Latest / HBCWestminster / Make Every Effort • 2 Peter 1:3-11

Transcript

Make Every Effort • 2 Peter 1:3-11 · HBCWestminster

0:11
Amen. If you've got a Bible, let's open it up to 2 Peter chapter 1 today. If you don't have a Bible,
0:23
there is one underneath a seat somewhere around you. You're going to want to grab that today as
0:31
we study God's Word. We've been spending a lot of time in John's letters. You guys will know if
0:39
you've been with us. Covered 1 John over a handful of months, covered 2 and 3 John in just the last
0:44
couple weeks. And so over the next few weeks, we're going to be taking a break from a series.
0:50
We're going to be jumping into Mark this fall, the Gospel of Mark. And so we've got a few
0:55
stand-alone studies between now and then. But if you have turned there to 2 Peter chapter 1,
1:03
we're going to be studying verses 3 to 11 today. And so if you're able, let's stand in honor of
1:08
God's Word while I read this.
1:18
1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3 says,
1:22
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness
1:28
through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence,
1:33
by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises,
1:38
so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,
1:42
having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
1:46
For this very reason,
1:48
make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge
1:54
with self-control and self-control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness
1:59
and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. For if these
2:06
qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful
2:11
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted
2:17
that he is blind.
2:18
Having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
2:22
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election,
2:26
for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall.
2:30
For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior,
2:37
Jesus Christ.
2:40
Father, we come to you in humility and hunger this morning. I pray
2:48
that where your Word would challenge us this morning,
2:52
that we would accept it. And I pray that where your Word would reveal to us truth that seems
3:01
too good and too glorious, that you would help us to believe it. Be honored in our time today.
3:11
God, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. In January 1942,
3:24
just one month after Pearl Harbor was bombed,
3:28
President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9024, which established the War Production
3:35
Board. The purpose of the War Production Board was to convert factories into wartime production
3:42
plants. And many industries took the metal they formerly used for making toys, cars, nails, etc.,
3:50
and they used it to produce supplies for the military. And companies like the Lionel Toy
3:57
Train Company, which was the first company to produce supplies for the military,
3:58
began making compasses. The Mattituck Manufacturing Company, who made upholstery nails,
4:05
began producing cartridge clips for Springfield rifles. Ford Motor Company began building
4:12
bomber planes. There was a nationwide effort by the U.S. to make everything that the military
4:18
needed. In fact, in 1941, there were about 3 million cars manufactured in the U.S.
4:26
But during the entire war, the U.S. was the first country to make all the necessary equipment for
4:28
the war. Only 139 additional cars were produced. Companies that once had no business with war
4:36
put all of their efforts toward military production. And in total, the WPB, the War
4:44
Production Board, directed the production of $185 billion worth of war armament and supplies.
4:51
And that was $185 billion back then, in the 40s. Today, that would be around $2.48 trillion.
5:00
It's estimated that the U.S. manufactured two-thirds of the Allied powers' military equipment.
5:10
Two-thirds. If not for the War Production Board and the collective effort of the American people,
5:17
the American economy would have remained immobilized and inadequate, and the Allied
5:22
powers would not have been able to succeed as quickly as they did. It was only because the
5:27
American people made every effort that it was all possible. You know, we're in a season of
5:35
transition right now, from vacation to school, from summer to fall. And this morning, we're
5:44
going to let the Word of God equip us for effectiveness in this upcoming season by
5:49
reminding us of the great spiritual realities we've been saved into, and of the life which is
5:59
our privilege and our duty as believers to live. And so, specifically, I want us to be reminded
6:04
this morning to enlist every effort in our pursuit of God and of godliness. And so, first, in our
6:13
passage this morning, let's take a look at God's—what I'm going to call God's executive order, right?
6:17
What has God signed off on? What has he authorized and accomplished in us? Let's look back at verse 3 together.
6:27
Peter writes this,
6:28
Peter writes this,
6:39
Now, this last week, when I was studying these—how many is it?
