Transformative Spiritual Growth Through Faith and Action

 

Summary

In today's message, we explored the transformative journey of spiritual growth through the lens of the 12-step process, emphasizing the power of faith and the necessity of ongoing spiritual maturity. We began by acknowledging the chasm between our current state and where we aspire to be, recognizing our powerlessness and the need for a power greater than ourselves—God—to bridge that gap. This journey starts with admitting our limitations and progresses through a series of steps that involve turning our will over to God, making a moral inventory, confessing our wrongs, and seeking to make amends.

The heart of this transformation is not just in believing but in actively turning our lives over to God, allowing Him to remove our defects and shortcomings. This requires a willingness to let go of things that may bring temporary comfort but ultimately hinder our spiritual growth. The process involves making amends and continuing to take personal inventory, ensuring that we promptly admit our wrongs and seek to correct them.

We also discussed the importance of ongoing spiritual growth, as highlighted in 1 Thessalonians 4, where Paul encourages the church to continue growing in sanctification. This growth is not about achieving perfection but about making progress, shortening the distance between conviction and action. Spiritual maturity is reflected in our ability to respond promptly to the Holy Spirit's guidance and to live in a way that reflects God's love and grace to the world.

The message concluded with practical steps for daily spiritual growth: praying for God's will, actively doing His will, reviewing our day to identify areas for improvement, and repeating this process. This ongoing journey requires humility, honesty, and a commitment to living out our faith in tangible ways, trusting in God's power to transform us more and more into His likeness.

Key Takeaways:

1. Admitting Powerlessness and Seeking God's Power: Recognizing our inability to bridge the gap between our current state and where we want to be is the first step in spiritual transformation. It requires acknowledging our limitations and seeking a power greater than ourselves—God—to restore us to sanity and guide us on this journey. [03:47]

2. Turning Our Will Over to God: True transformation involves not just believing in God but actively turning our will and lives over to Him. This means allowing God to remove our defects and shortcomings, even when it requires letting go of things that bring temporary comfort. [06:31]

3. Ongoing Spiritual Growth and Sanctification: Spiritual maturity is about progress, not perfection. It involves continually growing in sanctification, as Paul encourages in 1 Thessalonians 4, and living in a way that reflects God's love and grace to the world. [14:05]

4. Promptly Admitting Wrongs and Making Amends: The process of spiritual growth requires ongoing personal inventory and promptly admitting our wrongs. This involves making amends and seeking to correct our behavior, recognizing that growth is not just about conviction but about taking action. [22:12]

5. Daily Steps for Spiritual Growth: To grow spiritually, we must pray for God's will, actively do His will, review our day to identify areas for improvement, and repeat this process. This ongoing journey requires humility, honesty, and a commitment to living out our faith in tangible ways. [33:53]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Introduction to The Power to Change
- [01:15] - The Chasm and Our Powerlessness
- [03:47] - Steps to Spiritual Transformation
- [06:31] - Turning Our Will Over to God
- [08:45] - Making a Moral Inventory
- [10:30] - Confessing and Making Amends
- [12:00] - The Role of Faith in Transformation
- [14:05] - Ongoing Spiritual Growth
- [16:59] - Sanctification and Living Set Apart
- [19:30] - The Importance of Daily Inventory
- [22:12] - Promptly Admitting Wrongs
- [25:00] - Progress, Not Perfection
- [28:15] - Daily Steps for Spiritual Growth
- [30:05] - Staying Alert and Acknowledging Frailty
- [33:53] - Conclusion and Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

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Observation Questions:

1. What does Paul commend the Thessalonian church for in 1 Thessalonians 4, and what does he urge them to do more and more? [14:05]

2. According to the sermon, what is the significance of admitting our powerlessness in the journey of spiritual growth? [03:47]

3. How does the sermon describe the process of turning our will over to God, and what steps are involved in this transformation? [06:31]

4. What are the four types of inventories mentioned in the sermon, and how do they contribute to ongoing spiritual growth? [16:59]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the concept of sanctification, as discussed in 1 Thessalonians 4, relate to the idea of ongoing spiritual growth mentioned in the sermon? [14:05]

