Growing Spiritually

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Growing Spiritually

• Lesson 13 Are You Growing?

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Last Week Developing Self-control

• Many of our problems are caused by a lack of
  self-control.
• The result may be that you feel overwhelmed
  defenseless vulnerable scared or uncertain.
• Self-control is essential to leading effective
  and productive lives.
• In order to develop self control, try the
  following
• Identify your problem and admit to it.
• Put your past behind you.
• Challenge your feelings.
• Believe you can change.
• Avoid temptation.
• Trust in Gods power.

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This Week Are You Growing?

• This weeks lesson is a conclusion to our study
  on Growing Spiritually.
• It contains something old and something new.
• Most important for each of us, is the answer to
  the question
• Are you growing spiritually?

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Are you Productive?

• These days we are very conditioned to be
  productive.
• We work hard to become more productive.
• Too often though, we are working to be productive
  at the wrong things.
• Suppose you received your own personal
  productivity report every day, week, month,
  quarter, yearHow would you measure up?
• What is Gods definition of a productive life?

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A Fruitful Christian

• The word fruit occurs 56-67 times in the New
  Testament (depending on which version used).
• The use of the word fruit varies from meaning
  food to spiritual fruit.
• We embarked on a study about Growing Spiritually,
  and learned that in part, growing means bearing
  fruit (fruit of the Spirit).
• God wants to see this kind of fruit in our lives.
• This is His definition of a productive life.

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God uses 3 tools to cause us to grow

• His Word (2 Tim 316-17)
• Through scripture, God teaches us how to live
• If you are going to grow spiritually, you have
  got to get into the Bible (Rom 1017)
• His Spirit
• When we become a Christian, God gives us His
  Spirit as a free gift (Acts 238-39)
• His Spirit lives in us and will become as much a
  part of your life as you allow
• The circumstances of our life
• Circumstances happen our lives are filled with
  events
• Some are good, some are not so good, and some are
  very hard
• God allows these circumstances to occur in our
  lives

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John 15

• vs 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear
  much fruit, showing yourselves to be my
  disciples. NIV
• The proof that you are His disciple is that you
  bear fruit.
• vs 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and
  appointed you to go and bear fruit fruit that
  will last. NIV
• God wants us to bear fruit, much fruit.

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Cultivate Roots

• Jer 177-8 7 But blessed is the man who trusts
  in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He
  will be like a tree planted by the water that
  sends out its roots by the stream. It does not
  fear when heat comes its leaves are always
  green. It has no worries in a year of drought and
  never fails to bear fruit. NIV
• If we want to be fruitful, we need to cultivate
  roots.
• One reason we need roots to make it through
  tough times (a drought).
• How do you handle the dry spells in life?
• Col 26-7 6 So then, just as you received
  Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7
  rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the
  faith as you were taught, and overflowing with
  thankfulness. NIV

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The righteous cannot be uprooted

• Prov 123 A man cannot be established through
  wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
  NIV
• Righteous people can stand the heat of a drought
  because they have roots.
• In a drought, resources become limited and
  sometimes in life you have to do without things
  on which you normally depend.
• How do you cultivate roots?

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How do you cultivate roots?

• Ps 12-3 2 But his delight is in the law of the
  LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
  3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
  which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf
  does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. NIV
• Roots are developed by reading and meditating on
  Gods Word.
• It is if we are a tree planted by a stream of
  water that never runs dry.
• As a consequence, you are able to bear fruit and
  never wither.

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Luke 811-15

• 11 "Now the parable is this The seed is the word
  of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who
  hear then the devil comes and takes away the
  word out of their hearts, lest they should
  believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the
  rock are those who, when they hear, receive the
  word with joy and these have no root, who
  believe for a while and in time of temptation
  fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among
  thorns are those who, when they have heard, go
  out and are choked with cares, riches, and
  pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to
  maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good
  ground are those who, having heard the word with
  a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit
  with patience. NKJV

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Eliminate the weeds

• If you want to bear fruit, cultivate roots and
  eliminate the weeds.
• What are the weeds in your life?
• Jesus mentions 3 in Luke 814
• Cares (worries) are a preoccupation with
  everyday concerns.
• Riches (materialism) refers to the fixation on
  making money to buy more things.
• Pleasures (entertainment) are the things apart
  from God that we pursue to bring joy in our
  lives.
• These things distract you from Christ.
• They take our time, energy, money and ultimately
  they can interfere with us producing fruit.

Busyness?
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Cooperate with God

• John 151 "I am the true vine, and my Father is
  the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me
  that bears no fruit, while every branch that does
  bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more
  fruitful. NIV
• We will get whacked on whether we produce fruit
  or not.
• Do not be confused by this and cooperate with
  God.
• He cuts off the branches that bear no fruit.
• He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so
  that they will bear more fruit.
• We are to cooperate with God as He tends his
  garden.

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2 Peter 110-13

• 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager
  to make your calling and election sure. For if
  you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and
  you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
  kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12
  So I will always remind you of these things, even
  though you know them and are firmly established
  in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right
  to refresh your memory as long as I live in the
  tent of this body, NIV

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Do these things

• What are the things Peter is referring to?
• These are the qualities listed in vs 5-7. (fruit
  of the Spirit)
• If we do them, we will never fall. (vs 10)
• If we do them, we will receive a rich welcome
  into Heaven. (vs 11)
• We are to be reminded of them continuously, even
  if we already do them. (vs 12)
• It is right to remind each other of them (vs
  13)

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Summary

• I am the vine you are the branches. If a man
  remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
  fruit apart from me you can do nothing.

• If you are growing, then you should be producing
  spiritual fruit.
• In order to sustain our growth
• Cultivate roots
• Eliminate the weeds
• Cooperate with God
• Remember that we are to remind one another about
  these things (Spiritual fruit).
• If we have these qualities
• We will never fall.
• We will receive a rich welcome in Heaven.

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Memory verse Luke 815

• But the ones that fell on the good ground are
  those who, having heard the word with a noble and
  good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.