6:58
Nine verses this morning. And I read these two verses. I mean, we can spend an entire morning
7:03
just on what I read, couldn't we? On verses 3 and 4. I mean, there's just a wealth of truth,
7:10
rich truth in these verses. And the first fundamental truth to note is that everything
7:17
we're about to study—and hear me when I say this, because this is really important—everything
7:22
we're about to study this morning has only come about because of God's executive order. And so,
7:28
first, what I'm talking about here, is just God's divine power. Everything. Lasting spiritual transformation and moral change—lasting moral change in a person— Can only come about because of God's divine power. It can only come about because of God's power. It cannot happen by your power. You cannot white-knuckle your way into Christlikeness or into steadfasthood. You cannot WILL going ever before or it will. post this video over to The Sociologist Terracement and
8:01
into heaven without God's power. All of your efforts don't get you one inch closer to heaven
8:07
if God's power is not at work. It must be active in us. God's divine power. So that's the first one.
8:16
Everything we're about to study has only come about through God's power, okay? Number two,
8:21
second fundamental truth is that God's divine power, he says what? Look at verse three. He says
8:26
his divine power has, you guys got Bibles? His divine power has granted to us all things that
8:37
pertain to life and godliness. And so not only does everything we're about to study only come
8:43
from God and can't be produced by us, it's also all a gracious gift. He has granted it to you.
8:52
I was just talking with a couple of young adults a week ago.
8:58
About school, they're about to jump into their college season, and we were talking about student
9:03
aid. And I remember telling them, I remember going to college and signing up for student aid,
9:09
and you got to take out some loans, right, to go to school. But then when you apply for that grant
9:16
from the state, and they send you that letter, yes, you've been selected for this much money
9:23
as a grant from the government. And you're like, thank you, Jesus.
9:27
Free money.
9:28
Free money. It's not a loan. It's a grant. It's just free. There's no expectation of payback.
9:34
And it's from the government. I was like, this is a miracle. Like, the government's giving me
9:39
money. Just how excited I was to get a grant and not a loan. And sometimes in the church,
9:44
we'll use language about owing God, owing God, paying, like Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe,
9:53
right? We will sing that. But make no mistake,
9:56
make no mistake. When we say that, we are not talking about paying God back
10:04
as some sort of debt. We are talking about total submission to God as the only appropriate response
10:12
to everything he's done for us. I owe him everything, not because I'm trying to pay
10:18
something off. That is not what we mean. We don't have a debtor's ethic that tells us we need to pay
10:25
God back. And so, we're not talking about paying God back. We're talking about paying God back.
10:26
Side note, you can't. And even more important than that, God doesn't want you to. He's not
10:34
looking for you to pay him back. That's not part of what he's trying to accomplish. This just
10:41
simply says God has granted to us all of this, everything we're about to read, because it was
10:48
his good pleasure. Like, you know why God saved you? You know why he gave you all of the blessings?
10:56
In Christ? Because he wanted to. He wanted to. That's it. It all flows out of his abundant grace
11:07
in kindness toward us. And so, if our thoughts about salvation and about moral transformation,
11:14
right, personal transformation, if all of that is founded upon these two truths, that it all comes
11:20
about because of God's power, and it's all a free gift from God, we're in a good place. That's where
11:27
we need to start.
11:28
And so, what has God granted to us? Verse 3, he says his divine power has granted to us
11:37
all things that pertain to life and godliness. God has freely given you everything you need
11:45
to live a godly life. He hasn't left anything out. And this thought occurred to me this last week
11:53
as I was prepping for this. Let's just do a thought experiment here.
11:58
Imagine, for a moment, the spiritual life that you wish you had this side of heaven.
12:08
What things would you improve? Would it be maybe discipline or evangelism? Prayer? What spiritual
12:21
life would you like to have this side of heaven? Prayerfulness? Integrity? Holiness? Guess what?
12:29
Peter says,
12:31
you have everything you need to live that life. You have it. That life that you're imagining,
12:43
in accordance with God's word, obviously, that life that you're imagining is possible. That
12:48
relationship with God is possible. It's yours for the taking. You don't lack anything. You aren't an
12:57
impoverished beggar pleading for blessing from a reluctant hand of God. You're a royal son and a
13:06
royal daughter sitting at the king's table with a feast set before you. Everything you could want
13:13
to live a life of godliness. This is your identity in Christ. God's divine power, Peter says,
13:22
began its work in us when we received, he says, the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory
13:28
and excellence, which I believe refers to Jesus. And this description of Jesus is succinct, but
13:35
it's also perfect.