2. How does the sermon illustrate the importance of promptly admitting wrongs and making amends in the context of spiritual maturity? [22:12]

3. What role does faith play in the process of spiritual transformation, according to the sermon, and how is it different from mere belief? [06:31]

4. How does the sermon suggest that spiritual maturity is reflected in the shortening of the distance between conviction and action? [16:59]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you felt powerless in a situation. How did you seek God's power to bridge the gap between your current state and where you wanted to be? [03:47]

2. What are some specific areas in your life where you need to turn your will over to God? How can you actively take steps to do this in the coming week? [06:31]

3. Consider the concept of ongoing spiritual growth. What practical steps can you take to ensure that you are continually growing in sanctification, as Paul encourages in 1 Thessalonians 4? [14:05]

4. Identify a recent situation where you failed to promptly admit a wrong. How can you make amends and ensure that you respond more quickly in the future? [22:12]

5. How can you incorporate the practice of daily inventory into your routine? What might be some challenges, and how can you overcome them? [16:59]

6. Think about a specific area where you struggle to let go of temporary comforts that hinder your spiritual growth. What steps can you take to release these and trust in God's transformative power? [06:31]

7. How can you apply the principle of "progress, not perfection" in your spiritual journey, especially in areas where you feel you fall short? [25:00]

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing Our Powerlessness and God's Power
Recognizing our own limitations is the first step in spiritual transformation. It involves acknowledging that we cannot bridge the gap between our current state and where we want to be on our own. This realization leads us to seek a power greater than ourselves—God—to restore us to sanity and guide us on this journey. By admitting our powerlessness, we open ourselves to the transformative power of faith, allowing God to work in our lives in ways we could never achieve alone. This step is crucial as it sets the foundation for the entire process of spiritual growth. [03:47]

"For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel powerless? How can you invite God into that space today to begin the process of transformation?


Day 2: Surrendering Our Will to God
True transformation involves more than just believing in God; it requires actively turning our will and lives over to Him. This means allowing God to remove our defects and shortcomings, even when it requires letting go of things that bring temporary comfort. By surrendering our will, we trust in God's plan and timing, knowing that His ways are higher than ours. This act of surrender is not a one-time event but a daily commitment to let God lead us on the path of spiritual growth. [06:31]

"And he said to them all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.'" (Luke 9:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What is one thing you are holding onto that you need to surrender to God? How can you take a step today to let go and trust Him?


Day 3: Embracing Ongoing Spiritual Growth
Spiritual maturity is about progress, not perfection. It involves continually growing in sanctification, as Paul encourages in 1 Thessalonians 4, and living in a way that reflects God's love and grace to the world. This growth is not about achieving a state of flawlessness but about shortening the distance between conviction and action. By responding promptly to the Holy Spirit's guidance, we demonstrate our commitment to living a life that honors God and serves others. [14:05]

"Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." (Hebrews 6:1, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you actively pursue spiritual growth this week? What steps can you take to ensure you are moving forward in your faith journey?


Day 4: Admitting Wrongs and Making Amends
The process of spiritual growth requires ongoing personal inventory and promptly admitting our wrongs. This involves making amends and seeking to correct our behavior, recognizing that growth is not just about conviction but about taking action. By acknowledging our mistakes and seeking reconciliation, we demonstrate humility and a willingness to change. This practice not only strengthens our relationship with God but also with those around us, as we strive to live in harmony and peace. [22:12]

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: Is there someone you need to make amends with today? How can you take the first step towards reconciliation and healing?


Day 5: Committing to Daily Spiritual Practices
To grow spiritually, we must pray for God's will, actively do His will, review our day to identify areas for improvement, and repeat this process. This ongoing journey requires humility, honesty, and a commitment to living out our faith in tangible ways. By incorporating these daily practices into our lives, we create a rhythm of spiritual growth that aligns our hearts with God's purposes and transforms us more into His likeness. [33:53]

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)

Reflection: What daily spiritual practice can you commit to this week to deepen your relationship with God? How will you hold yourself accountable to this commitment?

