Stand Firm | Week 2

Welcome to the Restoring Hope Church Sermon Podcast where together we are encouraged, challenged, and empowered as we explore the Word of God and its relevance to our lives today. About 12 years ago I had signed up for a run. Now if you know me, you know I do not like to run, but I signed up for a mud run, which yes, which is a race if you're if you're familiar with it, it's a race where you run through mud and climb over and through all sorts of obstacles and it sounded fun except for the running part, but and at this time this was 12 years ago I was I was in decent shape and I figured it couldn't be too hard and and the mindset also meant that I did not really train for it. It was a 3k, which is just less than two miles and so I waited until a few weeks before the race and then I went out for a few runs making sure that I could cover that distance and I could do it without too much trouble and I was also going with some friends which would then add extra moral support to ensure that I got through it and I thought I was ready, but I was not. There were two things that that I did not really think through. The first is that I can't really see without my glasses and I was not going to wear my glasses through the mud and so I made the brilliant decision to go through this obstacle course without glasses and with no contacts because I was afraid of getting mud in them so I was basically blind, but the second problem was even worse. We lined up on this dirt path where they had the entrance of it and the race started they lowered this little flag we all ran and the very first obstacle not even 20 feet in front of the starting line was three feet of mud that we had to wade through and when I got out on the other side I discovered the part that I hadn't trained for. My shoes were filled with mud and mud is heavy so I could barely see and with every step carried extra weight and that little 3k suddenly felt a whole lot longer and I finished it but it was incredibly difficult. I had prepared for the distance but I hadn't prepared for what I would encounter along the way and sometimes we approach our faith and our walk with Jesus in the same way. We believe in Jesus, we know some Bible stories, we've been to church, we assume we are ready but then an obstacle comes, temptation rises, someone challenges what we believe, life takes a turn that we never expected and we discover that that following Jesus requires more than simply good intentions which is what Peter is writing about in our passage for today we're in second Peter chapter one and the truth that I want us to hear this morning is that to stand firm tomorrow we must strengthen our faith today we're in second Peter one starting with verse 5 Peter says for this very reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness and to goodness knowledge and to knowledge self-control and to self-control perseverance and to perseverance godliness and to godliness mutual affection and to mutual affection love for if you possess these qualities an increasing measure they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but whoever does not have them is near-sighted and blind forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins therefore my brothers and sisters make every effort to confirm your calling and election for if you do these things you will never stumble and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Peter is writing to a group of people who already have faith he's not writing to unbelievers and giving them things that they need to accomplish before god will ever accept them in verse three and four that we read last week Peter has always already pointed out that God's power and God's promises have already come that God has already acted he has provided he has called them into a changed life and then verse five that we just read Peter's tells us that we must make every effort the grace of God calls for a response we must make every effort but before we can get to this list of of qualities that Peter outlines before we can get to what it means to make every effort to add to our faith before we can see what this has to do with living in this world today that is filled with lies as we talked about last week we have to pause and take notice of the order that Peter writes this letter Peter does not begin this letter with our effort and hopes that God will then supply the rest Peter begins with God's provision and then calls us to respond and that matters because some of us can hear a command like he says to make every effort and immediately think that that means we must try harder to make God happy but Peter is speaking to people who God has already welcomed he's saying you have received this life through Jesus now give yourself to it it is because God saved us that we are able to make every effort to respond and then Peter lists out these eight qualities of a life that is shaped by Jesus he lists out faith goodness knowledge self-control perseverance godliness mutual affection and love faith is the starting point and Peter calls us to build the others alongside it now these aren't necessarily levels that you accomplish where you must finish goodness before you can move on to knowledge and then eventually one day unlock love they belong together knowledge needs love to become complete perseverance needs self-control and faith should become visible within our goodness and verse eight says that we must possess these qualities in increasing measure Peter is expecting ongoing growth so the question is is your response to Jesus causing you to continually grow more and more like him the problem is that believers well-meaning people can neglect growth they can know the right words while their lives bear little fruit and Peter says when this happens when we neglect growth we become in verse nine near-sighted and blind they have lost their sight of what Jesus has done like on my mud run I chose to run with everything blurry