Fruitful and Effective
The Reasons for Growth • Sermon • Submitted
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1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
RECAP
Introduction
Introduction
LESSON 1: THE CHRISTIAN’S NEED FOR GROWTH: What is Spiritual Growth? Spiritual growth means growing in intimacy with Christ. We learned that it is important, immediate, intentional and inclusive. We need it because growth assures us that we are truly God’s elect.
2 Peter 5-
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Now we will study THE REASONS FOR GROWTH. Bakit nga ba kailangan natin lumago? Anu ang mga dahilan?
IN PHILIPPINES, WE CALL AN IMMATURE PERSON “Tumanda ng walang pinagkatandaan.” That is, he matured in age only. This is a person who merely counts his years but who does not make his years count. In the same way, there are some of us who grew old in the faith but did not grow up in our faith.
In order to grow up and not just merely grow old, we are to grow spiritually. But how can we be certain that the faith we profess is the faith that we really possess? Why go for growth?
- laid out the context of spiritual growth
Verse 1-4 - God’s provision for our pursuit of spiritual growth
Verse 5-7 - Describe our pursuit for growth
Verse 8-11 - Explain to us the purpose of our pursuit
We will examine these reasons because when we know why we are doing what we do, we will be motivated to start and continue what we are supposed to be doing.
First reason for our pursuit is that it makes us Fruitful and Effective.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The qualities meant in the above verse is found in the preceding verses 5-7. Four times used the conjunction “for” which means either reason or result. In verse 8 begins with this conjunction, hereby stating the reason for our pursuit - we are to be effective and fruitful.
The words “if these qualities are yours” - the Greek word for “yours” usually implies a permanent state of possession. It emphasizes that these spiritual qualities ‘belong to’ Christians.
When we became believers, God gave us the potential to grow those character qualities. When we go to verse 3 we read that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” Other translation translate it as “We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God.”
Like seeds waiting to sprout, we all have the potential to grow. The question now is, “Are we going to proceed to grow?”
According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, “Christians are to do more than merely possess these virtues. Effective and productive spirituality comes as ‘these qualities’ are held ‘in increasing measure’.
Yes, if we are truly believers, we will grow. Our goal is to be abundant so as to reach our full growth potential. This means that as we grow older we also mature.
EFFECTIVENESS
When we increase in our spiritual growth, we are kept “from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The word “ineffective” is used to describe a field that is barren so it becomes useless. An ineffective person however need not be lazy. He may be busy in church work. “But is a spiritual sense it means producing no good for God.”
We can be busy doing many church activities, but if we do it to impress people, we are ineffective. If our motivation is just duty and not devotion, then we are actually barren. This is so because we fail to do what God wants us to do.
Someone wrote, “The people who fail to grow usually fail in everything else”. Serving in church ministries because we want to please God is being effective. Are we effective or ineffective?
FRUITFULNESS
Now, let us look into the word “unfruitful.” If a believer is not growing in an increasing manner he becomes unfruitful or not productive. Paul commanded the believers in Ephesus,
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
THE
THE CONTRAST OF FRUITFULNESS
Fruitful works are “good and right and true” / Unfruitful works are bad, wrong and false.
Fruitful works are of the light / Unfruitful works are of darkness
Fruitful works are pleasing to God / Unfruitful works do not please God
Fruitful works are pleasing to God / Unfruitful works do not please God
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
THE DESCRIPTIONS OF SPIRITUAL FRUITFULNESS
Good works - ;
Godly mindset -
A lips that glorify God -
People we gather for Christ -
Key Verse above
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
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Charles Ryrie wrote, “Every Christian will bear spiritual fruit. Somewhere, sometime, somehow. Otherwise, that person is not a believer. Every born-again individual will be fruitful. Not to be fruitful is to be faithless, without faith, and therefore without salvation.”
The fact remains that Christians will not always be fruitful. Our spiritual growth affects our fruitfulness. Our goal is not just become fruitful, it is to become very fruitful.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Are we fruitful or unfruitful? Let us not just grow old, but also grow up that we may bear much fruit.
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