Being Useful & Fruitful for the Lord

Well, good morning to each of you and good morning to all of those who might be watching on video also

We don't really have many announcements to give but we have much to thank the Lord for as we look forward to a new year and so let's just open with a word of prayer this morning our

Heavenly Father and our God we come before you this morning and we do thank you for life because you are the giver of life

We like we thank you Lord for all the blessings that you have showered upon us Even though we go through a tough time

It's usually a time of learning that you have allowed us to go through We pray Heavenly Father that you would be with each individual

That's here and those that are watching on video that you might give them a special blessing

This week we pray that we might be constant witnesses for you and We would thank you.

We pray that you would be with Pastor John as he brings your word this morning Pray that you'd give him liberty

Lord in the things that you've laid on his heart and we would thank you for it we pray for though the music that we sing that we might praise and honor you and All that we say and all that we do and all that we sing and we'll thank you and pray in Jesus name

Amen If you would stand with me us and we will sing glorious is thy name.

Oh Lord as we praise our Lord We thy love and grace proclaim

Thou art mighty Thou art risen is thy matchless name

Yes is thy name

Glorious is thy name Oh master light of all eternal days

Let the Saints of every nation Sing by just and in the spray

Glorious is thy name Glorious is thy name

From the glory to the cross of sin and shame

Thou does come to die Ransom guilty sinners to reclaim

Glorious is thy name

Glorious glorious is thy name

Come Come immortal

Savior. Come and take thy royal throne

Come and rain and rain be the kingdom

Glorious is thy name Glorious is thy name and may

Jesus Christ be praised even as we come into this new year Morning gills the sky

May Jesus Christ be praised The sire repair may

Jesus Christ The night becomes as they went from the heart we say

May Jesus Christ be praised The powers of darkness fear when this we chant they hear

May Jesus Christ Nations of mankind

In this your concord fine May Jesus Christ be praised

May all the earth around Bring joyous with the sound may

Jesus Christ Be this while life is mine my canticle

May Jesus Christ be praised

Be this the eternal song Through all the ages long may

Jesus Christ She's a swan

For sinners Jesus My soul

Friends may fail me Moses sell me

My savior makes me Save Saving helping

Keeping loving Jesus What a strength in weakness

Let me hide Myself in them

Tempted tried and sometimes failing

My strength my victor save your

Saving helping Keeping Loving he is with me to the end

Jesus In sorrow

Or me wrong even when my heart is breaking

My comfort helps my soul

The Savior Saving helping keeping loving

Thank you, and you may be seated our scripture this morning is 2nd

Peter chapter 1 verses 1 through 14 2nd

Peter chapter 1 verses 1 through 14 Simon Peter a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our

God and Savior Jesus Christ May peace and I'm sorry may grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our

Lord His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness

Through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises

So that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire 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 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 confirm your calling and election for if you practice these qualities you will never fail

I'm sorry 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 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities though.

You know them and are established in the truth that you have I Think it right as long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder

Since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me

Let's continue to praise our Lord by singing and so if you would stand with me once again as we sing praise him praise him

Praise him praise him Jesus our blessed Redeemer Sing all earth is wonderful love proclaimed highest archangels in glory

Strength and honor Give to his holy name like a

Shepherd Jesus will guard his children in his arms

He carries them all day long Praise him praise him tell of his excellent greatness

Praise him praise him ever in joyful song

Praise him praise him Jesus our blessed Redeemer for our sins he suffered and bled and died

He our rock our hope of eternal salvation Hail him hail him

Jesus the crucified Kindness praises

Jesus who bore our sorrows Unbounded wonderful deep and strong Praise him praise him tell of his excellent greatness

Praise him praise him ever in joyful song

Praise him praise him Loud with those anus ring

Jesus save your brain is forever and ever and priest and King Christ is coming over the world victorious power and Praise him

Praise him praise him ever in joyful song in Christ alone

My hope is found He is my light my strength my song this cornerstone this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm What heights of love?

What depths of peace? When fears are still when striving sees

My comforter My all is

I stand Christ alone Who took on flesh?

fullness of God in helpless babe this gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones he came to say till on that cross as Jesus died the wrath was satisfied from every sin on him was laid

He I styled it his body the slain then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave. He rose again And as he stands

In victory Curses lost its grip on me

For I am his and he is mine bought with the precious blood of Christ No guilt in life

No fear in this is the power of Christ in me from life's first cry to final

Jesus commands my No scheme of man me from his hand till he returns

Or calls me home I'll stand

Thank you, and you may be seated as pastor comes Well, good morning and Happy New Year How about if you take your

Bibles and let's go to 2nd Peter I invite you to take your

Bibles and go to 2nd Peter with me and We're going to be looking at a number of verses here in 2nd

Peter chapter 1 So it's the first Sunday of corporate worship of 2021.

