Ron Dunn Podcast - The Source of Growth - Man's Side

Episode Date: April 16, 2025

It is by God's grace that we grow, but we don't grow it is our own fault.

The Apostle Paul reveals to us, as we saw this morning, the source, the secret of our growth when he says, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain, but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." All growth comes from God. It is by God's grace that we grow. But if you don't grow, it's your fault. That is the balance that the Bible maintains. For there are two sides to this matter of growing towards Christian maturity. While it is true that all growth comes from

God, that one man plants and other man waters waters but they are nothing because God gives the increase. While it is true that it is God who works in both the will and the do of His good pleasure, while it is true that it is by God's grace that I am what I am, if I am not what I ought to be, it is my fault. In a sense it's like salvation. If men are saved, God gets the credit. If men are lost, it's their own fault. There is a human responsibility in this matter of

growth. Sometimes it's very difficult for us to recognize the existence of both the divine initiative in growth and the human responsibility. And it's even more difficult for us to maintain the balance. There are times when we will run to the end of one extreme and say, it's all of God, it's by grace, God does it all. So we become passive and we sit down and we say, all right, Lord, here I am, I'm going to grow. We say it's God that must produce the fruit.

He's the one that must bring people to himself. He's the one that must bring conviction. And so we sit down and say, all right, Lord, all I'm supposed to do is just to trust you and just to abide in you. And that's true. And I just trust you. And so I just sit down and, all right, now, Lord,

where's the fruit? I just trust you and so I just sit down and, all right now Lord, where's the fruit? I think I know why God called preachers to be preachers. It's because they'd make lousy farmers. I can see that you're not following my reasoning. If God had called every preacher to be a farmer, this country would have started that a long time ago. Because so much of the time, well, let me illustrate this.

Well, let's suppose I'm walking down country road one day and I see a farmer sitting over here on the front porch swinging, you know, with a straw in his teeth, you know, typical picture like you see in these cartoons and such. And there he is. There's the farmer leaning back on the front porch, chewing on a piece of grass or straw, just having a good time in his rocking chair. And I say to him, sir, what are you doing?

He said, I'm bringing in the harvest. I'm farming. I said, oh, is that right? You could have fooled me. He said, well, that's what I'm doing. I said, well, I look out at your fields, and I see them all grown up. I don't see any plowing done. I don't see any ground broken up.

I don't see any cultivation. I don't see any equipment. I don't see any machinery. He said, well, you know, the Bible says a man can plant water, but God gives the increase. It's all of the Lord. And I'm fainting it and I'm faithing it. I'm just believing God for a harvest, and I'm just trusting the Lord, and I'm just sitting here letting God do it all.

Well, you know what? He'd better get into the ministry because he's gonna starve to death as a farmer. And yet, that's the way we approach the Christian life. And it's a sad thing that we cannot maintain a balance. We either go all the way to one extreme saying that I have to do it all, I have to do it all, let's work, work, work. And it's all by sweat and perspiration and by effort.

And it's by my cleverness and my programming and my organizing, and if I don't do it, it won't be done, and I'm the only team God has on the field, and God is the coach, and he sends in the plays, and we do the best we can. We either go to that extreme, or we go all the way to the other extreme and say it's not of man, it's not of self-evidence, it's all of God,

it's all of grace, and we sit down and don't do anything and become absolutely passive. And sometimes in our own minds we have a difficulty in reconciling the two, and it confuses us and bothers us. But I notice the Bible is never bothered by that. For on the one hand it'll say that it is all of God, but on the other hand it'll say if you don't get with it, it's going to be your fault. When the writer of Hebrews is addressing these people in chapter 5 verses 11 and following, he blames them because they have not grown. When Paul addresses the Corinthians in chapter 3, he is blaming them because they have not progressed beyond the baby stage

You see there is human responsibility While it is true that it is by grace that I am what I am If I am not what I ought to be it is my fault There are two sides to this subject of growth and development. There is God's side, the divine side, the sovereign side, but on the other hand there is the human side, our own responsibility. And that's what we want to talk about tonight. This morning we dealt primarily with God's side, that the first essential in growth, if we are to grow properly, is to recognize that all growth comes from God, to recognize that it is by grace, God's loving activity in our lives that causes us to grow. If there's any growth in my life, it is because God has been pleased to promote it. He gives both the desire, the inclination, the will,

and He also gives the increase. Now, there are two other relationships to God's grace that you and I must have if God's grace is to promote growth in us. First relationship is we must recognize that it is by grace that we grow. This gives God all the glory and all the credit. It puts man in his proper place. It keeps us from measuring ourselves by others. It keeps us from being discouraged.

