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.
- God has given us everything we need in order to build
a godly life
- Godly Life = to be pleased with God and to be pleasing
to God
- God gives us the desire and the ability to do what
pleases Him
- Everything we need to build a godly life is found in
His Word
- They are His great and precious promises given to us
- By which we have access to the divine nature
- And help us escape corruption from our evil desires
Virtue
- Virtue = The courage to do the right thing in
every situation
- Culture and society do not determine the “right
thing.”
- The right thing is that which God has commanded in His
Word
- Only God establishes truth
- Virtue is doing the right thing, according to His
Word, even when nobody else is
- We all need convictions. Without convictions, we can
be talked into doing anything.
- We need godly convictions- they give us the courage to do what is right in all situations.
Knowledge
- On top of virtue, the Bible encourages us to add
knowledge
- Knowledge = Truth acquired from God’s Word
- Knowing what is right in God’s eyes
- The spiritual battle we are in is all about truth; God
wants to get truth into the hands of everyone. The devil wants to deceive as
many people from the truth as possible.
- When we know the truth, it sets us free. Therefore, we
need knowledge of the truth.
- Knowledge of the truth informs us of what truly matters
Self-Control
- On top of Knowledge, we are encouraged to add
self-control
- Self-Control = The ability to do the right thing in
the moment of temptation
- Mastery over desires; dominion within
- There is a battle for self-control in our life
- The devil is working overtime to gain control over
your life. He wants to have dominion.
- He is using the things of this world to entice the
desires of your flesh to giving in to temptation. When we do that, we concede
control in that area of our life over to the devil.
- He wants to remove control, while God wants to produce
self-control in our life. That only happens when we choose to trust Him with
the reigns of our life.
- Let us live by the spirit, think before we act, ask the Holy Spirit to helps us, and then choose to do the right thing.
Perseverance
- On top of self-control, we are to add perseverance
- Perseverance = to remain under discipline
- We are called to persevere through hardship: God is
with us through difficulty
- We are called to persevere with people: be patient
with others
- We are called to persevere in the faith: do not give up; fight the good fight of faith
Godliness
- Godliness = Conforming to the character of God in
every area of our life
- We have an expectation to grow in godliness
- However, God doesn’t want us just to act godly; He
doesn’t want us to simply have an appearance of godliness.
- His desire is that we would become godly through the
transformative power of the Holy Spirit
- We must train ourselves in godliness by putting His Word to practice
Brotherly Love
- Brotherly Kindness = Loving fellow believers like family
—————————————————————————————————
That brings us to the seventh and final supplement listed in 2 Peter chapter 1… 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, and to brotherly kindness love.”
We are to add to our faith:
- Virtue
- Knowledge
- Self Control
- Perseverance
- Godliness
- Brotherly Kindness
- Love
Peter says that by having these qualities we will be fruitful and effective for Jesus! He also says that if we practice these qualities then we will never fail. All of these qualities are very important!
So lets get to the last spiritual ingredient listed, love!
Love is a word that is thrown around a lot in our culture. So much so, that it has almost lost its meaning and value in our society. However, love does have value. In fact, it might be the greatest quality available to add to our life.
Therefore, it is important to know what love is! So, what exactly is love?
True love is more than a feeling:
•
Not just some
warm fuzzy
•
Not just a
chemical of the brain
•
A feeling comes
and goes
•
True love does
not come and go
• Thank God that His love for us is not dependent on how He feels
True love is not about getting:
•
Not about getting
what I want
•
Not about what
makes me happy
• Not about my own pleasure
So what is love?
According to Webster’s dictionary, love is the unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another. That concept of love is borrowed from the Bible.
Love = (Agape) = The decision to bring about God’s best for someone else
This definition comes from John 3:16
John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
1.
Love
focuses on others
“For God so loved the world…”
It is not just about getting what I want.
It is about blessing other people. Love motivates us to help others. God so
loved the world…not so that He would be blessed. God already has all that He
needs. He loved us so that “we” would be blessed.
