Spiritual Growth.

Jake Morris

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. Good morning everyone. For those that do not know me, [0:14] my name is Jake and I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. And I am thankful [0:18] for the opportunity this morning to open God’s word with you all. If you have your Bibles, [0:25] go ahead and open them to Matthew chapter seven. That’s where we’re going to begin and spend [0:30] a good chunk of our time this morning. But today I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to you [0:36] about growth. Now growth is something, hopefully, your experience in your life and something you

[0:43] desire in many different areas. For some, maybe you want to gain strength and you want to grow [0:50] strength. So you begin going to the gym, you begin lifting weights, you up your protein, [0:55] you do all the things you need to do in order to do that. Or maybe you want to grow your business [1:00] so you begin to brainstorm ideas to drive up your sales numbers or get more people to invest in your [1:07] products. Maybe you want to grow in your knowledge on a given subject so you find a bunch of books [1:12] on that subject. Or if you’re like me with home improvement things, I go on YouTube and I find a

[1:20] book that gives me the exact step by step of what I need to do. But you invest your time, [1:25] you practice those things to get a firmer understanding of them. Maybe you want to grow [1:30] in saving money so you create a budget. Maybe you stop eating out so much. Maybe you start saving [1:36] a little bit each month for retirement. And all of these areas are worthy areas to desire to grow [1:43] in. And quite honestly, they’re all areas that we should be trying to grow in. But the question I [1:50] have for you this morning, however, is another area that many times, if we’re honest, goes by

[1:57] the wayside for other plans or purposes. And so the question this morning is how are you doing [2:02] when it comes to your spiritual growth? And so by God’s grace, I want us to look at his word and [2:09] see that he gives us an outline of how to grow spiritually according to scripture. Now I know in [2:15] this room this morning that we have a wide range of Christians. Some of you may have just come to [2:19] know Christ in the past few weeks. Some of you may have known Jesus for decade after decade after [2:25] decade. But I want you to know this morning is no matter where you’re at in your walk with Jesus,

[2:31] there’s always going to be more room for you to grow. And so I want us this morning to look and [2:37] see how creating, cultivating, and committing to areas of spiritual growth will result in all of [2:45] us becoming better and more faithful followers of Jesus. And so this morning I want us to begin [2:52] where we should always begin, and that is with our foundation. So point number one, the right [2:59] foundation helps you create the right environments. The right foundation helps you create the right [3:07] environments. Matthew 7, starting in verse 24, Jesus says this, everyone then who hears these

[3:15] words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain [3:21] fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it [3:27] had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them [3:33] will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rain fell and the floods came [3:39] and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell and great was the fall of it. [3:47] So this passage is the finale to what we know as the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon

[3:52] ever preached. And within these chapters what we see is Jesus lays out what the Christian life should [3:59] or should not be for the Christian. He tells us what it takes to truly be a disciple of his. [4:07] And so Jesus here relates our lives to the building of a house, and there’s two options [4:13] as to how we build this house when it comes to the foundation. He says you either build it on the [4:18] rock or on the sand. Those who build on the rock choose a solid foundation. You notice in the text, [4:25] the rains come, the storms rage, but the house remains because of where it finds its foundation.

[4:33] Those who build on the sand choose a faulty foundation. You see that foundation will [4:39] falter eventually. We see in the story that when Jesus says that the storms come, the winds rage, [4:45] and it destroys that house. And so either way, Jesus tells us there’s two choices, and I think [4:53] this is a critical passage for us to understand when it comes to our spiritual growth. That in [4:59] order for you to grow spiritually, you first must look at the foundation that you’re building your [5:05] spiritual house upon. See, a few years ago I decided to replace the boards on my back deck.

