1 00:00:01,159 --> 00:00:05,559 Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's 2 00:00:05,599 --> 00:00:10,400 food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:15,359 some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:20,079 us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all 5 00:00:20,199 --> 00:00:25,399 that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:31,320 healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author 7 00:00:31,399 --> 00:00:34,640 speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good morning. 8 00:00:34,799 --> 00:00:39,439 It is Thursday, August ten, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name 9 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,159 miss L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your 10 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,280 Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is 11 00:00:46,359 --> 00:00:50,920 no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of 12 00:00:51,039 --> 00:00:57,200 Ephesians. Pardon me for that sound caption for today is growing up into Christ. 13 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,840 That's growing up in to Christ. Will get into that in just a 14 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,400 moment, But first I'd like to say welcome to you and ask you to 15 00:01:03,439 --> 00:01:07,120 go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Click that join button to join 16 00:01:07,159 --> 00:01:12,079 our online community. Also click that button. It's a big picture right to 17 00:01:12,159 --> 00:01:17,799 pick up your Daily Portion book, and that way we can continue to build 18 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:23,280 faith and fellowship together at your Daily Portion dot com. Let's go ahead and 19 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,319 pray and then we will get underway. Father in Heaven, thank you for 20 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,959 giving us the privilege to come into your presence this morning. And I pray 21 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,599 God that we will be like Jesus like we will grow in faith, we 22 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:42,719 will grow in stature and in favor with God and Man. Please give us 23 00:01:42,719 --> 00:01:48,200 your Holy spirit today in Jesus name, I pray Amen and Amen again. 24 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,480 Growing Up into Christ. I don't know if you recall. It depends on 25 00:01:53,519 --> 00:01:56,879 how long you have been with me. Over the years. I would have 26 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:01,640 shared with you many times that my favorite book outside of the Bible is titled 27 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:07,719 Steps to Christ. Steps to Christ. I've I've preached entire sermons series, 28 00:02:07,799 --> 00:02:14,520 i have written Bible studies and published them based on that whole principle of Steps 29 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,919 to Christ. And for those who speak Spanish, El Camino a christon like 30 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,240 growing up into Christ is one of the chapters in that blessed book, and 31 00:02:23,319 --> 00:02:29,080 so like I'm delighted to be able to kind of focus on this blessing with 32 00:02:29,199 --> 00:02:34,000 that as a backdrop. And so the question that I have or right from 33 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:44,199 the lesson really is what danger threatens the christ like maturity of God's people? 34 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:53,000 What danger threatens the christ like maturity of God's people. Let's read now from 35 00:02:53,159 --> 00:02:59,639 Ephesians chapter four. I'll read Versus thirteen and fourteen. I've read the read 36 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:01,800 thirteen to you a couple of days in a row, straight, right, 37 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:07,000 But now I want to just adjoin it to the rest part of the rest 38 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,800 of the conversation. Right. So we're talking about how Christ, the giver 39 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:15,879 of gifts, gave us these gifts. Right. And he described that till 40 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:22,439 all verse thirteen come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the 41 00:03:22,439 --> 00:03:27,319 Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature 42 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,840 of the fullness of Christ. That means simply that we become like Christ. 43 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:38,199 Right and verse fourteen, the Bible says that we henceforth like from this moment 44 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:43,840 forward, as we are building in this maturity, as we are growing up 45 00:03:43,919 --> 00:03:49,960 into Christ, as we are beginning and then indeed sustaining this vision where we 46 00:03:50,479 --> 00:03:53,560 look like Christ, and the way we think and the way that we act, 47 00:03:53,599 --> 00:03:59,680 all of our intentions like God is really in us. Right, He's 48 00:03:59,719 --> 00:04:02,960 a biding in us, so that from this moment on we are we be 49 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:12,919 no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, 50 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,920 by the sleight of men and the cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in 51 00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:25,000 wait to deceive. You see, the problem with God's people sometimes is that 52 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:30,000 we're just too gullible, Like we go for the bait every time somebody brings 53 00:04:30,079 --> 00:04:33,120 up some new argument or one thing happens in the news, which by the 54 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:39,399 way, has been happening for decades and even generations. Right, nothing to 55 00:04:39,439 --> 00:04:44,319 see here, folks, Like when somebody gets sick from a mysterious bug or 56 00:04:44,399 --> 00:04:49,079 pandemic happens on planet Earth. Like God's people get real distracted, Like when 57 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:55,519 something happens in government or in the church and it hits the news. God's 58 00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:00,480 people sometimes becomes so distracted that we make that the chief news of our lives 59 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:08,079 and then sometimes build doctrines, false doctrines on these items that are taking place 60 00:05:08,199 --> 00:05:13,120 on Earth in our every day way of life. And it's like, pause, 61 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:17,360 God didn't say to become so hyper focused on every little thing that happens, 62 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,639 or even every big thing that happens. He has given us complete and 63 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:26,920 clear guidance about how we are to move. We are to exalt Jesus. 