How to "Grow Up".
--Sermon by Dr. Bob Benchoff May 2, 2003
..."humble and riding on an ass"..."you will find an ass tied"...
--Zechariah 9.9, and Matthew 21.2
People say "Grow Up", they tell you to "be mature", they say "act your age". They want you to learn responsibility.
If they tell you "there's a pony on the other side of the hill, bring it here", that sounds fun and you go and bring the pony.
If they tell you "before the cock crows, you will deny me three times", that doesn't sound fun, it sounds unpleasant and you don't want to believe it.
Some things are more fun than others. That is why each person has to figure-out how to properly overpower those things that are not fun for them.
Exercise can strengthen a person, and practice can make a person good at a sport, yet another person can hardly exercise for you, or practice for you. These are things you should do for yourself to help yourself be healthy and to help your team and spectators and others.
Prayer, chores, exercise, and practice can be difficult for a selfish person, yet they can be a blessing for someone anxious to help others. Do you like a certain musician's song? Think of the great blessing that musician accomplished for you and perhaps all future generations with that relatively tiny amount of labor to produce that song. Having obediently to the purpose practiced and having dutifully grown in expertise, they then are able to accomplish many more songs relatively easily, perhaps you would find those songs even more lovely.
The right attitude brings joy, even in strife, the right attitude brings peace and love, even through life. Longsuffering for Christ is good because through him your longsuffering will be overcome with joy. If you play an instrument, play it for others, more importantly play it for Christ, so when you are called before the bar of Christ you will have practiced properly.
Many events occur through life that require your having previously properly practiced, in order for your optimum handling of new developments, whether involving oil, reconstruction, or other. A large company such as Bechtel (no affiliation unless otherwise stated) relys on experts in their field. Years ago a friend recommended Bechtel to me because of their kindness.
Yet kindness involves growth in the decision making process. Bechtel's kindness toward USA government can assumedly be attested by leaders such as George Shultz and Donald Rumsfeld. Even if hands were shaken with one later said to have untenable principles, Saddam Hussein, the principles of kindness remain in force in growing toward Christ.
In other words, sin and guilt are not (to be chosen as) the cause of goodness and mercy. Growing-up in the principles of God works to empower the clout to hold the sway over value embodied in the standards of the church.
Yesterday President George W. Bush landed on Aircraft Carrier Abraham and announced the mission in Iraq was accomplished and quoting from the Bible Book of Isaiah, the prophet of Jesus Christ, gave glory to God. Growing-up involves growing strong in the spirit, so much so that even war holds no special harm to the righteous: as the President said, the guilty are afraid of war, not the innocent.
Nonetheless, to overcome the guilty through conversion to Christ, wars end, love never ends. A person's decision and growth toward Christ is important and valuable. Dictators and terrorists can impose limits. It is Christ that imposes growth and the blessing of hope.
All things are effectual, yet make all your doings expedient. Be obedient to love and those placed in authority over you by the love that is God.
Jesus Christ was obedient to his parents and when he was 12 years old he acted his age and started to mature, he started to "grow up".
Jesus matured naturally, as his body developed and grew. More importantly, Jesus matured mentally.
Often when people say "grow up", they mean do chores. That can mean get-up and out of bed and get to work.
Or it can mean slow-down, be calm and quiet, and be respectful of elders and those who do work.
You can hardly change your body, except to get-up and do chores properly.
So if they say "grow up" and are not talking about chores, they are talking about your mind. They are inviting you to focus less on jokes and fun, and more on peace and joy shared by you among others.
They give to you and think it's fair that you give peace and joy to them. They want you to find the greater values they have found in sharing love.
When Jesus Christ was a baby, his family did everything according to the Law of the Lord (Luke 2.39) and Jesus grew strong, filled with wisdom.
Jesus sought higher values of giving love to others and sharing goodly conversations. Jesus did this to such an extent as to surprise his parents. So when he was 12, he went to the religious gathering with his large family, and when the religious feast was ended, he offered his great understanding to the teachers there (Luke 2.47).
To see an illustration of him teaching, click here.
Growing-up is about attitude, proper attitude is about giving of yourself, even if it means hard work doing something for others that is for them and not for your own selfish whims. Good work is about helping others in ways meaningful to them.
Not for selfish reasons; for them, give charitably to them, asking and expecting nothing in return, to fulfill good work. Giving charitably builds your character as part of properly growing-up and becoming who you are, if you are as good and great as you would have people believe: not to avoid punishment, rather for the greater glory of God.
Who will listen to you if you don't grow-up? Only those subordinate to you physically might follow your commands, and that is ruling by terror. There is not much point in being a terrorist. Good leaders (usually grown-ups, having gained wisdom) do not hurt those under them, but rather help those under them and that makes them good leaders. The best of the good leaders helps all people and accepts none of the credit for themself, and rather glorifies God.
Jesus from youth chose to overcome physical limitations, and give mental help to others. Usually this was with words, revealing the purpose of the plan of God to all who would be blessed and follow that good work. Jesus grew-up and was baptized. Then in addition to prayer and teaching, Christ was able to follow the plan of God to overcome sin, causing miracles to follow him.
Miracles precede you, miracles follow you, and your life is a miracle. Miracles greatly impact the lives of those they touch. So do you want to be subject to those forces, or do you want to grow-up and control those gifts God gave you? (Note: not that you would grow to love gifts, rather that you would grow to love God: Isaiah 1.23). Do you want to help people, and do you want to protect them and the gifts God gave you? Or do you want God to take away what you seem to have, and give them to another who might revere those blessings more.
Jesus Christ was humble toward his personal self, and so humble that he rode a donkey in front of the huge crowd on the way to Jerusalem: and the people respected him because they knew Christ always gave glory to God. They knew he had grown so perfectly in the spirit that they threw palm leaves on the road ahead of him to cushion even the hoofs of the ass he rode.
Christ had grown-up, not pompous, but humble. Christ had grown-up not irresponsibly, but knowingly, according to the plan of God. Christ told his disciples where to find the ass, and they followed his instructions because they knew his righteousness, and they found it just as he had said.
Christ had the knowledge and power to act as a pompous king, but he chose to do and speak those things that others could share for the greater glory of God. Rather than sit high above us on his glorious throne, Christ's followers will be there with Christ God almighty, and will bring glory and honor to his temple.
After you grow-up and become fortified in love, steadfast in responsibility, and strong in the spirit of life, you won't be so hurt by someone telling you to grow-up; at least not selfishly, as your concern will have changed from fear to reason to be anxious to help them out of their miserable state. Sometimes to get out of quicksand it only takes a hand.
3 Nephi 20.35 tells us "The Father hath made bare his holy arm", and verse 39 tells us "they shall know that I am he that doth speak".
There is an adage: The pen is mighter than the sword. You can be mightier than you are: Praise the Lord.
God gave you gifts: his holy arm, his holy words. Use the Holy Arm of God to gather your resources for others for the greater glory of God. Use the Holy Arm of God to gather people to share these blessings.
If a physical hand can save a life, a blessed word can save a multitude. You can overcome growing-up, through Jesus Christ.
__________________________________________________________________
To visit the Main Site of the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.
To visit the Second Page of Sermons of the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.
To visit the Third Page of Sermons of the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.
Click here for new mathematical proof of the existence of God.