Make Your Calling & Election Sure
The sermon emphasizes the importance of making one's calling and election sure through a pure heart and the cultivation of Christian virtues.
Joshua Daniel preaches on the importance of making our calling and election sure, emphasizing the need for certainty in our faith. He highlights the significance of a pure heart as the foundation for assurance and unity with God's Spirit. Peter's advice is to continually test our faith and ensure we are walking in grace, reflecting the likeness of Jesus. Adding virtues like knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, and brotherly kindness will lead to a fruitful ministry and alignment with God's perfect plan.
Text
2 Peter 1:10
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" Peter is advising the people in the Church of his time, to make their election and calling sure. Certainty in religion is great gain. Vague, uncertain and shaky faith is of no help. The Holy Spirit gives us deep assurance. A pure heart will be the seat of a pure spirit. Then there will be unity between our spirit and God's Spirit. When the heart is pure, we get this assurance and certainty in our faith. This assurance must be tested from time to time. You must see if you have fallen from grace. If not, the gracious likeness of Jesus will be found in you.
When your heart is pure, you have a clear vision. Add to your faith virtue. Faith, if it is faith, will add virtue to it. You have to add knowledge to virtue. Knowledge is always power. Virtue should be supported by knowledge from the Word. Temperance is a necessary quality. Our faith should lead us to temperance. Temperance in everything--in eating, in drinking, in sleeping and in talking, is necessary. In our love of relatives and friends also there should be God-directed temperance. There is no limit to God's grace that will be given to you, if you follow these things. We must ask God for patience. A man who is silent and does not talk much will do very few mistakes. To patience must be added godliness. Rising early to spend time with God, singing and praising God and gathering for fasting and prayer are all godliness. To godliness must be added brotherly kindness. Very often we are kind, but that is not having love. Love brings out the divine nature in you. If these things abound in you, you will not be unfruitful in your ministry. If we keep ourselves pure and exercise ourselves to get these virtues we will never fail. There is so much to do after conversion. Our one goal is to attain to the perfect plan of God! Keep your heart pure with all diligence, for our of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23.
Peter was privileged to see the reality of Jesus Christ. He speaks of "the Day Star". Clear light will shine on your path. Your election and calling will be made clear and more clear. Give all diligence to these things.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Understanding the Importance of Assurance
- The Role of the Holy Spirit in Assurance
- Testing Our Assurance
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II
- The Necessity of a Pure Heart
- Adding Virtue to Faith
- The Power of Knowledge
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III
- The Importance of Temperance
- Cultivating Patience
- Practicing Godliness
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IV
- The Call to Brotherly Kindness
- The Role of Love in Ministry
- The Assurance of Fruitfulness
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V
- The Pursuit of God's Perfect Plan
- Keeping the Heart Pure
- The Light of Christ in Our Lives
Key Quotes
“Certainty in religion is great gain.” — Joshua Daniel
“Keep your heart pure with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” — Joshua Daniel
“If these things abound in you, you will not be unfruitful in your ministry.” — Joshua Daniel
Application Points
- Regularly assess your faith and ensure it is rooted in a pure heart.
- Practice temperance in all areas of life to reflect your faith effectively.
- Engage in acts of brotherly kindness to strengthen your community and ministry.