Degrees of the Christian Life — E.A. Johnston

I remember Vance Havner saying his name was Mr. Twiddle, until he got his honorary degree. After that, he was known as Twiddle D .D. My message today, friends, is entitled The Degrees of the Christian Life.

Progressive Transformation Into Christlikeness

And I don't mean academic degrees, but growing progressively, more and more like Christ by spiritual degrees. Have you ever known someone that, when you were with them, they made you think of Jesus? Adrian Rogers comes to my mind because every time I was with Dr. Rogers, I felt like I was with Jesus.

When he hugged me, I felt Jesus was hugging me. It was because Adrian Rogers reflected Jesus. There is a verse in my Bible that speaks about the degrees of progressing in our Christian life, in becoming more like Jesus.

The verse I'm referring to is 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18. And I want to read it to you, friends, in the Amplified Translation because it best represents this verse. Let me read it to you now. Here now is the Word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord attend the reading of His Holy Word.

And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as, in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, or progressively being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to even more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

This verse speaks of our sanctification process of gradually becoming more and more Christ-like as we progress into Christian life. Now I'm going to tie this verse and this thought to a passage in Scripture, which goes into deep detail on the degrees of the Christian life.

And if you stay with me, friends, you'll be glad you did, for this message which I'm giving you today may be one of the most proper ones you'll ever hear from me. My sermon today is much longer than my usual ones, but I have a great deal of ground to cover.

And if you'll keep up with me and take good notes, I promise you that you will be richly rewarded. A Christian grows by degrees, one step, one degree at a time. We are continually growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

We are gradually being, progressively being transformed into the image of Christ, as our verse from 2 Corinthians declares. The degrees of the Christian life, friend, once properly understood, can radically transform your whole life for Christ.

You'll finally understand all the things you've been going through. It will all make sense after this message. I've had some things happen to me in my life that have been both tragic and traumatic. After I came to understand this concept of the degrees of the Christian life, it all made sense to me.

Hopefully, you will better understand your walk with Christ after I share this teaching with you. Stay close to me, friends, as we proceed with this message entitled, The Degrees of the Christian Life, for it will change your life.

The Beatitudes as Degrees of Christian Growth

Turning your Bibles, friends, to the Gospel of Matthew, we will be in chapter 5 and in verses 1 through 10. This familiar passage is known as the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. When I'm with this message, you'll never look at this passage the same way again.

It will become brand new to you and deeply rich to you personally. Let's look at the degrees of the Christian life now, friends, as we begin in Matthew 5, verse 1 and following. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain.

And when he was set, his disciples came unto him, and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Let me pause here, friends. That word blessed translated in the Greek means to be fully satisfied.

This usage of Christ's words, blessed are the poor in spirit, this speaks of our seeing our need of Jesus as our savior. To be poor in spirit is to admit our utter spiritual bankruptcy without Christ, to come to Jesus in humility of sin in need of the remedy for sin, to come to him as a poor crouching beggar would come empty handed to a king seeking mercy.

This speaks of our salvation in Christ, the first degree, so to speak, of our spiritual journey in Christ. Blessed means to be fully satisfied in Jesus through the joy of salvation. This is our beginning as born again believers.

Mourning Over Sin and the Work of Sanctification

Now look at the next step or degree. Blessed are they that mourn, for they should be comforted. This next degree of the Christian life is when we grieve over our sins as we struggle with our old Adamic nature or bent towards sin as we live the Christian life, like our verse from 2 Corinthians states, or progressively being transformed into his image from one degree of glory to even more glory.

This is our sanctification process that is continual as we live in this world for Christ, seeking to live above the world. At times we stumble and fall into sin. It is here where we mourn over it and cry out to God, why, how could I do such a stupid thing?

And we mourn over that sin and ask the Holy Spirit to mortify our flesh as we mature and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from one degree to another, even more glory, the word of God promises.

Meekness as Strength Under Control

Now let's look at verse 5, friends, and see this next degree of Christian growth. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. In the Greek it means the opposite of weakness. It literally means a strong man's choice to control his reactions.

When Jesus says, blessed are the so-and-so, he's speaking of our satisfaction in him, not being static, but progressive. We are to make continual progress in becoming more like Jesus with each new day.

This blessed are the meek means that from a point of strength, a Christian must yield his rights. Listen, friend, we were bought with a price and that price was Christ's blood. I have no rights as a follower of a crucified Savior.

This was best illustrated to me by a story which Adrian Rogers shared with me. He was at the time the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the pastor of mighty Bellevue Baptist Church with 30 ,000 members.

He was on television and radio and was known all over the world. And he had invited some big-shot preachers in for a meeting in Memphis, and they were going out to lunch at a local restaurant. And Adrian walked back to the back of the restaurant, found a back room with a few tables, and he was in the process of pushing one table up to the other one so he and his preacher friends could all sit together at one long table, when the waitress rushed in and chewed him out and told him he had no business to move her tables.

And she ordered him to put the table back at once where it was. And Adrian related to me that, for a split second, he almost announced to her in his big booming voice, Lady, don't you know who I am? These men are important too.

