Make Every Effort

Amen. Well, thank you very much to Fiona and the band and to Katie for reading that passage.

Let's turn to God in prayer before we begin. Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege it is to be able to openly and freely read your word.

Lord, now as we come to meditate on it, we pray that the meditations of all of our hearts

and that the words of my mouth would be pleasing to you.

Father, would I decrease and would you increase?

And we pray that everything that is done in this service would be for your glory and fame.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

In the 1940s, there was a 65-year-old man living in Kentucky.

He drove a beat-up car and was living on minimal benefits.

Now, he'd known success in his life. He had previously owned a restaurant but had lost it all.

But he hadn't given up yet. He wasn't done.

See, he decided to make a change in his life.

So at the ripe young age of 65, this man looked at his life and asked himself,

what would he have to offer others?

And his answer was fried chicken.

He took to the road with his fried chicken recipe that all of his family and friends loved.

He drove for miles and miles all over the US trying to sell his recipe to different restaurants.

He was so desperate that he was basically giving it away, simply asking for a little bit of the profit.

But still, many, in fact most, restaurants declined.

1,009 restaurants rejected this man.

But he kept on going.

He made every effort to achieve what he wanted.

And eventually, restaurant number 1,010 said yes.

Now, do you know who I'm talking about?

Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder and face of KFC.

He made every effort to achieve his goal despite over 1,000 setbacks.

He kept on fighting and eventually achieved what he wanted and more.

KFC is now third in the world's top 25 most lucrative restaurant chains.

Colonel Sanders made every effort.

Now, we've seen that language of making every effort in 2 Peter already, haven't we?

Look back at chapter 1, verse 10.

Peter says, make every effort to confirm your calling and election.

Meaning that a Christian's life should be a living example of the calling they have received,

which is to live godly lives.

And then Peter says of himself in chapter 1, verse 15,

Meaning that as Peter knew his death was imminent,

he would diligently work to make sure that the Christians he was writing to

would always remember what growth in godliness,

which is rooted in the gospel, looks like.

And this letter is part of that reminder.

And then this evening, at the very end of the letter,

we get the final make every effort in verse 14.

Read it with me.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this,

make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him.

This is the main point of our passage tonight.

So if you're looking for a sentence that summarizes exactly what Peter wants you to walk away with,

that is it.

If you're a Christian here this evening,

Peter is speaking directly to you,

and he is saying,

Now, if 2 Peter were to end there, it would be great, wouldn't it?

But we'd still have questions.

We would want to know, well, how exactly do we make every effort?

Peter isn't holding up a sign that says,

Jesus is coming back soon, look busy.

He isn't saying, do more or work harder.

He isn't saying, be better.

But instead, he's giving us two practical things in these verses

that we can do in our daily lives

to make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him.

Peter says, Christians, bear in mind and be on God.

So the first thing we see in this passage is bear in mind.

In verses 14 to 16, bear in mind.

See, the goal of our diligence, of our making every effort,

is that on that final day when Jesus returns,

as we thought about last week,

we will be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him.

The Christian, the person who trusts in Jesus,

is made spotless and blameless and is at peace with God.

But we are called to become more like Jesus.

We're called to grow in moral purity.

We're called to grow in our identity as people who are spotless and blameless.

That's what verse 14 says.

So that on that final day when all of our actions are laid bare before God,

as verse 10 says, we will be found without fault.

Now that is impossible by ourselves.

Maybe you're here and you're not a Christian.

Maybe you think that you're good enough.

You're a good enough person to get into heaven,

that you do good things.

You don't hurt people.

So surely you must be in God's good books.

Well, the Bible is clear that every person is naturally an enemy of God.

Naturally at odds with him.

Naturally deserving of his wrath.

Unable to be good enough or to do enough to be right with him on our own.

So what hope is there for anyone who stands before God on that final day on their own merit?

To put it bluntly, there is no hope.

Nobody can stand before the almighty creator and judge of the world based on their own works

and be accepted into the presence of God forever.

Because the only hope to be found on that day is that when you stand before God,

and everyone will,

as your thoughts, your actions, your attitudes and imagination are all put on display,

your only hope is that Jesus stands beside you and says,

I have paid for that person.

