Well, as we embark in this next section of Scripture, it's actually 2 Peter 1.5-11. It is of utmost importance for us before we even enter, and before I even read that text, for us to be reminded of what Peter wrote in the verses leading up to these. Or to put it another way, If we are to understand verses 5 through 11 rightly, and even more for them to be of a great help to us, we must read them in light of verses 1 through 4, especially verses 3 and 4. Peter brings to our attention that connection between the verses by beginning verse five with, now for this very reason, he says, for this very reason, meaning what reason? You as a reader are to ask that question, for what reason, Peter, are you writing that in verse five, for this very reason? Well, I wanna tell you this morning, Christian, that there are some truths about who you are. and what has been done to you. Someone has done something for you and in you. The supernatural, the divine power of Jesus Christ has granted you something beyond comparison. This so wonderfully portrays the heart of Christ. It says that he has granted, it's a willingness on his part, it's willingly, lovingly, abundantly, he has granted everything that pertains to life, to eternal life. More specifically and personally, he has granted to the church, to us, everything for eternal life, for salvation. sins forgiven, guilt removed, peace with God, and the list can go on. But all of this through the life that he lived, the death that he died, and the life he now lives. And so all you need for salvation has already been granted to you. In other words, you are to believe upon this Savior, this Christ, this wonderful and beautiful Savior. But not only has He granted all things pertaining to salvation, It says, he has also granted all things needed to live this new life you now have in him, to live in a godly manner, a life that reflects the very one that has called us by his own glory and excellence. What a calling. I mean, he said, come, and with one look at the Savior, there I am. I find life, life that is abundant, life that is free. And by seeing His glory and grace, by seeing His majesty and His mercy, it is by this, by His glory and excellence, because of who He is. Because He is glorious and good. that we have been granted all His precious and magnificent promises. You see the chain of what Peter is doing here, of how he's walking us through all of this. And right there, in one sweep, Peter brings forth the significance of the promises of Christ. He says that by them, we have become partakers of the divine nature. and escape the corruption that is in the world by lust. This is the reality of all the unveiled ones. We see Christ, and as we behold His glory, we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. It's an intensifying glory. This comes from the Lord, who is Spirit. Paul says this in 2 Corinthians. But we are more like Jesus. We want to be more like Jesus as we turn our eyes upon Him, as the hymn says, as we look full in His wonderful face, as we see the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. We are partakers of the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world. This is too wonderful. This is a a reality that we have to sit and meditate upon and take in and believe this is true of me. I'm still in wonder and awe that I have been called by this glorious Savior. We all ought to be just in awe and wonder, how is it that he has called me? What privilege do I have and right do I have to gaze upon his glory, his majesty, his beauty, his radiance, and then by doing so be changed from glory to glory? This is who he is. This is what he's done. This is what it means to be partakers of the divine nature, Christ in us. the hope of glory. But I want us to remember that all of this, all that we just covered in verses three to four, is but for this very reason that Peter is moving towards verse five. It's the foundation. You see, because of the divine power of Christ, because of this new life in him, because of the precious promises, because of our participation, partakers of the divine nature, because we have escaped the corruption that is in this world, we are to apply with all diligence. And now let us look to verses 5 through 11, because that's how he begins. For this very reason, you apply with all diligence, he says, in your faith supply moral excellence. And in your moral excellence, knowledge. And in your knowledge, self-control. And in your self-control, perseverance. And in your perseverance, godliness. And in your godliness, brotherly kindness. And in your brotherly kindness, love. In verse 8, he says, for if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you, for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Amen. That is a rich text there. And whoever thought that the Christian life involves sitting back and enjoying the rite of grace? Idleness is not a friendly term. in the life of a follower of Christ. And so these verses before us are the picture of the life of the one who has become a partaker of the divine nature. Or another way to say it, this is the response of all who have been granted all things by the Lord of life. Looking at these seven verses, I've really divided them up into three parts as is natural to the text. Verses five through seven, I've entitled The Fruit of Faith. Verses 8 and 9, the fruitful and forgetful. And verses 10 and 11, the entrance into the internal empire. I had to pick the other E. All right. Well, today we're only going to cover the first part, though, the fruit of faith. You know, Peter just laid down a solid foundation, didn't he, of the gospel truth, that it is all of grace. And that it is a received faith of the same kind. It's a faith given to you, to me, and by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that grace and peace is multiplied to you in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that