Vision Sunday 2024 – Know and Grow • 01.07.24
Nick Lees   -   January 7, 2024

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Vision Sunday 2024 – Know & Grow
2 Peter 1:1-15

Striving for the Lord in 2024

  1. Recognize Jesus has given you everything you need for life and godliness
  2. Do your best, with all eagerness, to grow in spiritual maturity
  3. Zealously confirm your calling and election into God’s kingdom

Good morning church family! For those who are visiting with us, welcome to Harvest! I’m thankful to be worshiping the Lord with you all this morning. My name is Nick Lees and I serve as the senior pastor here. I’m excited to begin a new year with you!

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

At the beginning of the year, we kick things off with what we’ve called “Vision Sunday”. Now I don’t know what comes to your mind when you hear “Vision Sunday”, so I want to explain it before we get into studying the Bible.

Vision Sunday is an opportunity to bring us all together to address some key truths. Specifically, who we are (our identity) and why we’re here (our purpose/mission). This is an opportunity to reorient ourselves in the new year. As part of this, we also get to address some practical ways we’re going to live out those truths in the new year – in previous years we’ve framed that up as – where we’re going and how you fit in. So, if you’re paying attention, today is a call to remember key truths from God’s Word about our identity and purpose and to act upon them in 2024. That’s what Vision Sunday is.

Now let me tell you what Vision Sunday is not. It is not a time for flashy showmanship or to try to impress with a grandiose plan for the new year. It is not about new programs or projects. It is not about our own will and desires, but rather about God’s will and desires as expressed in the pages of Scripture.

It is about continuing to grow and mature as the men and women that God has created and called us to be. It is about pursuing godliness and identifying specific ways to do so this year. It is an opportunity for us to unite as the local church and run the race of faith together, arm-in-arm. It is also an invitation to join us in this race of faith if you’re not a member of our church family. We see and believe the call to commit to Christ’s church is very important in the Scriptures.

So, with all that said, let’s turn our attention to the study of God’s Word. That’s why we’re here. To know God and make him known. Our primary passage is in the letter of 2 Peter, chapter 1.

Ushers + Bibles (2 Peter; page _)

As you turn there, I want to share with you what to expect over the next few weeks. Today and next Sunday are stand-alone sermons that are not part of a series. Next Sunday Pastor Jack will lead us in a biblical study of “the conscience”. We chose to start the year with a sermon on this topic because we have seen a lot of opportunities for discussion on conscience issues over the course of the life of our church. Our pastor team thought it would be helpful to have Biblical instruction to help us handle conscience issues wisely. Then, in two weeks, we will be starting our next sermon series called “The Lord Saves” as we study the book of Isaiah. We’ll begin with an overview of the entire book on 1/21 and over the course of the year we’ll progress through chapter 39. As we have done in the past when we study large books of the Bible, we will also take breaks to study other things along the way. Isaiah is a lengthy and rich book that will continue to grow us in having a BIG view of the incomparably great God, as well as impress upon us the devastation that turning to idols/sin brings into our lives, while also holding out the beauty of God’s grand plan of redemption. I’m looking forward to what God will do through this series in our church! And, if you’re wondering what about chapters 40-66 of Isaiah, you can probably guess what we’ll be studying in 2025. 😊 (Vision Sunday Slide)

Alright, I’m assuming you’re all at 2 Peter 1 by now. Let’s turn our attention to the study and application of God’s Word for our lives today. We’re going to read chapter 1, verses 1-15. Before I begin, let me give you some brief context for what we’re about to read.

This letter was written by the Apostle Peter, one of the first followers of Jesus and a leader of the early church. This is his last of two letters, believed to have been written shortly before he was martyred in Rome. This gives the letter a date somewhere in the mid-60s AD. Because Peter references that it is the second letter that he wrote to his audience, it is highly likely that it was written to the same group of churches in Asia Minor as revealed in the introduction of 1 Peter. This letter was written to encourage them to hold fast to the faith by continuing to grow in spiritual maturity, especially as false teachers were in their midst seeking to lead them astray into immorality. With that in mind, let’s read the text now:

2 Peter 1:1–15 (ESV)

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Consider that Peter KNEW his life was ending soon. This letter and its exhortations were not given lightly. He even said in verse 15 that he will make every effort so that they recall these things after he is gone. These truths were precious and important to Peter!

