LIVING DILIGENT FAITH - 2 PETER 1:1-11
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
God's Breath Publications: http://www.godsbreathpublications.com/
Audio Sermon: http://www.godsbreathpublications.com/living-diligent-faith/
SERMON OUTLINE:
INTRODUCTION: CHRISTIANS LIVING UNDER CORRUPT ROMAN RULE - SURROUNDED BY SIN.
PETER ENCOURAGES CHRISTIANS TO LIVE APPROPRIATELY
TODAY WE HAVE A SIMILAR ENVIRONMENT
1 Simon Peter, a BOND-SERVANT and APOSTLE of Jesus Christ,
WE ARE ALL BOND-SERVANTS - WE ALL ARE CALLED TO BE apostles & LIVE HOLY.
To those who have received a faith of the SAME KIND as ours,
WE HAVE THIS SAME KIND OF FAITH AS PETER – BELIEF IN FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT
BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF OUR GOD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST:
OUR FAITH IS SUPPLIED AND SUSTAINED BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS CHRIST!
HERE WE SEE THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST PROCLAIMED!
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus our Lord;
“KNOWLEDGE HERE IS THAT ACQUIRED AT CONVERSION - INTIMATE/RELATIONAL
GRACE & PEACE INCREASE BECAUSE OF GODLY KNOWLEDGE
THE PROVISION (2 Peter 1:3) – Everything Pertaining to Life and Godliness
3 seeing that HIS DIVINE POWER has granted to us EVERYTHING pertaining to LIFE AND GODLINESS,
through the TRUE KNOWLEDGE of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
JESUS’ DIVINE POWER IS THE SOURCE FOR ALL WE NEED FOR LIVING GODLY
AND THIS COMES THROUGHT HE RELATIONAL SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE WE ACQUIRE
THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDES US IN THIS KNOWLEDGE & EMPOWERS US
SUSTAINS US, FREES US FROM SIN, GUIDES US, SANCTIFIES & PURIFIES US
GOD SPECIFICALLY CALLS EACH ONE OF US!
THE PROMISES (2 Peter 1:4) – His Precious and Magnificent Promises
4 For by these He has granted to us His PRECIOUS and MAGNIFICENT PROMISES,
SOME of these PROMISES - UPHELD BY HIS DIVINE WILL & CHARACCTER
FORGIVENESS OF SINS - past, present, and future
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION by God the Father
SPIRITUAL STRENGTH by the HOLY SPIRIT
COMFORT through suffering and hardship
PROVISION of our needs
HOPE OF HEAVEN
BODILY RESURRECTION
REIGNING WITH CHRIST …and MANY MORE...
GREEK WORD > PROMISES - EMPHASIZES the MAGNIFICIENT THINGS PROMISED.
so that by them you may become PARTAKERS of the DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
BENEFITS OF OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with GOD.
JUSTIFIED & SANCTIFIED!
SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT – OUR COMFORTER
POWER TO OVERCOME & ENDURE
POWER TO LIVE HOLY & PURE
POSITIVE – YES TO OBEY & PARTAKE OF PROMISES NEGATIVE – WE SAY NO TO CORRUPTION
Charles Swindoll states in regards to this passage, "These two are the positive and negative aspects of putting to use the provision God has given us, relying on the promises that accompany salvation. That is, as we put away the lust that causes corruption, we increasingly partake of the divine nature. We become, quite literally, more and more like Christ in both our inner beings and our outward actions. What has been once-for-all declared by grace through faith- our righteousness before God - becomes progressively manifest in our everyday lives - our righteous behavior before God and others. The former is called "justification" (when we are declared righteous); the other is called "sanctification" (when we are made increasingly more righteous)."
TWO VISUAL AIDES CONCERNING APPLYING DILIGENCE IN OUR FAITH!
FIRST: SPIRITUAL FLOWER REFLECTING OUR OBEDIENCE AND PERSISTANCE IN OUR FAITH
2 Corinthians 2:14-15
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him (Christ) in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
SECONDLY: A PINION GEAR WHICH IS CRITICAL IN MOTOR VEHICLES TO ALLOW MOTION TO TAKE PLACE.
Philippains 2:12-13
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
WE MUST ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO EMPOWER US TO LIVE LIKE CHRIST THROUGH EXPRESSING THESE SEVEN GODLY CHARACTERISTICS.
