To Be More Like Christ: How Do We Grow?
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning!
Last Sunday, we talked about the importance of “Having the Mind of Christ.”
We’re going to have a follow-up sermon this morning, entitled “To Be More Like Christ: How Do We Grow?”
We’re going to put the emphasis on the “HOW.”
Last week, when we talked about “Having the Mind of Christ” from Philippians 2, we talked about the “WHY.”
WHY do we grow?
Well, to be more like Christ as we obtain the MIND of Christ!
The humility, the joy, the obedience, the unified goal of serving the Father.
We need to have the same mindset of Christ.
The question now becomes, HOW do we go about doing it?
So what we’re really going to do today is follow-up from last week and show some practical application for Christian growth.
1 Peter 2:1-3 says:
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The first thing that we have to realize this morning is that in order to get rid of bad things from our lives, we have to not only get rid of those things (malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking, etc.), but we also have to REPLACE those things with good things in our lives!
(Otherwise, the bad things that we are trying to get rid of are going to find a way to creep back in and refill that void!)
So we have to desire the pure milk of the word so that we can grow, so that we can learn the things from God’s Word NECESSARY for Christian growth!
The very next verse, if you keep reading in 1 Peter, says, “Coming to HIM as to a living stone … ,” and it goes on to say a little bit later that we also are “living stones … being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God THROUGH Jesus Christ!”
Christian Growth is all about HIM!
And it’s all about His WORD!
And by way of illustration, we could bring up the fact that, let’s say, there’s an elite athlete that you want to emulate, that you want to be just like!
What would you do?
You would watch training his videos, you might go to his training camps, and you might read books that he might have written!
Well, that’s one thing when it comes to trying to emulate an elite athlete (or musician, or whatever) …
But it’s so much more important when we’re talking about emulating CHRIST!
We’ve got to get into His Word, and we’ve got to put it into practice in our lives!
Let’s now turn to the book of SECOND Peter and talk about …
The Christian Graces:
The Christian Graces:
We’re going to go fairly quickly through this section because I’ve got something else I want to cover in a little bit.
But camp out here in your own studies later on.
This is an EXTREMELY important section of Scripture!
2 Peter 1:1-2
Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
This is the introduction of the book, but it’s got some crucial information in it.
Pay special attention to “those who have obtained like PRECIOUS faith,”
“BY the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ,” (Without Him, we’d all be without hope!),
and notice where grace and peace is multiplied — “in the KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus our Lord!”
Again, KNOWLEDGE of God’s Word is critical! (That’s one of the key words in 2 Peter).
2 Peter 1:3
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
This is a great verse to memorize!
It shows us that God has given us EVERYTHING that we need for life AND godliness in His Word!
And again, its through KNOWLEDGE of Him through His Word!
Without knowledge, people are destroyed! (Hos. 4:6)
2 Peter 1:4
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Talk about being more like Christ! “That through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust!”
Peter also mentions exceedingly great and precious promises!
That goes all the way back to the promise made to Abraham in the book of Genesis — God promised to him that “In thee, all nations of the earth shall be blessed!”
And that blessing came through the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
Those of us who have ACCEPTED that gift are Christians!
And now, we in turn, are to grow more and more like the One Whose name we bear, every day!
2 Peter 1:5
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
Notice, “for this very reason,” in light of the fact of all that Christ has done for us, we should “give all diligence” to grow!
It should be our number one aim in life, to grow to be more like Christ, so that we will one day be with Him in heaven, and help as many other people as we can get there too!
So how do we do it?
Here begin the Christian Graces, as they’re often called.
2 Peter 1:6-7
to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
If you ever wanted to think of Christianity in terms of a math problem, here you go!
Notice the word “Add.”
A complete Christian is equal to faith + virtue + knowledge + self-control + perseverance + godliness + brotherly kindness + love.
You remove any one of those things, and we must ask ourselves, “Do we still have a complete Christian?
I think we all know the answer to that rhetorical question …
2 Peter 1:8-9
For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
This is serious business!
If we don’t experience any continuous growth in these areas as Christians, it should come as no surprise that we will instead become barren and unfruitful!
And that is a deadly place to be, because Jesus said that the unfruitful will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Matt. 3:10)!
2 Peter 1:10-11
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is a diligent, constant process of humble self-examination to make SURE that we are living faithfully for Christ and His cause.
If we do these things, we will never stumble from the way!
Lastly this morning, as we think about HOW we grow as Christians, I want us to spend some time looking at some of the “one another” passages that are in the New Testament … and there are a lot of them!
The “One Another” Verses:
The “One Another” Verses:
If we get this right, we can make sure that we truly are being more like Christ, because how we are told to treat ONE ANOTHER is exactly how Christ would treat us as well!
Now, we don’t have time to go through all of these this morning.
There are a lot of them — 43 of them in the New Testament!
But we’re going to look at some of the highlights!
And as we look through all of these, keep in mind: How would Jesus Christ act in these matters?
This first one, we know exactly how Jesus would act, because He did exactly the same thing He tells us in John 13:14
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
Likewise, John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
In essence, SERVE one another (John 13:14), and LOVE one another! If only the world would get these two things right!
Jesus expressly states again that we are to love one another in John 12:15 and 17.
But what about Romans 12:10?
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
Romans 14:13
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
(Now context is extremely important there!)
He’s talking about not judging one another in matters of opinion!
Here are a couple of similar ones from Romans:
Romans 15:7
Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
Romans 16:16
Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.
But also don’t forget:
Romans 15:14
Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
Tell me, did Jesus ever admonish anybody? Did Jesus ever rebuke anyone?
Did Jesus ever show righteous indignation?
We have to remember to admonish one another from time to time as well.
We have that DUTY to one another to hold one another accountable!
There are four really good ones in the book of Galatians:
Gal. 5:13 (This verse deals with the proper balance between liberty in Christ, and making sure we don’t use that as an opportunity for sin, and then it adds the last part of the verse) …
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Gal. 5:15 (This one, we are not to do) …
But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Gal. 5:26
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Gal. 6:2 (Context — our SIN burdens!)
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Eph. 4:2
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph. 4:32
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Col. 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
1 The. 4:9
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
1 Thes. 4:18 (Context of comforting one another in the face of death).
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Heb. 3:13
but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Heb. 10:24-25
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
1 Peter 1:22
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
And then we won’t read all of these, but just know that the apostle John mentions 6X in his epistles that we are to “love one another.”
Just one here:
1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
So with that in mind, what is …
The Bottom Line:
The Bottom Line:
The bottom line is just that!
We need to love one another with the same love that God had for us.
God loved us so much that He gave us His Son! His only begotten Son!
And that love should be shown forth in how we treat one another, how we view one another, how we deal with one another, and at times, is going to involve tough love when needed as well.
When Paul uttered the words, “Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” …
He wasn’t their enemy. He told them the truth because he loved them.
Just as Christ told the truth and died for the truth because He loved us as well!
So we need to remember that as we seek to have the mind of Christ, as we seek to grow to become more and more like Christ each day!