7 Marks of Maturity (Phil.3)

"Let us, as many as are mature, have this mind" (Phil.3:15)
7 MARKS OF MATURITY
1. Having no confidence in the flesh, i.e. with regard to race, tribe, caste, culture, class, position, training (Phil.3:3-6)
2. Christ-mindedness, i.e. to regard relationship with Christ above every other thing in the world (Phil.3:7-8)
3. Pursuing God's righteousness, i.e. neither being legalistic nor being libertine, but pursuing the righteousness of faith. (Phil.3:9)
4. Resurrection-focus, i.e. to fasten the mind on the new creation, the power of His resurrection, with the final glorification being the focus of entire life (Phil.3:10-11).
5. Never considering to have already attained or achieved or reached (Phil.3:12), which is a great hindrance to spiritual growth and maturity.
6. Forgetting the past, i.e. to not be reveling in old accomplishments nor be depressed by old failures, to neither idolize the past nor be victimized by it; to not keep knots, to not hold grudges, to not keep a record of evil, to not keep wishing things had been different, but to embrace the freshness of each moment by faith and absolute reliance on God (Phil.3:13)
7. Reaching forth to things ahead, pressing on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ (Phil.3:13,14). To stretch forward, to strain ahead, to keep moving, to exert every ounce of strength to move toward the goal of God, i.e. the glorification of the saints, the manifestation of the sons of God.

Moving Forward

Things that Hinder Our Run

1. Social Bonds (Lk.14:26-27, Mat 8:21-22). A person who gives priority to social relations above Christ, can never walk with Christ.
2. Cares and Desires of World (Lk.8:14; Phil 3:7). When the cares of the world and its desires, the urge to not miss something "good" of the world, take control of a person's decision, he becomes deaf to the Spirit of God and fails to move forward anymore.
3. Besetting Sin (Heb.12:2). A person cannot be moving ahead as long as he is being pulled back by sin, everytime he wants to go ahead. The solution is in simply deciding to lay aside that besetting sin.
4. Things of Past (Phil.3:13). Neither idolize the past nor be traumatized by it. Don't say that the old days were better (Eccl.7:10); instead, say "The future is going to be better than the past".
5. Crooked Paths (Heb.12:13). Paths that sinners and godless men walk on must be avoided by the believer (Psa.1:1)
6. Bitter Root (Heb.12:15). Disregarding the great value of our Christian birthright and heirship in Christ is dangerous. A heart that is filled with anti-Christian bitterness defiles many.
7. Loss of focus (2Tim 4:7, Heb12:2). Our focus must be on Christ the author and finisher of our faith.

Solution

1. Self-Denial (Matt 16:24)
2. Spirit-filled Walk (Rom 8:5; Gal.5:16)
3. Setting Heart on Heavenly Things (Matt 6:33; Col 3:2; Phil 4:8)

Growing Up

1. Growing up in Grace (2Pet.3:18; Eph.1:7; 2:7; 2Cor.8:9; 2Cor.15:10; Eph.4:29; Acts 11:23)
2. Growing up in Knowledge (Eph.4:15; Col.3:16; Eph.3:17)
3. Growing up in Faith (Jude 20; Col.2:7; Luke 7:5)
4. Growing up in Spiritual Gifts (Jn.4:10; 1Cor.12:31; 1Cor.1:7; 1Tim.4:14; 2Tim.1:6; 1Pet.4:10)