WEBVTT 00:00:03.986 --> 00:00:17.190 We've been talking about for the last couple of weeks, something that we feel like as an elder team, that the Lord spoke to us for this year, and it's just a simple phrase together, growing deeper so that we can reach farther. 00:00:17.190 --> 00:00:21.716 Together, growing deeper so we can reach farther. 00:00:21.716 --> 00:00:26.010 Last week, we spent time talking about what it means to belong together. 00:00:26.010 --> 00:00:59.990 We belong together and we know that Jesus, because of his sacrifice, made a way for us to be made right with God and to be a part of his family, and also a part of that great work that Jesus did is that he put us together with the body of Christ to be a part of each other's lives, and we also, so we belong to God and we belong to each other, and we talked about the importance of that, and this morning we're going to focus on the second value that TCC holds dear, and that is the word grow, grow. 00:00:59.990 --> 00:01:11.915 We as an elder team want each one of us, including ourselves, to grow in God in such a way that, no matter what we face in this life, we will not fall. 00:01:11.915 --> 00:01:23.671 Can you say that that's the prayer of your heart as well, that no matter what comes, no matter what we face, no matter what is in front of us or behind us or around us, we will continue, having done all to stand. 00:01:23.671 --> 00:01:27.320 To stand, therefore, just as Rodney's word was this morning. 00:01:27.320 --> 00:01:28.626 We need, we want that. 00:01:28.626 --> 00:01:33.281 We have that ability because of the grace of God that's been given to us. 00:01:33.281 --> 00:01:38.272 So the title of today's message is growing deeper, growing deeper. 00:01:38.632 --> 00:01:41.103 Let's turn in our Bibles to second Peter, chapter one. 00:01:41.103 --> 00:01:46.254 Second Peter, chapter one, and we're going to be reading verses 3 through 10 together. 00:01:46.254 --> 00:01:48.867 The words will also be on the screen if you need those. 00:01:48.867 --> 00:02:18.806 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him, who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that, through them, you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 00:02:18.806 --> 00:02:39.532 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 00:02:39.532 --> 00:02:58.090 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 00:02:58.090 --> 00:03:09.586 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. 00:03:10.168 --> 00:03:30.810 Let's pray, father, in Jesus name, it is our desire that we would not just enter the race that you've called us into, that we would not just run it well for periods of time, but, lord, that we would finish the race that you have called us into, the race of this life in serving you and following you, in pursuing you. 00:03:30.810 --> 00:03:42.002 And so, lord, we ask that today, that you would help us to lay aside old ways of thinking, old habits, perceptions that we might have that are wrong. 00:03:42.002 --> 00:03:50.088 And, father, would you help us, by your grace, to see that you've given us everything that we need to be able to accomplish what you're asking of us. 00:03:50.088 --> 00:03:53.430 Lord, we desire to grow deeper. 00:03:53.430 --> 00:04:01.884 We desire to grow deeper in you and because of you, and so we ask that you would help that to happen this day and beyond. 00:04:01.884 --> 00:04:04.348 In Jesus name, amen. 00:04:06.211 --> 00:04:16.620 Let me make one thing abundantly clear this morning I am not a farmer. 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:17.223 Any farmers in the house. 00:04:17.223 --> 00:04:18.947 There's some of you that would that could be qualified as that, or at least what. 00:04:18.947 --> 00:04:22.783 You maybe consider yourself a horticulturist right Fancy word, whatever it is. 00:04:22.783 --> 00:04:24.767 But yeah, I'm not a farmer. 00:04:24.807 --> 00:04:33.141 But my grandfather on my mom's side was an amazing farmer, and he and my grandmother homesteaded in a valley in Wyoming that had a lot of promise. 00:04:33.141 --> 00:04:46.317 The soil was very rich, very conducive for growth, and the sun hit the valley in such splendorous ways that it was just ideal for growing produce. 00:04:46.317 --> 00:04:48.642 But here there was one major problem. 00:04:48.642 --> 00:04:49.605 Can you imagine what it was? 00:04:49.605 --> 00:04:51.891 So we have good sun, we have good soil. 00:04:51.891 --> 00:04:52.620 What are we missing? 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:54.103 Water? 00:04:54.103 --> 00:05:07.783 In the summertime in Wyoming, in this valley, they have very little rain, and whenever it does rain, it rains so much that it just washes everything out, so it's not very helpful for growing things, right. 00:05:07.783 --> 00:05:14.247 So my grandfather's considering okay, well, we're living in this place, this is our home, we've got to figure out how to make this work. 00:05:14.588 --> 00:05:16.483 And I believe he had a revelation from God. 00:05:16.483 --> 00:05:17.646 And what did he do? 00:05:17.646 --> 00:05:19.892 He found a low spot and he dug a hole. 00:05:19.892 --> 00:05:23.564 And he dug the hole bigger and bigger and bigger. 00:05:23.564 --> 00:05:31.970 And what happened is in the springtime, when all of the hills and mountains that were surrounding them had snowpack that was two or three feet tall. 