Growing Deep in the Christian Life

Theology often has a reputation for being dry and academic, but in this 22-part foundational series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll “blows the dust off” essential doctrines. He takes deep biblical truths out of the lecture hall and applies them to the everyday world of meetings, deadlines, and family life. By returning to our spiritual roots, we find the stability and energy needed to live the life God designed for us.

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1. The Value of Knowing the Scoop (1 Timothy 4:1–6; 1 Peter 3:13–16)

• Overview: Addresses the vital need for “good doctrine” to secure our faith. It establishes that ignorance is a breeding ground for fear and superstition.
• Key Fact: Knowing the “real scoop” on what matters most is the best defense against false teaching.
• Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15 – The command to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us.

2. Don’t Forget to Add a Cup of Discernment (Acts 17:11–12)

• Overview: Warns against knowledge as an end in itself. Discernment is the essential “buffer” that keeps theological knowledge from becoming source of pride or legalism.
• Key Fact: The Bereans are cited as the ultimate model for discernment because they examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true.
• Scripture: Acts 17:11 – “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily.”

3. God’s Book—God’s Voice (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

• Overview: Explores the inspiration and authority of the Bible. If God has spoken, we must know what He has said.
• Key Fact: Scripture is not just a human record but is “God-breathed,” designed to equip us for every good work.
• Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

4. Handling the Scriptures Accurately (2 Timothy 2:15)

• Overview: Provides practical tools for Bible study, moving from simply hearing the Word to studying and meditating on it.
• Key Fact: “Rightly dividing” the word of truth involves a diligent effort to understand the original meaning before applying it to our lives.
• Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15 – “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

5. Knowing God: Life’s Major Pursuit (Jeremiah 9:23–24)

• Overview: Shifts the focus from “finding yourself” to finding God. It explores the attributes of God that give our lives meaning.
• Key Fact: The only thing worth boasting about is that we understand and know the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness.
• Scripture: Jeremiah 9:24 – “But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me.”

6. Loving God: Our Ultimate Response (Deuteronomy 6:4–9)

• Overview: If knowing God is the head, loving God is the heart. This message explores how love for God manifests in peace, forgiveness, and obedience.
• Key Fact: Loving God is an all-encompassing commitment that should be modeled for the next generation in the home.
• Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:5 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

7. Mary’s Little Lamb (Luke 2:1–20)

• Overview: A theological look at the Incarnation—the miraculous moment when the Creator entered His creation as a helpless babe.
• Key Fact: The Savior’s “quiet entry” into the world highlights God’s preference for humility over earthly pomp and power.
• Scripture: Luke 2:11 – “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

8. When the God-Man Walked Among Us (Philippians 2:5–11)

• Overview: Explores the dual nature of Jesus—fully God and fully man—and His voluntary “emptying” of His divine prerogatives to serve humanity.
• Key Fact: Christ’s humility is the ultimate “mindset” that believers are called to adopt in their own relationships.
• Scripture: Philippians 2:7 – Christ “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

9. Changing Lives Is Jesus’ Business (John 3:1–16)

• Overview: Focuses on the “new birth” and the radical transformation that occurs when a person places their trust in Christ.
• Key Fact: Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus reveals that religious standing is insufficient; everyone must be “born again.”
• Scripture: John 3:3 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

10. The Spirit Who Is Not a Ghost (John 16:6–14)

• Overview: Clarifies the role of the Holy Spirit as our Helper, Comforter, and Guide.
• Key Fact: The Spirit is not an impersonal force but a Person who advocates for us and leads us into all truth.
• Scripture: John 16:13 – “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”

11. From Creation to Corruption (Genesis 1–3)

• Overview: Traces the human journey from being God’s image-bearers to the fall into sin. It explains the “disease” that Christ came to cure.
• Key Fact: Sin is not just a series of bad choices; it is a corruption of our very nature that requires divine intervention.
• Scripture: Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

12. Exposing the Dark Side (Selected Scriptures)

• Overview: A biblical look at the reality of Satan and the fallen angels. It warns believers to be alert but not obsessed with the “dark side.”
• Key Fact: Our adversary is a “prowling lion,” but he is a defeated foe who must flee when resisted with faith.
• Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8 – “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion.”

13. “Mr. Smith, Meet Your Substitute” (Romans 3:9–31)

• Overview: Explains the doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement—how Jesus took the penalty for our sins upon Himself.
• Key Fact: On the cross, a “great exchange” took place: our sin for His righteousness.
• Scripture: Romans 3:24 – Believers are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

14. The Remedy for Our Disease (Isaiah 53:1–6)

• Overview: Connects the ancient sacrificial system of Leviticus to the ultimate sacrifice of the “Spotless Lamb” on Calvary.
• Key Fact: Jesus fulfilled the requirement for a perfect sacrifice, bearing the “iniquity of us all.”
• Scripture: Isaiah 53:5 – “But He was pierced through for our transgressions… by His scourging we are healed.”

15. His Coming Is Sure . . . Are You? (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18)

• Overview: Discusses the “blessed hope” of Christ’s return and the reassurance it brings to those who have lost loved ones in the faith.
• Key Fact: The return of Christ is not meant to scare us, but to encourage us to “comfort one another” with these truths.
• Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:18 – “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

16. Until He Returns . . . What? (Mark 13:31–37)

• Overview: Practical instructions for living in light of the Second Coming. Instead of “hunkering down,” we are called to be faithful servants.
• Key Fact: Our focus should be on “watching and working” rather than predicting specific dates or timelines.
• Scripture: Mark 13:33 – “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.”

17. Visiting the Real Twilight Zone (2 Corinthians 5:1–8)

• Overview: Approaches the subject of death with biblical wisdom, moving from fear to the certainty of being “at home with the Lord.”
• Key Fact: For the believer, death is not an end but a departure from an “earthly tent” to an “eternal building” in the heavens.
• Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:8 – “We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

18. An Interview with One from Beyond (Luke 16:19–31)

• Overview: Uses the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus to address hard questions about heaven, hell, and the eternal state of the soul.
• Key Fact: The afterlife is not a dream-state; it is a place of conscious existence where our earthly decisions have final consequences.
• Scripture: Luke 16:26 – The reality of the “great chasm” fixed between heaven and hell.

19. God’s Body-Building Program (Matthew 16:13–18)

• Overview: Introduces the concept of the Church—not as a building, but as the “Body of Christ” in the world.
• Key Fact: Every individual member of the church contributes a unique part to the healthy functioning of the whole body.
• Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:27 – “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”

20. Three Cheers for the Church (Ephesians 4:1–16)

• Overview: Highlights the reasons to love and commit to the local church, focusing on its role in equipping saints for the work of ministry.
• Key Fact: Maturity in the faith is a “team sport” that requires the input and support of other believers.
• Scripture: Hebrews 10:24–25 – The command not to forsake our assembling together, but to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”

21. Encouragement Served Family Style (Hebrews 10:19–25)

• Overview: Focuses on the “one anothers” of Scripture—the practical ways we give “words of life” to a discouraged world.
• Key Fact: Healthy churches are characterized by an atmosphere of mutual encouragement and shared burdens.
• Scripture: Hebrews 10:25 – “Not forsaking our own assembling together… but encouraging one another.”

22. Worship: Let It Shine! (Psalm 95:1–7)

• Overview: The series concludes with the ultimate purpose of the Christian life: the exuberant and humble worship of the Creator.
• Key Fact: Worship is the active response of a heart that recognizes God as our “Rock” and our “Shepherd.”
• Scripture: Psalm 95:6 – “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”