God Requires Spiritual Growth

Introduction

Well, I want to invite you, if you will, to open in your New Testament to Titus chapter 3 as at least a beginning place this morning. Titus chapter 3. We’ll actually be going through uh several passages as we look at our topic for this morning. uh at the beginning I’m going to kind of go through some of them rather quickly and you don’t necessarily have to turn you’ll you’ll see the theme in those as we as I mention them uh as we make progress.

You know, if there’s one thing we we need to understand as Christians, it’s that the blessings enjoyed in Christ not only include things like redemption but also renewal as well. And so in the process of conversion, Paul would say here in Titus chapter 3 and verse 5, that we undergo the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. And this renewal that we find in Christ, at least in part, is simply a fact. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17 that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Doesn’t get more renewed than that. But I also want to point out that there’s a sense in which renewal is a process as well. And so Paul earlier in 2 Corinthians this time back in chapter 4 and verse 16 would talk about the fact that while our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed. He says day by day.

He would point out in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 10 that Christians have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. And one thing that I think is at least implied when the scriptures talk about the fact that Christians are renewed in this sense is the concept of spiritual growth. God wants his people to grow spiritually. In fact, Paul would say in Ephesians chapter 4 and:e1 15 that we are to to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ.

That’s God’s plan for all of us. And yet I have to doubt I have to tell you this morning that not all Christians grow spiritually. That’s just not how that works. In fact, we we see that in the New Testament.

That’s why many of the letters that we uh read were written to to help move them along sometimes because they had got stuck somewhere along the way. We see it at times in in li in the lives of people today. Some people have been Christians for years and there’s been little change or little improvement. And the truth is in some ways they’re no more useful to the Lord and sometimes even less useful to him than they were when they first obeyed the gospel of Christ.

And so failing to grow they become stagnant. You know, kind of like a a pool of water in which there is no movement. There’s just not much progress there. And one thing we need to recognize is that this this spiritual growth that the that the Lord wants us to engage in.

It is a choice that we have to make. It’s not something that happens by default. It occurs only when we choose to grow. And it requires effort on our part.

And so if we don’t make the choice to grow spiritually and then stick with that choice, then we’re not going to. That’s just the the truth of the matter. You know, people grow physically pretty much by doing just what comes naturally. Babies don’t put a whole lot of thought into into things, you know, uh they they get hungry.

They let you know about that. All those sorts of things. And I wish the same thing could be said about spiritual growth as well, but I can’t say that. We can’t assume that simply because we are getting older that we are growing spiritually.

Those two things ought to grow together. In fact, you know, you see those two principles sometimes attached to one another. Those who are mature. And so in our lesson this morning, I want us to to make a few basic observations about spiritual growth.

1. God Requires Spiritual Growth

And so I want to point out three things that we see in scripture that that I hope will be helpful to you. And the first thing that I I want us to to talk about, the first observation I want to make is simply that God again, God requires spiritual growth. You know, when I look at the commission that Jesus gave to the apostles in Matthew chapter 28, you know, just after he was uh raised from the dead, it’s clear to me that growth is implied in what Jesus said. And the fact that it’s implied in what he said doesn’t make it any less a binding obligation than if he had just stated it in clear terms.

But I want you to see Matthew chapter 28⁠:⁠1 18. Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I’m with you always to the end of the age.” Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And so Jesus points out that those who are baptized are to be taught as well. They are to they are to go from that point forward. And that’s a that’s a process. There’s no doubt about that.

That doesn’t take place in a weekend or anything like that. It’s a lifelong process. But it’s one that’s just as necessary as anything else. In fact, you can’t be a disciple of Jesus without that willingness to be taught and that willingness to practice what Jesus commanded.

You know, a disciple by definition is someone who is committed to the teachings of someone else. And so for us, the teachings of Jesus and and I doubt I have to tell you that no one understands again the Lord’s will perfectly when they come up out of the waters of baptism. We’ll spend the rest of our lives learning more about the Lord and learning about his will for us and striving to put those things into practice as we come to understand them better. And that’s what spiritual growth is all about.

