“Growth In Grace” Galatians 5:22-26 2 Peter 1:3-8;
SI: Wrap up study of fruit of Spirit,
ease our way back into Galatians.
Start
on Galatians 6 next Sunday and finish by end of August.
INTRO: Last March I sat down at kitchen table. Opened tomato seed packets.
Started putting them into
the planting trays.
It
was hard to believe that in a few months those seeds would be garden plants—
and that we would
be eating the produce.
But they did. They sprouted. They grew.
Flowered and bore tomatoes.
When
you are born again as a child of God—God plants a seed in you.
This seed called many things—eternal life,
divine nature, new self,
image of the
Creator, likeness of Christ, holiness, grace and knowledge of Christ
The
life of God in you by virtue of your union with Christ
This
seed has huge potential to grow and spread into every part of your being.
And it doesn’t stay hidden,
it finds expression in your life in beautiful ways.
It produces fruit. Those fruit have been our study this summer.
Means that if you are a Christian—everything is in there.
You have the divine nature, you have eternal
life,
you have the seed
of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness . . .
You
don’t have to go get it, import it in some way—it’s in there!
It simply has to grow.
I
hope that our study of the fruit of the Spirit has encouraged you.
But I am aware that it is possible, in fact
probably likely,
that some of you
have actually gotten discouraged by this study.
Week
after week as we have studied each fruit, you look at yourself,
and don’t see as
much happening as you wish.
Some
patience, but it seems overshadowed by you fits of anger.
Some
peace, but often you find yourself paralyzed by worry.
And
you wonder—am I ever going to change?
When am I going to have these fruit of
Spirit in a glorious way.
For
a tomato lover—July and August are the months.
When the vines are full.
When is it going to be July and August in my
spirit?
You
might get discouraged because it seems like that time hasn’t come.
So it’s important for you to know what Bible
says about growth.
Keep you from getting discouraged. Keep you focused on right things.
The
Bible uses several word pictures to help us understand our lives as Christians.
Describes it as a pilgrimage or journey.
We walk with the Spirit,
we are strangers, aliens heading to home country.
Exodus of the Israelites, journey through
the desert is the great historical example.
Abraham’s life. Paul’s missionary journeys. Even Jesus’ three years of ministry.
Another
word picture is that of a battle, warfare.
Called to fight the good
fight. Put on the armor of God.
Joshua, the conquest of
Jesus
depicted as conquering Satan by his death on the cross.
A related word picture that Paul uses sporting event.
boxing, running a
race (going into training, winning the victor’s crown)
But
the word picture that we are going to focus on this morning is growth.
Compared to growth of a person—conception,
infancy, young man, maturity.
Bible speaks of drinking milk, eating
meat
Compared to growth of plants—seeds, roots,
leaves, fruit, multiplication
fruit trees, oak
trees, vines, wheat
It
is this image of growth that comes across in Paul’s teaching of fruit of
Spirit.
Fruit grows on trees, or on vines. Doesn’t just appear. Not placed on vine.
There is a process. An organic process that is mysterious.
So
with our study of fruit of the Spirit fresh in our minds—
look at words of
the Apostles—some from Peter, some from Paul—
a few of the
fundamentals of spiritual growth—fruitbearing—
or as Peter calls
it, growth in grace.
Three
fundamental truths:
1.
Growth starts with life.
2. Growth
is a process.
3. Growth
requires grace.
MP#1 Growth starts with life.
If
a thing isn’t alive, it can’t grow. Trees
can grow, rocks can’t.
Growth is the principle of life working in
the whole organism from the inside out.
Just as true in the
spiritual realm as it is in the physical.
Spiritual
growth starts with spiritual life. “You
must be born again.”
When you are born, you can start to grow,
because there is life.
Did
you notice the way Psalm 1 puts it.
The righteous man is like a tree planted by
streams of water. Life.
The wicked man is like chaff. No life.
This
seems to be so obviously true that it’s not worth mentioning.
But people forget this fundamental truth all
the time.
They
think that spiritual growth comes by simply adding things to yourself.
Add
morals. Add new habits, or new resolutions.
Determine to be a better person.
Add God to your life. Add Jesus to your life.
You
can add all sorts of good things,
but it doesn’t make
you grow if you are not alive.
You
can plant big handful of chaff by a stream, add water, fertilizer—
nothing will
grow. But if you plant a sapling—there
will be growth.
Let
me give you a silly illustration of this, and a serious illustration—
then make some
application.
Knew a man in
Almost overnight decision—someone took him
to play, this was his new thing.