[5:14] Not a big deal. I thought it would be a simple little project, but I still got some help from [5:19] my dad because I always do. I always enjoy him coming and helping. And so I got my dad over there. [5:23] We start ripping up the deck, and then we get towards the end of it. And what we see is not [5:30] what we thought we would see. What we found underneath was not a foundation that was ready [5:35] to be built upon. Instead, what we found was a deck that actually had no foundation at all. [5:41] There was one place that if you stood, and if me and my dad would have stood in that place at the

[5:45] same time, both of us would have fell straight through it. It was not good. It was not in good [5:51] condition. If that wasn’t bad enough, then the beams and the joists were rotten. The posts were [5:55] not adequate for the deck sides. The side of the house had water damage that was leaking into the [6:00] deck. And so what happened with a quick couple of Saturdays job turned into month after month [6:08] after frustrating month, especially for my wife that just wanted it done.

[6:15] But the crazy thing is I didn’t know how bad it was until I saw the foundation. [6:20] I thought I could just replace boards. But the portion of the deck we could see told a different [6:25] story than what we couldn’t see. And friends, this is my worry when it comes to spiritual growth in [6:30] your life. When we forget to begin with the foundation, we always run the risk of building [6:37] our lives on top of something that’s going to seem like it’s thriving by the world standards. [6:43] But when the winds come and the storms rage, it’s going to crumble because it has no solid footing.

[6:51] And so in order to grow in our walk with Jesus, we must first get back to the basics and ask the [6:56] question, are we building our lives upon the foundation that Jesus tells us to build our lives [7:02] on? It’s a great question. And I think we have to look back at the word, look back at the passage [7:08] Matthew seven and see what Jesus says that foundation should be. Notice he says anyone who [7:15] hears these words of mine and does them that that is the foundation. That is where all growth will [7:23] begin. And friends, what Jesus is saying here is very important for your life today. Please

[7:29] understand that you will never, and I mean never grow spiritually until you find your foundation [7:36] in Jesus Christ and in his word. And as a Christian, honestly, why would we want to place [7:42] our foundation in anything else? That all other foundations will fail us. That God’s word is the [7:49] one thing he promises us will never pass away and it never returns void in our life. [7:56] But I want you to see in that passage that Jesus is not simply saying to read your Bible, although [8:02] most of us, if we’re honest, could do that way more than we currently do. But you see, he’s saying

[8:09] that we actually need to do more than just an intellectual exercise for 15 minutes a day. [8:15] He says it’s the one who hears these words of mine and does what? Does them. There’s action to it. [8:23] So the fool is the one who hears the word, hears what to build their lives on, and then decide [8:29] instead to place their foundation on a different path, investing the rest of their lives in things [8:35] that will not matter for the rest of eternity. Friends, that is the faulty foundation that we [8:40] need to avoid. But the wise man is the one who hears these words of God and then takes that word

[8:47] and builds a life upon the foundation of Jesus Christ as Savior and on the truth of Scripture. [8:54] That is the man who has a well-built life that can withstand every single trial that comes his way. [9:00] That’s the place where you get in your life and I hope that you guys get here in your spiritual [9:04] life where you say, it doesn’t matter what comes into my life. It doesn’t matter what storm, [9:09] what worry, what care. It doesn’t matter. Let the storms come. Let the winds rage because this house [9:16] is not falling because I am founded on the rock of my salvation, Jesus Christ.

[9:24] And when the foundation is secure, then what we build on top of it also will be secure. [9:31] And this is what the apostle Paul confirms for us in 1st Corinthians 3. [9:36] Starting in verse 10, he says this. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled [9:42] master builder, I laid a foundation and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care [9:48] how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, [9:54] which is Jesus Christ. Here Paul’s talking to the church at Corinth and he’s saying that I came in

[10:01] and I laid a foundation for all of your lives. And that foundation is the gospel of Jesus Christ. [10:07] And he’s saying therefore there is no other foundation for you to build on as a Christian. [10:11] That is your only foundation. But then he’s going to follow that up talking about what do you build [10:19] on top of the foundation. Verse 12. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, [10:27] precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest. For the day will [10:34] disclose it because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test what sort of work each one

[10:40] has done. See just as Jesus said there’s two foundations. Paul here says there’s two ways we [10:47] can build on that foundation. The first is with gold, silver, and precious stones. And the second [10:53] with wood, hay, and straw. But then he says that these are actually going to be tested, that our [10:59] life is going to be tested by what? Says fire. And this fire, if you don’t know this, with wood, hay, [11:07] and straw, it’s going to consume it. It’s going to destroy it. But the silver, the gold, the precious [11:13] stones will endure high temperatures. So in order for us to grow spiritually, to mature in our faith,

