Called and Commissioned
Notes
Transcript
What do you think about when you think about your life? How has it turned out? What would you like it to be remembered for? What would you like to accomplish in the next few years?
When I talk to people about their lives, more often than not I hear from the younger people about what they wish they could do but can’t and from the older people what they wish they had done but didn’t.
The younger people feel they don’t possess the knowledge or skills and the older people recognize that though they had possessed the knowledge or at least knew where to get it they didn’t do anything with it.
The truth is too often we miss the things that we could have done, the things that mattered, the things that were really important because we got distracted by the things that didn’t really matter, and that weren’t really important.
Today we recognize and celebrate Reformation Sunday. For those of you unfamiliar with it, we are remembering that a Catholic monk named Martin, after studying the Scriptures raised 95 points of dispute with the Catholic church. He took these points of concern, wrote them down and nailed them to the door of the church at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Among his disputes with the Catholic church of the time were the power and authority of the Pope, the corruption he saw among the priesthood and many others. This is of course, Martin Luther, and many see his 95 declarations of contest as the beginning of the Reformation.
There were 5 key points that came out of the Reformation movement that continue to guide us today as those in the Reformed tradition.
The five solas of the Reformation, which distinguished the Reformers from the teachings of Rome, include sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria(glory to God alone).
Sola scriptura is the belief that because Scripture is God’s inspired Word, it is the only inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church. Solus Christus is the assertion that Christ alone is the basis on which the ungodly are justified in God’s sight. Sola fide maintains that the believer receives the redemption Christ has accomplished only through faith. Sola gratia proclaims that all of our salvation, from beginning to end, is by grace and grace alone. Because of these things, the Reformers held fast to the phrase soli Deo gloria, that only God receives glory for our salvation.
One of the key elements of the reformation was that you didn’t need a priest in order to commune with God. Your faith is not, nor has it ever been, dependent upon another individual. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts that Luther gave us was the translating of the Bible into the language of the commoner. One of the acts for which he was excommunicated for. You see prior to that it had always been in either the original languages: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic - or as was most often used in the churches of the time: Latin, a language linguists now tell us had been dead since about 700 A.D.
So without a priest, or one educated in Latin, the common person could not know what the Scripture said.
Our text this morning fits very well with the claims of Martin Luther. Peter writes in his second letter in verse 3 & 4 of our text today: 2Pe 1:3
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,
Granted to us what? 2Pe 1:3
2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
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,
Pertaining to What? 2Pe 1:3
2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
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,
How did he do this? 2Pe1:3
2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
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,
This is extremely powerful, because what Peter is telling us is that God has granted you everything you need to live the life that you were created for. There is no need for an intermediary, because God has called YOU!
Name some people in the congregation
God has called YOU! God has called each one of us.
Not your best imitation of Mother Theresa or Billy Graham, YOU! With all our stuff that makes us messy. All of our selfishness, pride, anger, wounds, pain… God calls.
Peter goes on, Through the knowledge of Him who has called us to his own glory and excellence 2Pe 1:4
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.
By the promises granted to us through Christ we become partakers of everything God has for us. Freed from that sin that held us back before.
And look at how this empowers us: 2Pe 1:5-7
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.
There is a lot there.
Because we believe who Jesus Christ is, we strive to be like him (that’s virtue).
As we strive to be like him we recognize this is how I was created to live (that’s knowledge).
As I gain this knowledge I begin to recognize that in faith I am changing to be more like Christ giving me power over my sinful self (that’s self-control).
As I gain self-control I become more grounded in it (that’s steadfastness).
As I become more at home in this, more grounded in that steadfastness God’s light shines out of me (that’s godliness).
AS I become more godly, I take my eyes off of myself and become more concerned for others (that’s affection).
As that affection grows it bears the fruit of love, a godly love.
As we strive to grow in these areas, we better understand the person of Jesus, the Christ. 2Pe 1:8
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.
And as we better understand Christ we become more effective and fruitful in how we live that out.
As we continue through the passage Peter reminds us that those who forget what Jesus has done in their lives, cleansing them from their former sins causes them to be blind that these qualities are already in them.
These qualities of virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, affection, and Christ-like love are in you as followers of Christ!
We’ve been called by God through Christ. As such, we’ve been commissioned to shine His light to the world by these qualities.
Then we get to vers 10 which beings with “Therefore.” whenever you see “Therefore” you need to determine what it is there for. It is summarizing something, drawing a conclusion based upon what has gone before it. So based upon all this, Peter says: 2Pe 1:10
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
These are the qualities we are to seek, to strive for, to practice and they will lead to our success. And that success is not just worldly, it is eternal - 2Pe 1:11
For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So, to you younger people who feel like you wish you could do things that would have an impact on this world but don’t have the knowledge or the skills, take note. You do, through Christ, and through these practices you will gain more.
To our older people, you’re still here, God is not finished with you yet. Our task while we are here is to continue to shine the light of Christ in our inner most circle (our family), our inner circle (our close friends), our outer circle (our acquaintances, business associates, co-workers) and of course the world.
Peter reminds us here in verse 12 that he intends to continue to remind them: 2Pe 1:12
Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
One of the greatest things I believe that Martin Luther and the reformation brought to the forefront is something that Peter told us in his first letter, and that is that all of us are “priests”. We believe in the priesthood of all believers. Our challenge then is to continue to shine that loving light to the world.
The five solas continue to guide us today, 500 years after Luther nailed his theses to that door in Wittenberg: They are sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria(glory to God alone).
God indeed gets the glory.
As those called by God and commissioned let us 2Pe1:5-7
2 Peter 1:5–7 (ESV)
...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.
To the glory of God, amen.
Let me pray for you.