“Make Every Effort” – a message from 2 Peter 1, verses 5-11, by Lisa Sinclair

This past weekend at Eastbrook, we continued our preaching series entitled “Growing in Faith: Exploring 2 Peter.” This weekend, Dr. Lisa Sinclair preached this third message of the series entitled “Make Every Effort” from 2 Peter 1:5-11.

You can find the message outline and video below. You can access the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

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“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…” (2 Peter 1:4a)

Background of the passage: A review

1. A farewell discourse
2. Feed my sheep Jn 21:15-17
3. Stay on course

Motivation for ethical behavior: For this very reason… (vv 1-4, 5a, 8, 10-11)

1. Past: God’s great and precious promises
2. Present: God’s power enables us to be useful and fruitful
3. Future: God’s judgment and eternal life

Qualities to add to faith 

1. Goodness                                 
2. Knowledge
3. Self-control
4. Perseverance
5. Godliness
6. Brotherly kindness
7. LOVE

Our Purpose: A fruitful and useful life in Christ 

1. We risk becoming ineffective and unproductive
2. We are forgetful
3. We are vulnerable to stumbling
4. God has chosen and called us
5. A rich welcome into eternal life awaits us

Practical helps

1. Daily prayer
2. Bible reading and study
3. Community

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Dig Deeper

This week dig deeper in one or more of the following ways:

• Memorize the qualities that Peter prioritizes in 2 Pt. 1:5-8.
• We learn how to grow in faith through Scripture. It takes consistent effort to read and study the Bible. Henrietta Mears’ classic book, What the Bible is All About, can be a big help.
• If you are stuck in the “steps” of adding to your faith, consider participating in Living Waters. 
• How are you doing in these areas that Peter considers so important? Mark yourself on the scale below. Ask God which quality you should work on and what action(s) you need to take. Ask Him to help you.

Quality	Weak	Strong	Action(s) to Take
Goodness
Knowledge
Self-control
Perseverance
Godliness
Brotherly kindness
Love