Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
September 30, 2001 P.M.
Growth Of Shepherd Leaders - By Not Being Ourselves
Reading - 2 Peter 1.3-11
We end our leadership series tonight with a lesson on Spiritual Maturity of Leadership.
It is a lesson that can be applied to each of us as children of God.
Perhaps one of the saddest things in the church today is stagnant leadership.
-Preachers who are no longer studying in preparation for their sermons.
-Elders who are satisfied with where they are spiritually.
-Deacons who are no longer searching for ways to live up to their name as servants and ministers.
-Bible teachers who think they already know enough and are no longer into the Word.
-Church members who are satisfied with their own righteousness.
In our text... Peter maintains that our Christianity, our religion, is an ongoing process.
It is a matter of addition... Even multiplication.
Peter says... Not only are we to add these virtues... These Christian graces... But we are to abound in them in an ever-increasing measure.
You see... Christianity is not just a doctrine to be embraced... Facts to be accepted.
Paul said... It is life to be lived... A race to run... A fight to fight... A course to finish... A faith to keep.
Jesus says in Revelation 3.16... Standing still... Holding our own... Being mediocre and living as lukewarm church leaders is sickening to Him.
We must be diligent to add to our Faith... Knowledge... Temperance... Patience... Godliness... Brotherly Kindness... and Love.
The Greek word translated diligent in our K.J. and make every effort in the NIV is spoo-dayÕ.
It carries the connotation of speed... haste. This word carries with it the idea of urgency.
It appears 12 times in the Greek New Testament... Our King James translates this word Diligent... Haste... Business... Earnest.
Peter is saying... Do your best... Be eager... Make it your business... To move forward in your spiritual growth... By making these changes in your lives.
God wants us to add and multiply these Christian graces in our lives. And He wants us to do it today... He wants us to have an urgency about our Christian maturity. I believe the Bible to teach that a church leader who is not striving to grow in the graces is not qualified for that leadership role.
Spiritual maturity is a discipline... Making those changes that are necessary to bring us into the image the likeness of Jesus.
Folk... Christianity demands that we become a changed people and person.
Scripture tells us we are to be... A peculiar... Set apart people... A royal priesthood... A holy nation.
Oscar Wild once said... The worst advice we can give a Christian is to just be yourself.
Paul says... NO!!... I am no longer myself... But I am Jesus living in me.
Well... Peter is going to help us to know how... To not just be ourselves...
But be shepherd leaders... By becoming more like the Good Shepherd.
Add to your faith.
I fear what we have done is relegated faith to just one step out of five in the plan of salvation. Faith is much more than that... Faith is the foundation for our relationship with God... For our daily walk... And for our maturing.
The Hebrews writer says... Without faith it is impossible to please God.
So then... Everything we add must be supported by our faith. You see... without faith... the rest of these spiritual attributes are useless.
I know people, and you do to, that have built a great life for Christ... But it became top heavy, fell apart, because there was an inadequate foundation... An inadequate faith.
Faith is not just a belief that God created the world.... That the flood was universal. It is not just accepting the virgin birth and the Gospel narrative as fact.
-Faith is a confidence... A trust in God and His promises through His word.
-Faith is leaning on God.
-Faith is knowing that God is working in our lives to bring about His purpose and our benefit.
Why is it that we can see, appreciate and talk about God bringing about His purposes and working to the benefit of Bible greats... Yet we can’t see Him working in us?
Church leadership must be made up of men who have faith and who believe that God is alive and well and that He is working in us... through us... to accomplish His purpose.
Peter says... Add to your faith virtue.
I think we will all agree that VIRTUE here means MORAL EXCELLENCE.
And that moral excellence is something that every church leader must be concerned about in his or her own life... I want to talk about virtue in two ways...
First... Moral excellence as it relates to pure living.
In Galatians chapter five... Paul contrasts moral excellence and moral decadence.
-Moral decadence is giving in to the desires of the flesh... our human... flesh nature.
-Moral excellence is living as Spirit-led people.
You notice that contrast as we read... So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful, flesh nature. For the flesh nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.... Now acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is... (HERE IS THE CONTRAST)... But the fruit of the Spirit, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control... Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful flesh nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Paul tells us in Romans 8.14... Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
So... On the other hand, those who are flesh-led are something other than sons of God... RIGHT?
