The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at our West U Baptist campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.

Did you know that February 1 is the day where the vast majority of us call it quits and break up?

We just had Valentine’s day this past week – the day we celebrate love and romance. But February 1 is a day for quitting and breaking up…with our New Years Resolutions.

Have you broken up with your New Years Resolutions yet?

A recent study of 2000 people discovered that it takes the average American 32 days to quit the new habits they have tried to form since the new year.

Ironically, this might be the reason these people are called AVERAGE.

But quitting our resolutions doesn’t remove the desire in our lives to grow.

Quote: As a matter of fact, Grandview Research published a report on the gross revenue of the personal growth and development genre of products and services. Notice the size and scope of this business. Their report states:

The global personal development market size was valued at USD 41.81 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2022 to 2030. The growing emphasis on acquiring new skills, such as social skills and decision-making skills, for self-improvement, personal development, and gaining self-recognition is a major factor expected to drive the market growth over the forecast period.

Personal and professional growth is vital.

Brian Tracy, self-development author and leadership development expert says…”Continuous personal and professional development is your key to the future.”

There is so much truth in this…but I believe it falls short…at least it does for the follower of Jesus Christ.

Today, we are going to hear from A Call to Grow from the Apostle Peter. And then for the following three weeks, we will dive deeper into the facets of this call to growth in our relationship with Jesus Christ, believing this is key to our flourishing as disciples.

Let’s look at our text we will be studying for the next month as we hear and heed this call to grow in Christ.

2 Peter 1:1-11

¹ 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.

As we begin to unpack this portion I want you to see Peter’s goal for his hearers. Notice his stated goal from the outset.

2 Peter 1:8,10

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. 

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 

Peter’s goal for us as we study this is that we would be fruitful and effective in the kingdom, and that we would not fall.

Pastor Gregg Matte at Houston’s First Baptist Church is a dear friend to me. He and I played little league baseball together. Gregg is a great Bible teacher and pastor. He is a godly man and God is using him profoundly in our city and beyond.

I remember Gregg making a point one time where he talked about walking scared. He didn’t want to fall…but instead, he wanted to be faithful. To be faithful, he determined we needed to walk scared…scared that we might fall to temptation…scared that we might devastate those we love….scared that we might become a statistic.

So, let’s look at this journey of growth we are invited to. Today, we will look at it from a high-level, and then weeks 2-4, will dig much deeper into these qualities we are called to add to our lives.

Here is my outline that I want to share with you today.

When it comes to your growth in your relationship with Jesus:

1. You already possess all you need.
2. You have to cultivate it.
3. You will benefit from it.

It’s really simple. But it takes great intentionality. Let’s look at this first one.

When it comes to your growth in your relationship with Jesus…

I. You already possess all you need.

Have you ever bought a diet plan promising you rapid weight loss?

The marketing message says, “This new diet, recovered from the Himalayan, region, possesses ancient herbs that will unlock your weight loss.”

And we are so desperate for weightloss…we call the 1-800 number…because it’s a limited time offer to get this limited supply of this special herb.

But the truth is, these people are charlatans. And so you end up disappointed, having been deceived into believing that all you have to do is take a special herb from the Himalayas.

Many of the TV preachers you might watch may say the same thing…something like:

“I have been given a special revelation from God just for you…but you must give us some money to our ministry and I’ll then send you access to this special message that God gave me for you!”

These are wolves and predators.

Notice what Peter says to you and me in verse 3 and following.

2 Peter 1:3-4

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. 

Q: What does Peter say to you and me?

A: You already possess all you need.

He says it in a lot more words, but that’s the essence of what we just read.

Now let’s break it down a bit. Look at the two parts of verse 3.

2 Peter 1:3

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…

What does the first part of this verse say?

It says, “you have been granted all things that pertain to life and godliness…” You already have access to it. Nothing has been withheld from you.

Q: And how has that access been granted to us?

A: It’s granted to us through His divine power…

And how do we experience that divine power?

We experience that divine power through coming to know Jesus…as he says here, “…through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” In other words, when someone shared the gospel with us and we learned about the love and forgiveness available to us in a relationship with Jesus Christ…when we believed, we were given all that we needed.

• When we were saved…
• when we were born again…
• we were granted all that we needed for life and godliness.

So, stay with me here…Jesus’ divine power has given us all that we need for life and godliness as we respond to his invitation to know him and walk with him.