The only hope that exists when it comes to someone spending eternity in the presence of God

and the peace and not under judgment,

is the already completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross,

where he died in our place,

bearing God's wrath,

and securing salvation and a perfect relationship with God for all those who trust in him.

He died so that you can live.

Jesus died so that we can be spotless,

blameless,

and at peace with God.

Now those two descriptions put together,

blameless and spotless,

should make us think of Jesus,

the perfect lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

And it is through Jesus' sacrifice

that we're able to have that relationship with God.

Naturally, we are born enemies of God,

dead in our sin,

slaves to the passions of our sin-stained hearts,

living in darkness.

But when we put our trust in Jesus,

when we come before him in repentance and believe,

we are transformed.

We become children of light.

We are given power to live the life that we are called to live,

that we were created to live,

no longer enemies of God,

but children of God.

We are at peace with him.

And Peter says,

brothers and sisters,

bear your salvation in mind.

Remember that you are saved,

not by what you do,

but by what Jesus has already done.

And then in verse 15,

he says,

read it with me.

Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation.

Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you

with the wisdom that God gave him.

He writes the same way in all his letters,

speaking in them of these matters.

His letters contain some things that are hard to understand,

which ignorant and unstable people distort

as they do other scriptures to their own destruction.

Peter says,

remember that Jesus hasn't come back yet

because God is patient,

allowing time for others to come to faith.

And we thought about that a little bit last week in verse nine.

And Peter brings in Paul at this point,

I think to bolster his argument.

He mentions Paul's other letters in verse 15

as a way of saying,

look,

I'm not the only one teaching this.

Another apostle is teaching the same thing.

And then Peter goes even further in verse 16

and mentions Paul's letters alongside scripture,

putting them both on the same level of authority.

Peter is saying what Paul writes

is also the authoritative word of God.

Now at this point,

most of Paul's letters were written

and some of them would have been circulating quite widely.

So Peter's using Paul's letters

to bolster his own argument,

using them as evidence,

maybe because the false teachers and scoffers

were twisting Peter's words

to support their own evil desires and schemes.

Peter says,

not a chance.

Me and Paul are on the same page.

And it's comforting to know,

at least I think it is,

that I'm not the only one

who has struggled at times

to understand Paul's letters.

Peter says in verse 16,

referring to Paul,

that his letters contain some things

that are hard to understand.

But the issue was that these false teachers

were distorting Paul's words

and the rest of the Old Testament

to their own destruction,

showing their ignorance and instability.

So Peter says,

bear that in mind.

Remember the gospel.

Remember the salvation that you have in Jesus.

Remember truth.

And do not let yourself be distracted

by distorted lies and unstable people.

But instead,

verse 14,

make every effort to be found spotless,

blameless and at peace with him.

J.C. Ryle,

a minister and bishop from many years ago,

put it this way in his great book on holiness,

which I highly recommend you grab a copy of.

He says,

the child of God has two great marks about him.

He may be known for his inward warfare

as well as his inward peace.

As a Christian,

you are a soldier who is constantly at war

because a battle is raging

and you are to make every effort in it.

We can't sit back and relax

if we are to be found spotless and blameless.

Yes, we have been made those things by Jesus,

but we are called to continue to grow in them

every single day.

We are to grow in our moral purity

for the glory of God.

So ask yourselves,

what are the sins that you are struggling with?

What are the temptations that you face every day

that you need to wage war against?

See, we're called to be like Jesus,

who is spotless and blameless.

He is untainted in character

and without defect.

He is perfect.

We cannot do that whilst lust

has any part to play in our lives.

We cannot let pride,

adultery,

lying,

coveting,

gossip,

anger,

boastfulness,

be part of our lives

if we are to make every effort

to be found spotless and blameless

on that day.

Christians are made at peace with Christ

and so we are to wage war

against our sinful nature.

As John Owen,

a theologian from years ago,

famously said,

be killing sin

or sin will be killing you.

Bear in mind,

Peter says,

remember the salvation

that you have in Jesus

and live it out.

Remember that God's patience

means salvation.

So how should these,

remembering these two things

help us?

Well,

by remembering the gospel,

we remember the price

that was paid

to make peace

between us and God possible.

We remember the sacrifice

that Jesus was

to make us spotless

and blameless before God

and so out of a thankfulness

and love for him,

we should live holy lives.

The lives we were created

to live.

