Explicit Gospel: It Matures You

Christ Matures Me

Scripture reveals god to be sovereign and glorious and tells us that His sovereign plan is to make manifest the supremacy of His glory. God’s passion is for His own glory. Man seeks to rob God of His glory and seek their glory, worshipping creation instead of the Creator, exchanging the truth of God for a lie. God is just with condemning all humanity to his wrath, and eternal condemnation.

This is the bad news. This is the problem. Sin rules the heart and their is a chasm between God and man. Man cannot get to God on their own. Mankind is dead in their sins and trespasses.

Enter in the Good News. Enter in Grace and Mercy. Enter in Christ. Enter in, The Person, not the religion.

*Read Colossians 1:15-20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:1-3

(pg. 54) - The Gospel (Christ) pushes us toward Holiness and Righteousness.

**Look at the content and discuss the reality of delight leading us to holiness, righteousness, and maturity.

The Gospel includes salvation, but it is more than just fire insurance. Do you think that many Christians believe that it is more?

2. What comes to your mind when you think about growing in Christ? (pg. 58) Is there a separation between the Gospel and spiritual growth? (pg. 59)

In order to carry out Jesus’ commands (Matthew 22:34-40), we must be made into a new people, into a new creation. (pg.60)

*This is what Christ does. Read 2 Cor. 5:15-21. Through Christ, a person is born again by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit births love for God/Christ, births joy, and peace. We desire to know Him, love Him, and follow Him, because we are born again.

The Gospel makes us into a people who want to do God-things, and love God-things. The Gospel does this. Read John 1:12; John 3:3; Romans 1:16; 1 Peter 1:23.

*Read top paragraph of page 61: Choose sin or godliness.

“Growing in maturity in Christ is an expression of who you are.” New creations can and will grow. But how?

Focusing on things above, delighting in Christ, and...

Putting to death that which is below. This is the Christians “violent pursuit.”

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What is the relationship between the flesh and the Spirit? Read Galatians 5:16-17. Do you feel this battle? Why do we still struggle as new creations? Is this normal?

Read Romans 7. Does Paul struggle? Read Romans 6:12-14; Romans 8:12-14; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 3:12-14.

Where does the power to kill sin come from? (pg. 63-64)

We are doing, in light of what has already been done. We are resting and operating out of the Gospel. We are operating out of faith in Who Christ is, what He has done, and who we are in Christ.

The focus, the emphasis, the fuel and the engine is the Gospel. We put to death, practice holiness and discipline ourselves in light of what Christ has done. This is who you are as a believer… now… act like it.

The weapons of Grace are provided. Read 2 Peter 1:3.

We have the blood. (Read Ephesians 2:13)

We have the Word of God. (Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

*Look at the Spiritual Warfare picture on page 70.

3. We have the promises of the New Covenant. (Read Hebrews 9:15).

We must ensure that our war against sin is waged through the knowledge and the power of the Cross. Now we can attack the roots of sin and not just the branches.

Wherever the heart is, the actions wills follow. Grace-driven effort attacks the roots of the behavior, not the behavior alone. The Gospel’s weapons of Grace attacks the desires and the affections of the heart. Read Ephesians 4:17-24).

We are looking for heart change and it is provided by the Holy Spirit’s power, not religion.