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28th August 2005
DISCIPLESHIP -
GROWING IN LIKENESS TO JESUS!
p.m. version Pastor Colin Meadows
Psalm 1:1-6, Luke 24:13-27
Why on earth are we here? We have been finding out
that it is to know and to love God and to fulfill his purposes for our lives.
What then are his purposes for us? We looked earlier at the first purpose – Worship,
to worship God by walking humbly with him. Then last week we moved to the second
purpose as to why we are here on earth - Fellowship – loving God’s
people, and living in God’s family. This week we will focus on the next
purpose that God has placed us here on earth, Discipleship – Growing in
likeness to Jesus. Discipleship is the process of growing in our spiritual lives
to become all that God intends for us, in growing to be like Christ, growing so
that we can be used by God to bring blessing to others.
·Growth
is what life is about!
That is the nature of something that is living. If it
is alive it will be growing, developing, maturing, producing fruit. Plants and
animals, if they are alive, will grow.
The same should be true with us in our walk with God.
If our faith is alive, then we should be growing. We should not be the same as
we were yesterday. There should be some slow changes taking place, gentle
adjustments in our character and conduct, signs that God is at work in our
lives. The bible reminds us…
Psalm 1:3
“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 he prospers.”
As each day passes, so the tree slowly and gently
grows and produces fruit. But the question we need to ask from time to time is
this: Am I really growing as a Christian? Am I a little more like Jesus today
than I was last week? Or am I in a rut, struggling to hold on to my faith? If
this is the case, how can I move forward in my walk with God? What steps do I
need to take to get growing again? Our two Bible readings tonight help us
greatly as we explore this issue. Let us draw out three keys to spiritual growth
that will help us move forward to grow in likeness to Jesus.
·Grow
by walking with the right people
We need to choose our traveling companions in life
carefully. In Psalm 1 the warning there is to not walk with people who are going
in a different direction…
Psalm 1:1
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in
the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.”
As we step out to follow God, we need to carefully
choose the people of influence who will be around us. My first year of
university was a disaster, largely because I chose friends who were going in the
wrong direction. We all ended up the year with our lives in disarray. One friend
later told me he was sorry he had been such a bad influence on me. I had chosen
to go with this group. In the end I had to write that year off. Choose your
friends carefully. They will have a deep impact on your life.
In
Walk with the fools and you will become a fool,
Walk with the wise and you will become wise.
Walk carefully. This is not to say that we should
isolate ourselves off from non-Christians and live in a monastery. Rather, we
must stay in contact with our world, but choose to walk carefully and
responsibly with key people around us who will help us grow in our faith. Choose
your close friends carefully, listen
to what they say, evaluate their advice and take on board what you feel is from
God. Yes, friends like that are precious and we need them to help us grow.
There is however another traveling companion we must
be aware of in our lives. The two disciples of Jesus in Luke 24 were walking
along the road to Emmaus, lamenting the terrible turn of events that had
overcome them. Their teacher, Jesus, had been crucified and buried in a tomb,
and now their world was a mess. As they were discussing these issues we read …
Luke 24:15
“Jesus himself came up and walked along with them…”
Now it is seven miles from
Heb 13:5 “…God has said,
‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with
confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me?’”
God is our constant traveling companion, despite what
our feelings and circumstances may suggest. God himself is the one who wants to
guide us and who wishes to bring about growth. Yes, choose your traveling
friends carefully but remember that the Holy Spirit himself is also traveling
with us. Walk with the right people and we will grow to become more like Jesus,
grow to be used by God.
But there is a second key to help us grow in our
faith.
·Grow
by saturating your heart with God’s Word
Just as a tree needs to take in nutrients from the
soil to bring about growth and fruit, we too need our hearts to be nourished by
the Word of God.
Psalm 1:2
“But his delight is in the law of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and
night.” Allow God’s Word to seep into every nook and cranny of our hearts.
Let it penetrated deeply.
