2 Peter 1:5

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you'll neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For so, an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For this reason, I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

Father, we thank you for this reminder, and we pray, God, that you would speak to us through it today. We believe that your word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, and God, that by it you transform us by the renewing of our minds. You wash us by the washing of the water of your truth, your word. Lord, would you continue to sanctify and transform us, that we would, through our lives, bring glory to you this week. God, make us more like you. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, amen. You can be seated.

For good reason, one of the biggest stories so far in the 2016 Olympics in Rio is the story of Michael Phelps. If you've been following, you know that last night in his very last race in his career, he's retiring.

After this, apparently, he, with his team, placed first, and he got his 23rd gold medal. It's amazing. He has three silver medals and two bronze medals. When you tally up all the medals that he's ever won in every event—not just the Olympics, but all world championships and other events—he has more than 65 gold medals in his career. It's phenomenal. He has broken, really shattered, many records, records that may never be broken. One of the records he broke this last Thursday night was a record that stood for 2,182 years.

To see him do it is incredible; sometimes it almost looks as if he does this with ease, often finishing an entire body length ahead of the next person behind him. It's absolutely amazing to watch. When you see an elite athlete like that, or any of these elite athletes in the games, you know that to reach that level of competition at the very top takes exactly what Peter speaks about in the opening verse we are looking at today in verse 5.

Three little words there say "giving all diligence." You don't reach peak performance or attain an elite position without giving all diligence. Diligence is careful and persistent effort or hard work. It has been said that anything worth doing is worth doing well. When doing something, excellence is a good aim, a good target to strive for. Most certainly, when you're watching someone like Michael Phelps, that's what he has been targeting: excellence.

However, it takes diligent effort and hard work to gain excellence and reach a mastery level. Doing something well doesn't just happen. Even if you have natural talent, you still need to work hard to get to that point. It takes deliberate practice, determined effort, and diligence every single day to get up and do that thing over and over again, pushing hard to achieve your goals.

Now, there are those who try to hack the system, if you will, who attempt to get around the...

Hard work is essential. People often try to better themselves in ways that are unethical. When I think of someone attempting to improve themselves in a wrong way, a particular name comes to mind. It was back in the summer of 2005 when two significant events dominated the news: Hurricane Katrina and Lance Armstrong.

Do you remember Lance Armstrong? In 2005, he and his team were cycling in the Tour de France, aiming to win his seventh title. However, it was later revealed that he and his team were trying to hack the system by taking illegal substances and doping to gain a competitive edge. As a result, his name has been dragged through the dirt, and all his titles were stripped away.

If you want to reach a mastery level without resorting to unethical practices, it requires diligence. When you apply yourself diligently to achieve a goal, there must always be a basis for that diligence. You need to answer the question of why. For some people, the answer may seem trivial or even foolish. For instance, if you talk to someone who is focused on losing weight and ask why they are doing it, they might say, "I'm going on vacation, and I want to fit into this suit." While that may seem silly to you, it is their reason for putting in the effort.

Similarly, if you meet someone who is diligently saving money, you might ask why they are doing it. They could be saving for retirement, a boat, a house, or any number of things. There is always a reason behind their efforts.

This is exactly what Peter is urging Christians to do in this passage: to give all diligence, to work hard, and to put in every effort. But what is the basis for this diligence? Notice what he says in verse five: "For this very reason, giving all diligence." He provides a reason for why we should strive diligently to add to our faith virtue and the other qualities we will explore shortly. But what is that reason?

We have to back up just a little bit. Let's look at verse three of Second Peter one. According to His divine power, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue. By these, we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through them, we may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Now, for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue. The reason that Peter gives here is not something that we're working towards, but rather something we're working from. He says that since God, according to His divine power, has given you everything you need to live this life in a godly manner, and since He has given you these great and precious promises through which you will be a partaker of the divine nature in the future, you will escape this world that is devastated because of sin.

Since He has already done these things, therefore, on the basis of all that, He says, "I want you to give all diligence to add to your faith virtue." Because of everything that God has already done for you, we are exhorted to give all diligence.

So, point number one in your outline: salvation is just the starting block. You know what the starting block is, right? When you're watching swimmers or people compete in track and field, all the athletes are called to come to the starting box. There, they are told to get set, and it is in that set position in the starting block that the race begins. Salvation is really just the starting block for the Christian.

Now, this isn't the perfect way to say this because salvation, as a concept revealed in the New Testament and the Scriptures, encompasses more than just something that happened in the past. The problem is that for many believers, many Christians, and many churchgoers, when they think about the concept or the topic of salvation, they generally think of it in the past tense. So, you'll hear people say...

