Members Grow

Josh Clink

Clarify, Unify, Glorify • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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ME: Intro

Generally speaking,

In most sports,

Athletes who are taller, bigger, and stronger,

Tend to fare better.

And since I was a kid,

Sports have been really important to me.

And I remember getting my growth spurt later than most of the other kids my age.

And the thing that made me want to grow so badly,

Was sports.

I wanted to be taller and stronger,

So, I could be a better athlete.

Then, when my growth spurt finally came,

I got to 5’10” and 3/4,

And plateaued.

I tried out to be a WR for my varsity football team.

And the coach listed me on the roster as 6’1” because other coaches could see the roster.

And my coach said,

“No one is going to be worried about a 5’10” WR.”

To which, I said,

Hey!

That’s 5’10” and 3/4s.

Those 3/4s matter.

Because that basically 5’11”,

Which is basically 6 foot.

But it wasn’t just football,

It was the same thing with volleyball.

I wanted to be an outside hitter so bad!

But the coach initially started me out at back row and setter,

Because hitters needed to have the height to play over the net.

Fortunately, we had mostly averaged height people on the team,

So, the coach,

Almost with a sigh in her voice,

Let me be a hitter.

But even still,

I would Google if there were ways to get taller,

Hoping to get an inch or two here or there.

Because I would have loved to have been a 6’4” WR or hitter.

I always wanted to grow more!

I did not want to settle with only being 5’10” 3/4.

Because sports were important to me,

I was beholden to them,

So, I wanted to grow,

I wanted to be better.

This is true for all of us.

Not necessarily when it comes to sports.

But when something is important to us,

When we are beholden to something,

We want to grow to be better.

So, when Christ is important to us

We will want to Grow in Christlikeness.

And that is our focus this morning.

If you have the notes or the bulletin,

You will notice I did a last minute title change.

Because instead of this ambiguous idea that members grow,

Our focus is that we grow in Christlikeness.

And our passage for this is Luke 18:9-14.

Slide

At first glance,

This passage does not seem like a passage about growth.

Although it may not be the most natural passage for growth,

We are starting here,

Because vs. 9-12 warn us about mistaken growth.

Then vs. 13-14 contrasts what we must have for growth.

After going through this passage,

We will transition to some application from the NT for Christlike growth.

Last year’s study through Acts was focused on clarifying the mission of FBC Afton.

Part of our mission is growing in Christlikeness.

This year,

We have focused on clarifying to unify,

To ultimately glorify God.

Because as we grow in Christlikeness,

We glorify God.

Biblical author, Jen Wilkin has this simple statement that is helpful here,

She writes;

We become what we behold.

So, our takeaway this morning borrows this point Wilkin makes,

If we behold Christ,

Then we will grow in Christlikeness.

This is true for each of us as individual members,

But it is also true for us corporately as a body.

Therefore, as a body, we must have an intentional discipleship process.

According to church researchers,

A lack of intentional discipleship is believed to have caused a lack of Christlike growth in churches.

And as a result,

Some believe churches are filled with people who have connected with God by faith in Christ,

But are not growing in Christlikeness.

This is dangerous,

Because instead of growing in Christlikeness,

Our natural bent is to grow in self righteousness.

WE: (Luke 18:9-12)

Slide

Which is a mistaken growth.

Because we will think we have arrived spiritually.

We think we have read the entire Bible,

So, we know it all.

We have experienced many things throughout our Christian life,

So, we have seen it all.

Therefore,

In our minds, there is no more growing left to do.

But if we truly believe God is infinite and we are not,

Then we must accept there is always more to learn and more to grow.

This mistaken growth is especially dangerous in our context.

Because we live in a hyper-individualistic culture.

Meaning we keep our spiritual strictly lives private and personal.

So, when we start believing in this mistaken growth,

It goes unnoticed and worse, uncorrected.

Therefore, true Christlike growth only happens when we start with a humble heart.

Slide

If anyone had the right to think highly of their growth,

It is the Apostle Paul.

But look what he says instead in Phil. 3:12-14,

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Then, he says in vs. 15,

Slide

Let those of us who are mature think this way.

Mature members humbly work for true growth in total dependence on the Spirit.

Not a mistaken growth dependent upon one’s self.

Too often,

We mistake superficial outward signs,

While completely neglecting any inward reality as growth.

And because we are sinners,

We care about people thinking we are mature,

More than actually being mature.

So, Jesus corrects this mistaken growth constantly throughout the gospels.

One common illustration He uses is that of a white washed tomb.

