Father, we come before you and so grateful to you, O Lord, for your kindness towards us and just blessing us this morning, Lord, with the ability to be able to come into your house, to worship you, to just have fellowship together, Lord, in your Word, to learn more of what you are teaching us in this life, in this pilgrimage, on this earth. Lord, we do pray that you would open up our eyes to see more of Christ, to live more like Him, to be more like Him, one day to see Him face to face. What a glorious reality that will be. We thank you. It's in His name we pray. Amen. Well, if you remember from last time, when we were in 2 Peter, we went over the qualities that Peter mentions in the first chapter, namely verses 5 through 7. And so we're slowly progressing here. We're moving forward slowly and surely through 2 Peter. But again, I would like to stress the importance found in verses 3 and 4. These two verses really demonstrate the generosity and the goodness of our God, of Christ Jesus. That we are not those who lack the resources. We have been given all things pertaining to salvation, to eternity, to life, eternal life, and to godliness, the godly life that we are to live here on this earth. that we have been called not only by someone that has some convincing words, but by the one who is filled with glory and with excellence. That's what Peter says there. But you see also the purpose in verse 4, that with the radiance of his glory and excellence comes great and magnificent promises. And it follows that through these promises, by them, through them, as they are ours, we become partakers of the divine nature, that we are ones that we have escaped the corruption that is in the world by its lust. This ought to be a thing that we ever come back to to remember this truth and make us want to just say glory be to God because of this reality that this is true of you and this is true of me the world is wasting away by lust but we are partaking of something glorious Do you see the contrast there, though, between the believer and the unbeliever? There is a partaking by the believer, but there is a corrupting by the unbeliever. There is an escaping by the believer, but there is a lusting by the unbeliever. That's such a vivid picture there. The more we look at and we imitate Christ, we are partaking, we are becoming, we are becoming more like Him. So I must ask you this morning this question. Are you a partaker of the divine nature? Or are you one who is corrupting? Are you one that is decaying, rusting away by lust? Well, I hope that's not the case. But if it is, if you are not a partaker, then really the question is, what are you waiting for? Come to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's as simple of an answer or a motivation for you to come. A simple thing. Just come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Find hope in Him and salvation in Him. Well, in the last study, we surveyed verses 5-7, which is the fruit of faith. And these are the qualities that arise because of our faith. And at the same time, they are qualities that we are to supply to our faith. We work at this. We are not somehow injected with brotherly kindness or self-control or perseverance. No, rather we are now able to exercise self-control. We are now able to love with that brotherly love, that brotherly kindness and the godly love, and to persevere and to live godly lives and so on and so on. as he lists those qualities. But the reality of it is this, we need to grow in these qualities. And to grow means to actually do them. We don't just all of a sudden, we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and then the next day, all of a sudden we are the most self-controlled people upon the earth. It just doesn't happen that way. We add to our faith because of whom we have believed, yes. And in other words, because of the work that has been accomplished in us, that is for us, in us and for us, we add to our faith. That's the result, because of who we have believed in. These qualities or godly virtues really flow out of a life that is trusting God. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones says, the Christian gospel in the first instance does not ask us to do anything. It first of all proclaims and announces to us what God has done for us, first and foremost, the Christian gospel. While these qualities that Peter details out is not a conclusive list that we have within Scripture, there are other qualities that a Christian ought to have, that should have, should be evident, the fruit of faith. But I would like to remind us again of these qualities, that they are not in some kind of consecutive order where they are almost building up on top of each other, as if once you have your moral excellence check, you move on to your next virtue that you have to accomplish, godliness or self-control. But I'm reminding us of these qualities, and I wanna quickly go through them because they have a direct correlation to what we're covering this morning in verses eight through 11. So as Peter continues to pen one quality after another, as I mentioned, there's not an order to them. And certainly one is not dependent on the other. All complement each other and work together in harmony. This is the outflow of a Christian, man or woman or child. The first being moral excellence. You see that in verse 5 there, and how we are to be diligent