I got saved at Cross Connection Church. I got saved at a Billy Graham crusade. People often ask the question, "When did you get saved?" Typically, we have a tendency to speak of salvation in the past tense, attaching it to a place and a time. We might say, "I was saved in such and such a year at such and such a place." Generally, we think of salvation in that way.

However, when you read through the New Testament, you find that it speaks of salvation not only in the past tense but also in the future and present tenses. When you begin to study the theological concept of salvation, which is given in Jesus Christ, you discover that it exists in the New Testament in the past, present, and future. When we talk about these things, we are discussing concepts like justification, sanctification, and glorification.

Justification is that past tense experience of salvation that, if you are a Christian today, you have experienced. The Scriptures speak of it in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8: "For by grace, you have been saved." This is true for the Christian. For by grace, you have been saved; that is justification. Jesus, on the cross 2,000 years ago, died for your sin and for my sin. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, He has made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and to be justified. If you have put your faith in the grace of Christ Jesus, then today you have been saved. You have been justified. It is a completed, done work.

The work of salvation is also spoken of in the New Testament in the present tense. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul speaks about us who are being saved. In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 18, it says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." The gospel is the power of God, not only unto justification but also for those who are being saved. If you have been justified today, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ and received His grace, you are justified.

At this very moment, by the power of the Spirit of God, through the word and work of God, God is saving you. He is sanctifying you and sanctifying me. That is, He is cleansing us of all.

Our old dead works are being renewed and transformed, making us more like the likeness of His children. It is an awesome thing that God does in transforming us. If you have been saved, you are at this very moment being saved. The Bible also describes that one day you shall be saved. It is spoken of like this in 1 Peter 1, verse 9: we will one day receive the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

You see, justification is the work that God has already accomplished in your life if you put your faith in Christ Jesus. Sanctification is the work that God is currently doing in your life if you've put your faith in the grace of Christ Jesus. Glorification is the work that He will one day do when He rescues you and me from this place. This corruption will put on incorruption, and this mortality will put on immortality. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we shall be transformed and changed. There will be an actual transformation. This body, corrupted because of sin, will be done away with, and we will be given a new heavenly glorified body.

This is what salvation is: the work that God has already accomplished, justification; the work that God is currently accomplishing, sanctification; and the work that He will accomplish, glorification. Why do I bring this up? Well, because point one is that salvation is the starting block. It might rather be said that justification is the starting block. It's just the start. That's the place where we begin, the place where we set out on this path that might even be referred to as Pilgrim's Progress.

Maybe you've read that book. I highly recommend it. It is one of the greatest books ever sold, John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress." It follows allegorically the life of a man named Pilgrim as he makes his way through this world on his way to eternity. We are in this place, progressing as pilgrims. This pilgrim's progress of faith needs to be worked out in my life and yours. Peter here says it takes diligence to add to your faith that which has brought justification. By grace, you are saved through faith to add to your faith these other things that he speaks of. He says, giving all...

Diligence, verse five: "Add to your faith virtue. To virtue, knowledge. To knowledge, self-control. To self-control, perseverance. To perseverance, godliness. To godliness, brotherly kindness. To brotherly kindness, love." There is a very clear progressive nature to what Peter is saying here in these verses. If you're a Christian today, you became a Christian by putting your trust, your faith in Jesus Christ, and He, by His grace, saved you.

Now He says we don't just stay there; we add to our faith, our trust in Jesus Christ, these other seven things. We progressively move through these things. The Christian faith must become the Christian life. Faith must always move to practice. What you believe now needs to actively become a part of your daily life. This is why the Apostle James wrote in James chapter two, verse 17, these words: "Therefore also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." He emphasizes this again just a few verses later in verse 20: "But do you want to know, foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

Point number two on your outline: God saves the ungodly for godliness. God, by His grace, saves the ungodly for godliness. It needs to be understood and held closely in our hearts that we are not saved by our good works, but we are saved for good works. The Bible is explicit in this. Again, back to Ephesians chapter two, which I have quoted several times already: "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

But the next verse, verse 10, says: "For we who have been saved by grace through faith are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." You were created in Christ Jesus as a Christian, by grace through faith, for good works that God preordained. He planned beforehand that you and I would walk in these things. So, we are not saved by our good works, but we are saved for good works. God saves the ungodly for godliness. Since this is the case, we must therefore give all diligence to add to our faith.

