Alright, we're going to be in
2 Peter 1. And we're going to be in verses 6-10 this morning. Now as we continue our study
in 2 Peter, we're considering the exceeding great and precious
promises that are given to us in Christ. Remembering that all
the spiritual blessings which we have, which are given to us,
are in Christ. God never deals with a sinner. He never blesses them spiritually
outside of Christ. Everything we have is given to
us in Christ. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians
in 1 3 saying, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. So all the blessings that we
have, all the gifts that are given to us are given to us in
Christ. Because these things are necessary
for life and godliness. And because they're necessary
for life and godliness, they must come through Christ. They
must be given to us through Christ. As Peter wrote in verse 3, 2
Peter 1, 3, that it's according as his divine power hath given
unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through
the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue
or by glory and virtue, his glory and his virtue. It's his divine
power that's called us and given to us all these things. So now
as we look at verses five through seven, this little section of
verses, what we see is the Lord is working in us what we could
call fruitful evidences. He's working these fruitful evidences
in us by his divine power so that we are made partakers of
his divine nature. So let's continue looking at
these graces as we've been doing now, let's look at these that
he's forming in us or exercising out of us that we might walk
and bear these things among our brethren. Our title is Godliness,
Kindness, and Love. But we're going to pick up on
patience first because we didn't finish that last time. So we're
going to look at patience and then godliness, brotherly kindness,
love, and then we'll wrap it up with a brief summary at the
end. So, Peter says in 2 Peter 1.6,
adding to temperance patience. So, I just want to
cover a little something about temperance since it builds, patience
builds on the foundation of temperance. Now, as we go through various
trials and afflictions here in this life, we We find that in
Christ, He puts that division, He puts that separation in us
so that the taste that we have for this world is diminished. It's diminished by His power,
by His Spirit and what He teaches us and what He works in us through
these various trials and sufferings and afflictions that we all go
through. But it works out for our good
so that We grow to see the evils and the wickedness that's in
our own heart, that we not trust and have confidence in our own
abilities and in our forms of religion. We cease to trust in
these things and we cease trusting in the flesh because he shows
us that the flesh doesn't profit us. The flesh can't produce anything
good. He shows us the wickedness and
the foolishness of man-made carnal religion, and he shows us the
wickedness of the world, and he shows us or reveals to us
how this world hates the true and living God. They're fine
with the God of their own imagination, but they hate the true and living
God, and therefore they hate those whom the Father loves,
and whom the Father has revealed himself to and been kind to.
So we learn through this experience that we are strangers and pilgrims
in this world so that he effectually teaches us temperance. He teaches
us self-control so that we are withdrawn by his divine power
from the love of this world. If you look over in 1 Peter 4,
1 Peter 4, Verses three and four, Peter wrote of this saying, for
the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the
will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts,
excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries. They
think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess
of rides, speaking evil of you." So the Lord works this in us
by his experience and it ceases being an academic idea of temperance
so that we stop looking down at others and condemning them
because we think that we've arrived and that we have it all together.
It ceases to be that academic kind of temperance and what the
Lord works in us is a heart and a desire to serve him and to
know him and exercises self-control or restraint in us from the things
of this world and the pursuits of this world. Through that temperance,
through that self-control, the Lord then works patience in us,
because then it becomes a patient walk and a patient race in the
things of the Lord. As the Hebrew writer wrote in
12.1, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that
is set before us. So as we run this patient race,
we're waiting on the Lord to perfect the work that He's doing
in us. It's all His work. It's all His
power. It's not about us and working
in our flesh and striving in the flesh to do these things.
We're seeking the Lord, we're looking to the Lord and it's
His power, it's His Spirit working these fruitful evidences in us
which are borne out in the midst of our brethren as we serve the
Lord and serve our brethren in love and in joy and in peace.
