2Peter 1:5-11
As for Yourself
We have just started in this book but Peter started by telling us of
four gifts that God has given to us: precious faith, multiplied peace
and grace, divine power, and exceedingly great and precious promises.
Now it is Peter’s time to tell us what we need to do.
I. \\#5\\ Charge
A. "besides this" - The word "besides" here means self. It is
the Greek word "autos."
1. We stick that prefix in front of words like autopilot or
automobile to mean that machine pilots itself or it
propels itself.
2. Peter’s thought was that besides what God does for you,
this is what you are to do for yourself. Peter was
saying, "Now, as for yourselves…."
3. Christians need not forget that while God gives to
Christians graces, it is the Christian who must take
God’s grace and use it.
a. Christians have as much responsibility in their
spiritual growth, abilities, and service to God as
God does.
b. A grace left unused is a lost to the Christian and to
those whose lives to whom he was supposed to minister.
c. Every gift—including gifts like prayer and faith—
must be practiced and used.
B. "giving all diligence"
1. Not only does the Christian have the responsibility to use
God’s graces, they also determine how earnest or
determined they will be in their walk with God.
2. Some people are blessed with many gifts but they do not
spend much time developing or using them.
C. Paul addressed these same thoughts:
Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us,
whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to
the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering:
or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that
giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that
ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy,
with cheerfulness.
D. Peter wanted to tell us how to grow ourselves in God’s grace.
1. First he emphasized it is our duty to grow ourselves.
2. Then he gave a command on how we are to do it.
3. I think that these commands are not only what is needed to
produce growth in a Christian, I believe that they are
given in the proper sequence or order as well.
a. Like stair steps, we must step onto the first before
we can reach the second.
b. So, this process works best if done in the correct
order.
(1) Not that one must know the correct order as the
Holy Spirit does.
(2) He will guide us in our growth as long as we do
not prohibit Him.
II. \\#5-7\\ Commands
A. \\#5\\ "add to your faith" - We start with faith.
1. Faith is what we believe.
2. If you are a Christian, you have to believe some basics.
a. You must believe that Jesus is God.
b. You must believe that died for your sins.
c. You must believe that He rose on the third day.
d. You must believe that He will save you if you ask Him
to do so.
e. You may have started off believing much more than
this, but it would be difficult to be saved believing
any less than this.
3. God used someone else to get that truth to you and then
the Holy Ghost dealt with you to get you to believe it.
a. This is where you started as a Christian, but it is
certainly not where you want to end.
b. Now, it is up to you to add some things to your faith.
B. "add to your faith virtue"
1. Virtue is purity, cleanness, morality, rightness.
a. The word is used four times in the New Testament, and
it several of them, the thought seems to be purity.
b. To purify is to refine by removing the impurities.
c. We want our water pure, virtuous, refined so that the
contaminants are removed.
2. To add virtue is to remove the bad.
a. It may be odd to think of adding by removing, but that
is the notion that I have of this word.
b. One of the first things that a Christian will do is to
remove the sinful actions that brought his conviction.
(1) Conviction is required to bring salvation.
(2) Conviction is the Holy Spirit spanking us for sin
and wickedness.
(3) We want the conviction and the sin gone so we
accept Christ and then start purifying
ourselves, removing the sin that defiled us.
(4) If there is no conviction or if conviction does
not lead to some virtue, I question whether
there is any salvation at all.
(5) This is the work of the Holy Ghost.
(6) It was, is, and will be the Holy Spirit that
points out our sins so He is in charge of the
revealing the impurities, we are responsible
for removing them.
c. It is possible that a Christian will start adding good
qualities at the same time; but to add the new, the
old must be removed.
3. Virtuous is the state of having been purified.
4. So we start with what we believe but then we add virtue
by removing whatever needs to be removed.
C. "and to virtue knowledge"
1. In the earliest stages of salvation, what we know comes
mainly from what we are told and what the Holy Spirit
reveals.
a. However, every Christian should grow to the place
where they want to know what God says directly and
regularly from Him.
b. No Christian can amount to much if He does not, in one
way or another, open his own, private, and personal
doorway to knowing the things of God.