Now, look at verse 4.

2 Peter 1:4

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…

It’s in knowing Jesus that we are granted the precious and great promises of gifts that enable all of our growth…these gifts enables us to become partakers of the divine nature.

Do you know these gifts Peter is speaking of?

Let me share with you a few of these precious promises:

Promise 1: A New Covenant – Do you remember the promise of a new covenant written on our hearts?

Jeremiah 31:33

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.

Promise 2: The Holy Scriptures

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Promise 3: The Promise of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-17

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

These are precious promises…a new covenant available to us in Jesus Christ…the Word of God that reveals us the truth of God, and the gift of the Holy Spirit who will write this covenant upon our hearts.

Now, notice what happens when you are born again… Notice what happens when you are saved….when you believe the good news of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:13-14

¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,  to the praise of his glory.

Q: What happens when you are born again? What happens when you give your life to Jesus when you respond to His gospel?

A: You are Sealed by the Holy Spirit…who is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance.

You are marked by the very Spirit of God…you are born by the Spirit…you are given a new nature and a new name…a new identity…and a new song.

That’s why Peter can say you have been granted all things that pertain to life and godliness.

When you were saved, you were given the Holy Spirit who will teach you, guide you, and lead you into the truth.

Warren Wiersbe says…”When the sinner believes on Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to impart the life and nature of God within. A baby shares the nature of its parents, and a person born of God shares the divine nature of God. The lost sinner is dead, but the Christian is alive because he shares the divine nature. The lost sinner is decaying because of his corrupt nature, but the Christian can experience a dynamic life of godliness because he has God’s divine nature within. Mankind is under the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8:21), but the believer shares the freedom and growth that is a part of possessing the divine nature.”

Oh, it is so good to know that I have access to all that I need to be who God has called and created me to be!

Now, let’s see what’s next.

When it comes to your growth in your relationship with Jesus:

II. You have to cultivate it.

There are two distinct ways we have the opportunity to grow through our lives…through adversity and opportunity.

Adversity brings us the opportunity to grow…to move and change. Life happens to us, and we are moved along through adverse situations and circumstances.

Now, some of us run from the adversity…we run away and allow it to take us off course.

Or we let it sideline us.

You know, that’s the difference between the cow and the buffalo.

When a storm is on the horizon, the cow lays down. Many believe the cow lays down so that it will have a dry chunk of grass to eat after the storm passes. Others say that the cow’s stomach is extra-sensitive to atmospheric pressure changes, so it has to lay down, lest it get really sick.  And my friend, when the storms are coming, and on the horizon, you can choose to be a cow and sit down…and try to keep a patch of grass dry for your meal after the storm passes.

Or, you can be a Buffalo.  The Buffalo has a different mind-set. The buffalo doesn’t lie down in the storm, nor does he retreat to simply cover grass. No, the Buffalo runs head on into the storm. The Buffalo has one goal…get to the other side and do so as fast as possible.

My friends, when you are running toward the storm, it creates growth.

Opportunity does the same…Doors open and we have a choice – to step in and see where it leads, or simply say no, and keep things under our control.

But notice, I said these two ways are opportunities to grow.  As I said a moment ago, there is also a mindset that is required.

For you to ensure growth in either adversity or opportunity, we must view life as a University. It’s a lab or learning and instruction…but it’s only this way if we have a GROWTH-MINDSET.

You see, our tendency is to comfort and a fixed mindset.  With a fixed mindset, we fear change and refuse to change. Our energy tends to be spent on fighting to keep what we once had.

But a growth mindset understands that to grow, we have to change…move…and do it more than once.

Notice the responsibility we are given to ensure our own spiritual growth.

2 Peter 1:5-7

 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.

Notice the phrase, “make every effort.” That phrase means to bring to bear with fervor and eagerness.

Peter is saying, add to your faith in Christ:

• Excellence or virtue
• Knowledge
• Self-control
• Steadfastness
• Godliness
• Brotherly affection
• Love

Beyond your saving faith…Bring to BEAR With a FERVOR EFFORT the cultivation of these qualities.

Now, we will be unpacking these as the weeks flow through this series, so I won’t stop to address them now. But we will be diving deep into each of these so we can understand how we are called to grow.

But before we move on, let me ask you to evaluate your mind-set? Do you have a growth mindset? Do you charge toward change or run from it?

Be a Buffalo!

The first part of verse 8 challenges us.

