Sermon: Growing in Christ

Colossians 1 verses 28 and 29

let's go ahead and pray before we hear God's word red. And before we hear it preach this morning. Let's pray together.

Father we thank you for this word. Thankful that it does not return void, but that it accomplishes this purposes. We pray that that would be true this morning. We stand upon that promise. A word go out this morning. May it? Bring Faith where there is none. It increase Faith where faith is languishing. It rebuke where there is need. May it exhort where their? Need for encouragement. May it bring Solace where they're his need

may bring rest where there's need. You pray that in. A way that only you can do that you would speak to every single person in this room. as they have need this preacher cannot do it. No, man can do it. Only You by the power of your spirit and so we lean into you and lean upon you this morning Pray that you would work in our midst. You pray this in the strong name of Christ Jesus? amen Colossians 1 verses 28 through 29.

This is a holy inerrant. sufficient word of God him we Proclaim warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom. In order that we might present everyone. mature in Christ For this I toil. Struggling with all his energy. Which she powerfully works Within Me. The grass withers and the flower Fades the word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

Well, I'm going to do it again this morning. I'm gonna do it again next week. We'll see if you got it memorized by next week. But we do something a little different here in January at the beginning of the year. We take a break from a kind of regular diet of working our way expositionally through a book of the Bible and we do what we call our faith Focus each year our elders identify something that they want to see more in the

DNA of University Reformed Church something that I just want to grow in together. And and so we preach on that during the weeks of January in our morning services and then we come back and our evening services and we preach through a practically and our evening services and then we work it through all of our different Ministry areas and have our growth group study it for the month of January, maybe the month of February and just

try and get that more within the DNA or church. Now this year's Faith focuses a little different. Because our elders this past year took about nine months or so to work through the vision for our church going forward and thought let's make that our faith Focus as we go into this year. Let's put the vision before the congregation. You'll remember two weeks ago. We looked at our mission or kind of the overarching banner

over URC. Why does your C exist you are see exist. to glorify and enjoy Christ to glorify and enjoy Christ. That's that's our mission. That's our kind of banner over everything that we do and then we said there are three pillars underneath that Banner these three pillars have always been true of you or see and by God's grace. We want to see them true of your see as we go into the future. And that is that we are committed to proclaiming Christ.

growing in Christ and advancing the mission of Christ We looked at proclaiming Christ last week. We'll look at growing in Christ this morning next week. We will look at advancing the mission of Christ. And then we said what? Let's do this at our evening Services. Let's look at we're going to just take that advancing the mission of Christ that last pillar. And from that you are see the Elder said let's establish some goals that we have some things

that we're going to focus on in the next three to five years. And that's what we are preaching through in the evenings last week. We looked at our church planting. And we talked about the desire to try and plant three churches within the next five years tonight. We're going to look at our fellowship program and think through that together and the next week. We're going to look at our Outreach our University Outreach Ministries and reaching the

campus for the sake of Christ. And so we'll look at those in the evening service but this morning We are looking at that second pillar growing in Christ. I want to look at the same text. We look at the text last week. So we're just going to take some some different things from this text as we build upon last week as we consider proclaiming Christ. And so just highlighting a few things this week as we look at growing in Christ.

And the first is this that I want you to see notice that when poll is writing out this statement here in versus 21 and 22 as he's putting forth his vision his understanding of his ministry. He uses the same word every one three times. He says him we Proclaim warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. When you see a word repeated in a small space of time in the scriptures you

are meant to take notice. It's there for a reason there's repetition for a reason. It's meant to capture your attention. And and I think there are two reasons that Paul is doing it here in our verses the first is that he is combating the false teaching that was happening at coliseum. There is a false teaching that was saying that parts of the Gospel is for those that are of a more Elite stature in the body of Christ. And Paula say no. No. No, the gospel is for everyone.

