How Can You Tell If You're Growing Spiritually? | Dr Tony Evans | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

How Can You Tell If You're Growing Spiritually?

Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship • Aug 10, 2025 • 28 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

Spiritual maturity is the process of growing up in Christ, moving from spiritual milk to solid food through the daily practice of God's Word. Real transformation happens from the inside out because Christ indwells every believer to bring heaven's power into present daily life. Rather than striving alone or relying on external behavior management, believers need local church community for biblical admonition to remain steadfast until standing before Christ complete.

Themes

Spiritual MaturityIndwelling ChristSpiritual DiscernmentBiblical ApplicationChristian CommunityTransformational Growth

Key Points

1.
The primary goal of Christian ministry and the church is to present every believer mature and complete in Christ when they stand before Him.
2.
Chronological age in faith does not equal spiritual maturity; a believer can be saved for decades and still remain a spiritual infant.
3.
Milk Christians fail to make a habit of appealing to God's Word to navigate life's decisions, relying instead on secular opinions or feelings.
4.
Meat Christians develop spiritual discernment by consistently practicing and applying God's Word in life's practice sessions and trials.
5.
Just as a baby chooses a shiny marble over a valuable diamond, spiritual infants gravitate toward flashy external circumstances rather than spiritual value.
6.
Transformation occurs from the inside out because the indwelling Christ is not just in a believer's life, but desires to be their life.
7.
External life management strategies only pack down old problems like a trash masher, whereas the indwelling Christ provides daily internal renewal.
8.
True spiritual growth requires biblical admonition within local church community, where fellow believers come alongside to encourage, challenge, and keep one another tethered to truth.

Sermon Moments

“Christ did not only come to save us. He didn't come merely to take you to heaven. He also came to bring heaven to you.”

“Every person here who has come to Jesus Christ has got a butterfly inside of you, but unless he is developed, you will be crawling a caterpillar life when you meant to have a butterfly flight.”

“God didn't save you and me to stay babies.”

“If you put a baby on the floor with a shiny marble, it's going to gravitate to that marble... because it has not yet learned to discern that just because it's shiny don't mean it's valuable.”

“Jesus doesn't want to just be in your life, He wants to be your life.”

“Though my outward man perishes, my inward man is being renewed day by day... I'm getting older physically while I'm getting younger spiritually.”

“We try to manage stuff... it's like a trash masher, you're just packing it with more trash.”

“The reason you need the church is to be in a context of admonishment, where somebody is coming alongside you and saying, 'That's not the right decision based on the Word of God.'”

This Week

Develop the daily habit of consulting Scripture first when facing life decisions rather than relying on secular advice or feelings.

Identify a current trial or "practice session" in your life and ask God to show you specific biblical truths to apply to it.

Practice spiritual discernment this week by evaluating opportunities based on their true spiritual value rather than outward appeal.

Invite a trusted believer to come alongside you and provide honest biblical admonition and encouragement.

Shift your daily mindset from trying to manage external behavior to trusting the indwelling Christ to transform you from within.

Actively participate in your local church community for mutual accountability rather than consuming biblical teaching in isolation.

Reflect regularly on standing before Christ complete, allowing eternity to shape your choices, attitudes, and actions today.

Remember This

Spiritual maturity comes from consistently applying God's Word and relying on the indwelling Christ to transform your life from the inside out.

A Challenge for You

Allow the indwelling Christ to be set loose in your life through the preaching, teaching, and admonition of God's Word, so that you will not only be ready for the day you meet Him, but live victoriously today.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.