in applying and supplying these virtues to our faith. But the first one being moral excellence. It's an uncommon character worthy of praise and uprightness and excellence of character, followed by knowledge, a practical wisdom, a discerning between what is right and what is wrong, all along the word of God, who is our It's the book of wisdom that is for us, given to us by God, and the Holy Spirit being our guide. That's practical wisdom. Wisdom worked out according to Scripture. comes self-control. It's a restraint of one's emotions, one's desires, one's impulses. Those who have self-control are really those who are obedient children, not conformed to the former lust, but conformed to the image of Christ. And so with the Holy Spirit in us, we have these built-in constraints, limits, boundaries. We are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Aren't you glad that when you're driving your vehicle there are built-in constraints? You know, even your sensors are some limits and constraints for those that are not so good at backing up. But, so, we have self-control. Because we are controlled by the indwelling Spirit, we submit to Christ. Well, self-control to perseverance. There is something about Christians in this world. They are constant. They're persevering towards what the world does not understand and cannot see. This is because the believer has something that the world doesn't have. You see, God has placed eternity into our hearts, and we know that it is the presence of the Eternal One that makes eternity exist. And from perseverance, Peter moves to godliness, a pursuing after God that becomes a God-likeness in us, a life that practices the presence of God and an acute awareness that we belong to God, that we are partakers of the divine nature. Godliness to brotherly kindness, a love that is found in the family and for the family of God. Being devoted to one another, giving preference to one another in honor, outdoing each other in love. Brotherly kindness, the last one, love that he mentions, a love that goes beyond the walls of the Christian family of God. It's an agape love, an unconditional love. Not a love that is produced by a qualification in the other person. Rather, a love that has at its center the love of God in Christ Jesus. The love that desires for all to come to repentance. The love that desires for all to fight the good fight of faith to the end. But now we come to the verses for today's study, and what we find is that Peter is referencing these qualities throughout in verses 8 through 11. He's referencing them as a whole, not individually, but as a whole. He does so because they are in one sense a litmus test or a proof of your Christian witness or profession of Christ. It's the fruit of faith. Better said than that, it is what is written in verse 10. See with me. He says, 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 not stumble. There is an assurance of your salvation in making certain about Christ's calling and choosing you. In practicing these things, adding to your faith, you will never stumble. But back to these qualities that we are to add to our faith. Peter's not trying to present to us a checklist, rather as a manifestation of who we are. This is what the qualities demonstrate. It's who we are. It's what we are to be about. It's because of whom we have believed in. It only makes sense that if you are truly a child of God, that if you are one that has received a faith of the same kind by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, that if you are one who has truly escaped from the corruption that is in the world by its lust, and now are a partaker of the divine nature, then these qualities will mark you. Because that's who you are. Peter is laying out in these verses some really positive and negative aspects of what one looks like if they are adding these qualities to their faith and then what it means if they are not. So let me just read, let us read together verses 8 through 11 to get the context. Peter says, for if these qualities The ones mentioned in verses five through seven 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. Brethren, please don't consider this study or any other study for that matter just as as just gaining knowledge. I want you to be challenged this morning as I was and still am challenged in these areas that we'll be covering this morning. And as we go through the text, I want you to ask these questions. Ask yourself these questions. Am I adding to my faith? Do I find myself more as the fruitful or the forgetful person? How diligent am I in making sure, being convinced that I belong to Christ, that my sins are forgiven, that I am born again, that I am a partaker of the divine nature, that I have escaped the corruption that is in the world? Well, if you remember, I divided up last time this whole section here, verses five through 11 to three parts. We covered the first part, five through seven, the fruit of faith, and now we're going to cover the last two parts, which is the fruitful and forgetful, verses eight through nine, and lastly, the entrance into the eternal empire, verses 10 through 11. So I want us to proceed to understand really what it is that Peter's telling us in verses 8 through 9 about the fruitful and about the forgetful. Notice how he begins verse 8. He begins with two qualifiers or particulars regarding you and these