But instead he bit his tongue and yielded to her authority in her domain of that restaurant. And he apologized to her and put the table back where it was. He was a strong man who chose to control his reaction in submission to God.

He acknowledged the fact that he had no rights as a preacher. He was only a servant. When we come to this place, friends, where we advance in the degrees of the Christian life, we realize we have no rights of our own.

Our body is not our own. Our time is not our own. Our money is not our own. Christ must be a complete master. This is spiritual growth by degrees. Blessed are the meek, Jesus says. Not the weak, but the meek.

A strong man's choice to control his reactions as we submit to the Christ who redeemed us by his precious blood. Oh, friends, when we learn this, we are progressively becoming more and more like Jesus.

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Now look at the next degree of the Christian life. Look at verse 6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. This speaks of a life of holiness unto God.

For without no man will see the Lord. To hunger for righteousness is where the heart is right with God. Are we in a right relationship to him as we pursue a life of holiness unto him? In Amos 3 .3 it declares, can two walk together except they be agreed?

Of course not. How can we grow in our walk with God if we continue to live in sin? We cannot. A life of holiness lived unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ is spiritual growth by degrees as we are progressively being transformed into his image.

Some of the most Christ-like men I've ever known were holy men of God. Stephen Offord comes to my mind here. You could sense the power of God on him because of his life of surrender. The better translation of they which do hunger is the hungering ones.

Hungering after the righteousness of God. Oh friends, do you see these advancing degrees of the Christian life? It gets better. Hang on. Let's look at the next one in verse 7. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

This is a two-fold type of mercy. To be a giver to those in need and to forgive others. Selfishness with money and unforgiveness toward others are two stagnating effects in our growth in Christ. These two negatives will bind and hinder your growth in Christ.

We receive the biggest blessing when we give to others. We receive the largest liberty when we forgive others. You want to jump by leaps and bounds in your progression in the Christian life? Here it is, friends.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Let's look at the next degree of the Christian life. Look at verse 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. This speaks of our motives.

Purity of Heart and Godly Motives

Are we clean in our motives? It says in the Greek. Why do we serve at church? Is it to receive recognition from man? Why do we sing solos in the choir? Is it to hear applause of our talent? Why do we give to our church with our large finances?

Is it to exercise power and influence over man? What are motives in serving God? Are they pure? Now let's look at verse 9 for the next degree of the life of a Christian. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Peacemaking Through Gospel Witness

A peacemaker is a witness for Christ. He or she is continually sharing the gospel with the lost. You're knocking on doors. You're handing out tracts. You're sharing your faith in your community. A peacemaker is one who reconciles sinners to God through Jesus Christ with the gospel of the Son of God.

Are you here, friend? You will have trouble getting further with Christ if you're too lazy to witness for him. How can you be ashamed to hand out a tract or witness to the lost when Christ hung naked on that ignoble cross?

Are you here, friend? Why not? What is your excuse for not sharing your faith? It is this barrier that's been holding you back from advancing with God. D .L. Moody never went to bed at night without sharing his faith with at least one sinner.

If you're not sharing your faith, what will you tell Jesus at the Bema seat when he reviews your life and lack a witness for him? What will be your excuse then, friend? How can you be Christ-like if you won't tell others about Christ?

Persecution, Humility, and Spiritual Renewal

Now, what normally occurs is we grow in Christ and he's using us more and more. Pride comes in, spiritual pride. We begin to say to ourselves, wow, look how God is using me. Or even worse, we begin to brag to our friends, look how God is using me.

What happens when we get prideful? God deals with pride in us by bringing trouble upon us, persecution. Look at this next degree. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

God will allow you to pass through a trial to humble you and bring you back to the first degree of being poor in spirit. I saw this truth recently as I was rereading the memoir of Charles Fanny, where he'd seen remarkable revival after revival during the second great awakening.

And he was now a famous man who was sought after by many. God dealt with his spiritual pride by bringing them low. Listen to his words. My nervous prostration has been made the occasion of deeper revelations of myself than I ever had before.

It has been a profitable time for me. There seemed to be a veil drawn over my precious experiences of the past and over all my success in the ministry and only my sins, my shortcomings, my hatefulness could be seen by me.

I will stop there. God used this time in Fanny's life to humble him and get him back to the first degree of being poor in spirit. And do you know what, friends? After that, God used Fanny in even a broader ministry.

And that's exactly what it'll do for you. Your usefulness to God will be deepened. God will expand your usefulness to him by this process of this continual advancement of the life by degrees. This was exactly the case of Jonathan Edwards, who after seeing remarkable revival in his church in Northampton during the great awakening, he was expelled as the minister and he was literally kicked out of his own community.

He moved to the wilderness of Stockbridge, Massachusetts with his large family to minister to a handful of Indians in total obscurity. But do you know what, friends? It was during this time that Jonathan Edwards had his most prolific pen ministry, which still lives to this day.

The School of Christ and Lifelong Learning

God broadened his ministry during this trying, humbling time. The degrees of the Christian life are conferred by the master teacher, Jesus Christ. And in the school of Christ, there are no graduates, but only learners.

For we are enrolled in the school of Christ until we die and go to glory to be like Jesus forever and ever. Let us pray.