[11:20] we must build on the foundation of Jesus. But what we build must be things that will matter [11:26] in the end for the kingdom. You see your foundation will always determine what you build on top of it. [11:33] That your foundation in Jesus and his word will determine the environments of spiritual growth [11:39] that you commit to on a day-to-day basis in your life. See because Jesus is your foundation, [11:48] the way you make decisions will change as well. That if you’re building on top of the foundation [11:53] of Jesus and his word, then that means that there’s no area of your life that is not going to be

[11:58] by that decision. And what it means is that when you build on the foundation of Jesus, [12:04] things have to change. So this means that you’ll begin to prioritize God’s word and knowing that [12:12] over lesser pursuits or knowledge. You’ll begin to prioritize your family over the constant accrual [12:17] of more wealth. You’ll begin to prioritize discipleship relationships over friendships [12:22] with no foundation at all. You’re going to order your life to be consistent with church and all the [12:28] various environments over comparatively meaningless pursuits. But the last one’s one that I tell my

[12:34] students all the time, at Village Students, is that everything in my life I hold with open hands [12:40] the minute that Jesus is my foundation. Everything. There’s not a single thing that he cannot have [12:45] say over in my life if he is my foundation and my king. And so what I have to do is go before God [12:51] in prayer and in his word and say, Jesus, here’s my life. What do you want? What can I use it for? [12:58] How can I advance your kingdom with this? Whatever you want, you can take. It’s yours. Help me to [13:05] build a life that matches my foundation. Does that sound hard? Because it is. And that’s the point.

[13:14] Point number two this morning. Cultivating growth takes work. Cultivating growth takes work. [13:20] I want us to look back quickly at the words of Jesus again in Matthew 7. [13:25] And I want to point out what is the wise man actually doing? Verse 24. Everyone then [13:32] who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [13:40] What is the wise man doing? He’s building. It’s something that’s active. It’s not a passive thing. [13:46] If you’ve ever built anything, you know you don’t just stand there and magically things come together

[13:51] that you have to put in the work. You have to build. You have to put things in order.

[13:57] And the apostle Paul tells the same thing to young Timothy. 1st Timothy 4 starting in verse 13. [14:04] He says, until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, [14:10] to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council [14:14] of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them so that [14:21] all may see your progress. Friends, remember God’s word is all ordained by him. And even the exact [14:31] wording. Did you notice what he says? How does he describe for young Timothy to live his life?

[14:37] Does he say, just kind of read your Bible? Do your Bible reading plan when you feel like it? [14:42] No, he says, devote yourself, practice these things, immerse yourself in them. [14:49] So to build a life on the solid rock and solid foundation of Jesus, it is going to take work. [14:57] It is going to take great effort. And here’s the issue, especially in 2025, [15:04] that if you’re honest with yourself, or even if you know anybody else, you know that effort is [15:10] something that people stay away from, like the plague. And here’s how I know that. Think about

[15:16] New Year’s resolutions. We’re in August. You can think back to your own if you want. And you’ve [15:21] probably failed 95% of them. But think about some of the big ones that people always say. They want [15:27] to eat healthier. So what do you do? You get a plan. You say, all right, I’m going to go to the [15:32] store. I’m going to get all this healthy food. I’m going to meal prep. I got all these meal plans. [15:35] And you’re driving to the store, and you’re like, we’re going to do this. [15:39] But as you’re driving, all of a sudden, you see those beautiful golden arches.

[15:44] Okay. And when you see those golden arches, you say, man, a Big Mac sounds so good right now. [15:50] And all those meal plans just go, and you enjoy a Big Mac. And some of you I know are saying, Jake, [15:56] I would never stoop so low to go to McDonald’s. Okay, Christian chicken people.

[16:04] I know what you do. You’re going to get on your phone, you’re going to go on the DoorDash app, [16:09] and you’re going to get a $25 Chick-fil-A sandwich meal and be like, this is great.

