Rooted 3 - Becoming Fruitful

Jesus said that we, as His disciples, would be known as His followers by the love we have for one another. How do we get and grow that love in our lives? Open with me to Second Peter, chapter 1, and we'll learn that together. Amen.

Good morning! Would you take out your Bibles? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. If you don't own a Bible, you can keep that as a gift to you. Today, we are going to be in Second Peter in the New Testament. That's near the end of the Bible, so if you're new to the Bible, just open to the very last book, the Book of Revelation, and turn to the left. You'll pass a small book called Jude and First, Second, and Third John, and then you'll find Second Peter.

We are picking up our study today at verse 5. Second Peter 1, verse 5. There, the Apostle Peter writes, "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. 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. God, 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 so 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 of his career, he is retiring after this. Apparently, he and 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, shattered really, 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. It's phenomenal to see him do it. Sometimes, it almost looks as if he does this with ease, sometimes like 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 get to that level, to reach that place in competition at the very top, it takes exactly what Peter speaks about in the opening verse that we're looking at today in verse 5. Three little words there where he says, "giving all diligence." You don't get to that peak performance; you don't reach that elite position without giving all diligence. Diligence is careful and persistent effort.

Effort and hard work are essential for achieving excellence. It has been said that anything worth doing is worth doing well, and when engaging in any endeavor, excellence should be a good aim or target. When you observe someone like Michael Phelps, it is clear that he has been targeting excellence. However, it takes diligent effort and hard work to attain mastery. Doing something well doesn't just happen; even if you possess natural talent, you still need to work hard to reach that level. It requires deliberate practice, determined effort, and diligence every single day to get up and perform that task repeatedly, pushing hard to achieve your goals.

There are those who attempt to hack the system, trying to circumvent hard work. They may engage in unethical practices to better themselves. When I think of someone who tried to improve in an unethical way, a particular name comes to mind. Back in the summer of 2005, two significant events dominated the news: Hurricane Katrina and Lance Armstrong. You may remember Lance Armstrong; he and his team were cycling in the Tour de France that summer, aiming to win his seventh title. However, it was later revealed that he and his team were attempting to hack the system by taking illegal substances, doping to gain a competitive edge. As a result, his name has been dragged through the dirt, and all his titles were stripped away.

To reach a mastery level without resorting to unethical practices, it will take diligence. When you apply yourself diligently to something, there always needs to be a basis for that diligence. You must answer the question of why you are pursuing your goal. For some people, the answer to this question may seem trivial or even foolish. For instance, if you talk to someone who is diligently working towards losing weight and ask them why they are doing it, their response might be simple.

On a vacation, I got this suit I want to fit into. That may seem stupid to you, but that is their reason for why they're doing it. You meet someone who is giving all diligence to save money and put money aside. You might ask, "Why are you doing this?" Well, maybe they want to retire, or perhaps they want to buy a boat or a house. Whatever it is, there is a reason behind the effort. There always needs to be that reason behind the giving of all.

That is exactly what Peter is asking the Christian to do here in this passage: to give all diligence, to give it your all, and to work hard, putting in every effort. But what is the basis for this giving all diligence? Notice what he says in verse 5: "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence." He is providing us with a reason as to why we should give all diligence towards this thing he is calling us to—adding to our faith virtue and these other things that we will be looking at in a moment.

What is the reason? We need to back up just a little bit. If we look at verse 3 of 2 Peter 1:3, it states, "According to His divine power, He has given to 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 we are working towards, but rather something we are 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, and you will escape this world that is devastated because of sin, therefore, because of all that, He says, "I want you to give all diligence to add to your faith virtue."

has already done for you. Therefore, we are exhorted to give all diligently.

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 swim 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's 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 really the perfect way to say this because salvation, as a concept revealed in the New Testament 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.

You will hear people say things like, "I got saved at Cross Connection Church" or "I got saved at a Billy Graham crusade." People will often ask the question, "When did you get saved?" Typically, we have a tendency to speak of salvation in the past tense and attach it to a place and a time. For example, "I was saved in such and such a year at such and such a place." We generally think of salvation in that way.

However, when you read through the New Testament, yes, it does speak of salvation in the past tense, but it also speaks of it in the future tense and in the present tense as well. When you begin to study the theological concept of salvation, that very thing that is given in Jesus Christ, you find that it exists in the New Testament in the past, in the present, and in the future.

When we talk about these things, we're discussing concepts like justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is that past tense experience of salvation that, if you're a Christian today, you have experienced. The Scriptures speak of it like this in Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace you have been saved"—past tense—for the Christian, this is true. For by grace you have been saved; that is justification. Jesus on the cross, 2,000 years ago, is the foundation of this truth.