WE MUST DEMONSTRATE DILIGENCE IN OUR FAITH OR WE WILL NOT SPIRITUALLY SMELL GOOD AND…
WE WILL NOT MANIFEST GOOD WORKS.
GOD GRANTS US PRECIOUS AND MAGNIFICENT PROMISES THROUGH HIS DIVINE POWER WHICH MAKES AVAILABLE EVERYTHING NECESSARY PERTAININT TO LIFE AND GODLINESS…BUT…
…UNLESS WE APPLY DILIGENCE TO OUR FAITH…OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WILL SUFFER…OUR SPIRITUAL MINISTRY WILL BE HINDERED…AND OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE WILL BE STUNTED.
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:5) – APPLY ALL DILIGENCE, IN YOUR FAITH
5 Now for this very reason also, APPLYING ALL DILIGENCE IN YOUR FAITH,”
OUR SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITY - WE MUST APPLY “ALL DILIGENCE” TO HOW - THINK, ACT BEHAVE AND LIVE.
JOHN PHILLIPS “WE MUST NOT ONLY BELIEVE, BUT ALSO BEHAVE…WE MUST HAVE A BELIEF THAT BEHAVES!”
“DILIGENCE” IN THE GREEK HERE MEANS SPEEDILY DISPACT TO ACTION WITH EAGERNESS.
DANIEL DAY LEWIS: LAST OF THE MOHICANS – BUILT A CANOE, TRACKED & SKINNED ANIMALS, LEARNED TO BE AN EXPERT WITH A 12LB FLINTLOCK GUN: Dedicated to his character in the movie! Can we be as dedicated to our life as a follower of Christ.
Romans 12:9-13
“9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”
Faith is the essence of our lives as followers of Christ.
It is the solid foundation upon which we build our relationship with God.
It is the taproot that is responsible for our spiritual growth.
It is our spiritual identity as a child of God.
UPON THIS GODLY FOUNDATION OF FAITH, MADE POSSIBLE BY THE POWER AND PROVISION OF GOD…
WE ARE TO BUILD SEVEN GODLY TRAITS – REMEMBER > WITH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:5) – SUPPLY MORAL EXCELLENCE
“supply moral excellence,”
A. W. Tozer states, “As the excellence of steel is strength, and the excellence of art is beauty, so the excellence of mankind is moral character.”
MORAL EXCELLENCE:
AS CHRISTIANS WE MUST NOT ONLY BELIEVE RIGHTLY WE MUST ALSO BEHAVE RIGHTLY.
IT IS THE QUALITY OF DOING WHAT IS RIGHT AND AVOIDING WHAT IS WRONG – VIRTUE
IT IMPLIES MORAL FORTITUDE IN THE MIDST OF TEMPTATION.
IT IS DEMONSTRATED BY COURAGE IN THE MIDST OF FEARFUL CIRCUMSTANCE.
IT IS THE ABILITY TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT, EVEN IF DONE ALONE.
According to Major David Dixon, recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, “from Day 1 every Marine is taught to live a life worthy of a Marine. They're also taught to hold one another accountable to that standard of excellence. Dixon says, If the Marine next to you is falling asleep in class, you must have the moral courage to wake him up and motivate him to stay awake. If you are caught sleeping in class at boot camp, not only do you get in trouble for laziness, but the Marine to your left and to your right get in trouble for lack of moral courage because they should have corrected you when you were in the wrong.”
THE GREEK WORD USED HERE MEANS “PROPERLY, WITH VALOR, EXCELLENCE OR MANLINESS.
IT CAN ALSO REFER TO “PRAISE” IN THE SENSE THAT WE BRING PRAISE TO GOD WHEN IT IS EXPRESSED.
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:5) – KNOWLEDGE
“and in your moral excellence, knowledge,”
IN ORDER TO BEHAVE WITH MORAL INTEGRITY WE MUST KNOW HOW TO DO SO IN A LOVING MANNER.
YOU CAN HAVE MORAL EXCELLENCE BUT ALSO BE A SPIRITUAL SNOB.