the path and and my goal were still there I just couldn't quite see it all I could see what was right in front of me I couldn't see how far I had come and I couldn't really see where I was headed I just trusted that the group of people around me were headed in the right direction but what if those people started veering off the path I would have followed them blindly because I wouldn't know any different I couldn't see and I mentioned last week how we live in a time and culture where we can no longer trust what we see and what we hear a time where it is so difficult to know what is true in the world a time where we desperately need to learn how to stand firm and how to train the next generation to follow Christ because the culture and most of the world are veering off the path going the wrong direction and if we are blindly following everybody we will go the wrong direction away from Christ sometimes we get so focused on what is right in front of us whether that thing is is good or bad like we have a good life whether we have or we're dealing with a rough situation that we're trying to push through sometimes we get so focused on that that we lose sight of what Jesus has done for us in our past and of what direction we are headed in we lose sight of the mercy and grace that has saved us in the kingdom toward which we are headed, if we are not growing in Christ, Peter says we are near-sided and blind, which is why Peter then repeats the command from verse 5 of making every effort. He repeats this in verse 10, "Therefore my brothers and sisters make every effort to confirm your calling and election. We must make every effort to not only grow with those eight qualities that we briefly mentioned and will come back to, but also to make every effort to confirm God's calling and election for us." Again, notice the language. We do not persuade God to choose us. We do not work on ourselves or do enough good in the world so that we can make God choose us. God has already chosen us. He has already called and elected and we must respond. And the Peter continues in verse 10 and says, "For if you do these things, you will never stumble." Peter is connecting this all together, connecting the growth in these eight qualities and the consistent effort of responding to God. He connects this with being able to stand firm, never stumbling. Not that we won't ever make a mistake again, but that when life gets hard, we stand firm. Peter's concern to this early church is that they remain faithful to Jesus. And it's not that we just act faithful one time, but that we continue in it, continue to grow, continue to strengthen our faith, continue to train and practice for the race that we are running. We understand preparation. We get that in almost every area of our life. We practice before a game. We study before an exam, but sometimes we expect a strong faith to develop without giving it much attention. We want patience, but yet we choose to keep feeding our anger. We want wisdom, but we give every other voice in the world more time and authority than Scripture. We want to love people, but yet we avoid anyone who makes love inconvenient. And then a difficult day or a difficult situation comes and we're surprised by what comes out of us, surprised by the way that we respond to the situation. Or we go through a string of hard situations in life, and then some people begin to question God. Or things get difficult so we choose to seclude ourselves and block ourselves off from relationships. And what's worse is that I often hear people, not you all, but others that I interact with, I hear people who have responded in a wrong way or done something that they shouldn't have. And I hear them compare themselves to the world around them to either justify or excuse their wrong behavior. But we have to remember that most people in the world are not following Jesus. They are not running the correct path toward the kingdom of God. And if we're not careful, we become blind and start simply following what the crowd is doing and where the crowd is headed. Jesus says that there are two paths, a wide one and a narrow one. The wide path is filled with crowds of people and they are headed to destruction whether they realize it or not. But the narrow path, the one headed toward Jesus is hard to find and hard to follow, not because Jesus is hard, but because the crowds of people are leading us down the wrong path. But the people around us don't get to decide what holiness looks like. Jesus does. The crowds of people don't determine the correct path Jesus does. And if we're blind to the truth, then we must stop and ask Jesus to help us see clearly, to give us glasses, to see, to allow the spirit to save us and point us in the direction of the true path, the narrow path. And once we do that, we continue on that path regardless of what the world says or does. The problem is divided loyalty, where we want to follow Jesus. We want Jesus to direct our lives, but we also insist on having the final say, where we obey Jesus on the outside, but yet we hide something deep down inside of us, where we think that Jesus can't get to it, something that we don't want others to know about. Sometimes we are even headed down the correct path of Christ, running the race for Jesus, but yet that divided loyalty is weighing us down, like my muddy shoes on that run. I was going in the right direction, but those shoes were weighing me down, making the journey more difficult. There are things we carry that God calls us to surrender, pride that we defend, resentments that we hold onto, the demand to stand control a sin that is hidden from others. Hebrews 12, 1 and 2, says, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We are running a race and we must throw off those muddy shoes. And even though Peter doesn't use a race picture in our passage from second Peter, it can help us understand this call for perseverance. And before we talk about growing as Christians, some of