It saves us from living in the energy of the flesh. It gives us the assurance of success because it is of God. It is by grace. But we can't stop there. Paul doesn't stop there. Notice what he says. By the grace of God I am what I am, but the grace of God that I received did not receive it in vain,

but I labored more than all of them." Paul was saying, when I received the grace of God, that didn't make me passive, that did not make me lazy, that didn't mean I sat down and did absolutely nothing. He said, no, as a matter of fact, in receiving the grace of God in abundance, rather than making me do less, it calls me to do more. And so the second thing that Paul reveals is this, not only must we recognize that our growth is by grace, we must respond to that grace in the right manner. There must be a response to the working of God. There must be a response to God's dealings with us.

As I said earlier, all growth is simply response to nourishment received. You plant a tree, you plant a flower, you nourish it, you cultivate it, you water it, you make certain it gets plenty of air and sunlight, the soil has to be right, has to be good, has to be rich. Where does the growth come from? Where does the growth come from? There is within that plant a life principle, and that life principle responds to the nourishment that it receives.

Now, if it does not receive nourishment, it will die, if it does not receive nourishment, it will die. If it does not receive nourishment, it will die. If I do not receive grace, I will die. If I do not receive grace, I will never grow. If it receives no nourishment, it will die. But if it, in the second place, if it does not respond to the nourishment that it receives, it will also die. It's not enough for me to receive grace, not enough for the plant to receive nourishment.

I must respond to that. And growth occurs when the plant responds to nourishment received. You as a Christian will grow and make progress and mature in the Lord when you begin to respond to the nourishment that you've been receiving. Now all of us receive grace. All of us are under grace. All of us, the Bible says, are heirs of grace. Why is it then that we do not all grow? Why is it that Paul could write to those people at Corinth and again and again speak of the grace of God that they had received but in the same breath say that they were carnal

and they still were babes in Christ after all of those years. Well, simply because they were not responding to the grace of God. They were receiving the grace of God in vain. Several years ago, I first ran across that phrase in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 1. It has always held some fascination for me. In my life it is because God has been pleased to promote it. He gives both the desire, the inclination, the will, and He also gives the increase., there are two other relationships to God's grace that you and I must have if God's grace is to promote growth in us.

First relationship is we must recognize that it is by grace that we grow. This gives God all the glory and all the credit. It puts man in his proper place. It keeps us from measuring ourselves by others. It keeps us from being discouraged. It saves us from living in the energy of the flesh. It gives us the assurance of success

because it is of God, it is by grace. But we can't stop there. Paul doesn't stop there. Notice what he says, by the grace of God I am what I am, but the grace of God that I received did not receive it in vain, but I labored more than all of them. Paul was saying when I received the grace of God that didn't make me passive, that did

not make me lazy, that didn't mean I sat down and did absolutely nothing. He said, no, as a matter of fact, in receiving the grace of God in abundance, rather than making me do less, it calls me to do more. And so the second thing that Paul reveals is this, not only must we recognize that our growth is by grace, we must respond to that grace in the right manner. There must be a response to the working of God. There must be a response to God's dealings with us. As I said earlier, all growth is simply response to nourishment received. You plant a tree, you plant a flower, you nourish it, you cultivate it, you water it, you make certain it gets plenty of air and sunlight, the soil has

to be right, has to be good, has to be rich. Where does the growth come from? Where does the growth come from? There is within that plant a life principle, and that life principle responds to the nourishment that it receives. Now, if it does not receive nourishment, it will die. If it does not receive nourishment, it will die. If I do not receive grace, I will die. If I do not receive grace, I will never grow. If it receives no nourishment, it will die,

