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It’s Time (pt 4) | “It’s Time to Grow”
Text: 2 Peter 3:14-18
Focus: why and how to grow into your faith.
Introduction
Do you remember the first adult decision you ever made? It was exciting, probably a little scary, and maybe even a little hard to do. It’s not just that we need to change our mindset as an adult – we need to flip the script on how to grow into it.
In the text, Peter tells us that we need to grow into our faith. In Jesus, we are given victory over sin, freedom to live as we were created to do. We have new responsibilities. We have peace with God, others, and ourselves. We are given a new heart, a new mind, and a new life. All of this comes through relationship with Jesus. The way to enjoy these blessings is to grow in that relationship. If we’re Christians, we must also be disciples.
There is a sense of urgency to our growth (v 14). Jesus is coming. “Now” is the space of time we have to grow in Him and evangelize with Him – to grow into and live our purpose.
Let’s start with a target.
We don’t apply ourselves because we don’t understand the reason. We study, pray, fellowship, etc. to grow in grace and knowledge so that we can be without spot and blemish – and find peace.
Reasons We Need to Grow in Our Faith:
- Our Response to Salvation – Growth is the celebration of God’s grace in us. It is to appreciate, use, and apply His salvation gift.
- Our Role on Earth – Your role in God’s story is bigger than you realize. We have a responsibility to represent and reflect.
- Our Reward in Heaven
Our growth is for God’s glory, not ours. That’s why sleeping through your sanctification is bad even though you still get to go to heaven.
While we’re on earth, God is working in each of us, his children, so that we might become more Christlike. A Puritan preacher once said, “Heaven should be in us before we are in heaven.”
The word of the day is commitment . Will we commit to respond to God’s invitation to know Him and grow in His grace?
Three Ways God Grows Us into Our Faith
God meets us all as we come to Him. Nothing is stopping you from growing into your salvation – except you.
1| Engage Your Bible – v 14, 18
This is more than just “read it.” Engaging your Bible means to interact with it.
There are some things you should be focusing on when you read: grace and knowledge.
Grace is: God choosing to bless us instead of curse us as our sin deserves.
Knowledge is: experiential understanding. You learn to apply.
When you engage your Bible, you bring your sins and weakness to the grace and knowledge of Christ. The access point is faith, which comes from hearing the Word of God – Romans 10:17.
Key Points:
- Look for God’s heart as you read. Why did He do what He did? What’s the intended outcome?
- See yourself (and others) in His grace. Bring your sins and weaknesses to the text. Respond to what you read in prayer. Confess, claim, and believe God to be true to His word.
- Seek application of what you read in the Bible. “How can I obey, believe, repent, trust, surrender, act because of what God says?”
Summary: Growing in grace and knowledge is how you grow without spot and blemish. As you claim His grace as your strength, you’ll find freedom and strength. That’s called growth.
2| Embrace God through Your Trials – v 15-16
Why doesn’t Jesus come back? Why doesn’t He end (my) suffering? God will reveal Himself through the trouble that we have.
The patience of the Lord is: God’s willingness to endure evil so that the ultimate good ultimately comes.
Why does God do it this way? Salvation. We are saved and still being saved. We are growing into relationship.
Hard times (whatever they may be) bring experience to your knowledge. It makes your faith real.
Key Points:
- Our trials unite us with God’s heart and character. The testing of our faith is an invitation to discover more of God.
- Trials expose our “spots and blemishes” and invites us to repentance and renewed faith. Never get your theology from human weakness.
- Trials should drive us back to familiar truths – and deeper into them.
- Trials give us a chance to exercise the fruit of the Spirit and our spiritual gifts.
Summary: This is why Paul says to bring on the pain (2 Cor. 10:9-10) so that He can know Christ, the power of His resurrection, and to experience God’s power made perfect in his weakness. He decided that knowing Jesus intimately and personally was worth more than anything this world could give or take away.
3| Act on What You Believe
And because of what you believe. Action is the evidence of our faith. Obedience is where faith and experience become reality.
You must act on what you do. The formula for growth is read, pray, do, repeat.
Key Points:
- Live – as though you’re free.
- Serve – with expectation.
- This is the part where you’ll begin to face persecution.
Summary: Acting reflects trust. This is the application of living in grace and knowledge. This is where we finally find peace. We are aligned – inside and outside, belief and life, match up.
Conclusion
What’s it take to get started and stay with your Bible learning, seeking, endurance, and action? Jesus is coming is motivation, but we need some internal motivation as well.
Jumpstarting Your Growth Requires:
- Humility – you won’t grow if you don’t think you need to. This is why genuine growth involves and evolves into humility.
- Hunger – those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are the ones who are filled (satisfied) by it – Matthew 5:6.
- “The Huddle” – others on the journey.
Remember, objects get bigger as you get closer to them. Get closer to Jesus and watch what happens to your view, relationship, and passion for Him.
TIPS FOR READING YOUR BIBLE