Sermon Central
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Living In Proof Series
Contributed by Shawn Drake on May 11, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the 13th study in the study "Hope In The Darkness". This study looks at walking the Christian life.
LIVING IN PROOF
It is easy to say you are a Christian, but to live like Christ is very difficult. The Christian life begins with faith and that faith should result in spiritual growth. Spiritual growth brings practical results. Peter gives us three evidences of true spiritual growth. Christian’s lives ought to be proof of their salvation.
Spiritual Fruit
The more we live like Jesus Christ, the more fruit that is evident in our lives. There are many Christians whose lives bear very little fruit if any. The believer who is not growing is barren. These spiritual fruit do not just happen in our lives. It is like growing a fruit tree. You don’t just snap your finger and then have fruit. You must water the tree often. You must prune the tree. Once the tree does bear fruit, you don’t cut the tree down and eat the fruit either. You continue to take care of the tree each day, not neglecting it even when it is not bearing fruit.
Spiritual fruit comes by allowing the Holy Spirit within you to work. This Scripture also lets us know that not only is their good fruit but there is bad fruit. When we allow our flesh to take over this bad fruit can become evident in our lives. But how could this be, because a tree that produces bad fruit cannot produce good fruit. This simply means that if we are going to live like Christ, we must allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and guide us in all we do.
Not only is fruitfulness an evidence of our spiritual growth, but so is…
Sight
Nutritionists tell us that diet can affect vision and this also true concerning our spiritual life. As the famous hymn says, Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was blind but now I see. The unsaved person has been blinded by Satan, but when we are saved by Jesus Christ our eyes are opened up.
Although Christian’s eyes have been opened, often times our vision is not very good. Another evidence of our spiritual growth is our spiritual sight. There are some Christians who see only their own little world. Their church, their denomination, their friends, etc… They don’t see a lost and dieing world out their. They have become short sighted not allowing the Holy
Spirit to correct their vision.
The evidences of our spiritual growth are spiritual fruitfulness, sight, and…
Security
A Christian that is growing is a Christian that is confident. If you are a believer that continually doubts your salvation or God’s presence in your life it is because your spiritual fruitfulness and spiritual sight are lacking. A person that cannot find evidence of their salvation is the one that has no sense of security.
As believers we are to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us so that we will not stumble. With God nothing is impossible. We can be victorious Christians living in spiritual growth, sight and security if we will allow God to grow us each day and that will happen when we feed upon His Word and stay in constant communication with Him.
Sunday Evening Bible Study
Series: Hope In The Darkness (Study In 1&2 Peter) #13
May 11, 2003
Bel Aire Baptist Church
Pastor Shawn Drake
