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Grow Up In Your Salvation
(1Pe2:1-3)

God is merciful (Ex34:6).
By grace He makes plain the dispensation of His mystery (Eph3:8-9) and
For those who tasted His mercy to grow up in their salvation
He waits patiently a day like a thousand years (2Pe3:8-9).
  Faith is having tasted His mercy and knowing it (1Pe2:3) and
The life of this faith is accepting His word without filtering and growing up, that is, to mature attaining
To the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph4:13),
For if a baby fails to grow in body, knowledge, and personality,
It would be a big concern for the parents.
 
The Bible stresses that, just by confessing with mouth that Yeshua is Christ (Romans 10:10, 13)
One cannot be saved for
The souls who do not grow are called chaffs (Mt3:12) and
On the last day they will end up in hell together with the weeds, the children of the devil (Mt13:30).
 
Israel who had been slaves of Egypt became the people of God for
The God of Hebrews, Jehovah, appeared as an angel (Ex5:3; 2Sa22:11).
Reminding this was the sanctuary where the ark had images of cherubim (Ex25:18).
 
The greatest commandment given to them was to
First, love God and
Second, love their neighbors as themselves (Mt22:36-39).
If anyone did not keep this, they were immediately punished if not put to death
By the testimony of two or three witnesses (Dt19:15).
Thus, even their parents and siblings, whom they were supposed to love, became objects of caution.
Furthermore, they ended up becoming hypocrites.
 
Yeshua said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days,” because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body (Jn2:19-20),
Not in the name of Jehovah brought by the angel (Ex3:2-4)
But in the Father’s name of Yeshua brought by the Son (Jn5:43),
He would let not those under the Law, the tutor to be feared for (Rm8:15; Gal3:24),
But the mature who tasted God’s mercy, love God the Father (Jn17:23).
 
As He died, He said, “It is finished” (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1)     Knowing the Father’s love kept His commandment to death (Jn10:17-18);
2)     Judged the divider, the devil (Ge2:17, 3:4-6; 1Jn3:8); and
3)     Sprinkled the redeeming blood and gave birth to God’s children (Eph1:7; He12:24).
 
He resurrected and ascended to the throne in heaven and
He is the Lamb who has the marks of being slain (Rev5:9), and
To this day He shows mercy to those who became His children by His blood (He4:16).
 
The Holy Spirit whom He sent helps the children of God and
Lets them grow up in salvation.
He lets them eat up the word of God without filtering
Like newborn babies craving pure spiritual milk (1Pe2:2) for
The mature eats solid food (He5:12-14), that is, the word of the Bible, which is
Good for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2Ti3:15-16).
 
The mature Christian is he who:
1)    With Christ died to philosophy, to basic principles of the world, and does not keep the Law out of fear but out of love (Gal4:3-10; Col2:8, 10);
2)    Giving up childish things of the past, such as thinking about himself, and now being considerate and looking after other souls (1Co13:11; He10:25); and
3)    By working according to his measure as a member, grows and builds up the Church, the body of Christ (Eph4:15-16).
 
O Lord,
In the way we think, speak, we are still childish.
Me, me, me!  I only think about myself!
Let us all become mature Christians who know the Father’s identity, will and heart and
Deny ourselves and discover neighbors.
Let me embrace all those You have given me until they finally reach salvation.  Amen.

Sermon Trivia

1. Why does God patiently wait, as emphasized in 2Pe 3:8-9?
A. To fulfill an individual’s prayer
B. To allow individuals to mature in their salvation
C. To test the patience of believers
D. To demonstrate His fullness in Christ

2. According to Eph4:13, the essence of faith is _____
A. Growing in knowledge and personality
B. Committing to daily prayer and meditation
C. Maturing to attain the fullness of Christ
D. Demonstrating love and forgiveness towards others

3. True/False: Confessing that Yeshua is Christ is sufficient for salvation (Romans 10:10, 13)

4. What does “weeds” refer to in Mt13:30?
A. Unbelievers who reject Christ
B. Individuals who only confess with their mouths
C. Children of the devil
D. All of the above

5. What did the greatest commandments given to Israelites entail? (Mt22:36-39, (Dt19:15)
A. They became hypocrites
B. They faced enslavement by Egypt.
C. They became righteous
D. They suffered exiled from the promised land

6. The death and the resurrection of the temple of His body (Jn2:19-20) is to _____
A. Enforce the fear of the Law (Rm8:15)
B. Emphasize the power of Jehovah brought by the angel (Ex3:2-4)
C. Showcase the superiority of the Law over God's mercy
D. Demonstrate the authority of Yeshua as the Son of the Father (Jn5:43)

7. What is the primary purpose for which the Holy Spirit came?
A. To punish those souls who disobey
B. To establish and fulfill God’s will
C. To help children of God grow up in salvation
D. To enforce hierarchical structures within the church

8. What is the significance of the word of God, as described in 2Ti3:15-16?
A. Offering direction to follow the teaching
B. Providing guidance for rebuking and correcting in righteousness
C. Confusing and misleading believers
D. A and B

9. What does a mature Christian do?
A. Keep the Law out of fear
B. Hold on to childish thoughts about oneself
C. Be considerate and look after other souls
D. Reject responsibilities within the Church

Answers:

1.B 2.C 3.False 4.D 5.A 6.D 7.C 8.D 9.C