Keys to Spiritual Growth - Part 6
Thesis Spiritual growth is the result of living comprehensively to God's glory through moral purity, unity with other believers, and the faithful exercise of spiritual gifts, all energized by the Holy Spirit and resulting in joy.
The shape of the message
This final lesson in the Keys to Spiritual Growth series synthesizes the teaching that spiritual maturity is fundamentally a commitment to living for God's glory. MacArthur reviews ten previously covered ways to glorify God, then adds three crucial dimensions: moral purity (particularly sexual purity), unity in the body of Christ, and the exercise of spiritual gifts. The sermon argues that Christians cannot grow spiritually while living in immorality, isolation, or disengagement from the body. Growth requires living to God's glory within the accountability and mutual ministry of fellow believers. The promised result of such Spirit-energized growth is joy—God's gift to maturing Christians—culminating in the ultimate conformity to Christ at his appearing.
Discuss · apply · pray
Six surfaces drawn from this sermon — small-group leader brief, daily reading plan, weekly prayer, memorize, family table, couples — generated automatically by Sermon Steward.
Questions for midweek
- In this final message on spiritual growth, MacArthur emphasizes that growth requires living *comprehensively* to God's glory—not just in one or two areas of life. What does it mean to live comprehensively to God's glory, and where do you find yourself most tempted to compartmentalize your faith (keeping certain areas of life separated from your pursuit of His glory)? Can you name one specific area where you need to invite God's lordship more fully this week?
- The sermon argues that moral purity—especially sexual purity—is non-negotiable for spiritual growth. Why do you think the Scripture treats sexual sin as fundamentally incompatible with growth, rather than simply as 'one sin among many'? What does it mean that we are 'temples of the Holy Spirit,' and how should that reality reshape the way we think about our bodies and desires?
- One of the fallen condition focuses in this sermon is that believers often try to grow spiritually in isolation—away from the accountability and mutual ministry of other Christians. What specific fears or habits might keep you from pursuing genuine community with other believers, and what do you sense you are missing as a result?
- MacArthur teaches that each believer receives a unique, unrepeatable combination of spiritual gifts that makes their contribution to the body essential. How do you understand your own spiritual gift(s), and in what ways might you be tempted to view them as less important or less valuable than others' gifts?How might exercising your gifts in community—rather than keeping them private—accelerate not only your own growth but the growth of the whole body?
- The gospel promises that Christ's work on the cross has purchased us as God's possession and filled us with His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). How does the reality that you have already been bought and filled empower you to pursue moral purity and community, rather than viewing these as burdens you must carry alone?
- This sermon concludes that the fruit of living to God's glory through moral purity, community, and the exercise of spiritual gifts is joy. What is the connection between these three dimensions of growth and genuine, gospel-rooted joy? And where in your own life have you experienced joy as the *result* of these disciplines rather than as something that comes despite them?
Five-day reading plan
This week traces the spine of spiritual growth: from the foundational Spirit-energized process of becoming like Christ, through the indispensable disciplines of moral purity and community, to the joy that crowns a life lived comprehensively to God's glory.
Prayer for Comprehensive Growth in God's Glory
Father, we adore you for your relentless commitment to conform us to the image of your Son through the sanctifying work of your Spirit. You have not left us to grow alone or in secret; you have made us members of one body, indwelt by your Spirit, called to glorify you in every dimension of our lives. We stand amazed at the comprehensiveness of your claim upon us—body, heart, relationships, and gifts all belong to you and must serve your glory.
Yet we confess, Father, that we often resist the fullness of what it means to grow spiritually. We harbor desires that war against your glory; we retreat into isolation when community would strengthen us; we neglect or hide the gifts you have given us, robbing the body of Christ of their blessing. We acknowledge that spiritual growth cannot flourish where immorality festers, where believers cut themselves off from one another, or where the gifts you have entrusted to us lie dormant. Forgive us for the half-hearted pursuit of your glory.
We rejoice that in the gospel we have been purchased at infinite cost, that our bodies are temples of your Holy Spirit, and that you are at work within us—conforming us, purifying us, and gathering us into community for our good and your glory (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). In Christ, we have both the motive and the means to live comprehensively to your praise. Your grace is sufficient to overcome every compromise, every fear of vulnerability, and every excuse for disengagement.
Grant us, O God, the courage to pursue moral purity—not in isolation, but in the presence of our brothers and sisters who know us, love us, and call us higher. Bind us together in the body of Christ with such vibrant interdependence that none of us can hide or drift. Awaken us to the unique gifts you have placed within us, and give us boldness to exercise them for the mutual ministry and joy of our congregation. As we live to your glory through purity, unity, and faithful service, fill us with the joy that is the gift of your maturing children—a foretaste of the glory we shall share with you forever.
Psalm 16:8
“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”
Growing Together, Not Alone
One question for the table: Pastor John talked about how you can't really grow spiritually if you're all by yourself. Can you think of a time when someone in our church family—maybe a friend, or a grown-up—helped you understand something about Jesus or encouraged you to do the right thing? What would be different if you never had that person's help?
Works for ages 7+; younger children can listen and share with prompting; teenagers and adults will engage at deeper levels of accountability and mutual ministry
For parents: This sermon emphasized that spiritual growth happens in community, not isolation. Use this prompt to help your family see why they need each other—and why the church family matters for becoming more like Jesus. Listen for how your kids understand being 'stuck' without others.
Purity, Community, and Joy
- What area of your life—your body, your desires, or your relationships—did the sermon invite you to surrender more fully to God's glory?
- How well are we living out our spiritual gifts together, and where might isolation or unconfessed sin be hindering the growth God intends for us as a couple?
- What is one specific way you want to grow spiritually this season, and how can we commit to walking that path together with accountability and prayer?
John MacArthur
Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA; expository preacher whose Grace to You radio ministry has carried verse-by-verse preaching across multiple decades.