And again, that’s just as necessary as being baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. And we need to recognize that. We need to see that for what it is. You know, when you look at what is said in the letters of the New Testament, it it’s also clear that spiritual growth is a necessity.

It’s hard not to see that God wants his people to develop spiritually. And when you go through those letters, some of the letters may be a little more explicit than others about that, but they all point us in that same direction. Spiritual growth is a must. In fact, we can’t be what God wants us to be.

And we can’t receive what what what God wants us what God wants to give us without that. And so, we need to recognize that growth is something that is essential. It is necessary even ultimately for our salvation. In fact, I want you to notice something that Peter would say in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse two.

1 Peter chapter 2 and verse two. He would say there like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk. Why? That by it you may grow up to salvation.

Some translations read a little bit different than that, but I think that captures it well. Another translation says, “By it you may grow into salvation.” And and that word that is translated to or into in this passage, it’s familiar to many of us. In fact, it’s the word that Peter would use in Acts chapter 2 and:e 38 when he would say, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” And it’s a word that points to the end in view. Why are you doing what you’re doing?

What is the end in view by by doing whatever this is? And so the end in view for the person who repents and is baptized is the forgiveness of their sins. That’s what they’re looking towards. And what Peter says there in in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse two is that the person who grows spiritually, the person who grows up, they’re looking to the end in view is ultimately their salvation.

That’s what he’s talking about there. And what all of this means is that salvation is something we must grow toward. It’s not something we automatically receive when this life is over simply because we were baptized at some point, you know, in the past. I mean, yes, that’s necessary.

It is essential, but it’s not the only thing that’s necessary. Salvation is something we grow up to or grow into from the time that we are baptized until our life upon this earth is finished. And we have to ask the question, do we take that as seriously as we do as we should? Have you ever noticed how often the the Apostle Peter talked about growth in his writings?

That that’s interesting to me in light of the fact that I’m not sure there’s another person in the New Testament who exemplifies that principle of spiritual growth the way that Peter does. You know, I’m I’m confident that all of the faithful men and women that we read about in the New Testament that they grew as they continued to follow Jesus. But Peter’s growth, it seems to me, is maybe more noticeable. Maybe it’s it’s put on display for us in a in a clearer way.

And so the Peter that we read about, for example, in the book of Acts and the Peter whose letters we read about in the New Testament, he doesn’t seem to be the same Peter we read about in the Gospels, Peter knew something about growth. He experienced that and he wrote about that. And as Peter brought his second letter to a close, second Peter chapter 3, I want you to notice something he said. He said, “Grow.” in verse 18, 2 Peter 3⁠:⁠18, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

That’s some of the last words that he pinned that we have at least and that’s what those people needed and that’s what he wanted for them. But I want to ask you a question. How do you do that? I mean, it’s one thing to say, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

But are you going to tell me how that how that takes place? Well, he did actually. If you want to know how a person does that, how a person grows in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, just look a little bit earlier in this letter. Go to second Peter chapter 1.

Now, what he’s doing there at the end of the letter is he’s kind of repeating a principle that he started with. And so, in second Peter chapter 1 and verse two, I want you to notice how he words things. He says, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” 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.

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. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, that’s growth, 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. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.

For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way, there will be richly provided for you, an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You see what he’s saying there in all of that? Can you see that he points out that growth is essential in all of this?

that there are qualities that we have to develop. These qualities need to be increasing. That’s how you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Again, growth is required by God.

2. God Also Enables Spiritual Growth

But the second principle that I want to I want us to look at this morning is that God also enables spiritual growth. You know what we’ve talked about up to this point, I hope you see that each of us must choose to grow spiritually, that uh that God expects us to do that, that it’s up to us whether or not we do so. And if we are to grow, it’s going to be because we’ve seen the need to do that and and put forth whatever effort is necessary. But it’s also important for us to understand that we’re not in this alone.