Amen. I Wish I I wish

I could tell you that this next year is going to be You know so much better that the moment that the clock struck 1201

That everything was going to change in this country. Amen. I bet you wish that too

But I'm sad to tell you it's not In fact, the Lord doesn't say anything you can go through scripture

He doesn't say anything except when he's talking about the year of Jubilee About this whole thing of you know, everything starts new

Every day is new Amen Jesus said don't worry about tomorrow

Worry about today because there's enough evil today for us to deal with amen So I'm not going to talk about New Year's resolutions and setting goals that we all have done.

I'm just thankful I didn't put on any more weight than I did during the Christmas Did anybody have as many cookies and fudge and everything that we had we had stacks of cookies

I What three kinds of fudge? I didn't know there was such a thing as three kinds of fudge

But we had three kinds of fudge. We had brownies we had pumpkin pie We had some kind of coconut cake and it's all staring at you going

How a piece of me have another one so this morning

We're not going to be looking at versus dealing with the new year and setting

New Year's resolutions But I do want to look at you this morning at the question of how can we be more?

Useful and fruitful for the Lord in 2021 If you take a look at verse 8

Tim read it 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 8

For if these things are yours and abound You will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our

Lord Jesus Christ So if you look carefully the word barren there could also mean useless

Barren Nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our

Lord Jesus Christ in your translation there in verse 8 might say the true knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ because that's actually there in many of the

Greek manuscripts nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our

Lord Jesus Christ now what Qualities what things is he talking about in verse 8 when he says for if these things are yours?

Well, he's talking about These qualities these things that he mentions in verse 5 6 & 7 diligence

To add to your faith and here they are virtue to virtue knowledge self -control

Perseverance godliness brotherly kindness and love

Now those are Christlike qualities they they They were represented and they were lived out by the

Lord Jesus Christ during his time on earth They marked the path of growing in Christ likeness adding and growing and you're going to hear me say a lot if you look at Verse 8 again if these things you might put in your mind a better translation of the

Greek There is qualities or characteristics. Okay So when you hear me say the word quality look at verse 8 and get in your mind's eye

You might even make a note in your Bible. If you have the word things there that the word qualities is a little better translation of the

Greek so Adding and growing in these things in these qualities line the pilgrims path

They are signposts of our walk here on earth To more and more

Christlike and frankly as we look ahead at 2021 I can't think of a more wonderful goal than to be more like Jesus Christ.

I just can't I need it There's not a Christian. I know that doesn't need it now think carefully about this on one hand if these things if these qualities are yours and Are increasing look at the verse

If these things are yours and abound or increasing You will neither be barren or Useless Nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our

Lord Jesus Christ But then look at verse 9 the contrast for he who lacks these things these qualities is

Short -sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his old sins

So the sermon title this morning is being fruitful Useful and fruitful for the

Lord in 2021 and we're going to look at these seven qualities in verses 5 6 & 7 because God promises that believers who are increasing in these seven things in these seven qualities will be neither barren nor Unfruitful in their knowledge in the true knowledge of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Amen So let's pray Father we need your help today

This is a day of self -examination, it's it's not the last day of the year the last night of the year

It's the first day of corporate worship in 2021 and God it's my prayer as a as a pastor as a father as a husband as a

Believer that perhaps these seven qualities God as we think

Very soberly about them might in some way help put us on a path father

This year despite what my cape what might come down the road? Father as we think about various things that are going on in our country that we would be more and more like Christ But most of all that we would be useful for you

Useful God and fruitful for we pray in Jesus name. Amen Now, I think it goes without saying

That there's there wouldn't be shouldn't be a Christian a true believer anywhere that would not want to grow

And at least some level be pleasing and more pleasing to the Lord Now, this is one of my favorite books of the

Bible I mean, it's kind of hard, you know, you go to a Bible study and they say well, let's get to know you What's your favorite dessert and then what's your favorite verse in the

Bible sometimes they'll say what's your favorite book in the Bible, right? You've been to a small group Bible study, you know, they typically ask questions like that.

