Our text today comes from 2 Peter 1:1-11
Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For he who lacks these things is short sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
When we first heard the word preached to us and believed that it was the truth, we then knew that we needed to repent from our former way of life when we were called by God’s inspired word. We soon learnt that we were once lost in sin and this came with our understanding and knowledge of His Word. We were then told that we needed to confess that Jesus was Lord to be the Saviour of those of us who believed in Him and as a result we were baptised for the remission of our sins and that we would receive the free gift of the Holy Spirit which would guide and comfort us as we began our new lives in Christ Jesus at which point we were born again into a new life with Christ and being our Head as members of His body, the church of Christ.
So, now as members of His body, how on earth do we grow and become the kind of people He wants us to be…?
First of all, we have now obtained this precious faith, and His grace and peace has been multiplied to us in the knowledge of God and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus. We were given all things that pertain to life and godliness through Him when we were called to be His chosen people. It’s now every member’s responsibility to grow by learning more about how to do it and be transformed as God’s holy brothers and sisters. He has already promised us the very best life can offer us so that we can all be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. We learnt from 1 John chapter 2 what these lusts were that we have escaped from in verses 15 & 16. We are given clear instructions regarding this,
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world.
We should all know that this world we live in will one day pass away and the lusts of it when God decides it’s time for it to end. Of that day, we need to be ready to hear the trumpet call by remaining faithful and obedient to His Word.
So for this very reason, giving all diligence to believing in His Word, we must add virtue to our faith.
So what does Virtue mean ?
Faith is the foundation of virtue. The Christian moral life is one that seeks to cultivate and practice virtue. “A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of one’s self. Examples of virtues include honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, justice, and self-control. Other virtues are patience, kindness, integrity, loyalty, and perseverance. Virtues are considered positive character traits or inner strengths that guide behaviour and are developed through practice.
Next we need to add knowledge and self control to our virtues and that comes from reading and studying from God’s inspired word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us of that. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Self-control can be very hard at times especially when we are tempted by the evil one. Sometimes we fail to control are inner thoughts and emotions. This is when we need to pray more often to God and asks for His help to give us a way to resist these temptations and He is just and will promise to provide a clear path so as not to fall back into sin that so easily entangles us. We need to stand firm. We must do our best to resist the Devil because he wants us to fall away and be lost. We need to draw closer to God and spend more time in prayer and to read our Bibles daily. This is when we need to persevere in doing good and by being steadfast always abounding in the faith and to contend earnestly for what we believe is good in God’s sight. It’s also important to acknowledge when we sometimes sin, we need to repent and ask Him to forgive us in order to get back up and go forward again.
Perseverance is so important in doing what is right. We must continue in the faith and live righteously. We must remain steadfast when under pressure as we face various trials and difficulties This endurance leads to spiritual growth and the promise of eternal life for those of us who remain faithful..
Godliness comes from the heart of man. We must not be hypocrites like the Pharisees were. It means conforming to the character of God in our thoughts, feelings, desires and actions. Quite simply, being godly means being like God.
We should know by now that God sees everything and knows everything that we do and say, nothing is hidden from His sight.
Now comes another important part we must all do which is to show brotherly kindness. If you see your brother in need and do not help him in his hour of need, how can the love of Christ be seen in you. We are the spiritual family of God and as members we all need to demonstrate our love for each other and be ready always to help and support each other. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 1 John 3:17-19.
When one of us needs help and support, we should always ready to help our brothers and sisters in the faith. Galatians 6:10. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
To brotherly kindness comes Love. Love for each other is so important. It’s what binds us together because we are in God’s spiritual family. Our Lord and Saviour love’s His body, the church, He has promised to always take care of His Body. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 3:21-24 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us 1 John 4:7-12
Today’s lesson was delivered by: Bro Robert H Brown
