Growing up Spiritually PT1
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 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.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Paul didn’t consider the Church at Ephesus to have been grown up, because he said,
………v. 15 speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up
And in verse 13, he said,
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature
KJV says verse 13 A perfect man,
The Amplified Bible reads, “Let us grow up in every way and in all things.”
Another translation says, “Until we reach mature manhood.”
Paul in v:15
When he said ….speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
….is talking about
A MATURE PERSON - SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING.
TODAY I want to talk about …….Growing up spiritually
T.T. 1 PETER 2:2
The Bible teaches us a comparison between
• Physical development
and
• Spiritual development
The Bible speaks…..
of stages in spiritual development
They are…
1. babyhood,
2. childhood,
3. and manhood, or adulthood.
• These stages in spiritual development
• correspond to stages in physical development:
Let’s look at the first stage that I mentioned —babyhood.
Peter talks about….1 PETER 2:2
1 Peter 2:1-2 (AMP)
1 SO BE done with every trace of wickedness (depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity (pretense, hypocrisy) and grudges (envy, jealousy) and slander and evil speaking of every kind.
2 Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation,
malignity [a word meaning "hostile, evil or ill-wishing"]
pretense [meaning “façade”]
(KJV) 2 As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
SLOW…so.. we see Peter speaks of Christians being newborn babes.
Naturally ….no one is physically born a full-grown human.
We are born as babies
and we grow up.
Spiritual…no one is born a full-grown Christian.
We are born as spiritual babes, and then we grow up.
Think with me..
One characteristic that attracts us to a baby is its innocence.
Naturally
We never think of a baby….. as having a past.
• It doesn’t have one.
Spiritual
If you are a newborn babe,
having been born in Christ, you don’t have any past!
2 Cor 5:17 (NKJV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
You may have been
1. mean as the devil,
2. the worst person in town,
BUT
1. no matter how you may have lived,
2. when you were born again,
you became a new man (or woman) in Christ Jesus,
and you don’t have any past.
God looks at you as an innocent babe.
And we should look at each other that way.
Listen – A sobering thought!!!
1. We should never outgrow certain characteristics of spiritual babyhood.
2. in particular……. The state of innocence.
Think with me
New Christians are — ready and willing to learn!
We should always keep a teachable spirit.
James 1:21 …….and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Sometimes when people when they grow older chronologically,
• they have a know-it-all attitude—
• a “you-can’t-teach-me-anything” attitude.
• These people can’t be helped by anyone,
• including God Himself,
• because they won’t listen.
We should always keep a teachable spirit.
WHY
John 8:31-32 (KJV)
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
One time a person asked me a question on a certain Bible subject. righteousness
(He purposely tried to draw me into the conversation.)
I said, …….“Well, I know what the Bible says about it.
HE SAID….You can’t tell me a thing about that subject.
• I know all about it.”
I said, If you know everything there is to know about it, you’ve got me beat!
1. He didn’t know all about anything!
We need to keep an open and teachable spirit
as well as an innocent spirit toward God and man.
Another characteristic of babyhood is Ignorance
A baby thinks - everything……………. is intended for his mouth.
1. If he finds a screw.
2. And if he finds a spider.
3. Think with me….
4. We have spiritual mouths too
Jesus said…
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 (KJV)
The Holy Spirit said through Peter
1 Peter 2:2 (KJV)
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
5. Babies are …………..ignorant concerning many things.
6. Some of them have
7. swallowed a kind of poison.
8. swallowed aspirin or other medicines.
There can be a high price to pay for such ignorance.
• Spiritually speaking - The same thing can be true.
We need to be careful about our spiritual mouths.
1. Not too long ago, a minister ……….He was an outstanding teacher.
2. got to reading after some false teaching.
3. He had what he called a “marvelous revelation.”
This man’s revelation was:
No one is going to be lost— everyone is going to be saved, even the devil.
His ministry stopped.
T.T. 2 Peter 3
People have told me,
“God is doing a different thing nowadays.”
• No, God is not doing a different thing.
God is still concerned about saving people.
Sometimes people get off the fundamental truths of the Word of God
SOME PEOPLE NEVER GROW
THEY THINK “THEY HAVE ARRIVED”!!
See, we don’t want to stay babies.
We want to grow in the Lord.
• God doesn’t want us to be babies nor children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.
• He wants a stable, grown-up church.
The Bible says, 2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
LISTEN!!!!!
• Every Christian ought to be growing in knowledge of Jesus every year you live.
• How many of you know more about God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost now than you did a year ago?
• Say Amen. (Amen)
You see, you need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. you ought to read the Bible every day;
2. and you ought to meditate in the Bible.
3. You ought to confess the word of God.
Get acquainted with God by just taking the Bible and reading it.
Start in Genesis and go through the Old Testament.
Start in Matthew and go through the New Testament.
Read the Psalms and the Proverbs, but just get acquainted with God.
You say,
Well, there’s so much in the Bible I don’t understand.
Well, just keep busy with what you do understand.
LISTEN
If the Spirit of God is in it,
He is concerned about there being unity.
Remember Ephesians 4:13:
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
That which divides Christians is not of the Spirit of God
—it is of the devil!
• The Spirit of love never divides.
T.T.Isa 1:19 .Another area of growing
Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV)
19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;
I told the Lord,
I’m sure not eating the good of the land—
Something is wrong somewhere.”
(I knew the trouble was with me. The problem is never with God.)
the Lord said,
you keep quoting to Me says, ‘If you be willing and obedient.’
You are obedient, but you are not willing.
You don’t qualify.
• I kept trying to magnify the obedience part—
• He got on the willing part!
Just as a child can obey his parents and not be willing,
I got willing in 10 seconds!
Psalmist of old said,
“The entrance of thy words giveth light . . .” (Ps. 119:130).
The entrance of God’s Word gives light.
When there is light in a room, it is no problem at all to walk around.
The entrance of God’s Word gives light.
What does God’s Word say?
John 15:7 (NKJV)
7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Obedient is a part of Growing up spiritually
