Parenting 101 – Part 9: Measurements of Maturity - 10.12.25

Joshua Boyd

Overview

This message concludes our Parenting 101 series with a focus on maturity — both in parenting and in our spiritual walk as children of God.
Parenting mirrors how God relates to us: we guide our children toward independence from us, while God teaches us to grow more dependent on Him.

 God’s Purpose in Parenting

• Malachi 2:15 reminds us that God’s goal for families is “godly children from your union.”
• Earthly parenting trains children to move from dependence to independence.
• Spiritual parenting is the opposite — God wants His children to grow more dependent on Him over time.
• Maturity, both natural and spiritual, is revealed through trust and responsibility.

Consequences and Growth

• A good parent teaches that decisions have consequences.
• God does the same — His mercy doesn’t erase the principle of sowing and reaping.
• Galatians 6:7 principle: you cannot reap what you haven’t sown.
• Teaching children this truth early develops wisdom, self-control, and accountability.

The Goal: Maturity

• Parenting success isn’t just age milestones — it’s spiritual and emotional maturity.
• God looks for believers He can trust with responsibility, just as parents look for signs their children are ready to leave home.
• Spiritually, there’s no graduation date — maturity isn’t about years in church, but depth of relationship and obedience.

Measurements of Maturity

(a) Walking in Love – 1 Corinthians 13:4–11

• Love is the first and greatest marker of maturity.
• Children — and spiritual children — tend to be impatient, jealous, boastful, demanding, or easily irritated.
• Mature believers demonstrate patience, kindness, humility, and endurance.
• Paul said, “When I became a man, I put away childish things.”
  ➤ Maturity changes how we think, speak, and reason.
• Love that “never gives up” shows true growth.

(b) Looking Ahead – Philippians 3:13–16

• Mature believers stop living in regret or focusing on past failures.
• Like Paul, we “press on toward what lies ahead.”
• Spiritual children dwell on the past; mature believers focus forward.
• Looking ahead means:
  • Not being stuck in guilt or nostalgia.
  • Growing in understanding beyond the basics (Hebrews 6:1–3).
  • Pursuing deeper truths in God’s Word.
• God calls us to move beyond “Christianity 101” — repentance, faith, baptism — into greater revelation and obedience.

(c) Speaking with Wisdom – Matthew 12:33–37

• Jesus said, “A tree is known by its fruit.”
• Our words reveal our maturity.
  • Words show what’s in the heart.
  • Immature believers complain, compare, or doubt.
  • Mature believers speak faith, blessing, and the Word of God.
• We’ll give an account for every idle word — our speech shows whether we’ve grown up spiritually.
• Like Paul in 1 Corinthians 2, when among mature believers, we can use “words of wisdom” because our understanding has deepened.

Putting Away Childish Things

• Children say “I need” all the time. Immature believers pray that way too.
• Maturity means moving from “God, I need” to “God, what do You want me to do?”
• Maturity shows up in initiative — like a child cleaning up without being told.
   ➤ Spiritually, it’s when we obey God’s Word without needing reminders.
• Mature believers:
  • Serve others instead of self.
  • Speak faith instead of fear.
  • Live by the Word rather than by feelings.

The Fruit of Maturity

• God is loo