but if it, in the second place, if it does not respond to the nourishment that it receives, it will also die. It's not enough for me to receive grace, not enough for the plant to receive nourishment. I must respond to that. And growth occurs when the plant responds to nourishment received. You as a Christian will grow and make progress and mature in the Lord when you begin to respond to the nourishment that you've been receiving. Now, all of us receive grace. All of us are under grace. All of us, the Bible says, are heirs of grace. Why is it then that we do not all

grow? Why is it that Paul could write to those people at Corinth and again and again speak of the grace of God that they had received, but in the same breath say that they were carnal and they still were babes in Christ after all of those years. Well, simply because they were not responding to the grace of God. They were receiving the grace of God in vain. Several years ago, I first ran across that phrase in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 1. It has always held some fascination for me. The fact that a person could receive the grace of God in vain, the word vain means to no effect, to no use. Paul writes and he says in working together with him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. Do you mean to tell me that the grace of God,

which is God's power, which is God's love, which is all the activity and the mercy and the pity of God expressed towards us, do you mean that grace of God can come to a man and be fruitless and have absolutely no effect in his life? This is what Paul is saying. He said, we urge you that you do not receive the grace of God in vain.

Now, you'll notice, as we mentioned earlier, these references to the grace of God that He gives us, this enabling grace that God gives us, all of these were linked with faithfulness to a duty. In other words, in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 2, Paul talks about receiving the grace that makes him a minister, and so he says we minister the same. In 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 10, he says, as every man has received a special gift, let us minister the same to one another

as stewards of the manifold grace of God. In other words, he's saying, now that you've received the grace of God, you must act upon that grace. You must properly respond to that grace. You must respond to God's dealings within you or the grace of God will have no effect in your life. So the second important thing is I must respond to the grace that I receive.

Now how is it that I'm to respond? What kind of response is it that we're to have? I think there's a twofold response. First of all, there's a negative, and then there's a positive. Let's look at the negative first. If I am to grow, I must not make the grace of God of none effect. Paul writes to the Galatians, and he says that it is possible for us to frustrate, to nullify, to make of no effect the grace of God.

Imagine the responsibility that's on every one of us, the power that is within our own lives to just completely put out of business God's grace in our lives, to make it of absolutely none effect. And so he says, for these Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter six, verse one, we urge you that you do not receive

the grace of God in vain. Verse two is a parenthesis, for he not receive the grace of God in vain. Verse 2 is a parenthesis, for he says, at the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Verse 3 takes it up again, giving no cause for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited, but in everything commending

ourselves as servants of God." I want to read verse 1 and verse 3 again, and you'll get the drift of the passage. We'll leave out verse 2 because that's just a, by the way, that the apostle Paul inserted. That's just a parenthetical phrase, and it muddies up our water a little bit in trying to get clear what Paul is saying. Let's read verse 1 and 3 as they go together. Paul says, We also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain, giving no cause for offense in anything, in order that the minister be not disfreted, but in everything commending ourselves as

servants of God, in much endurance and afflictions and hardships and distresses. So the negative aspect of responding to the grace of God is to make certain that there is nothing in our lives that would cause anyone else to stumble. That's the meaning of the word giving no offense, giving no cause of stumbling. Giving no offense in anything, but on the other hand, commending ourselves in everything. In other words, making certain that our lives are such that they not only, they not only will give no cause

for anyone to stumble and to be offended at the gospel, but also that by looking at our lives, we will commend the gospel to them by the lives that we live. You find this same idea in 1 Peter chapter 2 as he speaks about growing. He says in the first verse, therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. Notice the apostle says first of all before you can grow you must lay aside everything that would hinder that growth. You must put aside everything that would hinder that growth. The reason that so many believers do not grow,

the reason they are nullifying and frustrating and making of none effect the grace of God in their lives is because there are certain things in their life they refuse to lay aside. They refuse to put off certain works of the flesh. There are things in their lives that cause other people to stumble, things that give offense to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And until they are willing to lay these things aside, the grace of God cannot operate in a person's life.

You've seen it happen, You've seen it happen. I've seen it happen. In times of revival, whether in a year or in a week in a church, here and there people are being blessed, people are being transformed, their lives are being changed, they're maturing, they're growing. But inevitably you'll find one man here, one woman here, a young person there who seemed to be absolutely unaffected by it all. I tell you it's frustrating.

