A man is driving to work when he notices the flash of a traffic camera.
He figures that his picture had been taken for exceeding the limit, even though he knows that he wasn’t speeding.
• Just to be sure, he circles the block and passes the exact same spot, driving even slower this time through. Again, the camera flashes.
• He thinks it is hilarious, since he was obviously doing nothing wrong, so he drives even slower as he passes through the light for a third time.
• The traffic camera takes his photo again. He does it a fourth and fifth time and is hysterical each time when the camera flash snaps his picture.
• The final time he passes through the light he is going 20 miles under the speed limit.
Two weeks later, he gets five tickets in the mail for operating a car without a safety belt.
In this sermon I want to show you we are being watched every day of our life.
We need to be aware of this.
If you are like me when I am driving and I see a patrolman I automatically check my speed meter and hit my brakes because I know Iam being watched.
Because we are being watched every day this is such an important sermon I have asked the Lord to help me clearly preach this sermon.
Illus: Two police officers saw an old woman staggering down the street. They stopped to see if she was okay, when they realized she had far too much to drink.
Instead of taking her to jail, they decided to just drive her home.
They knew which neighborhood she lived but they did not know what street or house she lived.
They put her in the back seat of the cruiser. One of the officers decided to ride beside her to be sure she was safe.
• As they drove the streets they kept asking her where she lived. All she would say as she stroked the officer’s arm is you’re passionate.
• They drove a while longer and asked her again, but the same response, as she stroked his arm again saying “You’re passionate.”
Both officers were a little upset, so they stopped the car and said to the woman, “look, we’ve driving you up and down this street in this neighborhood for an hour and you still haven’t told us which house you live.”
During this long drive to take her home she was a little more sober now and she could talk clearer and she replied, “I keep telling you, you’re passin’ it!”
Like I said I have asked the Lord to help me to make this sermon CLEAR because it is so IMPORTANT!
I preach a lot on this subject but the reason I feel led to preach on it often is because OF THE NEED TO PREACH ON CHRISTIAN GROWTH.
Every Christian should have a desire to GROW SPIRITUALLY.
God gives us Christians a built in instinct when we are converted that we want to grow.
Illus: Sometimes children entertain themselves by playing games.
One game they like to play is to pretend they are adults.
• For example, a little girl will put on her mother's dress and pretend she is a mother.
• The little boy will wear his dad's shoes and pretend he is a dad.
The reason they do this is because there is a built in instinct in children; from the day they are born they want to grow up and become adults.
When you think about the spiritual life, you have to think about growth, and that shouldn’t surprise us because when you think about life in any form, life is equal to growth.
Growth is evidence of life.
• You plant a seed in the ground and it grows to a full-sized plant. That’s the nature of that plant to grow.
• You have a small puppy in your house and it grows to be a big dog.
• You have a baby in your house and it grows to be an adult.
• Where there’s life, there’s growth.
• Where there’s growth, there’s life.
Peter addressed that spiritual desire that every born-again Christian possesses.
Look at 1 Peter 2:2, he says, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."
• Peter had a lot to say about Christian growth.
• Paul had a lot to say about Christian growth.
• James had a lot to say about Christian growth.
In fact almost the entire book of James deals with CHRISTIAN GROWTH.
I am going to take for granted that you recognize none of us have fully grown to our full potential but as Christians we should have a desire to grow.
The reason that you do not see this desire in the life of some professing Christian...
(1) They have never been born again. Before you have growth you must first have a birth.
• They attend church regularly every Sunday. But they have never been born again…Never!
• They have even join the church but they have never been born again…NEVER!
• They tithe every Sunday. But they have never been born again…Never!
But all these things cannot save a person.
They will be a part of that crowd in Matthew 7:21 where we read, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Before you have growth you must first have a birth.
Our churches today are filled with people who have done all these things but they have never been born again.
Notice I used the word FILLED!
Why?
Because the Bible teaches that is what will take place at the Judgement Seat of Christ.
Look at Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The reason our churches are filled with people who profess to be saved but they are not saved is because they have never been born again
Another reason that some have no growth…
(2) Since they have been saved for many years they feel they are fully grown spiritually.
Illus: In the physical world when we reached the age of 19 to 20 we have become fully grown. We will not grow another inch!
Humor: Our waist line will continue to grow but in our height we are fully grown.
But in the spiritual life you might have been saved 50, 60 or 70 years but none of us have reached our full growth.
Peter recognized that when he tells us to DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD THAT WE MAY GROW THEREBY he is talking about continual growth.
In this sermon let us look at some of the things that will cause us to grow spiritually.
Every day GOD AND MAN is watching us and they can tell if we are growing.
Let me share with you TWO ways if you desire to grow in the Lord.
Let’s look at the Christian and-
I. HIS SERVICE
Do you know why preachers across this nation preach continuously on the need for CHRISTIAN SERVICE?
It is because of two important reasons. CHRISTIAN SERVICE will:
(1) Lead men to Christ
(2) Because there is a need for Christians to grow spiritually.
Illus: The reason we have so many splits in churches today is because of immature Christians.
The cure for all these church splits is a lack of spiritual growth.