Over
the next two or three months, every time I saw him
wanted to show me
some new golf stuff he had bought—new club, new bag
Once he showed me a new
golf glove—white leather, button on cuff
New golf shoes—wrench to tighten spikes
Question
in my mind—does he really love golf, or trying to convince self.
True golfer would have all of the same
stuff—have to have clubs, balls
but for a true
golfer, these thing are a means to and end—the game’s the thing.
Love for the game that drives them, makes
better golfer—not the stuff itself.
As
the months passed—he played less and less.
External additions. No life.
Serious
example—John Wesley, founder of Methodist church, 1700s
Born
in a godly home, interested in religion from an early age, ministry
Greatest desire was to be a better person.
devotions, three
hours of study together, visiting prisons, preaching,
Other students called them the Holy Club.
Gave up scholarship at
After all these
thing he had added—looked at life, no growth, not better.
Met a Moravian missionary Gottleib Spangenburg.
Why don’t I see any growth or changes in my
life and ministry?
Listen
to what Wesley wrote in his diary about that conversation:
He said, “My brother, I must first as you one or two
questions. Have you the witness within
yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear
witness with your spirit, that you are a child of God?” I was surprised, and knew not what to
answer. He observed it, and asked, “Do
you know Jesus Christ?” I paused, and
said, “I know he is the Savior of the world.”
“True,” replied he; “but do you know he has saved you?” I answered, “I hope he has died to save
me.” He only added, “Do you know
yourself?”
Couldn’t answer yes.
If
grew up Methodist—you know the rest of the story—back in
Wesley went to a church service one evening,
still trying to grow—nothing.
Preacher gone, layman reading preface of Luther’s commentary on Romans.
God planted eternal life in his soul.
From that point on, conscious of spiritual
growth because he had life.
Have
you been born again? Conscious
of vital difference between self/world?
Jesus a part of your life or is He your
life?
Live Christian life on day of week, certain
place, not other times/places?
Can’t
add morals to your life and grow spiritually.
Can’t grow by saying—I’m going to be a
better person.
Can’t even grow by saying—I’m adding God to
my life, adding Jesus to my life
Spiritual
growth never comes by adding things to your life.
A person can add all those things, keep adding them, adding them,
and still not grow
spiritually if he doesn’t have spiritual life.
Life
comes from God. Wants us to seek Him,
ask for it, rely on him.
MP#2 Growth is a process.
It’s
growth. It’s compared to the growth of a
person or a plant.
Two things you must keep in mind about this process.
1. Process that takes place over a lifetime.
It
doesn’t happen suddenly—it’s progressive and gradual.
The
Bible talks about baby Christians, young Christians, and mature Christians.
A baby doesn’t become a man overnight.
It happens gradually. You see it and you don’t see it.
Just
know that your baby is no longer a baby—he’s a little boy.
Then he’s no longer a boy—he’s a youth.
Then he’s no longer a youth—he’s a man.
It’s
the same way with the seed of holiness planted in you. Gradual.
Let’s
move away from the word picture and examine this in theological terms.
What
we’re talking about is the difference between justification/sanctification.
Have to keep these straight. Never understand Christian life if don’t.
Justification—being declared righteous and accepted in God’s sight.
Definitive. Act of God. Wesley—into church condemned, came out
justified.
Through Christ you are declared a beloved
son or daughter of God.
The
date is not important. If you know the
date, like Wesley did, wonderful.
If you came to faith as a little child,
don’t know date—God knows it.
Important thing is that at some definitive
point, you passed from death to life.
Sanctification—being
made holy by the work of the Holy Spirit
When born again, seed of life, divine nature
planted in you, and it grows.
Negative and positive—dying unto sin, living unto righteousness.
Commands in Scripture to grow, cooperate
with the Holy Spirit, bear fruit.
If you confuse justification and sanctification, will have problems.
You
may think that you have to grow into God’s acceptance.
More holy you are, more justified you are.
If you think that way, going to be perpetually discouraged.
See sin in your life—instead of saying—I’m a
justified child of God, fight sin.
God won’t accept me unless I get rid of this
sin.
Instead
of seeing fruit in small forms, will say—that’s not good enough for God.
Your problem is that you believe your
justification is a process.
Or,
on the other side, you may think that if you can just have a super-duper
spiritually high
experience, then all you struggles will be over.
Your
problems is that you believe sanctification can happen
suddenly.
If you think that way,
going to be perpetually disappointed.
Disappointed because you will be constantly looking for mountain top
experience.
You will think that you can arrive
spiritually by a sudden act of God.
Ordinary means God has appointed for your
growth—
word, sacraments,
prayer, fellowship—just not that exciting.