There are none in the body of Christ that are above others in the body of Christ. There is no Elite brand of Christian. A second is very similar notice. He does not say all mankind or all Humanity. This is not just a universality but a personal reality he is making it clear that the message of Christ is for every single individual. for everyone every person every single person matters to Paul because every single person matters to God

everyone

Now he says he warns everyone and he teaches everyone for a purpose and here's the purpose. That he might present everyone mature. That's a great goal of his ministry. That's his aim. To present everyone mature but notice that he qualifies that maturity. He says that the aim of his ministry is to present everyone mature. in Christ

20 or so years ago I was standing with a Christian mother We didn't have children at the time Leah and I remember standing with this Christian mother and she was telling me about parenting and she said my great aim and go and raising. My daughter is to send my daughter out into the world as a fully functioning contributing citizen. I didn't have children, but I remember walking away from that conversation just absolutely devastated and

shocked by what she said. Because that's not Christian parenting. That's not the goal of my parenting. The goal of my parenting is to send out my children in the world as fully functioning contributing Christians. That's my goal. Now I can't cause that. I can't make sure that that happens. I can't control that and neither can you but that is the maturity I see. For them to know and be mature in Christ that is in fact, the aim

of all Christian Ministry from pastoring to elderin to discipline to counseling to Parenting to fellowshiping we labor to see maturity. in Christ

notice that Ministry for Paul does not end with bringing someone to Christ. It's not the complete gospel message if we simply offer what some have called fire insurance. He's not just aimed at saving us from Hell. He's saving us to himself. It's not just that we are safe from death. That we are rather saved that we might have life and have it abundantly. And so as a church, we are not content with us during someone into a shallow Christianity.

Or a stunted Christian faith or a limited Christian experience or a truncated Christian Life. We want to go deep. Deep In Christ

We minister to one another seeking to grow. to full maturity in Christ

This is not a social Gathering. This is not a simple Refuge from the world. This is not a formal meeting place to go through the paces of religion as a church as a people that are united together. We are seeking to live a life unto Christ. We want to worship him with all all of our heart soul mind and strength all

so we said we have these pillars. And her ministry here your sea, we are proclaiming Christ. We are growing in Christ. We're advancing the mission of Christ. There's so many good things that we could be doing as a church so many good thing. But but these are the things that we are committing ourselves to that we do and help determine. Why is it that we do this but we don't do this. What we Proclaim Christ but it doesn't stop there

what we're also seeking to grow in Christ as a body. And so we bring the word to bear and all of our different Ministries in the church and we have all of these different Ministries in the church so that you and I are growing immaturity in Christ. And so we have dig Ministry which seeks to help our youth grow in Christ. We have all of our children's ministries and the children Wing we have VBS for this reason, we have our College

Ministry and our college class and SCF and our International Ministry so that we're seeking to grow our college students in Christ. We have our women's Bible studies and women Doctrine studies and Men studies and truth and hope and all of our growth groups and all these Christian education classes and they're all aimed at one purpose. to grow us in Christ

We want to see everyone mature in Christ. Because we believe truncated Christianity is not Christianity.

As Archibald Alexander the famous old Princeton professor said he said where there is no growth. There is no life. A healthy state of piety is always a growing state that child which grows not at all must be sickly. And so this was Jose. To present everyone mature in Christ. This was Paul's aimed to present every single one of them before the Throne of God mature in Christ.

Often think about that as a pastor as a husband as a father. Said I have to present those that I'm responsible for. I have a responsibility for your souls as a pastor. I've responsibility for my wife's Soul as her husband. I have responsibility for my children souls and and my great day my labor and I toy will be because I want to present them mature in Christ. Aid that as much as I'm able that's why we do ministry together.

That was Paul Zane. And that is our aim. maturity we seek to grow in Christ. Now. What are we talking about? Let's first say what we're not talking about. You're not talking about our right standing before God or adoption as his children or our Union with Christ. All those are fixed. No one in Christ can be separated from Christ. There are no degrees and are justification or adoption or Union. We are fully and completely and finally Justified

if we are in Christ or adoption is secure. Our Union with Christ is absolutely Eternal. It cannot say it cannot diminish. It cannot disappear. All of that is fixed. We're not talking about that. Neither when we talk about maturity are we speaking about perfection? Now in some of your Bibles some of your Bible translations it takes that word mature that's here in the ESV and it translates it as perfect in Christ. And that's within the semantic range of that

Greek word teleos here. It could be that word but that's not posed emphasis here. That's not what he is communicating. No one despite the teachings of different pastors and theologians in the history of the church. No one in this life will ever be perfect in Christ.

