Sermon Tone Analysis

*Diligence.*

* *

*Philippians 2:12,13*

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for /His/ good pleasure.

*2 Peter 1:1-15*

\\  Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of /the/ divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Now for this very reason also, applying all *diligence*, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in /your/ moral excellence, knowledge, and in /your/ knowledge, self-control, and in /your/ self-control, perseverance, and in /your/ perseverance, godliness, and in /your/ godliness, brotherly kindness, and in /your/ brotherly kindness, love.

For if these /qualities/ are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For he who lacks these /qualities/ is blind /or/ short-sighted, having forgotten /his/ purification from his former sins.

Therefore, brethren, be all the more *diligent* to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;  for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you /already/ know /them/, and have been established in the truth which is present with /you.

/I consider it right, as long as I am in this /earthly/ dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,  knowing that the laying aside of my /earthly/ dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

And I will also be* diligent *that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

*Romans 12:6-11*

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, /each of us is to exercise them accordingly/: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;  if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with *diligence*; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

/Let/ love /be/ without hypocrisy.

Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

/Be/ devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;  not lagging behind in, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

 

*2 Corinthians 7:10-13*

 For the sorrow that is according to /the will/ /of/ God produces a repentance without regret, /leading/ to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

For behold what *earnestness* this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong!

In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

So although I wrote to you, /it was/ not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your* earnestness* on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God.

For this reason we have been comforted.

*A*nd besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

*2 Corinthians 8:7-17*

 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all *earnestness* and in the love we inspired in you, /see/ that you abound in this gracious work also.

I am not speaking /this/ as a command, but as proving through the *earnestness* of others the sincerity of your love also.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

I give /my/ opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do /this,/ but also to desire /to do it./

But now finish doing it also, so that just as /there was/ the readiness to desire it, so /there/ /may be/ also the completion of it by your ability.

For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what /a person/ has, not according to what he does not have.

For /this/ is not for the ease of others /and/ for your affliction, but by way of equality—  at this present time your abundance /being a/ /supply/ for their need, so that their abundance also may become /a supply/ for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, “He who /gathered/ much did not have too much, and he who /gathered/ little had no lack.”

But thanks be to God who puts the same *earnestness* on your behalf in the heart of Titus.

For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.

*Hebrews 6:10,11*

 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

And we desire that each one of you show the same *diligence* so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,

* *

*Jude 3*

 Beloved, while I was making *every effort* to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly* *for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.

*2 Peter 3:11-15*

 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be *diligent* to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord /as/ salvation;

 

*Ephesians 4:1-3*

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,  with all humility an d gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being *diligent* to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

*2 Timothy 2:15*

 Be* diligent* to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

*Hebrews 4:9-13*

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.

Therefore let us be* diligent* to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through /following/ the same example of disobedience.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

* *

*Philippians 2:12,13*

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for /His/ good pleasure

* *

*The Call to Diligence.*

- *OHP1* Coin - can only see one side at a time, but if either side is defaced it is valueless.

- Grace - fundamental, all we have is given to us by God - it is all His doing.

The other side is our response.

There is a part we have to play (Phil 2:12,13 /So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure./)

- danger in over emphasizing one side - religion of works or the other extreme: we sit back for the ride - breeds lazy sloppy Christian*s*

- The two sides (human and Divine) to the Christian life are brought out in 2 Peter chapter one.

*Read 2 Peter 1:1-15; 3:10-18.*

- 2 Peter 1:13-15 “earthly dwelling”~/ tent - Peter about to pull up his stakes and move on.

Knew he was soon to die.

In prison facing imminent martyrdom.

- This was his last communication with these believers.

When you know you’re going to die you address the important things.

This is Peter’s legacy, the thing of vital importance he wants to pass on, to leave behind when he’s gone.

-There is an urgence, an imperative.

-Like his readers (2 Pet 1:12) you know these things - but Peter was not ashamed to reiterate them.

- it is vital that we continually remind each other of this vital message.*TRUTH*

was the most vital and valuable legacy Peter could leave them - the truth that is Jesus and His life in us - it is vitally important that we not be turned from the truth (most of letter warns against false teachers).

- Peter’s concern was that they continue to grow in their Christian walk - an imperishable seed was planted (1 Pet 1:23) God’s Word but for this to grow requires *diligence* on our part.It is vital that we are ever growing in Him and his life in its manifold qualities is evident in ever increasing measure in our lives.

-This constant reminding served to stir the believers up - to exhort them to even greater diligence, to progress in the Christian walk.

As long as he was alive he would remind them.

We also should be stirring one another up to Christ like living (Heb 10:24,25 /and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near./)This is the "right" thing to be doing - righteousness involves prompting others to greater effort in Christian living.-Peter

calls his readers to be diligent (2 Pet 1:5,10), just as he himself intended to be diligent.

He would be diligent to remind them of the way of Christian living and what was required so that they would be able to call it to mind after he had gone .So this is the legacy which Peter desired to leave the church:

- God has done it all:

      1.

Grace and peace multiplied to you.

2.

God’s Divine power has granted (it’s a gift) everything we need for life and godliness.

These come through *knowledge* of Him, which is only through Jesus (“/He has made Him known/”) [emphasis on “knowledge” (2 Pet 1:2,3,5,6,8,12)*.*

3.

Magnificent promises.

4.

Share in His Divine nature (“/Christ in us the hope of glory/”).

5.

Escaped the enslavement to the lusts which rule the world.

- What is lacking?

God has done it all - given us everything!

- But what is the consequence?

Because of what God has done (“/for this very reason/” 2 Pet 1:5) a response is require from us* *- we are called to *apply all diligence.

OHP2*

- “His Divine Power” (2 Pet 1:3) God supplies everything we need: - the life of Christ in us; but we must “work it out”, escape from the world which is ruled by lusts (selfish desires) [cf.

Tom on dying to self]

- this takes supernatural power but it also calls for *diligence* on our part.

We must make every effort.

God has done everything  but we must also do all we can.

His provision doesn’t mean we sit back and take it easy!

Rather it motivates us to supreme effort.

- Diligence in what?