Bible exploration
Examining Christian growth stages
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0:01 all the glory must be to the lord 0:07 [Music] 0:16 no one on earth 0:21 [Music] [Applause] 0:28 [Music] 0:35 praise the lord hallelujah 0:41 father we bless you thank you for the privilege of this 0:46 time we'll spend on your word father please 0:53 i pray that you give me utterance to speak your word clearly today 0:59 and i pray you give us 1:05 hearing understanding so that your word will bring forth fruit 1:11 in our lives after taking root and germinating further 1:18 in jesus name let our lives bring you glory father god 1:23 we pray in jesus mighty name amen 1:30 praise the lord beloved brother josh here 1:36 we are continuing by god's mercies on 1:42 what we uh s where we stopped that last time 1:48 on the adult stage 1:53 if you would uh of christian growth we are stopped at galatians four 2:00 verse one to two and as always please please please get 2:05 your bibles out please don't take my word for it please 2:15 i didn't say anything i just copied and pasted what 2:22 the scripture said we were in galatians four 2:30 verse one to two we were talking about 2:35 while we remain babes while 2:42 we're still grappling with infant hood 2:47 we are far from stepping into god's fullness and galatians 4 verse 1 to 2 says 2:54 now i say that the a as long as he is a child as long as 3:02 is no different from a servant though he be lord of all 3:07 but is under 2000 governors until the time appointed of the father 3:12 god has set a time for us to grow in 3:20 growing to the head which is christ 3:25 but as long as we are not cooperating with that process 3:32 as long as we as stained babes as long 3:41 as we refuse to live babyhood 3:48 who stay babies and were like servants 3:55 which we know that last time is a very dangerous place to be for several reasons 4:02 memphis the baby was damaged 4:07 became lame because he was not grown 4:12 because when you're a baby you depend on others to carry you here and there 4:22 because like we just read in galatians when we are babies we are like servants and 4:28 jesus said in john 8 35 as long as we are servants 4:36 we are tenants in the kingdom 4:42 what is the tenant 4:49 they're in the house temporarily yeah they're in the house 4:55 they're not out there but they're in the house but they have a tenure 5:03 they have a space after which 5:11 they'll be kicked out or they will fall out 5:17 or they will no longer be in the house first john 8 35 and the seventh ab well 5:23 let me read 34 jesus answered them verily verily i say unto you whosoever committed sin is a servant of sin 5:30 and the servant abideth not in the house forever but the son abides ever 5:40 now obviously the growth stages that we've looked at 5:47 because you know we looked at the babes they're still dealing with canality and 5:53 stuff you know just if you listen to the previous episodes you i don't know i burnt time on that in this episode but 6:00 it talks about this is where we are this is where we're going this is where we ought to be 6:10 the growth stages are not a license to sin 6:17 john chapter 12 verse 46 jesus said come a light into the world that 6:23 whosoever believes on me should not abide in darkness 6:32 some of us believe in christ but we are abiding in darkness 6:39 what fellowship has left with darkness oh i'm the righteousness of god in christ jesus yeah 6:45 yeah but where's your abode in darkness 6:53 how can we claim to be of light and walk in darkness 7:09 romans 6 1-2 what shall we say then shall we continue 7:14 insane that grace may abound god forbid god forbid 7:21 how shall we that are dead to sin leave any longer therein 7:28 it's a contradiction in terms 7:33 when god looks at me he sees the blood 7:41 okay 7:49 but i'm walking in sin he sees the blood 7:58 i stay in sin oh he sees the blood 8:07 go back to the prayers episode we read in in the epistle of john 8:12 he that do at righteousness is righteous even as 8:18 he jesus is righteous not he that receiveth righteousness 8:29 god is talking about third grade and fourth grade you are telling him you're in pre-k you're in school 8:36 seriously yeah yeah yeah 8:41 he gave us the righteousness of christ yes he moved us 8:47 from being out there and put us in this school 8:52 with the tutorials of grace 8:58 to teach us but 9:03 it seems some of us don't want to learn don't want to grow don't want to move from pre-k to first 9:10 grade and second grade and oh well let me leave that alone 9:19 philippians chapter 3. philippians chapter 3 9:25 verse 15 and 16. 