No one. Not you, not me. I love the story of a Seminary Student who came up to? His Professor one day and he said to his Professor after class. He he told them that he no longer sinned. And the professor replied to him. Well, that is too bad for you. Because you just sinned. And then he quoted to him from first John 1:8. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in US. Every Christian will fight against

sin until we reach Glory every single one of us, which means that every single one of us needs to grow in.

Christ mature Is the right word here? What does that mean? It is maturity in the sense of becoming proficient in a subject in a word growing and maturity in Christ. Simply means that you and I are looking more like the one we love. That's what it is. It's just becoming more like the one we love.

Peter will say it this way in second Peter 3:18, you'll say but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ notice that when Peter communicates this it's a command. grow

Grow, it's a command for you in Christ. There's effort that you have to expend. There is a striving there is a toiling here to go after this. It's something that takes effort. Why because there are two different gravitational pulls within the one soul of the Christian the old man though. He is crucified with Christ He Still Remains. And that old man the flesh. It keeps pulling back and fights against the spirit. There

is this continual fight between the Flesh and the spirit. Or you could see it as two dogs. You have two dogs that wore within your soul as a Christian the one seeking to Devour the other. And as one becomes stronger the other becomes weaker. And as the other becomes stronger the other becomes weaker. And what makes the one dog stronger than the other you feed it more?

If you want to see the power of sin diminish in your life, you don't feed that dog. If you want to grow in Christ, and you seek the love and grow in Holiness in Christ, you feed that dog grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Peterson.

Now why why should you seek to grow? in Christ Let me give you three quick reasons. We seek to grow in Christ because it gives glory to God. It blesses those around us and it's for your good. It gives glory to God a blesses those around us and it's for your good growth in Christ gives glory to God be holy. As I am Holy. That is his constant refrain for his Covenant people from the beginning to the end be holy as I am Holy that is the mark of his people

we are so love him. That we want to become more like him.

There's a beautiful illustration of this that we have all seen in life. That little boy that son will emerge out of his. bedroom early on a morning and have a belt around his waist and he'll have tucked into the belt. A plastic hammer and on the other side of plastic wrench and will have his hat on backwards. Where did he learn that? Who's watching his dad on Saturday mornings piddling around the house acting like the king

of the jungle and I'm going around and fixing things with this hat on backwards. Wants to be like him. That daughter who will put on her. Mom's high heels and sling a purse over shoulder that drags on the ground because it's so long on her and she'll try and Clump around the house and high heels that are five times the the size of her foot.

She identifies with her.

She wants to grow up and be like her mother. The child of God wants to grow up to be like their father.

The more we look like him the more we give glory and praise to him. second growth in Christ's blesses those around us those who don't know Christ receive benefits from our growth in Christ. The world cannot ignore the growing Christian friends and families and co-workers and neighbors will see the change and they will either hate it or they will love it, but they can't ignore it.

JC Royals said it this way. He said the Christian who is always at a standstill to all appearances the same man with the same little faults the weaknesses and besetting sins and Petty infirmities is seldom the Christian who does much good the man who shakes and stirs minds and sets the world thinking is the believer who is continually improving and going forward men think there is life and reality when they see growth

and people look at our lives do they think what we have believed is a reality. Because they see growth.

third growth in Christ is for our own good. the greatest blessing the sight of Glory to know and experience more of Christ you were made for this. You were remade for this. the universe of delight is found in Christ.

Want to look at two things at the interior two things. What growth in Christ looks like? And then the evidence of growth in Christ. What does it look like in the evidence of growth of Christ? What does growth in Christ look like first growth in Christ engages the mind? As we spoke about last week. God works by his word. It is Christians who over a lifetime continually who are reading and meditating upon and praying through the word both in public and

in private who make the greatest gains in Christ. They are those that sit at the feet of Jesus just wanting a word from his mouth. They know the most necessary thing like Mary. Did they just want to receive

If we want to grow in Christ, we must engage our minds in Christ. You are always in the school of Christ. There's no matriculation from the school. You can't get to the depths of Christ. You can't learn everything that there is in fact, you'll be learning for all of eternity more and more about Christ always learning. It should be a mantra for the Christian. Should be written large over all of our Lives always learning.

Because he's infinite and he's Trend and he's great.

I means reading and studying and thinking or necessary Doctrine and theology are necessary understanding more and more Doctrine and theology is necessary for you.