64 00:05:27,399 --> 00:05:31,079 We are to lift up Jesus in these last days. And as we lift 65 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:36,040 him up, we elevate him before the people in every way. Then he 66 00:05:36,079 --> 00:05:41,160 will draw people to himself. Not if we frighten people to death, not 67 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:47,040 if we cajole people and try to sort of how do I want to say, 68 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:55,839 try to manipulate people into making a decision. Rather, you know, 69 00:05:55,879 --> 00:06:00,279 God is saying, like, don't do that. Exalt me. Teach the 70 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,079 truth in love, the truth about Jesus, the truth about his word, 71 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:09,079 the truth about the Holy Ten Commandments law in these last days. Give them 72 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,839 a vision of Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of power. Like, 73 00:06:12,959 --> 00:06:16,519 give them an image of Jesus Christ, who descended into earth in order to 74 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:21,959 deliver us and to exalt us right so that at the name of Jesus, 75 00:06:21,959 --> 00:06:27,839 every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to 76 00:06:27,879 --> 00:06:30,800 the glory of God the Father. Like, give a vision of Jesus, 77 00:06:30,079 --> 00:06:34,480 who was able to deliver to the uttermost those who were called by him, 78 00:06:34,519 --> 00:06:40,560 because he ever lived to make intercession for us. Teach them about the Jesus 79 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:45,240 who saw and knew my entire heart, like the woman at the well. 80 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:49,319 He saw me and knew and told me everything I did, and yet he 81 00:06:49,399 --> 00:06:55,800 still loved me. Like show him the Christ who sent the angel Gabriel to 82 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,360 to our brother Daniel the prophet when he was desponding concerning the seventy weeks prophecy 83 00:07:00,519 --> 00:07:05,040 right and the captivity, like when he was trying to understand the vision, 84 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:11,560 and God sent the messenger from more than one thousand, three hundred forty nine 85 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:15,680 light years away from Earth in a time of four minutes, and he came 86 00:07:15,759 --> 00:07:20,120 to say, you are beloved, Daniel. God has come through me. 87 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:25,759 He has sent me to give you skill in these matters. And then in 88 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:30,199 the midst of that discussion in the Prophecy, in the seventy Weeks of Years 89 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,160 Prophecy, in the midst of the final week, we see Jesus cut off 90 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:40,160 not for himself but for the people, like he gave his life a ransom 91 00:07:40,199 --> 00:07:44,480 for many, because he came to earth, he descended so he could seek 92 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,720 and save that which is lost. Like, so do that like instead of 93 00:07:47,759 --> 00:07:54,040 being tossed about by every wind, of doctrine. We are no longer to 94 00:07:54,120 --> 00:08:00,319 be children in danger on the high seas, tossed to and fro, like 95 00:08:00,079 --> 00:08:03,439 like Peter when he began to look at the winds and the ways, and 96 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,720 to look at his feet with pride, as Jesus was already giving him the 97 00:08:07,759 --> 00:08:11,759 miraculous ability to walk on water as long as he kept his focus on God. 98 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:18,279 Don't be tossed about by those winds on the high seas of life. 99 00:08:18,519 --> 00:08:24,519 There are clever people who are swindling people right, and gamblers, like practicing 100 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:31,120 sleight of hand, spiritually speaking, and causing people to be torn and driven 101 00:08:31,159 --> 00:08:37,360 away from the truth of God. Because these guys are so charismatic. These 102 00:08:37,399 --> 00:08:43,200 women are so charismatic, they are cunning. They are in trickery and and 103 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:48,600 being divisive in also sowing seeds of discord and strife among the people of God 104 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:56,360 and then bringing error with them. God is saying that a healthy church functions 105 00:08:56,399 --> 00:09:01,120 like a body Verse fifteen of Ephesians, chapter four, but speaking the truth 106 00:09:01,159 --> 00:09:03,240 in love, that we may grow up into Him in all things, which 107 00:09:03,279 --> 00:09:09,320 is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together 108 00:09:09,519 --> 00:09:16,440 and compacted, by which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the 109 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:22,559 measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself 110 00:09:22,799 --> 00:09:28,799 in love. That is a long form way to say that we become unified 111 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:33,679 in Christ, and that false doctrine destroys godly unity. God wants us to 112 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:37,080 hear his voice, and in John chapter ten he said, my sheep, 113 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,440 hear my voice, and if we listen to him, we will be unified 114 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:46,679 and we will grow up into Christ. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. 115 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,279 Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that 116 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:54,519 comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily portion with l 117 00:09:54,679 --> 00:10:00,320 David Harris. Make it a great day.