Remix I: Making Ourselves Fruitful

Introduction to the Remix Series

We're taking a brief pause from our study in Luke to refresh our minds with other portions of Scripture, particularly 2 Peter 1. This series, titled Remix, is about rearranging and adding the right things into our lives—and even into our church—to maximize fruitfulness. A remix is a variant of an original by rearranging or adding to it, or simply mixing again. Spiritually, we want to mix godly things into our lives that promote sanctification and growth, keeping us from being unfruitful, as 2 Peter describes.

This applies personally and to our youth and college groups. We aim to produce things that are useful, avoiding pointlessness. The danger is laziness or diligence in unfruitful, even sinful, pursuits. Our goals: reflect 2 Peter's teaching in our personal lives and make our groups fruitful for ourselves and others.

The Foundation: What God Has Already Provided

Simon 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: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 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, 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.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 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.

2 Peter 1:1-8 (ESV)

The purpose of this passage is to remix things into your life that make you fruitful. You already have everything needed in your inventory: an apostolic faith of equal standing with the apostles', obtained by the righteousness of God and Jesus Christ. Grace and peace multiply through the knowledge of God and Jesus—knowledge essential for faith, as faith and knowledge go hand in hand. There is no blind faith; faith is realizing truth, like trusting a chair holds you because you know its capability.

God's divine power grants all things pertaining to life and godliness through this knowledge, plus precious promises making us partakers of the divine nature—fellowshipping in God's holiness, escaping worldly corruption.

Make Every Effort: The Call to Diligence

For this reason—having faith, knowledge, everything for life and godliness, and divine promises—make every effort. This means haste and hard work, breaking a sweat. Not laziness or minimal effort, but zeal. It's not "I'll get to it" like delaying chores or promises. No mere trying; do it because of God's gifts, to avoid pointlessness and be effective, valuable, glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.

Without fulfilling our purpose, we chase insufficient joys. This is how to be effective in that purpose.

Supplementing Faith: The Chain of Qualities

Faith alone is insufficient; saving faith is never alone. Supplement it like adding vitamins to a deficiency—ongoing, increasing, to avoid spiritual ruin.

1. Virtue (Uncommon Character)

First, add virtue: uncommon character worthy of praise, moral excellence outdoing the world. It's your essential makeup—qualities distinguishing you, like love, generosity, godliness, or their opposites. Strive for character so unique no one questions your goodness; people speak highly of you naturally.

Are you virtuous, concerned with fruitful character over mere attraction?

2. Knowledge

Supplement virtue with knowledge—of God and Jesus, the most virtuous person in history. Examining His life and Scripture's teaching makes us virtuous, like first-century Christians devoted daily to apostles' teaching.

3. Self-Control

Knowledge requires self-control: mastering your body, making it your slave, as Paul did. Not just resisting sin once, but continually, lest impulses take over—like impulse buys or giving in to desires.

4. Steadfastness (Endurance)

Supplement self-control with endurance: intestinal fortitude to persist, saying no to sin and desires, maintaining vigilance. Demand your body obey to learn God, building virtue and fruitful faith.

5. Godliness

Endurance comes by godliness: intentionally reflecting God's attributes we can—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, mercy, holiness. Accept trials from God's perspective: they build holiness, endurance, godliness. Without this view, we escape trials wrongly, turning to sin like drunkenness.

6. Brotherly Affection

Godly qualities need others to practice on: brotherly affection (philia), concern for brothers' benefit.

7. Love (Agape)

Finally, agape: self-sacrificial love for others' good. Without it, affection fails.

If these qualities are yours and increasing, you won't be unfruitful or ineffective in knowing Jesus. Godly character and knowledge unite for a fruitful Christian life.

Put It into Practice

No sermon is for spectators. Put these into practice at home, school, work, church—this week and beyond. Crave virtue; supplement faith with these to be fruitful personally and as a group. Next time, we'll see what unfruitfulness looks like.