2. That kind of knowledge comes only from the Word of God.
3. After God has given us the saving knowledge and the Holy
Spirit has begun to purify us, we must start learning the
Word of God to grow.
D. \\#6\\ "and to knowledge temperance"
1. The word "temperance" means self-control, but we also need
to understand the concept.
a. When a clay vessel is made, it must be tempered or it
will easily break.
b. When steel is molded into an object, it must then be
tempered or it will crack.
c. The concept behind the word is that we must cement our
decisions, make them permanent, concrete.
2. Personal self-control is the force that does this.
a. Self-control keeps the impurities we remove out and
the knowledge of what is right within.
b. Something must.
c. Just because we decide we are not going to lie, steal,
curse, lust, lose our temper, or whatever, that does
not mean it is going to happen.
d. Neither does making a decision to read our Bible, go
to church, pray, obey, and follow God mean that it is
going to happen.
e. Someone must make it happen.
f. Who does that? We do.
3. Our will power, determination, our SELF CONTROL is what
keeps the bad out and ensures that the good and godly
stays.
4. Every person must be taught self-control at all costs!
a. It does not matter if you are high-spirited, red-
headed, Irish, ADHD, highly intelligent, dumb as a
post, poor, extremely nervous, or affluent!
b. Every person must learn to control themselves.
c. Self-control is one of the nutrients that the soil of
the heart must contain for the seed of the gospel to
even be planted in it.
d. A lost person cannot get saved who cannot turn from
sin and a Christian cannot grow who will not keep sin
out of his life and righteousness in his life.
E. "and to temperance patience"
1. Patience is the ability to wait without frustration.
2. Eventually in every growing Christian life, some
frustration usually sets in.
a. All hungry Christians want more from God.
b. We want more of His presence, more of His power, less
of our selfishness, less of our carnality.
3. For many in their early Christian life, it seemed like
every new day brought some new discovery in the Word, in
growth, in ministry—and then it things slowed down.
a. The problem with some Christians is they quit seeking
God’s presence and power.
b. Wrong response!
c. Never squelch the hunger and thirst for God!
d. Just learn patience and understand that you are in
good company.
e. Ask Abraham, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Jonah.
4. For many of us, the most difficult challenge God gives to
us the challenge of patience, but it is essential if we
are to continue growing in Christ.
F. "and to patience godliness"
1. I believe these attributes are given to us in the ideal
order; however for most of us, we will not see the order.
a. For many, more than one will occur at a time.
b. For most, there will be some back and forth in the
order.
c. Looking at the order given thus far, my first
impression was that godliness would be added earlier.
(1) However, you cannot put godliness in until you
get some of the wickedness out.
(2) Neither could godliness be put in unless the
Christian knew what godliness was.
(3) Neither would it do any good to put godliness in
unless the heart was prepared and capable of
holding on to it.
d. So Peter is giving us the attributes in the best order
even though it may not have worked that way in our
lives.
2. Godliness is right deeds. The deeds that would please
God. Deeds like:
a. Faith
b. Prayer
c. Praise
d. Working instead of loafing or stealing
e. Being honest instead of lying
f. Helping instead of hurting or ignoring
G. \\#7\\ "and to godliness brotherly kindness"
1. So far, the list has been us working on things for our
good and growth.
2. The last two will still help us to grow as we should;
however, they will also help us help others.
3. Brotherly kindness means to treat others with the kindness
you would show someone you cared about.
a. Sadly, many today do not care about their family so
you might have to use your imagination.
b. The idea is to be kind like you care.
4. The eight and last attribute takes this up a notch.
H. "and to brotherly kindness charity."
1. Charity is action love. Not emotional love but love that
does something to demonstrate it.
a. Brother kindness means to treat people like you care.
b. Charity means to treat people like love them.
2. We must learn how to care before we can learn how to love.
III. \\#8-11\\ Consequences - Next week!
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