Peter wants his audience to hold fast to these truths. To live in light of them! It is safe to say that we would do well to take these words to heart ourselves. The underlying call from Peter to KNOW and GROW in the Lord is quite applicable for us today. As we study this text, our aim is…

Striving for the Lord in 2024

We are bringing this call to KNOW and GROW into our new year! Now, you may notice a bunch of high-energy action words today. “Striving”, “Zealous”, “Diligent”… to name a few. This matches the tenor of Peter’s writing. Throughout this text, Peter speaks of a passionate intensity or zeal for the Lord. It shows up in verse 5 when he says, “make every effort” and verse 10 where it says, “be all the more diligent” and verse 15 when he says of himself, “I will make every effort.” Peter reveals there ought to be an eagerness in the Christian’s life to KNOW the Lord which translates into a driven pursuit of GROWing in spiritual maturity. What a timely reminder for us as we begin the New Year!

I also appreciate Peter’s passion because it resonates with the zeal for the Lord that we try to capture in our own church’s six pillars. (Graphic)

  • Bold Preaching
  • Passionate Worship
  • Fervent Prayer
  • Courageous Evangelism
  • Purposeful Discipleship
  • Compelling Community

These are meant to be more than strong words on our website and print materials! We believe that following Christ is an exciting endeavor that engages both body and soul. That there is no better way to spend our time/talent/treasure than living out the identity he has given us and accomplishing the purposes for which he made us. *pause*

If you think about it, everyone has chosen to live out of some sort of identity and purpose. You can look all around you and find people living zealously for something! This is January 7th, 2024, and over the coming weeks we are sure to see people zealous in their political identity and purposes. Others may be passionately pursuing wealth and the lifestyle it provides them. Or perhaps they are eager to find romance and the companionship it promises. Certainly, we could keep going down the list of possible identities or purposes to pursue and live for…

But the more important questions are, “What are YOU living for in 2024? WHO are you? WHY are you here?” Or to put it corporately, since we are the church, “What are WE living for in 2024? Who are we? Why are we here?” These are the types of questions we get to evaluate as we study 2 Peter 1. And thankfully, Peter is a wise counselor who confronts us with the truth. Our first takeaway in striving for the Lord in 2024 comes from verses 3-4 and it is…

  1. Recognize Jesus has given you everything you need for life and godliness

This is assuming that you are a follower of Jesus Christ. That’s where Peter started his letter in verses 1-2. He is writing to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with the apostles by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is both their Savior and God.

So, right at the outset today, each of us is confronted with the call to evaluate our own standing with King Jesus. Is He your Savior and God? This promise that comes from verses 3-4 is for Christians. Let’s read these verses again.

2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Jesus’ divine power grants to Christians all things that pertain to life and godliness… What an incredible promise and provision! Everything you need to live a godly life… or to put it another way, everything you need to live the “good life” God’s way, is available to you. It is accessible, able to be experienced, not through your own good works or morality… but through faith in Jesus Christ!

In fact, Peter explicitly states that the way you have everything you need for life and godliness comes through your knowledge of him (Jesus). This knowledge that Peter speaks of is a personal and saving knowledge or faith in Jesus Christ. You recognize Him as the Son of God, the Savior of the World, as we heard extensively about last month, and you respond appropriately to that knowledge in faith and repentance (turning from sin to live for him).

The whole of Peter’s letter speaks to the expected response of a life of righteous pursuit of the Lord. The letter begins and ends with this call! In the very last verse he says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

As mentioned earlier, KNOWING the Lord… and GROWING in spiritual maturity. Peter was seeking to protect his original audience from a professed faith that does not grow up into maturity but falls into sin and immorality.