MORAL INTEGRITY LIVED OUT IN LOVE AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS COMES FROM…
ACCURATE SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED THROUGH A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT
THE GREEK WORD PETER USES HERE FOR KNOWLEDGE IS DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE HE USES IN VERSES 2 & 3… HERE IT MEANS TO ACT IN AN “UNDERSTANDING MANNER” OR ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE THAT IS ACQURIED.” … ” SUCH AS THE WAY A HUSBAND IS CALLED TO LIVE WITH HIS WIFE.
The Apostle Paul uses this same Greek word for how we are to “know” Christ in Philippians 3:8;
“I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,”
Romans 11:33; “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
Garcia Marquez in his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, describes a village suffering from an insomnia plague. As this plague continues, it gradually causes the loss of memory. To try and salvage memory, a man named Jose developed an elaborate plan that involved labeling everything: "With an inked brush he marked everything with its name: table, chair, clock, door, wall, bed, pan. He went on to the corral and marked the animals and plants: cow, goat, pig, hen ... banana." As their memory continued to fade Jose decided that he needed to be even more explicit. He posted a sign on a cow that read: "This is the cow. She must be milked every morning so that she will produce milk, and the milk must be boiled in order to be mixed with coffee to make coffee and milk. Thus they were living in a reality that was slipping away, momentarily captured by words but which would escape ... when they forgot the values of the written letters." Eventually the village put a placard at the entrance to town that said, "God exists," as that knowledge too was slipping.
HAVE WE FORGOTTEN WHO SAVED US AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE?
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:6) – SELF –CONTROL
“6 and in your knowledge, self-control,
RESEARCH: Dr. Loran Nordgren, a senior lecturer at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, ran a series of experiments that placed college students in "tempting situations" to smoke, eat junk food, or avoid studying. The research found that we often display what's called a "restraint bias." In other words, we tend to overestimate how much self-control we will have against temptation when we're not in the "heat of the moment." Our "restraint bias" causes us to think that we can handle more temptation than we actually can. Dr. Nordgren warned that "Those who are most confident about their self-control are the most likely to give in to temptation."How do we deal with out deluded sense of self-control? Dr. Nordgren, who works for a secular university, offered some biblically sound advice: "The key is simply to avoid any situations where vices and other weaknesses thrive and, most importantly, for individuals to keep a humble view of their willpower."
AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST WE MUST SEEK – WITH THE POWER AND INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT –
TO MODERATE OUR INNER THOUGHTS AS WELL AS OUR OUTWARD ACTIONS.
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE GAINED AS WE MATURE IN CHRIST CAN HELP TRANSFORM OUR MIND
BUT! SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM DO NOT GUARANTEE PURITY IN OUR LIVES!
KING SOLOMON IS AN EXAMPLE. HE WAS GRANTED WISDOM FROM GOD BUT HAD NO SELFCONTROL!
1 Corinthians 9:25; “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
AS WE GROW SPIRITUALLY AS A CHRISTIANS WE COME MORE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE SPIRIT.
Galatians 5:22-23; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
WE SHOULD NEVER LET ANYTHING CONTROL US EXCEPT JESUS, THE WORD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:6) – PERSEVERANCE
“and in your self-control, perseverance,”
AS CHRISTIANS WE MUST NOT ONLY EXPRESS THESE CHRIST-LIKE TRAITS WE MUST CONTINUE TO PEREVERE IN PRACTICING THEM – WE ARE NOT TO BE A SPIRITUAL FLASH-IN-THE –PAN!
THE GREEK WORD USED HERE MEANS “CHEERFUL ENDURANCE” OR HOPEFUL CONSTANCY“
IT MEANS TO REMAIN UNDER WHATEVER WE MAY EXPERIENCE IN LIFE BECAUSE GOD IS IN CONTROL.
Charles Swindoll “It requires a firm footing on the foundation of faith, a clear focus on the pursuit of hope, and an unparalleled patience.”
Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant is widely considered to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.
“In this game, there are going to be four or five plays that will determine the outcome of this contest. Four or five plays that will swing the momentum toward us, or away from us. I don't know which plays these will be. You don't know which plays these will be. All you can do is go out there and give all that you have on each and every play. If you are doing that on one of those crucial plays, and you catch your opponent giving less, that play will swing things in our direction. And if we rise to the occasion like that, on those four or five plays, we are gonna leave here today a winner.”
