Everyone Growing Series

EVERYONE Growing

2 Peter 3:17-18

Rev. Brian Bill

April 22-23, 2023

Dr. Charles Stanley graduated to glory this week at the age of 90. He served as pastor of First Baptist in Atlanta for 51 years, authored over 60 books. His sermons have aired daily on the internet, television, and radio for many years. How many of you have grown in your walk with Christ through his ministry?

I’ve always admired how Dr. Stanley was able to hold the attention of his listeners. One of my favorite lines from his preaching was when he would say, “Listen to me, now!” I may use it today if I see you drifting or dozing.

Last week, we looked at the importance of “Everyone Gathering” and summarized the message this way: “The church is God’s plan A. There is no plan B.” Today our topic is “Everyone Growing.” Here’s what I’m hoping we learn and live out: Spiritual growth is intentional, not automatic.

Here’s what Dr. Stanley had to say about spiritual growth.

“If you want to genuinely grow in spiritual maturity, it is not enough to simply be instructed by the Word of God. You may love going to church or listening to Christian radio programs. You might talk about everything you hear and assume you’re growing because your knowledge is increasing. However, if you don’t actually grow closer to God by allowing His Word to change you from the inside out, your head will merely continue to fill with information…spiritual growth is the result of practicing the truth you receive from God.”

To help us practice the truth, let’s turn to 2 Peter 3:17-18: “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

The context for this text speaks of the nefariousness of false teachers and the nearness of Christ’s return. In light of these two certainties, we’re given three exhortations – guard, grow, and glorify.

1. Guard. We see this in verse 17: “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” The word “beforehand” helps prepare us for what lies ahead. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

The phrase “take care” calls us to be wary and watchful of “error” because lethargic believers will bail on the Bible if they’re not on guard. Ephesians 4:14 warns about being “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.” Many today have been “carried away” by progressive Christianity, critical theory, easy believism, the prosperity gospel, secularism, gender and sexuality issues, and sloppy spirituality. Those who are “lawless” have no concern for the clear teaching of truth because they live outside biblical boundaries.

The theme of our men’s retreat next weekend is “Standing Firm.” Pastor Kyle, AJ Reynolds, and I will be the speakers. Guys, if you’re looking to connect with other men and learn how to stand firm, please sign up today. We’ll begin Friday night and you’ll be home by dinner on Saturday.

Beloved brothers and sisters, you and I must guard ourselves, so we do not lose our spiritual “stability.” While genuine born-again believers cannot lose their salvation, they can lose their steadiness, leaving them stagnant and ineffective. Hebrews 2:1 serves as a warning for us: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

In an effort to help us guard the gospel without wavering or capitulating, the pastoral team is working on a six-week worldview emphasis this fall called, “Unshaken and Unashamed.” We’ll address topics like reality, identity, who Jesus is, purpose, culture, and witness. We’ll do this through our sermons and Growth Groups. We also plan to have our children, teenagers and young adults interact with these topics in age-appropriate ways.

We’re bringing back the “pop-up” bookstore we used during the Prophecy Conference to help equip us with resources to help us know what we believe, why we believe it, and how to pass it along to our neighbors, classmates, and co-workers, along with our children and grandchildren. As part of this emphasis, we’re also planning a Saturday morning intensive apologetics seminar in the fall.

Listen to me, now. Spiritual growth is intentional, not automatic.

2. Grow. The best safeguard against falling down is growing up in your faith. It’s a bit like riding a bicycle. If you stop moving forward, you’ll eventually fall over.

Check out what D.A. Carson writes:

“People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith.”