-Last week we looked at the need to keep discipleship at the forefront of our focus

-Great Commandment, Great Commission, our great need.

-This week we’ll be looking at what we need to grow as disciples. Just as plants need soil, water, sun, and air to grow, we need certain things added to our lives to become everything God has called us to be.

-Diagram

-Explain T&V “the basic work of any Christian ministry is to preach the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of God’s Spirit, and to see people converted, changed and grow to maturity in that gospel. This is where the life and power of all ministry is to be found: in the prayerful, Spirit-backed speaking of the message of the Bible by one person to another (or to more than one).”

-Need some sort of trellis (location, Bibles, chairs are helpful, as is an HVAC system) But if we only focus on the trellis (the programs we have) we’re missing the point of a trellis. A trellis is designed to provide structure for a vine.

-Another extreme to avoid is all vine with no trellis. Vine become unhealthy and dies without a way to anchor itself and grow.

-The primary point of this is for the vine (us) to grow healthier and more like Jesus on a daily basis. Remember: each of us need to consciously decide every day to take 1 step closer to Jesus, and pray for the faithfulness to help others take 1 step closer to Jesus because of our time together.

-For all of us, there are some non-negotiables if we want to grow into maturity: it’s the 3 Ss that you see in the sermon outline: Scripture, Sunday, and Serve. We can have the best programs in the world, we can have the best Bible teachers, the best curriculum, the best facility but none of that will help you grow UNLESS you’re spending regular time in Scripture, committing to gather together as God’s people on Sunday, and using your gifts to serve one another. 

PRAY

1. Scripture (Deut. 6:6, 2 Timothy 3:14-17)

-“These words…on your heart.” Guiding, directing everything.

-Not just a NT idea, this is the way God designed our lives to operate. Centering everything we do around His Words.

-What are we teaching our kids? God’s Word. What should we be talking about as we go about our days? God’s Word! What should be bound between your eyes and on your hands? God’s Word! What should be written on your doors and gates? God’s Word! The focus is God’s Word. 

-As we talk about this idea, I think many of us make the mistake of viewing this solely through our individualistic lenses. When we hear that we need to spend time in God’s Word, our minds immediately jump to “I must have a daily quiet time where I wake up at 5 AM and spend 2 hours reading and studying the Bible.” 

-Don’t take this too far where I’m saying that’s not good, because ANY time reading and studying God’s inspired words to us is worthwhile! But think of how Deuteronomy talks about this. Where do we talk about God’s Word? Not when we’re sitting in “my spot” with my cup of coffee and my journal! Throughout our lives. 

-The other thing that’s important to remember is we’re all wired differently. Some are taller than others, some are stronger than others. Some people thrive by doing the same thing every day, some strive by having variety every day, the primary thing is getting God’s Word in your life some way. Do a verse! Meditate, reflect, put them in your car, on your computer monitor, tattoo them on your arm!

-Timothy: “Continue…from childhood.”

-Praying for a boring testimony for my kids. If you were saved under the age of 18, praise God for the influence of godly people in your life.

-If you didn’t become a believer until later, thank God that you now have the opportunity to grow more like Jesus, but notice that the way salvation comes (through Jesus) is by being acquainted with the sacred writings.

-Heard people say “Don’t put God in a Bible shaped box” I don’t, that’s literally the way God designed it. You can’t separate God from His Word

-“All Scripture” 

-We don’t get to pick and choose which verses or sections we like and ignore the rest. In order to grow more like Jesus, it requires knowing and understanding ALL Scripture. And the crazy part about it is the more you come to know the more you realize you don’t know. I know no one who has completely mastered this book. I know people who have been reading and studying this book for their whole lives and still haven’t mastered it.

-The biggest thing I want you to take away from this section: the point of Scripture in our lives is not to master it, but to be mastered by it. In everything we do we conform ourselves to the Bible.

-A way I’ve been contemplating this reality recently: I’ve read a LOT of books in my life! Do you know how many have really stood out to me and I can remember specific things from? 3: Fellowship, Two Towers, ROTK! (little more than that) But I am the product of the hundreds of books I’ve read, each one somehow affecting and influencing me. Same with the Bible! I’ve read it cover to cover more times than I can count, I’ve dug deep into all sorts of passage regularly. How many times has it been amazing? A few. (Adam was there with her, let your gentleness be evident to all Phil. 4:5)

-“Breathed out by God”

-Translation of 1 Greek word “God-breathed”

-Think of what we see God’s breathe doing in the Bible: creation is by speaking, salvation comes by Jesus breathing on us (weird verse in John 20:22)

-“Profitable” No time spent in God’s Word is wasted. 

-“Teaching” 

-It’s no coincidence that most of our time on Sunday morning is taking up by the teaching of what? God’s Word! Takes place in more than just the preaching too! We sing God’s Word, we pray God’s Word, we see God’s Word (ordinances)

-What should we be teaching each other? God’s Word! Only teaching that is centered on God’s Word is profitable and thus worth our time

-“Reproof”

-Beliefs to avoid, correcting false doctrine

-“Correction”

-how not to live

-“Training in righteousness”

-Culmination of everything else. If we know what to believe, what not to believe, as well as how not to live, we’ll live rightly (or righteously)

-“Complete, equipped for every good work”

-Do you want to become everything God has called us to be? It only comes about through God’s Word. Our north star that guides everything else we do. Gives us everything we need to be obedient to God. Does that mean we should spend 24 hours a day doing nothing but read the Bible? No! But should the Bible be a regular part of our lives? Yes! 

-Read an article this week titled ‘Spiritually Hungry? The Church Service Is Your Main Meal’ where the author said if you ever feel discouraged about not having your “quiet times” think back to what you did when you gathered together with God’s people on Sunday morning. If you’re at a true/faithful church, God’s Word has been spoken over you and worked in you. But that assumes you’re at church, and the second thing we need to remember is God’s Word isn’t about us as individuals.

