Vitamins for the Soul

(2 Peter 1:5-8)

Introduction:

A. My wife tries to make sure I am healthy, and she sometimes does that by trying to encourage me to take a multivitamin.

B. The purpose of a multivitamin is to give you the nutrients you need to be healthy that you may be missing or not getting enough of.

C. In the same way if we are going to have a strong faith in Jesus Christ and the promises made to him there are some things, we need to add to it.

D. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”, Hebrews 11:1, 6

E.

F. If we are going to have a truly strong assurance and conviction in Jesus, then we need to make sure we are getting the necessary nutrients.

Body:

I. To our faith we need to add virtue.

A. What is a virtue?

1. According to the Oxford Dictionary a virtue is behavior showing high moral standards.

2. This means that if we are going to add virtue to our faith, we need to place our virtue on the same moral standard that Jesus had. (Mt. 5:14-20)

B. How do we gain virtue?

1. We need to think and dwell on those things that that are good, moral, and upright. (Phil. 4:8-9)

2. We need to put into action.

3. If we say we have faith, but it is never demonstrated then it is pointless. (Jam. 2:14-19)

II. To our faith we need to add knowledge.

A. A person needs knowledge to have faith.

1. We know that faith comes by hearing. (Rom. 10:17)

2. However just because a person has enough knowledge to have faith does not mean that they do not need more. (2 Tim. 2:15)

B. How do we gain knowledge?

1. From time spent in the word of God. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

2. This is how he has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through knowledge.

3. Through knowledge of virtue can we strive to be righteous. (Rom. 7:7-10)

III. To our faith we need to add self-control.

A. As Christians we are called to have self-control.

1. In this world we can find ourselves being tempted by our own desires.

2. When we allow those desires to control us instead of the other way around, we sin. (Jam.1:14-15)

3. Once we become Christians we cannot continue in sin. (Rom. 6:1-2)

B. How do we gain self-control?

1. We need to train ourselves to keep desires in check. (1 Cor. 9:25-27)

2. Remember that there is no temptation that we will go through that we cannot turn away from. (1 Cor. 10:12-13)

3. Sometimes it will take trial and error to be consistent in self-control.

IV. To our faith we need to add steadfastness.

A. If we want to strive for being perfect as Jesus was then we are going to need to persist in self-discipline.

1. If we want to be pleasing to God we have to have endurance.

2. Through endurance is the only way we can have the hope of that crown of victory in heaven. (2 Tim. 4:6-8)

B. How do we gain steadfastness?

1. We can only gain the endurance to make it through the end by keeping the knowledge of Christ at the forefront of our thoughts. (Heb. 12:1-2)

2. Then we remember why we endure struggles and in persevering we will increase our endurance. (Jam. 1:2-4)

V. To our faith we need to add godliness.

A. What does the word godliness mean?

1. The word in the Greek there is eusebeia, which means piety or holiness.

2. It is a state in which we are being holy just as God is holy. (1 Pet. 1:13-16)

B. How do we gain godliness?

1. If we keep and store up everything that we have talked about so far then we will achieve a state of being godly.

2. However, this is the point where we can count on being persecuted as well. (2 Tim. 3:12)

3. Until this point people of the world can mistake a Christian as one of their own but when we start living a life of godliness is when we stand apart from the world.

VI. To our faith we need to add brotherly affection.

A. When we face persecution is when we most need our brothers and sisters in Christ.

1. We know that if God is for us no one can be against us, but we as humans need support and that is part of the role of the church. (Heb. 10:23-25)

2. If we have brotherly affection for one another then we will help one another endure to the goal. (Gal. 6:2)

B. How do we gain this brotherly affection?

1. We need to remember how Jesus loves us. (Jn. 13:34-35)

2. If we remember how Jesus died and sacrificed himself for us, we will try to love one another in the same way.

VII. To our faith we need to add love.

A. This love is not just for our brothers and sisters in Christ but for everyone.

1. Christ told us what the greatest commandments are. (Mt. 22:35-40)

2. In the same way we have a love for God we must love our fellow man.

B. How do we gain love?

1. We have to remember that we like everyone else deserve death. (Rom. 3:23; 1 Cor. 6:9-10)

2. Others need the gospel just like at some point we did and only in Jesus Christ can they be cleansed of their sin. (1 Cor. 6:11)

3. If we believe the Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that those who are not in him will perish, then to refrain from sharing the gospel with others is not love it is selfishness.

Conclusion:

A. Peter says in verse 8-11 that if we continue in these things not only can we be sure that we are not ineffective but that we will not fall away from the faith.

B. In having all of these attributes we can confidently say that we will be able to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord.

C. The Lord is the one who sees the hearts of men and adds them to his Church by grace through faithful obedience. (Acts 2:38-41, 46-47)