The Best Is Yet To Come: From Good To Better Series

II Peter 1: 3-11

3. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

4. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

6. and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

7. and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

8. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,

11. And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

We’ve been examining ways God changes us form Peter’s words in the Bible. Last week we saw through this passage that God is willing and has the ability to change us from the bad to the good. This week let’s see how...

God Changes Us from the Good to the Better

II Peter 1: 5-9

"For this very reason," (because God changed you from the bad to the Good), "add to your faith," (why does he begin with faith? Because that is the only way you can accept Christ as Savior and Lord in your life.

So he starts with the foundation of our Christianity, how we moved from the bad to the good, to move us forward)

"...add to your faith, goodness; and to your goodness, knowledge; and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your self-control, perseverance; and to your perseverance, godliness; and to your godliness, brotherly kindness; and to your brotherly kindness, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."

The tragedy is that many people are changed from the bad to the good.

They go through the experience we call "Salvation" or -Conversion.

They are made right in the sight of God.

Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them and then they STOP right there.

A lot of Christians are only interested in just going to Heaven.

Tell me preacher what I have to do to go to heaven.

I don’t want to worry about anything beyond that.

-We talk about Salvation.

-But we don’t talk about Sanctification

-We sing about Deliverance in the Church,

-but we don’t like to sing all that much about Discipleship.

-We speak about being baptized into Christ’s death,

-but not much about walking in the newness of Life.

-BUT THEY ARE ALL IN THE BOOK.... CHRISTIANS!

We dare not think that becoming a Christian is all there is to it.

Peter said, "Add to your Faith..."

And then he lists seven qualities that we need as God

changes us from good to the better.

Look at verses 8 & 9, look at what he says,

"If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here’s the other side of the coin:

But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."

When I think about the deficiencies in my Christian life,(And I am very aware of the many areas of deficiency in my walk with Christ),

But when I do think about them, I am encouraged by thinking about those who have been deficient but have been made full.

For instance:

I am encouraged by thinking about the Apostle John.

He is called the "Beloved Apostle"

He is called the Apostle of love. In his gospels he uses the word love over and over and over again and again.

Let me tell you something, John wasn’t always that way, did you know that?

As a matter of fact, he was the one who got so upset, so ticked off because someone was teaching in Christ’s name that didn’t travel along with him.

He said. "Jesus, why don’t you go shut up that guy?" Mark 9:38

John, the one we know as the "beloved" apostle was the one who wanted to call down Fire from heaven and destroy the Samaritan village that did not receive Jesus. LK 9:54