Useful, Fruitful Disciples
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 36 viewsNotes
Transcript
ILLUST - Sharp knives useful; dull knives, useless (not worthless, but need sharpening. Continual maintenance to be useful
ILLUST - Sharp knives useful; dull knives, useless (not worthless, but need sharpening. Continual maintenance to be useful
How can you tell who the firefighter is when there is a fire? What makes for a productive firefighter
Firefighter - characteristics - courageous, fearless, selfless, trained, prepared, ready, strong, equipped
These describe the firefighter, but what do you see that supports the description?
Running TO the fire, into the building, handling the equipment, ax through the doors, fast response, learning from each emergency
READ: 2 Peter 1:5-8
READ: 2 Peter 1:5-8
“For this reason” (b/c God has sufficiently provided all we need) - live the Godly life
QUESTION: How can you tell who the Christian is in this culture?
When God looks down, how would He identify His children?
What makes for a productive, useful, fruitful disciple?
Characteristics: faith, hope, love, selfless, generous, humble, courage, strength, prepared, equipped, ready
Firefighter - all the training and preparation is provided - now go put out fires, diligently
Disciple - God’s supplied all you need - now go and do - diligently
The Diligent Life of a Disciple - Expressed in These Virtues/Characteristics
The Diligent Life of a Disciple - Expressed in These Virtues/Characteristics
Apply diligence, purposeful activity - devoted activity to this cause we call Christianity
This list, vv. 5-7 - not a list of building one on top of the other, nor is it a complete list of Christian virtues
Not a list of things to work on one at a time, not in order of importance
BUT…noteworthy - the list begins with faith and ends with love
QUESTION: Can you see these in believers? Can others see these in you, believer? Are you applying diligence, devotion, to developing these? GROWING?
Not works-based salvation - it’s just a clear Bible doctrine that the believer is continually growing, “working out that salvation”
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
Virtues of the Growing Disciple - (the believer is active, not passive)
Virtues of the Growing Disciple - (the believer is active, not passive)
Faith (pistis)
Faith (pistis)
Active belief, trust, surrender - PERSONAL
ILLUST: “Trust fall”
Relying on God’s promises - if you do, you will live a new way
Do you remember your life BEFORE being saved? You should?
Trust God in everything! - The believer cannot understand how some people don’t!
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
At some point, our desire to please God must rule our lives
Moral Excellence (Goodness)
Moral Excellence (Goodness)
Morally virtuous - believers should stand out
Should be EASY to see Christians/Disciples in our culture
But the deception of our culture makes it difficult
How do we love the sinner, while hating the sin?
Knowledge - to be pursued
Knowledge - to be pursued
If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God.
Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
Progress is necessary; the believer is GROWING - becoming more like Christ
Peter would never understand a disciple who is stagnant, not still learning
TODAY’s problem: Not that people don’t know, it’s that they don’t know what they don’t know, and there is very, very little desire to learn and grow
Self-control - seek it
Self-control - seek it
Proper control of self, actually under the control of guidance of Holy Spirit
One of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit - Gal. 5:23
Unbelievers in Peter’s time, characterized by characteristics in chapter 2:2-19 - undisciplined
Believers will still have sinful desires, but the believer is characterized by not giving in
The lost know right vs wrong, they just don’t care
Careful - much in culture today is wrong, sin, evil; we get numb to it, and just let it takes its course
It’s time to stand up to wrong; and one of the best ways to do this is by doing right - being the example
Perseverance
Perseverance
Takes endurance to deal with false teachers - they never stop
It gets tiring to deal with opponents
In our culture - need to pair moral control with perseverance
How’s that for a message for young people today??
Dating, marriage, entertainment, priorities, etc.
Godliness
Godliness
REM - we’ve been given all we need for this (1:1-4)
This must be pursued - God won’t make it happen
Somewhere is the balance between God’s sovereignty and our free will
God’s provision doesn’t mean we don’t take action
ACTUALLY - it means we DO
God was pleased to offer Jesus, painful as that was
Now He demands we offer OURselves - to please HIM
Heb. 11:6 - God can be pleased by the lives we live for Him (not perfect, but diligently growing)
Kindness and Love
Kindness and Love
Closely related, these go together, and primarily between fellow believers
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
Kindness (phileo) - brotherly love
Love (agape) - selfless, this is the supreme Christian virtue
A believer with love will possess the other qualities
If you are selfless, then you will diligently pursue these; you will pursue a life that includes all these qualities
because it is not about you, but Christ
QUESTION: If someone accused you of being a Christian, would they have enough evidence to convict you?
CLOSE - CHALLENGE
CLOSE - CHALLENGE
The useful believer - possessing, and exhibiting/demonstrating these qualities
The fruitful disciple - nourished, growing, producing fruit others see
encouraging others to grow, produce fruit
The implication made by Peter is that believers can forget about their salvation, and end up useless and unfruitful
NOTE: not “worthless” - useless is different
Your worth is measured by the love Christ showed - you are worth it to Him to have died for you
Being useful is what He demands now, now that you are a believer
Firefighters are good to have around, and they are continually training, practicing, learning and growing to be better; otherwise, they are useless
Knives are great tools, and if they are kept sharp, they are useful
Believers are so much more than people who say a prayer and get “saved”
When they are growing, God can use them
If these qualities are yours AND increasing! Both!
Again, God’s done His part, now He expects you to do yours, living for Him
And that means growing the characteristics Peter lists here
God wants to use YOU - our church, our community needs disciples to be useful.
Is that you? DO you want it to be?
If not, that’s your choice
If so, surrender to His calling; it’s a mindset
If you can’t see these qualities in yourself, if others can’t see them
Start by making sure you are a believer
Then get into His Word - the believer WANTS to do this, diligently
Then serve Him through the local church, this local church - the believer WANTS to do this.
God demands your usefulness, believers. How you respond is up to you.