Draft 10

GROWING IN GRACE
3/6/05; TSL #10 – 2 Peter 3:18; Gateway Sermon Notes

INTEREST

Today we continue our study on living the Christian life, and particular spiritual growth or experiential sanctification. We are currently looking at basic Christian truths that are keys to spiritual maturity. We have seen ten of these and we are lo0oking to complete 15.

REVIEW












TRUTH #1 Glory: God created man and the universe for His glory. Col 1:16; Ro 11:36

We were made for God. Life works best when we live within our purpose. To live apart from God is to try to make life something that it was not designed to do.

TRUTH #2 Grace: God accomplished what I could never do for myself. Eph 2:1-9; Jn 1:12-13

When the problem of sin entered the world God’s plan was not stymied. God had a plan all a long that had the problem of sin in mind. It was based on grace and centered on his Son.

TRUTH #3 Assurance: God insures my eternal security and pattern of sanctification. Jn 10:28; 2 Cor 3:18; Phil 1:6, 2:13; Eph 2:10

When we receive salvation it is complete. God gives us a salvation that cannot be lost, and insures a new pattern of life. Both our position and experiential security is in place, based on God’s grace.

TRUTH #4 Divine Character: God’s Person and attributes bring inner peace. Ex 3:14; Ps 27:10

Once we understand God’s plan of glory and grace, the next important truth has to do with understanding the person of God Himself. It is the essence and integrity of God that that backs up the entire plan of God as well as our security.

TRUTH #5 Sin & Confession: Sin hinders my temporal walk with God, but does not break my eternal fellowship. 1 Jn 1:9; Ps 32:1-10; Mt 5:3-8

We know that all sin is forgiven and taken care of at conversion, but what about the reoccurrence of sin in the Christian’s life? It does not cause us to lose our salvation, but it does affect our joy and productivity in the Christian life. It can make us miserable. We sin we confess it and forsake it, agreeing with God that it is a heinous sin.
TRUTH #6 Carnality: Persistent, unrepentant sin could indicate a lack of true saving faith. Ja 2:26; Mt 7:21; 2 Cor 13:5

What if sin persists and there is little interest or fruit in the Christian life? It could indicate that a person never came to salvation to begin with! However, we must keep in mind that we will all sin and fail, and we will do it repeated and heinously and yet not lose our salvation. It is when there is no fruit and no indication that there is salvation. Each must examine himself or herself.

TRUTH #7 Sowing & Reaping: Sin has real and lasting consequences. Gal 6:7-8; Hos 8:7

Although we are Christians and are forgiven the law of the harvest still applies. God wants us to be warned. Just because I ask for forgiveness for something doesn’t mean that God will automatically remove the natural consequences for sin. He usually leaves them and through them we grow and develop of spiritual character.

TRUTH #8 Sovereignty: God works all things out for good. Ro 8:28; Gen 50:20; Jer 29:11-14

And yet, when all is said and done, even with the law of the harvest in place, ultimately God works all things out for good to those who are truly His. Hallelujah!

TRUTH #9 Blessing & Suffering: Blessing does not always immediately follow obedience, nor does suffering always immediately follow sin. Job 1:1; 1 Pt 4:12; Ja 1:2; Ps 10:1-11; 37:1-5; 73:1-9

In this life how does God bless, and how does He choose if we should suffer? Blessing does not always immediately follow obedience, nor does suffering always immediately follow sin. When we obey we obey because God calls us to obey and by faith we trust God will bless in His time and with His method. And when it comes to sin, we always confess and forsake sin, and we don’t continue because there is not immediate discipline. We regard sin as always wrong and always detrimental no matter the immediate consequences. Sin is never good! We walk by faith that God will bless obedience and discipline sin in His perfect timing and in His perfect way.