without His divine power at work in our lives, we would be in utter ruin and forgotten, forsaken. that we have those wonderful promises and that we are partakers of the divine nature. And as a result, we have escaped that corruption of the world. We belong to another. We've been transferred and transformed. It's sola gratia, by grace alone. But here in verse 5, Peter begins with a charge to the scattered saints. A charge that is applicable really to all generations, to all ages who are in Christ Jesus. A charge is an imperative, a command or a call to action. More so a response because of what he has just mentioned and has already been shared in verses 3 and 4. Supply or in the ESV it says supplement your faith. You know, Peter is not contradicting himself or the rest of Scripture here when he introduces these qualities which we are to add to our faith with great effort and diligence. He hasn't switched over to a works righteousness doctrine or some form of legalism or moralism. No, as a matter of fact, the qualities that we see in the next two verses, verses 5 through 7, are something that every Christian should be working at. It is something we do. There is much to be done in the life of a believer, by the believer, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me be so blunt as to say this, if you're not working out your salvation by supplying these qualities to your faith, or simply feel or believe that these are just not necessary, then you are possibly believing a false gospel. So is Peter putting too much emphasis on these qualities? Well, only if he wouldn't have mentioned verses 3 and 4. You know, Peter is rightly putting much emphasis and focus on these qualities precisely because of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done. These qualities are the response of a person who believes in God and loves Jesus Christ. And so for Jesus said himself, he said, if you love me, then you will keep my commandments. You see, there are two extremes that come to the surface here when reading a text like this. Two ways of thinking, two errors, two extremes. There are those who are looking at these qualities as to what makes them able, what makes them or fit to stand in the presence of God. So they look at these and they say, well, if I do these things, well, then God will accept me. He will allow me to enter into that eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then secondly, there's this group of who are on the opposite end of the spectrum, the other extreme that see these qualities as good things, but not necessary things. an attitude of passivity, indifference to any discipline or quality of this kind in the Christian life. You see, these two extremes will be pronounced or seen more, will be more prominent, depending on which branch of theology you may hold to or what camp you belong, but both are wrong and both are dangerous. I don't think I'm going out on a shaky or rotted limb here when I say this, that if I was going to say that out of the two extremes, it would be the latter one, the extreme of passivity that many within the Reformed circles will lean more towards, and even so here at Providence Chapel. I'm not saying the majority hold to that. I'm just saying that that is going to be the bent. That's going to be the leaning towards. But there is a good balance found in between the extremes. And this is where I think majority here at Providence Chapel are. But we need a reminder. I need a reminder. You need a reminder of what we are to be about. Because again, if there's a tendency, we're going to lean towards idleness or indifference as it pertains to making every effort to supply these qualities to our faith. You know, before I begin, I want to use Martin Lloyd-Jones' illustration as to the farmer or the farm, the analogy of a farm that he uses that brings out a good balance. So I want to read it to you. Quote, the whole statement of the gospel is that the farm as such is given to us by God's gift, by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. And we are given the farm, we are given the implements and all that is necessary, we are given the seed. He says what we are called upon to do is to farm. It is no use telling a man to farm if he has not a farm. If He is without land and without seed and without the implements, nothing can be done. But all these are given us, and therefore, having received them, we are asked to farm. But even then, we are reminded that that does not guarantee the increase. It is God who gives the increase. The farmer may plow and harrow, but he may roll the land and sow the seed. But in the absence of the rain and the sunshine and many other factors, there will be no increase. Now there, it seems to me, he says, is the perfect balance which is ever preserved in the New Testament. It is because you have obtained a precious, a like precious faith with us, says Peter. It is because you have all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is because of these exceeding great and precious promises. It is because of the power of God that is in you that I now beseech you to add to your faith, end quote. Wonderfully put. So what are these qualities then? What are these things that Peter is talking about? I would like to climb this tree of faith and eat of its fruit this morning, or just to be plain in my approach, I would like for us to go through each quality that Peter brings forth. This list is, we need to be reminded, it's not a conclusive list, it's not an exhaustive list that Peter provides. Both Paul and James also have their own lists that they bring forth throughout their letters. In Romans 5, in Galatians 5, Fruit of the Spirit, in James 1, James has a list there. These qualities really, they blend, they complement each other. And so these qualities are to be evident as they are also understood even as fruit of the Spirit. So these are outflows of our faith in Christ Jesus. This is the result. So notice how Peter begins there. He doesn't just present these qualities as another list of good things that you should try. Peter is not saying that this is a sort of option for the Christian. He uses these two words. He says, apply and then with all diligence, implying that adding these qualities is a must. And we will see next time as well as in verse eight there that if these qualities are yours and are increasing, then you are neither useless nor unfruitful. as it pertains to the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so these qualities are for you to add to your faith, to supply to your faith, but also to be yours and to increase in. And he says there is to be a great effort. He says, make every effort as it's written in the ESV. Do your best with all that is in you. Bring this to bear. And then let your effort be driven by all diligence. There is to be an eagerness, there is to be a real commitment, there's to be an earnestness, there's to be a willingness, a zeal about adding these qualities to your life. We all will have an eager or earnestness or willingness, a zeal for something or someone in our own lives, don't we? Something or someone. We're not unfamiliar to what Peter is saying here. We know what it means to have zeal, to have commitment, to have a passion, a desire, a willingness. I have a commitment. I have a willingness and earnestness, a zeal for my wife and my children. And many, many of you do as well. And for for other things. Well, that's what Peter's talking about here. It's it's a it's a mindset of I'm committed here. I'm going to do this. I'm going to supply to my faith or in my faith. And so Peter continues with in your faith. Now what he means there is it's your personal faith or trust and not faith as a system of beliefs or the Christian doctrine. This is foundational because it is by and with faith that we read verses one through four. And as a result, really believe that they are true about us, about me, about you. And this, again, the gift of God. Thomas Schreiner wrote this. He says, trusting God is the root from which all the other virtues spring. He says, all godly virtues in the Christian life find their source in faith, in trusting God for everything. And the culmination and climax of such faith is love. With that in mind, you'll notice that Peter even begins with faith and ends with love in this list. And so Peter's encouragement is this, in your faith, supply these qualities, these virtues. And so many translations will use the word to add or to supplement your faith. And that word to supply, It's a unique word. It's one that has a Roman-Greco background that I think would be good for us to see. It's a word that is more than just an addition to or a supplementing. It's a vivid metaphor that comes from the Athenian drama or religious festivals, where one or more individuals called the korygos, what does that sound like? Korygos, chorus, right? Chorus. Right? There would be a chorus. There would be individuals that would gather together and they would sing. They would be a part of the drama and the religious festivals. And these individuals, though, that were wealthy, would supply. They would fund. They would pay for the expenses of the chorus that was a vital part of the festivals. That word, that korygos, what passed into the wider language as a verb, as one commentator says, meaning generous and costly provisions. Generous and costly provisions. And so here, Peter is really using this firstly as an imperative, a command. Supply. Do this. Add. Supplement. And secondly, to urge us to be rich. to be generous in our effort to grow in and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And so because with each of these qualities, we could easily go to Christ. We could see in each one of these qualities Christ and see how He exemplified them perfectly. And just one more thing I want to add in regards to this word, to supply. It is almost used as an inclusio. You see like brackets. You see bracket in the beginning of verse 5 where he says, supply to your faith. And then in the end, in verse 11, we see that Christ is the one that richly supplies. And so we see a beautiful picture there that we will cover next time. You supply your faith and Christ richly supplies that entrance into the eternal kingdom that belongs to him. For now, let's press on and see these qualities. I want to cover them in their most basic understanding and just interact with some of these qualities as more along the lines of what Peter wanted to do as he throughout the book, throughout the letter, he brings forth these false teachers. And so there's going to be that contrast between the qualities that he brings forth here and the qualities that are in the false teachers. And so I want to interact with that a little bit, but the false teachers, they do think that they have these good qualities. They're teachers, but they're false. And so, But then also, I want us to apply them to our own lives. So as I go through them, I want us to ask these questions. What does each quality look like in our Christian walk on this earth? And of course, as I'm going through these, keep in your mind and ask yourself, are these mine? Are these qualities mine? Am I growing in these qualities? Am I growing in these areas? Is there an overflow in my life with these qualities? Where am I lacking or falling short and I need to improve as it pertains to these qualities? Again, there's no specific order, though, in Peter's mind as he's working through these qualities. There is, in a sense, the faith and the love, and it is almost as if he's climaxing it as love binds all things. But there's not a specific order, like you can't have love, or you can't have brotherly kindness until you have love, or you can't persevere until you are morally excellent. They don't go in that kind of order. All right, the first quality, moral