qualities. It's the if-then statement, the cause and effect. And so if such a thing is to take place, well then, we can expect such a thing to happen. So Peter writes, if these qualities are first yours, and if they are increasing, these two things, then, he says, you are neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when Peter mentions that these qualities need to be yours, He is meaning that they really need to be present, that they exist, that they are really something evident in your life. This is the same word that Peter actually uses when him and John are going to the temple in Acts 3, verse 6, and encounter the lame beggar. Who was asking to receive money from them and Peter's response was what I do not possess silver or gold Right. He says I don't have it. It's the same word. I don't have silver and gold I mean, I don't I don't possess it. It doesn't exist. It's not present on me. I don't have it So well what Peter used of the negative there that silver and gold he does not have it does not exist Therefore he just can't give it Here in the text before us this morning, he is saying that if these qualities are yours, they will exist and they will be discernible. You will display them and people will see them. It's not something that's hidden. It's for all to see and you yourself to see. And in addition to that, they need to be what? Increasing. They need to become more and more. This is more than existing or being present. This is an abounding, this is an overflow of these qualities. It's the same word that Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 4.15, for all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading, there's the word, spreading, multiplying, increasing, to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Tell me, wasn't there, I mean, isn't there now a grace that is still being multiplied more and more? It's increasing more and more. We see more of it. It's spreading to more and more. Well, in the same way, in the same vein, what Peter is saying is, he's telling us that these qualities need not only be present, but increasing their usage and effectiveness. Brethren, listen, how diligent are you in making sure that these qualities are yours and increasing? We can't look at this as another good thing that we need to do. Or that in order to be a Christian, I need to try to be better at making these qualities mine and to make sure that I am increasing. Or at the very least, doing it more often than I used to. You must see the reason why. Those are good thoughts, but you must see the reason why you are to make sure that these qualities are yours and they are increasing. Why is it that we must strive to add these qualities to our faith? Because they will render us neither useless nor unfruitful, says Peter. The word useless there is pertaining to something that is unproductive. It's really something that is worthless. James uses it when stating that faith without works is useless. It's worthless. It's dead. Same word. Or in Matthew 12, 36, every careless or useless or idle word spoken, we will give in accounting for it on the day of judgment, Jesus says. Well, it's that same word, that uselessness. But the word unfruitful is similar in that it means useless, but in more of an agricultural sense. It is a tree that doesn't bear fruit and is useless. Therefore, it's going to be cut down. I don't know how many of you have trees planted, but we have some trees planted and the dogs got to the trees. And it's just not going to live. It's not going to produce any fruit. I didn't even have to cut it down, they took it out. But still, that's an unfruitful tree, right? But one of the four seeds in the parable of the sower, actually the one that has fallen among the thorns, that is an unfruitful. It bears no fruit. It is choked up and cannot bear any fruit. No capacity there to bear fruit. Well, Peter writes it in the negative. That if these qualities are yours and increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful, in the negative. But if put in the positive, we could say he is saying that if these qualities are yours and are increasing, well then guess what? You will be useful and fruitful in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Effective and productive. It seems like that's just right up the alley of today's business models and goals for each employee in order to get the employee of the year award or something. I mean, everyone wants to be effective and productive, right? In their Christian life, or at the very least, we look and want to be a part of anything that hints of being effective and productive. We like a well-oiled machine that hums along in its production, in its manufacturing, right? In producing this product. But as one commentator said, we want Christian leaders that are effective and productive. We want to support missions and ministries that are effective and productive. We want to be personally involved in projects in our congregation and community wherein we can feel that we are doing effective and productive things. America, Americans, are looking for things that are effective and productive and efficient. But tell me, how do you measure a successful ministry or Christian? Why don't we go back to what Peter's actually writing here in verse 8 and let Peter finish it for us. The Christian life is all about growing in the