I think there are some people that could stand in the middle of heaven and not see God. I think there are some Baptists that could stand in the middle of a lake and never get wet. I believe they are that numb to the things that go on around about them. And it has always been a frustrating thing to see other people moving on with God, moving with God, being blessed of God. And yet there are some here and some there,

living, responding as though nothing at all had happened. You would never have known God was even in the place by looking at their lives. Why? Because they are not willing to lay aside certain things. It may be an unforgiving spirit, it may be bitterness towards someone else, it may be some little habit,

it may be some darling sin they have harbored in their heart, they're not willing to give up, but until they are willing to come to the place where they will give offense and know thing and where they're willing to lay aside anything, everything that would hinder the gospel of Christ, they are not responding properly to the grace of God. Man, we can all be gathered here in this building and God can just dump bushels of grace on all of us and we can just be immersed in grace and in fresh supplies of grace which happens every time we get together and yet some of us will walk out of this place absolutely

unchanged. and yet some of us will walk out of this place absolutely unchanged, no more mature, no more spiritual than we were before we came in. Why? The grace of God is not having any effect in our lives. To receive the grace of God so that it will profit us and benefit us and have an effect in our lives, negatively, first of all, we must lay aside everything that would hinder. Now there's a positive aspect to that.

The positive is this. We must respond in obedience. We must respond in obedience. I'll tell you how we grow if you just want it real simple. Growth occurs when we respond in obedience. God causes us to grow when we respond in obeying His Word and His will. For instance, you have this in 1st Peter chapter 4 and verse 10 as I mentioned earlier. Peter says, as we, as every man, as every believer has received a special gift, a gift of grace is the word. Let us minister the same. Or the New American translation

says, let us employ it, minister it one to another as stewards of the manifold grace of God. In other words, he's saying, listen, as a steward, and every time you find that word steward, you remember that that means someday you'll give an account. Because that's what a steward is. A steward is someone who has received something from someone else, and he must someday give an account for how he's treated it.

Peter says we are stewards of the grace of God. Now I'll tell you something, every opportunity that God gives you to serve, to live for him, is a grace of God. Did you know that? You say, how does the grace of God come to me? I'll tell you how the grace of God comes to you. It comes to you in the form of opportunities of service.

It comes to you in the form of knowledge of his will, of knowledge of what you ought to do. And if I am to respond to the grace that I am receiving, it means then that I must do what I know is right. For James says to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him that is sinned. I am a steward of the grace of God. You are a steward of the grace of God.

That means someday you must give an account. I must give an account of how I have ministered the grace of God. And the more I take the grace of God, those opportunities that God places in my life, and I respond to those in obedience, then God brings about growth and maturity in my life. I think one of the best illustrations of this is found in the 25th chapter of the gospel

of Matthew where Jesus relates the parable of the talents. Will not take the time to read it, but in a moment I want to go back to that chapter and read one verse that enunciates a tremendous principle in the Christian life. But for right now, you remember the parable. Man went away, he had three servants, he left one servant with ten talents, one servant with five talents, one servant with one talent. A talent was a wedge of gold, nobody knows for sure how much it's worth, maybe around 30, between $30,000, $60,000, $100,000.

That fella had a lot of faith in those servants, didn't he? He left one man 10 talents. It doesn't refer to playing the piano or singing a song. It means a wedge of gold. It was an opportunity for service is what it was. Another man five talents, another man one talent. He went away. The man that had 10 talents went out

and invested it, got 10 more. Man that had five talents went out and invested it, got five more. Man that had one talent, what'd they do with it? Well, he didn't steal it, he didn't lose it, he didn't abuse it, he just didn't use it. He didn't do anything with it. He went and buried it in the ground.

Covered it up, marked the spot, knew right where it was. When his master came back and he called for the accounting of the one talent, he didn't have to think about where he buried it. He didn't have to look up on a map. He knew right where it was all along. And he went out and said, here it is, Lord, just like you gave it to me.

Haven't lost it, haven't abused it, haven't misused it, here it is. And you know what the Lord called him? Wicked, thou wicked and slothful servant. What was wrong with that man? He didn't receive and respond properly with that which you receive. Every talent, every opportunity, every knowledge of the will of God that he gives you is a grace of God. And the grace of God comes to you in the knowledge of his will when you know what you ought to do. And when God gives you an opportunity for service, an opportunity to obey, and how am I to respond?