How do we do that?

We gather with the Lord's people

on a Sunday.

We celebrate communion

as we remember Jesus' sacrifice.

We study the Bible together,

both corporately,

in smaller groups together

and individually.

And we die to ourselves

and we live for him.

Rejecting our old nature and sin

and instead living lives

of holiness.

And we remember

that God's patience

means salvation

and that should impact

how we live

because we're called

to go into this world

and share the message

of hope.

The only message

that can give true hope

and true life,

the message of Jesus.

That's what we're to take

into the world.

Friends,

we cannot simply have

an intellectual understanding

of these things.

all theology

should lead

to changed lives.

We need to know

and live out the truth.

Peter says,

bear in mind,

remember the salvation

that you have in Jesus

and remember

that God's patience

means salvation.

And the second thing

we see in this passage

is be on God.

in verses 17 to 18,

be on God.

Now I don't know about you

but growing up

I loved watching movies

with my grandparents.

With my gran

it was always

cowboy and Indian movies

and with my grandpa

it was normally

World War II movies.

Two completely

different times

but one consistent

thing happened

and still happens

in almost every movie

where there's

something to do

with a war

or a battle.

When night time comes

there is always

someone

who watches

God.

Read verse 17

with me.

Peter says this,

therefore dear friends

since you have

been forewarned

be on your guard

so that you may

not be carried away

by the error

of the lawless

and fall

from your secure

position.

Now in any war movie

or in any real life

situation

if you receive

a warning

you watch for it

don't you?

You're not going to

see a warning signs

on a beach

about a particularly

dangerous undercurrent

and decide

that now's the time

to go for a swim.

You aren't going to

hear warnings

of a shark

in the water

and decide

to paddle around

for fun

in the hot

summer's day.

No.

You've been warned

and so you stay

alert

you are on

God.

The same is true

for the Christian

life.

If you want to do

what verse 14

says to be found

spotless,

blameless

and at peace

with God

then we need

to be on

God.

Peter has warned us

throughout this letter

hasn't he?

Of the dangers

associated with

false teaching

and false teachers.

So out of love

for these Christians

Peter is saying

be careful

don't be carried

away

by the error

of the lawless

and fall.

Now the word

translated as

fall

means apostasy

walking away

from the faith

renouncing what

you believe

and following

a different path.

That happens

when someone

lets their God

down.

they get caught

and when they

get caught up

in false teaching

they get swept

away by error.

Peter is using

the imagery

of a river

that carries

someone downstream

and they can do

nothing about it.

I wonder if you've

seen videos

of a flood

and you see

these massive cars

that weigh a ton

being thrown

around by the

rushing water

like they were

a little toy car

in a bathtub.

That's the kind

of thing we should

be imagining here.

You see

false teaching

isn't harmless

it is not

something to be

messed with.

So often

I hear Christians

who are listening

to and reading

material from

well-known

false teachers

and they say

things like

well I just

take the good

and I leave

the bad.

I eat the meat

and I spit out

the bones

that kind of thing.

But do you see

how unwise it is?

Because if you know

you had a life

threatening disease

you would go

to a good doctor.

You'd get the

treatment that you

need.

You would seek

out the truth.

You wouldn't go

to a doctor who

will just reassure

you with a smile

that everything

will be fine.

It may be

comforting initially.

It may be what

you want to hear.

But it won't last

long and it will

only bring damage.

and in terms of

faith and theology

that has eternal

consequences.

So often Christians

are tempted to

listen to voices

that only offer

encouragement.

People who think

and say that the

Christian life should

only be one of

goodness and

happiness.

That's not what the

Bible tells us.

The diagnosis that

the Bible gives us

that we were

thinking about this

morning is that

every single day in

the Christian life

is a battle.

Don't go to the

teacher who will

tickle your ears.

Go to those who

faithfully and

consistently point you

to Jesus and who

preach the Bible.

Not personal opinion.

The New Testament

warns us again and

again do not play

with false teaching

and Peter is

warning you.

Whilst at the

minute that false

teaching may seem

like a nice little

stream to dip your

toe into, it will

become a raging

river that will

carry you off and

away from Christ.

You have been

warned, Peter says.

So be on guard.

Do not be carried

away by error.

But simply avoiding

false teaching isn't

enough, is it?