What's your favorite vacation? Well my favorite But they're not because I like all of the

Bible But my two that I lean to our second Timothy and second Peter and the reason is because both of these

Epistles were written by men that the Lord had shown were about to die

Look at verse 13 Yes, I think it's right as I long as I am in this tent, that's how he looked at his life here on earth.

That's how we should This is just a tent, right? It's a temporary structure Just as our

Lord Jesus Christ showed me Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my what deceased

The Lord has shown him that he is Shortly going to no longer be in this earthly tent

He's going to be clothed in his heavenly tent and second Timothy you have the same thing God had shown the

Apostle Paul that he would be died. He would die shortly So what was on their minds at the very end of their life

God had shown him you're about to be martyred Peter Crucified upside down the

Apostle Paul beheaded Just outside the gates of Rome what's on your mind

God has said you have a day or two to live Now write to the churches and of all the things that they could choose to write about They write this epistle 2nd

Peter and also 2nd Timothy now one thing you want to understand if you look carefully is he's writing to churches and therefore believers in those churches look at verse 1

Simon Peter a bondservant that word there is doulos slave a slave and Apostle of Jesus Christ To those who's he writing to to those who have obtained like precious faith with us

By the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. So the assumption is he's writing to believers

But if you look carefully at verse 8 again He says if these things are yours and abound you will be neither barren nor unfruitful and The word true should be there in the true

Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ for he who lacks these things is short -sighted

Even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins

So there is such a thing we need to establish right at the beginning Of this message there is such a thing as having a true saving knowledge of Jesus Christ That someone has become born again

And there is such a thing as having a knowledge a knowledge of Jesus Christ People can know about Jesus Christ and they can gain knowledge about Jesus Christ But that knowledge is not necessarily

True knowledge meaning they're not truly saved They have not truly trusted in Jesus Christ for their

Lord for their for their salvation I remember when I went to my freshman year of college and that was a long time ago and at that time

I don't know if it's still true because I know they changed the requirements my first year in college as a freshman

I had to take two semesters of humanities and in him in that class It was actually taught by a man who was a

Christian but in that class It wasn't a Christian college. It was a secular college In that class, he he went through the history of various religions.

So we learned about Islam. We learned about Hindu We learned about art Eastern art and Western art So throughout that year

Everybody in the class Christian or not saved or not had more knowledge of Jesus Christ Understand but that doesn't mean they were saved they did not have true knowledge.

They had knowledge of Islam Hinduism Buddhism we had to read one of the books of Buddhism.

I mean, I remember the course vividly because of the teacher So the point is that there is such a thing as having a true knowledge of Jesus Christ where someone is truly saved and having

Knowledge just knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ now when it comes to growing as a

Christian The seven qualities or things that Peter talks about in verses 5 through 7.

They are virtue knowledge self -control perseverance godliness brotherly kindness and love

These are in a sense fuel cells they are

Spiritual power sources they are means of God's grace in a believer's life their conduits of God's power in a believer's life to produce usefulness and fruitfulness

They are they are the roots of a fruitful Christian life.

And the point is we can actually say That the more that these seven qualities are part of a

Christian's life The deeper those roots run in our lives the stronger and more fruitful our

Testimony will be and this is one of the reasons why Paul says in Colossians chapter 2 verse 7 having been firmly

Rooted and now being built up and established in him so we're rooted in Christ and these these

Christlike qualities are like roots that run deeper and deeper and produce more and more fruit saving faith in Jesus Christ is like a root ball in a tree and from that root ball from that as Initial establishment of the root ball at the bottom of a tree right the roots of the tree grow out

Now it's interesting anybody that has ever had a vegetable garden knows

That when you plant say lettuce radishes you can you can get food to eat

Sometimes as early as a month after you put them in the ground Right, so you I mean we it took us a long time this year to get tomatoes

But finally we got them and boy, did we get them but it took a long time But radishes and lettuce you can pop them in the ground and you can have you can be eating it in a month sometimes

Fruit trees are totally different You plant a fruit tree you got a water it you got a

Fertilize it you got a you know, it has to have Sun you have to protect it in the winter It might take three or four years before you're getting fruit from that fruit tree

God's creation Uses carbon dioxide sunlight the nutrient.

I never understood how important Fertilizer is to getting sweet citrus

You really need to fertilize citrus trees properly in order to get that sweet Our mandarin oranges this year are delicious.

We put down some fertilizer in a proper time, right? so God uses spring summer fall winter.