No, some of you eat books for breakfast. And there are others of you that it's hard to think about. reading one book a month feels like a chore. We're all different. Some will be slower. Some will be faster. Some will be able to digest at a higher level of some will remain at a lower level. But each of us. Is to be learning. every one of us

This is just part of growing in Christ. Let me just give you a few tips along these lines. Read through the Bible every year. every year Now I know some of you say I've tried it. It's laborious. I feel like I'm just checking the box. I understand that read through the Bible every year. It's not too late to start this year. I can almost offer this as a guarantee. You will read more Bible by planning to read through the Bible over a

year than you will with any other program. And you need to be reading the Bible. every day

commit To reading a Christian book for simply 10 minutes a day.

10 minutes a

Day, that's at breakfast trying to find your way through that maze for 10 minutes a day. You play Candy Crush for 10 minutes a day or more? You can read for 10 minutes a day. Just 10 minutes a day before you go to bed at night. You would be amazed how many books you can get through by reading 10 minutes a day. But here's the trick. Don't read what I call Jello Christian books. There's so many Jello books out there. They're they're flimsy.

They have no substance. They're all artificial coloring. And additives there's nothing there. There's all kinds of those out there. No, you're seeking to grow in maturity in Christ. So read good Christian books that affect your soul. That stir your mind.

Not regard to always read have one book. You're always reading that's above your ability. Not like a kindergartener sitting down and trying to read astrophysics. Not that. But where you're reading some Christian book and you go I don't understand 50% of this. was the other night I was tucking Grayson into bed saying good night going in and praying with her and I looked over at her my daughter. I looked over at her bookshelf and

I saw two of my books on her bookshelf. and

and I said, why are those two books on your bookshelf? And one of them in particular I wanted to know about because it was written by a theologian that I have trouble understanding. I said why why is that book here? she said why was interested in it, so I read the first chapter the other night. and she said I got done with the first chapter and I realized this is really above me. I don't understand a lot of this. and delighted me.

I love it. You read something that's 50% above your ability and you return back to it in a few years and you thumb back through that book and you'll realize I understand now 70% of it. I understand 80% of it. I understand 90% of it it always works this way in every sphere of your life. You have to press in to where it's not just easy and sometimes not even enjoyable to grow.

If you want to grow in the mind, you have to seek to grow in the mind as one Theologian said the natural body will grow without our thinking about it, even when we are asleep, but not the life of piety which only increases by and through the exercise of the Mind aiming at higher measures of Grace. growing in Christ engages the mind but growing in Christ also engages the heart. A truly growing Christian is growing and their affection for Christ. They find

him more beautiful. His law more of a treasure his gospel more astounding his grace more incomprehensible. The growing Christian reminds themselves over and over. They truly know nothing if they only know it with their mind. God looks upon the heart of a man. To grow in Christ. You have to grow in heart.

next Growth in Christ is gradual. It is almost always by degrees. And it's most often imperceptible to us. And I think this is one of the great Graces of God. So that you and I don't get puffed up. and proud about our growth in Christ Paul will say this to Timothy. He says practice these things immerse yourself in them. So that all may see your progress. He expects that others will see it. And often it is others that see it before we see it

in ourselves. And this often causes a lot of struggles for Christians, especially those of us who came to Faith in college, or came to Faith later in life as an adult because there was a radical change from what we were in a moment to what we became in Christ. They radical change. And you begin to think this is normative for the Christian Life. But it's not normative for how God works in sanctification. He often and most normatively works by degrees.

You just grow a little bit in this area and over time. It's a Monumental change. I was looking this up this week. What does it? What does it mean when a ship is just off course by one degree? If a ship is off course by one degree. It misses its Target by one mile for every 60 miles of sales. That means that if a ship went around the equator just off by one degree that one degree. It would end at its destination 500 nautical

miles off course. Just to change by one degree.

can have awful effects and it can have great effects. If you're on by one degree.

Or growth in Christ more often than not comes by degrees. So you keep at it. It is the great pursuit of the Christian and this world.