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:34.764 When all of that began to melt, guess what happened to the hole? 00:05:34.764 --> 00:05:46.190 My grandfather dug it filled with water, and off of that hole, which we call a reservoir, he built canals that flowed down through all of the different farms. 00:05:46.190 --> 00:05:55.848 And they put gates on each one of those farms so that the farmers, during the summertime, when there was no rain, could open that gate for certain times each week. 00:05:55.848 --> 00:06:04.369 And there was kind of a system on how they did all of that and the water would flow through their fields so that they would get the water that was needed for growth. 00:06:04.369 --> 00:06:24.771 And that valley became the most fertile valley in all of Wyoming, to the point that they actually, after my grandfather passed away, people actually built a monument there in the valley representing my grandfather and the work that he did there to increase and improve the value of that place. 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:52.812 So again, I am not a farmer, but I understand farming a little bit, just from that perspective, and I want you to know that, as good of a farmer as my grandfather was, we have a farmer, father, who's much better than anybody here in this life, and he desires for us to be cultivated, for us to have everything that we need to adequately grow in the way that he desires for us to grow. 00:06:52.812 --> 00:06:54.165 Isn't that good news? 00:06:54.165 --> 00:06:57.187 And that's what we're going to focus on here this morning. 00:06:57.187 --> 00:07:04.413 So in our Bible passage today, peter is communicating about the importance of a much more important type of growth. 00:07:04.413 --> 00:07:06.122 So what did my grandfather grow? 00:07:06.122 --> 00:07:08.004 He grew alfalfa and barley. 00:07:08.004 --> 00:07:22.324 Those were the crops of choice and actually he would take hay all the way down to Arizona and New Mexico and distribute it in a lot of different places, and it was some of the best hay that they got. 00:07:22.324 --> 00:07:25.449 But we're not talking about that kind of thing this morning. 00:07:25.449 --> 00:07:27.855 We're talking about spiritual growth. 00:07:28.997 --> 00:07:38.927 This book that Peter wrote was written towards the end of his life, and he wanted to make sure that Christ's followers were focusing in on what really matters, what was most important. 00:07:38.927 --> 00:07:42.380 So let's dive together into this passage and learn from it. 00:07:42.380 --> 00:07:43.303 Are you ready to learn? 00:07:43.303 --> 00:07:44.567 Amen, all right. 00:07:44.567 --> 00:07:49.588 First point God has given us everything that we need to grow deeper. 00:07:49.588 --> 00:07:52.295 Isn't God a good God? 00:07:52.295 --> 00:07:53.237 Come on. 00:07:53.237 --> 00:07:57.588 He's given us everything that we need to grow deeper. 00:07:57.588 --> 00:08:03.685 And let me just read that first paragraph again and think about it in terms of this statement that I've just made. 00:08:03.685 --> 00:08:17.370 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him, who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us what does the word granted mean? 00:08:17.370 --> 00:08:32.462 He's given to us, granted to us, his precious and very great promises so that, through them, you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desires. 00:08:33.183 --> 00:08:38.921 Now, the early church spoke a lot about something that they called union with Christ. 00:08:38.921 --> 00:08:40.625 And where did they get this idea? 00:08:40.625 --> 00:08:42.109 Did they just come up with it one day? 00:08:42.109 --> 00:08:49.921 No, they got it from the words of Jesus, and also from the epistles, and especially from this letter in this section that we're talking about. 00:08:49.921 --> 00:08:58.543 This was one of the letters and one of the sections that they got this concept out of, and it's something that has a two-pronged reality. 00:08:58.543 --> 00:09:00.765 For believers, what is union with Christ? 00:09:00.765 --> 00:09:06.533 It is the simple fact that I am in Christ and Christ is in me. 00:09:06.533 --> 00:09:10.847 I am in Christ and Christ is in me. 00:09:10.908 --> 00:09:15.524 Again, brooke had no idea what I was going to say this morning, and what was the last song that we sung? 00:09:15.524 --> 00:09:18.229 In Christ alone. 00:09:18.229 --> 00:09:19.692 And it was the last. 00:09:19.692 --> 00:09:24.763 The last verse of that song talks about not only are we in Christ, but Christ is in us. 00:09:24.763 --> 00:09:38.114 This very song, again speaking to what we were going to share with you this morning, I believe that Peter is alluding to these two truths in this first paragraph, in the opening paragraph of our text this morning. 00:09:38.674 --> 00:09:40.515 So let's look at I am in Christ. 00:09:40.515 --> 00:09:41.236 What does that mean? 00:09:41.236 --> 00:09:48.668 I've been granted all things needed for life and godliness because of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 00:09:48.668 --> 00:09:49.109 What does that mean? 00:09:49.109 --> 00:09:51.255 I've been granted all things needed for life and godliness because of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 00:09:51.255 --> 00:09:55.745 How many of you know that we were lost and outside of the realm of his kingdom? 