If you turn over to Romans 12, Romans 12 verse 2, you'll notice
that Paul makes a connection between temperance, which is
self-control, and patience. And in verse 2, he tells us,
be not conformed to this world. There's the temperance. Exercise
self-control, exercise restraint. Don't be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." So
that proving of God's will, it's a patient work. He's working
it out and He's teaching us these truths in Christ. He's revealing
the gospel to us. He's revealing His work in us. And then notice what Paul says
in verse three. He says, for I say through the
grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to
think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure
of faith. So this thinking soberly of ourselves,
he's saying, don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to
think. And what he's showing us is that there's patience that
needs to be exercised. And I say that because in Ecclesiastes
7, 8, there's a little phrase that says, the patient in spirit
is better than the proud in spirit. So that you can see this thinking
more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, that's pride.
But the opposite, according to the scriptures, is patience,
waiting on the Lord. Because you know how we are.
We get to thinking how a situation should unfold and how things
should go. And we then put our hand to the work. And we say,
I think it should go this way. And this person needs to know
this. Or this is how the situation should go. And we put our hand
to the work. And we start doing what we think
is right. And that's pride. rather than
being patient and praying and waiting on the Lord to reveal
His will in the work. Because we don't know the way
things should go and we often get ourselves into trouble because
we start doing what we think in our own pride and our own
haughtiness being lifted up we start to do something and we
really have no business doing it or trying to make something
happen. So as my pastor told me, and
if you don't know what to do, don't do anything. Wait on the
Lord. Just be patient and wait on him
and he'll make his will known to you. So that's that temperance
and that patience that he works in us. Now the grace of godliness. He says into patience, godliness. Now, when you look at this word
and how it's used in the scriptures, what we see is that it does have
a reverence and a respect toward God, and it deals with our worship
of the Lord and our service to the Lord. Primarily, we see it
as an internal work, something that He works in us. It can It
can deal with the outward worship of the Lord, but it especially
deals with that internal power that He works in us so that there's
a true fear of the Lord and a willingness to hear Him and to follow Him. Paul wrote to Timothy saying
in 1 Timothy 4, 7, and 8, But refuse profane and old wives'
fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily
exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto
all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of
that which is to come. Now, we typically have a bad
taste in our mouth about godliness, right? We've been in religious
circles where it's been just a show of religion and where
they've got to work your flesh over and beat your flesh and
really drill religious things into you so that there's a sort
of a push back on that which is godly. But it's not, it shouldn't
be a bad word. What we should think of it is
building off of the temperance and the patience that the Lord's
working in us so that he's creating in us that holy reverence and
that desire to please him and to serve him in a thankful spirit
and a thankful heart in which we serve the Lord. Paul uses
this word a lot when he's writing to Timothy, and he says in 1
Timothy 2 verses 1 through 2, saying, I exhort therefore that
first of all supplications, prayers, and intercessions, and giving
of thanks be made for all men, or all kinds of men, all types
of people. Don't exclude anybody. And then
he goes in And he speaks of kings, and for all that are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and honesty. So that you can see there's a
desire in us not to be troublemakers, not to go out and you know, be
motivators of all kinds of change in our community and things like
that. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but that's not our
drive and our motivation. We want to serve the Lord as
He's revealed to us and shown to us in the scriptures that
He is God. He's the Lord and worthy of our
praise and adoration and our service to Him so that He works
this in us. It's that internal worship of
God and we just want to serve Him in peace and not cause trouble
and not have people causing trouble for us. That's why we pray that
the Lord continue to bless us with the freedoms that we have
to serve him as is revealed in his scripture. Now one more passage
is in 1st Timothy 6 verses 3 through 8. And he uses this word a few
times in this passage, and he says, if any man teach otherwise
and consent not to wholesome words, 1 Timothy 6, 3, even the
words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine, which is
according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting
about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife,
railings, evil surmisings, right? Those are all the works of the
flesh. That's what the flesh goes to and how the flesh deals
with situations. And he says, perverse disputings
of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that
gain is godliness, from such withdraw thyself. So you can
see how the flesh understands godliness, and it looks on the
outward form. It looks on that outward appearance
of things, and we're awful judges of that which is true and right,
of what the Lord's doing internally, so we can't rely on our own eyes
and our own flesh and our own understanding. It's the Lord's
work, but he says godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this
world, and it's certain we can carry nothing out of it. And
having food and raiment, let us be therewith content." So
this godliness isn't that form of stand by thyself, don't come
near unto me, I'm holier than thou. That's not what the Lord
works in us and it's not about going about and trying to pick
apart people's actions and their motivations and looking down
upon them and condemning them. But rather, we see the Lord is
merciful. He's merciful and gracious and
kind to us. And we ourselves are undeserving.
