How to Live In The New Life

DATE: JULY 12, 2020

TOPIC: "How to Live In The New Life" 2 Peter 1:5-7 When we come to the feet of our God, we need to put all diligence (it leads us to combat laziness), all haste, care, readiness to immediately live THE NEW LIFE OF HOLINESS. We have His great and precious promises in the Word. It contains much to seek and to love. The Word is what leads us to affirm our feet even more to walk in these precious and very great promises. These promises will enable your life to flee from the corruption that is in the world due to the desires that impulse evilness.

I. In the past preaching we were able to learn that God has given us everything we need for divine life!

A. Divine life has to be cultivated!

1. Enough of the past, it is now to cultivate (to develop the sowing) the life of God in you.

2. God will not make us holy against our will or without our commitment!

3. There must be DESIRE, DECISION AND DISCIPLINE on our part.

4. Are you saved? If you have believed in Jesus, you have the saving faith in the Lord Jesus. Well, here Peter assumes that those who are addressed in the letter already have it.

5. The apostle Peter says that it is necessary TO ADD TO FAITH, TO AGGREGATE, SEVEN ELEMENTS (OR GRACES) OF HOLINESS.

6. It is not adding one after another, but manifesting ALL THESE GRACES AT THE SAME TIME.

7. These seven elements are given to us to develop through grace (which is gratuitous from God) just as you received Jesus through faith.

8. First element: VIRTUE belongs to those who have compassion or mercy and have goodness in life and moral excellence.

a. VIRTUE is to have a spiritual temper in the face of a hostile world, it is to have THE STRENGTH of one to stand firm for what is right. This is the basis of faith; virtue and Faith have to go together.

b. VIRTUE is linked to strength, courage, integrity and spirit.

c. VIRTUE is the quality of a stable person!

d. Whoever has VIRTUE works well, works correctly!

9. To virtue, with courage, we must add the second element: KNOWLEDGE.

a. It is through experienced KNOWLEDGE of the Bible that we are enabled, in the practice, from the details of Christianity to know how to live in the new life in Christ!

b. KNOWLEDGE is found in the Word of God, for this reason we must study it, and obey its sacred precepts!

c. God calls every Christian to a life of discipline, something we achieve thanks to the power that controls the will under the operation of the Spirit of God!

d. There must be discipline in prayer, discipline in reading the Bible, discipline in your whole life!

10. We add the third element: SELF-CONTROL

a. It is to discipline ourselves so that Christ has the best of our lives.

b. (1 Corinthians 9:26, 27) Paul exercised this SELF CONTROL in his own life! “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlesslly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave (to work as a servant) so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

c. Due to the personal danger of ruining our testimony, we should discipline ourselves so that CHRIST HAS THE BEST OF OUR LIVES and not crumbs as he is often given!

11. To self-control we must add the fourth element: PATIENCE.

a. It is to endure patiently persecution and adversity (of the enemy).

b. We have to be constantly be reminded that the Christian life is a challenge to face in order to stand FIRM AND STILL IN THE FACE OF HARDSHIP.

c. It is not just walking when there is a blaze of glory; we must persevere despite difficulties.

d. The idea that Christianity is a sequence of experiences at the peak is false, for this reason, we must add PATIENCE!

e. There are for all believers the daily routine, the unpleasant tasks, THE FRUSTRATING CIRCUMSTANCES, BITTER PAIN AND SHATTERED PLANS!

f. PATIENCE IS THE ABILITY TO SUPPORT AND PERSIST IN THE FACE OF EVERYTHING THAT SEEMS TO GO AGAINST US!

12. The other fifth grace or element is PIETY (compassion or mercy and the fear of God).

a. Our lives should reflect God; in everything and on the path of practical holiness!

b. There should be a supernatural quality such, in our conduct, that others know that we are children of the heavenly Father; the family resemblance should be unmistakable! May we be pious!

c. (1 Timothy 4:8) "BUT GODLINESS HAS VALUE FOR ALL THINGS, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

13. The sixth element is FRATERNAL AFFECTION

a. That AFFECTION OF BROTHERS identifies us before the world as disciples of Christ.

b. (John 13:35) "By this all men will know THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER."

14. The last and seventh element is LOVE.

a. LOVE is a command that should be obeyed!

b. LOVE IS SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL!

c. It is precise (it is necessary) to have divine life TO LOVE YOUR OWN ENEMIES AND EXECUTIONERS!

d. (John 3:16) LOVE MANIFESTS IN GIVING!

e. Giving your time, our talents, our treasures AND OUR LIVES TO OTHERS!

15. These seven graces CONSTITUTE A COMPLETE, PERFECT CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. Amen.