It is absolutely a

wise and necessary

thing to do but by

avoiding false

teaching are we

really making every

effort to be found

spotless and blameless

and at peace with

God?

Peter doesn't think

so.

And he gives us one

final aspect of this

command to be on

God in verse 18

where he says,

but grow in the

grace and knowledge

of our Lord and

Saviour Jesus Christ.

See this is where we

come full circle in

the book of 2 Peter.

Because this book

opens in chapter 1

verse 2 with Peter's

prayer that grace

would grow in

abundance in these

Christians lives

through the knowledge

of Jesus.

And he ends this

letter with a call

to grow in that

grace.

And throughout this

whole letter Peter

has been building

an argument of the

necessity of every

single Christian to

know and live out

the truth.

That is only possible

if we are rooted in

Christ.

If we find our

salvation in him and

then make every effort

to grow in him.

To have a faithful,

healthy, established,

vibrant faith.

faith.

We need to do what

Peter said right at

the beginning of this

letter in chapter 1

verses 3 to 11.

We need to depend on

God's power and on

God's promises which

requires us to properly

know him.

In 2019 a survey was

done in the UK which

showed that most

Christian millennials,

51% in the UK,

engage with the Bible

a few times a year

or less.

Only 9% of Christian

millennials read the

Bible every day and

about 13% look at the

Bible a few times a

week.

Now these studies are

never super accurate but

it shows a decline in

the reading of God's

word and I don't think

it is only a problem for

millennials.

In fact I know it's not.

See friends if we want to

take our faith seriously.

If we want to be able to

stand spotless and

blameless and at peace

with God on that final

day then we need to

know the truth and live

it out.

We must be on our guard.

We must be careful of

the teaching we take in

and be diligent in

growing and becoming

more and more like

Jesus.

Read your Bibles.

Get to know the

promises of God.

Memorise Bible verses.

Pray regularly.

Gather with God's

people.

Start reading the Bible

with other people.

If you're older here

please invest in the

younger generation.

We want to learn from

you.

If you're younger sit

under the teaching of

these older saints who

have journeyed with

Jesus for years and

learn.

It was said of John

Bunyan the author of

The Pilgrim's Progress

that if you would have

cut him he would have

bled scripture.

That should be our

desire.

To be so submerged in

God's word that it

becomes so dear to us

that we keep returning

to it every day because

that is how we grow in

the knowledge of Jesus

and the more we know

him the more we will

become like him.

Be on guard Peter says

do not get carried away

by false teaching but

grow in grace and the

knowledge of Jesus.

Jesus.

And all of this Jesus

says all of this Peter

says is for Jesus.

Do you see that at the

end of verse 18?

To him be glory both now

and forevermore.

Amen.

The ultimate goal of a

Christian who knows and

lives out the truth the

ultimate goal of making

every effort is for the

display of God's glory his

power his majesty his

beauty.

We glorify God by being

grounded in the gospel

by understanding the

grace that God has shown

us through the death and

resurrection of Jesus and

from that we make every

effort to grow in him and

to and to be like him

whilst giving him all the

glory and honor.

The KFC is arguably a

restaurant empire that was

started by one man in a

beat up truck who loved

fried chicken.

He made every attempt every

effort to achieve his goal

and the kingdom of God is

far far far bigger than

anything that could be built

by human hands in this life

and the kingdom of God will

last forever and Jesus will

get all of the glory that is

the goal that we should be

striving to make every

effort to achieve.

So then dear friends since

you are looking forward to

the second coming of Jesus

make every effort to be found

spotless and blameless and

at peace with him.

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father we thank you

for your word and the

warnings that it gives us.

we thank you for the

challenge that it brings us

of the necessity to know

the truth and to have that

truth impact the way we live

our lives.

Father forgive us for the

times where we have flirted

with false teaching, where we

flirted with the things of this

world and thought that it would

be harmless.

And Lord by your spirit we ask

that you would give us strength

love and the ability to

discern what is true and what

is false.

Help us to follow you with all

of our hearts, with our minds,

with our souls and to depend on

you for our everything.

And Jesus we pray that as we live

this life as individuals, as we

live this life as a church here at

Brunsfield Evangelical Church,

we pray that you would get all the

glory as we eagerly await the

second coming of Jesus.

In his holy and precious name we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.