00:09:55.745 --> 00:09:57.969 We were lost and we needed help. 00:09:57.969 --> 00:10:05.510 And Jesus came and lived a perfect life and died on the cross for our sins, and he also rose from the dead. 00:10:05.510 --> 00:10:09.591 We know that he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father. 00:10:09.591 --> 00:10:23.326 And if we will put our confidence, hope and trust in what I just said to you, then we become a part of God's family, and when we become a part of God's family, he grafts us in. 00:10:23.908 --> 00:10:25.394 Now again, I'm not a horticulturist. 00:10:25.394 --> 00:10:44.347 I don't play one on Sundays so I'm not going to pretend, but I know that there are processes, there are ways that you can cause growth to happen by placing a branch into a root, into the tree itself right, there are ways to do that, and so that's what it's talking about. 00:10:44.347 --> 00:10:54.250 Our dead, lifeless, fruitless branch has been grafted in to the vine of Jesus Christ. 00:10:54.250 --> 00:10:58.162 Remember what it says I am the vine and what? 00:10:58.162 --> 00:11:00.145 And you are the branches. 00:11:00.145 --> 00:11:01.808 We have been grafted in. 00:11:01.808 --> 00:11:04.594 We are in Christ. 00:11:04.594 --> 00:11:10.961 We have been grafted in. 00:11:10.961 --> 00:11:11.884 We are in Christ as a believer. 00:11:11.884 --> 00:11:13.346 God has chosen us by his divine power and he's made us alive to him. 00:11:13.346 --> 00:11:16.192 The technical word for that, the theological term, is regeneration. 00:11:16.192 --> 00:11:25.780 It's when he makes us alive, when that dead spirit that we have on the inside of us is made alive to God and we're able to acknowledge our need for him. 00:11:26.623 --> 00:11:33.205 Thank God, how many of you have responded to the gospel call and have put your faith and hope and trust in Jesus Christ? 00:11:33.205 --> 00:11:34.408 All right? 00:11:34.408 --> 00:11:35.792 How many of you want a hundred dollars? 00:11:35.792 --> 00:11:41.285 I'm just looking for a response this morning. 00:11:41.285 --> 00:11:41.986 Are you with me? 00:11:41.986 --> 00:11:43.048 All right? 00:11:43.048 --> 00:11:45.453 Amen, it's important. 00:11:45.453 --> 00:11:51.291 I don't have a hundred dollars to give you all, but, lord, you can provide right. 00:11:51.291 --> 00:12:00.333 So when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the father welcomes us into his family. 00:12:00.333 --> 00:12:02.863 We think about adoption. 00:12:02.863 --> 00:12:28.024 What a beautiful thing it is when a family there's a family in our church right now that has been caring for a young child and the young child had been abused and a very drug addicted mom and dad that was not involved and they've been fostering this child and caring for her and and now she's doing so much better. 00:12:28.024 --> 00:13:04.792 She had so many sensory issues and and developmental issues when she came into their home and and, by God's grace, and because of their love that they've shown her and the fact that they've treated her no different than their own, very own children that they have birthed, god's done some amazing things in this child's life and they're in the process, by God's grace, of adopting this child to be theirs and I guarantee you there's going to be no distinction in that household when this young lady takes a new name. 00:13:10.970 --> 00:13:12.154 How many of us have taken a new name? 00:13:12.154 --> 00:13:15.606 We're no longer. 00:13:15.606 --> 00:13:17.898 We no longer belong to the God of this world. 00:13:17.898 --> 00:13:23.240 We belong to God. 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:24.182 We are his children and we've been grafted in. 00:13:24.182 --> 00:13:24.524 We abide in him. 00:13:24.524 --> 00:13:25.206 Christ is the anchor of our lives. 00:13:25.225 --> 00:13:27.331 Now that in itself is pretty revolutionary, isn't it? 00:13:27.331 --> 00:13:30.208 We could land there, and that should be enough. 00:13:30.208 --> 00:13:35.131 We could spend the rest of our lives focusing in on that, and it wouldn't be wrong to do so. 00:13:35.131 --> 00:13:38.609 But as good as that is, god wants to add to it. 00:13:38.609 --> 00:13:40.600 He wants to make it even better. 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:42.527 I feel like I'm doing an infomercial right now. 00:13:42.527 --> 00:13:45.860 But wait, there's more, right? 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:52.292 No, thank God, god's not a salesman in that way, but man. 00:13:52.292 --> 00:13:59.410 It's true, there's more, because not only am I in Christ, but Christ is in me. 00:13:59.410 --> 00:14:03.139 Think about that for a minute. 00:14:03.139 --> 00:14:09.057 Think about that for a minute. 00:14:09.057 --> 00:14:14.975 I've been granted all things needed for life and godliness, because the divine nature of God is living inside of me. 00:14:14.975 --> 00:14:24.712 I don't think we believe that fully, or at least we don't recognize it, but it's true. 00:14:24.712 --> 00:14:29.001 These are not my words. 00:14:29.001 --> 00:14:30.707 These are the words of God found in scripture over and over again. 00:14:30.768 --> 00:14:34.903 Remember, jesus continued to encourage his disciples about what. 00:14:34.903 --> 00:14:36.746 What was the promise that they were waiting for? 00:14:36.746 --> 00:14:37.990 He said it's. 00:14:37.990 --> 00:14:41.807 It's important for me to leave, it's important for me to go away. 00:14:41.807 --> 00:14:45.865 It's to your advantage that I leave and that I go away, because what's going to happen? 