The Holy Spirit's Power and Our Effort - Part 1 — Francis Chan

Yeah, it's so good. I haven't sung that song in years, but just to remember like what I talked about last week as we Turn our eyes on Jesus and as we focus on him and as we have those times and it's weird how the things of the earth are just.

They seem more and more meaningless. Don't they the more you focus on the supernatural the more you focus on God himself and the more you know him. You realize how trivial everything else appears. It's been another great week for me.

Just studying the Word of God and one of the things I love about the Bible is I. Personally I tend to get distracted. I tend to Get off course in life. You know you're doing real well, and then suddenly you just you start heading in another direction.

That's one of the things I love about the Word of God is it shows you it opens your eyes up. And you go wow I think I've been heading the wrong direction. Here, and that's one of the things that God's Word has done for me this week.

I Finally got one of these things GPS. I've been waiting I keep waiting for the prices to go down. You know and you know it's it's like half of what it used to be keep going down down down down. And I can't wait.

I always yeah I'm just so cheap, and then someone finally just got me one, but um. But it was it was one of those things where I would have saved so much money had I gotten this earlier. Just in gas and time.

You know it's it's like my wife. I guess I can talk about it um a Few weeks ago. She you know was coming home from Hollywood, so she jumped on the five south. We could have really used one of these. She came home with a pinata.

Shouldn't make it that far, but it's close. But you know now that I'm in your world you GPS errs, um you know what I love about this is I love when um I Love when you make a wrong turn. It doesn't get mad at you.

It just says Recalculating. I love that I love that it's like why didn't you listen to me? No. It doesn't say it. Just goes recalculating and. And and and it's so sure you know and I just want you know because she's so nice.

Thank you. I'm sorry. You know like but it's that assuring voice that says you know what it gives you that confidence like it. It's basically saying to me. I don't know what's saying to you, but basically she's saying to me I'll still get you there.

You know I'll get you there. It'll take a little longer, but I'll get you there. Some of you guys have taken some wrong turns in life. We all do it. And and I hope that that this morning is one of those times where you just hear the Holy Spirit saying Recalculating I'll still get you there.

It's gonna take a little longer now, but I'll still get you there that's. That's what the Word of God does for us. It gives us a new set of directions at some point we gotta listen though and so this morning I you know for some of you that have gone some wrong directions and The thing I'm learning more and more about God is his grace and just saying Yeah, you you went the wrong way, but I'm not here to just yell at you and tell you you screwed up.

I'm just saying I'm Recalculating your life now for you and giving you a new set of directions and saying we can still get there. We can still get there doesn't matter what you've done. We can still get there, but now listen to me this time.

And so if would you guys stand as we read the Word of God. Let me read from 2nd Peter chapter 1 as we continue in our study of 2nd Peter in verse 5. It says for this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control and self-control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing They will keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind.

Having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore brothers Be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall for in this way.

There will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father help us to Really listen to your word today for those of us who have strayed. Maybe have gotten off course a little bit.

Just pray that we would really believe in the power of your Holy Spirit. To change us to get us back on course and help us this time father to listen to your word. That we can become those people that you want us to be and that we want to be in Jesus name.

Amen. Yes, you never see. So in this passage he says make every effort. Make every effort. I Want you to think in your life right now as far as making effort think through what do you work? Hardest at.

Think that through right now. What do you because this is this word? You know, it's just like bring in all your effort bring in all your zeal. What do you work hardest at? In this passage he's talking about these character qualities and he's saying, you know Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and your virtue with knowledge and your knowledge with self.

He names all these things that have to do with who we are and he says make every effort toward this. Be diligent toward this. And here's where like I said, you know, I noticed wow I think I've gone off track here and the Word of God just brought me back this week.

Recalculating Priorities Toward Godly Character

Something I've noticed is Okay, 10 15 years ago. I specifically remember People asking me this question. They would ask me what are your goals in life? What are your goals in ministry and I still remember my answer.

