Adolescent traits that Christians must cultivate and never lose are a willingness to risk, a sensitivity to God, a commitment to authenticity, and courage to stand alone.

Spiritual adolescence is the season where we have both the knowledge of an adult and the capacity of an adult, but still lack the wisdom of how to put that knowledge into godly living. Common areas of needed growth are: Selfish Division, Personal Immaturity, Sexual Immorality, and Unrestrained Liberty.

Maturing spiritually is for a Christian of any age. It must never stop. We see in the lives of the early Christians, 3 areas of growth that stimulate maturity and demonstrate that we are maturing.

Some things about spiritual childhood aren't to be done away with. But instead should be encouraged. But there is another type of childishness that has no place in the life of the spiritually mature. In this sermon we learn 3 areas of childlikeness to celebrate and 4 areas of childishness to be condemned.

Sin was punished and paid for in Christ so that God would be both the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The Christian life is walking with the Lord. It is caught rather than taught. However, we can see what it looks like and begin to step out in faith as God compels us to walk by the Spirit.

We'll never mature in our faith, if we've never been born into our faith. There are four musts that accompany a true coming to faith in Christ. We must be born again, it must be biblical, it must be personal, and it must be authentic.

There are definite and fixed stages of through which we must pass in route to becoming spiritually mature. The Bible uses the analogy of physical development. They are Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood. We all start at the same place and we all go through the same stages. Identifying and understanding where we are and where we want to be is the place to start in maturing.

Spiritual maturity means such things as being fully developed, wise in the ways of life, and a determination to submit to God. It includes self-discipline, a determination to obey the Bible, and a commitment to know Christ and be like Christ and tell others about Christ, every day, all the time. All of that with an attitude of contentment and joy.

The Bible describes the city of man as primarily being a place of darkness, death, and unbelief. And every person is born into the city of man, but in God's goodness he chooses to bring some, through a new birth, into the city of God. You become a citizen of this city through the light of the gospel of Jesus and his death for sin, a new life in Christ's resurrection, and you enter the city through faith.