excellence. This word, and I think in the ESV it's virtue, I didn't write it down, but I think it's virtue. Yeah, okay, virtue. So the first quality, moral excellence, this word really carries the meaning of an uncommon character that is worthy of praise. Excellence of character, every virtue of uprightness. This is the same word that Peter uses in verse three when he says that we were called by Christ's glory and excellence. It was the glory and excellence, it was the goodness, the uprightness of Christ that attracted us to him. And so when he called, we caught a glimpse of this and henceforth we followed after him. We must be ones that reflect this same attractive character of Christ in our own lives. When others see us, they are attracted, not to us, they're attracted to Christ who is in us, because we have a character that is of the finest, of the most upright, a goodness beyond the goodness of the world, a goodness that comes from and points to Christ as we seek to imitate Him. And this could be in the way you handle certain situations or relationships. Are you eager to always demonstrate and live a moral and upright life at any cost? Not a goodness or morality that is heard by what you say and the words you say, but rather one that is seen by what you are doing, the way you live your life. This moral excellence cannot be ours without an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is beyond excellent. There really isn't any word adequate enough explain His excellency. He is the measure of all moral excellence. We must see this and keep on seeing this. We need to understand that there really isn't a one-time get-your-moral-excellence session with Jesus Christ. This is continuous. You see, this is a practical goodness. It is something that we practice doing. I'm not talking about the righteousness we have in Christ that makes us acceptable to the Father. It is the fruit of that, of what has been done in us and to us. Peter is talking about your very character. If you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, how is that manifested? How is that seen? How is that carried out? How is that lived out in your daily life? People knew Jesus was excellent and good because of what he did and how he did what he did. The false teachers knew nothing of this. We are told in chapter 2, verse 2, that the way of truth is maligned or slandered because of them. You see, truth was not seen in their moral excellence. It was a false goodness with evil roots. Well, moving on, we see knowledge. We see that in our moral excellence, we are to supply knowledge. The knowledge that Peter writes of one is of one that is more than just more along the lines of understanding or practical wisdom. In other words, able to discern between what is right and what is wrong. This is a knowledge, a wisdom, a discernment that comes from God. We need to be ones with our heads in this great and living book to know what the will and commandments of the Lord are for us, and so that we have our senses trained to discern good and evil, as the writer to the Hebrews says, trained to be able to discern what is right and what is wrong. commentator that quoted, really, John Brown, the 19th century Scottish preacher John Brown, whose commentary covers only this chapter, said that this knowledge means making a distinction, not only between what is true and what is false, but also between what is right and wrong, what is becoming and unbecoming, what is advantageous and hurtful. The way you will grow in this knowledge is to see Christ in the scriptures. And growing in the knowledge of Christ will only help us in supplying this knowledge to our faith. The false teachers, they boasted of a knowledge, a new one, that offers freedom. They say, while they themselves, Peter says, are slaves of corruption. That is a knowledge that cannot discern between good and evil. While after knowledge, what does Peter say? He says, there comes self-control. Self-control is a restraint, really, of one's emotions, of one's impulses or desires. Because we know what the will of the Lord is for our lives, and because we are growing in knowledge, what that means is exactly what Peter mentions in the first letter, that as obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. You see, he says that you are now one to put on knowledge, supply knowledge to your faith. You're to discern what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is evil. It's ignorance versus knowledge. Self-control is the living out of true knowledge in our lives. You know, false teachers within 2 Peter demonstrate the lack of self-control quite vividly. They follow after their own lusts, they indulge in sin, they have hearts that are trained in greed, and the list goes on and on. There's no restraint, there's no wisdom, no sense of right, there's no sense of wrong. There's no presence of the Spirit of God in their lives. You know, isn't it interesting if you remember Paul talking to Felix in Acts 24-25, and what did he speak of? He spoke of righteousness, He spoke of self-control and he spoke of judgment. Why is it that when he spoke of these things that Felix was frightened? Notice self-control was in that list of what he spoke to him about and he became frightened. We live in a world that shouts if you desire something, take it, have it, enjoy it. It's a selfish world that we live in. without any form of self-control or restraint. It's so selfish that even what looks like and smells like self-control is really only for their own selfish purposes and not for the glory of God. The enemy has even, in our day and age, has taken what is a lack of self-control and termed it as human rights. It is my human right to do this or take that or feel this or indulge in that. But what a contrast to the child of God, one who is controlled by the indwelling Spirit. We submit to Christ. It is the love of Christ and the love