9:33 you know what let let me let me start from 9:44 we could start from 14 i pray towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of god in christ 9:52 god says listen josh i need you 9:59 to be like my son jesus obviously not in your own strength 10:07 because that's impossible but he has given us all that we need 10:13 to be like christ jesus 10:26 verse 15. let me read verse 14 again i press 10:32 toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of god in christ jesus 10:38 paul is pressing are we pressing or we've camped out 10:44 in hood 10:50 i press i press 10:57 you can tell when someone is present 11:03 you can tell when somebody is present i press 11:10 i press 11:22 i press toward the mark for the price 11:30 of the high calling of god in christ jesus verse 15 11:37 let us therefore as many as be perfect be dust-minded 11:43 and if in anything ye be otherwise minded god 11:48 shall reveal even this unto you 11:55 verse 16. nevertheless nevertheless 12:01 where until we have already attained 12:07 let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same thing 12:15 i want us to get that verse 16 12:20 nevertheless where on toe we have already attained 12:27 where on toe or where to i should say we have already attained 12:34 let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same thing 12:40 what is he saying to whatever level we have attained 12:49 let us walk by that level 12:57 what picture a baby cannot move 13:03 they just lie on their back and cry been there done that 13:09 but bless god for life it's a new baby 13:17 then we learn how to turn on our side lay on our bellies 13:26 and we start to crawl now if i mess this up forgive me it's been a while i was physically a 13:33 baby but then we learned to crawl then 13:39 after that we try and get up and stand for a few seconds 13:46 boom we fallen hit our butt on the floor then we try and get up again and 13:53 after a while we get the standing up part then those 13:59 dramatic first few steps one two whoa whoa 14:05 bam we hit the floor but we don't stay on the floor 14:12 which baby does that who does that no they get up 14:21 because there is a time appointed is burning in every baby 14:29 yeah i know i felt 10 times already but i need to work 14:37 it's there beloved then they get up and there is a pastor is an apostle 14:44 there's a prophet there's a teacher there's an evangelist called your dad your mom your brother 14:49 your sister around that baby says come on you can do this come on come on come on 14:55 and they hold their hands out and the prophet and the pastor and the teacher 15:00 and the evangelist and the prophet that big sister that big brother that 15:06 dad that mom of that baby saying come on come on i got you come on you can do this 15:13 next thing you know the baby is walking hallelujah 15:18 hallelujah next you know baby is walking a little faster 15:26 next you know a baby is actually trying to run 15:33 then the baby is potty trained then baby says you know what i want to 15:38 pee you know i need to use the restroom boom yeah fear and fear accidents 15:48 you you get the drift it is 15:55 abnormal however that that baby 16:01 uh is now 10 years old 16:06 it's going back to crawling on his belly 16:13 no he's not handicapped he's not doesn't have physical challenges 16:19 no he's he crawled 10 years ago 16:25 but now because they're asking him in school 16:32 to stand up and do some activity physical 16:37 activity maybe run a race or whatever bam 16:43 he lays on the floor and says are you serious 16:52 yeah he's going to point to his little brother at home that goes and he's on his belly on the floor no no 16:58 no no bro you're 10 years old and your brother is six months old 17:05 to the level you have attained 17:12 walk by that rule the rule is if you're 10 years old uh you can't lay on your belly and say 17:19 google gaga no no no no no you can't do that i'm sorry so for you 17:25 to quote that for yourself uh [Music] 17:31 you let me say kindly uh you're in deception 17:39 it doesn't apply to you it applies to your six-month-old broad at home but it doesn't apply to you 17:48 it doesn't let me say the third time it doesn't 17:55 apply to you it applies to your brother 18:01 so this growth stages as we grow we go from glory to glory 18:10 i know this is bad english but i'm going to say it glory glory glorious 18:15 don't grow glory gloria then go back to glory 18:24 [Music] beloved deliberately toying with sin can be very 18:31 deadly yes i know the babies in christ the little children yeah yeah yeah 18:39 their issues with sin god knows that again he knows the 18:45 process he knows where we are 18:50 like those kitty rhymes say accidents happen yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah 18:56 somebody's been potty trained and you know there's a little something that happened 19:02 a little accident peed whatever pooped yeah 19:08 that's where he's at but bro you're 12 years old 19:16 that happened to him he's a year old you're 12. he's a year you're 12. he's a 19:22 year uh so 19:27 you don't know where the bathroom was or what's your excuse 19:35 you're not sick you're whole 