II Peter 1:3-15
ICE BREAKER
Where are you at in your christian walk? Is there anything that you know needs to be dealt with? Even though we know the right thing to do at times we do not follow through.
Peter is wanting to stir us up much like a coach in a sport. He is telling us not to let things go in our christian walk.
Bobby Knight is a basketball coach who was known for yelling at his players and letting his anger get out of control. He was asked why he yelled so much at his players and in response he called one of his players over to run a sprint. After he ran the first time he had him run a second time and the second time he yelled at him as he ran. He ran the second sprint two seconds faster. This, he said, is why he yells at his players.
Bobby Knight viewed his yelling as a catalyst for his players.
God, through Peter, is telling us that we too need a catalyst that stirs us up to goodness. He is telling us what we already know. Why? He wants to be that catalyst for our christian life.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Peter lists a progression of virtues that we need to be cultivating in our christian lives (see the notes section below for a description of each of them). As you reflect on these virtues ask yourself this most important question: “Where do you need to be stirred up?” Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you in this.
- One of the virtues In II Peter chapter one is spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge is the knowledge that we need the most.How do we gain this knowledge? Through the Word of God, the Spirit of God and the people of God.
So, we need to intentionally cultivate the knowledge of the Word of God in our lives. Discuss the following quote: “If we think we are a pretty good person and are not in the Word we really do not even know what we are talking about.”. Do you agree or disagree and why?
- Which of these 3 areas–the Word of God, the Spirit of God, the people of God–needs attention in your life? Share your answer with the group and then discuss as a group ai practical step each group member can take so that this quality can “increase in measure”.
- The next virtue in verse 6 is self-control. No one would argue that it is good to be out of control. But, each of us struggles with being out of control in certain areas in our life such as: food, lust, anger, what we say etc.With self control we have two spectrums: license on the one side and legalism on the other. Share with the group an area of your life where you long for more self-control or share an area where you long to be less legalistic toward others ( Legalism looks like this attitude: “I have my act together in this area and I can’t believe you don’t.”).
NOTES AND QUOTES
Peter is trying to stir us up. He knows we know what to do but that we are not doing it at times.
In II Peter 1:3-4 Peter tells us that God has, “… granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them You may become partakers of the divine nature.”
He wants us to partake in the diving nature that is, the nature of God.
He wants us to increase. In order to help us to increase he gives us a vision for what the progression looks like.
In II Peter 1:5 he gives us the first step in the progression: “For this reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue…”
Virtue means to seek the good and do it.
Four virtues: justice–putting things back the way they should be, temperance–not just doing want you want to do, wisdom–find prudent things about life and implement them, courage–doing good no matter what your circumstance or obstacle.
When we add the virtues of faith, hope and charity(love) we have a good summary of the virtues of the christian life.
Well, why don’t we live out these virtues? In part because we redefine the words.
One example of this today is how we use the virtue of justice. Under close scrutiny the virtue is used so much for self promotion rather than for true justice.
Temperance is negated altogether in our culture. Today our culture says to self indulge–be yourself. “Do you.”
GK Chesterton said that tolerance is the virtue you have left when you have gotten rid of all the other virtues.
Whenever we relate to someone there is the possibility of relating with virtue or with something far less.
The same thing can be said about “Innocent browsing” on the internet as it can become bad very quickly.
Likewise, a small comment meant to be funny can bypass virtue and bring death instead of life.
The next virtue in verse 6 is self-control.
No one would argue that it is good to be out of control. But, each of us struggles with being out of control in certain areas in our life: food, lust, what we say etc.
With self control we have two spectrums: license on the one side and legalism on the other.
Our culture encourages license: “be true to yourself”. Our culture looks at self control as being disingenuous.
A good description of legalism is when we have an area in our life that we do not struggle with and we end up getting very smug toward others who are not good at what we are good at.
The next virtue is steadfastness in verse 6:
To be steadfast means to brace yourself: preparing in advance rather than waiting to see what happens. Anticipate where you will be tempted or where you will be coerced.
Think of the word: withstand. Know your weakness and prepare in advance.
For example: I wanted to relate well to the people at the family reunion but if I stop there I have not prepared in advance.
So, what is an area in your life where you are not steadfast? Where do you not prepare in advance to be life giving?
The next virtue, godliness, is also in verse 6.
In I Tim 6:6 God says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Here godliness implies activity. And right next to this is contentment which implies movement without demand. So, move like God but move with contentment.
Think through the lense of God as: creator, sustainer (all things are held together by Jesus), and the reconciler.
So, as we grow in godliness we shape our lives to be co-creators, co-sustainers and co-reconcilers.
So, what we make is creating. You can quickly see that our work is valuable.
We also create when our families increase in number!
To be a sustainer is to look for ways to keep life going. It is lIke each person keeping a beach ball in the air in a crowd.
The next virtue is in verse 7: brotherly affection .
Who is the brotherhood? The church.
The church gets a special type of care. Take your church seriously. We are living stones. Don’t be flippant about church. See your part as being at church as a life giver.
Brotherly love is huge.
The last virtue is also in verse 7: love (Agape)
Agape love is the type of love used 90% of the time in Scripture.
Agape is a broad word.
I Corinthians 13 gives a list of qualities of love. As you do these qualities of love you give texture to love.
In verse 8 Peter writes, ”… if these qualities are yours and INCREASING, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The other path is found in verse 9, “…whoever lacks these qualities is so near sighted that he is blind, having forgotten he was cleansed from his past sins. “