for Christ that controls us. The Christian's life, one commentator says, has inbuilt constraints that flow directly from Christ's lordship over him or her. That's beautiful. Self-control is something that the Lord, when we submit to Him, He takes control by the power of the Spirit in our lives. We don't just go about doing things that are pleasing to the flesh. We belong to someone greater. We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, self-control is followed by perseverance. Perseverance is really the capacity to hold out, to bear up in the face of difficulty. It is the patience, it's endurance, it's fortitude or steadfastness of an individual to see what lies ahead in spite of what is happening in the present. If self-control has to do with our response to the enticements of the world around us or against us, then perseverance has to do with our response to the tough times, the challenges, the threats, the pain, the suffering we experience in this world. And there were certainly some who have caved in or succumbed into the pressures and threats of the false teachers around them. We see that in chapter 2 that Peter mentions. And then there are those who know, as it is written in chapter 2, verse 9, that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly. He knows how to rescue the godly men from trial. And this perseverance that Peter has in mind has one mission. I must see Jesus. I must see Jesus. Like the woman with the issue of blood. She didn't have multiple things on her mind, did she? She wasn't distracted by the crowd. She didn't have a thought that she needed to make some grand appearance before the Lord. Her one desire and what she persevered toward was this one purpose. I must touch him. I must go see Jesus. How important it is for believers today to not give in or up, but to endure to the end in faith. We are not of the crowd that has given up or lost hope. And we say as those in chapter three, well, where is the promise of His coming? No, we are of the ones that are found with faith when the Son of Man comes. Because we have persevered until the end. What an example we have in Christ. With the cross, He endured. He was with much joy. that was set before Him, that He endured the cross. And so, I want to just make this comment here. All these qualities, brothers and sisters, we're able to do. These are not qualities that we are not to attain. If you truly believe that you have the power of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling Christ in you, You can do it because He will help you do it. He'll give you the strength to do it. Well, perseverance. Perseverance is followed by godliness. This is the same word used in verse 3. And so we see the connection between the fact that God has granted all things pertaining to life and godliness or all things needed in this life to live this godly life. And here, Peter admonishes us to supply or pursue after godliness. This godliness is a practicing of the presence of God in your life. Godliness is God-likeness. Godliness means that nothing in our lives is conducted outside of or without the awareness of God's presence. that we belong to God, that we are indeed partakers of the divine nature. This godliness is not only our attitude towards God, but also towards each other. Godliness is a very practical awareness of God in every area of our lives. It affects all areas, all relationships. There are the godly, and then there are the ungodly. to extremes, right? And Peter will bring this out in chapter 2, showing that God is a God who knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, but the unrighteous or ungodly to keep under punishment until the day of judgment. And he brings out in chapter 2 that contrast between Noah, who was a righteous man, and the seven others when God brought the flood upon the world of the, and he says there, the ungodly. And Peter continues, he brings up the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah that God had condemned to destruction, having set them as an example to those who would live ungodly lives, as contrasted to righteous lot who was rescued. So what a virtue, what a quality to supply to your faith. a godliness that finds favor with God and man. However, we are not to misunderstand this. This godliness is not triggered by circumstances or audiences, meaning we are practicing godliness not because of who is watching or the arena we find ourselves in or where we may be. We live godly lives because of who we are imitating and because he said, be holy, for I am holy. You think about the godliness in our own lives. Do we live lives that people look at and say that there is a godly man, there is a godly woman? Children, you who are in Christ, there goes a godly child. I mean, this is the life we are to live because we're to look like him more and more. So that should be what is radiating in our lives, God-likeness. So from godliness to brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness to love. These remaining two qualities both have to do with love. Again, seeing the climax of these qualities, the greatest of these is love. But this first description of love is the Philadelphia love. not the city of brotherly love but the body of brotherly love and sisterly love this is the sincere love for the brethren that peter mentions in this first letter in most areas this philadelphia love is used literally in a literal sense as the love for blood brothers and sisters As a matter of fact, I read in one commentary that said that Philadelphia is a common term for relationships within the family unit and that the New Testament is the only place where the word has been found outside the context of a home. That's pretty neat. And so keeping with that thought, Peter is writing about the quality of love for the brother and sister that is yours in Christ. In Romans 12.10, Paul writes, This love certainly looks out for the