I am to respond in obedience. And as I respond in obedience to that grace that God has given me, God causes growth in my life. God gives the increase. A man must plant, a man must water. That's how he responds to what God has given him. God has given him the opportunity for a harvest, but he has to plant. He has to water.

If he doesn't plant, if he doesn't water, then God will not give the increase. And you know why God's not giving increase in some of the lives of us? It's because we're not planting and we're not watering. then God will not give the increase. And you know why God's not giving increase in some of the lives of us? It's because we're not planning and we're not watering. Paul says by the grace of God, I am what I am. The grace of God received was not in vain.

I labored, I labored, I labored. I did something with it. You see, it ought to encourage us to obey, encourage us to labor, because the grace of God assures us of success and of growth. So the second thing is this. We must respond to the grace that we receive. We respond in two ways.

First of all, by laying aside, getting rid of everything in our lives that hindered. Secondly, by obeying, by simple obedience to the knowledge of God's will. Now the third relationship. If there is to be continued growth and development in the Christian life, we must receive more grace. Now, I want you to follow me very carefully. Growth depends upon the grace of God, right? You agree with me? Well, it's true whether you agree with me or not. Now, our continued growth depends upon our continuing to receive fresh supplies of the grace of God.

Now, here is something that is to me absolutely amazing. On the one hand, God is sovereign. He gives grace where he wants to, but on the other hand, the Bible makes it clear that you and I are responsible for the grace we receive, or how much grace we receive. Did you know that? That's an amazing thing to me. It's an amazing thing to me that God has placed it within my hands to receive more grace, that it is my responsibility to see to it that I receive more grace. And my continued growth depends upon my continuing to receive fresh supplies of God's grace.

Let me read some scriptures that indicate this. First of all, 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 18. But grow in grace, in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now, you've heard that and you've read that. You know what it means to grow in the knowledge, don't you? That means to gain more knowledge. What do you think it means to grow in the grace? That means to gain more grace.

Grow in the grace. I have so much grace tonight. I've experienced grace. God has poured out grace upon me. I have been the recipient of God's grace. Peter says you ought to grow in that grace. And it does not simply mean that I am to grow as a result of the grace that's received.

What it means is that I am to grow in the amount of grace. I am to grow in the amount of grace. All right, another verse, James chapter 4 and verse 6. But he gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. There he speaks of giving more grace. There are some that he gives more grace to than others. Did you know that?

There are some to whom is given greater grace than others. Alright, another one, 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 5, basically it says the same thing, that God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 1 tells us that we are to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. All right? Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 16. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

Second Peter chapter 1 verse 2 speaks of grace being multiplied to us. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 28 tells us that since we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace. Now all of these verses and there are others that will not take the time to read, point out that you and I have a responsibility as to how much grace we receive. There is a human side to this matter of receiving grace. And so, if I am going to continue to grow, to develop, to mature in my Christian life, I must see to it that I continue to receive fresh supplies of grace. Say, have you received a fresh supply of grace? You know, in the Old Testament, when the people were in the wilderness, they were to gather

up the manna. They were to gather it up just for a day. They weren't to gather up a few days supply, and there were always those who wanted to hoard it and so they would gather up a whole week supply but it wouldn't be fresh, it would spoil, it would mildew and turn green. Every morning they were to go out, every morning gather up fresh manna. You know why some of our Christian lives have gone sour, turned green around the edges, just don't seem to have that life and freshness that it once had. We have not been receiving fresh supplies of grace.

Have you received a fresh supply of grace? Would you like some suggestions on how you can receive more grace? Let me, I found five in the word. Let me share them with you. Now I might also mention I find myself very eager to receive more grace and all of a sudden I've just been reminded by the Lord, I suppose, that the more grace I receive, the more I'm responsible for. But I must receive more grace if I am to continue to grow. All right?