Notice what it says.

2 Peter 1:8a

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing…

My friends, do you see it? We have to pursue with fervor and keep pursuing this growth. We have never arrived. We are to always be growing.

You may say, “Well, I’m not motivated.” Or, “I just don’t know what else I should do.”

Ok, let me ask you?

1. Are you in a Community Group? Here you get the honor and privilege of growing with others.
2. Do you need discipleship? We can help connect you into a small gathering where you can ask questions and go deeper.
3. Are you a little disenfranchised with the church or with the pastor? It happens. I get disenfranchised with me…I’m sure our staff does to. But don’t let those things keep you from pursuing depth, meaning, spiritual fitness or readiness for the day and time for which we live.

Let these qualities be yours and let them be increasing…

Alright, let’s look ask a simple question here:

Q: Why? Why should I let these qualities be increasing? Why should I pursue spiritual growth?

A: Our answer is the third point of what I want to share with you.

When it comes to your growth in your relationship with Jesus:

III. You will benefit from it.

At some level, we do what we do because of what we will derive from it.

Notice verses 8-11.

2 Peter 1:8-11

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.

Remember, we are asking the question, “Why pursue growth?” And the answer is very simple…because of the benefits it will bring to you.

Here they are in list form:

The Benefits of Spiritual Growth

1. You will be effective and fruitful in life.
2. You will see clearly.
3. You won’t fall.
4. You will have an assurance of your salvation and inheritance into our Lord’s eternal kingdom.

Let me spend a moment unpacking these.

1. You will be effective and fruitful in life. Why? Because you are increasing in Christlikeness. And Christlikeness if beneficial to all things.

1 Timothy 4:8

“…for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Godliness…Christlikeness, is of value in every way.

• It will make your work life better.
• It will improve your marriage.
• You will be a better parent.
• You will be a better son or daughter.
• You will be a better friend or neighbor.
• You will be a better student.
• Athlete
• Employee or Employer.
• The more like Jesus you are, the better your life.

The great pastor and theologian, John Stott, said in his final sermon:

2. You will see clearly. There is nothing worse than being limited in our sight. I hate having to wear readers. I hit 45 or 46 years of age, and I had to get readers. And now, I have to carry them with me where ever I go. I hate having them, but I hate not being able to read worse.

Peter is saying, “When we fail to pursue growth in Christ, we lose sight of the work He did for us on the cross.”

One writer says…“…believers who fail to grow in Christ have their thinking handicapped in a way similar to nearsightedness…This is a self-imposed visual limit, for this believer has shut eyes—his mind—to further knowledge of the light that comes form Christ’s life and grace.”[1]

[1] Robert Harvey and Philip Towner, 2 Peter & Jude, p. 47

3. You won’t fall.

Think about this for a moment. Peter knew the pain, shame, and disappointment of falling, didn’t he? Remember how he denied Jesus?

We don’t want to deny Jesus.

We don’t want to deny our families.

We don’t want to deny our marriages.

Instead, we want to be found faithful.

Peter doesn’t want other brothers and sisters to fall like he had. Instead, he wants us to have confidence before the Lord.

Which is the fourth benefit.

4. You will have an assurance of your salvation and inheritance into our Lord’s eternal kingdom.

Your pursuit of your on-going growth produces an under-girding strength.

Just like training physically, provides you a strength, shape, and conditioning, training spiritually does the same for you.

The simple question is:

Do you want these benefits?

And if so, are you willing to put in the work to add to your faith these virtues?

We will study these more in the days to come, and this evening, you will receive an email with additional growth resources… Your Community Group may or may not be going through this over the next four weeks, but we want everyone to have access to this opportunity to grow.

So, I’ve recorded four simple teaching sessions. And then we have provided a digital curriculum as well that you can download and print out if you like.

Let me give you a few steps of growth to consider:

• Take Christ as your Savior…take an initial step.
• Opportunity to join the church…Take a next step of growth.
• Get Baptized as a believer…take a next step of growth.
• Join a Community Group…come to welcome desk.
• Start a Community Group…we can help you group up.
• Serve in our Prayer Ministry…come join others praying for God’s Spirit to move in our worship services.
• Surrender to the call to the mission field…has God placed a nation or people group in your heart you are to serve?
• Surrender to preach the gospel…Has he called you to pastoral ministry…in the church?

We would love to visit with you about any of these steps on your journey with Jesus.