Advancement

Doxology:

This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 10:24-25

Hebrews 10:24–25 NKJV

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 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.

Context

We are working through a series right now called “Family Matters”.

We are looking at the importance of belonging to, aligning with, and locking arms with a local church.

Last week, we looked at how those in the early church belonged to a local congregation, and why that was so important. It was more than just being counted as a member, it was being a part of the family; it was being commissioned by the leaders of that local assembly; it was having a heart to reach those who lived in the immediate vicinity of that local assembly; it was submitting to the leadership and guidance of the leaders within that local assembly for the purpose of spiritual growth and development.

And that is what we want to look at today: Advancement… spiritual growth and development.

Content

The expectation of God upon all believers is that we grow. Let me give you several verses to set that precedent:

Ephesians 2:8–10 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Romans 8:28–29 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Colossians 2:6–7 NKJV

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

And the list could go on and on, but here are a few examples that very clearly state that we as Christians are expected of God to grow in our walk with Him continuously. We just are. The principle that God sets within His Word is that living things grow. If we are alive in Christ, we should be growing.

But the question now becomes, “How do we do that?”

Well, that growth happens in a lot of different ways, but what I want us to see today, is that much of the growth we experience in life comes by way of doing life with other people.

Naturally speaking, we tend to live in extremes. If there is a scale that gauges a specific belief, we tend to fall either to one extreme or the other. Only through much deliberation and thought are we able to see the truth, or the right plan of action falls somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. We do the same with actions. We tend to believe that something is completely wrong or not wrong at all, but once we have had a chance to sit down and fully grasp the situation, we might tend to say, “Well there are times when this would be permissible and then there are times when this should probably not be done.”

Let me give you an example:

***Share my traumatic experience.

***Share my ah-ha moment with dad some years later.

***Share how that has shaped my failures and progressions as a Christian.

Relationships are a tricky thing. They are difficult. Many of the challenges, trials, and moments of roller coaster emotions that we experience in life come as a result of doing life with other people. Sometimes people upset you, because they make decisions without considering how it might make you feel. Sometimes people upset you, because they are just trying to play a practical joke, not realizing just how badly it might hurt you. Sometimes people upset you because they don’t take something near as seriously as you do. Sometimes people upset you because they are just having a bad day, and you just so happen to be the one that they take everything out on. Regardless of the why, our relationships with other people become the source of much of the turmoil we experience in life.

But listen closely, the opposite is also true. Many of the blessings, the answered prayers, the encouragement, and the support we need and receive to get through life also come as a result of doing life with other people. God speaks to us through other people. God answers prayers through other people. When someone comes to you and says, “Hey, I just want you to know that I have been praying for you”, it makes all the difference in the world. When someone blesses you with a gift, or gives you a surprise, or makes some small gesture that blesses your heart, these things remind us that God is good, and that He knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

This is true in within the church family, and this is true within our personal families. We need each other to grow and be developed.

Sometimes, when things get hard, its easy for us to go to that place to where we say, “I’m done. I just can’t do this anymore. I am just going to stay home. I don’t want to talk anyone. I don’t want to be around anyone. I don’t want to have to listen to anyone. I just want to sit by myself. If I am not around anyone, then I can’t get upset. If I just walk away from it all, then my life would be so much simpler.”

In some sense, you might be right. If you never go around anyone, you will get upset a lot less. But if you never go around anyone, you will also miss out on seeing the glory of the Lord move and operate in their livers and yours. And trust me when I tell you this, your faith cannot grow if you fail to ever see God move.

See, when I see God answer a prayer, it allows my faith to grow. When I see God cure someone, it allows my faith to grow. When I see God move and operate in someone’s life to the point that they are completely delivered from some addiction, some personal issue, some struggle, or some mental attack, it allows my faith to grow. Doing life with other people, opens the door for me to see and hear and perceive the mighty hand of God upon their lives, and upon mine. Just as God can use me to be a blessing to others, God will use others to be a blessing to me. And each time either of those things happen, my faith grows that much stronger.

That is where our verses for today come into play:

Hebrews 10:24 NKJV

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

This word consider means to “observe fully...to perceive”.

When you spend enough time with someone, you can tell when they are upset about something. You can tell when they are struggling with something. You can tell when they are pulling back or just not being themselves.

It is in these moments, that we are to consider what they might be going through, and then stir up love and good works within them.

That word stir, means to incite. We are to see that they are struggling and then encourage them to keep pushing forward. We are to combat the negative in their lives with the love of God. We are to encourage them to do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it.

Whether we like to admit or not, we need this kind of love and support regularly, and it is a blessing that we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are willing to care enough, and consider how they might stir up the best in me by pointing me to the cross of Jesus Christ and reminding me of who I am.

He goes on to say in verse 25:

Hebrews 10:25 NKJV

25 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.

See, you can’t get this support from those whom you are never around. We are told to come together regularly for this very purpose… “exhorting one another”… encouraging one another.

It is during those difficult times that we experience growth in Christ, because it is during those difficult times that our faith is stretched. We push each other to grow, which is also pushing each other to fulfill the expectation of God on our lives to grow. We need each other.

Now there are certain things that we are expected to do privately that lead to growth in our lives:

Read the Bible

1 Peter 2:2 NKJV

2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

Prayer

Matthew 6:6 NKJV

6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Meditation

Psalm 119:27 NKJV

27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.

Service

Hebrews 5:13–14 NKJV

13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

God has given us all of these things as a means of growth, but just because we can grow individually, does not negate the fact that God wants us to grow together, helping and supporting one another along the way as well.

Proverbs 27:17 NKJV

17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Ephesians 4:11–16 NKJV

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

These are some of the best verses in Scripture to show us how we are to help one another grow. Obviously, those within leadership are using their gifts and talents to help others experience Spiritual growth and development, but then as those individuals experience that growth and development, they too then move into leadership and do the same. It is a never ending process of raising up new leaders within the church who then turn around and pour into others.

2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV

2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Commitment

Now, what makes all of this possible? It is because Jesus came and gave us the perfect example of what it looked like to pour into others, to make sacrifices for others, to consider others, and then also to love others.

He loved us so much, that He was willing to lay down His life so that we could experience life to the fullest. His love for us compelled Him to do the unthinkable, which was to die for every single person in existence, even those who hated Him and did not believe in Him.

This morning, you can experience new life in Christ.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Is that you this morning?

Let me ask you all, what is your next step? Look at where you are on your spiritual journey. Look at where God has called you to be. What is your next step? What does that look like for you?

You can come up here during our time of worship and pray to God, or talk to me, or you can come to me afterwards to talk. It doesn’t matter as long as you follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.