II Peter 1:5-11 Lesson # 2
APPROACHING THE FAITH WITH DILIGENCE
I. Greetings:
II. Introduction:
Q What makes someone a “Sunday Christian”, one who goes to church, or says they are Christian but does not live it?
An = Let them give their answers and let someone be the “scribe” and record them in short phrases (if you have a board write them out). After they have given their answers, let the “scribe” read them back (if there is no white or chalk board).
Q How helpful to the growth of the faith are such people?
An = Usually they are not helpful, but actually harmful. Let them give examples if they want, but not names.
Q Are such people pleasing to God? What will happen to them at the judgment?
An = Do not get pulled into “once saved, always saved” or “losing your salvation”. The key is judgment will fall if we are not doing His will, besides whether one loses one’s salvation or not, no one wants to arrive in heaven embarrassed.
Q What is the obligation of the leaders and teachers of the faith: Sunday School teachers, pastors, priests, deacons, etc?
An = That is what Peter will address in the following. Last week we read Peter’s command from Jesus to “love His sheep”. Now we will see Peter practically love what His master loves so well. Peter will model good leadership for us in the following verses.
Remember, Peter wishes them grace and peace.
III. The Call To Diligence: II Peter 1:5-7
>>>> Have someone read II Peter 1:5-7.
Q What do you think Peter is after in these verses?
An = There are two obvious things here. He wants them to add something and he wants them to be diligent about it.
Q What does Peter want them to add to their faith with diligence?
An = 1) moral excellence, virtue, or goodness (5)
2) knowledge (5)
3) self-control (6)
4) perseverance (6)
5) godliness (6)
6) brotherly kindness (7)
7) love (7)
Q What is the beginning (assuming it is first to acquire or the foundation)?
An = Moral excellence, virtue or goodness. We cannot say we want to be Christians and be immoral. Peter seems to be saying it blocks knowledge and blocks the next steps from taking place. We have to add moral excellence with diligence. It will not happen on its own. We have to struggle to add something to our glorious gift from our Lord. Paul says we need to work out with “fear and trembling” what God put in (Philippians 2:12).
Q Do you know Christians that are not diligent here and are not growing spiritually?
An = Lack of virtue produces a blindness and Peter will later say, (as Jeremiah does in 29:23) false prophets who teach error are also missing moral excellence (II Peter 2:14).
Q Which of the other of these “additions” do you find hard to add?
An = Let them share and open up if they will do so. Do not preach here, but help them remember that Peter struggled with self-control and did not get there all at once, after he was called to be a disciple by Jesus. These things must be sought for with diligence. They do not determine our call but they are our response to our call.
Q What is the final “addition” (assuming it is the goal)?
An = It is love. Love is not merely a spontaneous thing we feel at special retreats, or great worship services or after inspiring sermons. It is preceded by loving our brothers, perseverance, working of self-control, moral virtue, acquiring knowledge, etc. Love is willed. It takes effort. Yes, love entails emotion, but it also entails our minds and most of all, our wills.
Note: People who say Christianity is easy only reveal they know little about the true faith. It entails great effort, great aggressiveness on our part, and great diligence. It is much like a good marriage. It takes great effort and great acts of will.
Note: What Peter is teaching is not new. He is bringing into his situation what His Lord had stressed and taught him.
>>>> Have someone read Luke 6:27-28.
Q What are we to do for our enemies?
An = Love them: by doing good to them, blessing them, praying for them.
Q How does one bless an enemy? Think of a specific enemy, how would you bless that person?
An = Let them see if they can be creative here. It mean aggressively wishing the best for them, but could include thinking out ways to make their lives fuller, better, more pleasing to God, etc. Our enemies should be treated like our friends, our children, our wives, our girlfriend or boyfriend.
Q Is this easy to do?
An = No, it does not come naturally, or easily, but is only accomplished with great diligence. We have to choose to do good for them and to pray for them.
