Growing in God

[0:00] I've found the best to apply it to my life. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, you know you get revelations and you get revelations. And they really mean something to you, but when you grab something, and you know if you can get it in here that you've grabbed a hold of something.

[0:20] It's going to be a life-changing experience, not just for a week or two weeks, but it's what's going to bring you through and what's going to take you out of the wilderness that you're in. Amen. Fourth chapter in Ephesians, the 13th verse.

[0:37] Till we all come in the unity of faith. All means all of us. Until we all come into the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

[0:56] That we henceforth be no more children and tossed to fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleigh of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and in wait to deceive.

[1:17] But speaking the truth in love may grow up. Now listen, there's a key word there.

[1:28] Grow up. I know I've seen people... I may not be experienced in this as much as some people are, but I've seen people be saved for 30 years and can't tell you the books of the Bible.

[1:45] I'm not doubting them. I'm not saying that they don't know the Bible, but what I'm saying is you grow up in the stature. You are what you are. You are what you live every day. Amen? But speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things which is dead, which is head, even Christ.

[2:03] What I want to teach about tonight is the need for spiritual growth. How many knows if we don't have spiritual growth?

[2:17] Lord Jesus, help me Jesus. If we don't have spiritual growth, we don't have nothing. If we don't have spiritual growth, we don't have a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I can sit here and I can talk for 15 or 20 minutes.

[2:30] This message isn't long. But I've got to get somebody behind me that's going to understand this with me. Amen? How about let's all stand and just go into the Word.

[2:44] Jesus, Lord, help me. Let's all bow our heads. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Jesus, Lord, You're the head of every situation in our life. Lord, we're nothing without You.

[3:00] Oh, mighty God, Lord, we're nothing without You, Jesus, until we yield ourself unto You. Oh, mighty God, Lord, until we grow up in the stature of You, Jesus. Oh, mighty God, Lord, help us to get in one mind and one accord tonight.

[3:18] Oh, Lord, to apply us to our mind, to our life. Jesus, Lord, to help us in our everyday walk. Oh, mighty God, Lord, help us to be a light to our family.

[3:29] Say, Jesus, Lord, Lord, we thank You, Lord, and we praise You, and we'll never fail to give You all glory, honor, and praise in Jesus' name. Hallelujah.

[3:44] If you've got your Bibles, turn on over to 2 Peter. 3.18. 3.18. 3.18.

[4:01] I look out, I hunt fish a lot. I mean, that's my mom, I've been coon hunting quite a bit. And you look around, and you look at everything, and you see everything just blooming and growing and starting to sprout up.

[4:17] That's one reason I started really studying this message. It's because you look around, and you see everything sprouting up.

[4:29] But it's a difference in bearing for fruit and just coming up. Amen? Okay, 2 Peter 3.18. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[4:43] To Him be glory both now and forever. There's four things I want to teach about tonight. And that is four steps. What I just read you back in Ephesians 4, 13-15 verse, is growing up in the stature of Christ.

[5:01] We all know, Brother Darrell's been teaching that our bodies are laid out. Our life, our everyday walk with Jesus Christ is laid out in the stature of Christ. Amen? Okay, I want to try to give you a visual picture of how to grow spiritually.

[5:15] Everything applied to our life is in the stature of Jesus Christ. Amen? The first thing I want to talk about is the seed root. The seed root.

[5:29] The seed root. You can turn to Mark. The fourth chapter. The third and fourth verse.

[5:45] Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hearken. Hearken, behold. There went out a sower to sow and it came to pass as he sowed some fill by the wayside and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

[6:11] Mighty God, Lord Jesus. The seed, alright, the seed root, like I was telling you, is at the foot of the cross. Everything that is applied to our life, we grow up in the stature of Jesus Christ.

[6:24] It is up to us. It is plainly up to us. God has told us. We all know that this is a Bible taught church. Somebody get with me here tonight.

[6:36] Oh, hallelujah, Jesus. The seed root, which is where we all start. When we come and ask Jesus into our life and we ask Jesus to come in, mold us, shape us.

[6:47] The seed root is at the foot of the cross, which is where we all start. The seed root had a challenge, had an enemy. How many enemies come our way every week, every day, every second, every hour?

[6:59] The enemy comes our way seeking whom he may devour, but it is up to us whether we fall by the wayside or not. Whether we let the devil take a hold of us or not, we say that the devil is sneaky, that the devil comes up on us.