[16:17] Some may say they want to lose weight, but waking up early and going to the gym is hard, [16:21] and it hurts really bad afterwards. You may say you want to read more, but Netflix just came out [16:27] the new season of your favorite show. We want to save money, but the new iPhone just came out, [16:32] and that list goes on and on and on and on and on.

[16:38] And friends, this is where I need to just be honest with you about something. [16:43] That I love my job here at Village. I honestly feel like I have the greatest job in the world, [16:48] because every Sunday night, I have students come here, and I get to tell them of the surpassing [16:54] greatness of Jesus. There’s nothing better than following Jesus and living his mission, [16:59] and I get to send them out like our six seniors this year into the world to make [17:03] disciples who make disciples. There’s nothing better than that. Also, I get to go to Busch

[17:09] Gardens and Water Country all the time, and so it’s great. It’s the best job in the world. [17:15] But as much as I love the students here at Village, as much as I love discipling the men here [17:20] to follow Jesus, there’s one thing I can’t do, and that’s make this decision for you. [17:27] Like a child who’s not walking yet, see, you’re going to be tempted as a parent [17:32] to hold them by the hand and walk with them thinking that’s going to help them walk. [17:37] But the reality is that that’s slowing down the process because they rely on your strength.

[17:43] They’re not learning to walk on their own. They have to learn to do it under their own strength. [17:48] And Fred, what I want you to understand this morning is it’s the same with your spiritual growth. [17:54] That as the pastors, we can tell you until we are blue in the face what the Bible demands of you. [17:59] I can tell you of the eternal benefits of committing your life to environments of [18:04] discipleship and spiritual growth. Pastor Chris can offer you a hundred classes to aid you in [18:10] your spiritual growth. That we can tell you of the eternal benefits of all of this and give you all

[18:17] the tools needed to have a successful community group and discipleship group. But the one thing [18:22] I can’t do is live the mission of Jesus for you. We cannot do that. So if you hear nothing else I [18:33] say today, friend, please hear this. You have to choose. Kids in the room, your parents’ faith is [18:41] not yours. You have to choose it. Everyone has to make that decision for themselves. [18:47] You must choose to follow Jesus. You must choose to read your Bible. You must choose to prioritize [18:53] time in prayer. You must choose to plan your week around community group and discipleship group.

[18:59] You are the one that has to make the decision that this is what I’m going to do. And as Nike [19:06] famously said, just do it. But this morning I don’t want to leave you without hope should you [19:14] choose that path. And I hope you will. I hope you want to take control of your spiritual growth and [19:19] put in the work. See, God’s word shows us the outcome if we make the sacrifice. So what is [19:25] the result for the Christian who chooses to build their lives on the foundation of Jesus [19:29] and his word and then puts in the work to apply it in their lives?

[19:34] Second Timothy three verse 16 says this.

[19:39] All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for proof, for correction, [19:47] and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. [19:56] See, Paul here promises Timothy that if he builds his life on the word of God, it’s going to profit [20:02] him in all areas of his life. That he will be complete, meaning not lacking in spiritual growth. [20:08] And the greatest part about not lacking in spiritual growth is you can then take that [20:13] and pour it into the lives of other people. That you get to be a disciple who makes disciples,

[20:20] as Pastor Steve said last week. And for many of you, I think you do actually have this desire. [20:28] And if you don’t have the desire, then you need to start at ground zero there [20:32] and say Jesus needs to be your foundation. But I think many of you would say, Jake, I [20:37] feel like Jesus is my foundation, but I just can’t get there. That that desire is limited because [20:44] you’re so worried about one thing. That you’re worried about failing. You’re so worried about [20:51] failing that you never finish that Bible reading plan that you missed a couple of days. You never

[20:56] create a daily prayer life. You’re staying in that same community group while others help launch new [21:02] ones. You stay in the same discipleship group even after your group leader tells you, hey, I think [21:07] you have the ability to lead and disciple other people. But then in the back of your head, you say, [21:13] what if I fail? What if I don’t get there? So my friend, if that’s you this morning, I pray you [21:22] understand that when you choose fear of failing over trusting in your foundation in Jesus, [21:29] you’re missing out on the opportunity for God to use your life for his mission.

