The Secret to Spiritual Growth

Well afternoon, everyone. Good to see you all, and hope you've had a good week. Say hello to everybody on the line, a brethren in Sholo and brethren up in over in Hawaii as well. And certainly I'm appreciative of the fact that all of us can be together here in fellowship on the Sabbath. You know, I was thinking about Mr. Babb's sermonette about the bride preparing herself. And I can't imagine when you look at that Proverbs 31 woman there, the wife, that she would ever stagnate.

She's growing constantly. She's increasing in understanding and gathering wisdom and knowledge as she grows. It's a daily thing. Don't you think, brethren, that the bride of Christ is doing that? That the church should be doing that? That those that are part of that bride are doing that? And, you know, ever thought about the fact, brethren, why is it that some seem to never grow spiritually, while others it seems like they flourish?

It's like they increase and they increase and they keep getting better and better. And, you know, I certainly think about, when I think about that, I think about the parable of the sower, where it talks about how that some seed is thrown on fertile ground and it grows and it flourishes and it increases so much. And we ought to be like that. We ought to be like that seed that falls on that fertile ground. And, of course, there's that the seed that fell on the stony ground that fell among the thorns as well.

And what happens in both cases, those two cases, it dies and ended up dead. The one pertained to the seed that was cast among thorns is choked out by the world. And it can't seem to get away from the world that is out here. And that which is thrown on the stony ground never established root to begin with and, as a consequence, never grew.

You know, this sermon, I like to think, brethren, comes to you from heaven. What I'm going to talk to you about today. That is, if you'll believe it, you know, because I do believe that God inspires what is said within the Church of God. I think that the Spirit of God is a living thing that moves among God's people. Very often, in fact, messages that are given, you know, by ministry, and it's been said up here probably many, many times, that we don't discuss what we're going to talk about, but it all flows together. Because God's Spirit is alive. It's something that we need to really grasp.

It is important for us to understand that like the waters move, you know, the Holy Spirit moved upon the face of the waters. It was active. And whatever God told the Spirit to do, it did. It accomplished. You know what, brethren, though, is the primary secret key for growing spiritually that is plainly stated in the Bible that most simply do not know. You know, what is that secret?

You know, I don't know whether you know the answer to that off of the top of your head. I think about the fact that the Bible talks about the Word of God in a very glorious fashion. The first point I want to make with you here in the course of this sermon is how do you view the Scriptures?

How do you view the Scriptures? Do you see them as God's divine Word and you believe what it says? You really believe what it says. You know, a lot of people don't believe, really believe what the Bible says. Let's go over to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy over here in chapter 3 and verse 16. We should be all familiar with this particular verse. But it says, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, and for correction, and for instruction and righteousness. All Scripture is given under the inspiration of God. Do you know that the Greek word here for the word inspiration actually means it is God breathed.

It comes from the very mouth of God. It's God breathed. It comes from two words. One is pneuma and the other has to do with God. That it is in fact theo, as the Greek word is for God or theos, it is theos nostus or God breathed. And we need to view again God's word that way. It comes directly from God. And it says that the men of God over in 2 Peter 1 and verse 21, I'm not going to turn to that, but you might want to put that in your notes, that the men of God spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And it was not something that came out of them, it was something that came by the Holy Spirit. So again, how do you view the Scriptures that we have in the pages of our Bible? How important are these words that are here to you? You know, as well, again, as I mentioned, not only is the Holy Spirit alive, but the Word of God is alive.

It's not like an inanimate object, like a rock. I don't know of any rock that sprouts legs and gets up and walks around. They have up and down these rocks that scoot around, and it is a mystery how it happens. But inanimate things, rocks and things that have no life in them, don't move. Living things move, though, very often. As I mentioned back in Genesis, it talks about how the Holy Spirit moved upon the face of the waters. And you know the word moved there in the Hebrew, you know what it actually means?

It means it began to shake. It began to shake, and they use the word move. And when God spoke His Word, it was done. He said, let there be a light, and there was light, and so it was done. You know, God moved in us. You know, when He called us, and He spoke, and it was done.