knowledge, the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Being effective and productive, being useful and fruitful in knowing Christ. This really results in the glory of Christ. You see, there is a usefulness, a fruitfulness in our knowing and growing to be more like Jesus Christ that our heart yearns after and eagerly awaits, even for the time in the future when we shall finally be as He is, for we shall see Him as He is. But do you know what I find really amazing, so amazing and wonderful, is that as we add these qualities to our faith, we are actually growing in grace? In other words, this is not like a self-help or something we accomplish in our own efforts and with no results. Rather, this is another demonstration that the Lord is never leaving us to ourselves. He accompanies our efforts with His grace by and through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. And that's the wisdom of God, that as we continue to increase in these qualities, we become more and more like Christ. And as we become more and more like Christ, so Christ becomes more and more attractive to us. And as Christ becomes more attractive to us, so he becomes more attractive to the world that is around us. And this is all because of Christ in us. But notice in verse nine there that Peter brings a contrast to all of this. of all that we've been seeing. You see, he addresses the one that actually lacks these qualities that are found in verses 5 through 7. I think that it is important for us to see that Peter is writing this as a warning to the saints. The one who lacks is the one who does not have. You see, the qualities are not present. And notice, Peter doesn't single out one quality over against another quality. Rather, he takes them as a whole. That could possibly be that he sees it more as an attitude of the heart of the one that lacks these qualities, one quality, rather than seeing it as lacking in one quality against another quality. And I say that or draw that conclusion based on how he really describes this person. Notice he says that one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, nearsighted, and one that has forgotten his purification from his former sins. I think it would be best to just take these characteristics of this person that I've named forgetful and try to understand what is happening here. Blind means to not see. Or in the case of the Pharisees, it's to not comprehend or understand. It is interesting that Peter would actually continue with the description of short or nearsighted after just saying that they were blind. I think it's the NIV who actually says short-sighted, blind, but in the original, it is blind and short-sighted in that order. Because being nearsighted means that they cannot see things that are in the distance or ahead. Rather, they can only see that which is present, right before them. And so it would probably be best to see that ones who lack these qualities are ones who fail to see or understand the importance of applying these qualities in the present world that is filled with a corrupting lust. They are ones who cannot see far into the distance to see the dangers that lie ahead if they continue with this lack. The danger of missing out on the purpose of this life, on this earth, and the glory that awaits. The danger of not entering into this eternal kingdom that will be so abundantly supplied to you. But rather, condemnation that awaits. They see too much of the present, the here and the now, and what this world has to offer, the quick gratification and pleasures, similar to what the false teachers are teaching as Peter is writing this letter. Not only the present and the future, but also the past. They have forgotten their purification from former sins. from their former sins. Now, to me, this portion of the text was probably the most difficult for me to be able to understand and probably teach rightly. So I'll tell you where I have landed, and if anyone has more insight or light to shed on it, please come see me afterwards. I'd love to talk to you. But I think what Peter is getting at here is that this person who lacks these qualities is really one It is a person who would profess to be a Christian, hence their purification from their former sins, but yet be one who continues living in sin. He has forgotten, and this is not an ignorant forgetting, but a deliberate, a purposeful forgetting, a putting out of their mind the reason why Christ came, the purpose of the gospel. They have forgotten that, what the gospel means, what the gospel has done, what Christ has done for them. And neglecting or refusing to really appropriate that Jesus Christ came into the world. and that he came to die on the cross. And as Peter says in the first letter, that he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. There is an inconsistency here. There is a blindness, a nearsightedness, a forgetfulness. And by lacking these qualities, what they are demonstrating, what this person, Mr. Forgetful here, is demonstrating is that they are not interested in growing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, as mentioned in verse 8. They don't find it necessary. They're not interested. They have set their eyes on other things, and not on the greatest purpose in this life, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. And so, listen, if these qualities are not yours, then you're living, and He's living, this person