He uses Sun he uses rain. He uses all of these things to produce fruit

Now Peter as he's directed and guided by the Holy Spirit Zeros in on these seven qualities that are part of this package this this group of things that God can use to produce a useful and a fruitful

Christians now, how can believers be certain

That they have a true Knowledge of Jesus Christ that they're truly born again and saved and on their way to heaven

How can each of us here today as we look ahead to 20 21 be assured of being useful to God not useless

But living a life that is fruitful in the garden of God's kingdom and not unfruitful number one two simple points with this message for one by understanding that being useful and fruitful in the

Christian life requires Diligence now we need to understand this Growing in Christ and Being useful and fruitful not barren requires

Diligence look at verse 5 for this very reason Now, what is he saying there for this very reason for the reason that you're truly born again.

Look at verse 2 For the reason that you're that that he's praying that your knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ is being

Multiplied verse 3 the reason that his divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness

By which we have been given Exceedingly great and precious promises for this very reason because you're born again

Notice that he says giving all Diligence see a tree begins his life as a seed planted in the earth or a sapling and then it begins to grow and become useful and fruitful as nature diligently supplies carbon dioxide sunlight water and a

Christian grows and becomes useful and produces fruit by Diligently adding these qualities by faith to their root system

Now there's a couple of things in verse 5 that are interesting number one He says for this very reason, right?

So this goes back to the first four verses just what I explained for the very reason that you're born again

For the very reason that you have obtained like precious faith with Peter and the other

Apostles and the other disciples by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ Now it's time to do your part for this very reason

Because you have been truly born again and truly in your heart love God. This is what you're to do.

What are you to do? give all Diligence see that now there's something else in verse 5

The word giving you might underline that in your mind depending on your translation giving all diligence add

To your faith so those three words giving and Diligence and add in the original

Greek. There are what's called a triplet So God the Holy Spirit directs

Peter to write this letter Right all scripture is given by inspiration of God and it's profitable for teaching doctrine reproof and all of those things all scripture

So those three words belong together. They strengthen one another The word giving there is talking about bringing in or supplying and and the word giving actually

Suggests effort on the part of the person doing the giving the word diligence Has to do with having zeal or eagerness.

I mean when people are learning to play an instrument I don't know how Katie feels or Johanna feels don't want to single them out

But anybody that's ever played the instrument sometimes you don't want to practice Sometimes you're not excited about practicing but guess what?

You have to if you want to improve the idea here is to have zeal

Oh boy, I can't wait to practice my instrument. I can't wait. I mean Monday tomorrow.

I start back to school. I Start teaching again, and I was talking to Janet yesterday or day before and I said

I start spending an hour a day correcting papers sometimes to That's Not zeal

But you know what I do I'm gonna pull them papers out and I'm gonna grade them and sometimes I do it with prayer.

Please help me God have joy in this Especially giving out the F's Okay, here's what here's something to think about This is a command

Giving all diligence the word add is an imperative. Okay, so just like we are not to lie

Just like we are not to steal those are commands Just like we are to love God with all of our heart soul mind strength body just like we're to love our neighbor as ourself

We are to add it's an imperative in the Greek. Okay, so this is not optional and What's interesting about these three words, let me give it to you as best as I can

Think about going to a bank now you have money in the bank. The money is yours, right? You've entrusted it to the bank.

It's your money Now you want to do something with that money you want to withdraw that money and you want to use it

But the bank says well, I'm sorry. You don't have the proper Paperwork in place to withdraw this money this happened to us

Saturday my oldest daughter. I'm gonna not gonna cry She's taking her first trip away from home in two weeks.

Not that she's counting It's not 14 days now, it's 13 days 3 hours and 15 minutes

Yeah, 15 minutes and you know, she's gonna be gone on her own with a group of seniors for Six days three hours and 17 minutes.

Yeah, something like that so we had to go to the bank on Saturday and we had to take her savings account and she had to have a checking account so she could have a debit card and They wanted her

ID. They wanted my ID because we're on joint accounts The money's hers, but she can't access it with a debit card without the proper paperwork.

You got that all right, so the idea here is You can't access these things you can't

Get add them to your account Without giving this diligence see that it's there but you have to be diligent about it

We need the money. So we went in he gave us the documentation. We signed the documentation

We checked, you know was the spelling right was a social security number, right? Was the address right we give the diligence to that the bank does their part and God does his part in Salvation simply by faith now listen to me

We now have to do our part Understand we're saved. Our names are written in the

Lamb's Book of Life We have a seal of the Holy Spirit, but now we have to turn around and do something

That's why James says faith without works is dead So Peter is reminding believers

Just like the bank. God won't do our part We can't do what God does and God will not do what we can do

Which is why diligence here on our part is so important These seven qualities are increased and they grow by faith

But at the same time they require diligence on the part of a believer. So we're saved by faith.