19:41 what's your excuse josh 19:46 i told you i was preaching to myself why are you taking it all personal chill relax 19:56 relax relax relax chill i'm not talking about you i'm talking about me i'm talking to me 20:03 if it applies to you you can take it but i'm not talking about you 20:09 see the word of god is a buffet it's it's so spread out so wide i mean 20:14 you can take all you want and they won't touch my ration oh well 20:20 deliberately toying with sin 20:26 is different from seeing being an incidence 20:36 of where we are you see 20:42 some have recovered by the mercy of god 20:48 when they mess with sin but some have not some have recovered and some have not 20:58 is the mercy of god which we cannot take for granted 21:03 george 16 1-3 the bible shows us that samson went to a harlot 21:09 and the lord still delivered him from the philistines georges chapter 21:14 16 verse one to three then went something to gaza and saw there and harlot and went in onto her 21:22 the prophet same thing i'm talking about i'm not talking about his cousin i'm not talking about his nephew i'm not talking 21:27 about his brother i'm talking about his daddy talking about samson the judge 21:33 that the spirit came upon like he came on the prophets yeah yeah yeah that's samson that one 21:39 yeah then went samson to gaza and saw there and harlot and went in unto her 21:44 verse 2 and it was told the gaza is saying something is come either and they compass him in and laid wait for him all 21:52 night in the gate of the city and we're quiet all the night saying in the morning when it is day uh we shall kill 21:59 him and samson laid till midnight and arose at midnight and took the doors 22:06 of the gate of the city and the two posts and went away with them by and all 22:12 and put them upon the shoulder and carried them up to the top of an hill 22:18 that is before hebrew the spirit came on him 22:24 and he uprooted a city gate post ba 22:30 everything but in verse 4 same judges 16 22:38 in verse 4 and verse 20 sat with see samson went again to a 22:44 strange woman but this time he did not know when the lord departed from him verse 4 and it 22:50 came to pass afterwards that he talking about samson loved the woman in the valley of sorek whose name was delilah 22:56 verse 20. and she said the philistines be upon the samson and he had walked out 23:01 of his sleep and said i will go out as at other times before 23:07 and shake myself and he wist not 23:13 that the lord was departed from him 23:18 i will go out as at other times before and shake myself 23:26 yeah i would just yeah i'm just going to do this thing real quick and i you know i just said lord forgive 23:32 me afterwards big deal he doesn't see that he sees the blood of jesus his son hallelujah 23:49 beloved refusing to grow is tantamount to 23:54 deliberately refusing the teaching and instruction of god's grace 24:03 remember remember remember galatians 4 24:09 verse 2 says that we are under two toes 24:16 teachers and governors until the time appointed of the father 24:27 titus shows us our principal teacher 24:34 a principal too tall that god puts us under 24:41 titus chapter 2 verse 11 and verse 12. for the 24:47 grace of god that brings salvation has appeared to all men 24:52 no he's not talking about a different grace talk about the same grace the same grace that brought us salvation 24:59 the same grace by which we are saved the same grace 25:04 the same grace 25:11 that grace does many things some of us have only focus 25:16 on a tiny interpretation of that grace 25:22 remember what it says about babes let's let's let's go back there 25:29 very quickly hebrews 25:35 chapter 5 verse 13. uh let me back up 25:41 first peter chapter two verse one to two we read this before on the podcast on 25:48 babes first peter chapter two verse one to two wherefore laying aside all malice and 25:54 all gal and hypocrisies and envy's and all evil speakings as newborn babes 26:00 newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the 26:06 world that you may grow thereby 26:12 a babe can't eat meat can't eat bones 26:18 it's too hard no but they can drink milk 26:23 and all god wants them to do is to desire the sincere milk of the world why 26:31 when that sincere milk comes in it's not the polluted milk no the sincere milk 26:39 the pure milk uh not the milk with additives no no not 26:44 the one stripped down is not two percent fat no no forget that stuff no 26:50 the whole milk of the world the sincere milk of the world is not adulterated 26:56 it's not perverted the sincere milk from the breast of god 27:03 is pure the way it is not the one that have been 27:10 processed and you separate the fat from it and you separate the vitamins from it and you 27:16 add some so-called nutrients to it no no no no forget that nonsense 27:22 the sincere milk of the word that one [Music] 27:28 that will make