Grow

Good morning and welcome to CCC. It is such an honor and blessing to see each and everyone of you here with us. To those watching online, thank you for joining us in worship this morning. We are also very honored and blessed you are here with us online.

Let’s Pray

START OBS

This morning is week 2 of our Rooted: Grow Deep. Live Strong sermon series with the message Grow.

Last week we looked at planted. From a human perspective it is difficult, most of the time impossible, to see with our own eyes if something is indeed planted.

Out front by our sign if I had worked the ground and planted new flower seeds there you would be able to see that the ground was worked but you could not see if there were any seeds planted.

What about pregnancy? The seed is planted long before we can see that it was planted.

Growth is where we begin to see change. God speaks a lot about fruit, which is the result of a seed being planted…then it grows…then it is pruned…then it is harvested.

Today we look at Grow. Where we begin to see that seed that was planted begin to change one on the outside. When one accepts Christ as their personal Lord and Savior they are immediately changed on the inside, however, it usually takes time for a true outward change to appear.

Today I want to look at 2 separate scriptures that speak to grow

I Corinthians 3:5-9

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“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

If you will recall from our We are the church series over the 1st 6 chapters of I Corinthians we covered this but from another view or angle.

Then we looked at the point that they, the Corinthians, were fighting over Apollos and Paul. They were not united in Christ

Here Paul says whoever shared the Gospel with you is not important. They are Christ’s workers and He will take care of them

Apollos

Paul

Pastor Josh

Barb

Gary

Tommie

Lee Dawg

Sherryl

Sandy

or any of the other teachers here only plant the seed we don’t grow the seed

Only God grows the seed!!

That is why being in a Bible preaching and teaching church is so important. That is why God has pressed it upon our hearts to minister to the children he is bringing us here at CCC. That is why He continues to bring us workers. So we can continue to plant the Gospel and God can continue to grow it!

While we are here I want to go down a rabbit trail for just a minute. I said at our congregational board meeting last Sunday and again at our elders meeting this past Thursday that I am very excited about our children’s ministry starting back up. I am super excited about a possible youth program starting before school is out this year.

But what I am most excited about as a pastor is the growth I have seen in many of you! I see people moving out of comfort zones into kingdom work because God is growing you.

It is such a blessing to be able to see that growth in your lives. I praise God for that!

With that said, growth angers our enemy. Doing Kingdom work angers our enemy and he will attack. The computer issue last week was an attack. You can call it what you want but here is what I know. The problems we have with that computer make no logical sense. Even the computer people we take it to say there is no reason for it to have not worked last Sunday.

It was and is a spiritual attack played out in the physical realm. satan can’t stop you or I or us from growing in Christ but he can make it hard in the physical realm.

As we continue to grow both spiritually and what I believe will be physically in terms of people and salvations and baptisms the enemy will continue to attack

You won’t feel like getting up when it is your turn to serve. You will be tempted to allow pride to make you frustrated or angry with others. You will be tempted to allow the world to say you are doing too much at that church you deserve a break

Turn to God and He will grow you during those attacks or you can turn to the world and let the devil win. Chase Jesus and everything will be aokay!

God is serious about growing us the question is are we serious about being grown?

Colossians 2:6-15

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6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

I was led to this scripture two weeks ago by God as what should drive the message this morning. Only God grows but we…Christians have an obligation to do things in a certain way…God’s Will for our lives.

I want to look at two passages that I believe should drive our thinking here

II Peter 3:9

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“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

This is God’s will....all reach repentance none should perish.

Perish here is not physical death but spiritual death. Once you receive Christ as your Lord and Savior physical death is just a way to be called home to heaven. It has no bearing in our lives other than a transition from earth to heaven

It is not to be feared because it has no sting. In fact for a Christian death is a good thing, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8 to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Perish here is spiritual perish. The second death where one is cast into hell and spends eternity without God being tormented.

God wants no one to go to hell

Jesus on the cross was the prime example of this

If what you are doing will not shine Jesus’ light and lead someone to repentance it is not God’s will.

You can dress it up all you want but it is not God’s will.

John 10:10

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“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The thief is the devil

I is Jesus

Many wrongly believe this means worldly wealth and riches…that is not the life abundantly Jesus speaks of

Remember Jesus was fully man but also fully God

God’s will is none perish but all reach repentance that means abundant life is a life with God once one reaches repentance and that abundant life leads others to Jesus!

I believe Colossians 2:6-15 and growth are and lead to life abundantly

So let’s look at how does God grow us

How does Jesus give us life abundantly

1. Walk in Him

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What does the phrase walk with Him really mean? How can I do it if I don’t understand it?

Well you can’t so let’s look to scripture to help us

Ephesians 4:1

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“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”

First what calling is being spoken of here?

God calling you through the Holy Spirit to salvation.

To be holy as God is holy

To be a son or daughter of the King of kings

To be the bride of Christ

That is the calling, just to name a few things

Aight Pastor I got that but what does walk in a manner worthy of the calling mean?

Ephesians 4:2-3

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“with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

There is a lot going on here and it sure doesn’t describe a normal, everyday life for sure doesn’t describe the life of someone who is lost, living of the world.

Humble

Gentle

Patient

Bearing in Love

Eager to maintain unity in the bond of peace

That is what a Christian should look like.

