One of my daughters says sometimes that she is tired of adulting because it is hard.  We all know that.  A little story about the Army Navy game my plebe year.  Freshmen were not allowed to stay overnight after the game but we were allowed to stay until midnight.  So several of my classmates preceded to buy alcohol and get extremely drunk and/or sick.  It made for a long, stinky, bus ride back to New York.  These were mainly 18 year olds.  Those of us who did not come to West Point right after High School were obviously older and didn’t get as stupid drunk.  That is a form of maturity that comes from experience.  Sociologists believe that we develop and mature in five ways: Physically is obvious.  Mentally is also clear for some of us. Of course the sociologists also believe that we develop socially.  Then there is sexually and emotionally.  Those of us reading or hearing this also know that the sociologists forgot spiritually.  The politicians have been debating since I first enlisted in the 1970s about being mature enough to fight for our country at 17 but can’t buy alcohol or vote until they are 18 or 21.  All of the above forgot that there is usually an answer in scripture.  In Exodus and in Numbers (and other places), the age is defined as 20.  Numbers 1:1-3 says 1 A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernaclein the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second monthof that year he said, ² “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men ³ twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops, ⁴ and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe.  So God is clear that those 20 years old and above are adults. Exodus 30:11–16 and Numbers 1:1–3 are clear that God considers adults as those 20 and older. Only those 20 and older were expected to pay the tabernacle tax and serve in the army. Neither 18 nor 21 is the Biblical age of adulthood.  It wasn’t a hard or fast rule or they wouldn’t have welcomed David into the Army to fight Goliath when most scholars think that David was between 13-16.

Ephesians talks about maturity. In 4:13-30, it says:^{.  13} This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. ¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. ¹⁶ He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Living as Children of Light

¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

²⁵ So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”^[d] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹ Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,^[e] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

We were discussing this week about how people who were discussing things and would often use profanity when they were losing the argument or didn’t like the facts that were being presented.  My answer was a quote: “Profanity is the attempt of a feeble mind to express itself forcibly”.  You could also say that it is the attempt of an immature mind.  When you are mature in the spirit, you also learn to follow the spirit.  You can deal with anger so the devil doesn’t win.  You clean up your language so your words are helpful.  20 years old may still be young for some people to be mature, but I know immature 70 years olds.  We all need to serve as children of the light.  Be honest with your neighbors because we are all part of the same spirit.  God has called us all to serve, so be a good, clean servant.  We all have times when we don’t want to keep on adulting, but the spirit is there for you to build up that resolve to continue to follow the spirit.  It also gets easier with experience….