Today
I heard a sermon by Bill Williams from all the way back in May of 2007 that is
one of my all time favorite sermons. I saved it all those years ago and listen to
it no less than once a year. I really
love it and had to share. If you'd like to hear this sermon it can be found HERE. (Really you should go listen first, my notes below don't hold a candle to hearing his lesson for yourself.)
The topic is around 2 Peter 1:1-11. He has a way of putting perspective on it that is just so easy and clear to understand. He references so many scriptures and pulls them all together so well.
The lesson is all about how some seeds
(seed beeing someone trying to grow in the word of God)
can land on good ground, but thorns
(thorns being the cares of this world)
can grow up around the seed and choked it out.
He highlights 2 Peter 1 as a step by step direction on how we can weed our lives each day of the sin and cares of this world. But if left as they are can get deeply rooted, out of hand, unmanageable, and will choke out our spiritual well being.
I love how he lets us know that everyone falls victim to these little things and none of us are perfect.
There are tons of different scripture he references, but this is the paragraph of scripture he focus's on: The number/bullet points are an add in of my own to help simplify it (for my own simple mind).
2 Peter 1:4-11
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith…
- supply moral excellence
- and in your moral excellence, knowledge
- and in your knowledge, self-control
- and in your self-control, perseverance
- and in your perseverance, godliness
- and in your godliness, brotherly kindness
- and in your brotherly kindness, love
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)