00:14:45.865 --> 00:14:48.383 I'm going to come again. 00:14:48.383 --> 00:14:49.625 But in between what's happening? 00:14:49.625 --> 00:15:01.840 I'm going to send the comforter, the Holy Spirit, and he will be with you and he will dwell in you, in you. 00:15:04.182 --> 00:15:20.368 What was it that gave Peter the ability to go to the cross and to ask if he could be crucified upside down To not take any honor or glory away from his Savior? 00:15:20.368 --> 00:15:30.929 It was God in him, christ in him, the Spirit of God in him, christ in him, the spirit of God in him. 00:15:30.929 --> 00:15:35.558 We partake of the divine nature of God. 00:15:35.558 --> 00:15:40.937 Wow, hard to fathom, hard to imagine. 00:15:40.937 --> 00:15:46.769 You know, we say this all the time, but think about it in terms of this concept. 00:15:46.769 --> 00:15:52.943 The same spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in us. 00:15:52.943 --> 00:16:05.639 Wow, I was talking to somebody last week and I said what's the Lord speaking to you about the new year? 00:16:05.658 --> 00:16:07.966 And he said he's talking to me about the Holy Spirit. 00:16:07.966 --> 00:16:09.832 And I said we'll explain what you mean. 00:16:09.832 --> 00:16:10.715 And he said did you know? 00:16:10.715 --> 00:16:13.293 The Holy Spirit was the one who did the work of creation. 00:16:13.293 --> 00:16:27.942 If you think about it, if you read back to Genesis 1, god the Father had the design and Jesus spoke the word and the Holy Spirit was hovering over the earth in order to do what To cause the words of Jesus to come to pass? 00:16:27.942 --> 00:16:31.653 Light be and the Holy Spirit. 00:16:31.653 --> 00:16:47.104 Whatever he did, light was right and he said what I want people to realize is that the same Holy Spirit who is a part of creation lives inside of them. 00:16:47.104 --> 00:16:57.620 He happens to be a preacher, so he's interested not only in understanding that for himself, but he wants other people to see it, other people to understand it. 00:16:58.149 --> 00:17:00.678 How would your life change if you really believe that? 00:17:00.678 --> 00:17:08.837 How would my life look different if every day, I walked around in this life believing that that was true? 00:17:08.837 --> 00:17:30.172 Going on in John 15, 5, we started there it says whoever abides in me and I in him, I'm in Christ and Christ is in me, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:17:30.172 --> 00:17:37.162 How many of you tried religion before you got saved and how did that work? 00:17:37.162 --> 00:17:39.704 For you Doesn't work. 00:17:39.704 --> 00:17:41.796 Religion doesn't work. 00:17:41.796 --> 00:17:46.673 It waves a carrot in front of your nose but you're never able to catch it. 00:17:46.673 --> 00:17:52.944 We need, we need, we don't need religion. 00:17:52.944 --> 00:18:04.501 We need a relationship with the one who's living on the inside of us as believers in Jesus, knowing that we've been given everything that we need to be able to grow deeper. 00:18:04.891 --> 00:18:06.877 We now turn to our part of the process. 00:18:06.877 --> 00:18:09.157 Let me talk to you about this tree. 00:18:09.157 --> 00:18:23.799 So a lot of times when they show imagery and drone footage after a tornado or after a hurricane, the devastation is incredible, right, it's really hard to even fathom. 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:36.885 But sometimes I focus not on the devastation, but I look for the few trees that are still standing and I'm like what in the world made a difference with that tree? 00:18:36.885 --> 00:18:40.941 How could all of the trees around it be completely wiped out? 00:18:40.941 --> 00:18:44.259 And yet this one tree continues to stand. 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:48.238 God wants us to be that tree. 00:18:48.238 --> 00:18:51.518 He wants us to be that tree. 00:18:51.518 --> 00:18:53.916 And why do we need to grow deeper? 00:18:53.916 --> 00:18:55.336 Because what's deep? 00:18:55.336 --> 00:19:16.862 The water that we need for growth, and there's also stability that comes as our root systems grow deeper and deeper into good soil, and so when the winds come and when the storms come, and when difficulty comes, or even when good times come, we will continue to stand. 00:19:16.862 --> 00:19:23.631 So, now that we know that we've been provided by God everything that we need to be able to grow deeper. 00:19:23.631 --> 00:19:25.915 Now's the part that's fun. 00:19:25.915 --> 00:19:29.545 We must actively pursue growing deeper. 00:19:29.545 --> 00:19:36.181 We must absolutely, absolutely actively pursue growing deeper. 00:19:36.280 --> 00:19:37.853 Let's read again the second paragraph. 00:19:37.853 --> 00:19:59.951 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love, with love. 00:19:59.951 --> 00:20:06.163 God's work in the life of the believer does not end at the moment of conversion. 00:20:06.163 --> 00:20:08.092 It's not. 00:20:08.092 --> 00:20:11.077 I'm born again and I'm just waiting for heaven. 00:20:11.077 --> 00:20:12.582 I'm just waiting for glory. 