But most of us don’t spend a lot of time around ancient tombs.

So, I want to use a similar but modern illustration,

The dishwasher mug.

You ever take a mug out of the dishwasher,

The outside looks nice and clean.

You fill it with a fresh hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa.

Then you go to take that first sip,

And something is floating in it.

Just the thought of it makes me want to gag.

Most of us would dump it down the sink and clean the inside of the mug before drinking out of it.

Its ridiculous to think that anyone would be willing to drink out of it,

With all that nasty crud,

Simply because the outside was clean,

And no one would know that we are actually drinking crud.

All you would be doing is harming yourself to deceive others.

Well, that is the same idea of mistaken growth.

Slide

And that is what Jesus’ parable in Luke 18 teaches.

Vs. 9 describes His audience as trusting in themselves,

That they were righteous,

And looked down on others.

So, the focus of the parable is the first man introduced in vs. 10,

The Pharisee,

The one who,

Like this audience,

Trusted in himself,

And his own self-righteousness.

He is intentionally contrasted against the second man,

The tax collector.

There are a lot of cultural assumptions that come with these two positions.

A Pharisee was a Jewish leader.

They were extremely meticulous in all matters pertaining to the OT law,

Including the addition of many oral traditions that had been added to the law.

So, they treated themselves as the true voice of the Jews.

Even their name, Pharisee, means “to distinguish.”

Conversely, a tax collector,

Or a publican,

Was a person who was tasked with collecting taxes from the Jews for the Romans.

Many were very corrupt.

They would overcharge the Jews,

Then pocketing the difference for themselves.

And when the tax collector was a fellow Jew,

Like the one in the parable,

They were especially hated,

Because they were not just stealing from the Jews,

They betrayed their own people for money.

So, they were often disowned by the Jews,

Resulting in their exclusion from religious activities.

So, these are the two people Jesus introduces in His parable;

The religious Pharisee,

And the traitorous tax collector.

Slide

In vs. 11, the Pharisee is standing off by himself while he prays.

As his title would suggest,

He is distinguishing himself.

But Jesus is showing how the Pharisee believes he is so righteous,

So holy,

That no one can be near him while he prays.

Then, his prayer reinforces that his worship is all about himself.

He first expresses contempt for sinners who are not holy like him,

Masking it as a prayer of gratitude.

You can almost imagine the Pharisee as he stands there,

Pointing over his shoulder,

As he says out loud,

Thank you God that I am not like this sinner back here!

Slide

Then, he keeps “praying” in vs. 12,

Telling God his spiritual resume,

How he goes above and beyond the law’s demands.

Clearly, this Pharisee was proud of his religiousness and spiritual superiority.

I mean,

Two out of the seven days he eats nothing for God.

The law only prescribed one fast a year on the Day of Atonement.

Sure, there are examples of voluntary fasting.

Psalm 35:13 expresses the common practice of fasting while praying.

In 1 Kings 21:27, King Ahab combined fasting with his repentance.

And after King Saul died,

David fasts as he mourns in 2 Sam. 1:12.

So, yes, voluntary fasting was relatively common.

Let me also add a quick disclaimer.

Jesus’ point is not to condemn fasting.

It is a useful spiritual discipline.

In Luke 5:35, Jesus said His disciples will fast after He returns to heaven.

And we see an example of this in Acts 13:2-3,

Where the church in Antioch fasted and prayed to discern God’s missionary call for Barnabas and Saul.

So, Jesus’ point here,

Is not to condemn fasting,

It is to show how self-righteousness is mistaken growth.

Slide

Jesus teaches how fasting relates to true growth in Matt. 6:16-18,

Matthew 6:16–18 ESV

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

So, fasting is a habit for spiritual growth.

But do it,

Jesus says,

Not for the admiration of others,

But for God and His glory.

The Pharisee’s fasting is mistaken growth.

Both his fasting and his tithes,

Are done to show how righteous he is,

To show how he is not like other sinners.

He thinks he is growing spiritually,

But he is sadly mistaken about his growth.

Slide

I want to highlight specifically how he is mistaken in three key ways.

First is the performance trap.

In pretty much every sport,

We keep individual statistics to evaluate a person’s performance.

Batting percentage, touchdowns, shooting percentage, saves, blocks, assists, goals,

On and on the list could go.

In professional sports,

Athletes and their agents then use those statistics measured up against other players to argue for their contractual worth.

And as a society,

We celebrate the stars who stuff up a stat sheet!

These players are the headliners and award winners.