you grow but hebrews 5 13 says for everyone that 27:35 uses milk is unskillful in the world of righteousness for he's a babe 27:41 that's not putting the babes down no it's saying at this stage this is what you can take 27:47 but if you take the sincere milk not the adulterated milk 27:56 no the sincere milk the pure milk 28:03 you will grow yeah if you keep taking that milk you're 28:09 going to grow teeth how did teeth come from the milk i don't know 28:15 if you keep taking that milk you're gonna grow muscles and you'll be strong how does that come from milk i don't know 28:22 but there's something in the milk that is making the teeth grow in the baby that is causing the baby to grow 28:29 taller and stronger and their muscles firmer 28:35 all from milk [Music] i thought i had to eat protein meats to 28:41 get protein in my body yeah when you have teeth you can do that 28:47 if you don't have teeth you can't do that but how do i get teeth well you have to take milk 28:53 sincere milk oh well let me leave that alone 29:01 but as long as we are taking milk we cannot handle the word 29:07 of righteousness again it's not a put down it's not a put down 29:14 the word of god is not putting babies down no it's not it's just saying 29:20 that's where we are 29:27 and if we can't handle the water 29:33 righteousness correctly we'll get twisted in a 29:39 understanding of that righteousness 29:44 because god is not only saying that we are the righteousness of christ he's not only saying he has bestowed upon us the 29:51 righteousness of his son what is he saying by the same grace 29:57 titus 2 11 and 12 for the grace of god that brings salvation the same grace has 30:03 appeared to all men verse 12 teaching us that so grace is a two-tour 30:13 of babes of the air that's like a servant grace 30:19 is a teacher that god has said to teach us 30:25 what does he teach what is grace teaching us verse 12 denying ungodliness and worldly 30:32 loss we should live soberly what yeah we should leave verb 30:41 we should leave let me say it again that's a verb it's not a noun this is not the 30:47 righteousness we received this is the show me your faith by your work's 30:53 righteousness [Music] show me that god gave you the righteousness of his 31:01 son for free by the fruits from that 31:06 that is your life grace is teaching us verse 12 of titus 2 31:12 that denying ungodliness and word loss we should leave soberly 31:18 righteously and godly in heaven no that's not what it says 31:25 read it again that's what says you have your bible with you 31:32 that we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present 31:39 world not in heaven that's a given 31:47 in this world we should live how soberly we should live how 31:53 righteously we should live how godly in this present world 32:03 god believes he can be done that's why he sent his teacher called grace to teach us 32:11 here's the problem grace 32:18 delivered christ's righteousness to us by faith 32:25 so grace was a delivery man and we signed 32:31 for the righteousness of of we signed for the righteousness of christ that was bestowed upon or that 32:38 was given to us by the grace of god and we took it 32:43 from that delivery man called grace 32:50 after grace delivered that righteousness to us 32:56 grace took off his delivery uniform 33:02 and showed us that he was a teacher in college and said listen bro sit down i need to 33:09 teach you some stuff i need to teach you to live righteously 33:14 i need to teach you to live godly no no no no no no hey listen bro uh 33:20 you're a ups guy you're a delivery guy grace i know you delivered christ righteousness to me 33:28 uh you know the prof sorry forget that no no i signed for my delivery and i'm gone 33:35 hold on bro yes i delivered it to you but i'm also a teacher i'm a full-time 33:42 tutor full-time uh no you're a ups guy and i have my 33:50 package and i'm done with you bye 33:56 guys okay i know i sound silly forgive me but i hope you get it 34:03 grace delivered christ's righteousness to us but god also commissioned that same 34:11 delivery man as a teacher as our professor 34:16 to teach us but some of us don't see grace like that 34:22 we still see grace in his ups uniform ah he don't look like no professor to me 34:29 no no no no no no he's just a ups guy really 34:43 ephesians 5 6. 