But next having said that growth in Christ though, it is our great Pursuit. It is his great work. That's why I had us confessed from the larger catechism this morning. So that you were saying and I hope you were thinking about it while you were saying it it talks about all of that striving all of that efforting that you and I were to work out our salvation with fear and trembling that we are to put in we're to work out our Salvation sweating.

and you have to realize that it's all work of his spirit. by his word It's his work. It's his great work. And so there's rest even in it. We employ his means we effort and strive. We do so with fear and trembling but it is God that ultimately Works within us and he does that so that we are dependent upon him you and I are dependent upon him even as our justification as all of Grace. So our sanctification is all of Grace.

And thus we labor but we labor as those with our eyes fixed Upon Jesus. We seek his Blessing from above and he loves to give good gifts to his children. So as children we run to his throne and we keep crying out in prayer. Oh bless me with more grace conform me more and more to your image and likeness. Because it's all of his grace.

Yes, Thomas Watson said as a rebuke, which I think we all need to hear. He said Christ went more willingly to the Cross than we do to the throne of grace.

It's not awful to think about. run to the throne of grace That's where your help comes from.

finally don't have time to detail all these but let me just quickly list for you evidences of growth in Christ. first you grow in your love for the laws. It pains you. To know people and see people that have not been brought from Darkness to light. That are still living death. And it stirs you to action.

evidence to you're growing in your love for the church.

living for Christ means living for his bride It is impossible to love the savior of the church and not love the Church of the savior. This is his family. As we care for Christ's body we show care for Christ.

and many of you some of you even think well look around this room. That you hold a special place in my heart.

And it's for this reason is because you have shown. Special attention or care or love or kindness my wife? my daughter or my son and I love them. And you loved me by loving them.

We love Christ by loving his bride. So that when we serve one another. When we volunteer to help one another when we disciple one another when we counsel one another when we exhort one another. We do to Christ.

next

for growing holy discontentment if we are growing in Christ. growing holy discontentment

your sin

you're not what you want to be. And you know, you aren't what you should be. So you don't wink at sin. You don't play with sin. You hate it. And you want to kill it?

related to that you have a growing contentment in Christ

Become more and more content in your circumstances. How is this week? I think it was Tuesday. I was headed into the church. And I had been sick better now. I've been sick for three and a half weeks. and some form or another and clearly I was not evidencing. Christ-likeness that morning because Leah said to me just in passing. She said Jason. Have joy in Christ today. And then my daughter came up to me and gave me a kiss

on the cheek, and she said Daddy. Have a good day. I remember walking out of the house thinking. I'm joyful. What what are they talking about? And then I'm driving to church and one of the members of our congregation texted me. They were struggling. They said with contentment that morning. And we're wrestling with something and then they gave me this long quote of something that had encouraged them to be content in Christ today. And I said, all right, Lord, I

understand. I got it. It's not content today.

Be content. There's a growing contentment in your circumstances. I was trying to quote it. I just thought about this morning was saying pew and it's trying to dream it up this morning in the first service of somebody looked it up for me in the second service that this Elizabeth Elliott quote comes to mind. The secret is Christ in me. Not me in a different set of circumstances. Growing Christian has a growing contentment.

Next a growing Delight in Christ is evidence of growth in Christ. You just treasure Christ more.

You love him more and more. He loved to think upon him to serve him to worship him to pray to him to read of him and you simply one to see him. You want to be with him? more and more Because he's the one that bought you.

He's the one that saved you. And you love him more than anything and anyone else.

so that leads to the last he long more for Glory. That is the evidence of growth in Christ. You more and more want to be absent from the body because that means being present with the Lord some of you are understanding that better this morning. Then you have any other morning.

You want Heaven because you want the Christ of Heaven. And so you fix your eyes there. You store your Treasures there you labor for your Commendation there you set your affections there because he is there.

If Heaven tattooed upon your heart and you have emblazed in heaven upon your mind

He's there.

And you just want to be with him?

It's a church. We don't want to truncated Christianity.

to have all of Christ

Want to be fully mature in Christ? Want to become more and more like the one we love.

And so we seek to do that together.

growing in Christ It's pretty.

Oh Father, we are thankful.

Thankful for so great to Salvation.

We're thankful for so great of a savior.

And all we are ashamed that we do not look more like him.

We pray that you would pour out your grace upon us and that we would find.

We're striving more. By your grace to look more like the one we love. Longing for that day that we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. Can't wait for that day.

Help us to keep growing in Christ growing in Grace until that day. We pray come quickly Lord. Jesus come quickly or we long for it. Christ holy name we pray. amen