TRUTH #10 Divine Power: God displays power in various ways - independently, interdependently, and internally. Ex 16:4; Mk 6:41; 2 Cor 12:7

How does God manifest His power? At times are we tempted to think that God is silent and inactive? Sometimes God works independently – unilaterally without our input or contribution as with the manna provided in the wilderness. Sometimes God works interdependently with our resources and abilities as with the feeding of the crowd with the loves and fishes. And then, sometimes God works only internally within us as with Paul and his thorn in the flesh. Although God did not change the circumstances Paul still declared that his ability to live with the thorn was a demonstration of God’s power and grace (2 Cor 12:9)!

TODAY’S STUDY …

TRUTH #11 Guidance: Christian guidance is not necessarily mysterious. 1 Thes 4:3; Ro12:2; Eph 5:15-17

How does God guide His people? In the OT, and in the New God would outwardly tell or show His people what to do. In the OT God led Israel through the wilderness with a cloud by day and cloud of fire by night. That was God’s obvious leading as to where they were to go and when they were to camp. In the NT we find Jesus directly telling the disciples what to do. Paul received 6 visions in the book of Acts as to where he was to go and what he was to do.

But it does not seem that supernatural outward signs are the normal way God leads. Sometimes He does that but it appears only on selected occasions. What is the usual way God leads? Is it mysterious? Three things should be remembered when it comes to determining the will of God.

A. Obey the absolutes of Scripture. These are obvious as in 1 Thes 4:3. There is neither doubt nor mystery that we are to abstain from sexual immorality. After we are committed to following the black and white clear laws of Scripture God gives us freedom to choose.

B. Follow the wisdom of Scripture. The Bible speaks about a renewed mind and the ability of that mind to make wise choices. Take Romans 12:1-1-2. The entire book of Proverbs contains such wisdom. It lists how to make decisions in regard to self-control, anger, speech, gossip, truthfulness, laziness, pride, and choice of friends, enemies, parenthood, sexual temptation, money and death. Ephesians 5:15-17 articulates the same concept indicating that Christians can sometimes be foolish in the way they conduct their lives.

C. Reflect on feelings, circumstances and the counsel of others. Feelings, circumstances and council are not failsafe means of divine guidance, but they are important factors that should be seriously considered. If a door of opportunity opens up should you go through it; or if a door of opportunity seems to close is that God saying that He doesn’t want you to do it? Not necessarily. The same goes for feelings. Opportunities and feelings should be weighed with the absolutes of Scripture and the wisdom of Scripture when making a decision.

D. Trust God for the outcome.

For example, if you are single and God has given you the freedom and desire to be married, how do you determine that? If you are a teenager or a young person how do you decide? First you obey the absolutes of Scripture. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says to be not bound with an unbeliever in a spiritual enterprise. The Corinthians had developed a fond affection for false teachers and they had joined in with them within the church. That was wrong because now in that union the Corinthians would have to compromise their principles for the false principles of the false teachers. That teaches us about marriage. When a believer marries an unbeliever the believers principles now are compromised with the principles of the unbeliever, Therefore, when it comes to guidance and deciding who to marry, Christians are to marry Christians. We see this also in 1 Corinthians 6:39 where it says that widows are to marry in the Lord. You want to marry someone who believes in lifelong commitment and fidelity (loyalty). You want to marry someone who when the chips are down they have a deep and abiding conviction to treat you and the marriage in a godly and biblical way. Obviously marring a Christian doesn’t insure either a smooth or permanent marriage, but all things considered it gives a couple the better possibility of success. After the absolutes of Scripture when it comes to marriage, there comes the wisdom of Scripture. In this area we ask about the person’s background and goals for life. Apart form being a Christian will this person fit in with the goals and aspirations one has for life? There may be a complete incompatibility! One person may like a very quiet traditional and secure home life with children and the other may want a job that travels with little or no responsibilities of home and children. There is a vast difference there! And then, in the third area, what are the feelings, the circumstances and the council of others? Perhaps God is resisting the decision through the circumstances, perhaps God has sent warnings through the counsel of others. On the other hand, some counsel is to be spurned because it is not of God! I find that when a person knows the Word of God and obeys the laws of Scripture, and when he or she is applying wisdom, and when he or she is open to the feelings, circumstances, and the opinions of others God will direct. And if He will not give clear direction that is usually an indication to wait, pray some more, and wait for further direction! When a Christian is right with God and desires to do the will of God, the Lord delights in his or her decision making – that is one of the reasons He created us and gave us a mind! Don’t discount what God has given you and the importance He places on your ability to make decisions. Ultimately we cannot determine all the variables and circumstances of life when it comes to decision-making. In the end we must make them and then trust God with them.

