When Patience Becomes Your Best Friend by Brother Duke Hansen

          This morning let us turn to 2 Peter chapter 1. We will read starting in verse 1.

        1. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:

        2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

        3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

    4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

       5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

        6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

        7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

        8 For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

        9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

    10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

      11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

        The middle of verse 10 is something that all christians desire in their walk. That their calling and election be sure. Calling and election are terms for God's chosen. The terms are identical. In this walk, there is assurance in Jesus where you cannot find it in the world. If you do not follow and grow your walk in Jesus, you are going to move off the path into a ditch. There are many professed christians walking on the shoulder of the path, one foot in a ditch, or they are stuck in the mire wondering aloud how they got there. You see them, I see them. They may be unable to see it themselves. Peter was sure footed in the gospel, taking care of the church in Jerusalem with James. James was the half brother of Jesus. At the writing of this letter both men were dealing with false teaching within their church. The letters were not written in how to get born again or receiving salvation. The letters were instructions in how to live in Christ.

        Focus on verse 4. "having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." Many believers will walk around thinking they are grown in the spirit when they are immature in the spirit. In the best of days when things are going your way and your profiting physically and spiritually, life can still seem like a grind where you can barely get the minimum of things done. On the other end of this scenario, when things are not going your way, there is no gain, and help feels more like hinderance, life can get overwhelming.

        In verse 3, Peter will focus on for the next several verses.

1 Life

2 Godliness

3 Knowledge of GOD

        When the scripture talks about virtue, it is talking about holiness, which builds your spirit man. Just because you get the Holy Spirit doesn't mean you are spiritual! You can be chosen and called by God but it does not mean that he is happy with you. You have to strive  for the straight gate. "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of GOD." Grace is not the same as mercy. A lot of people get these two confused. Grace is the time to get your house in order and clean up your life. When Judgement Day comes, grace and mercy are not going to be there. They are here in this current dispensation.

        We have connection with the many promises God has given in scripture. When we receive a promise from God and stand on it, we feel that divine power that gets us up from things that would normally keep us down. Forgiveness is part of divine nature. Promises lead to divine nature. Grace and peace are not stamps of approval for an unholy life here on earth because you profess it.

        Peter writes the letter to those who have already obtained the faith. If we partake of his divine promise, putting on Jesus divine nature, you can escape the corruption of your lust, Add to your faith virtue. People, even those in the world know and understand faith. How do we get virtue? What is virtue? Virtue is moral standards. There are several moral standards you can exercise daily. In practicing moral duties, you will never stop your flesh nature from giving in and taking in pleasures. If you do not have that virtue that moral standard you could become like those whom Jesus speaks of in Matthew chapter 7 verses 21-23;

        21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

      22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many works?

        23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

        Knowledge is growing in understanding, but GOD desires faith without the knowledge. Let's look at how this progresses.

Faith---> Knowledge---> Temperance

        Your anger is always centered from within because we are inherently selfish people. Temperance is ultimately discipline and self control. The word of God is your rock and the source of your knowledge. Anger is tied to the tongue, which as the book of James chapter 3 is the smallest yet most unruly member. After self control you get patience and patience becomes your best friend.

        There are many examples of patience being your best friend. 1 Kings 17: 8-23. The account of Elijah and the widow in Zarephath. In this story, the widow displays faith, virtue, and knowledge but she had not obtained temperance when her son had passed. When you are going through things and God is applying pressure on you, or places you in a valley as a way for you to draw closer to him, this is the season where you need to exercise patience. Think of an engine. It is a model of patience. When you open your vehicle's hood, you see just something still on the outside, but inside there are moving parts, sustained combustible explosions, a controlled chaos on the inside.

        Once you learn something, there is no way you can unlearn it. Embracing patience is where God wants us to be. Patience will lead to godliness which is a reflection God on earth. Godliness leads to brotherly kindness or loving one another. Charity or love is the greatest of these things as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13. It is the last thing on the list to obtain. This is designed for specific reasons because one leads into another. You cannot say you are able to get temperance without a moral compass. 

        We are to abound in life. In your lowest, at your weakest, God is there for you, walking beside you through that moment. You currently could be in a season of rest, feeling that grace and mercy. Plan ahead. There are levels to holiness, wickedness, and blindness. The worst thing you can ever do in your walk is to think that you arrived. If you add all that is listed in 2 Peter 1:1-11 and stay on it, you are where Jesus wants you to be. Blindness can apply to every part to your walk which will route back to anger. Fortify your house. Add to your protection. Say no to your flesh, to the world, and constantly seek his face.

 

    Faith---> Virtue---> Knowledge---> Temperance---> Patience---> Godliness----> Brotherly Kindness---> Charity (love)