Do you know anyone like that? Perhaps it describes you at some point in the past or even the present? At some point in your life, you made a profession of faith, but you’ve struggled to grow up in spiritual maturity since that time. Perhaps you find yourself entangled in temptation and stuck in sin. You know that this is not how the Lord would want you to live, but you’re also not sure how to change. If this is describing you, take heart that God’s Word has answers for you!

Knowledge of God is not merely limited to initial faith, but includes an ongoing pursuit of the Lord. As you go deeper into your understanding of God and His calling on your life, you will grow in godliness and the faith, thereby bearing the good fruit described in verses 5-9. *pause* Do you understand what Peter is sharing with you today?

Peter is reminding you of the way of salvation as well as the path to the good life that God designed. It is through your knowledge of Jesus, the One who called you “by” his own glory and excellence. “By” is the more accurate translation based on the Greek tenses and it points to the glory and excellence of Jesus coming down and walking in sinless perfection among us, going to the Cross in our place, and rising from the dead in victory over sin and death. The very thing we just celebrated in our December series “Behold the Christ” is how Christ calls us to himself and empowers us to live a godly life.

It is through these incredible realities of who Jesus is and what He has done, that He has granted to us his precious and very great promises. Namely that we could be forgiven of our sin and declared righteous with Him. That we could escape the corruption of sin that leads to death and have the hope of eternal life with God! Peter is speaking of being transformed from death to life, of being rescued from sin and the corruption of death that it brings into your life, of being able to experience holiness now as we say NO to sin and YES to Christ and of the ultimate hope of eternal life and perfection with God in eternity in the future. Who would not want these things?! Who wants to stay dead in sin with no hope of holiness or heaven? NO ONE! At least no one in their right mind… It is far better to share in the divine nature by inheriting immortality and an incorruptible nature in heaven! Sign me up for no more sin, suffering, sickness, sadness, or death anymore!

From the beginning of his letter, Peter is reminding his original audience, and us, of incredible realities that are true through faith in Christ. If your faith is in Christ, you are transformed into a new creation. A man or a woman who has escaped the corruption of sin that leads to eternal death. Now you are able to live a godly life by his divine power at work in you. So… who are YOU? Who are WE?

Christians who have been given a completely new identity in Christ. You are no longer defined by the old self which was corrupted by sinful desires. Now you are made new after God’s righteousness and holiness! And why are you here? As a Christian, you represent and reflect Christ. This goes far beyond having your “get out of hell free card”. This is about being an ambassador, a representative of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. When people watch your life, they ought to have a clearer understanding of who Christ is and what He taught.

Is this how you think about your life/identity? “I am a Christian” … a “Christ-follower” … The good news this morning is that through faith in Christ, God changes us! We are no longer defined by our old ways of life or the sins we committed. He offers forgiveness and a new life.

Psalm 103:12 (ESV)

12    as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

If this describes you this morning… If you have trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and accepted his gift of new life… How should your new identity direct you this year?

Peter instructed the people of his day on how they ought to live out their identity. Let’s look again at verses 5-9:

2 Peter 1:5–9 (ESV)

5 For this very reason, (B/C YOU KNOW GOD AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE HEAVENBOUND & HOLY – ESCAPING DEATH & CORRUPTION!) make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Peter connects the transforming work of Christ in us with the call to diligently pursue spiritual growth. Your faith in Jesus must change the way you live. To say the same thing another way, knowing Jesus must lead to growing in spiritual maturity… which leads us to our second application in striving for the Lord in 2024:

  1. Do your best, with all eagerness, to grow in spiritual maturity

This is where we are going in 2024 – eager growth in spiritual maturity! Peter does not leave room for Christians to be wishy-washy or lazy about their faith. He says “make every effort” which means do your best with all eagerness/diligence. Louw-Nida, one of the best Greek lexicons explains this phrase this way – ready to expend energy and effort (Louw-Nida). Does this describe your disposition in 2024? Are you ready to expend energy and effort to grow in spiritual maturity? To do your best, with all eagerness, in this pursuit?

