Keys to Spiritual Growth: Introduction

Growing in grace is equated with giving God glory that is a very important comprehension, and frankly, folks.

If you get that point you're well on your way to understanding this process of maturity. The master key all spiritual growth is understanding what it means to horrify. That's how it usually is with the basics, though not necessarily with the basics of Christian living.

John MacArthur shows you why today on grace to you as you begin to study the takes us back to basics.

It's a look at some of the most fundamental and important aspects of being a Christian, you know, John. Some people might assume that a study on the basic doctrines of Christianity would have only minimal value for believers who been walking with the Lord for years, but I know you would say the opposite is true that mature believers are often the ones who benefit the most from a study like this. Yeah I understand that Phil I would also say that even mature believers don't necessarily have a refined understanding of all the doctrine, even the basics and you could be walking in the spirit and still be at the milk level of the doctrine rather than the meat level, which means you need to go deeper so I and I think to another characteristic of maturity is love for the truth.

So when you introduce something that's foundational to mature believer. It re-ignites their love and their gratitude to the Lord for what he is done. So I'm very excited about introducing the study back to basics.

The ABCs of Christian living were going to scour the Bible to find the foundational elements of the Christian experience and I once we found them to dig down a little bit into them the basics that were going to be talking about are things like spiritual growth, glorifying God, confessing sins, trusting God, praising God during spiritual fruit and obedience prayer spiritual gifts in men more so you can tell that while these are basics the subjects themselves can go very deep in them, enriching our understanding of all that the Bible says about them. These are the basics you build on and you never outgrow them and you always feel like there is so much more to learn. So whether you've recently come to know Christ or if you been walking with the Lord for a very long time. I think the study is going to be an excellent tuneup for your ongoing growth and usefulness to the Lord. Do not miss the day of this very practical study back to basics.

Yes friend stay here to review or to consider for the first time some important habits you need to build to grow strong in Christ day by day to launch a study called back to basics.

Here's John MacArthur in second Peter chapter 3 and verse 18. This is the last verse in the second epistle of Peter. It says this but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. The summation of what Peter has to say in this great epistle is that we grow in grace. Spiritual growth is basic to the life of a believer.

Just as physical growth is basic to the life of the physical person and God commands us to grow now.

Very simply stated, I want you to understand this principle.

There is a master key to really understanding and experiencing spiritual growth. There is one master key that unlocks the whole thing and really in second Peter 318. It was subtly introduced to us because it says there but grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And then it says this to him be glory both now and forever. Amen. Now it's interesting to me that, growing in grace is equated with giving God glory that is a very important comprehension. I want you know, understand this whole idea of growing in grace is related to glorifying God. And frankly, folks. If you get that point you're well on your way to understanding this process of maturity. The master key to all spiritual growth is understanding what it means to glorify God as we glorify God, we begin to grow only show you that by having you look at second Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18 of monumental text in the New Testament.

Second Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18 not notice this, but we all speaking here of course of believers with an unveiled face. In other words, the veil that was over believers in the old economy.

The veil that the law had their the veil that the that the New Testament removes by its marvelous revelation with an unveiled face no longer are things hidden from us. No longer do we have to search as the prophets did to understand what they wrote but the veil is off. We behold as in a glass. In other words, we focus into a clear glass and what we see we see the glory of the Lord. Now watch the as we with an unveiled face in the veil is taken off in the New Testament as we understand the New Testament and its great truths we focus on the glory of the Lord. What happened we are changed into the same image from one level of glory to the next level of glory, by the spirit of the Lord. Ellis the power behind spiritual growth is the Holy Spirit is the spirit that energizes our growth is the spirit that gives life and life is growth. So as the spirit infuses our lives with his power.

He will cause us to grow into the image of Christ from one level of glory to the next level of glory to the next level of glory, but the condition is as we gaze in the glory of the Lord. Ellis summing it up as you and I focus on God's glory, the spirit of God energizes the process of spiritual growth. So the point is this, to grow spiritually. You must then focus on God's glory. Don't worry about what the Holy Spirit does. And something will get too preoccupied with the Holy Spirit. Don't focus on what you do and get introspective and analytical focus on the glory of the Lord. That is the thrust that is the ultimate reason for living, and that is the key.

