Rooted 3 - Becoming Fruitful

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 will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, 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... (2 Peter 1:5-15)

Salvation is only the starting block—God saves the ungodly for godliness, and our faith must grow into a fruitful, faithful life.

Giving All Diligence

One of the biggest stories of the 2016 Olympics in Rio has been Michael Phelps. In his very last race before retirement, he won his 23rd gold medal. When you tally every medal he has won—Olympics, World Championships, and more—he has more than 65 gold medals in his career. He has shattered records that may never be broken, including one this past Thursday that had stood for 2,182 years. Sometimes it almost looks as though he does it with ease, an entire body length ahead of the next swimmer.

But to reach that elite level, at the very top of competition, it takes exactly what Peter speaks about in verse 5: three little words, "giving all diligence." Diligence is careful and persistent effort. Anything worth doing is worth doing well, and excellence is a good target to aim at. You don't reach a level of mastery without deliberate practice, determined effort, and diligence every single day—getting up to do that thing over and over again.

Hacking the System

There are those who try to hack the system, who try to get around the hard work, often in unethical ways. When I think of someone trying to better themselves in a wrong way, perhaps the same name comes to your mind. In the summer of 2005, two things dominated the news: Hurricane Katrina and Lance Armstrong. Armstrong and his team were cycling toward his seventh Tour de France title. But years later we learned that he and his teammates were doping—taking illegal substances to gain a competitive edge. His name has been dragged through the dirt, and all his titles have been taken away.

If you're going to reach a level of mastery without cheating, it takes diligence. And whenever you apply yourself diligently to something, there must be a basis for it—a why. To one person the why may seem trivial: they want to fit into a suit for vacation. To another, the why is saving for retirement or a house. There is always a reason behind the effort. And that is exactly what Peter is asking the Christian to do here—to give all diligence, to put in every effort. But what is the basis?

The Reason We Work From

Notice verse 5: "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence." Peter is giving us a reason. To find it, back up to verse 3:

According to his divine power [he] has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The reason Peter gives is not something we work towards but something we work from. Since God by his divine power has already given you everything you need to live a godly life, since he has given you great and precious promises—therefore, on the basis of all he has already done, give all diligence to add to your faith virtue. Because of everything God has already done for you, we are exhorted to give all diligence.

Salvation Is Just the Starting Block

Point one: salvation is just the starting block. You know the starting block—when athletes are called to "get set," and from that position the race begins. Salvation is really just the starting block for the Christian. This isn't a perfect way to say it, because salvation as the New Testament reveals it encompasses more than something in the past. But many believers think of salvation only in the past tense. We say, "I got saved at such-and-such a place," attaching it to a time and location.

Yet the New Testament speaks of salvation in the past, present, and future. We're talking about justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is the past-tense experience: "For by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus died for our sin 2,000 years ago, and through his death, burial, and resurrection made it possible for us to be forgiven. It is a completed work.

But salvation is also spoken of in the present tense: "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" (1 Corinthians 1:18). At this very moment, by the power of the Spirit through the Word, God is sanctifying us—cleansing us of dead works, renewing us, transforming us into the likeness of his children.

And the Bible describes that one day we shall be saved: we will "receive the end of [our] faith—the salvation of [our] souls" (1 Peter 1:9). Justification is the work God has already accomplished, sanctification the work he is currently doing, and glorification the work he will do when this corruption puts on incorruption, and in the twinkling of an eye we shall be changed.

Pilgrim's Progress

Justification is the starting block—the place we set out on a path that might be called Pilgrim's Progress. I highly recommend John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, one of the greatest books ever sold, which follows allegorically the life of a man named Pilgrim making his way through this world toward eternity. We are progressing as pilgrims, and this Pilgrim's Progress of faith must be worked out in our lives.

Peter says it takes diligence to add to your faith these other things. There is a clearly progressive nature here: you became a Christian by trusting Jesus, and he by his grace saved you. Now you don't stay there—you add seven things to your faith and progressively move through them. The Christian faith must become the Christian life. As James wrote, "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17), and again, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).

God Saves the Ungodly for Godliness

Point two: God saves the ungodly for godliness. We must hold this closely—we are not saved by our good works, but we are saved for good works. "For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). But the next verse says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

Since this is the case, we must give all diligence to build upon our faith. Your trust in Jesus is the foundation, but it's not where we stay. Upon that foundation Peter gives seven things to build: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

Virtue: The Right Mindset

First, virtue. Peter already used this word in verse 3, telling us God has called us by his virtue. The word means a virtuous course of thought and feeling that leads to action—a moral excellence of mind, goodness, purity. Paul uses the same word in Philippians 4: "Whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report—if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

Adding virtue to your faith has much to do with your mindset. Secular researchers are finding that a person is more likely to perform the right actions if they have the right mental model. Watch a gymnast before the vault—eyes closed, going through the motions, building a mental model of exactly what they will do. They may look goofy, but they are developing the right focus.

This is why Paul says, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:1-2). We live in a world constantly trying to redirect our minds onto earthly things. Just turn on the news—it directs your attention toward fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and doubt. Look at the presidential election; it grips your focus with fear and doubt. So Peter says: set your mind on things above.

Your Walk Follows Your Mindset

In Philippians 3, Paul writes, "Let us, as many as are mature, have this mind." Then, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." Your walk is directed by your mindset. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ... who set their mind on earthly things" (Philippians 3:18-19). Many people walk wrong because they have an earthly mindset.