We're sanctified Positionally by faith and then spiritual growth which is you might have heard this term progressive sanctification

So spiritual growth progressive sanctification meaning more and more like Christ happens as believers

Diligently recognize the importance of these qualities and then live them out by faith. Listen.

There is no such thing as microwave spirituality I'm sorry to say that we don't have for sale at the back of the church

Cans of Christ likeness that you can take home today Pour into the pot on the stove turn up the heat and be

Christlike. It just doesn't happen that way Okay You can look listen.

Don't take my word for it. Go to the Bible look at Abraham Look at Joseph. Look at Moses.

Look at how many times did Peter put his foot in his mouth? Ultimately for God's glory.

We don't totally understand it instant Christ likeness is not in his plan. There's no short courses

There's no Coles book I remember when I first found out that we didn't have to read the whole book in college.

Do anybody remember that you got a 375 pages of the most boring stuff you ever read in your life.

You didn't hear about Coles notes. What's Coles notes? Oh, it's a little thin little book. You can get that it'll tell you all about it

That doesn't happen in the Christian life There's no short courses. God gives us a free gift of salvation.

Nobody knows what Coles notes is Can somebody shake their head and say thank you

Dave? Don't they have them anymore? It's what?

It's a different name now. Anyway, I'm gonna tell you when I was in college not Bible College Liberal arts

I was excited to get those things because we had some Stuff to read.

All right. I didn't want to list them. So God God does not give

Christ like character Instantly you're saved the thief on the cross today.

You will be with me in paradise, right? But from there from salvation we have to grow in Christ likeness and God doesn't make believers obey them obey him

We make choices Philippians 2 12 so then my beloved Just as you have always obeyed not 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 understand as we do these things Diligently as we seek to add to ourselves these seven qualities

God is at work God is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure

And then Paul reiterates in Philippians 3 13 He says brethren. I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it and I stand before you church

I stand I have not laid hold of this You're not gonna see any reality TV shows on my home with the cameras you

You know what a reality TV show is they got the cameras set up in the house. You see everything they do Yeah, you don't want to see that don't turn on that show

But one thing he says but one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead

I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus So in the same way that someone has to go to a bank in order to access that money

That is theirs rightfully theirs by giving the driver's license the birth certificate

Maybe a social security card in order to make the withdrawal by diligence and faith in Christ walking by faith

Believers are charged to add and supply certain things and qualities to the starting point of salvation

So that's number one Be and continue to be diligent in the

Christian life now second being useful and fruitful in the Christian life requires

Diligence and putting on godly character now Peter in verses five six and seven lists seven basic qualities of Christ -like character that produces and results in usefulness and Fruitfulness for our

Lord and the first one is virtue your Bible might have moral excellence Virtue, what are we talking about?

The positive moral aspects of someone's character and the particular Greek word that Peter uses here that's translated

Virtue has to do with with with vigor of the soul.

Listen to me Vigor of the soul in the choices that we make

I'm going to say that again Vigor Attentiveness in our inner man in the choices we make what am

I talking about? See virtue here comes down To such things as the choices people make in terms of how they spend their time in terms of the

TV that they watch in terms of the kind of movies that they watch in terms of the kind of people that they associate with or don't associate with The content of the books

I'll never forget as a young Christian Visiting a home and It was one of the it was a couple in our church, this is many many years ago many many years ago

I'll never forget going in and I was like a brand new Christian and like, okay Movies, I don't know what to do.

Everybody was at that time was saying, you know, throw your TV out the window. So I did You know,

I was like a brand new they said read through your Bible every year I did it memorize these verses I did that was the kind of Christian I was the first couple of years

I was a Christian. I mean, what do you want to tell me to crawl on all fours around the block three times? okay, I'll do it, but I remember going to this home and Walking down and and on the shelf the wife of this man had every romance novel

I'm talking about, you know those Horrible books Everyone that you could ever imagine

I won't even name the authors and I went I've read one of those

I know what they're full of all kinds of stuff that you don't want as a Christian So these are the things we're talking about verse 4

He has granted us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine

Nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust see it is good to keep in mind that a believer has by faith become a partaker of the divine nature our bodies are temples of the

Holy Spirit and Virtue comes with those choices we make about the movies We're gonna watch the books

We're gonna read how we spend our time the people that we hang around with and so on The call here look carefully at the language the call here is to be diligent to do this

Understand diligent to grow in moral vigor and virtue secondly to this virtue

Add knowledge Knowledge here is is is insight understanding and enlightenment and guess what?