The master key to spiritual growth not just to show you how important this is. I want you to see that the ultimate condemnation of man in history is because he doesn't give God glory. Look at Romans chapter 1 in verse 21, Romans 121 now you remember that the apostle Paul is indicting the human race for its defection from the truth. In Romans 121 he says here's the basic problem with man because when they knew God not stop there for a minute what you mean. They knew God, you mean all of civilization.

All men knew God, yes, they did verse 19 says that which may be known of God is manifest in them by conscience.

They knew God. Verse 20 the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, they knew God, from creation so man had an internal knowledge of God and an external knowledge but when they knew God in that way, they glorified him not as God, now there's the basic indictment of the human race. They failed to give God glory. Instead, verse 23 they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

In other words, they invented idolatrous human systems of religion now man then I want you to watch this man then abandoned the concept of the glory of God.

He abandoned now when he did that he cut himself off from spiritual life and spiritual growth throughout human history.

God has endeavored to get man to see his glory, to reverse the fall, if you will to change the reality of Romans one.

Not that man should turn away from the glory of God but that he should turn to it is all throughout Biblical history. God is wanting men to see his glory. Let me show you this in a very simple way and then at the turn of these things because will move through them rather rapidly in Genesis chapter 3 you'll remember this verse eight says that Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the cool of the day the great reality of the garden of Eden before the fall was that Adam and Eve lived in the presence of God and the Hebrews had a word for this, that a word that meant presents a word that meant to dwell or reside in the world was Shekinah so that Adam and Eve lived with the Shekinah of God, the Shekinah glory. God is a spirit right. John 424 so God didn't have a body in the garden. How did God manifest himself.

While I believe God manifested himself in a glowing glorious Shekinah glory of light on almost incandescent and yet gloriously brilliant kind of light. I believe that God appeared in that way because that's the way we see him appearing in other places in Scripture. And so there was this glow.

This representation of God's infinite and eternal glory that dwell in the garden without a mini and they fellowship with God. But immediately, when they sinned. Chapter 20 chapter 3 verse 24 says they were thrown out of the garden. They were cut off from God's glory cut off from the Shekinah glory of God and an angel was put at the entrance of the garden with a sword to keep them out of their this is the point fallen man cannot experience the glory of God, fallen man cannot dwell in his presence, fallen man cannot give God glory cannot identify with God and his glory, and so they were cut off and that was the tragedy of human history now locks. From then on. God endeavored to get men to see his glory and he still doing it today, but let's see how he did it early on. Look at Exodus chapter 33 and I do want you to turn to this Exodus chapter 33 the Israelites being led by a great man. Moses, they have come to a crisis point in their life, having left Egypt on their way to the promised land. If there's anything God wants them to believe in God wants them to know it is that he is a God of great glory. He wants them to see his glory. He wants to go back as it were. Before the fall and again bring his presence to them and have them acknowledge them for who you saw in Exodus chapter 12 chapter 33 verse 12 God is communing with Moses and God is saying to Moses, in effect, Moses lead my people take my people be their leader. From here on, you already had that commission once, but this is a reiteration and Moses is fearful and is afraid of his own inability and so he says in verse 12 C SAS dunamis bring up this people and that was not let me know whom thou wilt send with me, God, you given me a big job and you don't even tell me who's going to help. I mean, it's a little heavy for one guy and some estimate there may have been as many as 2 million people now he says in verse 13.

If I have found grace and eyesight shown me now.

The highway that I may know the in other words, God II feel your out there and I believe would give me a demonstration that you will be with me in this very difficult task.

Verse 14 God says my presence.

My presence now people.

That's the word we saw in Genesis.

My presence shall go with the what you mean by that.