When someone asks your spouse or kids or friends or pastor about you these are the things that should be described

Some of you, myself included, struggle with this. Okay all of us struggle with this if we are honest.

This world hates the humble.

They want to make everything all about them, their accolades, their successes, their talent, their ability

I I I I I

All about me!

That is not walking in the calling you are called to as a Christian

Patient.

This world is the opposite of patient.

They want it right now.

Instant gratification.

Take take take

now now now

Bearing in love.....

I can’t bear your shortcomings in love because I don’t have time for that,

I don’t love you I love me

Eager to maintain unity in the bond of peace.......

now an honest look at this would be your facebook , instagram, ticktock, snapchat posts or what you are watching and liking on social media

What are you sharing.

What are you commenting?

Are you looking to maintain unity?

What is fully pleasing to God?

Bearing fruit in every good work

Doing Kingdom work for the glory of God

But even beyond that

Growth

Allowing the Bible to change you

Change your thoughts

change your beliefs

Change your ideas

Change your heart!

That is what is fully pleasing to God

Humble, never about you always about Jesus and others

Gentle

Proverbs 15:1

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

That is gentle. Gentleness cannot be driven by pride but has to be driven by a sacrificial love of others

Patient

The KJV calls it longsuffering.....making the choice to endure.

This is from the Holy Spirit and you must seek Him and allow Him to fill you so that you can truly be patient

Bearing in love

Very close to patient....

you make the choice that because you love someone you will bear them.

Jesus bore your sins and my sins to the cross....

you and I can choose to bear people in love.

Eager to maintain unity

Notice this is not just maintaining unity but being eager to maintain unity.

This isnt like telling your teenager to clean their room.

There may be a lot of banging around and probably some anger displayed either under their breath or out loud but the room gets clean and that is what matters

No that is not what God describes here

God expects you to be eager to maintain unity.

I have some news for you.....maintaining unity typically means putting your feelings and thoughts, and wants and desires aside for someone else.

If it isnt about salvation it isnt worth fighting over

Let me say that again......If it is not about salvation it is not worth fighting over as Christians

Let it go and if change is needed God will provide it

You need to be eager to maintain unity and live in the bond of peace!

Looking for ways to do this

Wanting nothing more than to die to your wants and honor someone else’s

Eager! Kid on Christmas morning eager.

2. Rooted and built upon Him

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As you grow in the Holy Spirit

As you begin to obey

You will become more and more rooted in God

But what are you rooted in and built upon?

Matthew 22:37-40

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“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

You have to be all in to be rooted and grounded in God.

Love God with every fiber of your being

All that you have and all that you are is how you are to love God

Remember in John 14:15 ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Jesus means it. Keep my commandments if you love me!

If it is in God’s Word to do something you have to do it if you love Him

If it is in God’s Word not to do something then you have to not do it if you love Him

In Colossians 2 Paul talks about not being taken captive

Don’t be deceived

There is so much false doctrine and flawed philosophy out there and that is just in the Christian world not counting the lost in the world.

You can’t be deceived when you are rooted

Standing firm on God’s Word

You grow because the Holy Spirit enables you to understand scripture

Then He leads you to believe scripture and then apply that scripture to your life

Paul calls this circumcision without hands

Circumcision of the heart

Cutting away you

Cutting away the world

Cutting away pride and selfishness

Cutting away unbiblical beliefs

Removing the fat to reveal the clean, holy and righteous heart

God is calling people here to serve.

To minister to kids.

To do the work of the Kingdom!

I praise God for that.

As I said earlier the elders met Thursday night and I said to them what I am going to say to you right now.

I am so excited as we charge into this new Children’s and youth ministry.

I am excited for the kids being taught about Jesus and how He is the only way to heaven

How He is the only way to have your sins forgiven

But I am also so very excited to see you growing in Christ.

We have people stepping out in faith after God has continued to place it on their hearts to do so

We have people who are doing that the very first time God places it on their hearts.

We have people who are truly realizing their gifting and trusting God to provide them with all they need as they say yes

It will continue to take more adults doing this but I am so very excited to see the ones who already have said here I am Lord send me.

I am also excited to see the fruit that this will bear. I truly believe this place will begin to be full

That the baptistery will be used often

That it will be a weekly occurrence to see the lost come to Jesus here

Not because of me

Not because of the worship team

Not because of lessons taught

No

It will be because of God working through His children who are willing to serve

Who are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to grow them

Praise God for His great love for us!

You grow because the Holy Spirit enables you to understand scripture then believe scripture then apply scripture

As a pastor I am so excited to begin to see that being played out in many of your lives.

My prayer is for the lost to be found in Christ and the saved to be grown in Christ

You will not grow without God

You will not grow without the Holy Spirit

You will barely grow if all you do is come to church on Sunday mornings

Growth is about personal relationships and personal responsibility

You must be in the Word

Sure you will have questions.

That is awesome by the way to have questions.

One of my favorite conversations to have is about God’s Word

Growth is also about being present

Present here in Sunday School and church and bible studies

Present in service to God and His people

But true growth takes more than those things however true growth comes from being present with God in prayer and study and worship each and every day!

When you are committed to God and His Will you will make excuses to spend time with Him

You will make excuses to be here

You will make excuses to serve

You will be focused on God and growing in and through him

The question is where are you at this morning?

As this song plays ask God that question, God where am I, show me my heart and lead me to your will!