ABOUNDING

I am really looking forward to speaking today from the Word of God. I always look forward to it and enjoy it; but I have a special blessing to appreciate today. Phil Dawson, the place kicker for the Cleveland Browns, and someone I count as a frend, agreed to work with me on this message. He has a great attitude in terms of being available and a heart that wants to serve God. He offered to help me if I ever needed it and I thought this would be great time to have him involved. I had been praying about how, exactly, to communicate these messages on discipleship; and I believe for this particular message, God gave me Phil as my answer. Throughout this message, he shares a few of his experiences from football in this past season, and we make the connection to our spiritual journey in discipleship. Although you will not be able to view the game clips that are referred to, I have given you a brief summary in the appropriate places, so that you have an idea of what was going on. This is the final message in the discipleship series.

ABOUNDING

Please turn in your Bible to Philippians 3. In the Bible in front of you, it is page 1018 or 1044.

We have been looking at a discipleship process, becoming a more fully devoted follower of Christ, using the analogy of a tree. Our theme verses in this series have been Colossians 2:6,7 where we find the key phrases that are represented by these banners above. This morning, we are focused on this last stage of spiritual development as a follower of Christ: ABOUNDING.

If you plant a fruit tree, the root system is very important, being built up is crucial and having a tree that is established and will not blow over under the pressure of the storm is critical. But, at some point, you expect that this tree is going to bear fruit. That is why you planted it in the first place. It is going to blossom, get strong and bring forth good fruit that can be used to nourish others.

It is the same expectation God has of us. When we first become a believer, it is all about growing deep in Him and becoming secure in our salvation. Over time, we are built up in our faith and come to be established, confident in what we believe and why. Although faltering, we are devoted followers of Christ and want to please Him. Therefore, in order to fully please Him, we must fulfill what He first planted us to do: to bear fruit.

In Matthew 21, we read the story of Jesus walking by a fig tree that had not produced it fruit. And He curses that tree and it withers and dies on the spot. Jesus had the expectation that the fig tree would actually produce figs at some point. Jesus also warned that not every tree that bears fruit is a healthy tree bearing good fruit. There were certainly many religious people around in that day, just like today, who had the appearance of being a strong tree and bearing fruit, but they were spiritually diseased and caused spiritual destruction in those who ate of their fruit. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:17-20 – “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

The idea was that the follower of Christ should be able to recognize whether or not someone was a true disciple by the words that they said and the actions they carried out. If what they said did not correspond with the truth of God’s Word, then they were not to take part in the fruit of that ministry. If they talked well but were living opposed to God’s ways, the followers of Christ were to recognize that and stay away.

However, Jesus also made the point, that if you are a healthy, growing tree, you will bear good fruit, and others will be able to see it. As a part of the Body of Christ, we want to encourage one another to be productive for God:

Romans 7:4 – “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.”

Let me suggest to you what some of the signs might be that you are abounding as a follower of Christ. Use these as a self-evaluation tool of your own spiritual growth. Are these true of you?

When it comes to growing in knowledge in this area:
· Lifelong learning

Have you ever met a Christian who has been a Christian for so long that he thinks he pretty much has everything figured out? He knows a ton of Scripture and he’s not sure that anyone can really teach him anything. He has given, he as served in the church for many years, and he lives a life that he thinks is very righteous. No matter how good his works seem to be, this is not an abounding follower of Christ. Even someone who has greatly matured in Christ and has gone through all of these stages of development, he will still tell you that he has a lot to learn. He is still going to be taking notes during the message, asking questions in Sunday school, studying for himself, and desiring to learn more about Jesus and how to be a more fully devoted follower.

The Apostle Paul, who knew Scripture and was a fully devoted follower of Christ had this perspective that the abounding follower of Christ also has. Look at:

Philippians 3:12-14 – “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Do you have this perspective of your life? You haven’t arrived yet; but are constantly pursuing growth in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Another sign that you are growing in knowledge is that you are:

· Learning how to transfer truth
This could include learning how to share your faith with others, and how to clearly communicate the gospel message. It could include how to teach your family about God’s ways or how to teach others what God’s Word teaches and how to apply it. In this stage of spiritual development, the abounding person is not just taking in truth himself, but finding ways to effectively communicate truth to others. This does not mean he needs to be an accomplished public speaker; but that he learns to take truth and give it to others in a way they can receive it. Paul said to Timothy:

II Timothy 2:2 – “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

What are some signs that you are growing in Grace as an abounding follower of Christ? Let me just list three things for you and then comment on them:
· Reproducing faith
· Discipling others
· Multiplying leaders

Again, the idea here is that as you grow as a follower of Christ, you become involved in helping others come to Christ and help them grow as well. Once you grow to this stage of abounding, you still have growing to do and you still need to be growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ as we have laid it out in these areas. But, you are also taking someone else through this process. You are praying for and finding new believers who need someone to walk with them. I believe every believer needs another, more mature believer to take this journey with him and help in the growth process.