13:36
Right? Him who called us to his own glory and excellence. You want to sum up Jesus? He is both
13:48
glorious and he's good. That word for excellence just means virtuous, moral goodness. Jesus is
13:55
glorious and he is good. And Peter says that is our calling and our destiny. Because if you're
14:03
in Christ, you have been called to his own glory and his own excellence. And by this knowledge of
14:12
Christ, this knowledge of the gospel, Peter continues, God has granted, there it is again,
14:16
verse four, he has granted to us his precious and very great promises. Now I'm going to show my hand
14:24
a little bit on our future thrive study. All right. I can't not talk about it with this passage. Okay.
14:29
So if you're in the equipping track, just take notes because this will come up. Okay.
14:34
The promises that Peter's referring to here, I believe are the promises of the new covenant.
14:40
It's, I think it's clear from the context. It's clear from where he's about to go in the rest of
14:43
verse four and through the rest of the passage. But especially in verse four, these are the old,
14:51
the promises made about the new covenant. They were made to Israel.
14:56
They are fulfilled in Christ, who is the true Israel. And then by virtue of our union with
15:02
Christ, they are given to us. And by virtue of our union with Christ, they are given to us. And by
15:03
virtue of our union with Christ, they are given to us. His precious and very great magnificent
15:08
promises are given to us. And I think Peter specifically here is referring to the promise
15:14
of the new covenant related to the giving of the Holy spirit. And so this promise was given in
15:18
Ezekiel 36 and 37. And then in Joel chapter two, but there was this day, the prophet said, when
15:23
God himself would pour out his spirit on every member of the new covenant. And so it's not just
15:31
spirit for leaders and prophets and Kings, this whole thing, every member of the new covenant,
15:35
would receive the promised Holy spirit. They're going to live. The spirit's going to live in
15:43
members of the new covenant. He's going to free them from the power of sin. He's going to change
15:47
their hearts. And he's going to, as Peter mentions here, allow the members of the new covenant to
15:53
partake of the divine nature, to partake of the divine nature. And again, we are recipients of
16:02
this promise because we are united to Jesus. We are united to Jesus. We are united to Jesus.
16:05
We have been given the spirit of God. Have we not? You guys with me this morning? We've been
16:11
given the spirit of God so that we can walk in obedience and become the glorious and excellent
16:16
people that God intends us to be. This is possible for us, man, one lie, one lie, which has captivated
16:26
so many Christians. I hear this just all the time from people like we're still slaves to our sin
16:36
nature.
16:36
And we can't really do anything about that. And we're just going to struggle with this one sin.
16:40
We're never going to have victory over it. This is just your cross to bear. You'll never see any
16:44
progress. And until you die, you're just going to be struggling and we can't obey God and we
16:48
can't walk in obedience. We'll never do what pleases God. And it's just like, who told you
16:52
that? Where did you hear that? Because guaranteed it's not from this. So where did you hear that?
17:04
Don't we understand the entire point of the new covenant is that God would create by his
17:10
spirit.
17:11
And through the atoning work of his servant, Jesus, he would create a people who walk in
17:16
obedience. It's not just like God was like, all right, you guys, this clearly isn't working this
17:22
old covenant thing. So I'll just do it for you. Here's a free pass into heaven. Go live your life.
17:27
The whole point of the new covenant is God saying, I will change this people so that they will live
17:32
in righteousness and be the kingdom of priests and the holy nation that I have called them to be.
17:37
This is it. And so there can be this real defeatist spirit amongst
17:42
us Christians, where it's just like, man, I just can't win and I can't overcome. And I can't,
17:50
that's not what this book says. And this isn't a matter of perspective. Like you're just more
17:56
optimistic so you can overcome, but I'm more of a critic. And so I'm just going to kind of sit in
18:00
my sin, be very pessimistic. This book says you were created to participate in the divine nature
18:07
of God, to walk how he wants you to walk. And man, I've just been praying that that spirit of defeatism,
18:18
would just be gone from this place. Cause I know some of you guys are struggling with that. I talk
18:22
with you guys during the week. That's not from God. And we need to be free from that. And so do
18:32
we wrestle against the flesh and against sin? Yes, we do. But Highland, have we not been given the
18:37
spirit of holiness who renews our inner selves every single day and gives us the victory?
18:44
Oh, come on, dude. Are y'all sleeping? It is 9 46 AM. I'm preaching. Come on.
18:51
I know I'm not seeing your pat. Danny ain't here. I know, but come on. This is on the word of God.
18:56
Have you not been given the eternal spirit of holiness who lives in you and who makes you like
19:03
Jesus and gives you the victory? Of course you have. Look at this Romans chapter eight. We'd be
19:08
foolish not to go here talking about life of the spirit. Romans chapter eight, verses 12 to 17,
19:13
say this. So then brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh.
