Doing Due Diligence | Feed My Sheep | Executive Pastor Starla Smith \ John Furrow

Peter calls brothers and sisters to “make every effort,” but Peter does not hand out a works-based gospel. Peter starts with grace, with a faith “equal to ours,” and with the righteousness of God and Savior Jesus Christ. Peter reminds ordinary believers that no one has an inferior Holy Spirit, no one has to climb into a better class of Christian, and no one earns grace by praying better, talking cleaner, or striving harder.

God initiates the whole thing. God calls, God empowers, God gives everything required for life and godliness, and God asks for a response. The calling is not first a career assignment or a mysterious life plan to decode. The calling is relational. When God calls, the faithful response is simply, “Yes, Lord.”

Peter’s “therefore” lands there. Since God has given everything, diligence becomes steady, intentional, wholehearted effort toward what God has already made possible. Diligence does not produce salvation, but diligence does strengthen the quality of relationship, like effort in a marriage does not make the marriage exist but does make the marriage healthier.

Peter gives seven things to add to faith. Faith is the foundation, and goodness becomes the vehicle. Knowledge becomes the map. Self-control becomes the steering wheel. Endurance becomes the fuel that keeps the whole thing moving when goodness, learning, and saying no all get tiring. Godliness becomes the destination, brotherly affection becomes the reality of sharing the road with difficult family members, and love becomes the path and the outcome because love is God’s fundamental character.

Peter does not demand perfect measure. Peter says increasing measure. The text aims for direction, not perfection. A growing Christian is a fruitful Christian, not a flawless Christian. Like habit stacking, these qualities become stronger by practice, repetition, correction, and endurance.

Peter also gives a sober warning. The person who lacks these things is blind, shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing from past sins. Spiritual laziness does not leave a person neutral. Spiritual drifting dulls vision, makes the flesh look more reliable than the Spirit, and causes a person to react instead of respond.

The gospel becomes the daily tether. Christ died because sin deserved death, and Christ rose because death had no rightful claim on Him. The believer has been washed, forgiven, made new, and released from guilt and shame. Therefore, Peter says to make every effort, not to earn the kingdom, but because the King has already richly provided the way in.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Calling runs on God’s power. God’s calling does not begin with human effort trying to manufacture holiness. God gives everything required for life and godliness, then invites a real response. Diligence becomes possible because grace is not merely pardon, but the embodied power of God at work in the believer. [08:23]
• 2. Diligence adds, not earns. Peter’s list supplements faith, but it never replaces faith. Goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love are not payment for salvation. These qualities are the fruit of a living relationship that is being tended instead of neglected. [15:29]
• 3. Growth matters more than perfection. Peter says “in increasing measure,” not “in perfect measure.” Spiritual maturity is measured by direction, correction, and repeated practice, not by flawless performance. The Christian life becomes steadier as holy habits stack up over time and the Spirit forms Christlikeness in ordinary places. [30:36]
• 4. Drifting slowly blinds the soul. A lack of diligence does not simply pause growth. Peter says it makes a person blind, shortsighted, and forgetful of cleansing. Spiritual clarity fades when the believer stops practicing what has been given and begins to trust fleshly sight more than spiritual discernment. [36:25]
• 5. The gospel keeps vision clear. Remembering the gospel is not basic information to move past. The cleansing from past sins keeps the heart tethered to grace, humility, and power. Christ’s death and resurrection expose the emptiness of self-rule and restore the hope that God has bridged the gap that sinners could not cross.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:08] - Doing Due Diligence
• [03:37] - Reading 2 Peter 1
• [05:32] - Why Make Every Effort?
• [06:01] - Equal Faith in Christ
• [08:23] - Divine Power Gives Everything
• [12:40] - Chosen People Live Diligently
• [15:29] - Seven Qualities to Add
• [16:04] - The Road Trip Analogy
• [28:15] - Increasing Measure, Not Perfect Measure
• [36:25] - Spiritual Blindness and Drifting
• [45:24] - Saul, Sight, and Safe Haven
• [50:41] - Remember the Gospel
• [55:09] - Confirming Calling and Election

1. What seven qualities does Peter instruct believers to "add" to their faith (vv. 5-7)? How does the sermon compare these qualities to parts of a road trip? [16:04]
2. According to 2 Peter 1:9, what three consequences result from lacking these qualities? How does the sermon connect this to spiritual drifting? [36:25]
3. What analogy does the sermon use to explain how diligence strengthens a relationship with God without earning salvation? [15:29]

1. Why does Peter emphasize "increasing measure" (v. 8) rather than "perfect measure" when describing spiritual growth? How does this align with the sermon’s emphasis on direction over perfection? [30:36]
2. How does the warning about spiritual blindness (v. 9) challenge the idea that spiritual stagnation is neutral? What does the sermon suggest happens when believers stop practicing these qualities? [36:25]
3. The sermon states, "Diligence adds, not earns." How does 2 Peter 1:3-4 support this distinction between effort and earning grace?

1. Which of the seven qualities (goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, love) do you feel most encouraged in right now? Which one feels stagnant or underdeveloped? What small, daily habit could you "stack" to grow in the weaker area? [30:36]
2. The sermon warns that spiritual drifting dulls our ability to discern God’s voice. What practical step could you take this week to "remember the gospel" and refocus on Christ’s cleansing work? [50:41]
3. How might "reacting instead of responding" (like Saul before his conversion) show up in your relationships or decisions? What would it look like to pause and seek spiritual clarity in those moments? [48:19]
4. The road trip analogy compares endurance to "fuel." Where are you feeling spiritually weary right now? How could you intentionally "refuel" through prayer, Scripture, or community this week? [22:52]
5. Peter ties brotherly affection to sharing the road with "difficult family members." Is there a relationship where you’ve avoided practicing intentional kindness? What’s one action you could take to reflect God’s love to them? [27:34]