The Secret to Spiritual Growth | How to Live and Love Like Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: From Milk to Solid Food: Growing Up in Christ

The Hebrews writer rebukes spiritual stagnation, comparing immature believers to infants stuck on milk. Maturity requires digesting Scripture’s "solid food" through consistent practice, training our senses to discern God’s truth. Like a child learning to eat, growth demands intentional steps: studying deeper truths, applying wisdom, and embracing discomfort. Spiritual adulthood isn’t about age but active obedience. [07:39]

“Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:12–14, ESV)

Reflection: What “milk” have you outgrown in your faith? What “solid food” is God inviting you to chew on this week?

Day 2: Chiseled into Christ’s Image

Sanctification is God’s sculpting work—breaking off our rough edges to reveal Christ’s likeness. Just as a potter reshapes clay, the Holy Spirit uses trials, Scripture, and surrender to mold us. This isn’t self-improvement but a divine process where our suffering partners with Christ’s redemption. The goal? To reflect Him so clearly that others see His love before they hear our words. [19:33]

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:28–29, ESV)

Reflection: What current struggle might God be using to chisel you into His image? How can you cooperate with His shaping today?

Day 3: Rooted in Daily Connection

A tree planted by streams thrives because its roots drink deeply daily. So it is with believers: consistent time in Scripture and prayer isn’t religious duty but lifeline. Without this connection, we wither under life’s heat. The Psalms call this “delight”—not drudgery. Like checking your phone instinctively, what if reaching for God’s Word became your reflexive hunger? [32:56]

“Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1:1–3, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been “checking out” spiritually? What one daily habit could anchor you to God’s life-giving stream?

Day 4: Growing Together, Not Alone

A single ember dies alone; a fire blazes when logs gather. Similarly, faith flourishes in community. The early church didn’t privatize spirituality—they shared meals, confessed sins, and spurred each other to love. Isolation breeds stagnation, but iron sharpening iron sparks growth. Who knows your struggles? Who asks hard questions? Maturity needs mirrors, not just mirrors. [35:43]

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: Is your faith journey mostly solo or shared? Who needs your encouragement—and who do you need to let speak truth to you?

Day 5: Serving with Open Hands

The Good Samaritan didn’t debate theology—he bandaged wounds. Jesus’ command to “go and do likewise” turns love into action. Spiritual gifts aren’t trophies but tools: your capacity to teach, encourage, or serve exists to meet needs, not boost résumés. When we withhold our gifts, the body limps. But when we serve, we incarnate Christ’s hands in a hurting world. [40:10]

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:10–11, ESV)

Reflection: What gift have you been “saving for later”? Where is God nudging you to serve—even if it interrupts your comfort?

Sermon Summary

God’s call to this church draws a straight line between spiritual maturity and emotional maturity. Hebrews pictures the contrast with “milk” and “solid food,” so the text itself presses for growth that actually shows up in a changed diet and discernment, not just in church activity. The mission to reach the lost, disciple the found, and live and love like Jesus sets the horizon, and the difference between watching Jesus and following Jesus becomes the dividing line; the charge lands hard, “I can’t follow Jesus and stay the same.” Mulholland’s definition keeps the center clear: formation is a process of being formed into the image of Christ for the sake of others.

Paul’s word to Thessalonica names God’s will without fog: sanctification. The command refuses to bend to culture, calling the church to holiness in body and honor, and warning that to shrug at this is to disregard God, not man. Sanctification then unfolds in two movements. John 17 and Romans 8-9 frame positional sanctification in adoption and sealing, while progressive sanctification keeps shaping character through all things, so that trials are not wasted but redeemed into Christlikeness. Philippians 1:6 anchors the confidence that the One who begins the work carries it to completion.

Jesus settles the blueprint with the Great Commandments. Love for God with heart, soul, and mind stands first, and love for neighbor as self stands next. A “common rule” therefore fits the text: connect with Jesus daily, grow with others in community, and serve with purpose. Connectivity produces similarity, so Psalm 1 and Matthew 6:33 call the disciple to Scripture and prayer as a daily non-negotiable that roots a life like a tree by streams. Ephesians 4 makes the body necessary; growth happens as each part does its work, and 1 John 4 insists that love flows from being first loved. Luke’s Good Samaritan removes the loopholes, and the punchline still stands, “Go and do likewise.” God has given gifts, so 1 Peter 4 and Romans 12 call the believer to speak with God’s words, serve with God’s strength, and aim at God’s glory. A century-long legacy is not built on flash but on people formed into Christ’s likeness, day by day, more and more.