Quotes



"The victory, this victory back in relationship with God has achieved the moment we made our decisions to turn our will and lives over to God. At that moment, the scriptures teach us that God gives us the Holy Spirit. He makes us. He purifies us. And just like he used to enter into the temple, which was purified, made holy, he enters into, the Holy Spirit enters into us. And it's that power in us that gives us, A, spiritual rebirth, and B, gives us the power to do what we could not do ourselves, which is to take those steps." [00:06:31] (34 seconds)


"Because God's will, he says, is that you would be sanctified. Now, sanctified is probably not a word that you use in everyday language, okay? But all, but honestly, what it means is, it's really points back to the more and more. In essence, sanctified takes us back to the Bible when God has them build a place to worship him. And he wants this to be a special place that he's going to come down and he's going to inhabit the holy of holies. It's going to be God amidst his people, which if you remember from Genesis, that was his intention all along. His intention wasn't to come up with a bunch of religious people to do everything right." [00:14:09] (38 seconds)


"perfection we should look for progress not perfection because you know what that that like I said those seeds of those weeds are still there they the Paul says this tent this body is a tent and the body is is corrupted you are not going to change the appetites of your body you can you by the power greater than yourself you can manage it you can tame it and you can walk in the spirit which wants different things and as long as you walk in the spirit you won't do those things but you're still have this body and the body is corrupted and so those seeds are gonna those weeds are gonna pop up and so rather beating ourselves up what we do is we just one day at a time there's a reason that that folks who have lived some life and made a lot of mistakes and the ones who sing and I think there's about 50 people who've covered that song one day at a time and almost every single one of them have that kind of story to it because they know they've messed up and they know they have a long way to go but they're just trying to take it one day at a time 12 -step sponsorship says this an essential part of understanding the immense process is to recognize that a complete amend includes not repeating the same behavior now again this isn't perfectly but it also what it's saying is is that you can't say I've moved on if I tell someone please forgive me for and I make an amend for and then the very next day I do it again then I obviously haven't worked through that one that's that one's taking a deeper root and so not only do I need to apologize again but I need to begin to go back to God and do whatever it's necessary for him to completely root that behavior that thing out of my life because you can't just say well this is the way I am you can say this is the way I was you can say this is the way I am but but we're not going to what you're going to do then is turn around say but that's not the way I have to be not by my power by God's power so let me wrap this up and say okay do" [00:38:55] (135 seconds)

"Could we go another route? So, you know, if that day you're going to go into a review with your boss, you can go ahead and pray, hey God, I pray that my boss isn't the idiot he usually is and that he gives me the proper review that I need, and go ahead and ask for that. But you should follow up the way Jesus did. Yet not my will, but yours be done. But God, if you have another plan in today, if your will is that we don't finalize the sale in our house, if your will is my car doesn't get me from point A to point B, if your will is that, you know, my teenagers continue to have an attitude, or your will is whatever, help me receive your will. May your will be done. May your will be done. May your will be done. Thank you." [00:51:58] (45 seconds)


"And then if you pray for God's will, then the second step is do. You pray for God's will and then do God's will during the day. What He reveals to you, what He shows you, be open to that. Because I can guarantee you, some days you'll just go on, but if you're open to God, all of a sudden He will show you things that you never saw before. You will see people and situations that you never saw before that you'll be able to interact with because you've asked God for His will and you've opened your eyes and you're willing to do it. That's the other thing, too. Some of you are like, why doesn't God show up more? It's because when God shows up and asks you to do something, you don't do it. So He stopped asking you to do stuff." [00:53:12] (37 seconds)


"So you never have anything miraculous or amazing happening in your life because you're not willing to do. You believe, but you're not willing to do. So why would God give you something to do if He knows you're not going to do it? But once you step in over that line, not perfectly, but you begin to step over that line, He begins to give you stuff and then all of a sudden your day changes. It's harder in some ways, more complicated in a lot of ways, but more fruitful and abundant than you ever can imagine. Number three, at the end of the day, review God's will and confess where you came up short at night. Do a check -in. God, would you show me? Just think about your day." [00:54:51] (40 seconds)


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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?