Growing In God’s Grace
Our focus verse for today is found in Second Peter chapter three verse eighteen. Please follow along with me as I read:
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)
In this verse Peter admonishes us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Folks let me tell you a fact – Christian Growth is not a matter of how many – it is a matter of how much.
Let me explain this statement to you. Christian Growth is not a matter of how many times I have attended church this year – it is a matter of how much closer have I drawn to Christ this year. It’s not a matter of how many minutes I spend in prayer each day – it is a matter of how much my prayers are sincere and honest. It is not a matter of how many Bible verses I have memorized – it is a matter of how much have I allow God’s Word to change my life.
Many times we as Christian make the mistake of thinking – “The more I do for God – the more spiritual I am”. This is a real danger of those of us whose vocation is being a minister of God. The truth is – just because a person that has gone to seminary does not make them more spiritual. You can attend classes but that does not mean that you have obtained Godly character. Many people have thought that if they just attended church more that somehow they would automatically become more Godly. It doesn't work that way.
Let me illustrate it this way: I make a decision that over the next year I am going to get more physically healthy. I decide the way to do it is to go to the gym ever day. Sounds like a good plan doesn’t it? So at 5 am every morning I go down to the gym and spend an hour there. I go down to the gym and take my lawn chair – set it right in the middle of the gym floor, flop myself down in the chair and watch everybody work out. If somebody asks me how I am doing I can brag, “I spend an hour a day in the gym to become more physically healthy. I am doing great.” But I don’t work out when I go to the gym and I don’t tell them that on the way home I have found a little donut shop where stop and get a fresh donut daily. But I am thankful that I am spending time in the gym every day.
You see physical conditioning is not a matter of how many hours I spend in the gym every day – it is a matter of how much I am strengthening my body by exercising it.
Christian growth is about the quality of life. It is about how much closer I am getting to God. Am I closer to God today than I was yesterday? Christian growth is about character change. How much do I show love my wife and the people around me? Am I am allowing God's grace to flow through me? Christian growth is a matter of how much my character is being changed by God's power. Jesus said this way:
“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (NKJV)
God gave us His saving grace to get us started – but God also gives us daily grace to keep us going and growing. God wants our lives to be changed. He wants us to: “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Today we’re going to talk about Christian growth.
I believe that God has a process for Christian Growth. It begins by grace – but it also continues by grace. We are to: “grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” How do we do this? I believe Ephesians chapter four gives us some insight as to how to grow in the grace of God. Paul is writing to us and he says:
“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT)
Go ahead and circle the words “throw off” and “put on”. Here we find a two step program to help us grow in the grace of God. It's simple but it's powerful.
TWO PARTS:
I. Throw Off The OLD
You are to throw off the old and put on the new. But one of the main problems with taking off the old – is that the old is what I’m use to. It is the old patterns of my behavior – it is the old patterns of the way that I have been thinking. It is the old way life without Christ and everything that had to do with that. It is the way that I had lived for years and years – but now there is to be a change.
I have found that there are two things need to change drastically if I am going to grow as a Christian. The first is that my thinking needs to change. The second is that my behavior needs to change. Let me tell you right up front that your thinking drives your behavior so it needs to change first. Let’s look at:
A. Change My Way Of THINKING
Let’s look at a verse from Romans chapter twelve for a minute:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
Go ahead and circle “renewing of your mind”. This first step of Christian growth is to change the way you think. In order to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus – I need to throw off my old way of thinking and think differently. One of the main things I thought before I was a Christian was that I could make it on my own. All I needed to do was be a “good person”. If I did enough “good stuff” then God would love me and accept me.
But you know what folks – that is false thinking. You need to throw it away.
God saves us by His grace – not because of our goodness. Ephesians chapter two tells us:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
If God saves me because I’ve gotten “good” then I can brag and boast about it. But that is not true. God saves me – even when I am a sinner – even when I will never be “good” enough. God picks me up when I am dirty – He loves me and cleans me up. It is by His grace that I am saved – and it is by His grace that I keep going. I need to stop thinking about how “good” or not so good that I am and start concentrating on how gracious God is. When I start thinking about the grace of God – my whole outlook on life changes.