I thought about it this week as first time I'm like, wow, I remember how I used to answer that question. I Know what my goals are in ministry. I don't know what my goals are in life as far as what I'm going to accomplish or what I even want to accomplish I Go, but I have a very clear vision of the man.

I want to be one day. I Know the type of husband. I want to be. I know the type of dad I want to be and have a very clear picture, especially of the type of Christian that I want to be I Had in my mind my goals were wrapped around who I was going to become this type of person not what this person was going to achieve and I was thinking back.

Well, that's that's all I cared about back then I was focused and I realized something this last year where I've gone astray is I've gotten really focused on what I want to Accomplish and what I want to do and it's not that I've fallen apart, you know in my character.

But I've put it on the back burner. There was almost this sense of well, I'm good enough, you know I'm doing pretty well in my character. And so I'm gonna focus on stuff and what I'm going to do and that's such a mistake because the truth is is this this you know, like that path this passage says it says if these Qualities are yours if these character qualities are yours and they're increasing and what that's what keeps you from being ineffective or unproductive.

See when you're the right person things are going to happen. You're going to produce the fruit. You're not going to be ineffective. Things will happen in your life and and it is so true because when I started off I noticed man I had friends that would pursue positions and pursue, you know.

Achieving this achieving that I want this I want that and they kind of let their character go in the back burner. And it was actually really sad because what happens is they end up running out of time and They don't accomplish what they want to accomplish because they weren't the people that they needed to be.

And as I look back in life, I realize gosh, you know. Was it really that I pursued all of this stuff and then I really try to accomplish a bunch of things or was it that I just tried to be the man that God wanted me to be and Then all this stuff just started happening.

And all these results that you didn't even strive after you start these things just start happening and It was so good for the Word of God just to cleanse me again and go. Okay. Stop trying so hard To fix this to achieve this to accomplish that.

Just go back to becoming the man that I've called you to be and make every effort towards that. Be diligent towards that. See some of you need to recalculate your life this morning because maybe you've been too focused on what you want to do.

Rather than on who God's called you to be and it doesn't mean we don't work. I've worked although all that time because that's part of having character is not being lazy and having a good work ethic but this whole idea of Pursuing and praying hard and making every effort and bringing all zeal towards these Character qualities in your life.

It hasn't been number one priority. Some of you came here this morning with a hope that God would change your circumstances and Fix your situation and the first thing I want to say to you is that God is more concerned about changing you Than your circumstances.

Understand that it could be that God wants to keep you in these difficult circumstances because he's changing you. See, it's about your character. God loves you so much. He doesn't want you to stay where you're at.

It's this. It's this new person that he wants to make us as we know him as I talked about last week. Remember how he's given us everything that pertains to life and godliness because those are the things that he wants from us.

He wants to see his children alive. He wants to see his children godly. He wants to see his children with grace and peace multiplied upon them and That comes from knowing him that comes from becoming like him and so we make every effort towards these things and then the other stuff will happen, but here's.

The important question is do you want to change. Is this the desire of your heart this morning is is not. I came here God because I want you to fix this fix that. But you came here going God. I want you to fix me.

I want you to change me. That's what your Holy Spirit came in to me to do. See he starts off the passage. He actually says for this very reason make every effort. For this very reason make every effort towards these things.

Now now what's what's this reason remember earlier and what we studied last week? He talked about how he's given us everything his divine power has given us everything that pertains to life and God. He's given us everything we need to live these guy lives.

We talked about that right and we talked about how that's in the knowledge of him. It's it's through knowing him and then he talks about him how we became partakers of the divine nature. Right that that now I'm not just flesh and blood.

I'm not just as human being but when I gave my life to the Lord when I decide to follow him when I said I don't want to live that way anymore. I want to live the way you want me to live at that moment He puts his Holy Spirit into me and so now I'm a partaker of this divine nature as it says that that I I've escaped the Corruption of the sinful desires here on this earth.

Like I'm not I'm not just I'm not just going down this whirlpool like everyone else getting sucked in deeper and deeper and deeper. But no, I've been given this divine nature and now I can live a different way.