Our light went off in our heads, and we finally understood. I know that was the way it was with me when I began to understand the truth. There was a time where I did not see the truth, and I think I've mentioned here before that I sort of got angry with God, and I said, God, okay, if you will reveal to me what this word means, I'll do it. I'll apply it. And that's when the light bulb went off. God said, okay, I'll do that deal with you. And the light went off, and I began to understand.

And I was a very young man at the time, 16 or 17 years of age. And so when you ask God to do, to give you understanding, He'll give it to you. He'll give it to you, but you've got to make the pledge with God that you're going to do it. He's not going to open your mind if you're not willing to do it. Let's notice in Hebrews 4, in verse 12, what it says about the Word of God, the fabulous Word of God that we take for granted in this time that we live in, because the Bible is so prevalent. You know, my wife and I went to a yogurt shop the other day, and they had stacks of Bibles they were just giving away.

You know, I guess that's sort of their ministry in conjunction with their business there. But, you know, some church had put these Bibles out. I didn't pick one up. I've got too many Bibles already. But, you know, the Word of God is everywhere. But here in Hebrews 4, verse 12, you know, a very powerful Scripture, it says, for the Word of God is living. It's living. It's alive. What you've got in your lap, if you're holding your Bible in your lap, is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, it is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Holy Spirit, coupled with the Word of God, can cut you asunder. It can bring down one of the most vicious human beings and turn them into a lamb. That's how powerful God's Word is. I've known people like that, by the way, that were mean as could be. And God called them, and I don't want to say that, you know, they were weaklings afterwards, but they were very much lamb-like, gentle with people. You know, people look like they fit very nicely, you know, on the back of a tractor somewhere, you know, doing heavy-duty work, you know, that added finesse to their lives, and they balanced their lives out. So God's work, if we view it in this way, that the Word of God is living. It's alive. It changes things. You know, when that Word of God gets in us, and we're sincerely, you know, acknowledging what it says, and with that willingness to apply it, it can do a great deal for our good. It says that the Bible, God's Word, is a living thing. It is truly alive. How do we make it alive, though, within us, within our hearts and minds? If we study the Scriptures in a particular way, meditating on its principles, and then living it daily, brethren, we become more and more like God. If we can really begin to see that and why it's so important for us, and if we allow God's Holy Spirit, His life, to work in us, then it becomes alive. It does something to us. It changes us in so many ways. I want you to notice what Jesus Christ said in John 14, verse 23. Let's notice over here, John 14, and verse 23.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loves me, he will keep my words, and my father will love him. And we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. You see, brethren, God only lives within those who willingly choose to obey His words. He only lives in someone like that. Unless we are willing to put it into practice, that's why when I began to be converted, the light began to go off when I made an agreement with God what I would do. Are you able to do that? Are you willing to do that? Have you already done that in your life? I hope so. Because until you do, you know, the lights are not going to go off. You're not going to see, and you're not going to grow. You know, it says, I'm not going to turn to it, but in Acts 5, verse 32, and we are His witnesses to these things. And so also is the Holy Spirit, which God has given to those who obey Him. You see, God doesn't give His Holy Spirit to anybody if they're not willing to obey Him. I don't care how many times a person says, God, I'm sorry, if we are not willing to obey God, He's not going to give the Holy Spirit to us. Now, oftentimes wonder when people have a delayed conversion in their life.

It's when they finally realize they got to do what they're reading in the Bible. They got to apply it, then God allows them to begin to grow. But sometimes they can be stifled in their growth if they haven't come to that full realization in their life. Let's go over to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. Colossians 3 and verse 10 over here.

The apostle Paul here spoke of putting on the new man, putting on a new man.

And he said, the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image him that created him.

So it's renewed in us. It's something new, in other words. Not what we were before, but we're changed, we're converted. We have to be converted, brethren, from what we were to what God wants us to be, and he wants us to be like his son. That's the image that we're shooting for.

You know, when we actively incorporate the Bible into our lives, we're bringing in the mind and the character of God. It's like we're, it should, in fact, come into us. Sometimes I think, quite frankly, it's very slow in some cases when it comes in. It's sometimes not perceivable by us.

But if you were really studying God's way, you're changing, maybe incrementally.