us need to hear this. Being around Christianity isn't the same as receiving new life in Christ. You can know the vocabulary and still trying to be live apart from God. You can admire Jesus without trusting him as your Lord and Savior. Sin isn't only the trouble that it causes to us. It is our rebellion against a holy God. We need forgiveness and reconciliation. You cannot train or run your way into salvation. You cannot make yesterday sin disappear by behaving better today. You need a Savior. And Peter's command begins with what God has already given his grace. Makes it possible for us to respond. Jesus came to save sinners. He lived without sin, gave his life on the cross and rose from the dead. His resurrection means that sin and death do not have the final word. Through repentance and faith we can receive forgiveness and new life. Repentance means turning from sin toward God. Faith means entrusting ourselves to Jesus rather than relying on our own goodness. Paul writes in Colossians 1, 13, and 14. For he, speaking of Jesus, for Jesus has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. When God saves us, he does more than just simply improve our outlook on life. He takes us out of the darkness and sets us into the light. He takes us out of the blindness and gives us new glasses to see he makes us new, which is what we call regeneration or new birth. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, since ruling power is broken and we are enabled to obey God. A saved person is not still helplessly enslaved to sin, waiting for some later experience to obey better. Salvation brings real freedom, which is where holiness begins. And it means that we must take sin seriously without just simply stating that it's just who I am. If you belong to Jesus, you have a new identity. You might need accountability. You might need to change habits, but you can obey God today because his grace is already at work in you. And after you are saved, God sanctifying work continues to work through us. Holiness continues. The big word we use is sanctification. It's God's gracious work that happens after we are saved where the Holy Spirit clashes. All the remaining inwards sin, this bend towards sin and fills the heart with a whole hearted love for God. And that occurs with full surrender and full faith, where we yield ourselves completely and trust God to do what only He can do. And full surrender gets specific, because it includes the plan that we don't want Him to change. It includes the relationship that we don't want Him to address. It includes the hidden sin that we are holding onto. And we are trusting that His will is good, even before we know where it's going to take us. Peter's passage calls us to grow. The Spirit is already present in those who have surrendered to Christ, but God offers us more. He offers us the abundant life through sanctification. And I'm going to make a rather bold statement. I think the Nazarene Church has lost sight of its doctrine of entire sanctification. I think people restrict the truth of what God is offering to us, which is such a shame. Because the abundant life that Jesus offers is so good. It's a life where you can overcome temptation. Now that doesn't mean that temptation never appears, but its power over us does disappear. Those that are sanctified can experience temptation and avoid it. And this is what Jesus is calling to us and offering to us. And it comes when we completely surrender. And I'll speak on more in that in future weeks. And we'll call the Nazarene Church for change. But for now, just know that God offers more to this life. He offers sanctification. It's what Jesus offers. It's what God is calling us to. And it's what Peter is writing about. And Peter helps us begin to see that this growth takes place as we commit to making every effort to growing these eight qualities that he talks about. And before we go through these eight qualities, it's important to state again that these are not building blocks. Where you must master one first before moving on to the next. These eight qualities that you build, you build at the same time like preparing to run in a race. You continue to strengthen all of your muscles as you are running and train and staying disciplined. We all need to continually develop and strengthen these areas or these qualities. And Peter gives us eight of these that we must make every effort to strengthen. The first that Peter mentions is faith. Faith rests in Jesus. It trusts his character enough to follow him even when we can't see how everything will work out. Trusting Jesus doesn't mean that we're going to get every detail in advance. But it does give you someone to follow. So this week is you're thinking about building up this this block, this quality of faith. Name one thing that you've been carrying. One thing that you are worrying about. One thing that you're not quite trusting God in and bring that to God. And take the step to trust him. That is faith. Second, goodness. Goodness is moral excellence. It's how our conduct, our way of living begins to reflect the one that we trust. And sometimes we reduce goodness to just simply staying out of trouble. But goodness actively moves toward what is right. It notices an opportunity to help and then does something about it. We choose integrity where cutting corners would be easier. We tell the truth about a mistake. We return what isn't yours. We do the right thing when nobody will even notice and applaud you. That is goodness. And third, he says, knowledge, we need to know God, we need to understand his truth. This is so needed right now in a world where we can't tell what is true with what is said and done around us. So we must ground ourselves in the truth of Christ, in the truth of the knowledge of God through Scripture. Dedicate your life to knowing the truth of God. And then act upon that truth, apply that wisdom to all areas of your life. That is knowledge. Fourth, Peter says self-control. How