Make Every Effort

Introduction

Read 2 Peter 1:5-8 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 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.”

Some scholars think that each of these terms are connected. Thus faith yields virtue which yields knowledge, etc. I don’t really know where I stand on it.

Has there ever been a time in your life that you didn’t work very hard on something, and it did not turn out very well?

Explanation

2 Peter 1:5 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,”

Because we have everything in Christ, we should make every effort to grow in Christ.

“make every effort”

D. A. Carson // God does not infuse virtues intravenously. We have to make an effort.

Faith: The foundation of our spiritual life flows from faith. The foundation of everything that we do is faith.

Virtue: (also, piety or goodness): The actual word is excellence, and it is meant to show the proper fulfillment of something.

The excellency of a horse is to run. The excellency of a knife is to cut.

The excellency of a Christian is a life of good character.

2 Peter 1:6 “and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,”

Knowledge: We must learn and grow in Christ. When we are saved, we gain a hunger for the knowledge of God and his goodness.

Let’s be honest: One hour a week isn’t enough.

I preach about 4-5 minutes longer on Sunday than I used to, because I only see people one time a week anymore.

We must crave the Word of God and desire to know more of Him.

I am amazed at the incredible amount of knowledge that I hear on a weekly basis from folks who insist that preaching should be really surface level.

Self-Control: Self-control is not for food or drink but for every aspect of life.

You will either be “master of” or “mastered by” your inclinations.

Self control allows you to be the master of all.

Steadfastness: Becoming more consistent. Consistently self-controlled.

New Years Resolutions rarely work, because they completely uproot someone’s life.

If you want to make changes in your life, life in a self-controlled way and grow slowly into it.

If you are sinning, then stop. I am not telling you to moderately tackle sin. However, grow in Christ and grow in his influence.

2 Peter 1:7 “and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

Godliness: Your actions being soaked in the things of God. People seeing Jesus in everything that you do.

Brotherly Affection:

Love: The reason I do not think these are successive is the fact that love is at the end. What? Do you tell someone, “You know, I was going to do this loving act for you, but I don’t have enough knowledge yet?” or self-control.

2 Peter 1:8 “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.”

They keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful in the KNOWLEDGE of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It doesn’t say service.

It doesn’t say work or labor.

It says knowledge.

Application

Invitation