-Most of the NT was written to the gathered church, when God speaks, He’s speaking to His people (group) We have a tendency to view our faith only in terms of how it affects me instead of seeing how it affects us as a church.

• Sunday (Hebrews 10:19-25)

-Everything that takes place on Sunday helps to center us on God’s Word, and it’s no coincidence that the way God has designed our world is centered on 7 days. Life is hard!

-Remember and remind. We gather to remember who God is, what He has done in human history (and our lives), remember how He has commanded us to live, and to remind others (and each other) to be faithful living as God has called and commanded.

-Stumbled across a podcast a couple years ago that interviewed some of my previous favorite musicians (CCM world when I was growing up) many of whom have “deconstructed” and left their faith, and honestly sent me spiraling for a few weeks. Why do I believe this, why do I keep putting all this time and effort into this? Is it true? Can I honestly devote the rest of my life to this? Then I stumbled across a guitarist who went through the same process and then realized the times he would question or doubt were when he missed the weekly gathering of God’s people. If we don’t have that, we won’t remember who God is and what He’s like, we’ll ask the question our first parents asked: “Did God really say?” 

-Once again, God’s Word gives us something about this! 

-Just as we saw last week, all of this is dependent on Jesus’ work. Under the old covenant (OT) the only way to enter any holy places was through animal blood, sacrifices, and even then with fear and trepidation for fear of coming face to face with the holy God. And even then, the only person who would try to enter were priests. But that’s the old covenant.

-Now, we have confidence, boldness, full assurance. Nothing to fear, nothing else to do, Jesus has provided the way for us to come straight into God’s presence. So how do we respond? If anyone is a vegetarian in the room, 3 heads of lettuce:

1) Draw Near:

-Full assurance, through faith, hearts sprinkled clean (Jer. 31) bodies washed (communion, the external evidence of our internal faith)

2) Hold fast: to what? Our confession. 

-Doesn’t that seem a bit weird? We hold fast to what we confess to be true, because our faith isn’t dependent on the strength of our faith, but the object of our faith.

-Back to remember and remind! We believe certain things to be true, but we forget them.

3) Consider how to stir up one another.

-How do we stir one another up? By meeting together, and as we meet together we encourage each other. You can’t stir one another up unless you’re actually together.

-COVID got us in a whole bunch of bad habits! Everyone learned how to consume church instead of be the church (heard a pastor one time say even the way our buildings are designed communicate that we’re here to consume. Didn’t offer any alternatives, but pointed it out!) 

-Carson quote

-Not a new idea! Even shortly after Jesus’ ascension people had the habit of not meeting together! There’s nothing new!

-Increasing urgency as “The Day” comes near! Love the way one pastor put this: we’re not on the planning committee, we’re on the welcoming committee. If we’re on the welcoming committee, we need to ensure we’re ready, and as we see that day drawing ever closer we need to scramble to get ready! Like having someone over

• Serve (1 Peter 4:7-11)

-Just as the urgency in Hebrews was more important as “The Day” approached, Peter is reminding the church that the end is here. 

-Because of that reality, we should live self-controlled and sober-minded lives. Not careless, flippant, or unconcerned. Careful and intentional lives. If we know what the future looks like (we do) then we need to live like we do. Not fearful of what’s going on, not tentative about what God’s doing, not giving in to whatever feelings you have in the moment, instead boldly sharing what God has said: self-controlled and sober-minded. What one person called “Eschatological clearheadedness.”

-“Keep loving one another.”

-Anyone in this room not want to be loved? The reason we need to be reminded of this is it’s easy to forget or refuse to live in that reality. “Earnestly” could also be translated “constantly,” as in this needs to mark all of us. Do you live a life marked by love?

-This love (slow to anger) means it will be able to endure all sorts of sins. Are you unoffendable? 

-Show hospitality without grumbling.

-Talked to people who were tired of always planning the group get togethers. Read this past week about someone who felt called to open up their home to others, had dreams of creating a place where weary travelers could stop, but started thinking that they would be ungrateful and so decided it wasn’t worth it. Talked to a monk who said “love in the theoretical is easy, in the real world very difficult.”

-What does this say the purpose of gifts is? To serve on another.

-Not to build a brand, not to build a following – to serve. Think of Jesus who came not to BE served, but to serve. Who washed His disciples’ feet, a job no person in their right mind would willingly do (clean toilets)

-The primary reason God gave us these gifts is to steward. Not hide it, not bury it: steward it. I’ve shared before I think one of the greatest witnesses today is someone who enjoys all of God’s good gifts in moderation. That’s what stewarding means, not ignoring God’s gifts, not abusing God’s gifts, carefully using them in their proper place. Food is a great gift and a terrible god. Sex is a great gift and a terrible god. Kids are a great gift and a terrible god. Marriage is a great gift and a terrible god. Everything God has given to us is a great gift that points to our great God, but aren’t supposed to be worshipped themselves.

-Same with our gifts! The point of these gifts is to glorify and praise Jesus above everything else, so use your gifts to serve those around you! 

-If you want to grow as a disciple, it means becoming more like Jesus, which means serving as He served, looking to others’ interests above your own.

-The three things necessary for you to grow as a disciple: Scripture, Sunday, serving others with your gifts.

-This has to take place in the context of community. Scripture isn’t meant to be interpreted in isolation. Sunday can’t happen by yourself. You can’t use your gifts to serve yourself! 

-The key is to be actively involved in the life of church! Let Scripture affect every area of your life, prioritize gathering with God’s people, and find your gifts so you can faithfully serve others and continue growing to become more like Jesus.