[21:33] You’re missing out on the opportunity to see God move through you.

[21:39] And when I compare those two things, fear versus my foundation, I want to run to my foundation [21:44] every time. And when you trust in your foundation, when you trust in him, you will see God move and [21:51] you will be able to do things that you did not think were possible on your own because they [21:56] weren’t. It’s because of your faith in Jesus. So friends, do you have a vision for God making you [22:02] into a faithful Christian and him using your life to build his kingdom? This is going to take one [22:07] step. It’s going to take effort, but the result is glorious. But in order to get here, however,

[22:14] it’s going to not only take work, you got to go one more step. And then you need to commit to that [22:22] work over the long haul, which leads me to my final point this morning. Point number three, [22:27] spiritual growth takes lifelong commitment. Spiritual growth takes lifelong commitment. [22:35] In Luke nine, we find Jesus speaking to the subject of what committing to him and his mission [22:40] actually looks like. Luke nine, starting in verse 23, Jesus says, he said to all, if anyone would [22:47] come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would

[22:54] save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. [23:01] See, many Christians have this false notion that you’re going to grow spiritually if you are just [23:08] near other Christians, that if you just come to church or you’re in a discipleship group with [23:12] someone who’s faithfully following Jesus, that it’s going to magically just rub off on you. [23:17] And that you’re going to be a faithful follower just because of that. And friend, that’s not true. [23:21] That’s never been the case. Did you notice here what Jesus says is required of following him?

[23:27] What’s the cost of growing in your faith that you personally take up your cross daily and follow [23:36] him? Notice it’s not even just the commitment you make when you choose to follow Jesus. That’s a one [23:42] day that eternity changes for you. But Jesus says that your faith is not a one day faith. It is a [23:49] daily faith. It is day in and day out giving your life to Jesus and committing to his mission. [23:58] And the thing is, not everybody understands this. Even when Jesus was standing there face [24:03] to face with them. Look at verse 57 of Luke 9. It says, as they were going along the road,

[24:09] someone said to him, I’ll follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes [24:15] and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. To another, [24:21] he said, follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. And Jesus said to him, [24:26] leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. [24:33] Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord. But let me first say farewell to those at my home. [24:38] And Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom

[24:46] of God. Jesus is clear here that committing to him is not something you can do halfheartedly. [24:53] That my fear is that for some of you that you’re dabbling in Christianity, like it’s a hobby. [24:59] You may play golf and you like being a Christian and you have those two things in the same area [25:05] and same place. And that is a dangerous place to be spiritually. Because what Jesus says there [25:12] in that passage is there are two options. Don’t you love how he always gives us those? [25:18] Two options. You either are following Jesus or you’re not. You’re either building on the

[25:25] foundation of Jesus or you are not. And Jesus is clear that like a farmer who puts his hand to the [25:33] plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God. So you are not fit for the kingdom if [25:38] your interests are divided between the kingdom and this world. That you must commit to Jesus [25:46] daily and make that commitment again and again and again and again. And here’s the thing about that. [25:54] Why does not everybody do that? Because that’s hard. It takes hard work and to many that will [26:02] seem boring. Every day you just read your Bible, you pray, you memorize his word, you go to church,

[26:09] you serve the church, you go to community group, you disciple others. And for many people church [26:15] just becomes another thing you do. And so when things get tough, relationship struggles enter, [26:20] you grow weary and you stop investing because somebody offended you or you’re worried about [26:26] something and somebody knows about you. And then you quickly just fade away. See your commitment [26:34] only goes as far as what you’re getting in the immediate. There’s no view of the long haul [26:40] and the difficult work of following Jesus over a lifetime.