is living, immoral lives, an immoral life. As one brother put it, you bear witness that forgiveness of sins means little to you. Those who treasure being forgiven live in a way that pleases God. And just that statement alone there just makes me think about how many times in my life I live a life that is not pleasing to God in certain aspects. We ought to look at our lives and say, oh, Lord, would you please forgive me for just living a life that is not pleasing, not obedient to you, that I don't always regard your forgiveness as I should. But you see, those who lack these qualities, they are not seeing any of that. And by continuing in that direction, they are beginning on the road that will lead to apostasy, to falling from the faith that they have professed but failed to practice. Do you see the real warning here? There is a real warning here for each and every one of us. I hope that we do because that warning is still ringing true today in our day, in our age, for each one of us here that profess to be in Christ. What are you living for? How are you living? This is a call to work out your salvation in trembling and fear. We hear and read these warnings throughout scripture and think many times that they don't apply to me. But we must be careful of that. We must be very careful. There's not one of us that is immune to the wiles and the ploys of the enemy, nor to the deceitfulness or the wickedness or the fickleness of our own heart. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such warnings found within Scripture. We are really to be those that Paul mentions in Titus 2.14, that for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. And what does he do? He's instructing us something here. He says, instructing us to deny ungodliness. and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works. And it is exactly those people who will read the next two verses and read, those who are zealous for good works, that will read the next two verses and begin to work at practicing these qualities while having before their eyes the entrance of the eternal empire or kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Notice how Peter begins that very next verse, following verse 9. He says, Going back, this is a real warning here. Therefore, because the warning is so real, and so are the blessings and the gifts, they are very real, that come from growing in the true knowledge of Jesus Christ. Peter admonishes us all, as he did in verse five, be diligent. Again, be diligent, be watchful, be on alert. Make every effort, make certain, make sure, have validity over a period of time, for what? To confirm his calling and choosing you. Peter's calling all believers to be certain, to be sure that you belong to the family of God. Choosing is electing, and we know that God has chosen us in Christ Jesus before the foundations of the world. This choosing, this electing belongs to God. The calling is similar. You know, we went over verse three. It's rooted in the wonderful call of our Savior to come to Him. Remember, it says that He is the one that has called you by His glory and His excellence. He says, come, you see the face of Christ, you see the glory of Christ, you see the excellence of Christ, and you come. There's nothing else you can do because He's glorious. And so even in verse two, we see this obtaining or receiving of this faith, a faith, the faith. And all of this, all these things are pointing to the grace of God and His choosing and electing you. He is the God who saves. Salvation belongs to our God. So you may ask, what am I supposed to do when it is all of God then? Peter says, what does Peter intend to tell us here when he's saying that we are to make sure of this calling and choosing? What's the purpose of it? Well, Peter is really bringing forth, and what he's bringing forth is now what what we would call the human responsibility dimension to our salvation. To make your calling and election sure doesn't only mean to believe it, but to also be practicing these qualities that Peter is mentioning. And there's a purpose in this making sure. It is for you and to the glory of God. By practicing these things, these qualities, by adding to your faith, You are making certain for yourself and those around you as well that you belong to the Lord. And at the same time, you're highlighting God's grace in your life. You don't make your calling and election sure so that God can be convinced of it. No, it is for your own assurance of salvation. It is a confirmation to yourself and the world that your behavior, your actions match, they align. They do not contradict what you say about yourself of what has taken place in you. You say, I believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And these qualities that you are exercising, that you're practicing, they're a confirmation that, yeah, you're a different person. This godliness that you portray, that's not a godliness that comes from outside. That comes from within. That's because of Christ in you. And so then, I need to ask, how diligent are you? How diligent am I? How much energy are we supplying? How serious are we about making certain of His calling and electing us? Assurance of salvation by practicing these things leads to glory, praise, and honor to the God who chose and called us unto salvation. But I want to ask you, where is the glory? Where is the honor? Where is the