Cross City Church - North
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Tools We Take For Granted
2 Peter 1:3-11
1. You already have all the TOOLS you need for LIFE.
2 Peter 1:3-4...
3 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, 4 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.
His divine power...
- All-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, all-sovereign
- God’s way of loving, caring and directing all things in the universe.
- How He accomplishes His will with humanity.
Who’s divine power? - v. 1 & 2 say Who’s
- God and Savior Jesus Christ in v.1
- God and of Jesus our Lord in v. 2
- Life and godliness are two great things that everyone around you need to see.
Jesus said in John 10:10...
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
LIFE is used over 500 times in Scripture.
His precious and very great promises...
- Don’t take these for granted.
- We get to partake of them.
- We have escaped corruption and the sin of this world.
- Don’t fall back into it. Use these tools.
2. His TOOLS build great character in us & should help lead others to Him.
2 Peter 1:5-8...
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue (goodness), and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness (endurance), and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection (kindness) with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Check this out...
Virtue/Goodness:
- One of the Fruits of the Spirit.
- A beneficial result of having the Holy Spirit in us.
- It’s goodness for the benefit of others.
- Choosing to be a blessing to someone.
- It’s doing things out of the goodness of our hearts.
- It’s gratitude-driven as are most of these.
Knowledge/Wisdom:
- Puffs up if it’s not seeking God’s wisdom.
- It’s meant for a relationship not just to become the smartest person in the room.
- It’s a gift God gives to those who ask.
- Your ability to know what God’s word says helps others know what’s right from wrong.
Self-control...another Fruit of the Spirit:
- Temperance in the KJV.
- The ability to control oneself, constraint or say NO!
- Your ability to control yourself helps others see Jesus in your life.
Steadfastness/Endurance/Perseverance:
- A natural by-product of a life lived in self-control.
- Continuing to move in one direction without getting side-tracked, without stumbling over the obstacles life throws at us.
- It’s continuing to invest/invite someone to church.
Godliness:
- Anyone else’s Mom ever tell you “Cleanliness is next to godliness?”
- Godliness is seeking first the kingdom of God & His righteousness - Matt. 6
- It’s a huge gain when partnered with contentment – 1 Timothy 6
- It’s valuable in every way for this life and the life to come – 1 Timothy 4
Brotherly affection/Kindness:
- “Hello Brother!”
- “The Right Hand of Christian Fellowship!”
- It’s the David & Jonathan relationships
- It’s the New Testament Church
- It’s the Paul & Timothy relationships
Love:
- It’s the crowning characteristic of our faith. They may not see all of the others at first – those may take time. But they should see our love.
- It’s 1 Corinthians 13 daily, hourly and by the minute.
- This one is most definitely all about relationships of all kinds.
3. A TOOL or a FOOL. - You get to decide daily which one you will be.
2 Peter 1:9-11...
9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall (stumble). 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Nearsighted...
- Not being able to clearly see things far away
- Here, it’s the sin of the past and our hope of the future.
Blind...
- Missing it all because you’ve forgotten the key components of our faith.