many need to work on self-control? Self-control means that our desires don't get to decide how we live. The Spirit enables us to control our desires. So before you send that angry message, pause and pray. If a screen and keeps leading you toward temptation, set a boundary, invite someone to hold you accountable. A situation may bring up strong feelings, but those emotions don't need to be in charge. Self-control is very practical. There is a moment between the feeling and the responding. And in that moment, however brief it is, you get to choose how to respond. You get to choose what to do next. So ask the Spirit in that moment before the words leave your mouth. Before you act upon that impulse, ask the Spirit to give you the strength to make the right decision. That is self-control. Fifth, perseverance. Perseverance keeps following Jesus when obedience becomes difficult. Some days you can see progress and other days you can only see the next step in front of you. Perseverance keeps taking that step. Keeps pushing through. Next, godliness. Godliness is living a life that reflects the character of God. It is choosing every act, every impulse, every thought to live out and reflect God's love toward other people. Godliness is a lifestyle that we choose, that is godliness. Next is mutual affection. Mutual affection is helping our brothers and sisters. It's showing up for them. Mutual affection looks around and sees a need and then acts upon it for the good of someone else around us. Maybe you look around and notice that somebody hasn't been to church in a while and so you call them. Maybe you know that somebody is struggling with something so you bring them a meal. That is mutual affection. And the final one is love. Love goes beyond mutual affection. Love shows up when it is inconvenient to us. Love does not repay evil with evil. Love does not only love when you know that you're going to get something in return. Love chooses the way of Christ. That is love. Love is like the joy of the kids singing those songs. Choose one faithful practice this week, something that you have been abandoning, something that you need to work on. Choose one item to focus on and grow. These eight qualities reveal Christ's character in us. We practice them because God's grace is at work in us. Our effort is a response to His gift. And I want you to see where Peter ends, all of us with verse 11, that as we do these things, you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is a finish line beyond today's struggle. The Lord we trust now is the Lord whose kingdom lasts forever. The question is how will you respond today? Some of you need to trust Jesus for salvation. And again, you don't need to clean yourself up first. You don't need to do something first. You just simply come and trust Jesus. Acknowledge the sin in your life, the ways that you are going against Him and surrender that to God and trust the crucified and risen Savior. Receive His forgiveness. Some of you belong to Christ. But, the Spirit is calling you to fully surrender. You know the part of your life that you keep trying to reserve for yourself. That you keep hiding and hoping that nobody will know about. Don't settle for protecting it. Don't settle for running the race with muddy shoes that just weigh you down. Bring your whole heart to God. To surrender, honestly, trust the faithful God. And all of us who follow Jesus need to make every effort to keep growing. So this week my challenge is that you choose one of those eight qualities. Choose one to focus on. One at a time, you can't master it, you can't solve all of it in this one afternoon. But choose one. Choose the Spirit pointing at. In your life, it says you focus on this one first and then we'll begin the other ones. While I did finish that mud run, I made the race so much harder through poor preparation, through blurry vision and with muddy shoes. But I don't want to approach a lifetime of following Jesus with the same casual assumption that I'm just going to be fine and I'll figure it out when I get there. I want to remember what Jesus has done. I want to yield what he asked me to surrender. I want my life to grow in his love. I want to throw off everything that weighs me down to run the race with Christ. And when we think about the finish line that Jesus or that Peter describes, the kingdom of heaven, where our hope rests in Christ. He saves us, he sustains us. His kingdom is our future. We keep running by His grace with our eyes on Him. Would you pray with me? Father, we praise you for your grace. We thank you for calling us, for choosing us. We're making a way for us to live into the life that you've prepared for us. God, I asked this morning that those that are here would have the courage to take the next step. If someone needs to accept you for the first time, help them make that choice. If somebody to receive your infilling through sanctification, would you help them make that choice? Would you grant courage and peace? Jesus, we desire to live our life for you, running the good race, help us throw off anything that hinders us. Help us rid ourselves of the sin that so easily entangles. May we always remember what you've done for us and always set our eyes upon the goal ahead. May we grow in faith and goodness. May we continue a life of godliness. May we have self-control and perseverance. May we express your goodness through mutual affection and love towards one another. God, we do this for you and we pray this in your name. Amen. Would you stand with me? Our benediction comes from 1 Thessalonians 5. May God himself, the god of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, your whole body, your whole soul be kept blameless upon the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Go in peace, be in share of the gospel this week. Thank you for joining us today. We hope that you will take what you heard and use that to offer the restoring hope of Christ to those around you.