In Romans 6 Paul says... We belong to, we are the children... the instrument of the one we serve.
-Instruments of Satan..
-Or Instruments of Righteousness.
We must all admit that we struggle here with some of these flesh-nature things... AGREED?
But when you put Paul and Peter together... We find that God expects each of us to grow and mature in this area of Moral Excellence.
Secondly... Virtue is moral excellence as it relates to Goodness.
I don’t know any better way to speak of goodness tonight than to point to Jesus.
Luke says in Acts 10.38... He went about doing good.
This is to be my life and yours. Some of the rudest... meanest... most inconsiderate people I know are church leaders. Isn’t that sad?... God help us to walk as Jesus walked.
God help each of us to ADD TO OUR FAITH... GOODNESS.
Now on a practical basis, are we like Jesus?... Did we go about doing any good last week???
-Did we take time for children?
-Did we visit the sick?
-Did we take food to the hungry?
-Did we do anything for the poor?
-Did we mourn with those who were mourning?
-Did we encourage the downtrodden and discouraged?
-Did we teach anybody?
-Did we expend ourselves in service to others or did we just do what we wanted to do?
Sobering questions... RIGHT?... Add to you faith virtue... GOODNESS!
Thirdly,... Peter says add to your virtue knowledge.
Spiritual maturity is staying in the Word.
Church... The word of God will change the world.
I can’t... You can’t... This church can’t... Our brotherhood can’t... We don’t have the power.
The power to change the world today is in the word of God.
Israel’s returning remanent made some great changes in their lives under Nehemiah, AFTER they heard again the Law read by Ezra at the water-gate assembly in Nehemiah 8.
And I believe great changes will occur in our churches and in our personal lives when the word of God returns:
-To our pulpits...
-To our church Bible classes...
-And to the hearts of church leaders... men and women... boys and girls.
I have a saying about preaching and teaching, which contends that no genuine preaching or teaching has taken place until one of three things has happened.
-Some new knowledge has been imparted.
-Our faith has been strengthened.
-I have been challenged to live a better life.
If you preach... If you are an Elder or Bible teacher... Write these three things down and incorporate one or more in every class you teach... Every lesson plan you outline.
It is time that we stop assembling in Bible classes just to express our opinion about something... Let’s study the Word... Teachers be prepared to teach... Students be prepared to study.
Did you notice that Peter placed moral excellence before knowledge?
Why do you suppose he did that? I believe it is because people are watching us more than they are listening to us. The most powerful sermons preached are not from the pulpit... But from our daily walk as leaders before our families, the church, our neighbors and friends.
Add to your faith... Temperance.
Most modern speech translations render this self-control.
The Greek carries with it the idea of living under trials and testing in such a manner that will honor and glorify God.
Nothing is more disturbing as Elders... Preachers... Deacons... Teachers... Christian men and women who are suppose to have...
-An abiding faith...
-Confidence...
-And trust in God...
To ring their hands saying... What am I gonna do?
You know I can stand to see anybody cry... But my mom and dad... Folk... That unnerves me something terribly. They are the ones I have looked to for strength for 60 years... And to see them in tears is unsettling.
It is unsettling to our families, friends and neighbors, to see a church leader waver in his or her faith... trust... and confidence in God.
Temperance also encompasses discipline.
Discipline is not a very popular word today. But church... Without it there can be no maturity in Christ. Paul Faulkner was right when he said... We must grab our wanter by our willer and discipline ourselves into becoming the people and person God has called us to be.
Patience.
Patience is perseverance.
John wrote that grand book of Revelation to say... We win... the Christian will be victorious.
Nothing ... NO THING... Not death... Not hell... Not the grave... Can rob us of the victory in Jesus... If we will but KEEP ON KEEPING ON... So don’t give up.
The book of Hebrews was written for the purpose of encouraging the Jewish church to not give up on Christianity... To not allow themselves to slip back into the inferior ranks of Judaism.
The writer is trying to convince them that they will receive the reward... IF... IF... They do not give up... but PERSEVERE.
Listen to what he says in chapter 10... Beginning with verse 32.. Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
The Hebrews writer warns us about Quitting... Giving up... Backsliding... Falling from Grace.
Scripture demands perseverance... Not shrinking back and being lost.
To your patience add Godliness.
The focus of our world is on doing... on performance.