[7:19] He blindsides us. We know he's sneaky. Why not be alert all the time? Why not keep your eyes open? Keep your eyes on the prize. Stay prayed up.

[7:29] Stay fasted up. But it is up to us. A lot of us don't like to apply it to our life because it takes separation. It takes a little sacrifice.

[7:43] It takes a little sacrifice. It takes a little sacrifice. A lot of us stay here, but it takes a little sacrifice, a little praying, a little reading your Bible through the week.

[8:00] To really grow in God. It is up to you. It is plainly up to you. A farmer can plant a seed, but if you don't nourish that ground, if you don't till it up, if that ground ain't right, what's going to happen?

[8:18] It's not going to take hold. Woot is one of the strongest holds in those plants. And any plant that you see, and any seed that is in your heart, any seed that is in your life, if it don't take good hold, this windstorm is going to come along.

[8:33] Marlboro is going to come along. Budweiser is going to come along. Lust is going to come along.

[8:49] Attitude is going to come along. Selfishness is going to come along. Jealousy is going to come along. Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko, How many is hearing me tonight?

[9:00] How many is saying where I am coming from? The enemy, the enemy naturally attacked the first stage of growth, which I read you in Mark, the fourth chapter, the third and fourth verse.

[9:15] The Lord has tried to plant a seed in every one of our hearts. I'm going to say that again. The Lord has tried to plant a seed in each and every one of our hearts.

[9:30] I heard a preacher say one time, when the Lord is knocking at your door, conviction is on your door.

[9:42] He's wanting to deliver you. There's only two things that you can do. You can say, yes Lord, or you can tell the Lord, no, I don't need you. That's what you're telling Him. I don't need you, Jesus. When you reject the Lord and you tell Him, no, I don't want to live my life.

[9:55] I don't want to live an overcoming life. I want to walk back out in this world. I want to get in this mess that I've been in for years and years and years and years and years. It's totally up to you. It's so easy.

[10:06] It's so easy to step out of that. Some of y'all are saying, no, it's an addiction. It's an addiction. It's an addiction. It's nothing that the Holy Ghost, Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko.

[10:17] It's nothing. You're serving the man. Kanaboko, Kanaboko, Kanaboko. You're serving somebody that knew you before you was born.

[10:28] You're serving somebody. Come on, get with me, y'all. Somebody just say, hey! Hey! You're serving somebody who created you, who created this earth.

[10:41] Don't tell me He can't take the desires away of addiction that has been binding you up. Uncle Shia, that has been binding you up.

[10:51] The thorns has been wrapping around your neck. You've been in sin too long. Amen. A lot of times I think we need to get an attitude with the devil.

[11:08] Get out! You have no room in me. God, I'm a child of the King. God made me.

[11:25] Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. The Lord has tried to plant a seed in every one of our hearts, but He has found our soil unprepared.

[11:37] A lot of times we allow Satan's birds of doubt and unbelief to snatch away the seed before He can take root. A lot of times we just let it lay there.

[11:51] The desire, the conviction is on us, but we know if we can just walk out of church, if we can just get away from it and get back to our worldly friends, that desire, that desire we're getting further and further and further and further away from that desire of telling Jesus, no, I don't need you.

[12:10] Either you need Him or you don't. Tell Him. Shababoko, shanabadidiokosaha. The second stage of growth, the root blade stage.

[12:28] The root blade stage, the seed had to overcome stony ground. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. He never promised that the cross would not get heavy.

[12:41] He didn't ever say that the hill would not be hard to climb. It's just up to us if we climb it or not. It's just up to us if we got a made up mind. It's just up to us if we want to push.

[12:53] It's just up to us if we're going to say, Jesus, I'm yours. The devil has no room in me. I'm going on. I'm running on. There's nothing. Satan, there's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing that can stop me.

[13:06] That's like, you know, there was some talk going around. Jeremy's going to turn 21. He's going to be out of church. Shut up, devil. Ain't nothing but a devil.

[13:19] I didn't go out when I was 18. What makes you think I'm going to go out when I'm 21? God save me. I'm not saying I don't get tempted. I'm not saying I don't get tried.

[13:30] But the Lord has planted a seed in me. Not bragging, not boasting. But when He saves you, He saves you. When He sees you willing to work for Him, He's going to give you a job to do.