TRUTH #12 Calling: I should live within my measure of grace. Ro 12:3; Ps 131:1-2; Mt 11:28-30; 1 John 5:3

Speaking of the will of God and guidance, how do we know when we are doing all we can for the Lord? Are we serving the best and most that we can? God wants us to serve Him in accordance with the level of skills and abilities He has given – no more and no less. Romans 12:3 says we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think soundly and accurately. In Psalm 131:1-2 David reminds himself of the importance of living within God’s abilities, not to attempt more than what God has enabled us to do, and certainly not to settle for less.

I don’t agree with those that say, “You can be anything you set your mind to be.” That is perhaps an admirable statement but it is not biblical or realistic. Rather, we say, “You should be what God has called you and enabled you to be.” That is better, and it keeps us from the frustrating and disillusioning attempts to be things God never intended us to be. We mislead people when we say otherwise. Jesus said that his burden was “easy and light” (Matthew 11:28-30). This refers to an internal, anxiety free, non-legalistic life. Also 1 John 5:3 says that the Lord’s commandments “are not burdensome.”

TRUTH #13 Establishments: God created protective structures for my well-being. Ro 13:1; 1 Pt 2:13-17; 1 Tim 2:1-4

Another great truth that God blessed my life with has to do with what we call establishments. In God’s common grace – grace for both Christians and non-Christians – He provides for the general welfare of man by establishing protective structures in society. These are marriage, family, and nationalism. We see these structures in society and they are meant to bring stability and protection in this fallen world. They are designed to stave off, or keep at bay the destructiveness of evil. To the degree that we can place ourselves in a good marriage and good family and good nation, to that degree we will be blessed by God in common grace, regardless of whether we are Christians. To be a Christian and have these things to have an extra portion of God’s grace!

Notice these three passages. Each of them are admonitions to Christians to recognize human institution which ultimately are form God and that provide protection in life.

(Illustration: Family, General) When I look back over my life, when I didn’t have the stability of a family there were so many problem and so much woe in my life. And yet during those years I sought the Lord and grew in Him the best I could. But there was a great deal of turmoil in my life because I didn’t utilize or have this fundamental blessing that God designs for life. Many people are unhappy and facing repeated difficulty ecause they do not have these structures as protection. This is not to say that single people, and those with no families are somehow sinful, it means that God has provided this extra measure to protect and bless us. I certainly know this in my own life. Be careful before you easily dismiss the importance of family and nation. We should do all we can to support the sacred and traditional institutions of marriage, family and nation because they protect us.

TRUTH #14 Perception: I now see and accept others as God does. Gen 1:27, 9:6; Ja 3:9

This 14th truth has to do with how we fundamentally perceive others. We have learned a lot about what God has done for us in many of these truths, but what about the way that we treat others? Notice that both of these passages speak of man being made in the image of God. Because man is made in the image of God he is a special part of God’s creation.

So when I look at people I ultimately see beyond their skin and beyond their conduct. I see a person made in God’s image and therefore someone with basic dignity. The distinctive way that Jesus treated people was that He honored the dignity of people. He did not base His kingdom or His church on a particular race or class of people, nor should we. Of course we need discernment in dealing with people, but fundamentally we treat them with dignity and respect by virtue of their Creator and by virtue of the distinctive way in which God Himself treated man both in the Garden and the way Jesus treated people. Jesus’ harshest words were reserved for people that unduly categorized, judged, and abused people – especially vulnerable people. He wants us to treat people in the same way.

The James passage is especially telling because there James unleashes a virulent condemnation upon people that use their tongue to bless God on one hand, and then on the other to “curse men made in the image of God.” The point is that how can one bless God and then turn around and curse His special creation. James calls that patent hypocrisy.

CONCLUSION