“Be Diligent to Cultivate Love”
2 Peter 1:7
INTRODUCTION What is the Meaning of 2 Peter 1.7 Part 2 Love
2 Peter 1. Topic today is love, diligently supplying love to our lives. Among other places, this past week my family and I went to Jasper. When you think of Jasper, no doubt mountains come to mind.
The tallest point in Jasper is Mount Columbia. It stands an impressive 12,293 ft above sea level. That’s 3 and ¾ km. It’s the highest point in Alberta.
It has the exalted position in Canada. We’re studying love today. Love is like that peak. Love is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37–40), it is the trademark of the believer (John 13:34–35), the very goal of the apostle Paul’s instruction, (1 Timothy 1:5), and it is greater than any spiritual gift (1 Co. 13).
And love is the summit of Peter’s list of virtues.
Now, we studied love recently as a church… we did a series on 1 co 13 … and it wrecked me. I was convicted and grew from that series. We’ll give it another go today as well. But let’s READ 2 Peter 1:1-11 together, for the last time in our series.
We cultivate these qualities in vv.5-7 in order to receive an abundant entrance into the kingdom!
POINT: Sacrificially serve others by knowing God’s love for you.
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Be Diligent to Supply
v.5 Be diligent to supply love. We need to work hard at seeking the Lord that He would work this quality in us.
vv.8-11 continue the same theme. supply is in v.5 AND v.11.
TEACH vv.8-11.
v. 9 calls conversion into question; v.10 you say “I doubt whether I’m saved; grow then!” -you can increase in assurance. )
May our Father in heaven Encourage us today to be diligent about loving others. Little love, little entrance into His kingdom.
POINT: Sacrificially serve others by knowing God’s love for you.
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What is Love?
Agape: You probably have heard the Greek term “agape” before and have heard that it is the highest form of love. The first time agape is used in the Greek OT describes the kind of love that Amnon had for his half-sister Tamar against whom he committed a disgusting act. That was a kind of love, I suppose. So, the Greek word agape, like our English word love, is a general word for love. What we want to talk about is Christian love.
ASK: What does the world think of when it thinks of love?
Defined: Christian love is an act of the human will empowered by the grace of God to do 1 Co. 13:4-7
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Climax: God’s love for you in Christ, salvation.
The ultimate display of love is found in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!
John 3:16 16 “For God so loved the world [to this extent], that He gave His only begotten Son [his unique son], that whoever believes in Him [whoever trusts Him] shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Galatians 2:20 20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Died on behalf of all my sins, gave Himself up … for even me and you!
Ephesians 2:1–7 1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Oh the glorious love of God …
Who can take a poor, lost sinner,
Lift him from the miry clay and set him free;
I will ever tell the story,
Shouting glory, glory, glory,
Hallelujah! Jesus ransomed me.
And so the love of Christ compels me, it controls me, urges me to love not just the brethren, but all people, even my enemies.
POINT: Sacrificially serve others by knowing God’s love for you.
The Love of God is on mission, today, to rescue His people from certain eternal destruction and to save them to a living hope in that one day we’ll have the glorious transcendent eternal experience of His majestic presence.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. … and love our enemies as well….why? Because…
God loves His enemies:
Matthew 5:44–47 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
POINT: Sacrificially serve others by knowing God’s love for you.
If God loved us to this extent, we ought to love others.
ASK: What does love look like on a day to day basis?
loving those who love you; loving those who care for you
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Patience when treated unfairly.
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Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Co. 13 qualities …
Patience
Someone said that a patient man: one who, having the resources and opportunity to avenge himself, chooses to refrain from the exercise of these. I can generally be patient with people who are patient with me.
Kindness
Whereas patience is me not giving you my anger and my displeasure … I’m holding that back … kindness goes beyond patience and gives you good instead. Luke 6:35 35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Not only not be angry with your enemies, actually do good to even unthankful people, in your speech, gifts, actions, etc.! Let that light shine!
Not Jealous
Jealousy or envy…it is an anger-filled desire for something someone else has. Love doesn’t respond that way … and love is…
Not provoked, easily angered
We each get a picture of each other on Sunday morning and whenever we meet. You get a picture of me and I get a picture of you. But what if you took a picture of me at my house after a long day on a Tuesday when I come and the kids are all are swinging from the ceiling fan? What kind of picture would you get of me if I’m exhausted and someone is rubbing me the wrong way? Would that picture be that I’m provoked? … But love is not easily angered.
Not Offended
It doesn’t take into account a wrong suffered. Love is not offended. “Love refuses to account for personal wrongs” Love refuses to account for personal wrongs, but forgives just as God does.
ASK Kids: Kids. How were people mean to Jesus? How did He respond? What does love look like then when someone is a big meanie to you?
Kids, you don’t have a right to be offended like that, to be upset because they did that. As I tell my kids, “I don’t care if they hit you in the face [I do, but try to get the point…], you don’t have a right to be angry or offended.” Love is not easily offended.
TRANS: Love is supremely demonstrated at the cross and example of the Lord Jesus.
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How to add love to your life
ASK: How can we add love to our lives?
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Characteristic of the Christian life
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Romans 5:5 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
That’s why the apostle John can say …
1 John 4:7–8 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
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Meditate on God’s love for you (we love b/c he first loved us)
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General love for you: food, etc.
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Specific love: Cross and salvation. The cross commands love, it puts it in you, it compels you to love. 2 Co. 5:14-15
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2 Corinthians 5:14–15 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
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Study 1 Co. 13 and the qualities of love
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Pray for it: Ephesians 3:18–19 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
CONCLUSION What is the Meaning of 2 Peter 1.7 Part 2 Love
Give some diligence to this passage in your life. Read it, study it, give your heart and energy to it. Seek the Lord that He might work these qualities deeper in your heart and to help you bear this kind of fruit in your life.
You’ll have greater assurance, fruitfulness, … and yes, even an abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And you’ll hear on that day “well done, good and faithful servant.”