And now he says for this reason because you have this Holy Spirit in you. Because you have been given this divine nature because God's blessed you and given you everything you need for life and godliness he goes because you've been given all that take advantage of it and Make every effort to add to your faith this virtue that he wants you to have.

See, it's this idea of We get to pursue these things. Do you understand that? It's it's because why should you pursue all these things. Because you can and because you get to I? Mean when you became a believer was it just because you didn't want to go to hell or Was it because you saw that God offered a better life and this morality that he was offering this way of living Was better.

And you're saying God I want to repent I want to turn from all that stuff and I want to live this way now. I mean didn't you desire these things. Didn't it isn't. Isn't that what the Holy Spirit put on us.

Is this desire for? For virtue. And this desire for character. There's a huge huge question. And has to do with your attitude. Are you thinking in your mind I Get to change or I have to change. In other words, is this what you want.

You know how the Holy Spirit came into me and I get to put off all this these deeds of the flesh. Or are you here today going? Oh man asking those silly questions. I've heard my whole life. Do I have to stop drinking?

Do I have to forgive. Do I have to stop watching those movies. Do I have to. I mean is God I God will still let me into heaven even if I leave my wife, right? God will still let me into heaven even though I still hate my parents, right?

God will still let me into heaven even though I I'm gonna keep on With this addiction that I have right? God will still let me into heaven even if I do this, right? See those types of questions reveal a heart that is not about get to but have to.

It reveals it gets me to question wait, so so you don't actually want to be saved. From the old you you're actually hoping you can keep those things and still get heaven. Because the way I understand the Holy Spirit coming into a person is that he makes us a slave to righteousness we have a new master in us that actually desires the things that are right and good and.

Then he changed our nature that we actually and that doesn't mean we don't get off course doesn't mean we don't get temptation. Because we're still in this fallen world and the flesh is still with us.

But we have this new master that actually wants to live a righteous life. Isn't that you and so whenever you blow it you're like I didn't want to be that person see and and the Bible says because you don't have to be that person anymore and you're given a new nature and now you you get To and you've got everything you need to live this godly life.

So go for it. Go for and and now make every effort because you get to. I mean, don't you hate it when someone wastes potential? You know. My kid that wanted to quit piano, you know a couple years ago.

I go. Oh, no, no way. No way I'm not letting you. I'm not letting I'm not letting you waste that gift. You know why because as a dad, you know when you see your kids, you know. You're just an incredible athlete or whatever and they just want to quit and you're like, no, no, you're not quitting.

Okay, you're gonna regret quitting you're gonna regret creating because you've been given this gift and you gotta go for you. Gotta go for it gotta go for it. And then once they get going and they mature they go.

Thank you for not letting me quit. I just went through a weird phase there and thank you. Thank you. Thank you I'm so glad I didn't quit. Some guys are looking at your kids. See yeah. All around the room is weird.

There's all this it's just this idea. That's don't you understand? That's that's the thrust of this passage. See, I have the potential to be an amazingly godly, man. I Have the potential of being such a virtuous self-controlled.

Persevering just knowledgeable person that just lives so holy filled with so much love and That's why the Bible says because you have that potential now because the Holy Spirit's in you go after it 100 don't quit on these things make every effort towards it.

That's what we want of our kids, right when we see a gift in them. Go after it you've been given something and that's this idea here is God's given you his Holy Spirit. He's given you an ability to be so holy so righteous so virtuous.

So don't believe the lies that you can't be this you can't be that. Yeah, you took some wrong turns, but here's what the Word of God is saying can now make every effort toward these things. It starts with faith.

Faith, Virtue, and the Power to Change

See this new nature you gotta believe that God not only gives you this new desire to want righteousness. But he gives you the power that enables you to achieve it. Isn't that cool? It's not just this desire.

It's one thing to desire some people may desire righteousness before becoming a believer, but they won't have the power to accomplish it and What are you saying is my divine nature? Has given you this you've taken of that divine nature.

My divine power has given you it to you, but you got to believe that it all starts with faith. You know. Why even move on on the list if you don't have faith? Because if you don't have faith then you don't believe that any of these things can be yours and.

