Spiritual Checkup: Growing in Christ This New Year

As we step into a new year, it's a fitting time to conduct a spiritual checkup, much like the annual academic promotions our children experience. This reflection is not about the calendar dates but about assessing our spiritual growth over the past year. Have we advanced in our Christian walk? Have we identified and worked on our failures? Just as we guide our children to improve in their weak subjects, we must also address our spiritual shortcomings.

The story of Adam and Eve in Genesis offers profound lessons. Satan's tactics remain unchanged; he tempts us with what God has forbidden, making sin appear attractive. The first lie in the Bible, "sin will not be punished," continues to deceive many. We must recognize this deception and understand that true holiness requires choice. God cannot make us holy without our active participation in choosing righteousness over sin.

Our calling is to be like Christ, not in authority and power, as Satan suggests, but in humility, love, and goodness. This transformation is a journey, a race that requires endurance. The starting line is being born again, and the finish line is becoming like Christ. Along this path, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, avoiding distractions and focusing on simple, pure devotion to Him.

The Tree of Life, as defined in 2 Corinthians 11, is this simple devotion to Christ. To access it, we must let the sword fall on our self-life, denying ourselves daily. This self-denial is crucial to maintaining our focus on Christ and not being led astray by the devil's schemes. As we enter this new year, let us commit to purifying ourselves daily, judging our actions, words, and thoughts against the standard of Christ. By doing so, we can ensure that our hope in becoming like Christ is not just intellectual but a lived reality.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Annual Spiritual Checkup: Just as children are promoted annually in school, we should assess our spiritual growth at least once a year. This reflection helps us identify areas of failure and progress, ensuring we are further ahead spiritually than we were a year ago. [00:38]
• 2. Satan's Unchanged Tactics: The devil's strategy is to make sin appear attractive and to deceive us into believing that sin will not be punished. Recognizing this lie is crucial for our spiritual journey, as it has been a tool of deception since the time of Adam and Eve. [06:46]
• 3. True Holiness Requires Choice: God cannot make us holy without our active participation. Holiness is achieved through our choices, as we decide to follow God's commands and reject sin, much like Adam and Eve had to choose in the Garden of Eden. [04:29]
• 4. Becoming Like Christ: Our calling is to be like Christ, not in authority and power, but in humility, love, and goodness. This transformation is a journey that requires endurance, with the starting line being born again and the finish line becoming like Christ. [22:16]
• 5. Simple Devotion to Christ: The Tree of Life represents simple, pure devotion to Christ. To access it, we must deny ourselves daily, allowing the sword to fall on our self-life. This self-denial is essential to maintaining our focus on Christ and not being led astray. [27:52]
  ** [27:52]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:19] - Spiritual Checkup
• [00:38] - Annual Reflection
• [01:14] - Learning from Failures
• [01:56] - Satan's Tactics
• [02:33] - Forbidden Desires
• [03:12] - The Test of Choice
• [04:09] - Holiness Through Choice
• [06:23] - The First Lie
• [07:26] - Deception of Sin
• [09:03] - Direct Connection with Christ
• [10:05] - True Christlikeness
• [11:41] - Hope in Christ's Return
• [12:16] - Daily Purification
• [14:22] - Judging Rightly
• [18:37] - Seeking the Father's Will
• [21:12] - Running the Race
• [23:41] - Looking Unto Jesus
• [24:15] - The Tree of Life
• [26:12] - Sword Before the Tree
• [28:10] - Denying Self
• [30:00] - Closing Prayer

1. Genesis 3:1-6
2. 2 Corinthians 11:3
3. Hebrews 12:1-2

1. In Genesis 3:1-6, what tactics does the serpent use to tempt Eve, and how do these tactics relate to the sermon’s discussion on Satan's unchanged strategies? [01:30]
2. According to 2 Corinthians 11:3, what is the Apostle Paul concerned about regarding the Corinthians' devotion to Christ, and how does this relate to the concept of the Tree of Life mentioned in the sermon? [24:32]
3. Hebrews 12:1-2 describes the Christian life as a race. What are the key elements mentioned in these verses that are necessary for running this race effectively? [21:12]
4. How does the sermon describe the starting and finishing lines of the Christian race, and what is the significance of keeping our eyes on Jesus during this journey? [22:16]

1. How does the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 illustrate the importance of choice in achieving true holiness, as discussed in the sermon? [04:09]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that Satan's lie about sin not being punished is still relevant today, and how can believers recognize and counteract this deception? [06:23]
3. The sermon emphasizes the need for self-denial to maintain simple devotion to Christ. How does this concept of self-denial relate to the idea of the sword before the Tree of Life in Genesis 3:24? [26:12]
4. What does the sermon suggest about the difference between the devil's and Jesus' messages regarding being like God, and how does this impact our understanding of Christlikeness? [10:05]

1. Reflect on your past year. Have you conducted a spiritual checkup to assess your growth and areas of failure? What specific steps can you take to ensure spiritual progress this year? [00:38]
2. Identify a situation where you might have been deceived by the belief that sin will not be punished. How can you remind yourself of the truth in such situations? [06:46]
3. The sermon talks about the importance of daily purification. What practical steps can you take to purify yourself daily, especially in your thoughts, words, and actions? [12:16]
4. Consider the distractions in your life that take your focus away from Jesus. What specific changes can you make to minimize these distractions and maintain a simple devotion to Christ? [23:41]
5. The sermon mentions the need for endurance in the Christian race. What are some challenges you face in your spiritual journey, and how can you develop greater endurance to overcome them? [22:16]
6. How can you practice self-denial in your daily life to access the Tree of Life, as defined by simple devotion to Christ? Identify one area where you can start this practice. [27:52]
7. Reflect on the concept of becoming like Christ in humility, love, and goodness. What is one specific way you can embody these qualities in your interactions with others this week? [10:35]