And the flesh does things that ought to bring condemnation upon
us. But the Lord is so tender in
how He deals with us. And He's so kind and patient
toward us. And that's what He works in us.
That's that godliness. As He says, if you would be as
God, Remember that God brings the sun up and the rain down,
even on the wicked as well as the righteous. And so he's teaching
us that we ourselves ought not to set ourselves higher than
the Lord in how he deals with people. We ought to be patient
and kind and generous and merciful to them in what they do. The
Lord, what he does is he's working faith and hope and loving us
so that by faith we walk trusting the Lord, looking to the Lord
and walking in him and he says, you know, let us walk in hope,
believing that The Lord is wise and when he tells us abstain
from certain lusts that just rise up in the flesh, which shows
that this flesh hasn't gotten any better, it hasn't improved
at all, but we abstain from those things because they war against
the soul. They war against the joy and
the rejoicing that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's
why he says abstain from these things. Don't take part. It's
not to condemn others and to look down on others and to think
that we're something when we're nothing. but rather it's for
our good and it enables us to serve one another in that joy
and gladness and then of course love because we're showing mercy
to those that maybe aren't even seeking mercy and don't deserve
it, but he teaches us to be patient and kind to those. So we see
how it's all his power, he's working this in us according
as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
to life and godliness. All right? Next, let's look at
brotherly kindness. If godliness is that inward working
where we have that reverence and fear of the Lord and that
joy and that gladness in serving him, not for fear of condemnation,
but in joy and rejoicing because of the salvation that is given
to us in Christ, then this brotherly kindness now is that outward
working toward our brethren of what the Lord's worked in us
inwardly, of what He's done for us in that godliness, that fruit
of godliness. It says, and to godliness, brotherly
kindness, right? So now it's getting exercised
and it's seen or witnessed externally. Now we looked at this before,
but let's look at it again in James 2. James 2 and go to verse
14. James 2.14, he says, What doth
it profit, my brethren, though man say he hath faith and have
not works? Can faith save him? If a brother
or sister be naked or destitute of daily food, right? So now
he's going to give us an example that we should be able to relate
to. And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed
and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which
are needful to the body, what doth it profit? If you see your
brethren in need and you declare, well, God's going to be good
to you and He'll take care of you, just trust Him, and you
yourself didn't even help your brother and help them with the
things that they have need of, whether it's food and or clothing
or whatever it is, how is that any proof that the Lord has worked
his salvation in our hearts and given us a heart for him and
a heart and a love for our brethren. He says, Even so, if it hath
not works, or even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead,
being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast
faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy
works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. So that faith
and that hope and the love which the Spirit of God works in our
hearts, it's going to bear fruit in us, which will be witnessed
by our brethren. They'll see the works. We may
not see them. We may not think that we've done
much, but the Lord does that, doesn't he? He oftentimes uses
us in ways that minister to others, and we don't even know it, because
he prevents us from getting haughty and built up in our own minds
about how great we are, because really we're nothing. We've only
done that which is our duty to do, even when we're kind to one
another. But James goes on saying in 2
verses 20 through 22, But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith
without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified
by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect? We understand, we know that it's
the Lord who works in us. So it's not our works in the
flesh that save us. But what he's saying is we're
justified in the eyes of men. They see the outward evidence
of what God has worked in the heart. by the works that we do. Not to be seen of men, but he's
saying that if the Lord's worked in us, we're going to show kindness
toward our brethren. There's going to be things seen
and witnessed because it can't be hidden. The Lord's going to
bring about that brotherly kindness. So it's not to be justified,
it's not to be sanctified, it's because we are justified and
because we are sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ that these
evidences will come out and we'll be helpers and kind to one another. We know that Abraham was justified
by the Lord Jesus Christ. He was saved and delivered from
his sin the same way every believer is saved and delivered from their
sin, by the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Christ came into this
world because we cannot save ourselves and because we cannot
put away our own sin and work a righteousness for ourselves.