To build upon our faith, your trust in Jesus is the foundation, but that is not the place where we stay. We are to be those who are progressing, moving forward in our faith, and building upon that foundation. What are we building upon our faith? Well, upon the foundation of faith, Peter gives us seven things that we need to build upon: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

First, let’s consider virtue. Interestingly, this very word translated as virtue in verse 5 has already been used by Peter back in verse 3. There, he tells us that God has called us by His virtue. He desires that we would have this virtue developed and built into us, so that on the foundation of our faith—our trust in Jesus—we would build virtue.

What exactly is virtue? The actual definition of the word translated as virtue here refers to a virtuous course of thought and feeling that leads to action. It embodies moral excellence of mind or goodness, modesty, and purity. The same word is used by the Apostle Paul in one of his letters in Philippians chapter 4. He speaks to believers in a city called Philippi, saying, "Finally, my brothers and sisters, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is anything virtuous, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things."

The biblical concept of meditation is to think upon, to ponder, and to set your mind upon. Therefore, taking the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 4 and moving to 2 Peter chapter 1, adding to your faith virtue has a lot to do with your mindset. The Christian needs to have the right mindset and the right focus.

Interestingly, researchers—secular researchers, not Christian ones—are finding more and more that a person is more likely to perform the right actions in a given situation if they have the right mental model. A person is more likely to take the right actions if they have the right mental model. This is why, if you've been watching some of these athletes...

The Olympics often showcase gymnasts just before they perform the vault. You may notice that, moments before their turn, they frequently have their eyes closed and appear to be going through the motions. What they are doing is building a mental model in their heads of exactly how they will launch off the apparatus and execute the vault. They might look a little goofy while standing there, but they are developing the right frame of mind, focus, and mindset.

I would suggest that for Christians to cultivate fruitfulness in their lives, they need to develop the right mindset. This is why Paul emphasizes the importance of setting your mind on certain things. In one of his letters, specifically Colossians chapter three, he writes, "If then you were raised with Christ Jesus," which is another way of saying, "If you are a Christian, a follower of Jesus," then seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He continues in Colossians chapter three, verse two, urging us to set our minds on things above, not on the things of the earth.

Your mindset is crucial. We all can agree that we live in a world that constantly tries to redirect our attention and thoughts toward worldly matters. You don't have to look very far to see this; in fact, I wouldn't encourage you to do so. Simply turning on the news will direct your mind and attention to the fears, anxieties, uncertainties, and doubts of this world. Just consider the ongoing presidential election in our nation. What does it bring? It brings a focus on fear, uncertainty, doubt, and anxiety. The world is designed to grip your attention.

This is why Paul advises Christians, "If you have been raised with Christ Jesus, set your mind on things above where Christ is." Have the right mindset and focus. Why is this important? Let me share another passage of Scripture for you to jot down: Philippians chapter three, verse 15. Paul states, "Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mindset." If you think otherwise in any way,

God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that you have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. He says, "Listen, Christian, you need to have this mindset."

In verse 17, he continues, "Brethren, join in following my example and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." What is Paul alluding to here? I think he's saying this: your walk, the way you live in this life, will be directed by your mindset. Your walk will be directed by your mindset. To prove it a little bit more, he says in verse 18, "For many walk, they have this pattern of life, of whom I've told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things."

This perfectly pictures it. He says, "Listen, you need to have the right mindset so that your walk will be right." I want to tell you, there are many people who walk wrong because they have an earthly mindset. Do you see the correlation? Your mindset and your focus are exceedingly important. This is why he says, "Whatever things are virtuous, set your mind on these things. Meditate on these things."

Why does Paul say this? In verse 20 of Philippians chapter three, he writes, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body." This is glorification. He will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself.

Listen, just as an aside, if you're freaked out about the politics of the United States of America, set your mind on things above. I might suggest that you do a moratorium on CNN or Fox News or whatever your flavor is. Just take a week off and set your mind on things above. Your citizenship is in heaven. The one here is temporary; the passport will expire. That one is eternal.

We are eagerly waiting, not for Donald Trump, not for Hillary Clinton, none of us. We are eagerly waiting for Jesus Christ. We need to have the right mindset. I've taught it many times before, and I believe it to be true: where the head goes, the heart follows. Where the heart goes, the feet will follow.

Point number three on your outline: the head and heart must always move our feet. The head and heart must always move.

Our feet are why Peter then says to add to your virtue knowledge. As you fix your mind on things above, you have the right, correct mindset upon the Lord in His kingdom. He emphasizes the need to add to your virtuous thinking knowledge. What kind of knowledge? I would suggest to you the knowledge of God.