So, this Pharisee is mistakenly applying the same idea to his spiritual life.

And we make the same mistakes.

God I did my quiet time every day this week!

I handed out 5 tracts this week!

I told three people about Jesus this week!

Therefore, my performance,

Means I am worthy.

I have grown because of my spiritual stats.

That is mistaken growth.

True growth is not directly correlated to our performance.

Yes, our growth produces greater works,

But when we interpret it the other way around,

We make the same mistake as the Pharisee.

Slide

Second is judging by the wrong standards.

This is when we measure our growth by comparing ourselves to others.

This Pharisee was so proud,

Because he was not like extortioners, the unjust, adulterers, or the tax collector.

He was simultaneously praying to the judge of the universe while acting as the judge of the person next to him.

Jonathan Edwards wrote a healthy remedy to this mistake,

He said,

“Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings, as others, and that I will let the knowledge of their failing promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.”

If we are judging ourselves as righteous by focusing on others,

Then we are not growing in Christlikeness,

We are deceiving ourselves with mistaken growth.

Slide

Third, depending on our own personal strength or effort for growth.

Our effort on its own is never the source of Christlike growth.

The author of Hebrews says to leave elementary doctrine and grow in maturity in Heb. 6.

But then,

He immediately states that we will do this,

If God permits.

The Bible does tell us to grow and mature,

But it says we do by the grace and will of God,

Not by our own strength.

In 1 Thess. 3:11-13, 2 Thess. 1:3, and Col. 1:10,

Paul praises God for the growth of these believers,

And prays for God to continue to grow them.

But this does not mean we just go along for the ride.

Peter commands us to grow and cultivate maturity and godliness in 2 Peter 1:5-8 and 3:18.

But all our efforts to grow are done in complete dependence upon God,

And faith in Him to grow and mature us.

So, let the Pharisee’s mistaken growth be a warning.

We do not truly grow by performance or personal effort,

And we cannot measure Christlike growth by the wrong standards.

GOD: (Luke 18:13-14)

But when it comes to Christlike growth,

There is a must-have that is demonstrated by the tax collector in vs 13-14.

Slide

Everything about the tax collector is drastically different from the Pharisee.

Which is shocking.

Because the traitor,

Ends up being the protagonist.

Even the fact that he stood far off demonstrates how he sees himself.

He is not quick to rush into God’s presence.

He is a broken man,

Deeply aware of his sin.

Jesus emphasizes how the tax collector would not even lift his eyes toward heaven.

Slide

Making him like Ezra, from Ezra 9:6,

Who prayed...

Ezra 9:6 (ESV)

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, [why?] for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.

This is how the tax collector feels.

He is overwhelmed by his wrongdoings.

He is drowning beneath his sin.

His guilt is as high as the heavens,

So, he cannot even lift his eyes,

Instead, he beats his chest,

And pleads with God for mercy.

Because he is fully aware that he is a sinner.

And his prayer itself, again echoes the OT.

After King David had an affair with Bathsheba,

Getting her pregnant,

And arranging to have her husband killed.

He prayed Psalm 51,

Which begins with him saying,

Slide

Psalm 51:1 ESV

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

So, Jesus’ point,

Is that like David,

And like Ezra,

The tax collector is deeply broken,

Painfully aware of his sin,

Demonstrating the must-have for growth;

Humility.

Notice, he does not offer any defense or justification or rationalization for his sin.

He simply confesses he is a sinner.

And knowing he needs mercy,

He pleads with God for mercy,

Asking God to be ready to forgive his sins and grant blessings.

Slide

The same word translated as mercy here is used as a verb in Heb. 2:17,

Where it explains that Jesus was made a man,

To become a merciful and faithful high priest,

To make propitiation,

To be merciful,

On behalf of the sins of the people,

Slide

So, praying for God’s mercy like the tax collector,

Is pleading with God to forgive your sin and exchange it with His good favor.

But don’t overlook the fact that the Teacher of this lesson,

Is the answer to the prayer.

Jesus is the mercy He is telling you to pray for.

So, over the years,

This incredible prayer has been adapted into what we call the sinner’s prayer,

Which says,

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

It is a wonderfully simple and humble prayer.

And since you and I are all sinners,

It is a perfectly appropriate prayer for us all to adopt.

It is a must-have for growth,

The humility to confess that you are a sinner,

And the trust that Jesus Christ is the Lord of mercy,

Who, by His blood, forgives sins and grants God’s favor instead.

You must make the heart of this prayer a regular part of your growth,

It is a must-have.

