Vox Sunday Sermon – Slow Grow – Growing Up (The Head) Part 1

Sermon by – Lead Pastor Justin Kendrick – Vox Church

My Notes…

We Have a Problem Thinking

We don’t like to think.

We live in a time of overwhelming information but a lack of depth. We aren’t necessarily dumber—we’re just thinking thinner. Maybe it’s because we struggle to quiet our minds.

We seek distraction to avoid dealing with unmanaged stress, which eventually impacts our bodies.

Our minds create mental maps shaped by repeated patterns and experiences. Behind those patterns are the stories that shape how we see the world.

The Imminent Assumption

The world teaches us that there is nothing beyond the here and now—that this life is all there is. This assumption shapes the way we live and the decisions we make.

But just attending church isn’t enough to deeply internalize the kingdom of God mentality or to unseat the false stories that have built highways in our minds and hearts. We carry negative scripts from our past that influence how we live.

Rational Thinking Alone Doesn’t Lead Us to God

Paul speaks of a spiritual veil that blinds human eyes to the reality of God (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). Creation screams testimony to the existence of God, but sin blinds us from seeing it.

Sin makes us want to be our own god. We’ll bargain with God, but we refuse to submit.

God removes the veil and turns on the light for us through a story—the Gospel story.

• God broke into the world, lived the perfect life we could not live,
• Died the death we deserved to die,
• Took on the punishment we had earned,
• And gave us the reward He earned on our behalf.

Jesus doesn’t just save us—He opens our minds and hearts.

“I believe in the sun not because I can see it, but because by it I see everything else.” — C.S. Lewis

Real Freedom

Real freedom isn’t doing whatever you want—it’s doing what you were created to do.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

How Do We Apply the Gospel to Our Minds?

Spiritual growth requires more than knowledge—it happens in community. Growth is slow, but it’s steady.

The key to growing our minds is learning to behold.
To behold means to stop, look, reflect, consider, and meditate.

Create space for the Lord.

• Taste His goodness.
• Experience His presence.
• Behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus.

What Is the Glory of Jesus?

“See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah… But then John saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain.” (Revelation 5:5-6)

John expected to see a lion but saw a lamb instead.
The paradox of Jesus is that majesty and meekness collide in Him.

The more beautiful Jesus becomes to you, the more you will become like Him.