When I think of how God has forgiven me – I no longer have to work “for” my salvation – I start working “because” of my salvation. God loves me – God forgives me – God accepts me – and because He does I start serving Him. Then I:
B. Change My BEHAVIOR
When I start serving Him out of love – my behavior changes.
Ephesians chapter two continues to tell us:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
We are God’s workmanship created in Christ to do good works. I serve God because He has already forgiven me. He knows me inside and out and yet He has accepted me into His family. He says, “Tom, I know everything you have done and I love you anyway. Believe in me and I will forgive you. Trust in me and I will save you. My forgiveness is yours – now why don’t you come and work for me.”
I work for Him by doing what He has asked me to do and by doing what He has asked me to do – my behavior changes.
I remember someone once telling me that God changed his “want to”. I asked him what he meant by that and he said, “Before I became saved all I wanted to do was please myself. I was very self-centered and selfish. Since God has forgiven me – now what I want to do is please Him. You see my ‘want to’ has changed.”
The truth is – when you come to Christ – He gives you a new life. He wants you to throw off the old and put on the new. A renewed mind is not just determination. It is determined dependence on God. It is by His grace that you have been saved and it is by His grace that you will grow in the faith. Growth is not accomplished by trying hard. It's accomplished by trusting God.
I have said it before and let me say it again – God is in the life change business. If you come to Him – He will change your life and He will never give up on you.
One may ask, “Is God going to keep working in your life?”
Look at what the Bible says:
“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)
Folks this is a promise. God is in the life change business – and when He starts something – He continues until it is finished. He's not going to give up you. We need to “throw off” the old way livin’ – stop our sinin’ – and start servin’ God out of love for Him.
Let’s look at the second aspect of growing in grace:
II. Put On The NEW
Remember the section of scripture from Ephesians that we read earlier? Let’s read it again just to refresh our memories:
“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT)
Here are a couple of insights about this new nature that God wants to give to us.
1. I don't have to ACHIEVE my new nature
Follow along with me as I read a passage from Second Corinthians:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
Go ahead and circle the word “is”. This tells us that he or she is a new creation.
This is a promise for those who are in Christ. It is a promise to those who've said, "Jesus, I want You to be in charge of my life." It's an incredible promise. The promise of the Christian life is that the old has gone and that the new has come. We need to put off the old and put on the new – because there has been a life change. We are new in Christ. God takes that which is old and makes it new. I don’t have to achieve it – I need to accept it.
This verse tells me that we don’t have to make ourselves new – we are new already if we are in Christ Jesus. God’s work is that He has made us new. All we need to do is put on the new life that God has already given us. God tells us, “Here is a new life – put it on.” The effort to put it on – is our effort. But the life itself is from God. It is a gift.
Here is another insight into this new nature:
2. I need to CHOOSE to grow in this new nature
There is a decision that I need to make. It is a choice that I need to make daily. Will I put on this new nature today?
Picture it this way: Let's say I have an old coat and a new coat. God says, "I want you to take off the old and put on the new." But I love the old coat. It fits so well. It is confortable it is “broken in”. God says, “But it’s dirty and worn out. I offer you new life – abundant life. Put it on. Throw off the old – put on the new – and see what happens.”
Before you become a believer in Christ, you don't have the power to put on the new coat because it is only offered to God’s children – but once you become a believer you have the power to make a choice.
We struggle with this sometimes don’t we? Change is hard. It is easier to stay the way we are used to. But God says, “Throw off the old and put on the new. Take a chance. See how good life can be.” God tells us:
“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (NKJV)
But you have got to step out. You have to make a choice – live in the old way or live in the new. The choice is yours.
What will you do today? Will you chose to leave behind the old and put on the new? By grace we have been saved and by grace we can keep going.