So you've got to believe that yes. Number one God loves you and for those of you who have walked away from your old life and say God I believe that Jesus died on that cross for all of my sins. I believe he rose from the grave.

And you've decided to follow him. He put a new nature in you. You've got to believe it. You got to have faith, but you got to move on you can't you can't just have that faith. You got to believe that you got to believe you have that power.

But from that faith, he says you need to add to it and you need to add virtue this idea of virtue. Has to do with this this moral excellence. It's in your actions and your purity and your thoughts. It's this is this purity it's it's the same thing when he refers to To God when he's called us to his own glory or virtue.

He says in verse 3 He's called us to have the same glory or excellence that God has so add to your faith. It's not enough for you just to say. Oh, I believe he says no add to that belief. Now this type of moral character have you know, a lot of people say they believe.

But your faith needs to be expressed in something concrete and people ought to see this moral excellence in your life. And so he says go after it. Strive after it. This word also has to do with a strength and a courage that goes with it.

As virtuous a word that would be used to describe you and are you going hard after it? Are you making every effort towards this? It's an interesting thing because we know that it's God that works in us, right and it's his power.

But at the same time there's the command make every effort. So there's something I do also. You know remember that illustration I used way back when I brought that treadmill up here, you know. And and you know just to help us understand the Holy Spirit.

It's when you've been given this gift of this treadmill. You can't take it back a month later and go on and lose anyway. Because the salesman I'll say well, did you get on it? Yeah, you know, oh, I didn't know that it's it's the same thing with the Holy Spirit.

It's this idea of yes, we've been given this tremendous gift and this power. But there's also this idea where he says, you know make every effort towards these things. Make every effort to add to that faith that you have.

It's great that you believe and now add to it virtue work hard at your moral excellence. Knowing that it's God that's working through you to accomplish these things. And then it says to add to your virtue knowledge.

Excuse me. How are you doing with your knowledge have you been working harder and harder to understand God understanding the truth about God. Understanding the Word of God. How are you doing with your study in the Word of God?

We've been talking about this a lot about how we've been so busy and scattered and doing these different things and making effort towards keeping up with everyone and and giving little shallow answers to everyone and making sure everyone hears your opinion and Facebooking and tweeting what you believe and everything to the world.

We've made a lot of effort towards that but how much effort have you made towards knowing God better? How much effort have you made toward knowing the Word of God better? Some of you guys have been believers for years and years and years and the only verse you can quote is John 3 16.

Have you made every effort. At adding to your virtue, maybe you are living a virtuous life. Maybe you are living that guy life. Are you adding to it knowledge? Start making effort towards that and it's more than just facts.

This knowledge has to do with an internalization of those facts. Because we all know people who know a lot about the scriptures and then we look at their lives and it's obvious that they haven't Internalized those things but they can quote it.

It has to do with a wisdom of internalizing. It's about growing in this knowledge and wisdom that actually directs us in life. Then he says to add to your knowledge self-control. Self-control has to do with the person who who is able to master his sensual desires.

And sometimes when we talk about stuff self-control we just talk about the extremes, but you got to understand this word. It's it's it's about it's just the things in natural life and being moderate about those desires.

Do you understand that we all have natural desires and those aren't all bad. It's about being able to control them and being moderate in them. I desire eating. Okay, that's normal. That's the way God made me.

It's it's okay. I but but but. Do I do I show self-control in that? We have sexual desires. It's normal it's God-given but are you moderate in that. Are you in control of those urges those desires. I Like to sleep.

Don't you love to sleep? But are you in control of that and monitoring how much you sleep? Do you really need that much sleep? Be nice to see the Sun every once in a while. I Like to play this is one of my weaknesses, I love to play.

I love to just laugh and play. I just play every day. It's a desire. But how are you doing in moderation? You need clothes to stay warm, but how? How many clothes you need? It's a self-control. You know, it's it's it's interesting because I I Think there's a weakness.

Many of us would say I've got way too much. But what are you gonna do this week go buy more? Why cuz we lack self-control. It's not. We desire all these things like you see and we want to go to the extreme.