Because it requires you to humble yourself,

Before you can pray it truthfully.

Slide

Which Jesus teaches in vs. 14,

Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

But Jesus also warns once more,

That anyone who exalts their own self-righteousness,

Will not be justified.

If you were to justify yourself by your own righteousness,

Jesus said in the sermon on the mount,

You would therefore have to be perfect,

As your heavenly Father is perfect.

That is the only way you could justify yourself.

Which is impossible.

But the good news,

Jesus says,

Instead of trying for mistaken growth,

Like the Pharisee.

Be like the tax collector,

Humble yourself,

Confess your sin,

Trust in the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your sins,

And you will be justified,

Declared righteous.

It is the only way us sinners can come to God.

This is the must-have for growth.

It is beyond foolish to try and make yourself right with God by your own works.

You will always come up short.

Instead, trust in God’s mercy through Christ,

And you will receive mercy.

The tax collector entered the temple a broken sinful man,

And He left justified by the mercy of God in Christ.

So, here are your options;

Be humble or be humbled.

Being humble means adopting the sinner’s prayer as your own,

And when you do,

Jesus says you will be exalted,

He will lift you up by His merciful sacrifice,

Grant you God’s favor,

And declare you righteous before God.

YOU:

Slide

But adopting the sinner’s prayer does not mean you stay in your sin.

God justifies you,

Then grows you.

So, when you are aware of your sin,

Jesus says,

Go to God!

Sin wants to keep you away from God.

But Jesus knows you are a sinner,

And He still says come to Him,

Hebrews says to boldly approach the throne of grace.

This is why Jesus died!

For sinners to be brought near,

Made righteous,

And then grow in Christlikeness.

As Christ’s body,

The church is the means through which individual members experience Christlike growth.

As you and I grow individually,

We grow in unity.

So, as a body,

We must encourage an intentional discipleship process.

We want to see...

Members answering the call to missions,

Older members mentoring younger members,

Younger members attending to older members,

Members praying with one another,

Members praying for evangelistic opportunities,

Members sharing their faith,

Members who rely less on programs,

And instead do more spontaneous ministry,

Members who gather informally with other members,

To have spiritual conversations,

Where they confess, repent, and apply the cross,

Members who give sacrificially,

Displaying the fruit of the Spirit,

Serving in the church,

And loving other sinners,

Pursuing them with the ministry of reconciliation.

This is the kind of Christlike growth we should pray for and work for.

As you and I grow individually,

And we grow in unity,

We grow as a gospel-centered body.

Which can grow the body numerically.

But at the same time,

We do not measure individual growth by numerical growth.

As a body, God calls us to patient, faithful, Christlike growth.

Through the preaching of His Word,

Gospel-centeredness,

And a biblical understanding of mission, leadership, and membership.

If we don’t,

Then we dilute the true gospel,

Treating membership as something meaningless.

And if that were the case,

We should not expect to unify the body,

Thus, we could not expect this body to glorify God.

Slide

As an individual member of Christ’s body,

You and I must have a pervasive concern for Christlike growth in ourselves,

And in one another.

Pastor Mark Dever once preached on this, saying,

“Working to promote Christian discipleship and growth is working to bring glory not to ourselves but to God. This is how God will make himself known in the world.”

Again, what is our focus this year?

Clarify to unify to glorify.

This means, glorifying God is the innermost motive for everything we do as Christ’s members,

Including growing in Christlikeness.

The NT has several examples of Christlike growth.

We have the fruit of the Spirit listed in Gal. 5:22-25,

Which is a series of Spirit-induced virtues and character qualities that are fostered in those who do not live by their own sin nature,

But by the power of the Spirit.

2 Pet. 3:18 says to...

2 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4 says that we grow into the unity of faith,

And the knowledge of Jesus,

We grow into maturity and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

So, the growth the NT talks about is not external or superficial growth,

Like the Pharisee.

It is growth in godliness,

In holiness,

In the stature of the fullness of Christ.

So, healthy members progressively look more and more like Christ in our heart, thought, speech, and action.

WE:

So, how do we cultivate this growth in FBC Afton?

I would like to answer this with four general applications,

Followed by one specific reminder for application.

The first general application we already focused on earlier this year,

Slide

We abide in Christ.

Remember what Jesus said in John 15,

John 15:5–8 (ESV)

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing...By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

This is key for Christlike growth,

Remaining in the true vine, Jesus Christ,

The Word,

And the outcome, Jesus says,

Is that we bear much fruit, proving to be Christ’s disciples.