An abounding believer is a part of seeing others come to Christ, whether she shares her faith and someone accepts Christ; or she might be involved in ministries that are bringing people to Christ. The abounding believer is spending time helping other believers be disciple. She might be doing that with her children or at her work or within the ministry of the church. There are other people whom she is helping to grow in their faith. She doesn’t need to be a great teacher to do this. She just needs to be willing to spend time walking through this stage of life with another person. The abounding believer is not just leading in some area of life, but is finding ways to multiply leaders – at home, in the workplace, or in ministry. He is not just thinking about his own benefit in his place, but is thinking of how to pass principles of being a devoted follower of Christ on to others who will pass it on to others – multiplication.

When we began this series, we looked at Colossians and saw this theme of walking with God and growing to the place of bearing fruit. This is the goal of every believer:

Colossians 1:10 – “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Please turn in your Bible to Galatians 5. In the Bible in front of you, it is page 1011 or 1037.

I want us to take some time this morning to review the stages of discipleship that we have been talking about for the past few weeks, as well as consider how the principles that touch all areas of discipleship lead us to this stage of abounding. In order to illustrate these steps this morning, I have asked Phil Dawson, the place kicker for the Cleveland Browns and a member here at Grace, to come and help me with this.

Most important first: Phil is married to Shannon and has 3 great children: Dru, Beau and Sophiann. He had a great career kicking for the University of Texas, which included being named as a 2-time All-American. He just completed his 10th year in the NFL, 9 of those with the Browns. He is the 4th most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL. This season, he passed Jim Brown to become the franchise 3rd leading scorer, and passed Lou Groza to become the leading single season scoring kicker.

Last October, Phil and Shannon helped us with our Go Deep With The Browns outreach, which was highlighted in this month’s Baptist Bulletin (the monthly publication out of our national association of churches). The highlight article was the interview with Phil and they did a great job. And as I told Phil and Shannon, when you’ve made the Baptist Bulletin, then you have really made it. By the way, there are some extra copies of this issue out on the welcome center table. Feel free to take one after the service.

Greg: So, Phil, tell us a little bit about your assessment of this past season for the Browns. How did you feel about it?

Phil:

Greg: All right – Phil has provided us with some of the highlights from his past season, so let’s take a look at the first one.

[Game #1 – Pittsburgh]
Game Clip 1: Start 3:07:46 Stop 3:10:17 [2 minutes, 31 seconds]
[End of the game in Pittsburgh. The commentators say how no onehas ever kicked one over 50 yards in this stadium and Phil is attempting a 53 yard field goal with 3 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime against the Browns main rival. His kick falls just short.]

Greg: You missed the kick Phil. We might be wondering why this was a highlight.
What did you learn from this particular kick?

Phil: (Hard lesson – sometimes best is not good enough – faced critical decision following this game – how do I respond in face of learning this hard truth, quit or trust God-rivalry, field conditions, stadium history)

Greg: SO WHAT? As I thought about this kick of Phil’s and what he learned, it reminded me of our discipleship process and that although none of us in this room (outside of Phil) are professional athletes, we experience this same situation in our spiritual journey. Of course, our whole spiritual journey begins when we realize that our best is definitely not good enough. No matter how moral or religious we try to be, the Bible (Romans 3:10) tells us that in God’s eyes, there are none that do good. It is only when we place all of our faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation that we are able to come to God and have an eternal place in Heaven. If you have not yet done that, it is the only way to start following Christ and growing in Him. Phil or I would be happy to talk to you about how to become a follower of Christ.

But, this understanding does end at salvation. As you walk through the stages of following Christ and growing in grace and knowledge, you still realize that this is true. Your best is sometimes not good enough. Even with the Holy Spirit residing in us, and even though you are striving to grow in Christ, you will still fail, fall short, mess up, or using the biblical term: sin. The Bible tells us (I John 1:8) that even as followers of Christ (Christians) we still sin on a regular basis. Yes, even though you are trying to grow by reading your Bible, praying and doing everything God tells you to do.

