Welcome to the Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast.

My name is Pete Scazzaro, and our topic today is seven qualities of spiritual maturity according to Jesus,

or Jesus, seven qualities or characteristics of a spiritually mature Christ follower.

I'm taking this out of the Sermon on the Mount.

I have been studying the Sermon on the Mount, actually meditating on it for months in my morning prayer time.

And so I have in front of me a sheet of a manuscript study of Matthew 5 to 7 of all these notes written on it because I basically meditate verse by verse writing notes you know comparing contrasting do a little bit of study here and there and but really been pondering the sermon on the Mount now I've been understand I've preached the sermon on the Mount I have done multiple studies preached the sermon on the Mount. I have done multiple studies in the

sermon on the Mount over the years, but I feel like I am just beginning to wade into it. I told

Jerry, my wife, I'm getting all this revelation, and she said to me, it's not showing yet.

And I think there is some truth in that, because it is just an incredible sermon of the

kingdom of how Jesus invites us to live as his followers.

So he ends chapter five.

I'm going to do with a section of chapter five.

He ends by saying this, be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

And what that means, he says, be telio.

So be an adult, not a minor.

Be a mature person, spiritually, not a child.

And so it's an invitation to spiritual maturity to actually grow up.

Now, to understand what he's talking about there at the end of the chapter, five, you've got to look at what happens before it.

And so what he does, he gives seven specific commands, actually, and where he describes the qualities of what this maturity looks like.

And they are challenging.

I'm telling you up front, they're really challenging. And so I want to invite you, if you're in a car, you can't take notes, please, not if you're driving. But if you can drop a note or two, it is worth you making a note or two and on your own, just ponder and meditate on these texts, because they really are tremendous. So again, Jesus' definition

of spiritual maturity. Okay. I'm going to begin, because after the beatitudes, he begins

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