Confirming Qualities

Intro

It is common when you are younger to write out a list of qualities you want your future spouse to have

Karen wrote such a list… want to know what was on it?

Tall, dark and handsome (nope), rich (oops)....

Fill in the actual details

What in the world does this have to do with 2 Peter?

He opens his letter with a list of “confirming qualities” that are important to have as Christ followers

And yes, we are going to spend the next 6 weeks studying the book of 2 Peter together

Read 2 Peter 1:1-2.

Written by the apostle Peter

“Simeon” an aramaic version of “Simon,” this is the same guy

Talks about being a firsthand witness to Jesus later in chapter 1

Likely written after 1 Peter, near the end of his life

A letter designed to be circulated among the churches (similar to 1 Peter)

Not necessarily to a specific congregation (like Paul’s letters often do)

Focuses on the threat of false teachers from within the church

While 1 Peter looked at threats from the outside (persecution)

The book is often glossed over in the church for a few reasons

It can be a difficult read and tricky to understand

It can be gloomy and harsh, with a sharp focus on judgment

But there is LOTS of good teaching and many lessons we can learn, including this list of “confirming qualities”

Read 2 Peter 1:3-11 and pray

Know Your Role

Talk about the importance of knowing your role on a sports team; highlight Adam Lowry and the Jets;

No surprise, God plays the star role (v. 3-4)

He “calls us to His own glory and excellence”

When it comes to our salvation, God does ALL the work

He calls us, He died for us, He has forgiven us… all Him

Gift of grace, undeserved, and unearned

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness”

When it comes to our spiritual journey, God gives us everything we need

The HS enables us to overcome temptation, works on us to become more like Christ, gives us a heart for others, etc.

Everything we need to live a godly life is at our disposal

Like a perfectly stocked garage, full of every tool for every job

We still have a role to play; but it is a supporting role

We are still asked to “supplement” our faith (v. 5)

Supplement = aid, contribute, give nourishment to

Talk about “supplementing our faith like I take B12 supplements to recover my energy… we can do things to make our spiritual life more healthy

“Make every effort” = work is involved!

Giving God the star role in our relationship with Him does NOT mean we get to do nothing

In their proper place, our works matter, and we need to work HARD

Our actions also confirm the calling we have in Christ (v. 10)

So our works do not OBTAIN our salvation (God’s role and work), but they do CONFIRM our salvation (our role and work)

Like a litmus test that reveals a solution to be basic or acidic

Play Your Role (Confirming Qualities)

Virtue

Excellence of character; moral virtue… doing the right thing

Paul uses the same word (translated “excellence”) that helps paint a complete picture for us

Cf. Philippians 4:8.

Stay rooted in Scripture to learn what God declares is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable and excellent

Must be His definition; we must know what it is

On the other hand, this would mean to exclude everything that is NOT on the list

Avoid things that are false, dishonarable, unjust, impure, unlovely, not commendable and far from excellent

What are the recommended titles on your streaming accoutns? What comes through your Instagram feed?

Knowledge

In this list, it means human knowledge and understanding

It reflects our desire to learn more about God

What we are about right now (every other Sunday morning)

Why I believe Fellowship Groups and Discipleship groups are critical (centred around Bible studies)

Knowing someone better is always a part of strengthening a relationship

Dating Karen, worried about what we will talk about… still talking, and still discovering more about her every day; same with discovering what makes my kids tick… knowledge out of love and relationship

Self-control

Means to have power (control) over oneself

Later in this letter, Peter warns what this does NOT look like

Cf. 2 Peter 2:19.

Are you in control, or are you enslaved to something else?

Share about talks with Silas and personal conviction

Can you say “no” to food, sexual temptation, emotional outburts, people pleasing, etc?

Remember, we are equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit to exercise true self-control

It doesn’t just mean try harder; it means to rely on the Spirit to ensure nothing else has power or mastery over us

Steadfastness

Many translations will use “perseverance” and “endurance,” which is exactly what this means

Stand strong in your faith until the very end, even when it gets difficult

Cf. 2 Tim. 3:14-15.

Continue/persevere/be steadfast in what you firmly believe

Move away from ideas of persecution and use examples of faith crises (church hurt, grief, broken relationships with others, etc.

Godliness

Word used here speaks of reverance; our role we use the word piety

Piety in action = spiritual disciplines

Wait, you just want us to read our Bible and pray?

Yes! But there can be some helpful tools to sharpen our focus in our devotional life

Disciplines begin by making time in our incredibly busy lives

Contemplative Prayer – Attentiveness to the presence of God without words. In this kind of prayer, there is no expectation to receive anything. You just want to be present to the presence of God and just BE with God. We grow in this area by: befriending silence, normalizing boredom, reframing distractions, understanding that prayer is an act that forms us and not something that we master, and trusting that God is always waiting for you with open arms. (Rich Villodas)

Talk about having 60 seconds of silent prayer, with the recall from distractions being a simple, “Jesus, here I am.”

Brotherly affection

Philadelphia = brotherly love (just not the city’s sports fans, getting their own coach to yell at them)

This is worked out in the church; the church is family

Through the good times, and the bad

We should be absolutely convinced that loving our brothers and sisters is a “confirming quality”

Cf. 1 John 4:20-21.

This is not optional! It is a command from God

It also is a significant proof of our faith

We can all say we love God, but how are we treating our brothers and sisters in Christ? This is the proof

Forgiveness is at the hearth of brotherly love

Sure, it’s great to talk about being a family when times are good

But when there is conflict and hurt, we need to forgive and reconcile (just like Jesus)

Is there anyone in your life that you need to be reconciled with? Need to forgive?

Love

The last quality is the most important

Phileo = brotherly love; agape = self sacrifical love (used to describe God’s love for us)

Cf. John 15:13.

Which is EXACTLY what Jesus did

Share the Gospel through the lens of self-sacrifice

We are called to love one another and the world with this same, self-sacrificial love

Here is the irony: Part of supplementing our own spiritual journey is sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others

Talk about my youth missions trip and discovering the self-fulfillment in self-sacrifice

How can you serve? Who can you serve? In what ways is God calling you to be the example of the agape love of Jesus?

Conclusion

It is important to know your role

God takes the lead; He saves; He equips

We are the supporting cast; working with what we have been given

But we do have an active role to play

We NEED to work hard; it matters

Because we can supplement our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and self-sacrifical love

Pray