Grow in Grace
Hello Church,
Let us all Grow in Grace this year.
2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”
Here are some interesting things to learn from this verse:
1. To verb to ‘grow’ is in the imperative form. That means it is a command. As Christians we must grow. As Christians we can’t help but grow, just like a little child. As long as that child eats, sleeps and exercises, she will continue to grow. You can’t stop her from growing. Sure, there are seasons where we grow a little and some seasons where we grow a lot, and grow we must. We must never think it okay that we are not growing.
2. That same verb is in the present tense and in the Greek, that means it’s a continuous action. We are to always be growing in our faith, to our very last breath. This year is a great opportunity, using the CoaH Challenge, to continuously grow in our spiritual maturity.
3. We are to grow in the grace of Jesus. This must mean that we are to grow in the daily experience of the grace of Jesus. We all understand that we are saved by grace, but every day, as we live and breathe, work and play, we are to do all these things, by the grace, that Jesus provides. One way to practice this is to say this simple prayer, multiple times, through the day: “Lord Jesus, I need your grace.”
4. We are to grow in knowledge of Jesus. We must never think that knowledge of Jesus could ever be exhausted. Knowledge of Jesus is like an ever-flowing spring that continues to bring life-giving, refreshing water. As we mentioned in Sunday’s sermon, like Paul, our heart’s cry should be, “I want to know Jesus!”
5. Knowledge of Jesus includes both information about Jesus and experience of Jesus. Think of it like any other close relationship. We grow closer to someone by knowing more about the person, but also by spending time with that person. Both are needed. Our knowledge of Jesus comes exclusively from Scripture. That should be our goal as we read the Bible, in both Testaments. Our experience of Jesus occurs when we meditate upon that knowledge of him, when we worship him both corporately and privately and when we pray to him.
6. Jesus is both Lord and Saviour. This was a huge theological issue in the 1980-90s. Some Christian leaders were teaching inaccurately that Jesus could be our Saviour, but not our Lord; meaning that we can receive him for our salvation, but at the same time, not submit to his rule over our lives. Pastor John MacArthur put that incorrect teaching to rest in his book, “The Gospel According to Jesus”. As this verse states, for all Christians, Jesus is both Saviour and Lord. As someone once said and has often been repeated, “If Jesus isn’t Lord of all, he isn’t Lord at all.” Let us submit to Jesus as the Lord of our lives.
7. When God’s people submit to the Lordship of Jesus, this is how we bring glory to him. That is our ultimate life goal—to bring glory to Jesus. Jesus said to us, “If you love me you will keep my commands.” and as the song we sing says, “Not to us but to your name be the glory!” Let us glorify Jesus in our lives—work, rest, family, and church by living under his lordship.
8. The verse ends with the word, “Amen!” Truth! Truly! Verily! Let it be so! May it be fulfilled! That’s what ‘amen’ means. So, as we begin 2021, with a hearty ‘Amen!’ I am praying for all of us to Grow in Grace. I am 100% confident that God will answer this prayer because it is his will that we should grow.
Soli Deo Gloria
Pastor Peter