This is not a pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps kind of thing that we’re talking about. When Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, he would say to them in Philippians 1 and verse 6, he says, “I am sure of this very thing that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” God is at work in his people. And Paul was thankful again not only for what the Philippians were doing, but also for what God was doing with the Philippians. In fact, it seems to me that Paul brings all of this kind of together when he later says in that same book, Philippians chapter 2, 12 and 13.

He says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” That kind of sounds like what we’ve been talking about. For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Again, this is not a you’re on your own in this process. We work out our salvation.

It is God who works in us. And I’ll just tell you, that’s a remarkable thought, isn’t it? And one thing that would would help us, I think, to be all that God wants us to be is to remember where our strength comes from in all of this. Paul said something about that, too, in his letter to to the Philippians, didn’t he?

In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 13, Paul would say there,”I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” And and the question for us is, do we believe that that’s the case? Do we really believe that God can give us the strength to be the people that he wants us to be? That we can become the people that he has called us to be? I want you to to look for just a moment at something Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians.

Go to Ephesians chapter 3 for just a moment. Ephesians chapter 3. And we’re going to start reading in verse 14. [clears throat] Paul says there, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant to you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. That you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.

Amen. Now, I want to ask you a question about the the verses we read there. Does that sound to you like God might not be able to accomplish much in us? Or does it sound like he can do more with us than maybe even we realize?

It’s kind of that, isn’t it? He’s not talking about making a bunch of money or setting records in sports or anything like that. That’s not what he’s talking about. Paul’s talking about spiritual things here.

And that’s why he talked about us being strengthened in verse 16 with power through his spirit in the inner person. That’s what we’re talking about. And so Paul wasn’t saying that God’s going to mysteriously or miraculously strengthen us by the Holy Spirit that you just kind of sit there and all of a sudden it’s going to overwhelm you and you’re going to be a different person when you stand up. That’s not how that works.

And really, in order to see that, all you have to do is look at the context. He talks about things like knowledge and comprehension in these verses. And really, what Paul says here is very similar to what he’ll talk about later when he gets into to chapter six of this same letter. Uh if you’ll turn over there for just a moment, chapter 6 of Ephesians, when you look down about verse 10, and he says there, finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

It’s kind of what we’re talking about. put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces uh of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand and in and in the evil day and having done all to stand firm.

And then he says, “Stand firm, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace, in all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.” Do you see these things that he’s talking about here? That’s how God strengthens us. And truth is, that’s how we grow as well. we make use of what God’s given to us.

3. God Blesses Spiritual Growth

He enables us to grow spiritually. And then the final thing I want you to see this morning is that God blesses spiritual growth. And one thing I want you to notice about this is that these blessings, they begin even in this life. A and don’t you think that’s important for us to recognize that there are benefits even here and now to maturing spiritually?

You know, one thing I think we desperately need to get past, something I think is a sign of spiritual immaturity is the belief that that the life of a Christian is boring and tedious. In fact, it is so boring and tedious that no one would choose to live it if it were not for the very threat of hell. But there are people who believe that, aren’t [clears throat] there? And closely akin to that is the view that the way to truly enjoy life, if you really want to enjoy life, here’s how you do it, even as a Christian.

You get as close to the world as you possibly can without stepping over the line. Isn’t that the way some people view it? You know, if you get too serious about putting God first, I mean, it’s going to have a a negative effect on how much you enjoy life, right? No.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. You see, what we do is we buy into a lie and we act like we believe that God doesn’t really know what he’s talking about. And he tells us how we can have things like joy and peace. And yet, what we decide is, you know what?

I think we’ll just search for those things in our own way and try to find them as we see fit. And and we seek those things through things that were never intended to produce them in the first place. You know, Jesus would say in John chapter 10⁠:⁠10, he said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” That’s the kind of life that that Jesus came to provide for us. And there are people who look at that and they think what he’s ultimately talking there is about eternal life and therefore it doesn’t have much to do with what’s going on here and now.

