Today we will focus on 2 Peter 1:1-15

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ…(1)

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2)

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… (3)

…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. (4)

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control…(5-7)

…and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness…and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (5-7)

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. (8)

For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. (9)

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. (10)

For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (11)

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. (12)

I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. (13-14)

And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. (15)

Last week we determined that the goal of this section is for believers to begin applying the specific attributes that Peter mentions.

Peter laid out many reasons why believers should respond to his We also saw that Peter laid out many reasons why believers should respond to his call to action!

Today I would like to focus on three things.

First, I would like to try and connect the dots a little more, as to why these 5 Reasons should truly motivate us to respond in obedience.

Second, I would like to try and display a few specific areas of application for each of the 7 Characteristics.

Finally, I would like to hear from you about how the Lord has already been using this in your life.

Reasons to Respond.

We covered Five Reasons that Peter gave for the believers to respond.

Believers have a great POSITION

Believers have a great PURPOSE

Believers have become PARKTAKERS

Believers are saved from POINTLESSNESS

Believers have God’s POWER

Five Reasons to Respond.

Believers have a great POSITION

…those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God…

POSITION The fact that we have been given an incredible new, eternal & unalterable position before God should motivate us to obey in some specific ways.

POSITION First, this new position should motivate us to obey because of the sense of gratitude that we have.

POSITION Second, this new position should motivate us to obey because of the eternal security that we have.

POSITION Third, this new position should motivate us to obey because we have been given God’s seal of authority.

Believers have a great PURPOSE

…who called us to his own glory and excellence…

PURPOSE The fact that we have been given this new, eternal & infinitely meaningful purpose should motivate us to obey in some specific ways.

PURPOSE First, this incredible purpose should motivate us to obey because now everything that we do has incredible meaning, value and reason.

PURPOSE Second, this incredible purpose should motivate us to obey because now everything that we do has the opportunity to either reflect or reject the glory & excellence of God.

PURPOSE Third, this incredible purpose should motivate us to obey because something deep within us resonates with this divine call.

Believers have become PARKTAKERS

…he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature…

PARKTAKERS The fact that we have become, in some way shape and form, partakers of the divine nature should motivate us to obey in some specific ways.

PARKTAKERS First, having become partakers should motivate us to obey because the God of the universe has identified us as his own, unique people.

PARKTAKERS Second, having become partakers should motivate us to obey because the God of the universe has invited us into a special union with Him, His Son and His Spirit.

PARKTAKERS Third, having become partakers should motivate us to obey because the God of the universe has commissioned us to display the unseen realities of his divine nature.

Believers are saved from POINTLESSNESS

…having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire…

POINTLESSNESS The fact that we have been saved out from the pointlessness of our sinful worldly ways should motivate us to obey in some specific ways.

POINTLESSNESS First, having been saved from pointlessness should motivate us to obey because we have been saved from the punishment of our sins.

true passions have been changed. POINTLESSNESS Second, having been saved from pointlessness should motivate us to obey because our desires and true passions have been changed.

POINTLESSNESS Third, having been saved from pointlessness should motivate us to obey because we know what became of the prodigal son in the city.

Believers have God’s POWER

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

POWER The fact that we have we will be upheld by the sustaining power of God should motivate us to obey in some specific ways.

POWER First, having received God’s power should motivate us to obey because we know that our success doesn’t depend on our own feeble & flawed efforts.

POWER Second, having received God’s power should motivate us to obey because we know that in the end God’s team will prevail.

never-ending enabling strength. POWER Third, having received God’s power should motivate us to obey because we have been promised God’s never-ending enabling strength.

Areas of Application

7 Characteristics of an Effective Christian

Virtue

Virtue The virtuous person is one who is characterized by a love for what is in line with God’s character and has a concern for what is pure.

The virtuous person has a correct understanding of how God defines virtue.

The virtuous person is continually in God’s Word and allows His truth about right & wrong to become their reality of what is right and wrong.

The virtuous person does not allow the culture to dictate to them what is morally acceptable and what is ethically pure.

The virtuous person has God’s definitions of right and wrong ever before them and they become the sieve through which all of their decisions must pass through.

Before making a decision or allowing something to pass before their eyes and through our minds…the virtuous person pauses and takes time to compare the morality of the potential action against the standard in God’s Word.

Knowledge

Knowledge The knowledgeable person is one who is characterized by an insatiable longing to learn more about the truth.

The knowledgeable person routinely asks God to give them a desire to learn. They regularly ask God to give them a love for Him & His Word.

The knowledgeable person prays for the ability to understand, to pay attention & not be distracted etc. before taking advantage of an opportunity to learn.

The knowledgeable person takes advantage of any opportunity that they have to learn from the Word of God. They avail themselves of the abundance of technological options.

The knowledgeable person schedules learning. They understand that there should probably be a point in every day when we are hearing from God’s Word in some form or another.

The knowledgeable person documents their learning The knowledgeable person documents their learning. Anytime that the Word of God is going into their ears they are taking notes. They likely keep a spiritual growth journal.

Self-Control

Self-Control The self-controlled person is one who is characterized by an ability to manage their mindset & actions according to God’s desire & will.

In order to be in control and in order to be able to steer your actions properly, you must know what to turn away from and what to turn towards.

The self-controlled person searches the Word of God before making major decisions.

The self-controlled person seeks counsel from godly peers before making major decisions.

The self-controlled person takes a moment to ponder and process their choices and the ramifications before reacting, speaking etc.

Steadfastness

Steadfastness The steadfast person is one who is characterized by a faithful, perseverance through all of life’s predicaments.

The steadfast person has a tendency to view life through a wide angle lens. They consider the hour in light of the day, and the day in light of the week, and the week in light of the month…

Similarly, the steadfast person has a tendency to view life through the lens of the various seasons and patterns that frequently occur.

The steadfast person has a specific set of principles, doctrine & truth that become the pillars that they build their life on. And regardless of the day or season, they harken back to those unshakable truths.

The steadfast person seems to always have eternity on their minds The steadfast person seems to always have eternity on their minds. They interpret what is going on in their lives through the lens of eternity & unseen spiritual realities.

The steadfast person also seems to run their life on schedule The steadfast person also seems to run their life on schedule. They do not allow the pace of life and the culture to dictate their attitudes and actions. They are very purposeful.

Godliness

Godliness The godly person is one who is characterized by an ever growing desire to please in the Lord and reflect his glory in all things.

The godly person’s top prayer request always seems to be to grow closer to God and to obey him more effectively.

The godly person treats almost every decision as significant and weighty. They do not compartmentalize nor treat things as trivial.

The godly person is one who is quick to admit error and is quick to confess their sins and repent.

The godly person is more focused on their own growth process than they are of evaluating the progress of others.

Brotherly Affection

Brotherly Affection The affectionate person is one who is characterized by a relentless concern & impartial care for their fellow man.

The affectionate person is more often more concerned about the well-being of others than they are of their own.

The affectionate person is one who is almost always inventing ways to help other people. They are always on the look out for someone in need.

The affectionate person is one who strives to make sure that when all is said and done… more is done than said.

The affectionate person is one who always seems to be with other people. Wherever they are, whatever they are doing, they always seem to have someone along with them.

Love

Love The loving person is one who is characterized by an eternal, Christ-centered, others-focused, commitment to all people.

The loving person is always asking God to help them love others, the way that He loves others.

The loving person seems to always be willing to go out of their way to make sure that someone feels loved & appreciated.

The loving person ignores social & cultural norms and stereotypes in order to display love others properly.

The loving person always seems to speak well of everyone and you rarely if ever hear them speaking ill of anyone.

The loving person is always trying to bring Christ into all their activities & conversations.

Hearing from You.

the Lord has already been Finally, I would like to hear from you about how the Lord has already been using this in your life.

In what ways has He changed your perspective on some of these things?

In what ways has He convicted you of a few areas in your life that may need to be addressed?

In what ways has this compelled you to be more loving, self-controlled, virtuous etc?