[13:48] The rude blade stage, the seed had to overcome. Stony ground. The enemy also attacked the second stage of growth, the rude blade, because it fell upon stony ground where its roots could not grow.

[14:06] You can read in Mark 4, chapter 5, and 6, verse, And some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth and immediately sprang up because it had no depth of earth.

[14:26] But when the sun was up, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away. Mighty God, mighty God, Jesus.

[14:40] Some of you are saying, Jeremy, how do you get your seed to grow? How do you cause it not to fall upon stony ground?

[14:55] How do you cause your roots to take a hold? When you get down at the altar and you pray, you say, Jesus, I want to be real for You. I'm not talking about Lord, make me real for three or four days and I'm going to go back out and do the old thing I was doing again.

[15:09] Not do it for two or three months. Not do it for a year, but really mean it out of the sincere, out of your sincere heart. Jesus, I can't make it without You.

[15:20] Yeah, we're flesh. Yeah, we're human. We can't go one day. We can't go one day. But it's totally up to us. It's totally up to our minds.

[15:31] I've come to figure out my mind is my strongest sin. My mind is my strongest sin. Some people say, no, it's your tongue. It comes through my mind and then it goes out my tongue.

[15:42] My mind is my strongest sin. My imagination, I've got an imagination. I can get here crawling around thinking I'm in Star Wars. I mean, I've got an imagination.

[15:56] The third stage is the ear stage. The seed had to overcome.

[16:12] Now, I want you all to listen to me very closely on this stage. Because a lot of us, it's easy to get these two stages. It's easy to grow in these two stages I was just telling you about. But now it's starting to get a little difficult.

[16:24] Because the devil sees you getting closer and closer and shanaboko, shanabakasa. He sees you growing up.

[16:35] He sees you succeeding, okay? In the earth stage, now there was four stages. This is the stage before you finally reach full maturity in Christ, right?

[16:49] In the earth stage, the seed had to overcome the thorns. The third stage of the seed growth had enemies had enemies that choked the life from it.

[17:04] Because the root, the root blade had sprung up among thorns. Mark, the fourth chapter, the seventh verse.

[17:16] And some fell among thorns and thorns grew up and choked it. And it yielded no fruit. I was just telling you all a few minutes ago, whoever you hang around is who you're going to be tempted by.

[17:32] If you plant your seed in a bunch of thorns, which it was saying here in the seventh verse of the fourth chapter, if you plant your seed in thorns, it's going to choke it. But listen, if you take your time, take your time and nourish the ground, nourish it up where nothing is around or where the sun can hit and where the sun can glow on it, where you can begin to grow and the roots can begin to take place.

[17:54] Then that's when you're starting to succeed. That's when shabod adiokosha, shabod adiokosha. That's when you're making some headway. Amen? Hallelujah, hallelujah.

[18:05] Even after, even after the plant had attained the measure of the stature, there was a constant battle. Remember, it was planted in thorns.

[18:19] Thorns was growing up all around it. Thorns was growing up in our life. There's a constant battle. We live every day. Every day that we wake up in the morning, there's a constant battle. The devil is right there saying, hey, Jeremy.

[18:32] Hey, Jeremy, come on out here. You're 21 now. Hey, Jeremy, you're out here. Somebody comes along and pulls out in front of me or whatever and then them curse words start entering my mind and I'm wanting to holler.

[18:44] I'm just being truthful. Amen? I want to say, hey, get out of my way. I'm allowing that devil to come in and actually enter into my mind instead of saying, Jesus, get him out of here.

[18:57] See you, devil. Don't come back no more. Amen? Alright, the fourth stage. The full leer stage.

[19:10] The seed had to overcome good ground. In the first three stages of growth, an outward enemy had to be overcome.

[19:24] Amen? In the final stage, a secret enemy had to be defeated. Let's read Mark 4 and 8.

[19:36] And other fell on good ground and did yield fruit and sprang up and increased and brought forth some thirty and some sixty and some hundred.

[19:57] And he said unto them, He that hath ear, let him hear. In one sense, it tells us that good ground was a friend.

[20:09] However, however, the enemy, because it served as a breeding place for the inner enemy, that must be conquered if the plant is to reach its full potential for abundant fruitfulness.

[20:32] It is totally up to us if we let this word come into our life. As I look back and look at the church and even me, I'm talking to myself too.

[20:48] I shout more than I hear the word. I shout more than I read the word. And I believe most everybody here is in that same boat with me.