Abiding is a persevering dependence on Christ,

Driven by faith.

In other words,

God’s Word must live in our minds and hearts to naturally conform us to Christ.

It is beholding Christ.

So, abide in Him,

Remain in His Word,

It is essential for Christlike growth.

Second, using ordinary means of grace.

What do I mean by this?

I mean we don’t only grow through extraordinary spiritual break-throughs.

The NT teaches that ordinary means of grace produce growth and maturity.

History is filled with people being led astray by their pursuit of extraordinary means of grace.

So, the ordinary means of grace are simply...

The Bible,

Baptism,

The Lord’s Supper,

And prayer.

These ordinary means are the channels through which the grace of God is proclaimed, displayed, and given to the members of Christ’s body.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper symbolize the gospel more clearly than anything else in this world.

We picture His death, burial, and resurrection for our salvation.

So, Christlike growth means we do not neglect these ordinary means of grace,

We rejoice in them,

We prepare for them,

We partake of them,

And we behold Christ through them,

Being reminded of the glories of our Savior through a variety of senses.

Titus 2:11-12 says,

Titus 2:11–12 (ESV)

The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

So, Christlike growth relies on ordinary means of grace,

Use them.

Third, participate in the local church.

I have been hammering this point for several weeks now.

Hebrews says, do not neglect the gathering of the body as is the habit of some.

Growing in Christlikeness means gathering to encourage one another more and more as we wait for Jesus to return.

The gathering of the body builds up and grows individual members and the body as a whole.

Neglecting this is a failure to grow.

When we gather and bear with one another, love one another, correct one another, and encourage one another,

We are participating in a co-op of Christlike growth,

Multiplying our individual growth,

Resulting in ongoing discipleship and growth of the body.

And it is through the local church where we behold Christ together.

The last application is to look to Jesus’ return!

We will experience Christlike growth by meditating on and longing for Christ’s return.

Most of the times in the NT,

When Christ’s return is referenced,

There is an exhortation toward holiness paired with it.

The prime example comes from Jesus’ own teaching about His return in Matthew 25.

After giving a lengthy teaching about His second coming,

He concludes with the exhortation to be ready by living a fitting life.

Then, ch. 26 follows with three parables,

Exhorting us to watch and be faithful until he returns.

Therefore, we meditate on His return in such a way that we guard our lives,

Growing in Christlikeness as we wait.

So, behold Christ,

Look to the cross and His second coming,

And remember that Christ has done everything for our redemption,

Our purity,

And our holiness.

Slide

1 John 3:2-3 says,

1 John 3:2–3 ESV

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

John is saying that our longing to be with Jesus,

Our longing to see Jesus,

Our beholding of Jesus,

Makes us more like Jesus.

So, look to Christ’s return,

Behold Him.

God promises in Phil 1:6,

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

...that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Slide

So, let me close with a reminder of what our grow elder, Paul introduced two weeks ago,

FBC Afton’s Bodybuilding Series.

It is a four-book discipleship process designed to foster Christlike growth,

Specifically in the four parts of our mission statement;

Connect, Grow, Serve, and Go.

Our elders are in the process developing all four books.

But as Paul mentioned,

We have completed Book One,

Which is focused on connecting with God and others.

It is designed to be used with both members and people who may not have a relationship with Christ.

Because it is an introduction to Christ and His body,

Teaching about worship and fellowship,

And the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Our goal is for every member of FBC Afton to go through this book,

Growing each of us individually,

And growing our body in unity.

The books are designed to be done in either one-on-one or smaller group settings.

It should take, on average,

About 6 one-hour meetings to get through the entire book.

And we don’t want this to be something that only the elders are doing.

It is meant to be reproduced.

So, that one member can take another member,

Or a potential member through it.

So, the plan is,

That the elders are going to begin going through it with other members in the coming weeks.

Then,

As members go through it,

They will begin taking other members through it,

And so on,

And so forth.

As we do this,

You can also see on the screen,

We are still working on the rest of the series.

Lord willing,

We will have all four books done by the end of the year,

And as we finish them,

We are excited about discipling members who will disciple members and make disciples.

Because the goal is that this intentional discipleship process will produce Christlike growth.

And as a body,

We want to grow in Christlikeness,

To glorify God as a body.

Glorifying God is this idea I mentioned at the start,

It is beholding God.

So, if we behold Christ,

Then we will grow in Christlikeness.

So, let’s close this morning,

Praying for God to grow us in Christlikeness,

Both as individual members,

And as a body.

Please join me in prayer.

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