Our best is still not good enough. Now, for those who are weak in their faith, that causes huge doubts and they usually end up saying another prayer to make sure of their salvation. I did that A LOT when I was younger. But, as we grow in Christ, we understand that we will still struggle with sin, and we don’t allow that to hinder our growth. Because we know what the next verse in I John says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Listen, the person who is abounding understands the constant battle between his new nature in Christ and the old sinful nature. He knows it is a daily battle; and when his good is not good enough, he rests completely on the grace and mercy of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is a sign of a spiritual mature person who is abounding in Christ. He also passes that on to others he is discipling.

Greg: So, Phil, you have a tough ending in Pittsburgh. But, you had to prepare for another tough game the following week. How did that week go for you?

Phil: (chose to trust God the following week; continued to have fear and doubt; had to rely on His strength because my confidence was rattled)

Greg: O.k. Let’s take a look at a pivotal part of that next game.

[Game #2 -Baltimore]
Clip #2 – 3:28:06-3:29:53 [1 minute, 47 seconds] with full sound (last announced phrase before turning sound down: “all he can do is stare”) Clip shows kick, ball bounces back, referees signal no good, dejection, disbelief on Phil’s face)

KEEP CLIP RUNNING WITH NO SOUND as we continue to talk (they will show replay after replay, referees talking, players coming back on the field, etc.)

Greg: Have you ever seen anything like this in football?

Phil: referees, the bounce, the players, the fans, etc.

Greg : Wow – what was going through your mind during all this?

Phil: God put me right back into the same situation; game wining situation, 50+ yard field goal; gave it my best once again; referees said no good; how can God put me through this again? I am trying to please Him with all of this. Due to uniqueness of these events and coming off of previous week, range of emotions – I was quick to acknowledge God’s hand in all of it; I was eager to thank him for his faithfulness; I was able to have an intimate moment with him during all of this; making or missing the kick was not the reward – moment with God was.

Greg: The referees continued to discuss it and finally made this call:
[sound will come back on at 3:33:59-when the referee comes back to announce call is overturned and run through 3:34:16 [an additional 17 seconds] (celebrating the overturned call)

Greg: This particular kick and the surrounding circumstances are great illustrations of what happens in our lives as we seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. You can prepare for something in your life as Phil prepared for that kick; and you give it your best effort. But, the way life bounces sometimes is not what you expected and it leaves you in uncertainty. And many times, the answer you are waiting for is much more personal, important and lasting than whether or not the field goal is going to be called good.

You are waiting for news about whether or not you have cancer and what the prognosis is. You are waiting to see if you are going to lose your job as people are being laid off or something put your job in jeopardy. You are waiting for test results, exam scores, someone to get back to you or any number of life circumstances to play out. And there is uncertainty and the possibility of being consumed by anxiety.

The person who is abounding may struggle with their thoughts and they may mourn over bad news or be prepared for the worst. But, the person abounding is going to find a way to trust – God knows what is happening, He is in control, and He can be fully trusted.

In fact, there will be times in your spiritual journey when others will call something bad that you meant for good; there will sometimes be other authorities who are making the decisions that you will have to live with. And when it is all said and done, as Phil alluded to, the important thing is that you walked that journey with God and grew in your intimacy with Him. It is even more important than the final outcome of your particular circumstance. And when the answer does

come, the person growing and abounding in Christ is able to praise and worship God – regardless of the result.

God does not promise that just because you are trying to live right or have gone through some tough things that all of your field goals are going to go through the uprights and everything will be fine for you. But, He does promise to turn everything that happens (whether you consider it good or not) into your good for spiritual growth purposes. He promises to walk with you through anything He allows. If the fruit you were wanting to see is not being produced, you can still trust that God knows what He is doing.

Now, we have got to see how this game ended in Overtime:
Clip #3 – 3:48:13-3:48:56 [43 seconds] – stop after announcer says: “The Cleveland Browns have survived” [Phil kicks the game winner in overtime]

Greg: The circumstances of a field goal try and the circumstances of life do not need to derail the trust that an abounding follower of Christ has in God. If things don’t “bounce” the right way, he can say with Job (1:21) “…The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” And if the ball “bounces” his way, he will simply give all praise and glory to God. That is what an abounding believer can do.

