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THE MEASURE OF MATURITY A Sermon on Alignment, Transformation, and the Journey to Righteousness By a Poor Soldier of God --- > “Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” — Ephesians 4:13 --- I. The Call to Alignment: Draw the Bow Church— You were not called to wander. You were not called to drift. You were called to align. The law is not your prison—it is your bow. The Word is not your burden—it is your aim. You were created to aim your life toward something holy. Righteousness is not a rule—it is the target. Paul says, “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” That’s not about perfection. That’s about trajectory. --- II. What Pulls the Arrow Off Course There are winds in this world. They come softly, like temptation. They come violently, like anger. They come secretly, like envy. And if your hands are shaky, your soul uncertain, or your eyes unfocused, these winds will drag your arrow away from righteousness. > “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature… anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language…” — Colossians 3:5–8 Sin is not just rebellion. It is misalignment. It doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it whispers, “This will satisfy you faster.” But every time we indulge, we drift further from the target. And so, Paul says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Because only a renewed mind can recalibrate the aim. --- III. The Arrow of the Spirit > “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” — Galatians 5:16 The Spirit is not just wind beneath your wings. The Spirit is the hand that steadies the arrow. You cannot hit a divine target with a worldly arrow. You cannot hit a spiritual truth with flesh-driven desire. But when you walk by the Spirit— You speak truth. You deal with anger before it rots. You share instead of hoard. You forgive instead of fester. This is not lawkeeping. This is alignment. This is what it means to “put on the new self.” --- IV. Maturity Is the Target Church, listen— You are not being punished. You are being shaped. You are being stretched, refined, and drawn like a bowstring— Not to break you, but to launch you. > “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance…” — Hebrews 12:1 Run. Aim. Fire. And realign as many times as it takes. Because maturity is not the absence of struggle— Maturity is the resilience to recalibrate. It is not perfection. It is consistency. It is not sinlessness. It is alignment. --- V. The Closing Reflection: Grow Until You Hit the Mark You are not called to conform. You are called to transform. You are not called to survive. You are called to aim higher. Righteousness is not a moral checklist. It is the moment when your life, your choices, and your spirit all point in the same direction. When your words build, not break. When your hands serve, not steal. When your heart lifts others, not weighs them down. That is maturity. That is the fullness of Christ. And that is your target. --- Closing Prayer Lord, Teach us to aim true. Let Your Word be the bow that steadies us, Your Spirit the breath that guides us, And Your righteousness the target we never stop pursuing. Forgive our drift. Strengthen our grip. Sharpen our vision. And grow us into the fullness You designed for us— Not in noise, but in truth. Not in pride, but in purpose. Not in performance, but in transformation. Amen.