19:19
Paul is saying you don't owe anything to your flesh. Nothing. For if you live according to the
19:25
flesh, you will die. But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
19:30
For all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of
19:35
slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom
19:44
we cry, Abba, father. Spirit himself,
19:49
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then what does he say?
19:55
Heirs. That's royal language. That's inheritance language. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with
20:03
Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Do you
20:09
understand? This is yours. And it is only yours because God's divine power has granted you access
20:21
to the divine nature by the spirit of God. This is the aim of our salvation. You ever wonder about
20:28
why you were saved or what the ultimate aim of your salvation really is according to the Bible?
20:33
I'll tell you what it is. Unhindered union with God by becoming like him. Over and over again in
20:43
the Bible, there's this phrase, I will be their God, they will be my people. And one day we will
20:50
see that in its fullness. But that is the aim of our salvation.
20:53
Unhindered union with God by becoming like him. And again, we don't become like God in his essence.
20:58
We're not becoming like little demigods. We're becoming like him in his moral character,
21:04
right? There's a clear delineation between us as creatures and him as the uncreated one,
21:09
but we are becoming like him in that regard. The verb tense in verse four, look with me here.
21:20
The verb tense for,
21:23
toward the end, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world. That verb
21:27
tense for having escaped tells us that our escape is a past event that is already complete.
21:38
For you Greek people, it's the aorist tense. It happened in the past and it's done.
21:44
Think about this. Your great escape has happened. It's already happened.
21:52
The world may be guided by unrighteousness,
21:54
restrained and impulsive desire, but not you, Christian, not you. We feel the tension between
22:01
our escape from the power of sin and our struggle with its presence. We feel that tension, right?
22:07
But this is a spiritual reality that the spiritual reality rather that God has worked for us. His
22:14
unmatched power has equipped you to live as the spirit filled Christ centered, excellent people.
22:22
He has designed you to be.
22:24
I'll say it again. God's unmatched power.
22:29
If you are in Christ this morning has equipped you to be the spirit filled Christ centered, excellent person.
22:38
He wants you to be.
22:40
You lack nothing.
22:44
Absolutely nothing. This is God's executive order. If you will. He signed it. It's done, right?
22:51
And so seeing that the executive order is signed,
22:54
our life is going to be a little bit more difficult.
22:54
Our lives are now transformed to begin production for the kingdom of God,
22:57
just like those factories were transformed into production for the war. And so verse five,
23:03
look with me here. He begins verse five with this important statement. He says,
23:09
for this very reason, considering all that we just talked about, make every effort to supplement
23:18
your faith. When Peter considers all that God has done for us in granting us the knowledge of Jesus
23:26
bestowing upon us,
23:27
his great promises and working powerfully to change our hearts.
23:32
He can only see one proper response.
23:36
There's only one right thing to do after we receive all of that,
23:41
which is wholehearted devotion to God and wholehearted pursuit of Christ likeness.
23:49
In our pursuit of God, you guys, we are not called to give just any effort.
23:54
What does he say?
23:56
Make
23:58
I have it on the slide to make it easy.
24:04
Make every effort, uh, effort nowhere in the new Testament. Excuse me. Do we read about just kind
24:10
of like coasting into the kingdom of God? Like I'm just going to put this thing in neutral and
24:16
I'm heading downhill and I'm just going to glide on in. No, the new Testament talks about forgetting
24:23
what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead.
24:27
The goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We're told to strive for the holiness without which we will not see the Lord.
24:34
Hebrews 12 says, right? Uh, I liked this poster from the World War II era for the war production board.
24:44
It's Uncle Sam saying, I need the tin in your empty toothpaste and shave cream tubes. Bring them in.
24:50
And when I saw this, I just thought, really? That's the tin you need.
24:59
Empty toothpaste tooth. Like that's so insignificant, isn't it? And yet though WPB was like, no, we need everything. Are you done with brush your teeth and then give me that too, right? Like shave and then bring it in, right? There was just, again, this collective effort. Everything must come in every effort. And so sometimes we look at things in our lives and we say, does God really care about this little piece?
25:25
It seems so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
25:28
Yes, he does.
25:30
And we should too, because Peter says, make every effort toward godliness.
25:35
The scriptures command us to lay everything down on the altar.
25:40
Your time, your talent, your money, aspirations, your affections, and your entire life.