Peter brings up this concept multiple times in the text. It comes up again in verse 10 translated as “be diligent” and verse 15 as his own personal commitment “I will make every effort!” He is concerned for their efforts and committed to his own efforts! What does Peter know that we need to learn!?

Perhaps he knows a thing or two about professions of faith not matching up with spiritual maturity… Remember how Peter spoke before Christ’s arrest?

Matthew 26:33 (ESV)

33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”

Do you remember Christ’s response?

Matthew 26:33–35 (ESV)

33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

And how did that turn out? Exactly like Jesus said it would. Peter denied him three times and wept bitterly in shame. Peter knew firsthand the need for growing in spiritual maturity. Remember as he pens this letter he is at the end of his life and knows he will be with Jesus soon. He is writing, not as an immature young man whose mouth speaks louder than his actions, but as an old man who has endured seasons of suffering and trials, who has walked the walk, even in the face of Roman and Jewish opposition. Peter would go to his death willingly for the Lord, unwilling to deny Him again. He knew the glory that awaited him in heaven, and he counted the cost of following Christ to the end! This is the man who is making every effort to help these Christians (and us today) to know the truth and grow in spiritual maturity! SO, LISTEN UP! 😊

As I was writing the sermon this week, I asked the pastor team to pray for me. I felt like I was struggling to put thoughts and words to paper. During their responses that they were praying for me, Pastor Chris called me. We ended up talking for 23 minutes as he shared with me the passion he has for our church to know and love the Lord. I so appreciate the passion and desire our pastors have for our people to KNOW God and LIVE for Him. The truth is all of us need to grow. No matter where you are at in your walk with Jesus, there is a next step of growth for you. And that next step ought not to be an obligation or mere duty but an eager anticipation of God’s work in and through you! What will he do!? How will he change you and use you for his glory!?

Peter laid it out very clearly in verses 5-9, there is to be progress in our faith. Because of who Jesus is and what He has done, we are to make EVERY effort to supplement our faith with virtue, to supplement our virtue with knowledge, and so forth. This is a command, not a suggestion.

I appreciate the explanation of Commentator Richard Bauckham who put it this way:

Moral effort is required because Christ has given us (a) everything necessary for godly life (v 3), and (b) the promises of immortality (v 4). We cannot expect to escape the mortality which is due to sin (v 4) unless we ourselves avoid sin and make moral progress, the spiritual resources for which are available to every Christian through the knowledge of Christ he received when he became a Christian (v 3).

Jesus has given you everything you need for life and godliness through your knowledge of him. You are saved from sin into a new life where you have a choice of how you will live. And God calls you to do your best, with all eagerness, to put off sin and grow in spiritual maturity!

The word translated supplement in verse 5 means “to make available whatever is necessary to help or supply the needs of someone” (Louw-Nida) or “to provide (at one’s own expense), supply, furnish” (BDAG). Translated in context, Peter is saying by means of your faith supply virtue, by means of your virtue supply knowledge, and so on. They are building upon one another or producing one another. This is indicative of growth in a believer’s life and character!

Peter gives specific attributes or virtues that ought to define a Christian’s life.

  • Faith – in the Gospel; the foundation of a Christian’s life
  • Virtue – moral excellence; excellence of character
  • Knowledge – wisdom and discernment for a virtuous life
  • Self-control – self-disciplined; controlling one’s appetites or desires
  • Steadfastness – endurance in the face of difficulty, suffering, or evil
  • Godliness – piety towards God; awesome respect for God’s will and ways
  • Brotherly affection – love for fellow Christians
  • Love – the coordinating or uniting virtue of the list

Each one of these is important. There is significance to the list starting with faith and ending with love. These are the bookends of a Christian’s life and character. It is founded on faith, and it culminates in love – love of God and love of others.