Heb 4:12 we
read, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
It is like deep penetrating oil, like WD40 that works
its way into the deepest recesses of a piece of machinery. As we read the bible,
the Holy Spirit opens us up. Sometimes you will feel like a gutted fish, exposed
and vulnerable. At other times, the quiet word of affirmation of God’s Word
lifts our spirits and encourages us to push on in faith.
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were
struggling with their faith. Jesus, the promised one, had been crucified. What
now? It was at that point that Jesus joined them, but he did not immediately
reveal himself to them. Rather he opened up God’s Word to their hearts….
Luke 24:27
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was
said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
Jesus allowed the Word of God to gently bring about
revelation and understanding. But there was purpose and direction in what he
wished them to understand. He wanted them to understand from God’s Word what
was said concerning himself. We ourselves don’t study the bible to get a head
full of knowledge. We grapple with God’s word so as to get to know Christ! He
should be the focus of our faith journey. He is the source of our spiritual
growth. Allow God’s Word to direct us to Jesus. Then we will be on a strong
journey of growing to be more like him.
Later the two disciples commented
Luke 24:32 “…Were
not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened
the Scriptures to us?”
To encounter Jesus in the Scriptures was a life
changing experience for those disciples. The same can be true for us.
Are we travelers who drink deeply from God’s Word on a regular basis?
If so, then our growing in likeness to Jesus will be stimulated. Saturate our
hearts with God’s word. Then we will grow and be able to help others grow.
There is yet a third key to spiritual growth…
·Grow
through your life experiences
The journey of life is seldom a trouble free event.
There are bumps, sometimes real big ones, in the road that have to be
negotiated. The picture of a tree in Psalm 1 is of a tree whose leaf does not
wither. This implies that the potential is there for withering. Leaves can
wither in tough times, when water is in short supply and the sun is hot. This
tree however was planted by a stream and thus continued to grow, despite adverse
circumstances.
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were going
through not just adverse times but something approaching a nightmare. Their
savior had just been crucified. The exalted prophet with whom they had placed
their faith for the past three years had now been killed. They felt like their
world had collapsed. It is at times like this that our faith is tested to the
limits, but it is also at such times when it can grow! The choice is up to us.
We can either leave and become bitter or stay and grow better. These disciples
stayed and were blessed as a result. They met with the risen Christ and they
were never the same again! The same can be true for us.
When confronted with difficult situations, we have two
choices. We can choose to throw our toys out of the cot and get angry with God
and other people. We may then try to justify our angry behavior before others.
We can on the other hand choose to accept what is happening to us as being part
of God’s plan for our growth at this time. Amy Carmichael made the comment
“In acceptance lies peace”. Yes, God can bring good out of the worst evil.
We just have to look at the crucifixion of Christ to see that.
The OT faith giant, Joseph, had some real bumps in his
road of life. He was sold into slavery in
Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is
now being done, the saving of many lives.”
God is able to work through the mess and pain of our
lives to mold us to be more like Christ and to bring about his purposes. We must
however be willing to be used by him at such times. We must choose to accept
what is happening to us as part of what God has permitted into our lives. This
can be very hard to do at times. Christ himself experienced this on the
Luke 22:42
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours
be done.”
Christ made a choice at that time. He chose to put his
life in his father’s hands. That is what we should do. As we go through these
difficult times, trusting that God is still in control, that we are molded to be
more like Jesus. Yes, we can grow through life experiences if we trust God at
such times.
·
Where are we tonight?
Are we willing to keep growing in likeness to Jesus?
The ball is in our court. We can sit on the sidelines of life or we can step out
in faith and get growing. We will grow spiritually and be able to help others if
we make the right choices…
Grow by walking with the right
people…
Grow by saturating your heart
with God’s Word…
Grow through your life
experiences, good or bad…
Keep on the 40 Days journey of discovering why we are
here on earth – So far we have
looked at Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship.
Next we will look at Ministry and