Years ago, Jesus died for your sin and for my sin. Through His death, burial, and then His resurrection, He has made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and to be justified. If you've put your faith in the grace of Christ Jesus, then today you have been saved; you have been justified. It's 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 1:18, it says, "For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those that 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 it is also the power of God 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. But 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. This means He is cleansing us of all our old dead works, renewing us, transforming us, and making us more into the likeness of His children. It is an awesome thing that God does in transforming us.

So, if you have been saved, you are at this very moment being saved. The Bible also describes that one day you shall be saved. This is spoken of in 1 Peter 1:9, which says that 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 rescues 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. There will be an actual transformation; this body that is corrupted because of sin will be done away with, and we will be given a new, heavenly, glorified body. This is what salvation is.

That work that God has already accomplished is justification. That work that God is currently accomplishing is sanctification. That work that He will accomplish is glorification.

Why do I bring this up? Well, because point one is that salvation is the starting block. It might be better said that justification is the starting block. It's just the start; that's the place where we begin. That's the place where we set out on this path, which 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.

So, 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—requires us to add to our faith these other things that he speaks of. He says, "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."

There is a very clear progressive nature to what Peter is saying here in these verses. If you are a Christian today, you became a Christian by putting your trust, your faith, in Jesus Christ. 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, and we progressively move through these things.

The Christian faith must become the Christian life. Faith must always move to practice what you believe. Now, it needs to actively become a part of your daily life. This is why the Apostle James wrote in James 2:17 these words: "Therefore, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." He says it again to give emphasis just a few verses later in verse 20: "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

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 2, I have quoted it 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 or 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, who are moving forward in our faith, and we are building upon our faith. What are we building upon our faith? Well, upon the foundation of faith, Peter gives here seven things that we need to build upon: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

First, virtue. Interestingly, this very word translated as virtue here in verse 5 has already been used by Peter back in verse 3. There, in verse 3, he has told 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. Well, what exactly is it? The actual definition of the word that is translated as virtue here is a virtuous course of thought.

Feeling leads to action; it is a moral excellence of mind or goodness, a modesty, a purity. The very same word is used by the Apostle Paul in one of his letters in Philippians chapter 4. There, he is speaking to believers in a city called Philippi, and he says this: "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."

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

Interestingly, researchers—not Christian researchers, but secular researchers—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 work out the right actions if they have the right mental model. This is why, if you've been watching some of these athletes in the Olympics, you may notice a gymnast just before they perform the vault. Often, as the camera is on them a couple of minutes beforehand, they will have their eyes closed and will be going through the motions.

As they stand there with their eyes closed, they are building a mental model in their head of what exactly they are going to do as they launch off that apparatus onto the vault. They may look a little goofy as they stand there, but what are they doing? They are building a mental model; they are developing the right frame of mind, the right focus, the right mindset.

I would suggest to you that if a Christian is going to build fruitfulness into their life, then they need to develop the right mindset. This is why Paul says that you need to set your mind on these things. In another one of his letters, Colossians chapter 3, he writes, "If then you were raised with Christ Jesus," which is just another way of saying if you're a Christian, if you're a follower of Jesus, "then seek those things which are..."

Above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, set your mind on things above. Colossians 3:2 states, "Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth." Your mindset is important. Set your mind on the things above and not on the things of the earth.

Now, I think we all would agree that we live in a world that is constantly trying to redirect our attention and our minds onto the things of this world. You don't have to look very far to see this. I actually don't encourage you to do so, but simply turning on the news will constantly direct your mind and your attention to the things of this world that will bring fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and doubt. All you have to do is look at the presidential election happening in our nation, and what does it bring? It brings your focus into fear, uncertainty, doubt, and anxiety. The whole of this world is focused on gripping your attention.

This is why I think Paul says, "Listen, Christian, if you have been raised with Christ Jesus, set your mind on things above where Christ is. Have the right mindset, the right focus." Why? Let me give you another passage of Scripture you can jot down: Philippians 3:15. Paul says, "Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mindset. And if in anything you think otherwise, 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." He goes on in verse 17: "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 that 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 have 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."

Mindset is crucial for ensuring that your walk is right. Many people walk incorrectly because they have an earthly mindset. Do you see the correlation? Your mindset and focus are exceedingly important. This is why Paul says in Philippians 3:20, "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 transformation is glorification; He will change our lowly bodies to be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able to subdue all things to Himself.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the politics of the United States, I encourage you to set your mind on things above. Consider taking a break from CNN, Fox News, or whatever your preferred news source is. Just take a week off and focus on heavenly matters. Your citizenship is in heaven; the one here is temporary, and that passport will expire. The one in heaven is eternal. We are eagerly waiting, not for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, but for Jesus Christ.