25:52
The testimony of every apostle and of Christ himself is that Jesus cannot be an exception.
25:59
He cannot be an accessory to your life.
26:01
He cannot be an accessory to your life.
26:05
Ladies, think about how you accessorize.
26:08
I had to look up the definition of accessory when I was studying because I didn't actually know like how to word it.
26:14
Think about how you accessorize, right?
26:16
Accessories contribute to your overall outfit in a secondary way, says Google.
26:22
Okay.
26:25
No, that's probably right though, right?
26:27
They contribute to your overall look, if you will.
26:31
In a secondary matter, or manner.
26:35
And this is a very powerful and a very prevalent temptation to us as believers,
26:42
which is to make Jesus an accessory to our lives,
26:45
where he does contribute overall to us, but only in a secondary way.
26:52
Like I'm going to wear Jesus to kind of improve my look,
26:58
but he's not preeminent like he demands to be.
27:03
I'm going to just accessorize with Jesus.
27:05
You guys, this is idolatrous.
27:07
And if you're here this morning and you are playing these games with God,
27:10
you are walking in idolatry.
27:14
You must repent.
27:16
That can change.
27:17
You can change that, but it's up to you.
27:19
You must repent.
27:21
This desire to use Jesus, to use him instead of worship him is wrong.
27:28
It's wrong.
27:29
Jesus says, if I am secondary, you do not have me.
27:33
I must be preeminent in your life.
27:37
And so, this morning, if you want to be protected from this temptation,
27:42
Peter says, make every effort in your pursuit of Jesus.
27:44
Be diligent.
27:46
Make him your, if you will, main outfit instead of an accessory.
27:51
Romans 13, 14 says,
27:53
put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
27:58
Put on Jesus.
28:00
Put on Jesus.
28:02
As we gear up for kingdom production,
28:05
what specific things should we be looking to produce?
28:08
Peter lists them all out right here.
28:10
He says, make every effort to supplement your faith with, what's the first one?
28:15
Virtue.
28:16
This is the same word used for Christ's excellence in verse 3.
28:24
It just means integrity, moral goodness, high quality of character.
28:30
And virtue, when you think about it, virtue befits,
28:32
the royal heirs of God, doesn't it?
28:35
Yeah, it does.
28:38
We are then to supply virtue with knowledge.
28:42
Knowledge, and specifically, knowledge of God.
28:46
And this knowledge Peter's talking about here isn't exclusively intellectual.
28:50
This knowledge is practical.
28:52
It's applied.
28:53
It's what we would call wisdom.
28:56
The ability to discern between right and wrong,
28:59
between true and false.
29:02
And knowledge is critical for the cultivation of virtue.
29:07
Highland, ignorance is not acceptable.
29:13
It's not acceptable to the Lord.
29:15
It should not be acceptable to us.
29:18
One commentator, John Phillips, says this,
29:21
God places no premium on ignorance.
29:25
He expects us to expand our mental horizons constantly.
29:29
There's enough unexplored truth in the Bible to occupy our thoughts
29:33
for all eternity.
29:35
It will take that long for us to grasp all of the inexhaustible truths
29:39
of the word of God.
29:41
What a statement.
29:44
What a statement.
29:48
As we pursue knowledge,
29:53
I want to give you guys an encouragement.
29:57
This upcoming fall, for our midweek Bible study,
30:03
we're going to continue,
30:04
in what is a three-year-long study through the entire story of God.
30:08
And so over this last school year,
30:10
we studied the Old Testament from Genesis through the wisdom literature.
30:14
And this fall, we're going to be jumping into the prophets
30:17
as the continuation of that story.
30:21
And if you're thinking,
30:22
what does the prophets have to do with me?
30:24
Everything.
30:25
It has everything to do with you and me.
30:28
And so this fall, I'm really hoping in our study
30:31
to take what is kind of famous,
30:34
a really difficult part of the Bible,
30:36
difficult to understand,
30:37
the prophets you're like,
30:38
I read 15 chapters of judgment.
30:40
I don't know what to do with that, right?
30:42
But a really difficult part of the Bible
30:45
and situate it within this larger narrative of God
30:48
so that we can be more knowledgeable,
30:50
not just about what this word says,
30:52
but also what it means for us.
30:55
What it means.
30:56
So there's my little plug for my ministry, all right?
30:58
Midweek Bible study.
30:59
But I would encourage you guys to come.
