Living a life pleasing to God

1. Growth: a necessary
requirement for Christians

2. Jesus and the fig tree
Mark 11:12-14

3. The Word of God = Seed
Luke 8: 11b

4. 4 types of seed recipients
Along
the path
Rocky
ground
Among
thorns
On good
soil

5. Obstacles to Christian Growth
The devil
● Unbelief
● Doubt
● Divided mine
Failures
● Unenduring
● Destructions
● Sickness
● Needs
● Irresolute
Life’s woes/Idols
● Riches
● Worries
● Lusts
● Pleasures
Overcome all
obstacles
Disbelieve
/Reject
Believe/get
emotional but
fall away
Believe but
dismiss &
stagnate
Persevere and
grow

6. Why Christian Growth
Ephesians 4:13-16
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son
of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the
waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in
every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part
does its work.

7. Samuel grew, Jesus grew
1 Samuel 2:26
26 And the boy Samuel continued to
grow in stature and in favor with the
LORD and with people.
Luke 2:52
52 And Jesus grew in wisdom
and stature, and in favor with God
and man.

8. ● “as he grew in body, the faculties of my soul opened and received
gradually large measures of wisdom and knowledge, in things natural
and spiritual, through the indwelling of his divine nature in me, and the
Holy Spirit that was, without measure, on me” ~John Gill
● “Growing in favor with God and others, in other words, means to grow
spiritually and socially. This is part of the four dimensions growth; the
others being growing physically and psychologically (mentally and
emotionally)”. ~Kenneth Acha

9. Some Areas of Christian Growth
1. Favor
1. Wisdom

10. 3. Grow in Grace

11. Colossians 1:9-10
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have
not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you
with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and
understanding that the Spirit gives,
10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him
in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the
knowledge of God,
4. Knowledge of the Savior, Jesus Christ

12. 5. Faith
Luke 17:5
6. Salvation

13. 7. Righteousness
2 Corinthians 9:10
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and
bread for food will also supply and increase your
store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your
righteousness.
8. Thought and Talk
1 Corinthians 13:11
11 When I was a child, I talked like a
child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child. When I became a man, I
put the ways of childhood behind me.

14. What shall we do now?
Luke 8:15
15 But the seed on good soil
stands for those with a noble and
good heart, who hear the word,
retain it, and by persevering
produce a crop.

15. What shall we do now?
2 Peter 1:5-8
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith
goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will
keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.