Growth
takes a lifetime. Cooperate with the
Spirit.
“Not that I have already been made perfect,
but I press on to
take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
How
do you know if you are maturing, and producing fruit.
You know by looking at your life over the
course of time.
If
you look at your child for one day, one week would be silly to get worried
that he’s not
growing. Of course you can’t see him
grow.
But over time, over months and years you see
the growth.
As
you look at your life, do you see more love?
more joy?
more patience?
Less fear, less anxiety,
less discontent than two years ago?
five years ago.
One
reason life in a church is so important.
Enables you to see in others—not just to
encourage them—
know how to look
for it in yourself.
2. Process that leads to maturity. It’s going somewhere.
“Anyone
who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with teaching about
righteousness. But solid food is for the
mature, who by constant use have trained themselves
to
distinguish good from evil.” Heb. 5
“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.” Eph. 4
Both
these speak of the maturity from infancy to adulthood.
Not just a constant, unending process or a
cycle.
God growing you up into
maturity. Trust him. Cooperate with Him.
MP#3 Growth requires grace.
“But grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
What
does this mean to grow in grace? Growth
and grace are inseparable.
Grace—the unmerited favor of God. Freely given through Jesus Christ.
Grace rests on Christ’s perfect obedience,
not ours.
So what does it mean to grow in grace? Some way can earn more grace?
The answer to this question is really the
key to spiritual growth.
Let’s
go back to our earlier study of Galatians.
Paul says that there are two ways you can
life—by law or by grace.
Those are really the two fundamental motives
that can drive your life.
Living
under law means you say—I have to prove I am a worthy person.
I have to prove to my parents, friends,
spouse, children, colleagues, self, God.
Prove it by being successful in finances,
career, love life, marriage, child rearing,
friendships, looks,
accomplishments, spiritual growth
For
every person the lists are different, who have to prove to, what have to prove
Probe deep enough, will discover them.
Tim
Keller—Favorite pop culture example of living under law, first “Rocky” movie
“I just want to go 15 rounds cause then I’ll
know I’m not a bum.”
Every person, something have
to prove to know they’re not a bum.
This
is living under law. It never produces
spiritual fruit. Focus not on God.
Living
under grace means that you say—I have nothing to prove to anyone.
Because in the eyes of the only person who
really matters—Judge of all the Earth
I am fully accepted on account of the
perfect record of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore,
God is no longer my Judge, He is my Father.
He will no more reject me than He will
reject his own Son.
Living
by grace means you can look honestly at your ugliest sin,
Yes, that is ugly, and goes even deeper than
I can see,
But I am loved and accepted by God.
Growing
in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ means that you grow
in your experience and
understanding of this grace.
You put it on. Wear it.
Live it. Breath
it. Water and
nourishment to soul.
Now,
let’s go back, I’m going to pick three fruit of the Spirit from our study—
show how grace
works in producing fruit in your life.
Start
with the fruit of love.
If
you are living under law, you may approach a person with this thought:
I’ll love this person because I hope he or
she will love me back.
If he loves me back, then I’ll know I’m a
worthy person.
You
love because you hope to get something in return.
If you don’t, then your love for the person
fades.
If
you are living under grace, growing in grace of Jesus,
I’ll love this person because Christ has
poured his love into me.
Jesus loves me so much that he will never
take away his love. I’m loved.
So I am free to give my love to this person,
whether they return it or not.
Patience: Under law you approach an irritating person
and say.
I can’t blow up at this person. That would be embarrassing, bad form.
I would be lowering my self to their
level.
So
smile on outside, act patient, but inside you are cutting person to
shreds.
Living under grace, growing in the grace of Christ.
Jesus Christ is infinitely patient with me.
I’m
so slow to obey Him, so slow to move when He prompts me,
He is always there, never screaming, never
steaming.
I can be patient with this person, have
known patience.
Self-control: Under the law your money, for example, is
your worth and security.
You
have no self-control—
either spend
without self-control because you have to have the things money
buys to make you
feel like life worthwhile.
Or you
are stingy without self-control because you must have the security that
your money gives
you.
Grace
enables you to say I don’t need to buy this thing to prove my worth—
I have it in Christ.
Enables
you to say: I can give my money away to
people who need it to bless
and ease their
lives without fear and anxiety—because Jesus my security.
CONC: Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
The
seed of live has been planted in you by God—
with all of it’s
wonderful fruit.
Cooperate
with the Spirit, ponder the grace of Jesus.
Bring that grace to bear in all your
struggles.
If
you feel prompted or stirred by these words—
don’t let that
feeling fade away, fan it, feed it.
It’s
God’s will that you grow.