What is your presence. What was clear to Moses, verse 18. He says, I beseech the show me thy not presence but glory, the presence of God was his manifest glory and God says I'll make all my goodness pass before the I'll proclaim the name of the Lord before the be gracious to whom I'll be gracious, show mercy on whom I'll show mercy now notice God's is all right to see my goodness, you'll see my name, which is the embodiment of all my attributes you'll see my grace and you'll see my mercy. What is the glory of God, the embodiment of all of his attributes and some blazing representation of light. God has reduced his attributes to a glorious light and he says Moses I'll show it to you so and the rest of this little section, he talks Moses in the cleft of a rock. Verse 22 and it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by. I'll put the in the cleft of the rock cover the with my hand while I pass by and I'll slip away my hand and you'll see my back parts but not my face.

Listen, nobody could ever see the full glory of God and live right.

So God says I'm just going let you see little my afterglow. That's all. But you'll see my glory. And he did.

You'll notice at the end of the book of Exodus chapter 40 in verse 34 that the tabernacle had been built and when the tabernacle was built. It says a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Ellis, the tabernacle was a place of worship and the tribes all had a place around the tabernacle and all the tribes were plotted out as a sort of a circle around the tabernacle, all facing that place and deposited in the midst of it was the glory of God and all these people had to focus in on they saw what was completed on the glory of God descended in the glory of God stayed in the tabernacle when they were to camp and when the glory of God left and went into the sky. It became that cloud in that pillar that they followed and then when God wanted them to stop. The glory came and stayed there. And there it was again as their camp met they would be focusing on the glory of God. So God revealed his glory on the face of a man in the sky and in the midst of the tabernacle, but in each case, they murmured and disobeyed and complained and gripe and never really gave God the glory. He was due. Finally they entered the promised land. And God said, I want you to build a temple look with me at first Kings chapter 8 and see what happened.

The temple was built and what followed that verse 10 it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place that the cloud filled the house of the Lord so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord and God is again saying to the people in the land.

See my glory focus on my glory see you. I am in give me the proper reverence and worship, but he wasn't done. There was one more time with me and John chapter 1 verse 14. This is a tremendous text and John is writing here about Jesus Christ.

I want you to see how John sees Christ. John 114 says this and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Listen, and we beheld his glory, and what glory was it the glory as of the only begotten of the father was, you know who Jesus was. Jesus was the glory of God in a body. He was the embodiment of the Shekinah and fury. The ninth chapter of Luke you will find that Jesus went up into amount called the Mount of Transfiguration and it says they saw his glory showed the movie really what in one final time, our gracious God said to mankind, here is my glory will you give glory to me in one of the world say we will not have this mentoring over us. He is of the devil, the Prince of demons, Beelzebub crucifying and again they turned their back on his glory. Tragically, but there's coming a day in the future when man is not have that option because Jesus Christ is going to return in Matthew 2430 it says he's coming with power and great glory and won't be any options that and finally will be glorified.

And that's when all of creation will send glory to the land. Glory to God ultimately he will have his glory. Now I try to show you is in the past God's endeavored to get men to see his glory in the future he will display his glory in a way that men really want have any action but what about the present.

What about the present. What is the significance of the glory of God right now that's the thing we want to talk about in Ephesians 3 verses 19 to 21 he says I want you to be filled with all the fullness of God. I want you to be able to do exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think. Why unto him be glory in the church elicited right now the glory of God. If it is displayed is displayed in the church. That's why Paul said of the Colossians Christ in you the hope of glory. That's why Paul says to the Corinthians in second Corinthians chapter 4 verse six for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts listen to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

If the glory of God in the face of Christ is to be seen. It is to shine through us is the greatest calling of the believers to glorify God. The greatest calling of the believer is what Paul said to Titus to adorn the doctrine of God, the greatest calling that we can have is to let the glory of Christ shine through us and as we do that is in this age we focus on glorifying God. We will be changed into the image of Christ from one level of glory to the next. That is the process of spiritual growth is one other text that I want to give you first John chapter 2 and this is a very very essential text versus 12 through 14 now here you have the three levels of spiritual growth in the auto understanding, our Lord, even similarly speaks of three.

There is the seed and there is the corn. And then there is the full-year three levels of of maturity from an agricultural analogy here you have it from the analogy of human growth. I write any little children because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake, and here he sums up all believers under one term, little children offspring and the word for children. Here is a Greek word that simply means anybody was born from somebody else has nothing to do with age. This term could refer to an 85-year-old person.