Well, I'm not doing this I know but just make every effort towards self-control. See, this was one of the parts where I messed up in my life. Was you get to this point you start comparing yourselves to other people in your character and you're going well, you know for me I'm going.

I'm a lot better than you guys. So, you know, I'm just kidding, but it's that idea of of where you almost feel like, you know what? I'm good enough in this area rather than making every effort towards this virtue that God has and Getting there to where wow, I totally am content in these areas.

I really do have self-control in all these areas. How are you doing in the area of self-control? Are you making efforts? Are you making strides? Are you diligent toward this because we can be diligent toward a lot of things and and neglect our character?

Steadfastness Through Trials and Hardship

This next one's tough. Because he he tells us to Add to our self-control this idea of steadfastness steadfastness. Steadfastness is a word for patience. Steadfastness is the word for when you have a weight on you and you just keep holding it up.

It's like holding up under that weight. He says, you know, we need to be because that it's this endurance like I'm gonna hold it up longer. I'm gonna hold it up longer. I'm gonna hold it up. See that's the steadfastness and What we want to do is say God get rid of that weight.

All right, because then I can just relax and everything would be easy. But this idea of steadfastness, you don't become steadfast. You don't persevere unless there's some weight on you and there's some pressure on you and and you're gonna feel like quitting and get more and more difficult and feel like quitting and you want to collapse and.

So most of us let's be honest. We pray and say God get rid of that weight. Because we're not so concerned about developing steadfastness. When's the last time have you ever think about this? Have you ever in your life asked God?

To make your life a little more difficult. So that you could develop steadfastness. Have you ever in your life thought to yourself, you know what I'm kind of weak. Every little trial comes my way and I fall apart and you say God I want to work on that because I want to become this man or woman who is steadfast.

So keep it coming. It's comical. But really I mean you think about it because we care about our comfort far more than we care about our character. But that's not God's desire. Okay, think about this. I've used this many many times but think about this.

2010 is coming up right? It's it's right around the corner. We got it. We got a little month and a half to prepare for it. Let's say Jesus came in the room today and said 2010 is coming as you guys walk out today.

I'm gonna give you an option. Everyone has an option of plan a or plan B for 2010 in 2010 here's your here's your choice you get to make today 2010. I can make it a very easy and comfortable year for you.

Everything's gonna go your way. You want you you want a great marriage? It'll be there. You're not married. You want a perfect mate. She's coming. You you want you know a new job where you make three times as much as last year.

You'll get it. You want no one in your family to get sick and you won't get sick in fact, you'll end up with a six-pack everything just supernaturally, you know, it's just. It's all gonna be there now at the end of the year.

You're not gonna be any stronger than you were in o9. You're not gonna be any closer to me. We're not gonna be any more intimate, but it will have been a fun year. Or I'll give you a plan B. Plan B 2010.

I'm gonna have you go through some hardships and It's not gonna be an easy year. But during those times you and I are gonna get so close. I think it's so close to me. I mean, you know, we're gonna you're gonna experience me like never before.

And at the end of the year, you're gonna be this man or woman. That is just so far beyond who you are today. This steadfast is the strength you've never had. And I'll get you through it. But it'll be tough.

And so you're walking out the door and Jesus greets you and goes. What do you want plan a plan B? Be honest, what are you gonna choose. Think that through see I found myself Frustrated at hardship lately as though something were going wrong.

See, but if I were the reason why I was so frustrated was because I wasn't thinking about my character. Most days I wake up and I don't think about my character and willing to be a certain type of man.

I Just want to be happy. Just want all the problems to go away. What do you want for yourself? Cuz I'll tell you what God wants. He wants you to be holy. He wants you to be the steadfast person you see instead of being frustrated at hardship.

If I was really concerned about my character, then I could obey James one. That says consider it all joy when you encounter these trials. Because you're going oh good trials are here. And I've been concerned about my steadfastness.

So here's an opportunity to get stronger. I Just God. Recalculating going. Francis you've been frustrated at so many things. Don't you understand? I've been trying to change you and make you stronger and turn you into this man that you want to be right?

