Diligence Is the Missing Ingredient for Your Spiritual Growth | Tony Evans Sermon

the people who will see the power of God are those who are passionate about the glory of God who make that a lifestyle orientation that person will see God at work as they work and when it gets too heavy they will feel something come underneath the weight and begin to lift in partnership with them because what you want and what he wants is the same [Music] [Applause] thing Peter has two concerns his first concern is that we live useful and in fruitful lives he says in verse eight for if these qualities are yours and are increasing they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ so he wants you to live a life that's meaningful and productive but he has another goal verse 11 for in this way the entrance into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you so he wants you to have a productive journey to heaven and have an ecstatic entrance into heaven both so I'm calling it the triumphant trip to heaven the glory he comes in verse five and he introduces it with a phrase now for this very reason applying all diligence in your faith remember what he says in verse three he says seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true eposis the full experiential knowledge of him by these verse four he has granted to us precious and magnificent promises so that by them you may become takers or sharers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust to put those two verses together for this reason God has given you and me everything we need to become the godly people he expects us to become everything means everything and that's all everything means that you and I are not lacking anything to achieve God's expectations for your life as a Christian to make sure you have everything he has given to you what he calls in verse four the divine nature Heavenly DNA in order for you to become what God wants you to be what God wants you to know is everything you need to be all he demands and expects you to become you already have so if you and I are not where we're going to what we're supposed to become it's not his fault because he says everything is in the nature but as we explained you receive the nature in seed form you you don't you don't get the full expression of it the full expression of it happens through growth and development it doesn't just happen because it's there just as a baby must develop in the womb he says you and I can share what he calls Jesus's verse three glory and Excellence the very Life of Christ has been deposited by his Spirit into your soul at the moment moment of your conversion whenever your conversion took place and you accepted Jesus Christ as your sin Bearer God planted a seed in your soul called the divine nature the very DNA of deity of God has been deposited in the life and soul of every believer now that much you must accept by faith because God says it is true for this reason he starts off because you now have no excuses because the DNA of deity has been deposited in you for this reason let's get it on 2 Timothy CH 3:5 says that there is a form of godliness lacking the power thereof the word Greek word for form means shape outline silhouette in other words you can look like you're godly but it lacks power cuz it's only a shadow a form it's not the real thing you can look the part talk the part speak the part give the impression of it but you know it's not real because there is no power associated with [Music] it so if it's the real deal there will be power connected to it so if there's no power connected to it it's not the real deal it's a form of godliness lacking the power that is to be associated with authentic godliness so the very God a very God is resident inside of you for this reason let's not make excuses now let's just say Well everybody's human let's not just say this is how I was raised not let's not just say this is what happened to me all of that may be true I am not suggesting denying the reality of what's real but he wants to give you another way of approaching your life for this reason because of the deposit of DNA of deity deep down in your soul he comes to the three words the three words that will take the rest of our time apply all diligence apply all diligence the new nature that has been deposited into every believer is programmed to respond to the right influence so this nature seed like the human seed but this is the Divine seed has been pre-programmed to respond to a certain kind of stimulus so you don't know all you're supposed to be yet cuz the seed may not have grown sufficiently yet God has already programmed inside your soul the DNA of his Spirit called the divine nature and it is set up to expand if given the right support and that's where you come in and I come in apply all diligence let me put it another way God says work with me why don't you work with me the word is diligence the reason for the diligence is you've got a pre-programmed seed inside of you but there is a requirement of the diligence in order for the seed to fully Express itself to be diligent means make every effort lend maximum support the new nature is sitting there hungry hungry feed me feed me feed me the reason why more of us are not changing is because the reason why more of us are not having victory in what we do is because the reason why more of us are are living in defeat is because the seed is either not being fed or being fed the wrong thing you hear Christians say it I can't I don't know how it doesn't work for me God says there's nothing wrong with the nature cuz it's divine nature the the seed is in perfect condition he says apply all diligence so may I suggest to you desire is not enough let me say that again desire is not enough diligence transcends desire for diligence demands applying many folk desire to work [Applause] out many folk desire to go on a diet many folk desire to get a job you can have desires for years you will not see the change occur in the soul which changes the Life by the new nature simply because you desire it the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes eternal life possible to all who merely trust him for it but you do not have to work for that to happen in fact the Bible condemns trying to work to gain ET eternal life but once the seed is deposited now you got to do a little something something you must cooperate with the seed in order for the seed to grow in the soul for the transformation of the life so one of the reasons why we're not becoming what we were meant to be is God is not getting cooperation it has nothing to do with the condition of the seed because the seed is the DNA of deity so it's perfect he says You must make every effort to reach your full spiritual potential you cannot be lazy and be victorious you cannot be lazy and become the kind of Christian God saved you to be okay so what do you do how do you apply all diligence look with me at Philippians chapter 2 we he's going to get into some specifics later as we go along but but he wants to he wants you to know how important this is verse 12 so then my beloved just as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only but how much more in my absence work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you both to Will and to work for his good pleasure did you see that work out everybody knows what a workout here work out okay this is one of the most Mis understood verses and misquoted verses and Mis interpretive verses he doesn't say work for or work toward he says work out why do you have to work it out cuz it's already in you're working out something that's already in so it's not talking about working to get saved people talking about I'm working my way to heaven well you ain't [Applause] going you can't work your way into eternal life the Bible says it's a gift of God not by works but once you have eternal life he says work it out work it out work it out work it out work out your salvation that you already have in fear and trembling that means take it serious fear and trembling means take this serious serously don't take this casually this is not this is not just some casual thing you do the soul Demands a workout plan for the development of the life as the spirit expands many of us one Victory and