Blueprint for Life
Notes
Transcript
2 Peter 1:3–11 (NIV84)
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,
11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
1. We are responsible for our Spiritual Growth
1. We are responsible for our Spiritual Growth
We are called to participate in the divine nature
We have been given all that we need to grow in our walk
We have been set free
We have freedom from sin
We must use our freedom to become more like Christ
We must decrease so that He may increase in us
Others must see Christ in us
Three areas that we need to be more like Christ
They are the Blueprint for Life — The ABCs
2. Our Attitude should be like Christ’s
2. Our Attitude should be like Christ’s
From the command in verses 5 -7; these two are traits of Attitude
Faith and Love
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
This is our goal—to have the attitude of Christ
He humbled Himself
He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped
Today, there is a lot of talk of equality
Everyone wants the same resources and results
Jesus did not consider (it did not enter His mind) that He was God and could avoid the human experience
Jesus said, “If there is a way…but don’t do my will, let your will be done”
Many of our disagreements are because of different results
We blame places, people, things, but never ourselves
In marriage there is equality but not equity
We were made different
Our attitude need to be the same as Christ
Christ had complete confidence in the Father’s will — Faith
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
Love is another aspect of attitude
Do you have an attitude of love
Do you complete or compete
8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
The only difference in those two words is the “L”
Without love we compete
Our attitude need to be the same as Christ
Our attitude drives our behavior
3. Our Behavior should be like Christ’s
3. Our Behavior should be like Christ’s
We must add Goodness, Kindness, Knowledge
These are behaviors
Christ humbled (emptied) Himself and took the nature of a servant
We need to learn to be led by the spirit
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The only people that are offended by spiritual things are those without the spirit
We must learn to live in goodness
Goodness: the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good
Knowledge: to comprehend, to understand, to be familiar
Be familiar with Scripture
Be familiar with others
Not everyone is at your level, be understanding of others
Kindness: affection for one’s fellow believer
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
These are the behaviors that Jesus exemplified
Our behavior should be like Christ’s
Our behavior define our character
4. Our Character should be like Christ’s
4. Our Character should be like Christ’s
Reputation is what people think of you
Character is what God knows of you
1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
If we look at King David from reputation we see an adulterer, a murderer, a cheat, etc
If we see what God sees, we will see a man after God’s heart
Have the right attitude, behave the right way, God will make your name great
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
The haters will always be there to accuse you
You can prove them right or wrong by how you live
Put the haters to shame
Self-Control: to exercise complete control over one’s desires and actions
You may desire to smack the haters but instead you love them
Love those that persecute you
Do not repay evil with evil
Perseverance: the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty
Life is going to happen—hold on
People will talk about you—hold on
You will lose often—hold on
Let circumstances build you—learn
Don’t quit: Quitters never win and winners never quit
Godliness: piety, reverence, loyalty toward God; appropriate beliefs and devout practice of obligations
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Our character should be like that of Christ
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
5. We are called to be Effective and Productive
5. We are called to be Effective and Productive
We will reap what we sow
A seed reproduces after its kind
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
We can’t trick God
We may be able to trick man but we can’t trick God
Our fruit will show what we sow
You want better fruit, sow better seed
If we take care of the ABCs or our spiritual growth we will be productive
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
The more good fruit we produce the more glory the Father receives
Our effectiveness is attached to our commitments
Our effectiveness is a result of our loyalty
Keep swinging
Keep sowing
Do not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time you will reap
What you sow you reap
Good trees produce good fruit
Bad trees produce bad fruit
We have the blueprint for life and godliness
If we follow the blueprint we will have success in life and success in godliness
We will become more like Christ