Romans 5:8
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.”
Love has not ulterior motive. Love has no hidden agenda. Love. simply cares
about others. When God’s
love is operating in us, we will focus on blessing others.
2.
Love
is a decision
“For God so loved the world, that he
gave…”
God decided that He was going to give. Love motivates us to action. It
encourages us to choose to do something about a said situation. Love is not
just a feeling. Feelings over time can change. Therefore, our love cannot be
tied to just how we feel.
“Love is not a feeling. It
is a willing.” - A.W. Tozer
When Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He did not mean to
“feel” love for them. Instead, we are to choose to love them; we are to choose
to show grace. There are times when we may not feel like loving other people.
However, we just have to be willing. If we are willing to love like Jesus loved
us, His sufficient grace will enable us to want God’s best for people.
3.
Love
is a sacrifice (it costs you
something)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only Son..”
Love will cost you something. It cost God His only son. Because He loved us, He
gave up His Son as a sacrifice in our place. It was love that motivated the
Father to give. Loving others will cost you something.
2 Corinthians 5:21
"Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become
the righteousness of God in him.”
4.
Love
desires to see God’s best
“For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.”
Love desires God’s best for others. God’s best are His blessings, here in this
life and the life to come.
Love According to 1 Corinthians 13
1 Corinthians 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Let us love people through the new
nature according to 1 Corinthians 13.
•
Be patient
with people: Love people in spite of
their faults. Refuse to take offense. Do not demand perfection out of people.
God is patient with you.
•
Be kind: Intentionally love people with your words. Do not
tear people down but lift them up. Be kind to people, even those who are not
kind to you. In a world full of hurt, let us show kindness to others. You never
know what your random act of kindness can mean to someone else.
•
Do not be
envious: Do not compete with people!
Be content with what God has already given you. Envy causes us to treat people
wrongfully. Let us not allow envy to boil up in our heart.
Proverbs 14:30 - “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the
bones.”
•
Do not boast: Let us not brag to make people feel bad for what
they do not have. Let’s not make everything about ourself. Love does not focus
on ourselves but on others.
•
Do not be
proud: Let us not puff ourselves up
in our own hearts to the point where we cannot love others. Pride produces a
judgmental spirit. Love produces grace.
•
Do not
dishonor others: Don’t be rude to
people. Treat people with honor and respect. Treat others with grace.
•
Do not seek
after your own desires: Don’t put
yourself before others for your own interests. Let us not use people to get
what we want. That is not love, that is from the devil. Instead, look out for
the interests of others.
•
Do not be
easily angered: Do not allow yourself
to be easily irritated or provoked. We all have our buttons. Let us not push
other people’s buttons and let us not wear our buttons like a chain. Let us
relax and overlook offenses. People should not have to walk on eggshells around
us.
•
Do not hold
grudges: Do not harbor resentment in
your heart. Let us not credit the offense of others to their account. Instead,
work hard to forgive and forget. This is one of the most godliest things we can
do for someone else.
•
Do not harbor
evil: Do not find enjoyment in the
mistreatment of others, even if it is your enemy. Let us catch ourselves when
our heart laughs at the evil mistreatment of another.
•
Rejoice with
the truth: The opposite, celebrate
when truth wins. We should speak the truth, but in love. Let us uphold the
truth of God’s Word, with grace. We do not need to be judgmental. We can do so
with a loving and caring heart.
•
Protect people: Let us cover people, not expose their failures. That
includes family, friends, and enemies.
•
Believe in
people: Believe the best about
people. Do not allow someone’s opinion to color your perspective of someone
else. Choose to believe in people, invest in people, and give people a chance.
•
Hope for the
best in people: Choose to be
optimistic. Choose to believe for God’s best for someone else’s future.
• Persevere with people: Don’t ever stop loving people. Choose to endure with people in spite of their shortcomings. Choose to keep loving people like God does for you.
Takeaways:
1.
Decide
to love people
2.
Keep
Loving people
3.
Never
stop loving people