Where do we gain the knowledge of God? Chiefly, primarily, we gain the knowledge of God through the revelation of God. God has revealed Himself through the pages of Scripture. As we will see next week and moving on through 1 Peter, holy men of God were moved by the Spirit of God to write down inspired Scripture, revealing God to us. Yes, we can ascertain and learn certain things about God through nature and through one another, whom He has created, but chiefly, our knowledge of God comes from the revelation of God in the Scriptures.

So, add to your faith virtue, and add to your virtue knowledge. However, the head and heart must always move our feet. Peter says to add to your knowledge self-control. We all know that we have self-control, right? Not really. If we're honest, none of us naturally possess self-control. You can prove that by simply looking at us human beings in our rudimentary form. I give you the two-year-old.

If you've never had a two-year-old, you might not understand this. That's all well and good. In fact, when you see a parent with their two-year-old, you might think to yourself, "Why can't that parent get that child under control?" I know because I had that thought. Then God gave me a two-year-old times four. The last one is like a two-year-old to the fourth power. Now he's three, but he still has that two-year-old energy.

And here's the thing: so do you. So do I. I know it's bad grammar, but we all have a two-year-old in us. We might be able to mask that two-year-old so we don't show it outwardly.

To everybody else, it may seem hidden, but it's there, right under the surface. In our nature, we do not have self-control, which is why we need the grace of God and the Spirit of God to bring the restraining and transforming work of God into our lives so that we can have self-control. Do you realize that self-control is evidence of the Spirit of God? Paul writes in Galatians chapter five that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control.

As we add to our faith virtue and to our virtue knowledge, we need to put feet to our faith by adding to our knowledge of God's self-control. As we previously saw, God, by His divine power, as stated in verse three of Second Peter, has given us everything we need to live this life in a godly manner. Therefore, if you are a Christian today, meaning you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then the Spirit of Christ dwells in you, and He has given you the power to be self-controlled. He has given you the ability, by His grace, to exercise self-control.

So, what is Peter telling us to do here? In this exercise routine, we actually need to practice self-control. Sometimes, we need to mentally model it out. We need to think through how we will respond to that person who makes us angry. It might be your spouse. How will you respond? You could respond according to your nature, but that is likely to cause a problem. Has anyone had that problem before? Maybe just this week? Don't raise your hand, but your little neighbor might be elbowing you right now because that's your spouse.

We need to think through, "God, help me to respond with Your control." Peter goes on to say to add to your self-control perseverance. Another word for perseverance is patience. Yes, we understand that, don't we? Oh, we love patience. I don't know about you, but I need the Spirit of God to give me self-control to be patient. I am an impatient person. We live in a culture that is really geared towards our impatience. That's why we have things like Netflix and instant gratification.

Access all the time. I don't want to go to that little red box thing. I don't want to go there. I don't want any of that sort of stuff. I want it now. That's why we got Amazon Prime. Now they want to fly your package to you in an hour with a little helicopter. Yes, impatience. Our society caters to our impatience. But God says, "I want you to become one who is patient."

I think the most perfect laboratory for experimenting in the area of impatience is the incubator called the airport. You know what I'm talking about. Have you been to the airport lately? It is the incubator for impatience from curb to curb. In fact, the next time you go to the airport, I challenge you to do this: Before you even get there, pray, "God, give me patience." Then take a big, deep cleansing breath through the nose and out through the mouth. Count to ten or one hundred, whatever it takes.

Then just watch. Watch at the curb. Watch at the ticket counter. Watch at the security line. Watch at the gate. Watch when you get to your seat and when other people are trying to get their stuff into their overhead compartment. Watch as they bring the sodas to you. Watch when you get to the next gate and see how quickly people are fighting to get off the plane. It is an incubator for impatience. We don't like to wait for anything.

Yet, there are dozens of exhortations in the Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, to wait on the Lord. The prophet Isaiah, 2,700 years ago, said, "Those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall rise up on wings as eagles. They shall run and not be wearied. They shall walk and not faint for those who wait upon the Lord."

He also says, "Add to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness or holiness." The Apostle Paul, writing to a younger man named Timothy, says in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 1, "But you, O man of God, flee these things." What things? Well, greed and lust were the things he had been speaking of. Flee those things and pursue godliness. Pursue godliness. Point number four.

Faith in God must lead to faithfulness toward God. Such faithful holiness leads to brotherly kindness. Add to your godliness brotherly kindness. It's the Greek word "Philadelphia," one of several words in the Greek language that is translated as love. This word embodies the idea of brotherly kindness or tenderness.

Many of you, like me, had siblings. Brotherly kindness or brotherly love wasn't exactly the term I would use to characterize that relationship. I have an older brother, an older sister, and two younger brothers. So, when I hear the term brotherly kindness, it doesn't always conjure up a mental picture. I need some sort of framework. One of them is given to us in Romans chapter 12, verse 10, where Paul speaks of brotherly kindness. He says, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly kindness, love, honoring one another above yourselves."

