. I was talking with a young fellow about this here recently. I said, you know, there's some people that let the IRS do their saving for them. You know what I'm talking about? They let the IRS withhold taxes on which they're going to make no interest whatsoever, knowing that they're going to get it back when they file their tax return, because if they didn't do it that way, they'd never save any money at all. They lose it to inflation, they never get any interest, and you say to them, why don't you take that money and invest it properly? Well, I'd spend it if I had it. That's immaturity. It's immaturity to say, I'm going to let somebody else force me to do what I know is right. I believe that our church is filled with people that want to do right, but they just don't want to do it themselves. They just don't want to pay the price of doing it themselves. Maturity comes with the attitude that says, I know what's right, and I'm willing to pay the price. Friend, if you want to have $10,000 in the bank, did you know you'll never get it if you want it next week? Unless you make $10,000 a week. And that's why so many people spend so much money on the lottery. Millions and millions of dollars every week in this country. That's why so many people gamble in other ways. Because they want it, but they're just not willing to pay the price to get it. They want it right now. I know married couples that have been married to each other for 15 and 20 years that are still in the babyhood of their marriage because they want a mature marriage tomorrow. They could have had it by now. Here's the fellow who's going to retire broke because he will not save a few dollars each week. He just won't pay the price. Did you know if you'll do a little bit now, and a little bit tomorrow, and a little bit the next day, and keep on doing a little bit, and keep on growing and being faithful, eventually you're going to look back and have a whole lot and didn't even realize that you had much. That's the way it works. That's where maturity comes in. Benjamin Franklin said it this way, little strokes fell great oaks. And he spoke the truth. Diligence and patience, that's what it takes. And so it is with the Christian life. The person who's spiritually mature has a long-suffering, gentle, humble, kind attitude towards other people. And I tell you, friend, we are never going to see that kind of maturity as long as we are demanding of each other instant spirituality. And you know why we're demanding it of each other? Because we think that's what everybody else is demanding of us. When the truth may be we're demanding it of ourselves, We want it, but we're not willing to pay the price. Now, like what the one dear lady said, praise the Lord, I may not be what I wish I was, but I sure ain't what I was. You see, I've changed a lot, and I've grown some. I talk to people sometimes who are just about ready to throw in the towel, and I've been watching them now for several years. I told one person here recently, oh, she said, I'm not making any progress. I said, oh, you're just not looking right. You're just not seeing it from my perspective. You've changed so, you've grown so, you just don't realize how you've grown. If you could see it from where I am, have you ever been away from somebody that you know, that as a child, your niece or nephew? I spent nearly two years in the service away from my own kids. Can you imagine what they looked like when I came home? Hardly knew them. You know what some of you look like when I talk with you for a while and then, you know, I see you here in church and then we get together and have a personal talk several months later? I can see growth. Kelly Greenwood. You remember Kelly Greenwood? Tom Robertson's brother-in-law? And they were in our church for a number of years. Now he's up in Shelby, North Carolina, working for United Parcel Service up there. Kelly and I have known each other for about 12 years. And he was a member of this church when I first came here. Kelly came down the other day to just drop by and see us. And my son John walked in, or walked by. And Kelly just stood there and looked at John and said, is that John? I said, in the flesh. He said, I didn't know he had that much flesh. Boy, he's grown. Isn't he big? I said, yeah, and he's still growing. I can't believe it. You see, I don't notice it so much because I'm with him every day. Now look, my little boy, Joseph, he's the sweetest thing. He's the most precious little guy. He's little compared to Daniel. When Daniel was his age, he was a big old robust fellow and still is. And Joey's just kind of little. Now, if I go in in the morning and I see Joseph lying there in the bed, and he is as tall as my son John, 6'1". I'm going to be disturbed. I'm going to say, Joseph, would you mind coming to the doctor with me? But the same token, if I go in there day after day after day and for two or three years and Joseph is the same height and the same weight that he is now, I'm going to be greatly disturbed about that too. In other words, there is a rate of growth that's normal. It's not too fast. It's not too slow. Steady. I take growing spurts. The more expensive the clothes, the faster they grow, I think. That's the law. But at any rate, there has to be a progress, and so it is with your Christian life. Now, just let me ask you a question. Are you where you used to be? You're probably not. You're probably growing and don't even realize it. But some of you here, you're so frustrated that you're not where you're going to be in ten years, that you're not going to get there. You're not going to make it like this. You're going to sit here and spin your tires and continue to be angry and develop bitterness and get some hang-ups that you'll live with for the rest of your life if you don't stop that foolishness right now. If you don't make up your mind that God's got a plan for you and you better cooperate with it and quit trying to rush it or ignore it, you're not going to make any progress at all. Grow! And you can tell if you're growing If you're getting more patient with yourself and more patient with other people. I'm not talking about tolerant of sin. I'm talking about patient and kind and humble and willing to realize, well, now what are we going to learn from this thing? And, you know, how are we going to make it from here? Ask yourself those things. And when you grow into becoming that kind of a person, you're going to have tremendous influence for the Lord. Tremendous influence for the Lord. And you'll be able to influence others both to be saved and to grow and our church is going to grow and we're going to see some great things. Spiritual maturity. That's what it's all about. Let's pray.