00:20:12.582 --> 00:20:13.343 That's it. 00:20:13.343 --> 00:20:16.378 It's over with God's finished with me. 00:20:17.329 --> 00:20:22.903 How many of you know the work is finished as far as the completed work of salvation and redemption? 00:20:22.903 --> 00:20:25.174 Absolutely, it's finished. 00:20:25.174 --> 00:20:28.082 But how many of you know God still intends for us to grow? 00:20:28.082 --> 00:20:32.576 He still intends for us to be transformed, to be changed. 00:20:32.576 --> 00:20:38.545 He still intends for us to become more and more like Jesus. 00:20:38.545 --> 00:20:41.816 The new birth is not the end, it's a beginning. 00:20:41.816 --> 00:20:44.060 How many of you know? 00:20:44.060 --> 00:20:48.094 When there is health, growth naturally happens. 00:20:48.094 --> 00:21:12.595 I'm going to take a little moment for myself and my wife and our family today and acknowledge the fact that our youngest granddaughter, nora Joy, and Shelly and Neil as well, nora Joy is one years old today, today, and I still look at her and I think she's so tiny, she's so tiny and yet look at pictures when she was born and guess what? 00:21:12.595 --> 00:21:14.900 She's not so tiny anymore. 00:21:15.942 --> 00:21:22.530 How many of you have a room in your house, a doorframe somewhere in your house, where there's a bunch of pencil marks on it? 00:21:22.530 --> 00:21:26.215 Yeah, why is that? 00:21:26.215 --> 00:21:29.181 You notice? 00:21:29.181 --> 00:21:44.015 I never, we never do the pencil marks this way, this way, yeah, should we start a new trend? 00:21:44.015 --> 00:21:45.057 No, no, get that image out of your head. 00:21:45.057 --> 00:21:46.141 We don't need to think about that. 00:21:46.141 --> 00:21:52.118 But we're growing deeper today, not wider, okay, but anyway, what are we recognizing with those marks on that doorframe? 00:21:52.118 --> 00:21:54.103 Growth happens. 00:21:54.103 --> 00:21:59.830 Marks on that doorframe Growth happens. 00:21:59.851 --> 00:22:00.571 Growth happens when there's health. 00:22:00.571 --> 00:22:08.900 It's a natural part of healthy life and, like I said, god gives the children all that they need, but the children us. 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:15.886 We must apply ourselves and be diligent to use the means of grace that he has provided for us. 00:22:15.886 --> 00:22:20.171 We're in Christ and he is in us. 00:22:20.171 --> 00:22:21.853 Spiritual growth is not automatic. 00:22:21.853 --> 00:22:23.354 How many of you? 00:22:25.395 --> 00:22:31.340 When I was younger, I really wanted to be close to God, and so I had been studying about osmosis. 00:22:31.340 --> 00:22:53.176 You guys know this and so I would literally, at night, take my Thompson chain reference Bible, my leather bound Thompson chain reference King James Bible, because that's what we had and that's what we used, right, and I would place it over my head as I was going to sleep to somehow, you know, absorb the words on those pages. 00:22:53.176 --> 00:23:02.662 Now today, I know there's things like Alexa and all of that that make it a little bit more, a little more conducive to actual growth, right? 00:23:02.662 --> 00:23:07.478 So I'd wake up with a neck ache, or anyway. 00:23:07.478 --> 00:23:09.942 I only did that like once or twice. 00:23:09.942 --> 00:23:10.583 Don't judge me. 00:23:10.583 --> 00:23:14.413 Okay, it's not automatic. 00:23:14.413 --> 00:23:16.380 It doesn't just happen because you're around it. 00:23:16.380 --> 00:23:22.329 Just because you have a family bible in the living room doesn't mean you're growing, right. 00:23:22.329 --> 00:23:31.049 It requires cooperation with god and the application of spiritual diligence and discipline. 00:23:32.810 --> 00:23:35.953 This process that we're talking about is sanctification. 00:23:35.953 --> 00:23:38.276 Sanctification what does that word mean? 00:23:38.276 --> 00:23:42.159 It means being made holy or set apart for a special purpose. 00:23:42.159 --> 00:23:51.406 Did you know that God chose us to be his children so that we would be set apart for him, to be holy and to become more and more like Jesus? 00:23:51.406 --> 00:23:55.712 That was his idea, right? 00:23:55.712 --> 00:23:57.637 It's a theological term sanctification. 00:23:57.637 --> 00:23:59.001 That describes this process. 00:23:59.001 --> 00:24:06.191 It's a cooperative effort. 00:24:06.191 --> 00:24:12.279 God does his part, he gives us everything that we need, but then he asks us to do what, to yield, to pay attention. 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:17.310 Somebody said it like this it's a cooperative effort between the Holy spirit and our born again Will. 00:24:17.310 --> 00:24:32.038 We can choose to participate with the growth program of God and we can also choose, unfortunately, to what to resist it, and we'll talk about that towards the end. 00:24:32.038 --> 00:24:41.884 The result of this process of sanctification is to bring us into spiritual maturity where we look more and more like Jesus. 00:24:41.884 --> 00:24:46.339 Where we look more and more like Jesus. 00:24:49.750 --> 00:24:51.413 I was thinking Jack. 00:24:51.413 --> 00:25:08.883 I was reminded today's, two years since Miss Jean passed from this life into glory, and sorry for how difficult that is even now, but, man, if there was anybody who represented Jesus well, it was Miss Jean Wright. 