Illus: Show me a Christian who sits on a pew year after year, never doing anything for the Lord, and I will show you a Christian that is not growing spiritually.
Illus: Did you know you can put your arm in a sling and leave it there for six months and that arm will become weak and useless!
We have Christians that have been sitting in a church pew for decades and they have not gowned one iota spiritually.
They have…
• Quit reading the Word of God which is their spiritual food each day.
• Quit praying like they did when they first got saved.
• Quit serving in the church in some capacity.
• Quit witnessing to their family and friends.
Illus: Did you know if the strongest man on earth was to find a lazy boy chair and sit in it week after week he will soon dry up like a dried prune.
It will surprise you today how many Christians when they first get saved that the only thing they do is:
• Join a church,
• Find a certain pew and sit on it.
And sit on that pew week after week, month after month and year after year and never do anything in CHRISTIAN SERVICE.
When a person accepts Jesus as his/her Savior, they should not waste any time getting involved in Christian service.
Illus: When the Lord saved that great servant, the Apostle Paul, his immediate response is seen in Acts 9:6, “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
When we wake up in the morning the first thing that we should do is recognize God has given us another day on God’s green earth to do something for HIm and now we should say to Him, LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO TODAY?
After Paul was converted:
• Paul did not waste any time finding out WHAT THE LORD WANTED HIM TO DO.
• And the Lord did not WASTE ANY TIME TELLING HIM WHAT HE WANTED HIM TO DO.
Preacher, I do not know anything I can do!!!
Let me give you a few suggestions…
• Most of you have back seats in your car and each Sunday when you come they are empty…why not bring someone with you?
• Many could quit watching so much television and spend more time in prayer for the Lord’s Work.
• Many could spend less time with their cats and dogs and spend more time with the lost world.
There are all kinds of things that a Christian can do today for the Lord!
The problem is the devil has filled their life with so many things of the world they do not have time for the Lord in their life.
WHY DOES THE LORD WANT YOU TO BE DOING SOMETHING?
Because of two reasons:
1. If you are not doing anything for the Lord,
Your family, friends and co-workers will perish.
2. If you are not doing anything for the Lord, you are not going to grow spiritually!
Activity is a must for spiritual and physical growth.
lllus: One of the reasons grammar schools give children RECESS and PE, is because they recognize that a child cannot grow up to be healthy by just sitting at a desk every day.
Nor can a Christian who is just sitting on a pew week after and year after year.
When a Christian gets involved in spiritual activity, they find that the MORE they get involved, the MORE they benefit from this involvement.
Illus: Charles Atlas and Paul Anderson did not become the he-men they became by just laying around. They became physically involved, and the more THEY did, the stronger THEY became.
Illus: Do you know who gets the most out of a Sunday school class every Sunday?
It is the teacher who studies God's Word all week, and then stands before the students and teaches what he/she has learned.
Why? The teacher puts more into the class than anyone, and the teacher receives more from it.
The reason we should be involved in Christian service is not to become a Christian, we should do Christian service because we are a Christian.
Some feel that James in the book of James is teaching that we are saved by our CHRISTIAN SERVICE, but he is not!
Because some believe this, they reject the Book of James.
lllus: Martin Luther, the reformer, thought that was what James was saying, and he rejected the Book of James, calling it an “epistle of straw: "
What a shame that many travel down the road of life, missing out on all the wonderful things that the Book of James teaches us about SPIRITUAL MATURITY.
Illus: These, in their ignorance, make us think about the two bowling teams:
• One TEAM was not known for their smartness.
• One TEAM was known for their smartness.
Both teams chartered a double-decker bus for a weekend at a bowling tournament in Atlantic City.
• The SMART TEAM rode in the bottom of the bus
• The DUMB TEAM rode on the top level.
• The SMART TEAM down below was whooping it up having a great time, when one of them realized they did not hear anything from the DUMB TEAM on the upper level. They sent one of the SMART TEAM MEMBERS to go up and investigate.
• When the SMART TEAM reached the top, he finds all the DUMB TEAM PLAYERS frozen in fear, staring straight ahead at the road, and they were clutching the seats in front of them so tightly, they all had white knuckles.
• The SMART TEAM PLAYER said, “What’s going on up here, we’re having a great time on the lower level!”
• One of the DUMB TEAM PLAYERS looks up and says, "Yeah, but you've got a driver!"
Ignorance is a terrible thing any way you look at it, and there is a lot of spiritual ignorance today.
James did not write his epistle to contradict Paul.
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT?
Because James wrote his epistle about 20 years before Paul even got saved, so there were no writings to be contradicted.
Still, the question comes up, IS THERE A CONTRADICTION?
Absolutely not!
They are approaching salvation from TWO DIFFERENT ANGLES.
• PAUL was clearly saying that works have nothing to do with one's gaining salvation.
• JAMES says, that is absolutely correct, but if you have been saved by God's grace, the evidence will be seen in the fact that the saved one will have works to prove they are truly born again.
If James was in our church today, he would have a hard time believing that some who claim to be saved are truly saved.
But listen; as I study the writings about James, I also have a difficult time believing some are saved.
