Growing In Spirit
Foundation Statement: Man is a spirit being
and the development and growth of man has to take place in his spirit.
God is spirit. That which is born of spirit is spirit.
You are born of God and that makes you spirit. You are not your body. Man is a spirit,
man has a soul, man lives in a physical body.
Your spirit gets recreated and has to be developed. Your mind gets
renovated. Your body gets retrained. The inner man, the spirit of man
is where spiritual growth takes place. The growing takes place on the
inside. Through our daily exposure to the Word of God we should be
growing everyday, day by day, on the inside.
I.
What is man? Man is a
spirit being and the development and growth of man has to take place in his
spirit
A. Genesis 1:26-27-God made
man in his image, like and resembling himself, so to answer, “What is man?” we
have to answer what is God?
1.
God’s
goal was to make man like himself – How close do you think he got?
– Adam was just like God in his make up, but dependent on God as a man
2.
John
4:24-God is spirit so man is spirit because he was made in the likeness and
image of God
3.
John3:6,1John5:1,Acts17:27-You are born of God and God is spirit
and that which is born of spirit is spirit and that makes you spirit
a. Because God was the
creator of the man species every person born into the earth is a spirit being; James
2:26-The body without the spirit is dead
b. Genesis 2:7-Man’s body
without his spirit is a lifeless thing; They body of man was made from dirt,
but the spirit of man was created with words and breath and life – Man is
not a body, man has a body
B. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-Man
is a spirit, possesses a soul, lives in a physical body
1.
Romans
7:22-23-He references the inward man (that’s the spirit of man), his members
(that’s his body), and his mind (that’s his soul); His spirit loves what he’s
hearing, his body is resisting it, his mind knows what’s right but is powerless
to the desires of his body and his inner man is in captivity
2.
Hebrews
4:12-Your soul is not the same as your spirit
a. Your soul (Psyche) is
your mind, will, and emotions; the seat of the feelings, desires, affection
b. 1 Corinthians 14:14-Your
spirit can pray while your understanding (which is part of your soul) is
unfruitful
3.
Your
body is not you-Rom12:1-Present YOUR bodies;
Phil1:21-24-I abide in MY FLESH; 1 Corinthians 9:27-I buffet my body –
You are not your body
4.
Your
spirit man gets recreated; Your mind gets renovated; Your body gets retrained
C. There is an inward man,
it’s the spirit of man, it’s the real man and that’s where spiritual growth
takes place; The growing takes place on the inside-1 Peter 3:4-The hidden man of the heart; Ephesians 3:16-Strengthened
with might by his spirit in the inner man
1.
Luke1:80,2:40-He wasn’t just growing in mind & body, He was
growing on the inside (Grew-Inward
Christian growth-Waxed strong-Grow
strong)
a. Spirit-Breath; Genesis 2:8-The part of Adam God created when he
breathed the breath of life into is the part of Jesus that is growing
b. Luke 2:46-49-He’s
displaying signs of spiritual maturity at the age of 12 (Wisdom, Priorities,
Attention span, Pursuing the plan of God)
2.
We
should be growing everyday (DAY BY DAY) on the inside-2Cor4:16-NCV-Our physical body is becoming older and
weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new everyday
a. Renewed-Cause to grow up, new, make new, To be changed into a new
kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state
b. This growth is
progressive, this growth is one day at a time
1)
If
we are to meditate the Word day and night, then as we look into the word daily we
are being changed on the inside daily-Josh1:8
2)
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP-And
all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the word
of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are constantly being transfigured
into His very own image in every increasing splendor and from one degree of
glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the spirit