The Lord provided the inheritance that He would give to the Son
in His people. And so Christ came to do for
us what we could not and cannot do for ourselves, what we will
not do for ourselves. The Lord Jesus Christ came into
this world to do that work. And He is perfect and holy and
righteous in everything He did so that He is a fit sacrifice.
He is the perfect sacrifice because in Him is no sin. In Him is no
iniquity. And yet He willingly went before
the Father, bearing the sin of His people, and laid down His
life to pay the wages of our sin, which we've earned, which
was death, so that Christ died in our place, bearing our sin,
bearing the wrath of God, to put it away forever, so that
in Him we are justified, in Him we are sanctified. And James
then says, he says, you see then how that by works a man is justified
and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the
harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers
and had sent them out another way. For as the body without
the spirit is dead, so faith without works. is dead also. So this brotherly kindness is
that outward working or that outward form of the godliness
which the Lord has worked in us. It's his fruit. It's his
seed. It's all his work. It's all,
as he says there, that it's according as his divine power hath given
unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. It's
all His working. These are just evidences that
the brethren see and thank the Lord for and say, thank you Lord
for my brother. But we don't usually even see
or know when we've done anything good. As they cried out before
the Lord, when Lord? When do we see the hunger and
thirsty or naked and cold or in jail or in the hospital and
visit Thee? When do we do those things Lord?
And he says, well, when you did it to the least of these, my
brethren, you did it unto me. So we don't even see it or know
it. The religious know what they've
done. They always know when they've done something, because they
hold on to that and remember it, and they throw it in the
Lord's face if we'll even be able to talk when we see him. But his people are humbled, and
they show these things. They bear these fruits by his
power. All right, then, the grace of love So the brotherly kindness,
charity. So this is that inward grace
of love and the way that it's subtly different from godliness
and from brotherly kindness is the godliness is that reverence
and that fear and that love. towards the Lord for what he's
done. And that kindness works itself out in external evidences
and proofs, if you will, in the eyes of others. But this charity
here is what the Lord works in us so that, well basically, You
know we all offend one another so easily in many ways and so
we forgive one another and we're kind and gentle to one another
and that's that love. That's that willingness to forgive. Whether a brother comes and says,
I'm sorry, I've sinned against you, forgive me. Or whether that
brother doesn't even know that they've sinned against you and
it's hard. But we continue to bear with
them and to love them and to pray for one another because
again, just as it was the Lord who melted our hard hearts, it's
the Lord that has to melt our brothers' and sisters' hard hearts.
So he does that so that he effectually works that love in the brethren.
And he'll likely bring opportunities that we might bear that fruit
so that we do love one another. And it's not always easy to love
one another. So he does that and he effectually
works that in our hearts. As the Lord said in John 13 verses
34 and 35, a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love
one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have
love one to another. So it becomes evident in how
we speak of one another when they're not around and how we
We're kind and gracious of them. Sometimes if we get to thinking
or talking out loud, someone does something, rather than going
on about it, just be quick to bite your tongue. and to be kind
to one another and believe that they're the Lord's in just the
same way that you hope the others think of you when you do something
silly or foolish. And so the Lord does that. And
I like the way Paul says it in Ephesians 4.32. He says, and
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." So you see that,
brethren, always remember, the Lord's forgiven us much. Our
debt is greater than our brethren's debt. So remember, he's forgiven
us much, much more than we're called upon to forgive one another
and how they've offended us. So remember how he's shown kindness
and grace and forgiveness to you and to me and that'll help
us by his spirit, by his power and how we are kind and gracious
and forgiving to one another. So we see how You know, the Lord
works these graces in us, how he exercises us in these things,
and he bears this fruit in us. And then Peter, he concludes
the list in verses 8 through 10, and he says, for if these
things be in you and abound, They make you that ye shall neither
be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So he's shown there that we're bearing fruit in the knowledge
that we have. But he, verse nine, but he that
lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore,
the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election
sure, for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. So remember,
brethren, it's the Holy Spirit, it's His Spirit that puts the
seed of Christ in us. He regenerates us. He gives us
life. And so that these graces are
fruitful evidences of what He's worked in us. It's not something
