Pursue Christian Virtues - cornerstoneomaha.org€¦ · Pursue Christian Virtues •Verses 5-7 list eight Christian virtues that we should actively pursue in our lives. •Those virtues

Pursue Christian

Virtues

2 Peter 1:5-11

Part Two

Pursue Christian Virtues

• In verses 2-4, Peter focuses on God’s provision for living godly lives.

• In verse 5-8, Peter focuses on the believer’s responsibility to live godly lives.

• In verses 9-11 Peter focuses on the result of living godly lives.


• 2 Peter 1:5-11—5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,


• 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 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.


• 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.


• 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; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.


• In 2 Peter 1:2-4, Peter is reminding his readers that God has already given them the power to live godly lives.


1. Peter prays that “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

2. “seeing that (or because) His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,”


3. We access God’s divine power for life and godliness “through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

4. “For by these (His own glory and excellence) He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises.”


5. “so that by them (His precious and magnificent promises) you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”


• Verses 5-7 list eight Christian virtues that we should actively pursue in our lives.

• Those virtues are faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

• This this isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list.


• The order of these virtues isn’t particularly significant.

• Peter is talking about sanctification.

• Sanctification is a life-long process of growing to be more like Christ.


• Sanctification isn’t about getting more of the Spirit.

• It’s about the Spirit getting more of us.


• 2 Peter 1:8-11—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. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.


• 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; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.


• God has given us the ability to pursue godliness.

• He has called us to pursue godliness.

• Now we’re going to start to see the result of living a life of godliness.


• The real issue here is not whether we have these virtues at all, it’s all about growing in them.

• Always strive for godliness and keep moving toward your goal.


• 2 Peter 1:8—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.

• We’re not to be “idle” believers, who don’t work at pursuing godliness.

• Neither are we to be “unfruitful.”


• Akarpos (äʹ-kär-pos) means that something, or someone, is “without fruit, barren, or not yielding what it ought to yield.”

• “True knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” should always spark a burning desire to know Him more and more, and to become more and more like Him.


• Akarpos (äʹ-kär-pos) means that something, or someone, is “without fruit, barren, or not yielding what it ought to yield.”

• “True knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” should always spark a burning desire to know Him more and more, and to become more and more like Him.


• Peter contrasts true believers (those with “true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”) and false teachers (those who revile “where they have no knowledge”).

• 2 Peter 1:9—For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.


• The Greek word that is translated as “short-sighted,” or “nearsighted,” is myōpazō (mü-ō-päʹ-zō).

• Myōpazō (mü-ō-päʹ-zō) can be translated “because of shutting one’s eyes.”


• Oftentimes in the Bible, the word “forgotten” doesn’t refer to a literal mental lapse.

• The issue of true and false believers is a very prominent issue in 2 Peter.


• God gives us the power to grow in godliness.

• We diligently pursue godliness.

• And, ultimately, our godliness is evidence that we are followers of Christ.

• God has given all true believers what they need to grow.


• 2 Peter 1:10—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;

• The phrase “be all the more diligent,” reflects back to the phrase “applying all diligence,” in verse 5.


• Genuine believers, those who possess “the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” will grow in their faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.


• If God chose you and called you, then you are going to grow in “godliness, through the true knowledge of Him.” (2 Peter 1:3)


• John 1:12-13—12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.


• Romans 10:9-10—9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.


• To become a Christian, you have to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

• And, once you do that, you should have a passionate desire to grow in “godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called you by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).


• 2 Peter 1:10-11—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; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.


• The clear message of Scripture is that our salvation is secured through faith in Christ.

• John 6:39—This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.


• John 6:40—For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.

• John 6:44—No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.


• If you are a genuine follower of Christ, you will never lose your salvation.

• God knows whether you’re a genuine believer or not.

• Peter encourages His readers to diligently examine themselves “to make certain about His calling and choosing.”


• Verse 10 also tells us that when you’re exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit and diligently pursuing Christian virtues in your lives, “you will never stumble.”


• 2 Peter 1:10-11—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; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.


• Know that God has given you everything you need to grow in godliness.

• Your growth in godliness is proof that God called and chose you.

• And, that proof provides you with the assurance that you’ll spend eternity in heaven with your Savior.


• Know that God has given you everything you need to grow in godliness.

• Your growth in godliness is proof that God called and chose you.

• And, that proof provides you with the assurance that you’ll spend eternity in heaven with your Savior.

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Pursue Christian Virtues - cornerstoneomaha.org€¦ · Pursue Christian Virtues •Verses 5-7 list eight Christian virtues that we should actively pursue in our lives. •Those virtues