It's not how to play an instrument better It's not how to do algebra better It's not how to work on your car.

The knowledge here is only referring to one thing our knowledge of God Jesus Christ and his word

That's what we're to increase in We are to be diligent about being people of God's Word Look back at first Peter and he says in chapter 2 of first Peter just a couple of pages back he says therefore laying aside all malice all deceit hypocrisy envy and evil speaking as Newborn babes

Desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted

That the Lord is gracious. Look carefully at verse 3 the proper word.

There is not if which is conditional. It's since as newborn babes

Desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby Since you have tasted

That the Lord is gracious. This is what a true believer does

They long they desire for the pure milk of the word and to help you if you look at your notes.

I Came across a pastor friend of mine, and he had given his church a

Commitment this year to be people of the book people of the word and I gave you seven verses

Memorize read the scripture meditate on the scripture Those are at the bottom look those up this sometime this week and look at those verses and try to be this year people of the book think of a tree for a moment like a sapling or a newly planted tree if we're purposing to grow in our faith, we have to start putting down roots and Doing that starts with choosing to add virtue to our faith those decisions this movie or no

This TV show or no how we spend our time or no those kinds of things this friend or no

You know what? This friend is not virtuous. They are not going to build me up. They are going to bring me down I'm gonna tell you now

If I whoops, sorry Jackie It's easier for somebody down here to pull you down than for you to pull them up That's the corruption in the world

Number three To knowledge self -control and this is the this is the one

I just I it was like all I could do not to Just to skip over this because this is one that I think

I struggle with and so many people struggle with so what's self -control? control over self

What we're talking about is being diligent to watch over ourselves

It's so important and in one reason it's so important because until we reach heaven

We will always live with the reality that even though we've been born again, and we're a new person The Bible tells us that we carry around on our body our old man our sinful flesh

It's strapped to our back and it's always there As long as we are on this earth

Even though we are partakers of the divine nature the sinful old man in everyone is still at work

There are lusts and there are passions and there are sinful tendencies that are hardwired into the

DNA of our cell structure That we get from the fall of man in the garden

Even though we've responded to the Christian gospel, even though we know I'm born again.

I do want to live for God I do want to grow as a Christian. There's always going to be this battle

Galatians 5 15 for the flesh Lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these two are contrary to one another always

Battling one another you're always inclined. You're bent. You're hardwired into doing the things that you wish

That's why Paul says in Romans chapter 7. He says the very things I want to do I can't do the very thing.

I hate to do I do and then he goes what a wretch Can you have you ever felt that way? What a wretch.

Yes, I've felt that way the good news is

That self -control in the Christian life grows and is added and supplied to our lives look at the language for this very reason giving all diligence

Add to your faith virtue to virtue knowledge to knowledge of Christ and of the word

Self -control, right? These things self -control is added to our lives one decision at a time

See the thing is before we're saved. We don't have a choice, right? We sin by nature

It's just our bent it's our nature, but once somebody is truly born again

They have a choice and God's grace is always sufficient which is why

Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 10 13 no temptation No trial has seized you except what is common to man and God is faithful Who will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but with the temptation will provide a way out

So you can bear up under it that oh, you mean when that guy cuts me off on the road. I don't have to say stupid

You ever done that? Yeah Especially when you have kids in the car Oh Pastor Cain Right Jesus loves you.

I Can't emphasize enough that each of these qualities grows by faith in Christ So from the starting point of the

Christian life by faith true believers continue to add to that faith by applying all diligence and They supply virtue and moral excellence and they added that knowledge

Of Christ and of his words self -control and then you come to this word perseverance, which we all hate

Listen what's perseverance? It's putting your nose to the grindstone and Pushing on it's patient endurance.

It's plotting. I'll never forget my dad He told his favorite story of me when

I was a little baby was I was on my bed And or on his bed and the pillow was like when you're a baby and you're crawling a pillows like a giant mountain, right?

Right, you look at that and he said I crawled up and he pushed me down and I crawled up and he pushed me down And he said this went on for a long time.