that we can just look to and just buckle down in our fleshing
and get ourselves to start doing these things and practicing these
things because it's not about the external form of religion. God isn't fooled or moved by
the things that we do in this flesh. He knows the work. He
knows the work of his Son in us and he sees that which the
Son does and that which the Son has performed in us. I ask you and I ask myself, is
there any interest in the Lord? Has the Lord given us an interest
or a heart for these things and a desire to grow in Him and to
walk in a manner that He's revealed in His Word and shown us that
we ought to walk? Because Peter says of these graces,
he says, they make you, that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so
we learned that that knowledge, especially in this verse here,
it's saying that knowledge is, I know there's a God. I know
that he sent his son, Jesus Christ. That doesn't necessarily mean
it's a gospel knowledge where we understand and know all the
truths, but we know that there's a God. We know that he sent his
son, Jesus Christ, into this world to do a work for his people. Now, does that knowledge, has
it taken root in good ground, has the Lord prepared our hearts
and made it good ground so that it's not just the ground of the
flesh which is stolen by the evil one or lands on stones and
dies out quickly because it has no root or is choked out by the
weeds and the cares of this life. But rather, when he's put it
into good ground, it is fruitful. It does take root in Christ and
it does spring up and bear fruit unto the praise and glory of
our Lord, so that because of that, we're not barren and unfruitful
in these things. He works these truths, these
evidences, if you will, in us because it's His work, and He
shall have the glory for everything that He does. Now, if you turn
over to Acts 10, Acts 10.34, we see this. And I'll have to step through
it a little more quickly. But Peter's preaching to Cornelius. And you know how he goes through
declaring to them the knowledge of God. He affirms that God is,
because he says in the beginning, Peter opened his mouth and said
of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But
in verse 34 and 35, but in every nation, he that feareth him and
worketh righteousness is accepted with him. So he affirms that
there is a God. And then he goes on to affirm
what Christ did when he was here on the earth and all the good
that he worked. And then it says, verse 40, he's
declaring the gospel to him, he says, him God raised up the
third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto
witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink
with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to
preach unto the people, verse 42, and to testify that it is
he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and
dead. And then he says to him, give all the prophets witness
that whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins. So Peter's brought this knowledge
of God and what Christ has done to Cornelius and to the other
hearers that are with him. But it wasn't just an unfruitful
knowledge of these things. But you see right here in verse
44 that while Peter gets spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell
on all them which heard the word. So that immediately The Word
bore fruit. It wasn't left barren, it didn't
go to waste. The Lord bore fruit in the hearers,
so that the Holy Ghost, it was evident, the Holy Ghost fell
upon them. And that's what I'm talking about
here, that the Spirit has done a work in His people, and He's
going to bring forth fruitful evidences that show that we are
the Lord's, that we love him and trust him and serve him.
It's not something that we can do. Well, the flesh can manufacture
all kinds of things, but we're looking to the Lord and trusting
in him to do this work for us. As he says, he that lacketh these
things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that
he was purged from his old sins. So that there is for some, for
many, a dead letter, just a false profession, a dead hope, wherefore
he says the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling
and election sure for if you do these things you shall never
fall and he's not saying that we'll never sin again but rather
We'll know that whether it's a vain and empty profession or
if there really is a heart and a love and a desire for the Lord
Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians,
and we'll close with this in 2 Tim, for we are his workmanship
created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them. So he's gonna bring
forth the fruit. So I pray the Lord will bless
that to your hearts and that You're not motivating your flesh
to do something, but rather you're encouraged to look to the Lord
and trust Him to work these things in us. Let's pray. Our gracious
Lord, we thank you, Father, for the work which you do in your
children and the peace and the comfort that you bring to us
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that you would
not cause us to try to manufacture these things in the flesh. Lord,
that you would give us a heart to seek the Lord Jesus Christ
and look to him for his work and his divine power, which works
these things in his people. We pray, Lord, that you would
be with us this morning as we seek to worship you and that
your spirit would be upon us. And Lord, that you would help
us to hear the word. We pray this in Jesus' name, our Lord
and Savior. Amen.