2011-01-09
2 Peter - The Pinnacle of Peter's List
Steve Lane

A. Review
Godliness: To please God, to be Christlike in character and love, obedient, with God's purposes and desires, to live a Godward life, a devotion to the person of God, gives others a taste of God
Ministry and service in the development of godliness
Ephesians 5: 1 "Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children and alive a live a life of love.
Ministry is when you have a burden for a group of people or individuals which leads to action.
Paul gives us a flavor of the nature of ministry in Colossians 1: 24. I till cost you
What is your ministry? A conversation about your ministry.
2 Thessalonians 1: 11 - 12 Now may 2011 be the time for a more outward response to the call

B. The Pinnacle of Peter's List
A list building up to godliness and a list of what it takes to be effective and productive
As great as this list is, without today it is incomplete
What drives the growth and the vision and ministry action we take?
Peter has stressed love previously:
1 Peter 1: 22 - 23
1 Peter 2: 17
1 Peter 3: 8
1 Peter 4: 7 - 8
2 Peter 1: 3 - 8
Brotherly love of phileo and agape, more of a committed love that flows from God Himself
1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 7
You can do the greatest ministry, but if you miss the peak you gain nothing!
1 John 4: 7 - 20
This love flows only from God, who is love, and who reaches out to the world
1 John 3: 16; John 3: 16 - 18
Jesus was on a rescue mission, not a condemnation mission
2 Corinthians 5
For the love of Christ compels me to go on this rescue mission
For the body to be what the body is called to be, and do what the body is called to do
We must have warm affection and deeply committed love for one another
And, we must love the lost, or we will never do what it takes

C. A Little Application - Loving the Brethren

1 Peter 4: 8
Above all, love one another deeply.
The example in Paul's life of the heart-to-heart relationships
Fervently loving one another produces fertile soil for spiritual growth.
Like a target with ever smaller circles with a person's heart at the center... as we move toward another person, we will run into barriers—things we find offensive, or even legitimate issues
God's love for us obliterated all of these to get to our heart. He loves us in spite of our sin
Is anyone speaking the words of God into your life?
A critical spirit denies us this joy of loving one another
These are the relationships you see between Peter and John, or Paul and Timothy and Silas

D. Open Hearts, Open Homes (Hospitality)

There is a deeper purpose than just to have friends—foundational to what we are called to

E. Love for the Lost

John 3: 16
Ephesians 5: 1
John 20: 21
Why did He do it?
Why are you doing what you are doing?

F. How Can We do This?

God is love.

Love for God:
John 14: 31
2 Corinthians 5: 14
Romans 5: 5 - 6
John 7: 38

Knowledge of God; no growing agape without epignosis
Romans 5: 1 We have everything we need&mdsah;His love poured out, into our hearts
You must be feeding your soul on manna from heaven. Get aligned with Him