But "our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21). On a side note: if you're freaked out about the politics of the United States, set your mind on things above. Take a moratorium on CNN or Fox News—a week off—and set your mind on things above. The citizenship here is temporary; that passport will expire. The other is eternal. We are not eagerly waiting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. We are eagerly waiting for Jesus Christ. I've taught it many times: where the head goes the heart follows, and where the heart goes the feet follow.

Knowledge and Self-Control

Point three: the head and heart must always move our feet. This is why Peter says, add to your virtue knowledge. What kind of knowledge? The knowledge of God. Chiefly we gain that through the revelation of God in Scripture. As we'll see next week, holy men of God were moved by the Spirit to write down inspired Scripture. Yes, we can learn certain things about God through nature and through one another, but chiefly our knowledge of God comes from his revelation, the Scriptures.

Then, add to your knowledge self-control. Every one of us perfectly has self-control all the way—not if we're honest. None of us naturally have self-control. Look at the two-year-old. If you've never had a two-year-old you won't understand this. When you see a parent struggling, you think, "Why can't they get that one under control?" I had that thought, and then God gave me a two-year-old times four. Here's the thing: so do you and so do I. We might mask the two-year-old, but it's right under the surface.

That's why we need the grace and Spirit of God to bring his restraining and transforming work into our lives. Self-control is evidence of the Spirit—"the fruit of the Spirit" includes self-control (Galatians 5). Since God by his divine power has given us everything we need to live godly, the Spirit of Christ dwells in us and gives us the power to be self-controlled. We need to practice it, even mentally modeling how we'll respond to the person who makes us angry—and it might be your spouse. You could respond according to your nature, which causes a problem, or you could ask God to help you respond with self-control.

Perseverance and Godliness

Add to self-control perseverance—another word for patience. We love patience, don't we? I need the Spirit of God to make me patient, because I am an impatient person, and I live in a culture geared toward impatience. That's why we have Netflix instant access, Amazon Prime, and now they want to fly your package to you in an hour by helicopter. Our society caters to impatience.

The most perfect laboratory for experimenting with impatience is the incubator called the airport. From curb to curb it is an incubator for impatience. Next time, before you even get there, pray, "God, give me patience," take a deep cleansing breath, count to a hundred, and then just watch—at the curb, the ticket counter, the security line, the gate, the overhead compartments, and how quickly people fight to get off the plane. We don't like to wait for anything. Yet there are dozens of exhortations in Scripture to wait on the Lord: "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

Add to perseverance godliness, or holiness. Paul tells Timothy, "But you, O man of God, flee these things"—greed and lust—"and pursue godliness" (1 Timothy 6:11).

Brotherly Kindness and Love

Point four: faith in God must lead to faithfulness toward God. And such faithful holiness leads to brotherly kindness—the Greek philadelphia, the idea of brotherly tenderness. For many of us with siblings, "brotherly kindness" wasn't exactly the phrase that characterized those relationships. I have an older brother, an older sister, and two younger brothers. So we need a framework. Romans 12:10 gives one: "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another." At the very least it means to be devoted to one another and to honor others above yourself. That's not in my nature, but by his divine power God has given me everything I need to live this way.

The last is love—the Greek agape, believed by many to be the highest form of love. It is self-sacrificial—the love with which God has loved us, the love Jesus demonstrated when "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." It is the love personified in God, for God is love. It is the love Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy... is not puffed up... does not seek its own... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." This is the love Jesus says identifies us: "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

Becoming Fruitful

Regrettably, when you survey people in our nation about what they think of when they hear "Christian," we're not known by our love. Maybe we need to add to our faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and on through to love. Maybe the church in this nation hasn't moved beyond faith to grow in faithfulness.

But notice verse 8: "For if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." What was the basis for giving all diligence? Our forgiveness. When you find a Christian not adding these things to their faith, they are so myopic, so shortsighted, that they've forgotten they were saved by the grace of God.

Proving Your Calling

Point five: faithfulness toward God always produces fruitfulness. "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." Work hard to prove that you really are among God's called and chosen people. May it be that when people see us as a church—at work, at school, in the community—they say, "There's something different about that person. They've got self-control, patience, tenderness, kindness. They're sacrificing for others. That's a Christian."

Our culture needs to see genuine Christians. There's a misconception about what Christians are, and that misconception originates with us. The church created it over the last 25, 30, 50 years by becoming so shortsighted, just looking at ourselves. This is why Peter says, "For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them... as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you... I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease."

We need God's help to be patient, self-controlled, tender, kind, loving, and sacrificial, because in ourselves we can't do this. It's only by God's grace and power at work in us. But according to his divine power he has given us everything we need to live this way. So, God, help us.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I come before you and say, Lord, I need your help—just as much if not more than any person in this room—to have grace, self-control, and patience, to be tender and kind. Lord, I pray that you by your Spirit would enable me by your power to do that. But I pray that you would also stir us up to put feet to our faith, that our faith becomes faithfulness, and that in that faithfulness our lives would be fruitful, and that people would see our good works and glorify you. Our Father in heaven, work a work in us, a work that can only be attributed to you. We thank you, Jesus, that you have power, and that you are willing to make us whole. Amen.