It’s important to recognize that you don’t get to skip to the end of this list of virtues without growing in each one. So that begs the question today – How will you plan to grow in 2024?

You do plan to grow, don’t you? You’re either progressing in your walk with the Lord or you are regressing. God calls you to grow. Before we get into specifics of how we can pursue that, I want to remind us that all of this pursuit of growth is enabled by his divine power at work in us. Please do not hear me saying that you need to pick yourself up by your own bootstraps.

The Christian faith is not a works-based faith. You cannot earn your salvation. However, the Bible does hold out this tension between God’s work in saving and sanctifying us and our response to that work of constantly pursuing Him. Just as Peter has called for here, we are to make every effort, while also knowing that God is at work in us through His Holy Spirit.

So, let’s talk about practical steps for growth in 2024. As a church, we have sought to provide a number of resources (both online and in the back) to help you take the next step in your walk with God.

  • Annual Bible Reading Plan
  • Isaiah Scripture Journals
  • Men’s Bible Studies (Friday & Saturday – Isaiah studies)
  • Men’s Ministries (2024 emphasis on Biblical literacy and prayer)
  • Women’s Ministries (2024 Systematic Theology Workshops)
  • Fighter Verses bookmarks + coloring books
  • Prayer journals
  • 5-3-1 Cards
  • Witness on Weds
  • Perspectives
  • Missions’ Trip (info meeting)

This is not an exhaustive list. There are even more resources on our website. But this is already an incredible list of resources at your disposal to help you grow in your walk with God. Study of God’s Word, storing it up in your heart via memorization, faithfulness in prayer, evangelism and discipleship are going to produce the Christian virtues/character Peter spoke about! As you dig into the means of grace that God has given to us, He will do a good work in you. *pause*

Have you put any thought or effort into your 2024 growth plan? (Hold mine up for reference/put it on screen) This is a tool to help you have intentionality in the new year. Please tell me you don’t want to stay where you’re at. There is joy and excitement in KNOWING GOD and GROWING IN SPIRITUAL MATURITY! When these things are prioritized in your life, then you will be ready to handle life God’s way.

As we were reminded of even this week, there are no guarantees of what 2024 will bring into our lives. Are you ready to endure trials? Do you desire to be ready? Do you want to be used by God, no matter what comes your way? Then make every effort to grow in your faith! Do not neglect the means of grace He has given you. Take advantage of the resources the church is providing.

Beyond those individual resources, there are also our churchwide initiatives. You should have each received a copy of these on your way in. We line these up under our six pillars that were referenced earlier. I would love to have you read over these this week and prayerfully commit to doing your part to make them a reality. Let me just read one from each category:

  • Bold Preaching – Grow as a church in loving the entirety of God’s Word, developing a depth of biblical understanding, and valuing the grand redemption plan of God through a study of Isaiah
  • Passionate Worship – Take steps to have hearts and minds engaged in all the elements of the worship services (intentionality, anticipation, humility, preparedness, application)
  • Fervent Prayer – Cultivate a culture of regularly asking for prayer and eagerly praying for others
  • Courageous Evangelism – Everyone invite at least one person/family to church each quarter
  • Purposeful Discipleship – Actively participate in a small group to help one another mature in the faith
  • Compelling Community – Grow as a church family in practicing hospitality

These are achievable goals for us! But each one of us must do our part.

What will it take for you to grow in 2024? Or to put it as we did earlier… What are YOU living for in 2024? You need to ask yourself these questions. Having resources provided is not the same as spiritual growth or living for God instead of self. If you’ve taken one of these 5-3-1 cards for the past 4 years but you’ve never gotten to the point of writing names on them or actually praying for them or having intentional interactions with the people written down… that’s a breakdown preventing growth. I know that I committed to doing the FighterVerse plan last year and then I totally bailed on it early on… that hindered my growth! I’m making it my aim to get back on the saddle this year.