We need to have the right mindset. I've taught this 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 is that the head and heart must always move our feet. This is why Peter says to add to your virtue knowledge. As you fix your mind on things above and cultivate the correct mindset upon the Lord and His kingdom, you need to add to your virtuous thinking knowledge. What kind of knowledge? I would suggest the knowledge of God. Where do we gain the knowledge of God? Chiefly, we gain it through the revelation of God. God has revealed Himself through the pages of Scripture, as we will see next.

This week, we are moving on through First Peter. Holy men of God were moved by the Spirit of God to write down inspired scripture, revealing Himself to us. Yes, we can ascertain and learn certain things about God through nature and through one another, whom He has created. However, 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. The head and heart must always move our feet. Peter says to add to your knowledge self-control. We might think we have self-control down perfectly, but if we're honest, every one of us naturally lacks self-control. You can prove that by simply looking at us human beings in our rudimentary form, our base level.

Consider the two-year-old. If you've never had a two-year-old, you might not understand this. It's all well and good to observe a parent with their two-year-old and think, "Why can't that parent get that child under control?" I know because I had that thought, and 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 spirit.

Here's the thing: so do you, and 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 our inner two-year-old so we don't show it to everyone else, 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.

Do you realize that self-control is evidence of the Spirit of God? Paul writes in Galatians chapter 5 that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. As we add to our faith, we must cultivate this essential quality.

Virtue is important, and we add to our virtue knowledge. Putting feet to our faith, we need to add to our knowledge of God's self-control. As we previously saw in 2 Peter 1:3, God, by His divine power, 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. 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 going to cause a problem. Has anyone had that problem before? Maybe just this week? Don’t raise your hand, but your little neighbor is 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. You know what? I live in a culture that really caters to our impatience, and you live in the same culture. That’s why we have things like Netflix, providing instant access all the time. I don’t want to go to that little red box; I don’t want any of that sort of stuff. I want it now! That’s why we have Amazon Prime, and 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 patience is...

Impatience is the incubator called the airport. You've 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," and then take a big, deep, cleansing breath through the nose and out through the mouth. Count to ten or one hundred, whatever it takes, and then just watch.

Watch at the curb, watch at the ticket counter, watch at the security line, and watch at the gate. Observe when you get to your seat and when other people are trying to get their stuff into their overhead compartments. Watch as they bring the sodas to you. Notice how quickly people are fighting to get off the plane at the next gate. It is an incubator for impatience. We don't like to wait for anything, and 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 weary; they shall walk and not faint." For those who wait upon the Lord, he says to add to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness or holiness.

The Apostle Paul, writing to a younger man named Timothy, says in 1 Timothy 6:1, "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.

Point number four: faith in God must lead to faithfulness toward God. Faith in God must lead to faithfulness toward God, and such faithful holiness leads to brotherly kindness. Add to your godliness brotherly kindness. This is the Greek word "Philadelphia," one of several words in the...

The Greek language translates the word "love" to convey the idea of brotherly kindness or tenderness. Many of you, like me, had siblings, and brotherly kindness or brotherly love wasn't exactly the term I would use to characterize those relationships. I have an older brother, an older sister, and two younger brothers, so when I hear the phrase "brotherly kindness," it doesn't always conjure up a mental picture. I need some sort of framework.

One framework is given to us in Romans 12:10, where Paul, speaking of brotherly kindness, says, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly 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, to live with brotherly kindness.

Paul continues by saying to add to your brotherly kindness 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, but 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 when, 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 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, and this is the love that Jesus says Christians are to be identified by. In John 13:35, He says, "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, what do they think?

When people hear the term "Christian," we are not often known by our love. Perhaps it is time for us to add to our faith: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and ultimately, love. It may be that we, as a church in this nation and in many places around the world, have not moved beyond faith to grow in our faithfulness.

Notice what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:8: "For if these things are yours and abound, their increasing, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." He continues, "For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to the point of blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from all his sins."

What is the basis for our diligence in adding to our faith with virtue, knowledge, and all of these qualities? It is our forgiveness. We have been forgiven of our sins. When we find a Christian who is not adding these qualities to their faith, it shows that they are so myopic and shortsighted that they have forgotten they have been saved by the grace of God.

Point number five: faithfulness towards God always produces fruitfulness. Peter goes on to say, "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent, giving all diligence." In verse 10, he emphasizes, "Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble."

He assures us that "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 themselves and to others in this world what a Christian is. When people see me, when they see us as a church out in the community, at work, at school, or wherever we 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 notice that we have self-control, patience, tenderness, kindness, and that we sacrifice for others. That is what a Christian is.

I would suggest that our culture needs to see genuine, real Christians. There is a misconception about what Christians are, and that misconception originates with us. We created that misconception; the church has contributed to it over the last 25, 30, or even 50 years. We became so shortsighted, only looking at ourselves.

When Peter says we need to grow, he emphasizes this by stating, "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, and loving. We need to be 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, 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, 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.