You're calling up the pillow I got up there and he pushed me down and I crawled back up and he pushed me down One of my daughters was this way whenever we built blocks as soon as it got to a certain thing

You know what? She did knocked him over. So we built him again knocked him over. That's perseverance. You just keep plotting along You keep plotting along See as we walk this pilgrims path

While living in a world That is in every conceivable way diametrically opposed to the

Christian life Not only will there be challenges and temptations and problems that that that must be dealt with by self -control

There will always be distractions and problems from outside of the person. That's why he mentions corruption of the world right

Where did it go? Hmm there it is a verse for having escaped the corruption that is in the world

Through lust so we don't always feel like reading God's Word We don't get up every single

Sunday, especially if we had a rough week. Oh, I can't wait to go to church today I'll turn on the football game

There are times that it's easier to get mad at a person that irritates us than to shut up and forgive

There are times that not responding to the driver that cuts us off the road will simply take perseverance gritting our teeth

The truth is due to the influence of the old sinful man And the world consistently reading through our

Bible daily prayer and walking by the Spirit takes Gritting our teeth while asking the

Lord's help and persevere Sometimes it's easier to get up in the morning when you're putting on your coffee and turn on bad news

America or women What's it called? Good morning. No, no bad morning

America on a B. Is that ABC bad morning America? sometimes it's just easier to pop on that power thing and I'm so tired you know and watch bad morning

America than it is to Open up the Word of God Sometimes just like an oak tree day in and day out

Takes in ingredients of nutrients in the soil and carbon dioxide in the air and Sun and water so the

Christian desiring to be useful and fruitful must be diligent to persevere and keep supplying these ingredients to their faith

After perseverance comes godliness. What are we talking about? They're just Christlike behavior, right?

godliness is Reverence, it's respect. It's piety towards God.

It's coming to church and when the church is singing It's being attentive and no matter whether we like the song or not

Because we're godly and because we want to worship the Lord we are going to do that When when the sermon is being preached we're going to pay attention when we when we read the

Word of God we are going to pay attention and we are going to have a Piety and and a reverence and a respect and a humility so God can work.

That's the idea That's why Paul told Timothy a young pastor in 1st

Timothy 6 11 But you man of God flee these things and pursue righteousness godliness faith love patience gentleness look at chapter 3

You know, they're worried about global warming and climate change flooding the earth, right? Well, I have good news for you.

The world's never going to be flooded again Okay Let me tell you how the world is going to be destroyed.

It's going to be destroyed by fire from heaven You read chapter 3 sometime, but I want to point out this is what he's talking about Peter here is talking about the last days right verse 3

Scoffers will come in the last days walking according their own lust sound familiar Where is the promise of his coming for since the father's fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation verse 4

Verse 7 but the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and the perdition of ungodly men

But the verse I wanted to point out to you is verse 10 the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and The elements will melt with fervent heat both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up therefore verse 11, please

Therefore Since all these things will be dissolved What manner of persons ought you to be in holy?

conduct and Godliness, there's our word godliness holy conduct

Reverence what sort of people should Christians be? Godly meaning like God like Jesus Christ and they should by faith keep seeking to supply or add more and more

Godliness and then two more and we're done After godliness comes brotherly kindness.

What are we talking about their family love brothers and sisters? brother and sisterly love love among the brethren and This is absolutely critical in the life of a church

You know our church where faith Bible Church, we're really, you know, I'm the interim pastor

We're praying for God to put together some things for us to continue to meet. Amen and to continue to grow in Christ That's what we're doing

It's a wonderful thing and sometimes when when things aren't going exactly like we that we want them to go

With a brother or a sister. We just need to love them. That's brotherly love It's this it's this being patient and forgiving man.

They took my pew. They took my chair Yeah, I don't like that song. I like this song. Oh, it's too hot.

It's too cold. Oh, I don't like that color I like this color. Oh this carpet that I mean you just go on down the road

That pastor I'll tell you what he's not funny But I'm gonna laugh anyway

Cuz I love him and Then look how he ends it

Add to brotherly kindness to this family love Add to that love

That's not brotherly kindness brotherly kindness in the Greek is Philadelphia. That's the brotherly love that last word is agape

Agape go to 1st Corinthians 13 1st

Corinthians 13 What's agape love? Agape love is verse 4 it suffers long

It's kind It doesn't envy It doesn't parade itself look at me look at me

Listen to me. Listen to me It's not puffed up It doesn't behave rudely doesn't seek its own it's not provoked

Thinks no evil Doesn't rejoice in iniquity Rejoices in the truth.