For some of you, growing in 2024 may mean sacrificing to go on the Dallas missions’ trip. I had the opportunity to go last year, and it was amazing! You will not regret taking a week off to go minister to refugees. In fact, you will likely find, like I did, that God ignites some desires in your heart that are aligned with his love for the nations. That growth is worth the inconvenience of rearranging your schedule for one week. I would highly encourage you to attend the informational meeting today or email missions@harvestdesmoines.org for more details. We’d like to see at least 15 people from our church go on the trip this year.

For others of you, growing in 2024 means laying aside laziness and selfishness. That you need to stop doing what you’ve always done and get outside of your comfort zone to grow! If you struggle to read the Bible, then it’s time for you to do something about that. Invite accountability into your life. Commit to a Bible reading plan with your spouse/friend/SG. If prayer is your struggle, then make a plan to grow in it this year! Utilize the resources provided to you by the church! If you fear man and are not sure how to share your faith, then join us on Witness on Wednesdays. We don’t have it all figured out, but we are seeking to be faithful to tell people in our community about Jesus and invite them to church. You will be amazed how God works as you take the next step of obedience.

Let’s go back to the text. Peter lays out the logical outcomes of pursuing growth vs. spiritual apathy in verses 8-9.

2 Peter 1:8–9 (ESV)

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

You can cultivate this way of life and these qualities to be effective and fruitful. WHAT A PROMISE! OR you can fail to grow in these qualities and reap an ineffective and unfruitful life. WHAT A WARNING! If you are a Christian, do not take for granted the salvation you’ve received and the knowledge of Jesus that has been given to you. Do not regress back into effectual spiritual blindness by your own laziness/apathy.

I am greatly concerned that any of us would become spiritually ineffective and unfruitful people. Please tell me you do not want that for your own life or for our church! Then DO YOUR PART to make sure it doesn’t come to be. Do your best, with all eagerness, to grow in spiritual maturity! And help others do the same. It is a privilege to run this race with each of you. I take that calling very seriously, as does each member of our pastor team. We are for you and want to see you growing and bearing good fruit!

Men, I want to issue a specific challenge to you. Last year we gave out copies of Family Worship by Donald Whitney on Father’s Day. Read that book if you haven’t already. It will take you 1-2 hours if you read it straight-through. You might want to stop and pray as you go. I challenge you to read it this week and then put it into practice in your home. I promise that if you do so, you will be glad you did come this time next year.

Many of you have seen the Recovering the Gospel series by Paul Washer on display in our church library. I would highly encourage you to read this trilogy this year. I believe it will guard us against spiritual laziness and reinvigorate us for the mission of making disciples!

Well, let’s wrap this sermon up, shall we?! There is one final takeaway for today in striving for the Lord in 2024:

  1. Zealously confirm your calling and election into God’s kingdom

This stems from verses 10-11, where Peter commands them to be diligent in confirming their calling and election. This is again holding out that tension of God’s sovereignty in salvation and man’s responsibility to zealously pursue Him. Commentator Douglas Moo puts it this way, “Christians must pursue spiritual maturity if they expect to be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom.” (NIVAC)

Put another way… Our fruit reveals our root. If you have no fruit of salvation (aka desire for spiritual maturity/growth) then you need to get on your knees, confess your sin, and ask Jesus to save you. That is how 2024 needs to begin for you, and you will not regret starting your year this way.

All of us need to zealously (with passionate intensity; fervor; diligence) pursue spiritual maturity because this is what honors the Lord and confirms our faith in Him. I love that Peter does not just command these things from afar without living them himself. In verses 12-15 he shares his commitment to them. He will continue to remind them of the truth and exercise the same diligence/zeal/eagerness that he is calling them to have. Up to his dying breath, his joy and delight is knowing that he and these people have faithfully followed Jesus.

May this be our desire too. May we zealously encourage one another to follow Jesus. To know and grow in Him in 2024. I pray that I would be a pastor who leads by example. May I not call you to go where I am not willing to go myself. Let’s pray and ask God for his help and favor this year.

Pray