You know, you're not growing, you know, maybe shooting up in terms of growth, but you are growing. You're changing. You know, when you were called, you shouldn't be the person you were when you first were called. You should be a different person. You're getting better and better in your life. You should seek to do good more and more in your life. The daily you are increasing and changing and overcoming in your life. You know, God wants you to do that. He really does. You know, we're bringing in that character, though. Jesus is a living word personified.

Jesus is the Word of God. It's like He's the walking Word of God. He lived and walked and breathed upon this earth to set an example for all of us. He lived God's commandments, inspired them to be written for our good, and has told us as Christians to abide in them, live by them. He says, if you live by them, you will live. If you don't live by them, then we're going to die. By living God's Word, allowing it to transform our lives, we actually live as Jesus would live if He were upon this earth now. In fact, what does it say in Galatians 2, 20? That Paul says that He's dead, but he says, nevertheless, not I live, but Jesus Christ lives in me. And so he was mimicking Jesus Christ, and Paul said to imitate me as I follow Christ.

You know, he didn't want anybody to follow Him, you know, just as a human being. You're going to always be disappointed, by the way. You're a followable man, and he's not following God. And I'll tell you, around the world there are many, many who claim to be very spiritual, who are not. You know, you see that, again, going on in Christianity, and not just Christianity, all kinds of religions that basically, you know, people are being misled either by the paganism of a false religion or the falsehoods of Christianity, of which there's a lot of them, a lot of falsehood in this world. So we ought to be, again, allowing Christ to live in us. We put on Christ in that way. We become more like Jesus Christ. You know, we don't feel that way. I don't know how you feel about being called a saint. I don't think I'm so saintly. Although that's what we are, brethren. That's the truth. We're saints. You know, we, of course, have got a ways to go, don't we?

We wouldn't be saints without the justification because of God's grace and what Jesus Christ did for us. He forgives us for those things that we do, sometimes we ignorantly do, or sometimes we, out of weakness, do. Let's go to Psalm chapter one. The second point I want to make here with you today. I only have three, so you can, you know, relax. It's not going to be a four-hour thesis I'm going to give you today. Point number two, we must trust God and apply His word even before we understand it. Does that sound shocking to you? That you shouldn't have to understand it.

You know that Mr. Armstrong found, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, in fact, found out about the Holy Days, and they kept them seven years before they even understood them.

And finally, the knowledge came. The understanding came.

And that was probably true with a lot of truths that they understood. They came to understand. Let's go to Psalm one. I was talking, I should have been turning. Psalm one.

In verse one.

But it says here, blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.

It says, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the eternal. And in his law, he meditates day and night. You know, David was a great believer in meditating on the laws of God.

You know, people today want to broaden their consciousness. Have you ever noticed that in the world, people talk about their consciousness being widened? And all the while, their consciousness is actually shrinking. It's like some people claim to be woke, are really stone cold asleep. It's a very opposite. But isn't that the way it is in Satan's world? He says the opposite of what is true. But those that are godly, though delight in God's laws.

And notice in verse 3, and he shall be like a tree planted by the river of water, that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. You know, are you and I, are we like these trees, the majestic trees that are right by that water source of the river? And it's what, like our growth, we just keep going and going and going.

You know, out in front of my wife's mother and father's house, they have a giant oak tree. I mean, this oak tree is so awesome to see. I mean, it would be easily, you couldn't fit it in this room in terms of breadth and width. It just would be as big as this room. And tall, giant tall oak tree. And, you know, it just, it inspires you and causes you to think of strength.

This great big oak tree. And you know what, when it has acorns, it's almost like when they start falling out of the tree, it's like it's raining, except it's, you know, these acorns. You could hear them hit. And, you know, we were over and I, Joe and I were trying to help clean the property up over there. And you had to rake these acorns up, and there were piles and piles of these acres. But, you know, we ought to be like that oak tree, that big oak tree that just keeps, get, I don't know what the water source is there, but the roots must go very deep, and it has no lack of moisture. And it just keeps growing and growing.

Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 17. Jeremiah 17, if you'll go with me. Over in Jeremiah 17.

