Pastor Kyle continues that because of the grace of God, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him that saved us, we gained the favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin. It is the application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner which created the state of reconciliation to God. With the heart of Christ was produced in us the virtuous or religious affection or disposition, as a liberal disposition, faith, meekness, humility, patience, proceeding from divine influence. We now can pass that grace along to our fellow man in favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another; as a grant made as an act of grace. As Christians growing in grace, we can control how we respond to people we disagree with. We control if we step back and gain our composure.
1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
We control if we live real, honest, ethical and moral lives before the eyes of God and our neighbors. We can control whether we handle our finances properly. Grace allows us to fix root issues in ourselves; growing, knowing and learning from mistakes. Not making bad decisions based upon our sin nature that get us into the hole, but making good decisions that get us out of and keep us out of the hole. A new and growing godly heart in holiness and righteousness creates godly decisions and godly behavior in peace. God loves us and helps us to grow and have peace.
The point that Pastor Kyle is making is that obeying God leads to spiritual growth, but it also leads to a more peaceful and stable life. It is not what we do, but who we are in Christ. Life in a fallen world is going to throw you curveballs, bumps and hurdles that are going to disrupt your peace and knock you off balance. Daily and continuous obedience and faithfulness to God (a) allows us to gain and maintain control over the things we can control, and (b) it helps us find more peace in the areas that we cannot control. In our current year, this seems especially true and relevant.
In Matthew 13:18-23 Jesus explains, “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Everything that grows begins with a tiny seed being planted. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us that the seed which falls on the good soil and is watered grows as God intended and is fruitful. Crops require continued nutrition, constant attention and regular pruning. In John 15, Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches. Anything that does not produce fruit gets trimmed off by the Vinedresser (God). Daily obedience and faithfulness to Jesus means tilling the soil of our hearts, watering the good seeds that God has planted in us, and pruning away the things in our life that God says needs to be trimmed and thrown away. Steps of obedience may feel painful at the time, but pay off a hundredfold down the line.
Three things that we need to stay spiritually grounded to build a solid spiritual root structure. (1) Remain grounded in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. We need to know more about the Bible. We need to know more about Jesus, but we also need to know Jesus more. And to know Jesus more is to live more like Jesus with a more gracious life. Our quest for more biblical knowledge and insight should drive us to be more gracious in our daily lives. God’s grace isn’t just what draws us to Him when we are saved; it is the way that we continue to grow in our faith.
Jesus prayed from the Cross for those who killed Him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The people who crucified Christ knew what they were doing in an immediate sense, but not in an ultimate sense. It was God’s plan to have Jesus’ grace on displace at the Cross, so the Lord knew their rejection was coming as part of that plan. Jesus allowed that rejection and persecution to show us forgiveness and grace. God turned the evil that was done to Jesus at the Cross into the greatest good imaginable. So, Jesus could very well say, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” We need to more about the Bible and live gracious lives. We need that grounding and that grounding is what keeping us from falling into false teaching and sin. That’s the grounding that holds us back when tempted to do something that would cause us to fall.
(2) Remain grounded in community. Roots form a network to support each other. We have to grow deep in God’s Word and in community so we can safely and connected to grow healthy and spiritually. That is how God designed us to grow. (3) It takes constant maintenance and attention. We are still growing and learning more. We are not done growing here until the day that we go to be with the Lord. Keep doing the good work Christian and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
In Christ, Brian
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