09-29-2019 – Growing up, in Christ

These are the outline notes found in the weekly bulletin. There is a full sermon a click below.

9.29.19 ~ Ephesians 4:14-16, Growing up, in Christ...

Read Ephesians 4:14-16... God made to grow and develop physically. God also made us to grow and develop spiritually (see Joshua 1:8-9; Romans 12:1-2).
Children aren’t wise, but are foolish (Proverbs 22:15), “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.”
Growing up is painful, learning good and bad, comes through experiences with consequences and/or rewards.
Evil men try to lead astray and take the immature and ignorant captive, like a storm taking control of a sailboat.
Isaiah 57:20, “The wicked are like the tossing sea, for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud.”
Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Church of Scientology, Islam, TM, all seek to take captive unsaved and spiritually immature people (cf. 2Corinthians 4:4; John 8:44)
There is a growing increase of false teachers today:
2Timothy 3:12-13, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
2Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
Jesus said (cf. John 15:18) the world will hate those who follow Him, (cf. James 4:4), the world is not our friend; those who befriend the world are enemies of God.
Neither young children nor spiritually immature adults are capable of discernment (see 1Corinthians 2:14-16; 1Corinthians 13:11).
It takes discipline to mature in Christ.
Hebrews 12:11, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Growing in Christ brings pain and struggle; but then, it also brings God’s peace, pleasure and power.
If we don’t stimulate growth among those in the church, we will end up with a big nursery full of babies.
Paul rebuked the Corinthians for their stunted spiritual growth (1Corinthians 3:1-2), “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able.”
Why was their growth so stunted?
1Peter 2:2-3, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”
We must grow in order to discern good from evil; or we may be deceived and dishonor God, while suffering stunted growth, due to poor diet and lack of exercise.
We must be rooted in the Word of God, in order to gain wisdom and understanding; as we s participate in a Bible believing and teaching church.
We are accountable to God, and to one another; as we grow up together under Christ, the Head of the Church.
Seek to honor God, to know and obey His will... growing and serving in the Body of Christ, encouraging one another, while living out and proclaiming the Message of Salvation through Jesus Christ alone..