Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good morning.
It is Thursday, August ten, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name
miss L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is
no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of
Ephesians. Pardon me for that sound caption for today is growing up into Christ.
That's growing up in to Christ. Will get into that in just a
moment, But first I'd like to say welcome to you and ask you to
go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Click that join button to join
our online community. Also click that button. It's a big picture right to
pick up your Daily Portion book, and that way we can continue to build
faith and fellowship together at your Daily Portion dot com. Let's go ahead and
pray and then we will get underway. Father in Heaven, thank you for
giving us the privilege to come into your presence this morning. And I pray
God that we will be like Jesus like we will grow in faith, we
will grow in stature and in favor with God and Man. Please give us
your Holy spirit today in Jesus name, I pray Amen and Amen again.
Growing Up into Christ. I don't know if you recall. It depends on
how long you have been with me. Over the years. I would have
shared with you many times that my favorite book outside of the Bible is titled
Steps to Christ. Steps to Christ. I've I've preached entire sermons series,
i have written Bible studies and published them based on that whole principle of Steps
to Christ. And for those who speak Spanish, El Camino a christon like
growing up into Christ is one of the chapters in that blessed book, and
so like I'm delighted to be able to kind of focus on this blessing with
that as a backdrop. And so the question that I have or right from
the lesson really is what danger threatens the christ like maturity of God's people?
What danger threatens the christ like maturity of God's people. Let's read now from
Ephesians chapter four. I'll read Versus thirteen and fourteen. I've read the read
thirteen to you a couple of days in a row, straight, right,
But now I want to just adjoin it to the rest part of the rest
of the conversation. Right. So we're talking about how Christ, the giver
of gifts, gave us these gifts. Right. And he described that till
all verse thirteen come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ. That means simply that we become like Christ.
Right and verse fourteen, the Bible says that we henceforth like from this moment
forward, as we are building in this maturity, as we are growing up
into Christ, as we are beginning and then indeed sustaining this vision where we
look like Christ, and the way we think and the way that we act,
all of our intentions like God is really in us. Right, He's
a biding in us, so that from this moment on we are we be
no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men and the cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive. You see, the problem with God's people sometimes is that
we're just too gullible, Like we go for the bait every time somebody brings
up some new argument or one thing happens in the news, which by the
way, has been happening for decades and even generations. Right, nothing to
see here, folks, Like when somebody gets sick from a mysterious bug or
pandemic happens on planet Earth. Like God's people get real distracted, Like when
something happens in government or in the church and it hits the news. God's
people sometimes becomes so distracted that we make that the chief news of our lives
and then sometimes build doctrines, false doctrines on these items that are taking place
on Earth in our every day way of life. And it's like, pause,
God didn't say to become so hyper focused on every little thing that happens,
or even every big thing that happens. He has given us complete and
clear guidance about how we are to move. We are to exalt Jesus.
We are to lift up Jesus in these last days. And as we lift
him up, we elevate him before the people in every way. Then he
will draw people to himself. Not if we frighten people to death, not
if we cajole people and try to sort of how do I want to say,
try to manipulate people into making a decision. Rather, you know,
God is saying, like, don't do that. Exalt me. Teach the
truth in love, the truth about Jesus, the truth about his word,
the truth about the Holy Ten Commandments law in these last days. Give them
a vision of Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of power. Like,
give them an image of Jesus Christ, who descended into earth in order to
deliver us and to exalt us right so that at the name of Jesus,
every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of God the Father. Like, give a vision of Jesus,
who was able to deliver to the uttermost those who were called by him,
because he ever lived to make intercession for us. Teach them about the Jesus
who saw and knew my entire heart, like the woman at the well.
He saw me and knew and told me everything I did, and yet he
still loved me. Like show him the Christ who sent the angel Gabriel to
to our brother Daniel the prophet when he was desponding concerning the seventy weeks prophecy
right and the captivity, like when he was trying to understand the vision,
and God sent the messenger from more than one thousand, three hundred forty nine
light years away from Earth in a time of four minutes, and he came
to say, you are beloved, Daniel. God has come through me.
He has sent me to give you skill in these matters. And then in
the midst of that discussion in the Prophecy, in the seventy Weeks of Years
Prophecy, in the midst of the final week, we see Jesus cut off
not for himself but for the people, like he gave his life a ransom
for many, because he came to earth, he descended so he could seek
and save that which is lost. Like, so do that like instead of
being tossed about by every wind, of doctrine. We are no longer to
be children in danger on the high seas, tossed to and fro, like
like Peter when he began to look at the winds and the ways, and
to look at his feet with pride, as Jesus was already giving him the
miraculous ability to walk on water as long as he kept his focus on God.
Don't be tossed about by those winds on the high seas of life.
There are clever people who are swindling people right, and gamblers, like practicing
sleight of hand, spiritually speaking, and causing people to be torn and driven
away from the truth of God. Because these guys are so charismatic. These
women are so charismatic, they are cunning. They are in trickery and and
being divisive in also sowing seeds of discord and strife among the people of God
and then bringing error with them. God is saying that a healthy church functions
like a body Verse fifteen of Ephesians, chapter four, but speaking the truth
in love, that we may grow up into Him in all things, which
is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together
and compacted, by which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself
in love. That is a long form way to say that we become unified
in Christ, and that false doctrine destroys godly unity. God wants us to
hear his voice, and in John chapter ten he said, my sheep,
hear my voice, and if we listen to him, we will be unified
and we will grow up into Christ. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends.
Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily portion with l
David Harris. Make it a great day.