Grow Up Into Christ

Minister:	Rev. Ronald Van Overloop
Date:	7/7/2013 AM
Text:	Ephesians 4:14,15
Psalters:	403, 69, 29, 235

Over-against deceptive winds.
1. The figure is of a ship tossed about by contrary winds - the winds of false doctrine.
  1. ?Every? implies that there are many such false doctrines, and they blow from any and every direction.
  2. We cannot escape false doctrine any more than a ship can escape the winds (Art. 55 of C.O.).
    1. These attacks are always with ?sleight? (Col. 2:4,8,23; II Cor. 11:13; Gal. 2:4).
2. We are admonished not to be like children with regard to the knowledge of the truth.
  1. Children know only a little, have little experience, and are easily swayed.
  2. The Ephesians were recent converts to Christianity but they are to grow fast in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
  3. The best remedy against error is the knowledge of Scripture, which is the church has summarized in our creeds.
We must ?grow up into Him (Christ) in all things.?
1. Christ is the sum of the revelation of God, the sum of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
  1. If you have Christ, then you have all the treasures of knowledge (cf. Eph. 1:9,10)
  2. This Christ you must know and must continue to learn to know more of all His fullness and riches.
2. To grow into Christ means:
  1. To have the roots of my faith more deeply into Christ (as the roots of a tree) for spiritual nourishment and stability.
  2. To live out of Him: consciously finding forgiveness and righteousness in Him, and how He would have us life and thank.
  3. To grow toward Him.
3. There is a reciprocal relationship between this knowledge and the bond of Christian love.
  1. First, there is a love which tightly binds believers together (this is a simple fact realized by the Spirit, Eph. 4:3).
  2. The members of the body know one another, understand one another, trust and love one another.
  3. Love thirsts for knowledge, and knowledge causes an increase in love (Col. 2:2).
4. Therefore, grow in Christ!