All diligence

1) When was the last time we said to someone, “hurry up”? Maybe it was this morning.

2) There are times when we want to express the ideas of haste, eagerness, zeal.

3) In 2 Pet. 1 Peter listed some information that has often been described as the “Christian graces.”

a) As the apostle began this list he said “give all diligence” in verse 5.

b) This morning we want to consider the word translated “diligence.”

4) This word is used twelve times in the New Testament, and several of these passages are on the outline.

a) The first occurs in Mk. 6:25, and the story where our word occurs is well-known.

b) It was Herod’s “birthday” (Mk. 6:21) and a “supper” had been made for a wide variety of guests.

c) A young woman (many believe her name was Salome) came and danced.

d) Herod enjoyed her performance and promised her whatever she wanted, up to half his kingdom.

e) The young lady went to her mother and told her of the king’s offer.

f) Mom she wanted the head of John the Baptist.

g) This information leads us to Mk. 6:25 – READ.

5) In this passage the word used by Peter is translated “haste” and this is an excellent translation.

6) The NIV translates this “right now.” The NASB says “right away.”

7) This same sense of the word is found in Lk. 1:39.

a) Mary was told she would bring the Son of God into the world.

b) Upon receiving this information Mary went “with haste” into a city of Judea.

c) We all have times in life when we use haste.

d) If we are outside with temperatures below zero and we lack proper clothing, we use haste.

e) This time of year we see a lot of people go to their vehicles as fast as they can because of the cold.

f) If we have a time when we are running behind for an appointment, we may “use haste.”

8) If we are injured and begin to bleed, we probably do not wait until the next day to take care of the wound.

9) Some things need to be done “right now” or “right away.”

a) When we bear in mind these ideas we can see why Peter used this particular word.

b) The qualities associated with Christianity are not things we are to pursue in 5, 20, 30, or 50 years.

c) The qualities he presented are not to be reserved for the retirement years.

d) They are characteristics we need to seek right now; today; this week, this month and this year.

e) Now is the acceptable time to robe ourselves in the Christian graces.

10) There are some things in life about which we may not be very eager.

a) I have seen a lot of people go through a variety of medical procedures in the last two decades.

b) If all the cases I have been privy to could be put together, they would cover the body from head to toe.

c) It is hard for me to think of a time when someone said to me, “I am really looking forward to surgery.”

d) “I just can’t wait for my operation at the end of the week.” People never seem to say that.

e) Enthusiasm for surgery is just not a common thing.

f) Enthusiasm and zeal for Christian qualities are, however, to typify the people of God.

11) Peter’s word translated “diligence” conveys more than one shade of meaning in the New Testament.

12) In addition to meaning “right now” or “right away,” the word also has the sense of “eagerness.”

a) A person may need to do something right away, but they are not eager to do it.

b) The word in 2 Pet. 1:5 helps us in two ways.

c) We see one aspect of the term that has the element of haste and this is helpful to us.

13) The second and more predominant sense of the word is eagerness; a type of enthusiasm.

14) All the remaining verses we will study have this second sense of the term.

15) In the Roman letter (Rom. 12:8, 11) Peter’s word is also used and both texts have the sense of eagerness.

a) Paul spoke about those who “rule” in Rom. 12:8. Rule has the sense of “lead.”

b) Those who are leaders need to do so with enthusiasm and diligence (eagerness).

c) Leading in this way is not always a lot of fun.

16) Imagine the man or woman who leads a company. The corporation begins to decline.

17) The company used to have no problem paying the salary for 50, 100, 500, 5,000 or 50,000 workers.

18) Business is not going well and the work force must be reduced by a significant percentage

19) A cut must be made, and there must be a readiness to do it. The reduction is not a pleasant task.

20) As the leaders in that environment, they too need the type of diligence and eagerness we have described.

21) Some of the decisions mothers and fathers make are very, very hard. They are anything but fun.

22) God says parents need to make these hard choices.

23) In Rom. 12 Paul spoke about rulers; it seems that he had in mind elders in a local congregation.

a) The apostle’s charge to elders was rule with diligence.

b) God’s people are told to lead with eagerness, enthusiasm, earnestness.

c) We can understand what that means. When we consider this text we see something else.

d) That is not always fun. It certainly is not always a problem-free way to go.

e) Yes, this is what we find in the Scriptures.

f) This is the concept we get from a single word involved with the qualities in 2 Pet. 1.

24) This concept we are discussing is not just limited to elders in a local congregation.