Why? Because they have no works to give evidence of the fact they have been saved by God's grace.
Illus: There is a saying that if it were a crime to be a Christian, it would be hard to get enough evidence to convict many who profess to be saved.
Paul and James do not CONTRADICT each other; their writings COMPLIMENT each other’s.
• PAUL was talking about JUSTIFICATION BEFORE CHRIST.
• JAMES was talking about JUSTIFICATION BEFORE MAN.
lllus: John Calvin said, "Faith alone saves, but faith that saves is NOT alone."
• Paul was concerned about the ROOT of justification by faith.
• James was concerned about the FRUIT of justification by faith.
It evident that James and Paul taught that a Christian should be involved in Christian Service.
To grow spiritually a Christian must be involved in Christian Service.
For people around us to know we are saved, they have to see CHRISTIAN SERVICE.
Our life should show that we are saved FROM SOMETHING, FOR SOMETHING.
If you want, to grow in the Lord, it is a MUST that you find the niche God has for you, and make your life count for Him.
CHRISTIAN SERVICE WILL CAUSE US TO GROW SPIRITUALLY.
Another thing that causes us to grow spiritually is…
II. DAILY DEVOTION
The devil has cleverly taught Christians today that one day a week on the LORD’S DAY we come to church to get spiritually fed for the week ahead.
Because of this lie many Christians have not gowned spiritually for years.
Illus: Try eating one day a week and see what will happen to your body physically. We will recognize immediately to have growth and to maintain good health in our body physically we have to eat seven days a week and throughout the day.
The same thing applies to our SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Years ago preachers and teachers in our churches placed a great emphasis on the need for us Christians to read our bible and pray daily.
Illus: Many Christian today will go home after church:
• Take off their Sunday clothes and hang them up until next week
• Put their Bible and Sunday school book on a shelve until next week
• And start doing other things until next week it is time to attend church again.
And they wonder why they are not growing in the Lord.
Listen, everyone has the potential for growth but they have to develop that growth by daily feeding that spiritual life in them.
Let me give you an illustration.
Illus: We all have heard of DEATH VALLEY IN CALIFORNIA. Maybe you have visited this place or seen pictures of it.
Death Valley only has an average of 2.36 inches of rain a year.
Because of that the land is dry and hard and no plant life is visible.
• But in the year of August 15, 2004 something happened that very seldom ever happened in Death Valley…SEVEN INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
• Something else happened in 2005 a short time later plants began to grow.
The seeds of those plants were in this dry hopeless ground and they began to grow because they were receiving nourishment from the rain.
The point I want to make is this---inside of every Christian there are seeds for growth and if they will daily supply the nourishment of spiritual food daily they will start to see some growth.
A lot of Christians daily are starving themselves spiritually. And they are not growing spiritually; in fact they are drying up spiritually.
Illus: Christian who knew them before will say I cannot believe HOW FAR THEY ARE GETTING FROM GOD!
In other words, people who know them cannot help but to notice they are backsliding on the Lord.
They once knew the joy of the Lord and they were a strong Christian but now they are missing out on the blessings of God in their life.
They do not know what they are missing daily by starving themselves spiritually.
Illus: A man inherited a little over three billion dollars. He had three sons. He told his sons that since he now had all this money, he would like to know what each of them would like to have.
He stressed that MONEY was no object.
• His first son said that he had always wanted a Jaguar. The father went out, and since money was no object, bought him 7 Jaguars in different colors, so that he would have a different one to drive every day of the week.
• His second son said that he always wanted a motorcycle. The father went out, and bought him 30 new motorcycles -- 10 dirt bikes, 10 hogs, and 10 touring bikes, so he would have a different bike to ride every day of the month.
• His third and youngest son was only 8 years old. The little guy said that he simply wanted a teddy bear. So, money being no object, his father went out and bought his son the Chicago Bears.
Every day Christians due to their lack of daily nourishment they are missing out on the blessings of God daily.
But those who MAKE TIME for God in their daily life are the ones who grow to enjoy the blessings of God in their life.
Conclusion:
Illus: Remember how you felt growing up and your family would go on vacation and your relatives looked at you and said, “Wow! I cannot believe how much you have growned since I saw you last!”
Let me ask you something in closing. Let me give you a check list.
• Can your lost family members know you are saved by the way you now live the Christian life?
• Do you dress like a Christian should dress?
• Do you talk like a Christian should talk?
• Do you faithfully attend church like a Christian should attend church?
• Do you watch the things that a Christian should watch on television?
• Do you read the kind of books that a Christian should read?
• Do you live a life of trust that a Christian should live?
Let me give you a few scriptures in closing. You might be saying I do not know what I can do for the Lord.
You can do this…
• Look at Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
• Look at Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
• Look at 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
• The Bible tells us daily Jesus went about doing good. Become like Christ and look for something good that you can do for the Lord.
The Bible is filled with things we can do that will promote spiritual growth.
Every day we are being watched by:
(1) God
(2) Family
(3) Friends
(4) Coworkers
In this sermon we have looked at:
I. Christian Service
II. Daily Devotions