[21:04] But we don't understand and don't apply this to our life, then we're going to be spiritually dead. And if Satan can kill you spiritually, he's got you.

[21:24] I was studying another book me and Brother Van was talking about today. Before you're created in your mother's womb, God has done created your spirit and your soul before your fleshly body is ever transformed in your mother's womb.

[21:42] God knows if he can take your spirit away and take your spiritual growth away, that ought to tell you something. If your spiritual growth, if your spirit and your soul was before your human body, then it's already got a head start before your fleshly body.

[22:02] When you come into this world, your spirit has already been growing. Amen? I honestly believe that. Because it was created first. Amen? However, if Satan can steal your spiritual growth, put his thorns around your neck, make your seed fall by the wayside and up on stony ground, he's killed you.

[22:28] He's killed you. There are seven things that I wrote down here that we can put on that is actually spiritual weapons when the devil starts coming to us.

[22:42] But see, there's one thing in me saying them and then really applying them to my life of when the devil really comes at me, am I really going to use them or not? You know, I can sit here and say them and say them over and over and over again and study it out and read it and everything, but if I don't apply it to my life then it's no good for nothing.

[23:02] Spiritual weapons that we can use to overcome is singing, praising, dancing, shouting, worshipping, thanksgiving, and praying.

[23:19] The word grow, what I was telling you about, grow up in the stature of Christ, grow up in your old spiritual man and your old carnal man.

[23:36] I know men, I know we're carnal. Worshiping.

[23:49] The word grow means to become enlarged in bulk or in stature. To become larger or stronger, to be augmented, to be advanced, to extend, to swell, to be changed from one state to another, to advance to full spiritual maturity.

[24:13] humanity. I don't want to criticize anyone here tonight, but I think at looking at us, we're all spiritual babes in Christ.

[24:35] In one way or another, we're not fully mature up in Christ. If you all would bow your heads just for a second.

[24:48] this was an old big Bible scholar message.

[24:59] I'm not a Bible scholar. Don't claim to be. Don't claim to be. But if you've seen something in this message that maybe you could apply to your life, that maybe you can use.

[25:27] If you're tired of being at the same place that you've been for 10, 20, 30 years, that can change tonight.

[25:54] Even if you've been at the same place three and four months, if you don't feel like that you're satisfied with your spiritual growth, with your walk with God, this altar is open.

[26:34] Hallelujah, Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. How many would lift their hand and honestly say, Brother Jeremy, I know I'm not where I should be.

[26:52] I know I haven't been sacrificing my flesh as much as I should. I'm a spiritual babe in Christ.

[27:03] I'm a spiritual babe Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

[27:23] Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Like I was telling you earlier in the message, this applies to every one of our lives because we're really not spiritual mature.

[27:48] We've not really grown up in the stature of Christ. we barely understand. You can come down to this altar here tonight and say, Jesus, I'm a spiritual babe.

[28:11] You don't have to stay at that same spot. You don't have to. You don't have to. You don't have to. But I can say this. Either you say yes or you reject Him.

[28:31] One of the two. Either it's yes or it's no, Jesus. Jesus. How many would come tonight and just begin to lay their life down on the altar and say, Jesus, Lord, help me to grow in You.

[28:59] Jesus, Lord, help me to grow up in You, Jesus. Jesus. Lord, help me to seek Your face. Help me, Jesus. Lord, I'm tired of my addictions.

[29:15] I'm tired of not having control, Jesus. Lord, only You can help me. I'm nothing without You.

[29:25] I'm nothing without You. I'm nothing without You, Jesus. I'm nothing without You.

[29:39] Oh, Jesus, Lord, we worship You. We worship You. Oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

[29:50] oh mighty God mighty God Lord you see the hands that was raised Jesus Lord I ask that you touch them Jesus Lord send your conviction spirit Lord upon them Lord help us to grow up in you oh mighty God Lord help us to grow in you Jesus Jesus Jesus you know it's impossible for us to succeed in Jesus Christ if we don't grow spiritually it's hard for us to really grow up in God if we don't grow spiritually but when you do start beginning to grow spiritually you have that one on one conversation where you know each and every day that you wake up that he's by your side and you got a glow and you got his head around you

[31:06] Jesus Jesus Jesus муз Oh, hallelujah.

[32:16] Lord Jesus, you see these tonight, Lord God, that have came.