praise when we lack assurance? I want you to know, though, as Martyn Lloyd-Joyce pointed out, that there can be two dangers, though, in making certain of your calling and your election. We can be ones who over self-examine, that all we do and all we are consumed with is examining ourselves, that it becomes a checklist rather than a way of life. And it becomes hypocrisy. Secondly, we tend to passively wait around for some inspiration or experience. when all is required of you is to begin to do something, to add to your faith these things, to practice these things. Well, another benefit as we make this certain, our calling and election, is that as long as you practice these things, he says, as long as you practice these qualities, you will never stumble. Brethren, these are promises that are just magnificent here. That as we focus on these qualities and we are diligent in making sure that we are practicing these very things in our lives, there are some wonderful promises in store for us in the Christian life. One is that you are assured. There's assurance of salvation. That means the more you practice these things, the more you become like Jesus Christ. You see what Christ has done for you. Take, for example, even just brotherly kindness. You may be thinking somebody in the body, let's just take this example to be practical. Somebody in the body is just having a hard day, hard week, hard season. And you begin to think that maybe I should just send them a text or a call. But then you're prompted by 2 Peter, and 2 Peter says, make sure that these qualities are increasing, that your brotherly kindness is increasing. Not just present, but increasing. And so you're thinking, well, I think I'm going to go above and beyond than just a phone call or a text. I'm going to go do something special for this person. And this happens, brethren. I mean, it happens to me as I think about it. And then I think about, wow. the brotherly kindness that is in the body. But think about the kindness of Christ. The kindness of Christ, and just think about maybe the widow and the son that had died, the funeral procession. Christ walks up, right? And there he is. And you think that he ends at just a condolences to the widow? and He just walks away? No. His kindness goes above and beyond that. His mercy is greater than just words. He raises the Son and He gives Him back to His mother. And then your thought goes as you're increasing in this. This is the way the Holy Spirit works. And you think, what about me? This is exactly what Christ did for me. I mean, He didn't just leave me alone. He came and He raised me from the dead. This is the kindness of Christ. You see how this just flows. You're making sure you're calling in your election, you're increasing, and you're being diligent in these qualities. And as you are diligent in these qualities, they point to who Christ is and the qualities that are found in Christ and what Christ has done for you. And it results in the glory that is being manifested through your life and through your practicing of these qualities. But notice that there, The benefit, another benefit, is that you will not stumble. You will never stumble, says Peter. Notice that there isn't necessarily a frequency of the practice. He says, as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. So it's not how often you should practice these things, but rather a consistency or a persevering. As long as you practice, as you keep on practicing these qualities, you will never stumble. And as you do, you will have sure steps in this pilgrimage on this earth. I don't know how many of you have been horseback riding before, but you sure are glad that your horse has a sure step, don't you? I know I do. And so it is when we practice these qualities, when we live in a godly manner, that we will not stumble. By not stumbling, Peter is not intending to say that we will never sin. That's not what he means by not stumbling. Rather, he is saying that we will not be ones who forsake God or commit apostasy, that we will not finally and fully fall away. Ultimately, of course, it is because of Him who has called us and chosen us that keeps us. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4.8, he says, the Lord, this is the confidence of Paul, this is the confidence that should be for every single one of us, that the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom, to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. And you can see verse 10, verse 10 is almost, it can almost serve as a thesis verse of the letter of what Peter intends for his readers to latch onto, to carry on. Because remember, these are the scattered suffering saints Right? In 1 Peter that we learned about, and they were experiencing suffering from the outside, and now they're experiencing the pressures of the false teachers. But Peter is combating that and saying, you be diligent. You be certain. Make sure of your calling and election. Practice these qualities, and you will see this wonderful truth flourish, that the more you practice these qualities, the more you do anything as unto the Lord, the more certain you will be of him in you, and likewise that you truly belong to him. And when you practice these things, well, it is in this way, by practicing these things, he says, by being diligent in making certain his calling and choosing you, that the entrance into the eternal