00:25:08.883 --> 00:25:18.457 She really understood what it was like to understand that Christ, that she was in Christ and that Christ was in her, and she continued to grow. 00:25:18.457 --> 00:25:24.789 I loved the fact that she was always so hungry for the word of God, even when she was at her weakest moments. 00:25:24.789 --> 00:25:31.916 You know what her heart's cry was I want to be in church, I want to be there, I don't want to miss anything. 00:25:31.916 --> 00:25:41.691 89 years old or whatever, 87, whatever, it was still crying out for more Lord. 00:25:41.691 --> 00:25:44.237 I hope I grow up to be like Jack and Jean Wright. 00:25:44.237 --> 00:25:46.423 I sure do. 00:25:50.851 --> 00:25:53.115 If faith in Christ remember it starts out. 00:25:53.115 --> 00:25:55.862 This section starts out with saying that we add to faith. 00:25:55.862 --> 00:26:03.999 So faith in Christ is the gift from God that all of the first paragraph highlights. 00:26:03.999 --> 00:26:10.720 This is the gift that God has given us, the gift of faith, the gift to believe, the gift to stand Again on Christ and on a solid foundation. 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:14.259 All of the other characteristics are built upon that. 00:26:15.049 --> 00:26:16.877 So think of faith like the root ball. 00:26:16.877 --> 00:26:23.038 You've all seen probably maybe you've seen it yourselves or seen it on TV a large tree being transported. 00:26:23.038 --> 00:26:27.340 And what do you have to have in order for that tree to thrive in its new location? 00:26:27.340 --> 00:26:40.640 You have to have a good, a large root ball, right, and that root ball is planted into the ground and then, out of that root ball structure begins to happen, and it's most of it's under the surface. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:44.323 At first you don't even see it, you don't even recognize it, but it's all happening. 00:26:44.323 --> 00:26:55.561 Everything's growing and shifting and changing and forming, and before long that tree that had been ripped out of the earth and placed in a new hole is now strong again, right. 00:26:55.561 --> 00:27:00.114 So think of faith like the root ball, and we're going to add to that this morning. 00:27:00.153 --> 00:27:04.594 So let's look at the first root structure that we need to grow deeper in, and that is virtue. 00:27:04.594 --> 00:27:06.377 What is virtue? 00:27:06.377 --> 00:27:08.963 Displaying exceptional character. 00:27:08.963 --> 00:27:12.915 You know anybody like this that is virtuous. 00:27:12.915 --> 00:27:18.712 A virtuous person makes the progression from knowing what is right to do to doing what is right. 00:27:18.712 --> 00:27:27.317 He or she intentionally chooses what to say, what to do and what to value, aiming beyond the good toward the best. 00:27:27.317 --> 00:27:38.358 Is that the cry of our heart, that we would be virtuous people, that we would be people who would move beyond mediocrity and aim for exceptional character? 00:27:38.358 --> 00:27:44.673 Again, god's given us everything that we need to grow in this, but we get to cooperate with him. 00:27:44.673 --> 00:27:46.980 We get to yield to the spirit of God. 00:27:46.980 --> 00:27:49.232 How many of you know how does this happen? 00:27:49.232 --> 00:27:57.798 How many of you know when you're grieving the spirit of God by a word that you're saying, by a choice that you're making, by something you're doing or not doing? 00:27:57.798 --> 00:28:01.002 You feel it on the inside, don't you? 00:28:01.002 --> 00:28:02.625 It's cringe worthy. 00:28:02.625 --> 00:28:06.598 When the Holy Spirit cringes, we should cringe as well. 00:28:06.598 --> 00:28:10.936 So if we want to grow in virtue, we need to pay attention to that. 00:28:10.936 --> 00:28:13.442 We need to tune in more. 00:28:13.442 --> 00:28:21.917 We need to feel that and experience it and hear it when it's first occurring in our hearts and recognize it and yield to it. 00:28:21.917 --> 00:28:24.634 Right then Grow in virtue. 00:28:25.569 --> 00:28:33.217 Virtue looks like honesty and faithfulness and trustworthiness and humility and so many other things. 00:28:33.217 --> 00:28:36.434 Here's the good news. 00:28:36.434 --> 00:28:43.915 In every one of these, I want to give you a statement that I want you to hold, and that is first, with virtue, jesus is virtuous. 00:28:43.915 --> 00:28:46.615 How virtuous was he? 00:28:46.615 --> 00:28:47.519 Is he? 00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:51.961 He humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. 00:28:51.961 --> 00:28:56.915 He laid down his life for us. 00:28:56.915 --> 00:28:59.560 Jesus is virtuous. 00:28:59.560 --> 00:29:06.957 He does all things well and he empowers us to grow in virtue. 00:29:06.957 --> 00:29:09.603 Remember he lives on the inside of us. 00:29:09.603 --> 00:29:17.450 If you want to be more virtuous, which is what we're supposed to desire, lean in, yield to what's on the inside of you. 00:29:17.450 --> 00:29:19.796 Pay attention to what the Holy Spirit's doing. 00:29:22.122 --> 00:29:23.144 Second one is knowledge. 00:29:23.144 --> 00:29:28.297 What is knowledge in this place? 00:29:28.297 --> 00:29:31.664 In this I'm looking for the right word application. 00:29:31.664 --> 00:29:34.813 There it is it is pursuing spiritual truth. 00:29:34.813 --> 00:29:37.942 Do you have a hunger and a thirst for righteousness? 00:29:37.942 --> 00:29:45.479 Do you desire to know more, to continue to pursue spiritual strength and truth? 