Review:
We are continuing our series called Faith Supplements. We are going through the 7 spiritual ingredients listed out in 2 Peter 1 that help form a godly life. Whether it be vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc, supplements are so important. They help maintain and even increase our overall nutrition in areas we might be lacking.Supplements help provide a boost to our overall health.
Similarly, our spiritual health is just as important. Like vitamins, there are spiritual supplements that we can take everyday to help boost our faith, spiritual walk. In part one, we discussed the responsibility we have to maintain our relationship with God.
Virtue
Knowledge
Self-Control
Perseverance
Godliness
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That brings us to the sixth supplement listed in this passage, brotherly love.
2 Peter 1:5-7
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness
On top of godliness, we are to add brotherly kindness. So what is brotherly kindness?
Brotherly Kindness = (Philadelphia) = Kindness toward a family member
This word was exclusively used for love shown toward your own family in the secular greek world. Yet, Peter is encouraging Christians to love with this kind of love for each other.
Brotherly Kindness = Loving fellow believers like family
Out of our godliness should come kindness. As we grow in our God-like-ness, we should grow in love and kindness. Specifically, toward the other members of God’s family. The more we become like God, the more we should love like Him.
1 John 4:7-8
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Peter is talking about family.
Family of God
Reality being a part of God’s Family
You are a part of the family of God! He loves you as His own child; just not as an only child. We are born-again into the family of God, not as an only child, but as one of many. God has many children! In this family, God expects for you to love His other kids as well.
[Illustration of my family]…These are lessons that are learned within the family structure, within a household.
Similarly, God expects for us to love His children. It is not easy, but we are expected to love one another. That happens within the context of family; that happens within the Father’s house. That happens within the context of church community.
This is one of the reasons why church is so important; to be able to fellowship with other believers! We get to spend time with our brothers and sisters! Of course we run into people that we may not vibe with the best, but we are still expected to love them.
The only way my children began to learn to love each other is by growing and maturing. It takes a little growing up to realize that the family doesn’t revolve around you. Similarly, we too mature spiritually when we learn that it is not all about us…but that is a much better place to be.
Qualities of a Good Sibling
That is one thing I love about our church. We are all about family. We truly do treat each other like family. We try and support one another, we pray for one another, we grieve with one another, we are there for one another. That is a godly trait. I believe our church exhibits this as a whole.
Jesus as Our Example
Jesus is our example in loving others.
John 13:34-35
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus had just finished washing the disciples feet. While this was common practice for visiting guests at this time, it was also the role of a lowly servant. He showed them that if they are to love like Jesus loved, they were going to have to humble themselves as a servant.
If we are to love our spiritual brothers and sisters the way Jesus loved, we are going to have to humble ourselves. It is not about us getting what we want, it is about serving others. Jesus showed us that humbling ourselves and serving others is essential to brotherly love.
On His way to the cross, one of Jesus’ disciples stabbed Him in the back, Peter denied ever knowing Him, and almost every one of His other disciples abandoned Him. Yet, Jesus would later restore His disciples and fellowship with them again. Jesus, in His humanity, had a right to be angry. However, He forgave them. He wasn’t going to charge them for the mistakes they made yesterday. Instead, He offered grace for the opportunity to invest in the future.
It is important that we do not allow the mistakes from the past to keep others from reaching their God-given potential in the future. Thank God Jesus didn’t do that to us. Thank God He does not charge us for our past. Thank you Lord that He has forgiven us…we should do the same.
Jesus did not try to save His life, He gave it away. He laid His life down so that we would be lifted up. Jesus told His disciples to "love one another as I have loved you” under the reality that He was about to lay down His life. This was the very thing that He was signifying to His disciples; they were to lay their life down for one another.
Similarly, if we are going to love one another as Jesus loved us, we must be willing to lay our lives down. Meaning, we must be willing to put our ego aside and exalt others, celebrate with others, sacrifice getting what we want for the benefit of someone else.
By doing these things, people will know we follow Jesus. They will know that there is something different about us. People will see Jesus. God will be glorified.
How should we love our spiritual brothers and sisters?
1 Peter 1:22-23
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever
Takeaways:
