Building a Forever Faith

You have obtained a light precious faith you have received faith is to get sanctification. That's teamwork.

That's teamwork you just don't sit back and watch it happen.

You are involved in the process of spiritual growth is never accidental is always intentional's mutual growth is not going to continue to grow after you bully. Today we continue our counter skips top 40 messages on the connect with Skip hi to you to check the number 23 spot escapes message building up the river for sure.

Several of the principles to help build a mature faith that last first one to invite part of an unforgettable journey to Israel. Here's the invitation from Skip for an incredible time as we travel throughout the culture that's so unique to backcountry now. I've been to Israel in the number of times over the years that I can honestly say that visiting the places where the events of the Scriptures unfolded. Jesus lived taught and healed. It just never gets old. I hope you'll join Lenny and me on what is always in unforgettable trip. I can't wait to see you this dream come true for you. Start planning and saving out to Israel with Skip, I formation, inspiration, cruises.com/C BBQ that's inspiration cruises.com/C BBQ second Peter chapter as we guided tour study with Skip Hite. My dad was a builder I I used to watch him go to empty lots and tell me what is going to go there and I couldn't see it. He could see it. He had the vision for an evening when he would build a cement foundation and I would stand upon it.

He would say no. This room will be there. This office will be there. Even standing on such a solid foundation. I still didn't see what he saw, but I thought about him some years later when I was a Very Interesting Architectural Pl. in Italy called the leaning Tower of Pisa and I saw the thing leaning and I found my dad. Dad never would've bill that structure could never would look like that and I remember looking at that interesting piece of architecture and the reason by the way it is so famous is because it's Hite it's only hundred and 79 feet tall.

It is not because of its Romanesque architecture, though it's a it's a great piece of that is a great study and that that's not why it's famous.

It is famous for one reason, because it leans, it leans now you know it's going to fall.

The experts tell us that it should have fallen in 2007, but it didn't. And I'll tell you why. Before the study is over, but they say it's going to fall because it started leaning from almost the time it was constructed in 1173. I believe, and it falls at the rate of 1/20 of an inch every single year.

It is presently 17 feet out of plumb. I've a question for you.

Do you want your life to resemble some freaky tourist attraction is leaning or something solid and helpful, and permanent those of the thoughts that are in Peter's mind as he pins second Peter it's all about growth. It's all about the audience taking what he teaches and developing from that, the second Peter is a little bit different than first Peter and first Peter.

He was concerned about the dangers from the outside like persecution and oppression, but in second Peter is more concerned about dangers from the inside in terms of deception, false teaching, but at the very core. At the very core of this whole beginning introduction chapter. This section is all about spiritual growth. Let's look at it together. Second Peter chapter 1 beginning in verse one Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness to the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue by which had been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust but also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and knowledge, self-control and of self-control, perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love of these things are yours and abound you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sin. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Are you growing up or are you just growing old to good question to ask yourself from time to time while growing older, but are you growing up and going strong. Or you just growing old because we all know the growth is a normal part of life wherever there's birth there is growth and that's what we expect.

We have children we are willing to put up with an always sand with the masses and and all that happens in babyhood because we are aiming for that child maturing into a responsible adult and we mark that growth we get excited when there's a birthday.

The favorite door of my old house was our pantry door where we would mark every year.

How high Nate was getting and what that date was and we read right right on the door just to keep a marker of that kind of progress well with the Christian life.

It begins with birth.

You must be born again. Jesus said, but it continues with growth, with development with blossoming with maturity and we want to talk about that and look at that in this section we just read before we begin to give you for prerequisites to building a forever faith talk about that in a moment, let me begin by giving you two overarching principles about growth that you need to know to principles that are general overarching principles about spiritual growth.

Number one, your spiritual growth has nothing to do with your physical age you can be an older person, but a spiritual infant Charles Spurgeon said there are children in the church of God who are 70 years old but he also said on the other hand are wise and instructed in stable folk who are relatively young, so physical age and spiritual maturity are necessarily equal, that's the first principle second principle you can grow spiritually as much as you want to grow you can grow as much as you want to go well and that brings us to the central theme of what Peter is getting at the secret is using what God has provided. Once you have the faith that he gives you. You obtained like precious faith.

Verse wanted to. Then you must grow in that faith. Verse three through 11. So here's all going to do were going to look at our life. Your life the Christian life as building a structure building a forever faith and there are four prerequisites that you need to build number one. You gotta get the right investor ¥somebody was in a bankroll. This project, and we have God as the investor. It all begins with God. He gives the gift of salvation, but he also has two things that are important here is power and he has promises his power and his promises. Look at verse three. Here's the power as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue ever thought what divine power can do. But see divine power can create the universe, divine power can sustain all the natural forces of our natural world divine power can heal the sick, divine power can raise the dead. Jesus at all power in heaven and earth is given to me all power. So here's the deal you can grow as much as you want because you have access to God's power. Can you imagine having a battery never goes out this summer I decided I'd start my motorcycle. I think for the first time in months of been sitting in the garage for the winter and I went to started and it did this vision with. I have forgotten to keep that trickle charger that I should've kept for the winter applied to the bike, but imagine having a power source that never runs out. God has invested his power in your spiritual growth. That's why Paul the apostle said this and you know it. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The were strengthening sports is our intimate so you find the right investor has to have the power and are investor does what God expects you to attempt. He also enables you to achieve by his power is a second qualification as being the right investor promises are investor has made some promises verse four, by which had been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. If you're building a project and you have an investor he's going to write the checks now checks are just promises. That's all they are. You really can't do anything with the jacket to go to the bank and cash a check has a person's name on it. He fills in the amount but it will do you no good until you cash the check. So the money in the bank.

That's the power, the check that is written those of the promises are God has the power and he also has the promises, but a promise is only as good as the one who makes the promise you can make a promise but if you have no power to back it up. So what so after church I could write you a personal check for million dollars. The problem will be when you go to the bank to cash to save you. Nice try this guy doesn't have near the money required for you to cash this check it would work. I can make you the promise, but I don't have the power but I do know some people who could actually write you that check and you could cash it. I will I give you their names but they have the power behind the promise God's promise that we can escape from our old life and we can go on a whole new direction, but you you have to cash the check. You have to actually take that promise and say I'm to apply that promise to my life.

It's cashing the check always tell how mature a Christian is by how that person treats God's promises always.

How do they treat the promises of God. For example, a fearful panic believer speaks volumes of one who doesn't really believe in God's promises. But, believer, a confident believer speaks of somebody who believes the promise who thinks this way. If God has written the check. I can cash it. I can take that promise to the bank.

There is power behind the promise to build anything of eternal value, you need the right investor and are investor has power and promises and are great promises uses great and precious promises you know either great because there from a great God and they lead to a great life and what is the promise of these in part that you will be partakers of the divine nature. Think about this the kind of life that you have in you right now, as born-again believers is the life of God. You are a partner without life when you are born again. That's what happens the life of God gets attached to your life so that means here's the way to live.

You can face your future with the kind of confidence that says no Matter What Comes My Way, God's power will be there, and his promises to meet all of those hardships or potential problems along the way. So you need the right investor. That's the first prerequisite. The second prerequisite to building a forever faith is you follow the building code and God's outline to Peter what that is. Look at verse five, but also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge, self-control, self-control, perseverance, perseverance, godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness to brotherly kindness, love note this folks is your part, God's part. We've Artie talked about those of the previous verses God's giving you the power and the promises. This is your part. Now I know some of you are reading this critically, and that's good to read the Bible. That way, but it seems contradictory, seems paradoxical because it says God gives you everything you need and he says now add to that. So you wonder, how can you add anything. Everything in here's the answer growth takes cooperation growth always takes cooperation. I must have a co-operation with God's operation, I am involved in this process you know if you or I would've written this reminder said God is giving you everything you need to grow and be godly. Therefore let go and let God just veg in the spirit is lounge in the spirit and just take it easy and watch the whole thing go up now, but he says it takes cooperation. Look at the language giving all diligence literally means make every possible effort or intensively exert yourself.

Don't misunderstand me were not speaking about salvation. You don't work hard to get saved. It's a gift that verse wanted to. You have obtained a light precious faith you have received faith is a gift, but sanctification. That's teamwork. That's teamwork you just don't sit back and watch it happen.

You are involved in the process of spiritual growth is never accidental.

It is always intentional. I can tell you how how Paul wrote the same thought but different words Paul the apostle in Philippians chapter 2 verse 12 says this and you'll recall that when I when I quoted. Therefore, brethren, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Every diverse ever puzzled by it. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, but is followed by this, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do with his good pleasure same thought. God works in you he gives you the power he makes the promise, but you must work out your own salvation is that I still don't quite get how it works or give you an example analogy composer sits down to write a musical score. In doing so he provides everything that is needed. These is running the melody because he's writing the notes he's writing the timing down the cadence of it. If it picks up or slows down, so he gives everything that is needed for the production. However, it still takes a musician to work that out in the play that score, and to give what is written down all that is provided a voice or here's another analogy you go to the doctor. Dr. says I've examined you, doesn't look good.

Here is the diagnosis you require surgery performed the surgery and then afterwards to give you some medications postop that will help in the healing so the doctor has done it all. He was diagnosed he performs the surgery and gives a medication you don't help in the process so far.

You don't help the doctor to search her doctoral work on this site you work on that site or give me a scalpel you're knocking to do that would be foolish though he provides everything that you need.

You still postop have to work that out by taking the medication and by following his instructions. That's following the building code so it requires cooperation and it requires supplementation. Please notice therefore giving all diligence, or making maximum effort.

Add to your faith and in seven supplements are listed. We here in New Mexico know something about supplements when we need food. It is not complete until we have our supplements so you might be from the Midwest and a meal to you is meeting the data's good enough.

Not here, knocking a flyer for the meat and potatoes.

We need our supplements and are either red or green supplements. You know what I'm talking about. We need Shelley with and I am just so become accustomed to it that a meal is incomplete without supplements that go with it has to have a little piece while we were to think about it. In building terms are building analogy.

This is the building code. Here are seven things I want you. God says to add to the house that you are building and organist spice things up and they're going to be supplements to make your house a killer house so for example I know you gotta put in a sink, don't put in the The little metal sink. I wanted when the marble farm sink or yeah I know you need to cook your food, but you're knocking to put in that hotplate that you're picking out and put in a Viking stove or not Formica when I could put that on account attributable marble and we want to sing the last, so, so far, this will we learn he's given the power and he makes the promises we had the perks and he'll give you everything you need to pull that off. What other supplements look at the first one virtue virtue means it moral excellence. Add that to your faith amoral excellence. One way to look at. Excellence is something that fulfills the purpose for which it was made. When you do that you've added something special some excellence to your face. Then he says add to that knowledge is a different word for knowledge than what is typically a New Testament word. This word is at the gnosis which means an expert knowledge of full knowledge, the ultimate knowledge. A growing personal authentic knowledge when it is practical and then add to that self-control add to knowledge, self-control and or sometimes there's a huge gap between what we know our knowledge and what we do our actions you know will bridge that gap.

Self-control add to what you know about God, and know God with self-control self-control is a word that is a Greek word that means to hold oneself together. It spoke of an athlete who would say no to eating certain kinds of food and yes to certain kinds of training because he wanted to win a race look at its next perseverance means to bear up under the trial or the hardship, the difficult circumstance we would say to somebody, hang in there. Perseverance hanging number 23 message top 40 messages count series rock song skips teaching want to teach live twice a week@youtube.com/Calvary ABQ right now want to share about a resource that will show you how you can enjoy an even more abundant and satisfying life in Jesus Neil Armstrong to Nancy first first words are well now on all plan on coming out next effective first name usually begins with my daughter in 1959 July number on the board. John gets out of the legal payment that the moon and I leave just before that pouch and took out the wine and bread representative body, but if you Christ, and he had personal communion service and that moment when I found out about it about a year previously hit me like a thunderbolt. He noticed a real-life thing ever on the moon. The Last Supper can you hike down resource receiving a copy when you get the gift of $35 more to support this program to connect to skit.com or call one 898.com or call one 860 11:52 tomorrow is Skype I two cheers another top 40 message with practical insight to help you manage your thoughts carefully and according to God's truth. My thought life is attached to the rest of my life. Whatever it is that you think God is due good thoughts very good that bear bad fruit, and guess what.

Here the garden near the one doing the planning presentation of connection communication through