Introduction: Spiritual Adulting
Graduation is meaningful because it marks growth, progress, and the completion of one season as someone steps into what comes next.
One way to think about maturity is “the successful taking on of additional responsibilities.” In everyday life, we sometimes call this adulting. In the Christian life, there is also a kind of spiritual adulting.
Spiritual maturity can be hard to measure. You can be around the things of God for years and still not be formed by the heart of God. You can know the right words, believe the right doctrines, and still resist the very things Jesus is asking of you.
Main Question: What does it mean to grow up in Christ?
1. Hebrews 5:11–14
Spiritual maturity is not automatic.
Hebrews 5 shows us that time around truth does not guarantee maturity.
The writer says:
“By this time you ought to be teachers…”
These believers had heard the truth, received the truth, and been around the truth long enough that there was now an expectation. They should have been further along than they were.
Takeaways from Hebrews 5
Time around truth does not guarantee maturity. You can attend church for years, hear sermons, know Bible verses, and still not be formed by the truth.
Maturity is not just knowing the truth; maturity is being trained by truth. Maturity is not mainly about the amount of truth you have mentally acquired. It is about whether truth shapes your instincts, decisions, desires, reactions, relationships, priorities, and obedience.
Mature faith moves from receiving truth to reproducing truth. At some point, mature faith stops only asking, “Who is feeding me?” and starts asking, “Who am I helping grow?”
Key Highlight
Spiritual maturity is not measured by the amount of biblical knowledge one has acquired over the years. Spiritual maturity is measured by the amount of time elapsed between God’s command and your obedience.
2. Ephesians 4:11–16
Spiritual maturity builds up the body.
Ephesians 4 gives a positive picture of what spiritual maturity produces in the life of the church.
Takeaways from Ephesians 4
God gives leaders to equip the body for ministry. Leaders are not given simply to provide new and interesting biblical information. They are given to train and equip God’s people for ministry.
The goal is for a church to grow up into Christ. The goal is not just church activity. The goal is maturity, stability, truth, love, and Christlikeness.
The body grows as each part does the work. Paul says the body grows and builds itself up in love “as each part does its work.”
Not everyone does the same thing, but every believer has a part to play in the body of Christ.
Key Highlight
Immaturity says, “Feed me.” Maturity says, “Help me feed someone else.”
Immaturity says, “Carry me.” Maturity says, “Who can I help carry?”
Immaturity says, “Is this church meeting my needs?” Maturity says, “How can I be the church and meet the needs of others?”
3. Matthew 28:18–20
Spiritual maturity obeys the mission.
Matthew 28 shows one of the clearest places where maturity is tested.
Jesus did not merely say, “Teach them everything I commanded.” He said:
“Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
The goal is not just information. The goal is obedience. A disciple is someone whose life is coming under the authority of Christ.
Takeaways from Matthew 28
The Great Commission is not just information to know. It is a command to obey.
Disciple-making is not an advanced assignment for elite Christians. It is basic obedience to Jesus.
Spiritual maturity should be observed by disciple-making. The mission of Jesus is not just to help us know more. The mission is that disciples would make disciples, teaching them to obey everything He commanded.
Where Disciple-Making Starts
For some, it starts in your home.
For some, it starts in friendship.
For some, it starts in the church.
For some, it starts with evangelism.
Closing
On Graduation Sunday, we are reminded that growth is good. Progress is good. Moving into the next stage is good.
But for the church, the question is deeper:
Are we growing up into Christ?
Are we moving from receiving to reproducing?
Are we obeying the mission Jesus gave us?
Closing Question
Where is the distance between what God has already said and what you have not yet obeyed?
The invitation is to shorten the distance and say:
“Lord, I hear You. I trust You. I will obey.”
As we obey Him, He grows us to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