What is brotherly kindness? What is brotherly love? At the very least, it is to be devoted to one another and to honor others above yourself. Again, that's not in my nature, but according to His divine power, He has given me, and you, all things that we need to live this life in a godly manner and to live with brotherly kindness.

He says to add to your brotherly kindness the last one: love. The word here for love is the Greek word "agape," another one of the words translated as love in the Greek language. There are several. This love is believed by many to be the highest form of love. It is a self-sacrificial love, the love with which God has loved us. It is the love that Jesus demonstrated towards us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This love is personified in God, for God is love. It is the love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 when he says, "Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. It does not parade itself. It is not puffed up. It does not behave rudely. It does not seek its own. It is not provoked. It thinks no evil. It does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." This love...

Never fails. This is the love that Jesus says Christians are to be identified by. In John chapter 13, verse 35, He states, "They shall know that you are my disciples by the love, agape, that you have one for another." Regrettably, when you survey people in our nation today and ask what they think of when they hear the term "Christian," we are not known by our love.

Perhaps it needs to be that we add to our faith virtue, and to our virtue knowledge, and to our knowledge self-control, and to our self-control perseverance, and to our perseverance godliness, and to our godliness brotherly kindness, and to our brotherly kindness love. It may be that we, as a church in this nation, or even in many places around the world, have not moved beyond faith to grow in our faithfulness.

But notice what Peter says in verse 8 of 2 Peter chapter 1. "For if these things are yours," what things? Virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. If these things are yours and abound, meaning they are increasing, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted or near-sighted, even to the point of blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from all his sins.

What is the basis for us giving all diligence to add to our faith virtue, knowledge, and all of these things? The basis is our forgiveness. We have been forgiven of our sins. What does it say when you find a Christian who is not adding to their faith these things? They are so myopic, so short-sighted, that they have forgotten that they have been saved by the grace of God.

Point number five: faithfulness towards God always produces fruitfulness. He goes on, "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent, giving all diligence," in verse five.

Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. An entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among God's called and chosen people. Work very hard to prove to yourself and to other people in this world that you are a Christian. That’s what a Christian is. May it be that when people see me, when they see us as a church out in the community, at work, at school, or wherever you may be, they look at our lives and think, "There’s something different about that person." They may not be able to put their finger on it, but they will recognize that we have self-control, patience, tenderness, kindness, and a willingness to sacrifice for others. That’s a Christian.

I would suggest that our culture needs to see genuine, real Christians. There’s a misconception about what Christians are, and that misconception originates with us. We made that misconception. The church created that misconception. Over the last 25, 30, or even 50 years, we have contributed to that misunderstanding. How so? We became short-sighted, focusing only on ourselves. Peter says we need to grow. This is why he states, "For this reason, I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth."

Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off this tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

Oh God, we need your help. Lord, we need your help to be patient. We need your help to be self-controlled. We need your help to be tender, kind, loving, and sacrificial because, in and of ourselves, we can't do this. It is only by God's grace and His power at work in us. According to His divine power, He has given you and me everything we need to live this life in this manner.

So, God help us. Amen? Let’s stand and pray and ask for His help. Father God, I come before you and say, "Lord, I need your help."

I need your help just as much, if not more than any person in this room, to have grace, to have self-control, and to have patience; to be tender and kind. Lord, I pray that you, by your Spirit, would enable me by your power to do that.

But Lord, I pray that you would also stir me up, stir us up, to put feet to our faith, that our faith becomes faithfulness. In that faithfulness, our lives would be fruitful, and people would see our good works and glorify you, our Father in heaven. God, work a work in us, we pray—a work that can only be attributed to you.

We thank you, Jesus, that you have power. We thank you that you are willing to make us whole. As we stand here today, it may be that you have not put your trust in Jesus, but you understand and recognize your need for His grace. If you would like the grace and forgiveness of God today, I want to give you an opportunity right now to receive His grace, His forgiveness, by simply praying a prayer of faith.

If that's you, if you want to receive the grace and forgiveness of Christ today, as we're in an attitude of prayer, would you just lift up your hand high so I can see it? Anyone here? God bless you. I see you back here in the back. Anyone else? God bless you over here, right up here. God bless you.

Anyone else? If that's you, just where you're at, out loud, pray with me. Dear Jesus, I know I need you. I know I can't save myself. So I pray that you'd come into my life, that you would forgive me of my sin, that you'd help me to follow you by faith, and to trust you with my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.