Note: Perhaps, the way to start would be to not hurt our enemies but do something tangibly good for them. Next, it would be to pray for them, and bless them in our prayers.
We could even ask God to show them their error; that they are wrong in what they are doing to us. It is a blessing to realize that one is hurting someone, so they can stop such harmful behavior. Jesus give us more practical suggestions and reasons to be so in 6:29-36
Note: One way of freedom might be to concentrate not on their error, their wickedness, or their stupidity, however great it is, but to take Jesus’ advise in Luke 6.
>>>> Have someone read Luke 6:37.
Note: Sometimes the way of joy and freedom for us (and this is sadly missed by our enemies who live in sin) is to just worry about how we are in relationship to the Lord. We need to worry about our Shalom, our pleasing Him. We can afford to be wrong, because He loves us. We are free to look at our fault, despite the fact that our enemy will not look at their wrong. They are not free to see. There is peace in such freedom.
Q By-the-way, what motivation does Jesus give here for obeying Him?
An = If we cut slack, we will get slack. If we pardon, we will be pardoned. Take a look at Luke 6:36 (>>> Have someone read Luke 6:36) It is another motivation.
IV. Motivations For Diligence: II Peter 1:8-11.
Note: All through Jesus’ teaching He not only commands us to “add” to our lives, but motivates us with reasons why we should do so. Now Peter will give his reasons for “adding” to their faith.
>>>> Have someone read II Peter 1:8-9.
Q In II Peter 1:8 there is a promise, what is it?
An = We will be neither useless nor unfruitful in true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice there is a condition to this promise: if these “additions” are ours.
Q Do you know folks who are neither fruitful or useful in their knowledge of Jesus Christ? Are their times when you have not been useful or fruitful?
An = Again, do not let them name others, but keep them focused on seeing the necessity of diligence. The motivation is that we will be helpful and fruitful as a result of our “knowing the Lord”.
Q In verse 9 is a threat what is it?
An = We will be blind or short-sighted and forgetful of our past forgiveness and cleansing from sin. Many in the church are blind, short-sighted and they have forgotten the glory of His cross, His cleansing, His giving to them.
Note: Trying to motivate with both a promise and a threat is typical biblical style. Jesus used it, the prophets used it. It is the effort of someone who really wants his audience to not “miss out”. Sometimes we are motivated best by threat, at other times by promise. Sometimes both are needed. God really wants us to make these additions!
There are great consequences, both positive and negative as to whether or not we hear the apostle Peter.
>>>> Have someone read II Peter 1:10-11.
Q What is Peter saying here in verse 10?
An = We prove whether He actually did call us, and our being diligent to add to our faith will keep us from stumbling or falling away. This is again a “not-so-subtle threat”. Do not be diligent or you will not fall away. It is also a promise. Be diligent to add to your faith… and you will be kept from falling and prove the effectiveness of your election.
Note: I do not think this is the place to discuss “once saved, always saved”. This is a passage used by those who hold that you can lose your salvation. However, I do not think the good of those at the study would be served fighting over this issue. It would be wiser to just hear Peter’s heart. He wants his people diligent and we should concentrate on his agenda. If we are diligent, to the Wesleyan/Arminian we preserve our salvation and to the Calvinist we prove our election. So if we are diligent we serve the Lord’s heart and win no matter what position we hold to.
Q Why is it possible to enter the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
An = God will supply the entrance.
Note: Our job is to be diligent. His job is to abundantly supply the entrance to His Lordship and rulership. He is our Savior and He wants to be, in deed and in focus, our Lord.
Q What does Peter call them in verse 10? What does this title indicate?
An = Peter identifies with them. They are his brothers. He is one with them. He will later call them by another title: “beloved”. Peter is fulfilling His Master’s charge. He is tending to the sheep. He wants his brothers, the Lord’s sheep, as he is, to make it and make it well.
Home work: 1) Read II Peter 1:12-21 and write down questions you have.
2) Try and see what Peter is saying about himself,
3) And about the handling of Scripture.