31:01
I've been studying all this summer with my intern,
31:03
Brendan Bull,
31:04
and we are just about ready
31:08
to jump into the prophets with you.
31:10
And so September 10th will be our first one.
31:12
I would encourage you guys to come back 6.30 to 8 o'clock
31:15
for that study.
31:16
But this is the kind of knowledge Peter wants us to grow in.
31:19
The knowledge of God's character,
31:21
the knowledge of God's works, right?
31:24
Next, he says, supplement knowledge with,
31:27
verse six, he says,
31:29
self-control or the mastery of one's desires and impulses.
31:34
We know that knowledge without self-control
31:37
ends in Solomonic tragedy.
31:40
You guys remember Solomon?
31:43
Incredible gifts of wisdom and knowledge,
31:46
unmatched and yet lacked self-control.
31:50
And so gave himself over to money and women and empire power
31:54
and led the kingdom to division, right?
31:58
So we must have not only knowledge, but also self-control.
32:01
Fourthly, we are to supplement self-control, he says,
32:03
with steadfastness.
32:04
This is important because momentary self-control is not enough.
32:10
Momentary self-control is not enough.
32:11
We must practice self-control consistently over time.
32:19
Well-worn paths of virtue can only be established
32:22
by frequently traveling them.
32:26
If you want virtue, you have to keep at it.
32:31
Our steadfastness is then to be supplemented, he says,
32:34
with godliness or,
32:36
reverence to and obedience to God, right?
32:39
As already stated, the entire goal of our salvation
32:41
is godliness, to make us like God
32:43
so that we can enjoy union with God, right?
32:45
And then notice in verse seven,
32:48
the final two attributes
32:51
are two different kinds of love.
32:54
The first, he says, is brotherly affection
32:56
or in Greek, Philadelphia, Philadelphia.
33:00
This is sincere care for other believers.
33:04
It's a spirit of goodwill,
33:06
toward your brothers and sisters in Christ
33:10
that stirs up heartfelt fondness.
33:14
You know, in the church, we talk very often
33:16
about love being an act of the will, right?
33:19
Love is a choice.
33:22
And that is certainly true of agape,
33:24
which is the last virtue here.
33:26
But here, we're talking about brotherly affection.
33:30
Philadelphia, the shared familial bond between Christians.
33:34
And I even appreciate that
33:35
the ESV translators translated this word,
33:38
brotherly affection, brotherly affection.
33:43
Hyland, I know we talk about this a lot,
33:46
but I'm gonna repeat it because it needs to be repeated.
33:49
There should be a fondness you have
33:52
toward the people sitting around you right now.
33:58
A brotherly affection,
34:02
and especially toward people that really get under your skin
34:06
and that really maybe annoy you
34:08
or that you really don't like
34:09
or people who have sinned against you.
34:11
Like, Jesus knows what that's like,
34:13
and yet he's still forgiving people
34:14
as he's hanging up on a cross, right?
34:16
It's not like, man, I just don't like you,
34:17
so I'm gonna leave this church, right?
34:18
I'm just not gonna talk to you.
34:19
Like, that's just not an option.
34:21
For the person who is filled with brotherly affection,
34:23
like, I just don't like that.
34:25
I hate this phrase, you guys.
34:26
I'm just gonna rant a little bit.
34:28
This whole, like, I just don't like this other believer.
34:33
Why do we feel like it's okay to say that?
34:37
Is that what Jesus would say?
34:39
I just don't, I just don't like you.
34:42
No.
34:44
Like, why not just be wronged and then forgive
34:48
and then extend grace
34:49
and sure, have hard conversations if you need to, right?
34:52
Those do need to happen.
34:53
But brotherly affection is what we should be pressing for.
34:56
And that only counts if it's,
34:58
if you're dealing with people you don't like.
35:00
Jesus says it in the Sermon on the Mount,
35:02
if you only love people who love you,
35:03
you only greet your brothers,
35:05
you're not doing anything more than the Gentiles
35:07
who don't know God and the tax collectors
35:09
who are traitors to Israel.
35:09
Like, they're doing that.
35:11
So if that's all you're doing,
35:12
you're not doing anything more than them.
35:14
Brotherly affection is what Peter wants us to be,
35:18
wants to stir up within us.
35:22
And I'll say this,
35:23
beware of letting the bonds of brotherly affection
35:26
fray so easily.
35:30
Beware of letting those bonds fray.
