June 2, 2002 - Spiritual Body Building

Sermon notes

Review

• All of us are given gifts
• All of us are given trainers to discover and use your gifts
• All gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ
• God has given us grace and gifts and He expects us to use them to grow!

1. God has great goals for you to attain.
   1. What is maturity?
      Maturity - "The state or quality of being fully grown or developed."
      Eph 4:12b-13 - to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
      1. Growing relationships of trust and obedience=
      2. Growing relationship with Christ
      3. Growing in Christ-likeness
         Col 1:28 - And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.

   2. What is immaturity?
      Eph 4:14 - As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
      • 1 Peter 2:2-3 - like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
      • 1 Cor 3:1-3 - And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. 2I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
      • Heb 5:12-14 - For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

2. The Source of Growth. - God has provided everything you need to mature.
   Eph 4:15, 16 - but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body...
   1. From Christ
      • The head is our authority - Eph 1:22-23 - And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all.
      • The head is our leadership - Eph 5:22-23 - Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
      • The head is our guiding and controlling power - 4:15,16

   2. "Truthing" in love

3. The Process of Growth. - Growth takes place as you do your part.
   Eph 4:16 ...the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
   1. Each part working together
      being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies
      1 Cor 12:21-27 - The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable... 24But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
   2. Each part working properly
      according to the proper working of each individual part,
      1 Cor 12:15-21 - 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
   3. Each part building up and being built up
      causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love

Application

• Grow up!
• Join up!
• Saddle up!
• Head out!