IN THE GAME OF LIFE WE ARE FACED WITH SITUATIONS THAT PROVE OUR FAITH AND ESTABLISH OUR WITNESS. THESE ARE KEY MOMENTS OF DECISIONS AND ACTIONS THAT INFLUENCE OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:6) – GODLINESS
“and in your perseverance, godliness,”
WE MUST NOT ONLY PEREVERE IN BEING GOOD IN ACTIONS WE MUST ALSO BE GODLY IN OUR THOUGHTS
THE GREEK WORD USED HERE FOR “GODLINESS” MEANS “HOLINESS” OR “PEITY” – CONTINUALLY
THIS CONCEPT OF GODLINESS IS LIKE TWO SIDES OF A COIN THAT REPRESENT OUR HEART/MIND/SOUL
ONE SIDE REFLECTS THE RIGHT ATTITUDE AND PERSPECTIVE TOWARD GOD-SUBMISSIVE WORSHIP
OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHHIP WITH THE FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT.
THE OTHER SIDE REFLECTS THE LOVING, HONORING AND RESPECTFUL ATTITUDE WE HAVE TOWARDS OTHERS – A SERVANT’S HEART OF MERCY AND GRACE.
Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
C. S. Lewis
Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to one state or the other.
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:7) – BROTHERLY KINDNESS
“7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness,”
CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT ONLY BE GODLY, DEVOUT & HOLY, THEY MUST ALSO BE HELPFUL AND KIND
THIS WORD CONVEYS THE IDEA WE TREAT ALL PEOPLE AS IF THEY WERE MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY.
WE BEAR THEIR BURDENS, RELATE TO THEIR PAIN AND REJOICE IN THEIR JOY. WE LISTEN TO THEM.
BUT, THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE ENDORSE EVERYTHING THEY BELIEVE OR DO.
BROTHERLY KINDNESS IS REACHING OUT TO OTHERS IN THE MANNER THAT CHRIST WOULD.
In the summer of 2009, in a Trader Joe's store in Menlo Park, California,. A woman named Jenni Ware was standing at a checkout counter, unable to find her wallet. Carolee Hazard saw that Ware wasn't going to be able to pay the bill, so she offered up the $207 that Ware needed to buy the items in her cart.
The next day, Hazard received a thank-you card and a check for $300 in the mail. In the card's note, Ware suggested that Hazard use the extra $93 to get a massage. But Hazard didn't want a massage. She felt she needed to do something else with the money. Unable to come up with any good ideas, she turned to her Facebook friends, asking them what she should do with the extra cash. One of her friends suggested she give the money to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley, an organization whose mission is "to help feed hungry people by picking up and preparing excess fresh food and delivering it daily to social service agencies in Toronto." Hazard liked the idea, so she matched the $93 with her own money and sent in a check to the Second Harvest Bank for $186. But the giving didn't stop there. After more and more people heard about Hazard's gift, the 93 Dollar Club was born on Facebook. This grassroots movement encourages people to give to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Just for fun, folks can give in amounts of $93 dollars or even $0.93. And get this: between 2009 and 2010, what started out as a simple act of kindness to help one stranger in one little grocery store has led to others giving more than $100,000 to help combat hunger.
How are you showing brotherly kindness?
THE PROCESS (2 Peter 1:7) – LOVE
“and in your brotherly kindness, love.”
CHRISTIANS SHOULD EXPRESS BROTHERLY KINDNESS TO OTHERS, BUT – WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY DEMONSTRATE DEEP AGAPE LOVE FOR ALL PEOPLE AS WELL.
THIS LOVE IS SPOKEN OF IN 1 CORINTHIANS 13 AND IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF GODLY LOVE.
THE GREEK WORD HERE “AGAPE” MEANS TO SEEK THE HIGHEST AND BEST GOOD FOR OTHERS.
IT IS AN UNDONDITIONAL DEVOTION EXPRESSED WITHOUT RESERVATION.
THIS LOVE WAS DEMONSTRATED BY OUR HEAVENLY FATHER GIVING HIS SON AS A SACRIFICE.
IT WAS THE LOVE JESUS SHOWED TOWARDS US WHEN HE DIED ON THE CROSS.
IT IS THE SENSITIVE LOVE THE HOLY SPIRIT POURS OUT INTO OUR LIVES AS HE LIVES WITHIN US.
Charles Swindoll says about this “agape” love, “This kind of love seeks the highest good for others, putting their needs above self; it means unconditional devotion…Peter, marks this kind of love as the highest Christian virtue.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 states, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
A TRUE STORY OF AGAPE LOVE!