we're going out there to work something in uh-uh that's called backwards Christian Soldiers he says work out it's something in that has to come out got something out that has to come in because he has deposited in you and me the new nature but there must be an application with all diligence if the only workout you get spiritually is here on Sunday then don't be surprised that you're not seeing muscle growth in your soul the only workout you do if the only word you get is a sermon on Sunday don't be surprised that the soul is flabby don't be surprised that the soul is not is not changing here when you know you're growing you know you're growing because you're changing and you see children grow they're changing they're getting taller they're getting more intelligent they can do more things on their own they you're changing you know you're growing when the flesh wants to do what the flesh wants to do and you used to you used to always have to say yes and now you're finding the capacity to say no even though the flesh hasn't changed what it wants cuz the flesh is never going to become UNF flesh but you're discovering that there is a power operating within you please notice verse 13 for it is God who is at work in you both to Will and to work for his good pleasure oh whoa watch out this close now you work out cuz God is working in you see we're talking about a Cooperative program here you work out cuz God God is working in we all know Ephesians 3:20 now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think but a lot of people don't like that last phrase according to the power working within you God is at work in you in two ways the first way is to will that is to desire so if you want to see change if you want victory that means God has already started half the work cuz one of the two things is to will so the fact that there is this desire for the soul to be transformed for the life to be victorious that desire means god is at work but he not only is working with the will he's working with the work verse 13 says it is God in you with the will and the work he will work the desire and work with you as long as one thing is there verse 13 says for his good pleasure oh that's where we have a little problem we want to work out as as long as it's for our good pleasure as long as it's for our good pleasure as long as what I want as long as for my blessing as long as it's for me as long as it's for me once God's glory gets subjected to your desires the work stops so what many Christians do is cut off the work of God and wind up only with their own human effort and wonder why I can't lift anymore because his pleasure is not part of this equation that's why Paul says whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God the people who will see the power of God are those who are passionate about the glory of God who make that a lifestyle orientation that person will see God at work as they work and when it gets too heavy they will feel something come underneath the weight and begin to lift in partnership with them because what you want and what he wants is the same thing for his good pleasure now his good pleasure is always for your good so he he hadn't left you out of the equation he just doesn't want you to leave him out of the equation and what's happened today is everybody's talking about what they want and rarely ask the question what does he want impassionate Pursuit Of His glory okay so how do I get started look at 1 Timothy Chapter 4 verses seven and 8 but have nothing to do with worldly fables he says he says let's get down to something that matters and then he says on the other hand instead of that discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness godliness is a lifestyle consistent with the character of God for bodily discipline is only of little profit but God L is profitable for all things since it holds promise watch this for the present life for the life you're living right here and now and also for the life to come well that's the same thing Peter's talking about being useful and fruitful now and having this glorious entrance in the glory later he says discipline yourself for godliness most people who are serious about workouts have a plan discipline means doing even what you don't want to do if it will help you accomplish the goal for doing it discipline is the decision not the merely the feeling but the decision to do even what you don't want to do if you know that not doing it will achieve the goal for which you are going for God is not going to make you pray God is not going to make you use your gifts God is not he is not going to do it what he will do is cooperate with your workout program that means you must plan it in not hope it happens he says discipline yourself for godliness and then the joint venture will occur I love the way Paul put it in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse ver 10 listen to what he says he says but by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace toward me did not prove vain but I labored even more than all of them yet not I but the grace of God with me he says I labored but the grace of God came and labored with me so it was my action and his power he says in Colossians chapter 1 verse 29 for this purpose also I labor striving according to his power which mightily Works within me I labor but his power is working so you will not see the victory that God says you can have unless there is the cooperation and he sees you're working on what he places in for it to roll out that's why Paul could say I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Timothy says it's time to go to the gym that is the spiritual gym and work it out your car is out of gas means you're not going anywhere you're stuck but you call Triple A you got a membership and you call AAA and AAA pulls up and Toes you to the gas station so now you're at the gas station you're at the place that can solve your problem you fill her up you're good to go after the car is full you walk behind the car and start [Music] pushing you are applying diligence because you pushing hard you you trying you trying you trying you trying nobody can blame you that you're not trying and trying and trying and trying but you're using the wrong effort that's not the effort you should be doing many Christians say well I'm trying and I'm trying and I'm trying and I'm trying I did this this I did that but what they're doing is not what God required so they are using their own makeup ideas to get from point A in their lives to point B and wonder why there's still no movement I'm going to church singing in a choir I'm doing this I'm doing that but my life is not moving because what you are doing and what the new nature is begging for is not the same thing you cannot take a newborn baby a steak you cannot take a newborn baby things it can't use you've got to give it what its capacity and it and its ability is able to receive God says if you allow what I have pumped inside to do then you'll do the right thing what's the right thing open the door that's going to take some work sit down that's going to take some positioning turn the ignition on that's going to use your hand put your foot on the accelerator both did work but one was the wrong work the other was the right work because the other used what was inside the first did not use what was inside it just used what human effort could do on the outside if you will take what God demands connected with what he's given you in your new nature you will discover that not only did you do the work but that his work was not burdensome [Music] yeah [Music] yeah

Channel: Tony Evans

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Keywords: tony evans, dr tony evans, pastor tony evans, tony evans full sermons, dr. tony evans, tony evans sermon, spiritual growth, divine potential, salvation, biblical teaching, faith, diligence, spiritual transformation, victory, divine nature, overcoming obstacles, spiritual discipline, God's plan, biblical insights, spiritual diligence, bible, bible study, DTE83, D8T3E, TE83, 83TE, T8E3, tony evans apply all diligence, bible apply all diligence, 2 peter 1 1-11, 2 peter 1

Id: q6W_Zr38TQ4

Length: 27min 48sec (1668 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 17 2024