Steps of Christian Growth - US.pdf - Bible Baptist Church of Blarney

Solid Steps of Christian Growth – 2 Peter 1
Virtue
a. With Absolom turning against him
b. By killing his newborn son
c. And causing David to lose his kingdom for a while
D. Uriah’s Praise by God – one of God’s great men in the Bible!
E. These two men:
1. One had character (Uriah) – was a REAL man that will for all eternity be honoured in heaven as a real
man of honour and character
2. And one was without character/virtue (David) – he was a coward, and a wimp, and a weasel, and a sissy,
and a loser!
F. Which one was MORE of a man? Which one had GREATER strength? Which one withstood pressure, and
lived by principle and conviction? And which one lived by opportunity and by stealth?
V. What is a Christian Without Virtue?
A. In Bondage – to the haunts of the past and of guilt from sins
B. In Fear – of what will happen if when they get caught
C. In Danger – of ruin and defeat – there already is enough enemies, and troubles against a Christian to be
bringing MORE upon your own head
D. The key to protection from Satan, and blessing from God is living a life of inner strength and virtue instead of
muscles and beauty and caving into the pressures of sin, the world, and the devil!
VI. How to Improve Your Virtue
A. Loathe (hate) the vices, the sins in you – the quickness by which you give into temptation and pressure from
friends and the world
1. Choose the good, and hate the evil in your life and in this world (Ps 97:10; Pr 8:13) – on a day-by-day
basis
2. Do things Christ’s way, by faith, trusting that He will work everything out for your good
3. Live by virtue, by the strength of the Holy Spirit in your life
B. Get Lively – get a life project that takes up your time – your family, your job, a ministry in the church, a big
house project, a college course, a degree!
C. Learn the lives of the people in the Bible – they are real people, with real problems, whom God has recorded
to show us REAL solutions
1. If you won’t take the time to study your Bible, then you are wasting your time as a Christian
2. You will not move on and grow strong,
unless against temptation you learn how to endure long
D. Constantly add virtue to your way of thinking, loving, living
1. It is not a one time GOODNESS act that you do
2. But a constant development of your ability to live right and godly – walking the straight (hard) and narrow
way of a Christian!
E. Love God’s laws – thank God for rules, and limits on your life – keeps you OUT of the deadly traps (snares) of
the devil
F. Look always for a way of escape when facing any temptation (1Cor 10:13)
VII. Conclusion
1. There always is one – God makes sure of it
2. Pray and ask for a way through, and to make it apparent
3. Then, DON’T DEBATE – just act against the temptation as Joseph did when Potiphar’s wife tempted him
– RUN!
A. Everyone who comes to Christ, comes as a wicked, condemned, lost sinner, with the desperate need to find
forgiveness, and the ability to live free from the enslaving power of sin – that’s what it means to be saved!
B. The FIRST thing a Christian is to add to their life as soon as they get saved is virtue - build up some walls
between you and sin
C. Too many believers get some faith, and then STOP right there!
D. David Starr Jordan profoundly said, “Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and
virtue is doing it.”
© 2006 Craig Ledbetter, BBC Ireland Page 12 www.biblebc.com