Key Takeaways

1. Spiritual maturity needs emotional maturity. Emotional immaturity undercuts formation even when religious practices look busy. The gospel forms a person who can name feelings before God and submit them to the Spirit’s reshaping. The freeway litmus test is simple but revealing because love has to reach reflexes, not just intentions. [01:30]
2. Following Jesus means actual change. A watcher can applaud Jesus, but a follower moves with him, inside-out, step by step. Real discipleship puts a person in motion where habits, desires, and choices are re-trained by love. If nothing is changing, the feet are not moving. [04:06]
3. Sanctification is positional and progressive. Grace first sets a person apart and seals them in God’s family, then grace keeps chiseling life into Christ’s image. God does not waste suffering but redeems it into likeness, so hope does not rest in circumstances but in his purpose. Holiness is not behavior upgrade but Spirit-led transformation. [19:02]
4. Connect daily through Word and prayer. Connectivity produces similarity, so daily Scripture and prayer become the non-negotiable that aligns a heart to God’s heart. Psalm 1 stability grows where meditation is steady, not sporadic, and Matthew 6 prioritizing reshuffles anxious agendas. A full life gets filled here, not drained. [26:43]
5. Grow and serve in real community. Ephesians 4 growth is a body project, where truth-in-love matures people as each part does its work. Community both comforts and confronts, giving the courage to love neighbors the way the Samaritan did, not the way convenience prefers. Gifts are trusts, so service aims at God’s glory, not self-importance. [35:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:56] - Emotions as God’s good gift
[01:30] - Spiritual maturity needs emotional maturity
[02:30] - Mission: reach, disciple, live and love like Jesus
[03:39] - Watching Jesus vs following Jesus
[04:33] - Formation: process for the sake of others
[06:10] - Gospel center: Christ’s life and cross
[07:11] - Hebrews: milk, solid food, maturity
[11:45] - “More and more” holiness in 1 Thessalonians
[13:37] - God’s will named: sanctification
[18:33] - Positional and progressive sanctification
[19:58] - Romans 8: all things toward Christlikeness
[26:43] - Common rule: connect, grow, serve
[27:26] - Greatest Commandments define the target
[31:18] - Connectivity produces similarity
[32:56] - Psalm 1 roots and fruit
[35:43] - Body life: each part does its work
[38:49] - Neighbor love without loopholes
[40:30] - Gifts used for God’s glory
[46:29] - The Son of Man who serves
[47:36] - Invitation to repent and begin anew

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Observation Questions

According to Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39, what two commands summarize the entire Law and Prophets? How does this connect to the idea that "connectivity produces similarity" in our relationship with God? [29:17]
The sermon emphasized that "sanctification is positional and progressive." What does 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (referenced in the transcript) say about God’s will for believers, and how does it warn against disregarding holiness? [13:37]
The phrase "solid food is for the mature" in Hebrews 5:14 contrasts spiritual infancy with maturity. What specific behaviors or practices mark a "mature" believer, according to the sermon? [07:59]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus link loving God first with loving others as the foundation of all biblical commands? How might neglecting one undermine the other?
The sermon states, "If nothing is changing, the feet are not moving." How does this reflect the tension between merely "watching Jesus" and actively "following Jesus" in daily choices? [04:06]
In Ephesians 4:14-16, Paul says the body of Christ grows "as each part does its work." What might happen to a community if believers avoid using their spiritual gifts or disengage from serving? [35:43]

Application Questions

The sermon warns that emotional immaturity "undercuts formation even when religious practices look busy." What is one area of your emotional life (e.g., anger, fear, pride) that needs intentional surrender to the Holy Spirit’s reshaping? How could daily prayer or Scripture meditation address this? [01:30]
"Connectivity produces similarity" means time with God shapes us. What practical step could you take this week to prioritize daily Bible reading or prayer, even amid busyness? How might this habit align your heart with God’s? [26:43]
The Good Samaritan story challenges us to love "without loopholes." Who in your life (e.g., coworker, neighbor, family member) is easy to overlook or avoid? What is one tangible way to serve them this month?
The sermon asks, "If the church vanished tomorrow, would the community miss us?" How does your current involvement in community (groups, serving, etc.) reflect Christ’s love? What is one way to deepen your commitment? [35:43]
Reflect on a trial or hardship you’re facing. How could Romans 8:28-29’s promise that God uses "all things" for Christlikeness change your perspective or response? [19:58]

Sermon Clips

43s

#FollowDontWatchJesus

“And so there's this there's peace in us that we're actually being challenged and and called to grow in. In other words, God meets us here where we're at, but he doesn't leave us here. And I wanna be very clear, my friends. There's a difference between following Jesus and watching Jesus. I think I think I don't say this as as a foundation thing. I say this as a Christianity thing. I think we have a lot of Jesus watchers. We have a lot of people who watch what God's doing. We have a lot of people who come to church and hear about God and watch and hear stories but they never experience it themselves.”

42s

#SpiritualFormationJourney

“But earlier in our sermon series, we defined spiritual formation if you will. Mulholland did that for us. He said that spiritual formation is the process of being formed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. Andrew, with the process, that means it's not overnight. That means I don't say yes to Jesus and automatically I can live and love like Jesus. We just sing a song that says, teach me to abide. We're literally asking the Holy Spirit to teach us to do what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. Abiding in Christ is not natural, it's supernatural.”

28s

#DailyJesusConnection

“And so as I think as a church, if we're gonna truly live and love like Jesus, there are three common rules, three non negotiable, three things that every single person here at Foundation Church should practice in their daily lives. Because if we could do it individually, then corporately as we come together, we'll live out the mission that God's put on our church. And that very first thing is for you and I to connect with Jesus daily through bible and prayer engagement.”

31s

#IntimacyWithGod

“But as we began to grow in intimacy together, we've become very similar. You can ask me a question about what my wife thinks about something and I can probably give you an accurate answer. You can ask my wife something about me and she probably can give you an accurate answer. Why? Because we've spent enough time together. We've been connected. And if that's true here on our earthly relationship, how much more true should that be with our heavenly one?”

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The Secret to Spiritual Growth | How to Live and Love Like Jesus | Pastor Jake