kingdom will be supplied to you. There's another promise just attached to this. as you grow in the qualities, as you are making sure that you're increasing in these qualities. See with me quickly, verse 11. It is the finality to the making certain and being diligent. It is the end of practicing all things. It is where we will never wonder or fear of stumbling because it can't happen. There are rich words that are penned by Peter in this verse to describe this wonderful truth of our final destination or entrance into this eternal kingdom. He uses some wonderful words here. And I just want to lay them out for you to meditate on. First off, he says there is an entrance. There is an entrance. There is one entrance. Peter's not talking about a reward that you will have in heaven if you practice these things or not. That's not what he's concerned with right here. What Peter is concerned about is the entrance into heaven. This practicing of these things is the fruit of life, that has the life, and is walking the way in the truth, and therefore an entrance is open to them. Jesus Christ is the door. And He is the one that supplies and gives and presents this entrance. But it is by this way, notice, it is by this way, by having these qualities and increasing in these qualities. You're not going to be an idle Christian. You cannot be an idle Christian. You cannot be a useless Christian, an unfruitful Christian. Those words just don't go together. And so it is by this way that the entrance is before you, and Christ calling you and saying, come, come in. Secondly, there is an eternal kingdom. This is a kingdom that cannot be destroyed. This is a kingdom that cannot be diminished. This is a kingdom that cannot be defeated. It is a kingdom that is eternal because its king is eternal. Thirdly, it is a kingdom that belongs to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see that. He says it's the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, I don't think there's anywhere else in scripture that actually says that the kingdom is eternal, the eternal kingdom. I think this is the only passage here. You can correct me if I'm wrong, but look it up. But eternal kingdom. But this eternal kingdom belongs to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is His. He rules and He reigns in it. And the entrance into it is His to grant. He gives it. He opens it. He calls. He chooses. But would you just look at His glory and excellence and come? And fourthly, it is a kingdom that you are invited to enter into. It has been richly supplied to you. Richly supplied to you. It is not a reward for what you have accomplished by practicing these qualities. It is a gift of God's grace that Christ supplies to you. And all along, He has been helping you to be useful and fruitful. in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that you may attain the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. You see, this is abundantly supplied, and what that means, it means that all of heaven and all its glory and all that it contains, all of Christ, will be yours. That's beautiful. What are we left with? We're left to grow in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior by exercising, by practicing these qualities. Go back. Go through these qualities. Go through them one by one. See where you are lacking and ask for help. And He will help you. Do these things. These are what we ought to do. This is what the Christian life is to be about. to live a godly life, to live a self-controlled life, to persevere, to show brotherly kindness, to show the agape love to the world outside, to really be one that has an upright and moral character, one who is godlike. May the Lord really help us do that. I know I need help. I need help every single day to be reminded this is what I need to be about. This is how I'm going to grow in the knowledge of God, in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. So may the Lord help us. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we come before you and so thankful, Lord, for who you are and what you reveal to us in Scripture. Lord, we really want to be ones that grow more and more, to see more of the knowledge, to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be more like Jesus, Lord, we don't want to be ones that are lacking. We want to be ones that are increasing in our qualities because of You in us. So Lord, we want to be ones that continue to be diligent and to be certain about Your choosing and calling us. Lord, we want to be ones that are truly ones that will not stumble, not fall away from the faith, Lord, we want to take these warnings seriously that are in Your Word, and we need Your help, Lord. We need the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need the guide, the help, the comforter, the teacher, the Holy Spirit we so need You. I just pray, Father, that You would be so gracious and so merciful to us, Lord, You would help us, Lord, and as we try to do these things, Lord, that you would give us a glimpse of heaven, Lord, and that our entrance into heaven will be sure. Lord, we thank you so much that you do not leave us nor forsake us, but that you come and that you help us in these things. You are so faithful as we call out to you for help. Never do you turn anyone away, that you always help those who come to you. So help us, Lord. In Christ's name we pray, amen.