Even after a spiritual victory in our lives, you know that the tests and challenges don’t stop. In fact, it is after a victory that we need to most aware of getting too over confident or too lax, not equipped to face the next temptation, challenge or crisis. At the same time, the challenges we face in the past do help prepare us and build our confidence for the tests that God has planned for us in the future. There is always more growing to do, no matter how many victories you have had. Our next clip demonstrates that Phil still had some major challenges to face the rest of the season:

Game #3 -Buffalo
Clip #4 – 2:30-2:46 [16 seconds] weather
Clip#5 – 22:07-22:38 [31 seconds] 1st field goal
[blizzard conditions, Phil kicks a great field goal to go up 3 -0]

What was it like playing in those conditions?
Phil: (most challenging day – thrilled to make that kick; hoping my day would be done; prepared for more; had to respond after success in the same way I had done with failure before)
Greg: Of course, you found out your day wasn’t done and your greatest challenge lay ahead:

Clip #6 – 1:18:06-1:18:42 [36 seconds] – doubters before commercial break
[it was going to be a 48 yard field goal in the blizzard conditions and the announcers were doubting that Phil would even attempt it.]

Greg: There were many doubters about this kick – how were you dealing with the situation?

Phil: (there is always resistance in life; people who will doubt you like announcers, coaches; due to lessons learned up to this point, I was focused; I had more confidence than I experienced before; I had experiences that prepared me for this challenge; I was able to focus in midst of challenges.)

Greg: Lets’ see the result:
Clip #7 – 1:19:23-1:20:35 [1 minute, 12 seconds] – kick is make, and stop it when announcer says: “how about that”.
[Phil attempts and makes the unbelievable 48 field goal in the blizzard]

Greg:
What are the main points you learned through all of this?

Phil: (growth is a process – Pittsburgh – fear of failure, rattle by tough conditions;
Baltimore – trusting God with that fear, and more focus on His strength;
Buffalo – experienced peace from fear and focus from distractions

Greg: I know you don’t want this to be a praise Phil time. This is about what God was doing in and through you. What are the thoughts you want to leave us with and relay to us?

Phil: (kicking is not that important in grand scheme of things but it is vital to me because it is the area God had used to draw me to himself – we all have gifts and talents and god will use them to draw all of us to Himself and produce growth in our lives - Romans 11:36

Greg: Thank you so much Phil for helping me illustrate this message today and sharing some of your life with us [Phil sits down]

A person who is abounding has been prepared for the storms of life because she has already been through some tough trials. She has failed in some and had victory in some; but what she has come to consistently do is to focus on the One who will always be there and will always do what is best.

There will also be doubters along the path of your journey as a follower of Christ. They won’t believe that you have changed. They won’t believe that you can accomplish anything eternally significant. They will think you are like everyone else. They will not be able to see our powerful God or how He is working in your life. When you face the doubters, you will not be able to convince them with words. You must act in faith, trusting in the God who put you in that position.

As Phil said, this ultimately is about God and the glory that is due His name, regardless of whether we come out looking good or not. The circumstances of your life are not there to make you comfortable, rich or famous. They are there for your spiritual growth and God’s glory. And the abounding person understands that, and is able, therefore, to be content when in the midst of difficult, challenging circumstances.

I want to close this morning with us thinking about a passage of Scripture that I believe gives us a foundation to build on as it relates to becoming an abounding follower of Christ. You are hopefully turned to Galatians, chapter 5. Look at:

Galatians 5:22,23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

The “fruit of the Spirit” is listed here. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Every follower of Christ has the Holy Spirit living within Him; and that is supposed to result in this fruit being displayed. But, there are other places in the Scripture that seem to indicate that we are also to be working hard to display this type of fruit in our lives. So, although God does the work in us, we are to be having the right heart attitude in abounding.

Here is what I believe. If you will meditate on this list of the fruit of the Spirit, pray for God to work in your heart and develop these characteristics, you are going to become an abounding follower of Christ. These qualities will produce all kinds of good fruit. If you are producing this fruit in your life, you will not only be growing in your own spiritual development, but you will have a lasting, spiritual impact on others.

SO WHAT?
What I want to leave you with today, is a challenge: Meditate this week on the fruit of the Spirit and ask 2 questions: Which part of the fruit is already being displayed in my life? Which part of the fruit has yet to be evident in my life? Praise God for the fruit that is evident (without being arrogant); and humbly cry out to God to help you develop these important, abounding type of qualities that are not yet evident. You may want to also get your life group involved or someone else you trust, who can pray with you about this and give you the support and encouragement you need as you develop into a fruitful, abounding follower of Christ.