Jeremiah 17 in verse 5, it says, Thus says the eternal, Curseth is the man who trusts in man.

You get that? What it says here? Curseth is the man who trusts in man. And makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the eternal.

For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, and shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, and in an assault land which is not inhabited. In other words, he's going to be dead. This is not talking about shrubs.

It's about a man who is like a shrub that is unfruitful, of no benefit whatsoever.

And it says going on here, let's notice on down here, blessed is the man who trusts in the eternal, though.

Blessed is that man whose hope is in the eternal.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots to the river, and will not fear when the heat comes, and its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. See, that's what a person is that is a Christian, a follower of Christ, they're like this tree, this stately tree, that is going to keep growing and growing and increasing. You know, the shrub he's talking about is fruitless, but a person is met here, obviously, in both the righteous case and the unrighteous case that it talks about here. You know, there are going to be those that are not going to grow, and they're always going to be unfruitful. I hope, again, it's not you and me.

Let's go to Proverbs chapter 3. Proverbs chapter 3.

Solomon was a very wise man, no question about it. God gave him this incredible wisdom.

He went astray in his life, though. Hopefully he did, you know, change back to God's way at the end of his life. At least, that's what the last chapter might indicate, because he had more confidence in the law of God and what the whole duty of man was to live by the commandments. But Proverbs 3, in verse 5 and 6, notice here, it says, trust in the eternal with all your heart. Trust in the eternal with all of your heart. And lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. You know, where are you going to go in your life? If you trust in God, don't lean on your own understanding. Don't even lean on other people's understanding. You lean on what the Bible says. Somebody tells you what the Bible says, and you read it, and it says that. Apply it. Apply it in your life. You know, big mistakes happen in people's lives. I've seen, you know, dozens and dozens and dozens of people through the years who make terrible mistakes in their life on a reoccurring basis. You know why they do? They're leaning on their own understanding, or they're leaning on what somebody else said.

Or what somebody else did in their life. When we absolutely trust God, brethren, this process is really going to transform us.

You know, it's going to change you when we don't lean on ourselves, but we lean on God.

We apply ourselves to lean on our great God in heaven. Point number three, I want to discuss with you, is when we apply God's Word, you know what happens?

We prove God's way works. When do we do that? You actually prove it. You know, you want proof that God's way works? When you do it, you prove it to yourself. It's like God said about tithing.

He said, you know, bring all the tithes into the storehouse and see if I don't bless you, and I'll pour out a blessing so large you can't even contain it, he says in Malachi.

Put him to the test. Believe God. I never knew anybody that was able to work out the statistics on tithing on paper. Now, let me see here. How is this going to work out? It doesn't work that way.

It doesn't ever work that way. I've been tithing. My wife and I have been tithing for many, many decades, and it's always been a blessing. And we never even thought about actually not tithing because we believe it. We believe what God says. But the greater thing, brethren, is when you apply God's words, what he says in this book, you put God to the test, and you know what? You'll prove that his way works. That what it says here, contrary to what the world even says, this actually does work in people's lives. Let's go to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians over here.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 3, 2 Corinthians chapter 3, down in verse 18.

But it says, But we all, with unfailed face, beholding as it a mirror, the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image. From glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

I'm going to read this again because this is a lot to get, a lot to understand.

But we all, with unveiled face, you know, the world is blinded, as it says in 2 Corinthians 4,4.

But we're unveiled. We're not blind. We see.

We're able to see and understand God's truth. Beholding as a mirror, the glory of the Lord are being transformed. That word transformed, of course, means to be changed, to be converted from one thing to another. Are transformed into the same image from glory to glory. What is that name? From glory to glory. And it says, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The point that is being driven home here simply is this.

You know, we can read the Bible, but until we actually begin to apply the Bible, proving it through obedience, we will never actually understand the Bible.

It says, from glory to glory. And what that means is we're growing from one degree to another, higher from a spiritual perspective. We're increasing our understanding so that we're being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. The law of God, brethren, is like a mirror for us. And the Bible actually says that. Let's go to James 1. James chapter 1.