In his book Hidden in Plain Sight, author and pastor Mark Buchanan writes about a woman named Regine. Originally from Rwanda, Regine came to Christ while reading her sister's Bible during the genocide that ravaged her country. When she fled to Canada for refuge, she met her husband, Gordon. They decided to return to Rwanda to show the love of Christ to the people who had once been her enemies. Regine told Mark Buchanan this story of agape love:
A woman's only son was killed. She was consumed with grief and hate and bitterness. "God," she prayed, "reveal my son's killer."
One night she dreamed she was going to heaven. But there was a complication: in order to get to heaven she had to pass through a certain house. She had to walk down the street, enter the house through the front door, go through its rooms, up the stairs, and exit through the back door.
She asked God whose house this was.
"It's the house, of your son's killer."
The road to heaven passed through the house of her enemy.
Two nights later, there was a knock at her door. She opened it, and there stood a young man. He was about her son's age.
"Yes?"
He hesitated. Then he said, "I am the one who killed your son. Since that day, I have had no life. No peace. So here I am. I am placing my life in your hands. Kill me. I am dead already. Throw me in jail. I am in prison already. Torture me. I am in torment already. Do with me as you wish."
The woman had prayed for this day. Now it had arrived, and she didn't know what to do. She found, to her own surprise, that she did not want to kill him. Or throw him in jail. Or torture him. In that moment of reckoning, she found she only wanted one thing: a son.
"I ask this of you. Come into my home and live with me. Eat the food I would have prepared for my son. Wear the clothes I would have made for my son. Become the son I lost." And so he did.
AGAPE LOVERS DO WHAT GOD HIMSELF HAS DONE, MAKING SONS AND DAUGHTERS OUT OF BITTER ENEMIES, FEEDING AND CLOTHING THEM, BLAZING A TRAIL TO HEAVEN STRAIGHT THROUGH THEIR HOUSES.
THE POSITIVE RESULT OF LIVING PERSISTENT DILIGENT FAITH
“8 For IF THESE QUALITIES ARE YOURS and are INCREASING,
they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
FIRST: PETER IS NOT SAYING IF YOU PRACTICE THESE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES YOU CAN BE SAVED!
SECOND: PETER IS SAYING THAT THESE SPIRITUAL QUALITIES SHOULD NOT ONLY BE PRESENT IN THE CHRISTIAN, THEY SHOULD BE “INCREASING!”
IF YOU EVER REACH A STAGNANT POINT IN YOUR LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN SOMETHING IS WRONG.
IF YOU EVER THINK YOU HAVE REACHED TOTAL MATURITY AS A CHRISTIAN – CHECK YOUR PRIDE!
THE GOAL OF CHRIST-LIKENESS WILL NEVER BE ACHIEVED IN THIS LIFE, BUT WE MUST PURSUE IT!
Ephesians 2:8-10,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “These holy things must not only be in us, but abound, or we shall be barren. Fruit is the overflow of life, and we must be full before we can flow over.”
THE HOLY SPIRIT MAY RESIDE WITHIN US, BUT THIS DOES NOT GUARANTEE WE WILL MANIFEST THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT UNLESS WE CONTINUE TO GROW SPIRITUALLY, IN THESE HOLY ATTRIBUTES.
Galatians 5:22-24
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
FRUITFUL ABUNDANCE WILL BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN WHO IS GROWING IN AND EXPRESSING OUTWARDLY THESE GODLY QUALITIES IN THEIR LIFE.
THIS WILL BRING GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD AND ATTRRACT OTHERS TO JESUS CHRIST.
THE NEGATIVE RESULT OF FAILING TO LIVE PERSISTENT DILIGENT FAITH
“9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted,
having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”
PETER IS NOT SAYING THAT IF YOU LACK THESE QUALITIES YOU ARE NOT SAVED.
HE DOES DESCRIBE A SPIRITUALLY MALNOURISHED STATE WHERE THERE IS LACK OF GROWTH AND FORGETFULNESS OF WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE.
PAUL WROTE IN 1 Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:12-13 THAT CHRISTIANS WHO DO NOT GROW IN THEIR FAITH MUST CONTINUE FEEDING ON SPIRITUAL MILK BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT GROWN TO THE POINT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE MEAT OF THE WORD.