[32:33] Lord, with heavy hearts, Lord God, because your Spirit has drawn them. Lord God, to a place of repentance. Lord, they have seen your Spirit, Lord, on your servant tonight.

[32:47] They've heard your Word. They're crying out, Jesus, change me, Lord. Lord God, make me an overcomer, Lord God. Let me grow up. I don't want to just stay in the root stage or the seed stage or the blade stage.

[33:01] But, Lord, I want to grow up and be a fruit-bearing Christian. Lord God, that I might be able to come forth out of that grave, Lord, with 30-fold or 64-fold or even 100-fold glory, Lord Jesus.

[33:11] Put it in my heart. Put it in my mind. Put it in my life, Lord God, to serve you, Lord, with everything that I have. Lord, if I play around and play church all my life, and my life comes to an end, and I haven't still loved you with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind and all my strength, then, Lord God, my life's been a failure.

[33:33] Jesus, tonight these come to you, Lord. Hallelujah, Lord Jesus, Lord God. Don't bend the knee, Lord God. Crying out in their spirit, Jesus, change me.

[33:49] Save me. Cleanse me. Make me an overcomer. Make me more than a conqueror. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. Judgment called for a pain.

[34:04] But for a sin. None was worthy to be found among men.

[34:16] But the precious Lamb of God, with a cross and thorny crown, Paid the debt with the blood of the Lamb.

[34:33] Paid in full by the blood of the Lamb. Free from sin. Free to live.

[34:45] Now I am. And it reads on the page where my sins are written down.

[34:56] Paid in full by the blood of the Lamb. Praise the Lord.

[35:07] Brother Bruce, you ready to come sing? Didn't Brother Jeremy do well tonight?

[35:35] Real well. Amen. Praise the Lord. Amen. And it's a good way to celebrate. Coming into manhood. Amen. Praise God.

[35:46] Being a man is more than being able to father children. It's more than even having a job.

[35:57] It's being able to show the responsibility. Praise the Lord. Amen. Not only taking responsibility for yourself, but for anybody else that needs.

[36:08] to come to your way to Him, but I'm saying amen in the house. Can I imagine? Aye. Sister, you wound up on the front row by yourself again, didn't you? Amen. Amen. Amen. Yeah. All right. Yeah.

[36:18] Yeah. Yeah. Amen. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hearing ingenious various cultures the sound that saved the rich like me I once was lost but now I'm found a blind but now

[37:23] I see the grace that brought my heart to God and grace my fears relieved I first believed I first believed the heart I first believed amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved the rich like me like me like me

[38:35] I once was lost but now I found I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

[39:37] I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

[40:39] I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

[41:55] I Tonight?

[42:27] Tell us again this. For one thing, Rachel's sick, but her dad just come in and said to keep all the girls, or grandpa, needs to stay in because they just got a girl off the floor while a 14-year-old was raped.

[42:44] Tonight. So. Let's all just stand up and just pray right now. Amen. Hallelujah. Lord Jesus. Lord, we come to you right now.

[42:56] Lord, you see this little girl, and you see this situation. Lord God, you see this horrible neighborhood. Lord God, it's such terrible things go on in it. Lord God, we just ask you to move, Lord God, to come right down in this place.

[43:07] Lord God, we marched here last Friday evening. Lord God, we want to take our neighborhood back. Jesus, we just ask you to move, Lord God. Lord God, send your spirit down here. Send convicting power down here.

[43:18] Lord God, and deliver, Lord. Riverside Gardens. Lord God, for you, Jesus. Lord God, let it become a shining light, an example for the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Lord God, to help, Lord, these poor people.

[43:30] Lord God, that have so much sin, throw it in their face. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[44:01] Amen. I just can't stop Praise in His name, I just can't stop Praise in His name, I just can't stop Praise in His name, my Jesus Oh, I just can't stop Praise in His name, I just can't stop Praise in His name, I just can't stop Praise in His name, my Jesus Cause every knee shall bow And every tongue confess That Jesus Christ is Lord forever Where every knee shall bow And every tongue confess

[45:02] That Jesus Christ is Lord forever Oh, I just can't stop Praise in His name, I just can't stop Praise in His name, I just can't stop Praise in His name, my Jesus Oh, I just can't stop Praise in His name, my God, I just can't stop Praise in His name, my God, I just can't stop Praise in His name, my Jesus Praise in His name, my God, I just can't stop I just can't stop I just can't stop I just can't stop visibility offиф- you