We want to hire preachers that will do... Organize elaborate programs.
We select Elders on the basis of their business expertise... Saying they’ll get something done.
Teachers are driven to perform.
Members are asked... Encouraged to do more... And more... And more.
As a result... We have a brotherhood that is frustrated because we can’t seem to do enough.
We have robbed ourselves of our Christian security by this focus on doing... On trying to merit our salvation.
We must know tonight that the focus of the New Testament is not on doing... But on becoming.
-Becoming more like Jesus.
-Having the heart, the mind of Jesus.
Paul in Philippians says... Let this mind be in you that was in Christ.
Have you noticed how many of the qualifications for Elders that we have talked about are about being... more than doing?
I’ll tell you when we will do enough... When we have the heart of Jesus.
-Performance without conviction is a farce.
-Works without faith is hypocrisy.
Paul put it in these words... Whatever you do in word or deed... Do all in within the will of God... In the name of the Lord.
Add brotherly love... or kindness.
Blood is thicker than water... His blood!!..
We as Christian people are brothers... We are Blood kin.
We have been bought with a price... Purchased by the blood of Jesus.
It is amazing sometimes how we Gossip... Carp... Bite... and Devour one another.
This is no way for us to behave... IS IT?
Rather, we are to be kind one to another in brotherly love.
I look forward to the day when Elders will come before their flocks and say... We do not want to hear gossip... backbiting and criticism of others in the church family... And we encourage you not to be involved in such among yourselves.
Folk... Such behavior is out-of-place in the family of God.
Paul says... In love... be devoted to one another... preferring one another.
Hey... Sometimes this means that we just must overlook the shortcomings and personality faults of one another... RIGHT?
Folk... This is spiritual maturity. God help us to be more diligent in adding brotherly love to our daily walk. Jesus said... The world will know you are mine, when you love the brethren.
Truth is, our eternal salvation is wrapped up in how we love one another.
Listen to these verses from first John...
-This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
-If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
-God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him. Love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence in the day of judgment.
Before we leave this point, I want to say that brotherly love, brotherly kindness is not a feeling... but an action.
-We are to bear one another’s burdens.
-We are to encourage, lift up and edify one another.
-We are to prefer one another.
-We are to submit to one another.
-We are to rejoice and mourn with one another.
-We are not to be a stumbling block to one another.
-We are to be tender and compassionate with one another.
-We are to consider others better than ourselves.
-We are to look out for the interest of one another.
Then finally... Add to your brotherly kindness agape love.
Agape is... A love of the will... A love of others regardless of what others think or do to us... Agape is a love of discipline.
Church... It is not easy... but it is a sign of our spiritual maturity... To love the unlovely. Our religion must be filled with it.
-Preachers must Agape to preach the truth in love... Even to those who do not accept it.
-Elders must love... Agape to... Care for... Protect... Discipline... and Guide us as a flock.
-Deacons must Agape people... They are to always be... Serving others... Washing feet... Even when some do not deserve it.
-Bible teachers are to love their students... Even those who misbehave and are inattentive.
-People of the pew are to love one another in spite of their shortcomings.
There is no doubt that our Spiritual maturity is best seen in how we love... How we Agape one another.
Well Peter concludes by saying... He that lacks these things is blind and cannot see. He is immature and has forgotten that he was once cleansed from his past sins. Therefore brethren, give all diligence, be eager to make your calling and election sure.. HOW? For if you add these things, you will never fall and you will receive the reward, an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our savior Jesus Christ.
Did you notice what Peter says are the rewards of spiritual maturity?
-We will be fruitful.
-We will know the forgiveness of our sins.
-We will know the assurance of our salvation... Our rightness with God.
-We will be ushered into that eternal abode with God, Christ, and the saved of all ages.
That’s what I want... How about you?
Question... Are you a Christian... A child of God?... You can become one tonight by faith, repentance and baptism.... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins.
Perhaps you are a Christian... But you have stopped growing and need to rededicate your life to this Biblical task... Tonight is a good time to do just this.
Maybe you are a child of God and you would like to join this church family by placing your soul under the guidance, care and discipline of our godly Elders... We welcome you.
Maybe... You just need the prayers of the church to help you grow in some of these areas.
The invitation is yours... Come to Jesus as we stand and sing... Will you come??