Like I say, the law of God is a mirror. And, of course, the law of God actually reflects the character of God. It reflects the character of Jesus Christ, who we're trying to be like. But over here in James 1 verse 23, it says, for if anyone is a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he's like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he that looks into the perfect law of liberty. God's law is called the law of liberty. You'll be free if you obey God's laws.

Look into that perfect law of liberty and continue in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one will be blessed in what he does. So, again, we'll be blessed, and we'll be blessed to prove God's way really does work. We'll be blessed with greater understanding and growth in our lives as well. So, what actually happens when we're looking into God's laws, and then we're applying it, we're building spiritual muscle.

You know, day by day, again, our understanding is increasing. It is from, again, glory to glory, and we're understanding more and more. You know, sometimes people want to jump the gun.

You know, sometimes people, when they get baptized, they think they should know it all. You know, I'm baptized too, somebody may say now, so I understand what you understand. Well, you know, you cannot. You can't, nobody's a 90-day wonder. I don't know anybody in the church that learned it all in 90 days. We don't have a course called 90-day wonders in the church.

This is the textbook. This takes a lifetime. And so, if we apply ourselves, and we're constant in it, and that's what it's going to take if we're going to grow and change, it is a lifetime.

Over our lifetime, we change, we grow, and we gain understanding. Every time you're applying the Word of God, it's like you're exercising spiritually. You're exercising. You know, all of you, I don't know how you you will like it in calisthenics at school, but it can be hard exercising. I remember one of the hardest classes I ever had was at Northeastern State University. Believe it or not, it was a physical education class. And we had a teacher in that class, I mean, he ran the students ragged. I had to do an obstacle course for an hour.

And the time I got out of there, I had a sore all over. It was good for me, actually, to do that.

But you talk about sweat, sweat and toil, and you know, they had all kinds of obstacles to go through. He was in the gymnasium and usually no air conditioning. And here you were running and saying in Oklahoma, by the way, can be pretty humid. But it was a grueling physical education class. But I grew in strength because of it. But we had to exercise our muscles spiritually.

And you do that by obeying God, doing what He says, and your understanding comes along as well.

So let's now go to Hebrews chapter 5. You know, the Bible talks about that if you're eating strong meat, it's like exercising your senses, your spiritual senses. But Hebrews 5 and verse 14, it says here in Hebrews 5 verse 14, but solid food belongs to those who are of full age. That is those who by reason of use, you see that word use? By reason of use had their senses exercised in order to discern both good and evil. You can't know the difference between right and wrong unless you have exercised your senses. That's done by obeying this word. We exercise our senses by doing.

You don't do it by standing on the sidelines. You've got to get involved in the church. Get it involved in the things that are happening within the church.

Let's notice in Romans over in Romans 12, and I'll stand by memory verse over here, but nonetheless very important. But in Romans 12, maybe you can think about which verse I'm referring to, but Romans 12 verse 2, it says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed, be converted, in other words, by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So again, we learn, we prove things to ourselves by our obedience to God. And transform means we change from carnal to spiritual. You know, we develop a different kind of thinking in our lives. We're more spiritual in our thinking. You know, the longer you obey God, the more you want to be around good, the more you want to have goodness in your life. One of the fruits of God's fear is goodness, to be decent people. You're not wanting to be like the world, the society out here that is, you know, basically going to hell in a hand basket, and very rapidly, by the way.

I think it was just atrocious what we saw over at the Olympics. It's like it overshadowed, you know, these young people that were there to perform, to compete.

You know, David understood what I'm talking to you about today.

David understood it. In Psalm 111, verse 10, David said, a good understanding have all those who do his commandments. So in order to understand, you got to do the commandments.

And it says, his praise endures forever.

You know, when you and I practice God's Word, we begin to understand it.

And you know, that's the way it should be. That's the way it should be. You know, if God gave us understanding before we were willing to do it, you know, he would have to hold us accountable for what we knew, what we understand. He couldn't be merciful to us. We couldn't come up in the second resurrection if God already exposed us to everything. You see, God wants us to succeed. He's called us to succeed, each and every one of us. And so he only lets loose the knowledge to us when we are willing to say, okay, Lord, I'm willing to do it. Please show me.

