Fruitfulness II: Mark of Maturity

Fruitfulness II: Mark of Maturity

Mathew 13:3-9, 18-23

Few professing Christians are living productive spiritual lives. Many people have been exposed to the Bible and its teachings, yet their lives have not been changed. Yet fruitfulness is God’s will for all. He has impartially made the necessary provisions. If you are hungry enough to have a spiritually productive life, you will have it. We strongly desire fruit and we shall be fruitful in the land (Gen 26:22). To be a fruitful follower of Christ you have to meet the requirements for fruitfulness. Last time we saw that obedience to God’s instructions is a vital requirement. It is the means to fruitfulness. The more one is obedient the more they become fruitful. This time we will look at the requirement of maturity. Obedience is a mark of maturity. Growth in obedience is growth in maturity and results in growth in fruitfulness. Fruitfulness depends on maturity as shown by the condition of heart/life.

The parable of the sower reminds us that maturity is a heart issue. Many start but fail to grow in their faith and wonder why.  In the parable, the sower and the seed were the same for all soils. The soil represents the heart that receives the word of God. The only variable that determined the nature of the harvest was the quality of ground/soil.  Maturity and fruitfulness require the following:

• Dependence on God (Unlike pathway ground - Mathew 13:4, 19). A heart that is not dependent on God is a hard heart. It is like the pathway ground that is hardened by being trodden repeatedly. It is unplowed ground that receives seed but the seed cannot penetrate it and remains on the surface where it is easily picked up and eaten by birds of the air. The person with a hard heart hears the word but does not understand it. Because of the lack of understanding, they do not take it seriously. They do not cherish it as treasure. They do nothing about it because they do not understand the value and opportunity the word brings. The fullness of the Spirit and prayer help us break the fallow ground of our hearts and make them tender to allow the word to be sown and grow spiritual fruit. Prayer is a sign of humility to acknowledge the value and need for God. Before attending a church meeting or reading the Bible, prepare your heart. Submit to the Holy Spirit and ask God to open your heart and give you understanding. Be willing to learn and to be transformed by God’s word. Take the word as a personal message for you. Do not allow past experiences, unbelief and sin to harden your heart. Break your fallow ground (Hosea 10:12).    Physical maturity comes with growing independence from human parents.  However,   spiritual maturity is different. Growing dependence on God indicates growth in maturity.  Sustained dependence on human parents is limiting but dependence on God is liberating.

• Depth in Gods Word (Unlike stony ground - Mathew 13:5-6, 20-21). A person with a heart that is shallow in the word will be shallow in their knowledge of God, weak in faith and  prayer, and will not stand when the trials of life come (Mathew 7:24-25). The stony ground allowed for a shallow layer of soil on which the seed fell but could not put down strong enough roots.  As a result, when such a person receives the word of God they receive it with joy but fail to be fully established in it (Colossians 2:7).  The word is not for entertainment but comes to accomplish God’s purposes and establish you in the faith. So that you are not offended when trouble comes and things do not go your way. The plant wilted not because of the scotching heat but the shallowness of the roots. Jesus promised that we would get into trouble. When trouble comes, you do not have to wilt. In fact, the sun can work to your advantage as it does to plants by facilitating photosynthesis. Trials only serve to prove the quality of the plant. We need to do everything possible to saturate our hearts with God’s word (Colossians 3:16). When your thinking is in line with God’s word, you grow into spiritual maturity. The word reveals God and increases the knowledge of Him (Daniel 11:32; Philippians 4:8). 

• Consistent Obedience (Unlike thorny ground - Mathew 13:7, 22). Spiritual growth to maturity comes from consistent obedience or faithfulness in all circumstances. Spiritual fruit requires focus and patience. Patience is your ability to work and wait for fruition. Faithfulness is threatened by competing interests and affections that distract us from quality time with God and obeying His word (Mathew 6:33). The distracting things choke our faith and drain spiritual life out of us like weeds to a crop. The weeds consume the water and nutrients that should be used by the crop and so it dies.  Pursuit of riches and the worries and cares of life are such weeds that hinder growth to fruitfulness. Be clear about your desire to pursue spiritual riches – ‘this one thing I do’ (Philippians 3:13-14).  Be also clear about your desire to grow to fruitfulness and deliberately determine how the people, needs and things around you affect your progress to fruitfulness. Determine how the things that you allow around you affect you whether they oppose, compete or support your spiritual growth. Cut off and pull out the weeds in your life. Joseph was fruitful because he was faithful even when no one was watching him (Genesis 37-40). Faithfulness will bear fruit, if not immediately, it will eventually.

• A Changed Life (Like good soil - Mathew 13:8, 23).   Spiritual maturity is a changed life that has ability to produce abundant fruit. A person who is spiritually mature hears, understands and responds positively to the word of God. He/she is well rooted and established in the faith and seeks first to please God. The person is like good soil that produces thirty fold, sixty fold and one hundred fold. Even thirty fold is enormous return – 3000% return. Spiritual maturity bears supernatural fruit in nature and magnitude. When you make your life match God’s model, the results are miraculous.

The prayer every believer must pray for maturity is ‘Lord, make me’. We are often praying ‘give me’ prayers. First, Christ promised ‘to make’ us (Mathew 4:19). 

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

Ground and First Floors Sunset Bay Building,

204B Bram Fischer drive,

Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa