Spiritual Growth: New You

ILLUSTRATION:

I remember when Apple launched Siri in 2011. The technology shown in the commercials was absolutely incredible, and I was in awe of everything Steve Jobs announced Siri could do. As soon as Siri was born, I started testing the feature to see what she could do. I asked her question after question. She continuously replied, “I don’t understand.” I simplified the commands and asked Siri to text some of my friends, whose names she mispronounced terribly. It was like listening to a teacher take attendance on the first day of school. My little robot friend was not living up to the hype.

When I asked an Apple employee about Siri’s seemingly unimpressive capacity for conversation, he said that she was still learning. That’s right, Siri has been learning and growing. With every iPhone update, technology advancement, and command given to her, Siri has been getting smarter.

I thought I would have my dream robot as soon as Siri was born, but it’s actually taken years of talking to her for Siri to live up to all that Steve Jobs said she would be.

TENSION / ILLUSTRATION

• Our faith is a lot like Siri’s evolution.

• When you are born again as a new Christian, it’s wonderful.

• But what’s even more wonderful is learning to become more like the person God created you to be.

• Like all things in life — it will require a process.

• Let’s examine what that process will look like in your life.

REVIEW:

We have looked at Paul’s letter to the Colossians as a roadmap for our faith. It starts personally with salvation, then we make it public with baptism, and now it’s time to get practical.

• Salvation is just the start.

• What does it look like to live in light of what God has done within you?

• The answer is growth. God wants you to grow.

• God invites us into a daily growth process that requires three steps.

• Your life changes the second you become a Christian. By accepting Jesus as your Savior, you become part of the family of God. Your eternity looks different because you will now get to spend forever in Heaven with Jesus when your time on earth ends. Accepting Jesus is the most important decision of your life, which is why people spend so much time talking about it.

• But it’s important to realize that becoming a Christian is just the beginning of your faith journey. 

• After deciding to follow Jesus, you get to walk alongside of Him and try to live your life in accordance with his will.

• You receive forgiveness for everything you did in the past and get to start over as a new creation in Christ.

• That’s why people say Christians are “born again.” Jesus gives you a completely clean slate! Paul spends this third section of his letter to the Colossians telling them how they should use this new start they’ve found in Christ.

1. Break bad habits

• First, you need to put off old and hurtful habits.

• Paul specifically advises us to overcome anger, rage, evil desires, talking poorly about others, and filthy language. Instead, Paul says we should “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Basically, the more you know about God the more you can become the person He created you to be. There will always be more to learn about God, which is why it’s so important that we don’t grow stagnant in our relationships with God.

• There is always another step to take in your faith, and it begins with learning more about God’s will. Think about where you are in your walk with Christ right now.

• Do you still feel distant from God? Your next step may be praying every day.

• Do you still have questions about who God is? Your next step may be reading Bible devotionals every day.

• Are you struggling to leave old, hurtful habits in your past? Your next step may be making new friends at your local church.

• No matter how long you’ve been following Jesus, you have a next step that you can take to continue growing closer to him. As you keep nurturing your relationship with God, you will discover that “new self” Paul was talking about. Over time, as you learn more about who God is, you will become more and more like him.

• The more you know, the more you can grow.

• You don’t just need to break free from bad habits. You also need to break free from anything that is holding you back from who God has called you to be.

• This brings us to our second point.

2: Break free

• Paul wraps up his letter to the Colossians with powerful advice to pray that the message of Jesus would spread and to act in such a way that you could lead others closer to God.

• As Paul celebrates his freedom, he closes his letter with something a little strange. Let’s look at the last verse in the entire book.

• READ: Colossians 4:18: "I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you."

• Paul teaches about this freedom found in Christ from a literal prison. Isn’t that an oxymoron?

• Paul’s circumstances while writing this prove that freedom in Christ isn’t circumstantial. He’s in a Roman prison for telling people about Jesus, but he is still writing this letter to the church in Colossae, encouraging them to continue sharing the same faith that got him locked up.

• Freedom in Christ is different. It’s not about where you are, what you have, or what others choose to do to you. The freedom you find in Christ is internal. It’s between you and God, and no one else can take that from you.

• “Remember my chains” is a pretty bizarre closing. He could have said, “hugs and kisses” or something more normal, right? However, he urged them to remember the chains previously wrapped around his wrists.

• As the church was facing persecution, Paul urged them to remember that God delivered him from prison and persecution in the past. Whatever they were facing, remember the chains of their friend.

• No jail cell is strong enough to contain what God is doing in the world.

• God set Paul free. He will do the same for them. He will do the same for you.

• Whenever you face pain, remember Paul’s chains. The same God who delivered Paul will deliver you too.

• You become free in Christ when you accept Jesus as your Savior and begin to recognize his forgiveness and grace.

• You are set free from the things that have weighed heavily on your heart — guilt, insecurities, mistakes, and worries.

• The reason Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross was to rescue you from that darkness. Your soul is now free to live in his grace and light. There will still be things that hold you back or feel like they are working against you, but Paul shows us that God can still use in those moments.

• Once you accept your freedom in Christ and allow him to release you from your internal struggles, there is a weight lifted off your shoulders. Jesus knew this new way of life would be so much better for you that he was willing to die for it.

• Accept God’s grace and let yourself be released from whatever bondage you’re experiencing.

• Then, share this new, better way of life with others.

• Once you experience freedom, you will want to share it.

• You can help others find freedom in Christ too.

• Pray that you will be able to proclaim the message of God clearly in all your conversations with others.

• This begins with telling them about your own experience. Simply share your story. How has God changed your life?

• There’s a good chance your story of finding freedom could resonate with people around you and lead them towards exploring a relationship with Jesus too.

• We have discussed the importance of breaking old habits and finding true freedom, but what do we do to replace of those things? It’s so much more than knowing what NOT to do — we need to know what TO do instead.

• This brings us to point three.

3: Build healthy habits

• I have a little plant that hangs in my house. It actually requires quite a lot of work to keep it healthy and growing.

• I have to feed it a precise amount of water every day. I have to move it towards the window to sunbathe. I even play classical music for it, because I read that plants like that in a weird study. If I mess up any of these steps, the leaves start to go brownish-yellow.

• In your life, God’s goal is growth.

• When growing plants, there is a process involved. You have to prepare the land, plant the seed, provide water for the seed, and protect it from predators. There is a multi-step process between a little seed and a big harvest.

• The same is true for your life.

• Just like a little cabbage sprouting from the ground, you are in the middle of a growth process.

• It all started at your salvation and baptism.

• Your faith in Jesus planted you, and then your baptism watered you. Now it’s time for you to grow.

• Your story doesn’t stop at salvation. That’s the start!

• Real growth takes work and intentionality.

• How do you do it?

• Read scripture with every sunrise.

• Pray every day.

• Worship with your life.

• Cultivate a life-giving community.

• As you take these small steps of daily obedience, you are taking part in soul gardening.

• In your spiritual story, Salvation is the start, baptism is the next step, but it’s all just the beginning.

• It can be hard to break bad habits and break free from sin. That’s why it’s pivotal that we place our unhealthy habits with healthy ones.

• You will see this play out in your life — As you grow close to Jesus, you will go further from sin.

• As you go forward, strive to grow in faith — every single day.

TALK IT OUT

Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.

Q1: How do you grow closer to your friends? How can you do similar things to grow closer to God?

Q2: If you’re a Christian, what’s one way your life has changed since accepting Jesus as your Savior? Looking back, what was that process like?

Q3: What can you do to intentionally learn more about Jesus?

Q4: Are there any hurtful habits in your life that you think God wants you to leave behind in your new life with Him?

Q5: What do you think your next step is in your relationship with Christ? How can you start taking that step this week?

READING PLAN READ THESE PASSAGES IN ORDER EVERY DAY

Matthew 6:33

Romans 9:23 

Psalm 145 

James 1:17 

Matthew 13:44-46 

Ephesians 1:22-23 

Exodus 20:3

Proverbs 3:9-10

Psalm 27

Do the following with each passage:

ASK– God to connect with you here. In prayer, start by slowing down and inviting God to be present. Begin with focus and openness to see what God has for you today.

READ– the selected section of Scripture slowly. Take note of the words and phrases that intrigue you, reading them a second time if necessary.

REFLECT– on what grabs you. How does this passage personally relate to your own life and experiences?

RESPOND– to the Scripture. Speak directly to God about what’s on your mind and heart. Look for ways to live out what you’ve uncovered.