I Know New Year's Eve night You know something about which we didn't but I watched the

Screen clips or whatever you call them Talk about rejoicing in iniquity

It rejoices in the truth It bears all things It believes all things it hopes all things it endures all things and it never fails back to 2nd

Peter Why did he end with agape love because it never fails

In order for a young tree to grow and remain healthy It has to have good soil and carbon dioxide and Sun and light it has to have the seasons all of these things

God created and And they work together to facilitate the growth of that tree because that's how

God designed nature and How did God designed? Growing in the

Christian life verse 8 if these things are yours and Abound you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our

Lord Jesus Christ God has given a prescription for Christian growth to become more like Christ to be more useful to the master more fruitful and It is done by faith

But there is diligence and there is being awake and there is walking carefully on the part of the true believer and I'll tell you something.

This is You know, this is where I fail so much of the time One of the one of the greatest vacations that I've ever had was when

Janet and I before kids We we had the opportunity to preach in northern,

Arizona on On the Navajo Indian reservation for two weeks and the missionary that was serving there gave us his house for a whole week and One of when we were done

One of the trips we took was to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon, which a lot of people never go there But the northern rim is totally different.

Most people go to the south rim. The northern rim is totally different but we also went to Zion and We loved a hike

Loved it more then than now But one of the hikes you take the at Zion they give you easy moderate difficult

So we we you know, we were younger. We didn't have kids yet. We didn't have some of this so so we we took this hike and one part of the hike was along the side of a cliff and There's a chain

Now this you're gonna let rational human beings Go up and hike and then you're gonna hold on the chain and I remember

Looking over here at the 200 to 400 foot drop and no one what's waiting for me at the bottom of that drop

You know what? It is a broken neck So when you walk along that you have to be careful and Janet's like, you know going like this.

I'm holding the chain like this but the point is you had to be careful and That's how we have to live the

Christian life We have to be careful we have to think about where we're stepping and I'll tell you for me.

That's one of the hardest things in the world to do because I opened a mouth before I think

Stop that I'm getting one of these every person

That has the true knowledge of Jesus Christ and is saved has choices

This book that book this movie that movie Bad morning

America or the Bible Fox News or God's Word All seven of these are individual qualities like different ingredients in a cake recipe or a prescription

They are like a mixture and the efficacy of that medicine

Depends upon each ingredient being duly Proportioned and yet mixed together friends being useful and fruitful to God as We walk by faith step by step in his kingdom being fruitful he

Works in us one last verse Galatians Because I'll tell you this is impossible

You say John Yeah, I can't do it. Yeah, that's right. I can't either That's why

Paul wrote Galatians 2 20, which by the way once I get Victor and Harold's approval We'll be back in the

Old Testament But I want to take a couple of weeks and I'll explain once I get their blessing I want to do the first couple chapters maybe first chapter of Galatians with you before we go back to the

Old Testament Okay, but take a look at Galatians 2 20. I have been crucified with Christ It is no longer

I who live But Christ lives in me and the life which

I now live in the flesh I Live by faith in the

Son of God Who loved me and gave himself? for me and What I watch to help you to understand is

You say John Man, it's so hard To open up the

Bible. I Can't do it. I'm telling you be diligent to do it persevere how by faith

Ask God God I can't listen. We cannot save ourselves. Do we understand that we are saved by grace through faith

We cannot do these things apart from the same faith ask

God to help us and He will because you know why it's his will for us to grow in Christ likeness understand

Yes, it's true You mean I don't have to get mad at the driver that cuts me off every single time.

He cuts me off. No, you don't Let's pray. Please.

Take a few moments. You have the sermon notes Ask God I can't do it for you

You have to be diligent yourself If God spoke to you this morning look at those notes ask

God to help you to be useful and Fruitful in 2021. We'll take a minute or two to pray

You know, I don't know how the Lord I know how the Lord convicted me this week and it was

It's been brutal Honestly, we'll just ask you to pray and then

Victor will come in a moment after I pray to lead us in a closing song Let's use this time now to pray

Lord with you, there's no secrets, you know our hearts, you know,

God whether we have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ or just a Knowledge of Jesus Christ as we look forward to this new year

God. We don't know what What's going to come down the road? There's so much so many unknowns right now

God that it's it's so Overwhelming really to think about it.

I thank you Lord that most of the folks here The financial challenges that have hit so many