[26:45] Eugene Peterson in his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, puts it this way. [26:50] He says there’s a great market for religious experience in our world. There’s little enthusiasm [26:56] for the patient acquisition of virtue. Little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship [27:02] and what earlier generations of Christians called holiness. See friends, spiritual growth will never [27:09] come without work. It will never come without committing to the vision and the mission of Jesus [27:14] over the long haul. And so Jesus is clear that if we want to grow spiritually, if we want to see God

[27:22] work in and through our lives, we have to commit, but we don’t just commit today. We commit tomorrow [27:29] and the day after and the day after until Jesus calls you home. What does that mean for your life? [27:38] It means you wake up and pray even when you’re tired. It means that even when Bible study feels [27:43] mundane, you still do it. Even when you are tired and weak and you don’t want to get up to go to [27:50] church or group or even when that person in your discipleship group is annoying you.

[27:57] What do you do? Like the farmer, you keep your hand to the plow, you keep working, you keep growing [28:04] personally, you keep investing and you do that over and over and build upon the foundation of [28:12] Jesus in your life. And the great news is that if you will do that, God’s word shows us what we will [28:20] get. Galatians 6, 9 through 10 has always been a pillar verse for my life, specifically for my [28:27] ministry at Village Students. And I had this as the verse for Village Students when we just had [28:32] seven students coming on a Sunday. But I pray that this is the same for you in your life.

[28:40] Verse 9, and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give [28:49] up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are [28:57] in the household of faith. Friends, the wonderful truth of this passage is if you do not give up, [29:04] if you press on for a lifetime, you’re gonna see God move. You’re gonna reap the reward [29:10] of that hard work. You’re not investing in something that you don’t get a return from.

[29:17] I want you to think about it this way. Think about the next decade of your life. [29:22] You’ve heard that little decisions make a big impact, right? Think about 10 years of your life. [29:29] If in the next 10 years you invested 10 minutes a day in reading the Bible, you’d read through the [29:35] Bible over 10 times, the entire Bible. If you memorize one verse a week, you’d memorize the [29:42] entire book of Romans. And if you invest in three people and they continue that process, [29:49] then by the time you get to a decade, you have not just impacted three people.

[29:54] You’ve impacted hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds and hundreds of people. Why? Because [30:00] you made a small decision in a moment. You took up your cross that day and you followed Jesus.

[30:09] Following Jesus is not a one-time decision. It’s a lifetime commitment to his mission, [30:14] but the reward is incredible. So church, my question for you this morning is, [30:19] do you have a vision for spiritual growth in your life? If so, it always begins with the foundation [30:25] of Jesus and his word. Then you must be diligent to grow and build a life for Christ on that [30:31] foundation, and then we must keep doing this over the long haul. But how this starts is how Jesus [30:38] said in Luke 9, take up your cross today and follow him. So what’s the move you need to make

[30:45] today? What’s that one move of faithfulness that you need to make today? Take that step, [30:50] and then tomorrow morning when you wake up, say, Jesus, I’m taking a step. Next morning, [30:55] taking a step and do that for the rest of your life until you see him face to face. And church, [30:59] if you will do that, what God’s word promises us in Galatians 6 is you will reap a reward [31:05] that you did not even think was possible because your foundation is on the rock. [31:13] A couple application points this morning. Number one, examine and strengthen your foundation.

[31:19] Something I had to do in my life this week as I was preparing for this was think about my life. [31:23] Where are the places where my foundation is like my deck, where there’s a place that I am not [31:27] living for the mission of Jesus, where I need to strengthen my faith? What is that for you? [31:33] Examine, strengthen it. Second, prioritize environments of spiritual growth. [31:39] You want a good application. Take your life and say, what are the things I’m currently committed [31:44] to and what are the things that Jesus would want me to be committed to? And begin to work on adding

[31:49] those things to your life. Number three, never grow weary of faith loss. It’s so easy for us to [31:56] get caught up in the mundane and forget that Jesus is working through that daily obedience to him. [32:02] Embrace it, enjoy it. Don’t grow weary. But lastly, remember the reward for those who commit over [32:09] the long haul. That can tell you that if you follow Jesus for a long time and keep making that step, [32:17] I’ve seen dozens of students walk in this room not knowing Jesus and walk out as disciple makers. [32:25] And I don’t think God’s done with that. And I don’t think he just wants that for me or the

[32:29] pastors here. I think he wants that for you too, based on his word. Will you commit to it? [32:36] Will you commit to this over the long haul so that God can use your life to make disciples?