25) In Rom. 12:11 the word Peter used is applied to all Christians.

a) Rom. 12:11 says, “in diligence” (the word used by Peter—enthusiasm is the idea), “not slothful.”

b) Slothful describes a lazy person.

c) The thought basically is, “no Christian has the right to be lazy when it comes to diligence.”

d) When it comes to Christianity, there is no such thing as sitting on the back pew.

e) We never find a couch potato Christian in the New Testament.

f) When it comes to living out the qualities in the New Testament, God says “do it.”

g) For a while God allows us to be babies; a time comes when we give up the bib.

h) We trade in the bib for an apron. We come to the kitchen, or if you prefer, the garage, to work.

i) Stated another way, there is no excuse to not be the kind of Christian the Bible describes.

26) A person may try to say, “I do not know enough.”

27) If knowledge is a problem Rom. 12:11 (which talks about laziness says), “do what you need to do to learn.”

28) Another person may say to himself, “I do not have time.”

29) Rom. 12:11 says, “No time is just another form of laziness; make time to be the Christian God wants you to be.”

30) Another may reason, “I am too discouraged to be the kind of Christian God wants.”

31) Rom. 12:11 says, “Find ways to overcome that. Pick yourself up, shake yourself off and get busy.”

32) Peter said “all diligence” in 2 Pet. 1:5.

a) Christians can become lazy about their Christian life.

b) Paul made this point as did Paul in 2 Cor. 7.

c) In the Corinthian congregation there were members of the church who tolerated sexual sin.

d) A man was involved with his father’s wife and the Corinthians didn’t seem to bat an eye about it.

e) Paul wrote to them about this in the first letter and then followed up in another letter.

f) He said in 2 Cor. 7:11 that they had become “careful” or “earnest” about this immorality.

g) The Corinthians did not have enthusiasm for what the man was doing (they were not cheering him on).

h) Rather, at Corinth there was a renewed passion about trying to do the will of God.

i) There was an increased passion about doing what was right.

j) It seems the Corinthians finally were starting to get things corrected.

k) Listen to what we find in the next chapter, 2 Cor. 8:7 – READ.

33) Paul said the Corinthians were zealous in so many ways.

34) They were doing very well with “faith, utterance, knowledge, and love.”

35) In some areas the Corinthians were not doing too well.

36) In this part of the second letter Paul moved to the topic of money and giving.

37) When it came to the pocketbook, the Corinthians lost some of their enthusiasm.

a) Today this same kind of problem can exist among the people of God.

b) Christians can excel in so many areas and be enthusiastic about many things.

c) When we get to one particular area, things can come to a screeching halt.

d) We can give, help, serve, and work in this way and that way, but not over here.

e) Sometimes the issues is money sometimes it is something else.

f) Diligence is to extend to all areas of the Christian life.

g) This is what Paul told the Corinthians, and it is what some other Christians were told too.

h) When we tempted to have lessened enthusiasm in an area we need to reflect on Heb. 6:11.

38) This is another text that has the word used by Peter in 2 Pet. 1:5.

39) Those who received this letter had some problems—some pretty serious problems.

40) In Heb. 6 the author of this letter let these people know he was thinking good things about them.

41) Here is what he said – Heb. 6:11 – READ.

a) Some parts of the Christian life may seem natural to us.

b) Prayer may be something we do not need to work at.

c) For others, studying the Bible is a natural part of their life 7 days a week.

d) If we look at everything involved in Christianity, there are some things wherein we struggle.

e) An important principle from Heb. 6:11 is this:

f) Look at the areas wherein we are strong; find out what seems easy or natural for us.

g) Determine what we do well with as Christians without virtually any outside help or influence.

h) Then find those areas wherein we struggle.

i) We want to then apply the same level of diligence to the weak areas that we use in the strong areas.

42) If we seek to apply the same level of passionate diligence, we will be people who truly please God.

43) Peter really believed in the importance of the word we are describing.

a) We have noted his use of it in 2 Pet. 1:5.

b) He then used it once again in 2 Pet. 1:10 –READ.

c) We are to “give diligence to make our calling and election sure.”

d) Peter said use “more” diligence in this regard.

e) What would happen if we closed our eyes everyday and tried to perform our daily tasks?

f) We would stumble, be hurt, and some of us would die before we got out our front door.

g) If we are going to be a Christian and find eternity with God, we need to be people with open eyes.

h) We approach our Christian life with passion and zest.

44) Peter said, “make our calling and election sure.”

45) He didn’t say, “check out our neighbor.” He didn’t say, “See if their calling and election are sure.”

46) The instruction involves our own lives; most have plenty of dust in their own spiritual closet.

47) Peter said, “be diligent in this regard.”

a) We are to look at our own lives on a regular basis and see what is there.

b) Where are our strengths and where are our faults?

c) What should we have done better, and wherein was success found in the past and present?

d) Have we really used our abilities in the very best possible way?

e) Are we living the right type of Christian life? We know the answer to that question.