34:49 this is what happens to disobedient children if you don't want to listen 34:54 god says listen my tutor is teaching you no no no okay 35:00 ephesians 5 6 let no man deceive you with vain words 35:06 for because of these things commit the wrath of god 35:12 upon the children of disobedience 35:18 what things i'm glad you asked let's go back to our scripture 35:25 let's read that in context ephesians 5. if i let me start from verse one 35:31 be therefore follow us of god as dear children [Laughter] 35:38 and i will mess you up a little bit god has children and he has dear children 35:46 he has different kinds of children they are all his children you 35:51 oh well let me not get ahead of myself 35:56 be ye therefore follow us of god as dear children and walk in love as christ also 36:02 has loved us first too and has given himself for us an offering and his sacrifice to god for his sweet smell and 36:08 savor verse three fornication and all uncleanness 36:14 all covetousness let it not be once named among you as become a saints 36:23 to their children are the saints the dear children are the saints 36:29 the dear children are the saints as we commit saints verse 4 36:34 neither filthiness nor foolish talking no justin which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks 36:42 verse 5 for you know god 36:47 assumes that we know because he knows we know yeah i know many of us are saying 36:52 otherwise but god knows that we know because he won't say that we know if he knows it we don't know 36:59 so god knows that we know despite what we are saying for this you know 37:05 that no whoremonger no unclean person no covetous man who is an idolater has any 37:12 inheritance in the kingdom of christ and of god 37:21 they're in church but they're humongous no inheritance 37:28 then church we say we are born again and we're on clean persons it's not about 37:34 physical and cleanness now you know you know what it is we are covetous 37:40 we are born again i have i'm russians of god in christ jesus but we're an idolater 37:48 verse 5 says zero inheritance verse 6 37:53 let no man deceive you with vain words meaning there is deception in the house 37:59 of god god doesn't see me he sees the blood 38:07 okay let me tell you something he's not short-sighted he's not alongside it 38:13 he sees perfectly even he sees darkness bible 38:18 says is light to him a person that can see our heart 38:23 a person that can know our thoughts are far off oh wow 38:32 so don't tell me he sees the blood yeah 38:38 he saw the blood 38:43 that's how we got saved because if he had looked at us he would have seen our filth 38:51 but when we believed in christ the blood was applied 38:56 but that is not the verb 39:06 of the blood the action from that 39:14 we have received righteousness of god by faith but faith without walks 39:22 is dead verse 6 let no man ephesians 5 6 let no man 39:28 deceive you with vain words for because of these things comment the wrath of god upon the children 39:36 of disobedience look at luke 16 verse 19 to 25 39:44 luke 16 verse 19 to 25 oh my time is gone 39:52 okay there was a certain rich man which was clotted in purple and fine leaning and 39:57 fed sumptuously every day and there was a setting beggar named lazarus which was laid at his gate full of souls and 40:04 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table moreover the dogs came and licked his 40:09 souls and it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into abraham's bosom 40:15 the rich man also died and was buried and in hell the rich man was he lift up his eyes ben 40:22 in torments and seated abraham are far off and lazarus in his bosom and he cried verse 24 and said 40:28 father abraham have mercy on me and send lazarus to me dip the tip of his finger 40:34 in water and cool my tongue for i'm tormented in this flame but abraham said son 40:41 remember that dao in that lifetime received that good things likewise lazarus evil things but now he's 40:47 comforted and thou art tormented verse 24 notice that the rich man called 40:54 abraham father notice that 41:01 abraham did not deny that he was his father verse 25 notice that abraham called the 41:07 rich man son 41:14 yeah the rich man in hell was as much a son of abraham as the as 41:21 lazarus in his bosom they were both his sons 41:33 but the rich man had no fruit of love 41:40 oh well believe us today in the same position as sons of abraham and sons of god 41:48 galatians 3 verse 7 no ye therefore that day which are of 41:53 faith the same are the children of abraham you and i are children of abraham 42:00 galatians 3 verse 26 27 and 29 for ye are all the children of god 42:08 by faith in christ jesus for as many as have been baptized into christ have put on christ verse 27 then 42:16 verse 29 says and if you are christ then you are abraham's seed so by faith were 42:23 baptized into christ where and if we are baptized into christ 42:29 where abraham's seed so we're by faith children of abraham and children of god by faith in christ 42:36 jesus [Music] 42:48 so the rich man in hell did not stop being a son of god 42:56 did not stop being a son of abraham abraham did not deny him god did not deny that he was his son 43:04 so stop stop 43:11 stop should i say ah 43:17 lord help me please stop that nonsense 43:25 i'm still god's son god cannot deny me 43:30 ah my time is up god bless you 43:38 must beloved [Music] 43:56 glory to himself 44:03 [Music]