The first way that we receive more grace is by responding to the grace already received. I've already mentioned this. We receive more grace by responding to the grace that we've already received. Now, I want to read you a verse in Matthew chapter 25. It comes at the end of this parable. This verse also, the same principle also, is written in Matthew 13 and verse 12. It's also in the Gospel of Luke. Twice in the Gospel of Luke, it's also in the gospel of Luke twice in the gospel of Luke

It's also in the gospel of Mark evidently God wanted to get this idea across Because it continues to repeat it now listen to it After the master has come back and has had these three servants to give an account He comes to this last man this this one servant that just had the one talent. He did nothing with it. He did not use it. He did not exercise it. He was unfaithful in his stewardship. Jesus says, therefore, take away the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. Now get this, for to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance,

but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Now did you get the inconsistent statement? Jesus says from the one who does not have even what he has shall be taken away. How in the world can you take away something from somebody that doesn't have anything? Jesus said, that man that doesn't have anything,

even what he has will be taken away. Well, now, how can you take away something from him if he doesn't have anything? Well, he's referring to this man that had the one talent who did nothing with it. In other words, what Jesus is saying is this, if all you have done is received a grace, if all you have done is received a talent, if all you have done is received and you've not done anything with it, he says you don't have anything to begin with.

It's the same as having absolutely nothing. And he says that man who receives and does not respond to it, does not put it into practice, does not exercise it, does not obey it, he says that man has nothing. And even the little bit he has shall be taken away. But that one who has much, what's he referring to? He's referring to that man who had ten or five talents, but what has he done with it? He has put it to use, he has responded in obedience, and God says to him, more shall be given so he shall have in an abundance. First way to receive more grace is to obey the grace that you have received.

Do something about the grace that you have received. And as you receive it, as you respond to it, as you exercise the obedience to that, God says more and more will be given. All right, a second way in which we receive more grace is by humbling ourselves before God. James chapter 4 verse 6, but he gives greater grace. God says, they that God resists or opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. How do you receive more grace? He says he gives greater grace to those who do what, who humble themselves. What does humble mean? Humble means to place yourself under the control

of God in every situation. If you'll read the passage in James chapter 4, you'll find the context there is dealing, is dealing primarily with sins that are caused by improper relations with other people. There's dissension, there's strife, there's disunity, there's disharmony, there's conflict. There is a tendency, he says, you fight with each other. There's war going on in the church, you're fighting with each other. But he says, God resists the proud, the proud who want their own way, the proud who are wrapped up in themselves, the proud who live any way self wants to live. This is all they're concerned about.

But he says, God gives greater grace to those who humble themselves in every situation that an I myself and to place myself under God's care, under God's control and this is so beautifully demonstrated in the life of Jesus when they took him out to crucify him, the Apostle Peter says when he was reviled he reviled not again when he was threatened he threatened not, but what did he do? he simply committed himself to

him, God, that judges righteously. That's humbling yourself under God. Placing yourself under God's care. Lord, you'll take care of this situation. I just submit to you in this decision your will will and the Bible says God gives more grace to those. Third way to receive more grace is, you ready for this? Through trial. 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9 Paul's thorn in the flesh, you prayed three times for it to be removed God wouldn't do it but he said this, my grace is sufficient for thee.

You see, God gives grace where grace is needed. You see, the amount of grace that God has given you might not be enough for me. And the grace that God has given me might not be sufficient for what you're going through. As a man needs more grace, God gives more grace. And I tell you, the more I study the Bible, the more I see it, that I am convinced the primary, the chief way in which a man grows in grace a man grows in Spiritual maturity is through trial difficulty adversity

Because you know why it is God gives him more grace God gives him more grace All right a fourth way. And this will be the last one. By prayer, Hebrews chapter 4, verse 16. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace. One translation reads like this,

well-timed help, well-timed help. Grace, that is well-timed help. When I need more grace, fresh supply of grace is needed. What am I to do? I am to go boldly to the throne of grace. Confident, confident. And my continued growth depends upon my receiving fresh supplies of grace from the Lord.

By the grace of God, I am what I am. And the grace that I received, I did not receive in vain, for I labored more than all of them but it was not I it was the grace of God notice Paul says with me interesting how he uses that particular little preposition it's a partnership word it's a cooperating word Paul says I was laboring but it wasn't I that was doing it. It was the grace of God that was with me as my partner, as my co-laborer, as my fellow

worker. And Paul says, growth is this. This is what Paul is revealing in this verse, growth is my cooperation with the grace of God. As I cooperate with God, God causes growth and maturity in my life.