The Scriptures, brethren, come alive with us when we do it. It's true, frankly, about most things.

You know, there are a lot of things in our lives that you can have somebody teach you this particular skill, and you may know it backwards and forwards. But when you actually go out and do it, it might be different than the actual doing of it. You know, it's like, I remember in projects I've dealt with, you know, in terms of construction. We were having to put a water line in, and the city of Phoenix wanted us to dig a trench across the road, the pavement. And these fellows, you know, came out, and they were responsible for putting this water line in.

And I told them, I said, well, the city said, you got to bring the water from over here. It's got to dig a trench across the road. You know what they told me? They were like three or four guys, and he says, all those guys down there, you know, in the city don't know what they're talking about.

And he said, most of them just graduated from college. And you know, what they did, they did what really worked, because I had requested it be done the way they did it. And the city turned me down. So they went ahead and did it, you know, that way, as opposed to digging a trench across the road. But, you know, it is certainly true that a lot of young people are, you know, maybe new, they got out of college, got a good education, but they don't know the practical applications of things. So, you know, it's a matter, again, of doing before you get the understanding about things. You know, I could teach you about swimming, but until you get out there and you start swimming, you're not going to learn how to swim. You know, we could teach you about basketball, how to play basketball, but until you get out there and you make a shot, you're not going to learn about being able to play basketball. Like, I could teach you about riding a bicycle.

Now, here's the dynamics of this, you know, here you've got to, you know, pedal to do this, and, you know, make sure you get your balance and all. And, you know what, you're still going to have to learn on your own when you get on that bicycle and you're right. You know, things, again, have to involve, in order to gain understanding, involved practice of what we do and how we apply it.

You know, Mr. Armstrong, I remember this many times at Ambassador College when I was in Big Sandy, and, of course, wherever we were, even in the ministry, he used to make this statement, and he said, knowledge is of no use unless it is put into practice and acted upon.

And that's certainly true. And, you know, another man said this, God can only bless an effort. Now, I want you to think about that. God can only bless an effort.

You know, God's not going to do anything magically for us. He's not going to make you magically stand up out of the chair and magically do things. He's not going to push you to do things.

He's not going to make us do anything, brother. But if we make an effort, God might help us do it.

It's like that old, you know, bad edge about, you know, God, where were you? I, you know, I saw, I saw, you know, you were helping me at one, I see your footprints. And then I only saw two footprints. You know, you know what I'm talking about. People send cards and stuff. And God says, well, that was because I was carrying you. You know, God carries us sometimes, brethren. Again, James, as I mentioned earlier, said that we must be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves. You know, King David said he was quick and he didn't put off obeying God's commandments. He didn't. He put that off. That's in Psalm 119 verse 60, if you want to write it down. When it comes to obeying God, there is no room for procrastination.

You know, Mark Twain said, never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well. Ain't that the truth, people? If you're going to put it off tomorrow, might as well put off till next week. But God's people can't be that way.

You know, studying commentaries and Bible dictionaries can help us a lot. We can gain insight. However, brethren, you can study through a whole lot of commentaries and reference books. And yes, you can learn certain things, but there's no better way to understand the deep truths of the Bible than living them. Kind of live the truths that we're learning, that we're seeing, that we're understanding. That's why Paul, when he wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 verse 15, Paul wrote, be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. You know, there you have it, brethren. What Paul says right there, study so you can be approved of God and be diligent about it, that we're not going to be ashamed, rightly dividing God's word so that we understand it.

And the way we do that, brethren, is by inculcating and utilizing God's word in our lives by practicing, you know, His way. And when we do that, brethren, we will be transformed for all eternity.

As well, brethren, we trust and have faith in our great God, and it will increase day by day.

So I hope this lesson, brethren, is really driven home and riveted in your mind. This is how you grow. It's not a very big secret because it's plainly in the Bible.

The way we grow, brethren, is we apply it. Don't talk about it. We do it in our lives.

So I hope that you will think about this and meditate on this, and I hope you'll apply it in your life so that you can grow spiritually like that tree planted by the river and just keeps growing and growing, and it keeps producing fruit. And hopefully that will be a description of you and all of us within God's Church.