35:33
This is what we're supposed to be pressing toward.
35:35
And the concluding virtue,
35:36
indeed the queen of all virtues,
35:39
is agape.
35:41
He says, brotherly affection supplemented with love.
35:47
This is love that actively lives for the good of others
35:50
and demands no reciprocity.
35:54
I'm just going to seek your goodwill.
35:56
Even if you show me nothing in return,
35:59
I will not let my love for you diminish in the slightest.
36:04
That's agape.
36:05
Love undergirds all the other attributes
36:07
and really lives at the core of the virtuous life.
36:11
And so when taken together,
36:13
all of these qualities and more, right?
36:15
This isn't exhaustive,
36:16
but all these qualities
36:18
are part of what it means to participate
36:20
in the divine nature.
36:23
These are what God's executive order
36:26
intends to produce in you
36:28
and in me.
36:33
This is what we're aiming for, right?
36:36
And it's these which will get us,
36:38
he says, to the end.
36:40
And so we've got this executive order.
36:42
What has God done for us?
36:44
Then we've got production.
36:45
What should we be producing for the kingdom of God?
36:48
Now let's talk about what Peter has to say
36:50
about winning the war.
36:51
Look at verse eight.
36:54
He says,
36:54
for if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
36:58
they keep you from becoming or from being,
37:02
what does he say?
37:04
Ineffective or unfruitful
37:07
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
37:11
I'm just going to ask you this,
37:12
and I assume I know the answer,
37:14
but I just want to hear you.
37:14
Do you want to be effective for the kingdom of God?
37:19
Do you want to be fruitful
37:20
in your knowledge of the Lord Jesus?
37:22
Yeah, we all do, don't we?
37:24
Now I will say this.
37:25
If you're here this morning
37:26
and you're just content with being ineffective and unfruitful,
37:28
you need to repent because that's not okay.
37:30
And that's a scary place to be before God.
37:32
I'm just fine with not growing.
37:33
Like, no, okay.
37:36
But we all want this, right?
37:38
And Peter's antidote against spiritual uselessness,
37:40
he says, is not only to possess these qualities,
37:43
but also to practice them.
37:44
Because notice in verse eight,
37:46
he says, if these qualities are yours
37:49
and are increasing,
37:52
they're yours and they're increasing.
37:53
And so the questions we need to ask ourselves this morning are,
37:56
number one, do I possess these qualities in some measure?
38:00
Do I possess these in some measure?
38:02
But then number two,
38:03
when I look back over my life,
38:07
do I see these virtues increasing in me?
38:12
By calling for an increase in virtue,
38:16
what is the implication?
38:25
He's calling us to increase these virtues in our lives.
38:28
So what is the implication?
38:31
We don't possess these virtues in their fullness.
38:35
Peter here leaves room for growth for us.
38:39
You guys, that's okay.
38:41
That's okay.
38:43
He's not looking for perfection.
38:44
He's looking for progress.
38:46
And so we just need to let go of this idea.
38:48
Like, I'm not perfect.
38:49
Yeah, like we know, okay?
38:50
Everyone knows.
38:52
We know we're not perfect.
38:54
Do we see progress?
38:56
Are we heading in the right direction?
38:57
That's what we are looking for.
39:00
And this is an area where we need to show grace to one another and to ourselves.
39:05
Grace in the growth.
39:07
Grace does not mean leniency.
39:10
Like, I know what I'm supposed to do and I'm not going to do it
39:12
and grace will just cover that.
39:13
No, that's leniency.
39:15
It's not leniency, but just grace.
39:17
We've talked before about to be a gracious person is to be a spacious person.
39:21
There's just space in your life for others.
39:24
There's just space in your life for other people's brokenness.
39:25
They can still draw near to you, right?
39:28
They can still find a home with you.
39:31
They can find mercy, right?
39:33
And so we need to extend that to others.
39:35
But we also need to just extend that to ourselves.
39:37
There's room for growth here.
39:39
Virtue is not acquired instantly.
39:42
It can only be gained through patient, continuous effort over time.
39:46
And if you've never read it, I would encourage you to read Eugene Peterson's book,
39:50
the title of which is taken actually from Friedrich Nietzsche,
39:54
and it says,
39:54
but it's called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
39:59
You want to live as a true disciple of Jesus,
40:02
what is required is a long obedience in the same direction.
40:07
We're heading on that path, right?
40:10
Those who don't put effort towards spiritual growth
40:12
and who do not possess these qualities are useless for the kingdom of God.