00:29:45.479 --> 00:29:49.576 Do you love the word of God? 00:29:49.576 --> 00:29:54.501 Do you love reading the word of God and studying the word of God and meditating on the word of God and singing the word of God? 00:29:54.501 --> 00:29:55.894 Do you want more? 00:29:55.894 --> 00:30:02.573 If you want to know more, we should. 00:30:02.573 --> 00:30:04.378 Knowledge itself, by the way can't be the ultimate goal. 00:30:04.378 --> 00:30:06.163 Remember what Paul said Knowledge what Puffs up. 00:30:06.163 --> 00:30:13.038 So you don't want to just be able to walk around and spew facts, as amazing as that might be. 00:30:13.038 --> 00:30:17.045 We want our hearts to be transformed, we want to be changed. 00:30:17.045 --> 00:30:26.577 We want to know what we know, what we know so that we will stand in the evil day and that will help other people to do the same. 00:30:28.931 --> 00:30:40.140 Our purpose for pursuing spiritual truth must be so that we can know Jesus and his heart well enough, so that we can better discern God's will and live according to God's will. 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:42.895 Remember the words of Paul. 00:30:42.895 --> 00:30:45.176 This should be inspiration to all of us. 00:30:45.176 --> 00:30:51.701 Oh, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. 00:30:51.701 --> 00:30:55.321 Yes, stop right there, I can land right there. 00:30:55.321 --> 00:30:56.338 I want to know the power of his resurrection. 00:30:56.338 --> 00:30:57.154 Yes, stop right there, I can land right there. 00:30:57.154 --> 00:30:59.759 I want to know the power of his resurrection, absolutely Today. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:04.605 Lord God, deliver me, save me, heal me, strengthen me, give me money. 00:31:07.570 --> 00:31:17.642 Sorry, I just threw that one in there because maybe one or two people are thinking that, or two people are thinking that Paul doesn't just stop there, does he? 00:31:17.642 --> 00:31:28.461 Oh, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, that I might be found worthy to suffer with him. 00:31:28.461 --> 00:31:38.979 I have to be honest, it's not a part of my daily prayer routine, but should it be? 00:31:38.979 --> 00:31:45.174 Jesus is filled with all knowledge. 00:31:45.174 --> 00:31:52.192 He is the word and he empowers us to grow in knowledge. 00:31:52.192 --> 00:31:55.125 You know, it's really interesting If you read Luke 2, 52,. 00:31:55.125 --> 00:32:02.358 It says that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. 00:32:02.358 --> 00:32:14.126 God and man, even Jesus. 00:32:14.126 --> 00:32:17.634 God and man chose to know, to glean wisdom, to understand, to pay attention, to listen to other people, to. 00:32:17.634 --> 00:32:18.436 He went to church. 00:32:22.346 --> 00:32:24.634 Next is self-control, and we'll skip right over that one. 00:32:24.634 --> 00:32:26.970 Next is self-control, and we'll skip right over that one. 00:32:26.970 --> 00:32:29.756 We'll be disciplined enough to avoid this topic, right? 00:32:29.756 --> 00:32:33.967 No, self-control is resisting temptation. 00:32:33.967 --> 00:32:35.210 Resisting temptation. 00:32:35.210 --> 00:32:38.376 God calls every Christian to a life of discipline. 00:32:38.376 --> 00:32:52.515 Someone has defined this as the controlling power of the will under the operation of the spirit of God, the two working together, the spirit of God and the will of men connecting and working together. 00:32:52.515 --> 00:32:54.317 There must be discipline. 00:32:54.317 --> 00:32:55.019 In what areas? 00:32:55.019 --> 00:33:10.988 In prayer, in Bible study, in the use of our time, in resisting the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, discipline in sacrificial living, being willing to give of ourselves and not just receive. 00:33:12.131 --> 00:33:23.768 We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are called to represent Christ, and he lives on the inside of us to enable us and to help us to live disciplined, self-controlled lives. 00:33:23.768 --> 00:33:27.576 How would your world change if you stopped getting angry? 00:33:27.576 --> 00:33:32.173 I mean sinful, sinfully angry? 00:33:32.173 --> 00:33:43.573 Here's one thing I'm going to tell you You're not going to get any self-control from this world. 00:33:43.573 --> 00:33:56.415 Going to get any self-control from this world Since when has the F-bomb become every other word and every phrase and every statement. 00:33:56.415 --> 00:33:56.596 It's sad. 00:33:56.596 --> 00:34:02.769 Do not, christians, do not fall into even the initial, using the initial. 00:34:02.769 --> 00:34:09.809 Let's exercise self-control by the power of the spirit on the on the inside of us. 00:34:11.905 --> 00:34:13.152 Jesus is self-controlled. 00:34:13.152 --> 00:34:35.237 It says of him that he was tempted in every way, as we are yet without sin, and he lives on the inside of us to give us the grit and the power and the strength that we need to say no to what he says no to and to say yes to what he says yes to, because just as much as it is resisting the negative, it's also pursuing the positive. 00:34:35.237 --> 00:34:43.719 That's what self-control is about Steadfastness. 00:34:43.719 --> 00:34:50.648 Steadfastness is about enduring hardship In this world. 00:34:50.648 --> 00:34:54.217 Jesus said you will have trouble. 00:34:54.217 --> 00:34:58.565 We, as believers, are to follow Christ's example of perseverance. 