brother or sister in Christ. There's a devotion, there's a commitment, there's a bond that is tighter than a Sunday meet and greet, a hedge of love that surrounds the other person. There's a particular care that goes beyond and deeper than the, how are you doing today? Or how was your day? But then again, if we are true followers of Christ and lovers of God, then really there's no need for me to say much more at all or anything at all. I don't say that to create a guilt trip, but if there is one, then it's probably, I don't know, it's probably a good thing. Paul tells the Thessalonians, and this is why I say that. He says, now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you. Why? For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. We see the contrast in the false teachers that Peter addresses later on. letter. These teachers, they have no love for the brethren. They have arisen among the brethren, as Peter says in chapter 2 verse 1, but they have no love for the brethren. These teachers, they are around the people of God and seek to secretly introduce heresies that will destroy, that will break, that will ruin, that will kill the love among the brethren to bring discord, disunity, You know, the enemy, he doesn't hate when people gather together on a Sunday and there is no love of the brethren, which in reality is really no love for God. On the contrary, the enemy hates it when people of God gather together because of their love for God and the love for each other, which really leads me to the last quality, which is agape, which is love. Agape love, a Christian love, a love that goes beyond the walls of the Christian family of God. It includes that, but not only that. It is difficult, really, to draw a line between Philadelphia, Agape, and there are some commentators and some people who want to draw a really hard line between what one means and the other means, and I find it very difficult to do that within Scripture, but It is said that this love is not evoked by some qualification in the other person, but that it's like God saving love toward us as it originates in a sacrificial desire for the good of the other. This can be towards one in the family of God. This could be for the one who is outside the family of God, a rebel, an unbeliever who cannot understand, receive, nor give this kind of love in return. Ultimately, when we talk about love, we talk about one thing that is the uniting bond of perfection. This is exactly what Paul says in Colossians 3, 12 through 14. He says, so as a similar list to the one that we have from Peter, but he says, so as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion. of kindness, of humility, of gentleness, of patience, of bearing with one another, and forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, he says, put on love. Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. They will know we are Christians, how? By our love. By our love for the Father, by our love for Christ, by our love for the Spirit, for our love for one another, how we interact with one another. Love is the most excellent way. And I close with this reminder that we are able. Of all that has been said, of all that Peter says, and there's so much more that could be said as a study assignment. Let's put it that way. Go home and just look over these qualities and go in the Gospels and see where you see these qualities in Christ and be marveled at how he exemplified these qualities. But I want you to know that we are able, that we have everything needed to apply or to bring to bear all these qualities in our lives. Faith being the foundation and love holding them all together. You know, it's because of whom we have believed in and love. It is He that is able to keep me and you till the day when we shall, as Peter states in verse 11. enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. I really hope that this morning that you are looking at these qualities and that you're not discouraged, but encouraged to press on in these areas in the Christian life. But then again, if you are discouraged because you haven't been increasing in these qualities, and that maybe some of them are not yours, you can't say, held on to this one, that you may be discouraged enough to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for help and begin supplying these to your faith. We must be making every effort, brothers and sisters. Nothing getting in our way. There can't be any distractions. We need to be, as we even discussed this past weekend at the men's retreat, we need to be that single-minded person. And we need to have one thing in mind. I want to be more like Christ. And so putting these qualities, adding these qualities, supplying these qualities to your faith, this is the growing in Christ. This is the knowing more of Christ. And so I pray that the Lord may help us do that. Amen. Well, let's pray. Father, we thank You so much for Your kindness towards us. Lord, Your Word is just so sufficient And it just gives so much insight, oh Lord. Father, we still have so much to learn. Would you open up our minds? Would you open up our eyes for us to see? To see the beauty of Christ. To see how Christ exemplified these qualities. And Lord, to be like Christ. We hope, Lord, that each one of us may be ones that are taking hold of these qualities and that we are increasing in them, Lord, that we become useful and fruitful in the kingdom and in a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that you give us strength, Lord, to know where, and conviction, Lord, even to know where we lack. where we come short, fall short of these qualities, Lord. We want to be ones that excel in these, that are making every effort, Lord, that are being very diligent in these things, making it a top and high priority in our lives, oh Lord, to magnify your holy name and to bring glory to your name. So help us, Lord, we pray in Christ's name.