40:16
Look at verse 9.
40:17
He says,
40:18
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind,
40:22
having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
40:25
This is interesting.
40:27
Peter says that the root of spiritual uselessness is forgetfulness.
40:33
Forgetfulness of God,
40:34
forgetfulness of the gospel,
40:35
and of our calling.
40:37
It's like the Israelites,
40:38
when they're saved by the mighty arm of God out of Egypt,
40:42
and the second they come out of Egypt,
40:44
they're like,
40:44
we're going to die here in the wilderness.
40:46
God can't provide.
40:47
We're hungry.
40:48
And it's like,
40:48
did you forget what just happened?
40:52
I'm not talking like it happened to your great granddad's generation.
40:55
This happened in your lifetime.
40:58
And you're here in the desert complaining about God's provision.
41:02
What?
41:03
How is that even possible, right?
41:06
I mean, imagine not possessing these qualities,
41:08
not making any effort in your growth.
41:10
And Peter's just saying,
41:10
have you forgotten everything that happened to you spiritually?
41:15
Have you forgotten about the forgiveness offered to you in the cross?
41:18
Have you forgotten that God saved you?
41:22
Have you forgotten the purpose for which you were saved?
41:25
You're so nearsighted.
41:26
You're blind.
41:27
You are not seeing anything.
41:31
He doesn't want us to be forgetful like that.
41:36
I mean, just imagine for a moment,
41:37
one of those factories during World War II,
41:40
the president signs this executive order and they're like,
41:42
we're going to continue to make toy trains still.
41:45
You're like, dude, there's a war happening.
41:50
So like get into gear, contribute to the cause, right?
41:54
Same thing for believers.
41:56
Like, man, the kingdom of God has come.
41:57
We are part of it and it will come in its fullness.
42:01
So don't forget.
42:05
Don't forget where you came from.
42:06
Don't forget how far God has brought you.
42:10
Don't be useless.
42:13
Peter then repeats the idea of making every effort towards spiritual growth.
42:17
And we'll conclude with this.
42:18
But look at verse 10 with me.
42:20
He says, therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.
42:24
For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall.
42:28
For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
42:36
By the way that you live, confirm that God has truly called and invited you into his kingdom.
42:43
God's not the one that needs confirmation.
42:45
You are.
42:47
You are.
42:47
And so if you want assurance of your salvation, honestly, live how God wants you to live.
42:52
And if we do this, we can be sure that we'll never fall out of the march.
42:56
To heaven.
42:57
We'll see the final victory.
43:00
The message puts these verses this way.
43:03
And I really like this.
43:04
This is, again, Eugene Peterson.
43:06
He says, so, friends, confirm God's invitation to you.
43:09
His choice of you.
43:11
Don't put it off.
43:13
Do it now.
43:15
Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing.
43:18
The streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior Jesus Christ.
43:26
What a great encouragement to know that all of our efforts, every effort, will not be wasted.
43:33
But will result in inexpressible joy in the unfading kingdom of Jesus.
43:41
What a wealth of truth this passage holds.
43:44
And I really hope and have been praying that you would be encouraged this morning to just take a moment to consider everything that God has done for you.
43:54
His divine power has granted you every single thing.
43:58
Every single thing you need for life and godliness.
44:01
Through your knowledge of Jesus.
44:03
Who is calling you toward his own glory and excellence.
44:08
Who has filled you with his spirit because of his promises.
44:12
You've escaped from the corruption that is in the world.
44:14
That is enormous.
44:17
Life altering.
44:18
And because of that, take up your responsibility to supplement your faith with all these different virtues.
44:24
Knowing that you are on your way.
44:27
Toward the unfading, glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ.
44:32
Make every effort toward Christ-likeness in your school.
44:36
In your parenting.
44:38
In your Bible reading.
44:39
Your prayer.
44:40
Your work.
44:40
Your home making.
44:42
And I hope too that this fall you would join us.
44:45
Both on Sundays and on Wednesdays.
44:47
And for a number of different other events.
44:49
As we press toward this together as a church.
44:53
And Father, we are grateful.
44:55
For our time in the word this morning.
44:59
And we receive your call today.
45:02
I pray that if there are some here who have not received that.
45:06
That today they would really consider you.
45:09
And have their life changed by your power.
45:11
So that they can walk in newness of life.
45:13
We pray this in Jesus name.
45:15
Amen.