00:34:58.565 --> 00:35:00.590 No matter what we are facing. 00:35:01.030 --> 00:35:02.996 Endurance is exceptionally difficult. 00:35:02.996 --> 00:35:03.737 Can we be honest? 00:35:03.737 --> 00:35:13.626 There are times when endurance and it wouldn't be called endurance if it wasn't, if it didn't come out of difficulty, it would just be called living another day. 00:35:13.626 --> 00:35:18.291 But endurance speaks of effort. 00:35:18.291 --> 00:35:21.853 It speaks of sweat and blood and tears. 00:35:21.853 --> 00:35:42.398 It speaks of not my will, but your will be done, especially during times of illness, prolonged illness and broken relationships and financial pressures and persecution. 00:35:42.398 --> 00:35:44.463 Those who endure to the end will be saved. 00:35:44.864 --> 00:35:48.072 We need to grow deeper in endurance. 00:35:48.072 --> 00:35:49.456 I'm going to be honest with you right now. 00:35:49.456 --> 00:36:00.282 There's going to be a temptation that comes over the body of Christ in the next four years. 00:36:00.282 --> 00:36:00.943 To just take it easy. 00:36:00.943 --> 00:36:08.436 Please understand these four years are a gift from God that we do not need to take for granted. 00:36:08.436 --> 00:36:10.983 This is a time for the church to get strong. 00:36:10.983 --> 00:36:15.188 This is a time for the church to be to grow deeper than we've ever grown before. 00:36:15.188 --> 00:36:20.487 This is a time of preparation because, how many of you know, even though we we feel like we've can breathe a little bit, it's not the end. 00:36:20.487 --> 00:36:30.909 We know that scripture teaches us that there are dark days ahead of us, and I'm not saying that as a negative confession, I'm saying that like we need to be ready. 00:36:30.909 --> 00:36:55.425 We're actually going to start a new sermon series in two weeks on the book of Nehemiah and it's called the passion project and it's going to be all about making sure that our passions align with God's passions, and especially when you're living in a time where there seems to be some good things happening right. 00:36:56.786 --> 00:36:58.427 So Jesus is steadfast. 00:36:58.427 --> 00:37:10.440 It says that for the joy that was set before him, he endured, endured, endured the cross, shame, All of it. 00:37:10.440 --> 00:37:16.690 And he empowers us, because he lives on the inside of us, to grow in steadfastness. 00:37:16.690 --> 00:37:20.478 Cry out to him, cry out to the spirit. 00:37:20.478 --> 00:37:25.070 Help me, I need, I cannot do this without you. 00:37:25.070 --> 00:37:27.577 God loves an honest prayer. 00:37:31.806 --> 00:37:33.193 And next we go to godliness. 00:37:33.193 --> 00:37:37.414 Godliness is simply living to glorify God. 00:37:37.414 --> 00:37:46.257 Living to glorify God when our lifestyle reflects a holy reverence for God, christ is most glorified. 00:37:46.257 --> 00:37:51.175 When's the last time that you considered the fear of the Lord in a healthy way? 00:37:51.175 --> 00:38:12.306 God, I know that there are boundaries and there are things that you've set up in my life and, lord, help me to not even desire to put one little toe over the line, little toe over the line. 00:38:12.306 --> 00:38:14.471 Help me keep a holy reverence and a fear of you and what's important to you. 00:38:14.471 --> 00:38:16.976 When we live for an audience of one, things get much simpler. 00:38:16.976 --> 00:38:25.916 All of the other things and attributes and characteristics we're talking about affect other people, and so does this one in a lot of ways, but really all of them. 00:38:25.916 --> 00:38:31.554 Our purpose, our motivation, should not just be for the way that other people will perceive us. 00:38:31.554 --> 00:38:33.137 It should be way down the line. 00:38:33.137 --> 00:38:39.677 This should be about our relationship with our heavenly father and representing him well. 00:38:39.677 --> 00:38:44.695 If you, if you've taken on a new name, have you taken on a new nature? 00:38:44.695 --> 00:38:47.632 Have you taken on a new way of living? 00:38:47.632 --> 00:38:51.764 Let's represent him Well. 00:38:51.804 --> 00:38:58.936 The Westminster Catechism correctly states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him. 00:38:58.936 --> 00:39:01.420 How long Forever. 00:39:01.420 --> 00:39:05.496 We were built and made to bring glory to God. 00:39:05.496 --> 00:39:08.134 Jesus glorified his father in John 17, 4. 00:39:08.134 --> 00:39:15.092 It says in this high priestly prayer I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 00:39:15.092 --> 00:39:17.137 And guess what? 00:39:17.137 --> 00:39:20.532 He empowers us to grow in godliness. 00:39:20.853 --> 00:39:26.210 Two more Brotherly affection Caring for believers. 00:39:26.210 --> 00:39:30.715 This isn't just referring to the act of caring for other believers. 00:39:30.715 --> 00:39:36.617 It's also about the attitude or motivation that proves a genuineness of care. 00:39:36.617 --> 00:39:40.474 So, in other words, you care for them in front of their face oh I'm so sorry. 00:39:40.474 --> 00:39:41.628 And behind their back. 00:39:41.628 --> 00:39:43.909 You're what Accusing the brethren? 00:39:43.909 --> 00:39:47.130 Don't they know better than that? 00:39:47.130 --> 00:39:55.978 Brotherly affection speaks about the heart, attitude, the motivation behind why we do what we do. 00:39:56.880 --> 00:39:58.666