And that’s a possibility, but I I think there’s more to it than than that. The word that’s translated abundantly means by definition more than one would normally expect or anticipate. It’s a word that you could translate extraordinary or remarkable. And again, that may be nothing more than another way to describe eternal life.

It is going to be extraordinary. It’s going to be remarkable. But I can’t help but wonder if it if it includes really the kind of life that that the Lord wants for us here because that is precisely the kind of life that spiritual growth in Christ provides more than one would normally expect or anticipate. It is a life that is extraordinary.

It is a life that is remarkable. It is the kind of life that God desires for all of his people. And I believe that begins even in this world. But I would like for you to notice that these blessings that we begin to experience even in this life, absolutely they continue into the next.

And so after the Apostle Peter would list all of the virtues that we are to add to our faith back in that passage in second Peter chapter 1 that we read earlier [clears throat and cough] toward the end of that he talks about adding to your faith virtue and all of those other things that we talked about there in verse 10. Look again at what he says. Therefore brothers be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these qualities you will never f you will never fall.

For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You want to know how to get there? He just told us how to get there. The way you make your calling and election sure is you add these other virtues to your faith.

And it’s in that way and the point that Peter was making it is that it is only in that way that there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom. It’s the only way to do it. Growth leads to blessings in the life to come. You know, there’s an interesting verse in the book of Revelation.

Go back to or go to to Revelation chapter 14 for just a moment. I want to read something that is said there. It’s it’s always been an interesting statement to me. And the point that is being made here is that what we do in this life, it’s going to follow us.

It’s going to follow us into the next. And so, look at what John says there. Revelation 14⁠:⁠13, John was told, “Write this.” Blessed are those or blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.

You see the point he’s making there? The point he’s making is that the people who are given rest from their labors in the world to come, they are the people who didn’t rest from their labors in this world. They are the people who who when they when they get to the world to come here, well done, good and faithful servant. And we know what a servant does.

Servants serve. We don’t retire here. We don’t stop here. What we do here carries into the world to come.

And that’s why the Apostle Paul would say, for example, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 58, he’d say, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Why? Knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain, not empty. It’s not meaningless. It’s not without impact.

Your works follow you. Don’t quit working. Don’t quit growing because God blesses the kind of growth that he requires. You know, when you when you go through the New Testament, there’s there’s all kinds of statements that are made that include that word grow.

Conclusion

Not all not all of them actually are positive. I won’t tell you the passage on each of these. I’ll just kind of mention most of them just in passing. But if you read through the New Testament, you’ll find that the hearts of some grow dull and the love of many will grow cold.

There is the danger that we grow weary in doing good. 2 Timothy 3 and:13, Paul even says, “Some grow worse and worse.” But what I want you to recognize this morning is that heaven is reserved for those who grow up. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up to salvation. May God help us to do that very thing.

But I tell you what, you got to start somewhere. And if you are here this morning and you’ve never obeyed the gospel of Christ, it talks about newborn infants. There thing is we need to be born again. Jesus talked about that.

Born of water and the spirit. If you believe that Jesus is the son of God and you’re willing because of your faith in him to to set aside your sins, to repent of those things that you’ve done that are wrong, to confess his name for others, that Jesus is Lord and I am not, then why not come this morning and simply obey what he says? Said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” In that process, we are born again. We have that renewal that we talked about at the beginning of the lesson.

We have a brand new start. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. You’ve not done that. Why not this morning?

But if you’ve done that at some point in the past, and maybe you haven’t grown like you ought to. Maybe you know that that’s the case. Maybe somewhere it’s kind of along the way it’s kind of plateaued. You know, there’s some growth there at one point, but it hasn’t hasn’t happened in a while.

Why not commit yourself to that again? To not being stuck any longer, to making progress so that you can become the person that God wants you to be. And if we can help you with that today, of course, we want to do that. That’s why we come together.

That’s why God put us in one another’s lives. And so, if we can help you in some way this morning to be the person that God wants you to be, we ask that you come as we stand and as we sing. Would you be always pure and