He is the child of somebody it's non-infancy related but then he moves to a different terms.

He splits the totality of the sons of God into three categories.

Verse 13 I write and your father's because you've known and that is from the beginning, I write unto you young men because you've overcome the wicked one. I write a new little children here uses a completely different word that means babies because you have known the father and in 14 repeats a similar statement I have written to your father's because you've known him. That is, from the beginning.

I have written you young man because your strong word of God abides in you, and you've overcome the wicked one Nellis three levels of spiritual growth, little children, young men and fathers. What is a spiritual little child.

It says verse 13 I written unto you, little children, because you've known the father was the first thing a child recognizes parents parental recognition mama that dad unfortunately it's usually mom on six months later it's dead but nonetheless parental recognition is where it all began. The thing about a child. They realize that their child of God. That's about all sort of spiritual Google data. Mama, Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. It never goes much further than that is a second level of spiritual growth. I write unto you, young man, because you've overcome the wicked one who is the wicked one hop on Arras. Satan himself, how do you overcome Satan. Verse 14, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you've overcome the wicked one unnoticed a little child does not have the word of God abiding in them strongly. They just know the basics. Consequently, they are the children of Ephesians 4 tossed to and fro as little children, carried about by every wind of doctrine. In other words, they just know God. They just know Jesus. They don't know Scripture very well. That's why we say, when you lead someone to Christ. What's the first thing you want to do get them grounded in the word so they don't get tossed around with false doctrine, a spiritual young man is one who is strong in the word and is overcome the wicked one.

In what sense does he overcome the wicked one. Satan is a liar.

Satan appears as an angel of light.

Satan is the master of false religion, spiritual young man knows the word is no longer a victim of false religion. In fact, I know in my own life as a spiritual young man. I know the difference between data being obeyed when I was a spiritual baby. I couldn't really tell what was true and what was and I was in the euphoria and the honeymoon of loving the Lord and never really understood much theology and was easily victimized by somebody's whim or fancy, but there came a time when I understood theology when I knew the word of God and then false doctrine didn't deceive me.

It just made me mad and I've discipled people in that situation when they become a spiritual young man he wanted. What fight the cults want to straighten out the world. But there's even a greater level of spiritual growth and then he says that at the beginning of 13 and 14. I write unto you, or I have written unto you, father's because you have known him. That is, from the beginning. Nellis it's one thing to know you belong to the family of God. It's another thing to know the word of God. But it's another thing to know God intimately and deeply. It's one thing to know the book is another thing to know the God behind the book. It's one thing to understand the page. It's another thing to know the heartbeat of the one eroded spiritual growth goes from knowing you're a Christian, to knowing the word of God to knowing God in fullness.

Listen to me the way to really know God is to spend your life focusing on his glory. That's the thing that pulls you to that third level of spiritual growth so that then becomes the focus of the believer's life, and as the believer zeros in on this glorifying God. Understanding the fullness of his person. Understanding the fullness of his glory and gazing at that that becomes magnetic and draws him up past the point of only knowing, to whom he belongs to knowing what he believes.

And finally the know in whom he believed God himself, that becomes the thrust of all spiritual maturity and this is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary in Southern California. Today's lesson is part of his current study titled back to basics. If you'd like a copy of this study to review yourself or to donate your church library. It's available to purchase in a six CD album or you can download the series free of charge in MP3 or transcript format to get a copy of back to basics.

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Jide TY.org. That's true of all of John's sermons. By the way, nearly 52 years worth of them are free to download at our website and if you're looking for gift ideas for Christmas. I encourage you to pick up the MacArthur study Bible, MacArthur daily Bible or the MacArthur topical Bible for limited time with each Bible purchased will send you a free copy of the book. One foundation, it's a collection of essays by gifted Bible teachers that was published to commemorate grace to use 50th anniversary so order now just call 855 grace or go online to Jide TY.org now for John MacArthur and the grace to you staff, I'm Phil Johnson with a question for you. What should your ultimate purpose in life be, then how can you accomplish it. Find out tomorrow as John continues his study back to basics another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to