The Journey Grows Us

Introduction

The movie “Into the Wild”-Tells the story of a young man(Christopher McCandless) in 1992 who felt he lost sight of who he really was in the midst of his east coast suburban upbringing, following graduating from college he gave away the rest of his college fund and took off to the west coast to “find himself.” The book written in 1996 by Jon Krakauer details his journey to discover who this man was and what drove him to travel so far from home and what he learned along the away. What is so interesting about the book is that it not only deals with telling the story of Chris McCandles, but of who his story influenced Jon. It was a journey for Jon ultimately through Chris travels that lead him to a deeper understanding of himself. The Journey helped him to grow and as he sought to understand this man he learned more about himself

We as believers experience something far greater as we dive deeper into our understanding of our Savior Jesus Christ. As we dive deep into his word and seek to grow as members of this faith community we are being transformed. In Today’s text we see how our own Journey causes us to Grow.

(Read the text)

The Journey Grows our Desire for the Living Word (1-3)

English Standard Version Chapter 2

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

-We must reject the wold way of life. It is no longer who we are it is simply who we were (Ephesians 2:1-5a)

English Standard Version Chapter 2

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses,

We must pursue God & His Word like a child yearns for milk

-The Word Nourishes us like milk

-The Word Grows us in maturity just as milk grows a child

-The word is Of great flavor we can’t help but yearn for it

The Journey Grows us in our Spiritual Unity (4-5)

English Standard Version Chapter 2

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

-We are temples of the living God

-We are a Holy Priesthood who intercede for others and offer worship

-Our lives are acts of Worship in every way. ()

English Standard Version Chapter 12

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The Journey Grows us in our unity to Christ (6-8)

English Standard Version Chapter 2

6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,”

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,”

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense.”

-Christ is the Foundation and cornerstone that our spiritual unity is based on

-If you have believed in Him then you will not be put to shame ()

-original text dealt with the rejection of God in favor of their own desires, and that the God would lay out a Savior who would show the reality that God is not mocked, nor is he silent against those who would claim to worship him yet choose to pursue evil and injustice.

-Those who trust in the Lord will be honored in the time of Christ’s return (this is meant as an encouragement as they deal with injustice and struggle with seeing evil flourish while the just seem to be in pain)

-Those who Reject the Lord are seen by their continue desire to pursue their own desires (Christ requires love and obedience, while the world can not except such a God)

- 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The Journey Grows us in our understanding of Salvation (9-10)

English Standard Version Chapter 2

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The Names He connects here are found in the OT both in & but here they take on a new dimension as the people of God include all who call on the name of the Lord

-We a new Race (God has made us New he called us out we are Hiss, there should be no form of racism in the family of God for all who call on the name of the Lord regardless of the color of their skin or the place where they are born share one race and that is God’s)

-We have a new Job (We are a royal priesthood, or job exists as those who seek to reconcile the world to God through the proclamation of the Gospel and the preaching of the good news)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

-Our Home is now distinct from the World and is defined by Holiness

-We have a new Father (We are now the Possession of God the father who lovingly bought us back from the power of the

-We have recieved Mercy that was not deserved. We were once alone in this world, but now we belong. ()