Sermon

In the last service we shared together we focussed on the necessity to be born again as the initial step on the Christian journey and today we consider the consequences of that step of faith.

Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian church directs us to an understanding of growing in Christ which is the natural follow on to the new birth as an essential aspect of what is entailed in this pilgrimage on which we have embarked. It is a continual process of growth about which a friend of mine used to say that if you stop growing you rust and if you rust you bust which I am sure that many backslidden Christians could testify too.

Conversion is intended to be a time of new beginnings, "If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation the old has gone, the new has come" says Paul. It is not about improvements or renovations but about recreation with a fresh start. Being in Christ is to be remade not cloned.

In the world of art there are many impressive prints of artistry but they are just copies a poor substitute. It is the originals that create a much greater interest and what we so often hear and see is that people are prepared to pay enormous, even obscene, amounts of money in order to get their hands on the original. When we are in Christ we are originals not just copies which puts quite a value on us.

There is in fact a purpose for being in Christ and that is to be reconciled but that is not only intended to be with God but also with one another. It is, in fact, an evangelistic ministry through which we become peacemakers and advocates of reconciliation amongst people. Even more importantly we are expected to encourage others also to be reconciled with God. The natural progression of people being reconciled to God is reconciliation with one another and that could make a vast difference to the society in which we live. In 2 Kings 10 vs. 15 we have a meeting between Jehoanadab and Jehu in which Jehu extends the greeting "If your heart is as my heart give me your hand". This lays a foundation for a lesson that we all can learn about relationships within the family of the church. A focus on our unity rather than divisions and all being part of the encouragement to be in Christ.

Growing is a natural part of human activity even though at a certain age we no longer grow taller but as we all know only too well we are not prevented from growing bigger. Our nails grow and contrary to popular belief my own hair continues to grow. What also should happen is that we are intended to grow in maturity by having greater perception, more understanding and a wider knowledge. It is no different in a spiritual sense and perhaps it is helpful to look at some of the ways in which we can do so.

Paul in writing to the Galatians (Chapter 5 vs.1) tells us to stand fast in liberty by which Christ has made us free. We are free to do just as we want but I like the little story about D. L. Moody. One day he shocked his congregation by announcing from the pulpit that he got drunk whenever he wanted. After waiting for the mutters of disbelief to ripple round the gathering he went on to say "the only thing is I never want too". In Christ we are also free to do whatever we like but, as Christians, it really should be more about what Jesus likes and wants.

In Jesus we see the very nature and character of God. He said of himself that the father was in Him and He was in the father (John 10 vs.30,37,38). In the same way that because He is in God so we, being in Christ, should also reflect his nature and character. This is not always easy and Paul himself said "The good that I would I do not but the evil that I would not is what I do". If Paul struggled there is hope for us. Our growth exercise, no matter how difficult that might be, is to become more like Jesus which means, for most if not all of us, there is still a great deal of growing to be done.

The totality of who and what Jesus is can be found in the reference to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness and Self Control described in scripture as singular not as fruits which is often referred to. It is a work of grace which no amount of determination and self effort can achieve and only available through the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. It is the place in the Christian life that all roads lead too. Being in Christ begins there, continues from there and requires constantly returning there for a new beginning. It is a spiritual experience with spiritual reality that cannot be seen through the human eye but found only in the human heart. Continuing to grow will constantly necessitate going back to the cross as there is no place for sin in our relationship with God but he always has time for sinners.

There is also no separating the love of God from the love of Jesus and there is natural obedience which proved that to be the case. This really leads to one other means of growing in Christ and results from obedience to God's will for us. It is sometimes difficult to identify what God wants us to do or say and where he wants us to go but certainly reading , studying our bibles and spending time in prayer are extremely good ways to cultivate our relationship with Him and what He expects of us. Having been married for almost 47 years, my wife and I tend to know what each expects of the other which emanates from the relationship cultivated during the time of our marriage.

When we build up our relationship with God it becomes much easier to recognise what He is prompting us to do. It becomes more apparent when our response generates a sense of peace after we have done what we believe He expected of us. There may well be times when we lack that sense of peace when we have got it wrong and will need to go back to where things began to go wrong in order to get back on track being where God wants us to be doing what God wants us to do.

We are all different which God recognises and in consequence speaks to us and encourages us in ways that are suited to our own particular needs. However he can and only will do that if we are willing to recognise, listen and respond positively to his promptings because he never imposes his will on people. The ability to grow in Christ comes from getting to know God better and we can only do this by building up and strengthening our relationship with him by being in Christ which takes time and effort. Are we willing to make the sacrifices necessary to progress in continuing Christian growth or do we prefer to drift slowly backwards and like my friend said rust before we bust. The richness of what we have known and experienced can be gone before we know it if we are unwilling to move forward. As new creations in Christ there is freedom and renewal but there will be an expectation of obedience are we ready to pay the price? Amen