Yeah, I do. Yeah, I do. All right, keep them coming. That's a hard prayer. That's a hard hard prayer. As we talk about persevering understand I'm not gonna get through this passage today. So you're thinking oh man, he's just there.

We're never gonna get through verse 11. Well, we'll keep plugging away. Well, we'll do it. We'll finish next week. But let's let's continue through these character qualities next he says, you know add to it godliness.

Godliness this this word has to do with like a reverence a respect toward God kind of a religious more of a piety. It's this idea of and understand this isn't meant to be an exhaustive list of all the character qualities.

General, you know, it's just this principle of you know, all these things are the things we ought to be striving for. It's not exhaustive. There's not every single one and it doesn't have to be in this order.

It's just saying in general. Do you want to be a godly person? Do you want to be a persevering person? You want to be a self-controlled person? Do you want to be a loving person? Don't you want to go after go after these things?

You've been given the ability to become this person that has all of these qualities. It's about the fruit of the Holy Spirit are all of these qualities not one of them all of them go after don't you want To be this awesome person.

That's that's godly. That's steadfast. It's self-controlled. It's knowledgeable. That's virtuous. And then the next way says brotherly affection. Or brotherly affection. It's this idea of of tender affection towards your spiritual family this brotherly Affection that we ought to have the word is Philadelphia, you know, that's where we get the city of brotherly love which is funny.

It's Philadelphia, but it's it's this idea of of. This word is just you know, we're a family in here. Okay. Did you get that and he wants us to have this tender affection for one another like a true true family member?

To long for that that's why a lot of times we we push for man. You've got family members on your own block and your own neighborhood and and God wants this brotherly affection. Amidst you that yeah, you may have nothing in common with them other than Jesus Christ and your salvation your desire to live a holy life in his mission.

But on a fleshly level you'd make I'd never hang out with that guy and God says but don't you want to have this? Brotherly affection with them because that's God's desire is that you work through those relationships?

You stick with them and you you have this tenderness toward them. And first John 4 20 and says you can't say that you love God and you hate your brother. Doesn't make any sense. There ought to be this brotherly affection.

You know someone in our church was asked to go to another religion and attend their service and. So she told this group of people. Okay, I'll go to yours, but you got to come to mine and. And I don't advise that for everyone but for those who are strong and for this person.

She was I go man. That's that's that's pretty cool. And I said so what was it like, you know going to this other place and what was the difference between the two religions? And she goes well the message here was better, of course, but uh The Truth.

But. But they were so much friendlier it's like you walked in and it's like everyone knew each other. And asked how are you doing? How are you doing? And they just overwhelmed me. I mean, she's you know people here we're friendly to my friends, but It was just high type of thing.

Whereas there was family and I and that hurts to hear doesn't it. And at the same time we also know it's true and so understand when we we I Know I know we've made some mistakes as leaders and maybe going overboard and pushing.

Pushing pushing like love each other get to know each other spend time with each other and almost a forcing thing. But do you understand our heart behind it that we just go this isn't right. I can't do this anymore.

God wants a brotherly affection amongst us and and we've got to somehow create it and it's hard to turn a ship this big and Say, okay, everyone come next Sunday. We're gonna love on each other. It just doesn't it's not an overnight thing.

But we're just working and working and striving after it because it's what God wants and he wants us to be diligent in this area. Add to your brotherly affection love understand this love that he talks about and it's the last one that he mentions and He says this love is uh.

It's a God love. It's an agape love. It's you know, God is love right? That's it's it's who he is. But understand his love is a subjective love not an objective one. It's it's not one that's based upon the object of his love and what they do for him.

Oh, they love me. I'll love them in return. It's just no I myself am love and so I do nothing but love. I'd love not because of who you are. I love in spite of who you are. Is that what you're known for?

Don't you want to be that person though? Where people hate you spit on you curse you and you can just love them in return. Isn't that what we signed up for? I want to be like Jesus. Go ahead and nail me to a cross and I'll still love you and say forgive them.