Do You Want to Grow?

Jesus forgives sinners. This is the good news that we call the Gospel. And it is good news! But, the Gospel isn’t just that Jesus forgives sinners, but that he changes sinners.

In other words, Jesus doesn’t just forgive us of our sins and leave us as we are, but he changes us, so that we may walk in the newness of life and not in our old patterns that were producing death in us. This is grace upon grace, and there are innumerable places in the Bible to read about the work that God is doing in his people as he saves them to the utmost from there sin.

1. We see it in the substance, of what marriage is a shadow. Husbands are to love their wives like Christ loves the church. And Christ gave himself up for the church, not only to sanctify her, but he did it:

“so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

Jesus loves with a redeeming and renewing love.

2. We see this plan seated at the center of the book of Romans, in the heart of Ch. 8 where the apostle Paul writes:

“For those whom [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that [Christ] might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

The Glorified Christ will be followed by those whom God has Predestined, called, justified and glorified. We who believe will follow Christ into glory as we are conformed into his image.


Christian, Christ is not done with you yet! He has saved you and is saving you and he eradicated every impurity in us so that he might present us “to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle.”

But the question for you this morning is: Do you want that? Do you desire to grow like that?

Do you want to grow into an oak of righteousness?

To be like the Blessed man in Psalm 1 who is planted by streams of water and yields its fruit in its season?

It is natural for a tree to grow, and it is natural for a Christian to grow too. But natural doesn’t mean automatic or accidental. A better word may be that it is normal for things that are alive to grow. But if a tree is left with no sunlight, no water, no soil, it is natural for that tree to die.

So do you want to be the tree that yields fruit in its season, fruit like:

“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”?

Or are you just happy that faith sprung up in you, but have little interest in making sure it takes root so that you don’t wither away?

Or are you content to try and live among the thorns not realizing that they desire to choke out the sapling of your faith? Do we come to Jesus, who is the stream of living waters, and just try to fill our leaky cup and go about our business.

To grow means to have more life and therefore joy. Our greatest hinderance to joy in any moment is our lack of Godliness. Or to put it positively, the fruit of the Spirit can be produced in even the toughest of life circumstances. The gospel is that powerful, Jesus is that powerful.

So your exhortation this morning is this: By the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the flesh so that you may live, and bear much fruit.