PETER HERE CALLS SUCH PEOPLE “BLIND” OR “SHORTSIGHTED.”
THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY MYOPIC, UNABLE TO APPRECIATE WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN THE PAST FOR THEM AND THE PROMISES HE HAS IN THE FUTURE FOR THEM.
Philippians 2:12-13
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
GOD CAN WORK IN US, BUT HE WILL NOT FORCE US TO GROW SPIRITUALLY!
THE PLAN
“10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you;
for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”
AS WE HAVE SEEN DILIGENCE IMPLIES GREAT ZEAL AND HASTE!
MANY SCRIPTURES ENCOURAGE US TO BE DILIGENT IN OUR FAITH!
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.”
1 Timothy 4:7-8
“…discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
2 Peter 3:14; “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless”
1 Peter 2:2, “…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,”
2 Peter 3:18, “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Charles Swindoll, “The result of diligence is not salvation but stability, usefulness, and fruitfulness. With these things comes eternal reward upon Christ’s return…This target of hope at Christ’s return should encourage us to press on, unwavering in diligence. If we do so, we will receive great reward. But if we fail to grow in our faith, we will lose reward at the judgment seat of Christ, as Paul sternly warns: ‘If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).”
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
ARE YOU LIVING DILIGENTLY AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST?
HAVE YOU NOTICED YOUR PERSONAL MORALS GROWING IN PURITY?
IS YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND HIS WORD INCREASING?
DO YOU SEE YOUR SELF-CONTROL IMPROVING?
ARE YOU INCREASING IN YOUR SPIRITUAL PERSEVRANCE?
DO YOU SENSE THAT YOUR INWARD THOUGHTS AND OUTWARD BEHAVIOR IS BECOMING MORE GODLY?
HAVE YOU FOUND YOURSELF BEING MORE KIND TO OTHERS THAN YOU HAVE IN THE PAST?
IS YOUR LOVE FOR OTHERS INCREASING IN DEPTH AND THAT YOUR LOVE IS MORE CHRIST-LIKE?
“Glenda's Long Swim” Glenda and Robert Lennon were four miles off the coast of Florida fishing alone from their yacht. Glenda decided to take a swim and soon found the current had carried her too far out from the boat. Her husband, hearing her cries, without thinking dove in and swam to her, but then realized they were both being carried out. He was a champion swimmer, but not she. They made a plan. He would swim against the tide to keep the boat in view until the tide ceased and he could reach the boat. She should save her strength and just float with the tide and he would come and get her. He fought the tide for six hours and just as the boat was about to disappear on the horizon the tide turned and his strokes carried him to the boat exhausted. The sun had set. His searching was futile—he could not find his wife. The next day on one last effort of search, the search party found his wife—twenty miles out and still alive.
The point I want to illustrate with this story is, “spiritually speaking” are you stroking against the tide of this world…or are you simply treading water? You don't stay in one place when you're treading water spiritually. You drift from God. Unlike the story where no mention is made of sharks, there are sharks in real life; Satan and his demons. They seek to destroy your faith and frustrate your life as a follower of Christ!
I WANTED TO SHARE THIS PORTION OF 2 PETER WITH YOU TODAY BECAUSE OF HOW IT HAS CHALLENGED ME TO GROW IN CHRIST.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO DO SOME HOMEWORK IN ORDER TO APPLY THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR LIVES.
HOW DO WE PERSIST IN DILIGENT FAITH? – HOMEWORK!
CONTINUE TO STUDY 2 PETER CHAPTER ONE AND ALSO LOOK UP AND READ THE SCRIPTURES IN THE BULLETIN.
ESPECIALLY
MATTHEW 22:37-39
PHILIPPIANS 2:3-5
GALATIANS 5:25
1 THESSALONIANS 5:19
SEEK TO DISCOVER HOW GOD’S WORD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN HELP YOU STROKE AGAINST THE TIDE OF LIFE THAT STRIVES TO PULL YOU UNDER.
GOD IS ONLY A PRAYER AWAY AND IS EVER READY TO HELP YOU IN YOUR EFFORTS IN THESE SEVEN HOLY HABITS.
THE REWARD
“11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
will be abundantly supplied to you.”
Hebrews 6:10-12,
“ For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
