Remember and Pursue

2 Peter 1:1-15

Introduction: Who here has tried to start a Bible in a year plan and gave up part of the way through? Me too. What’s interesting is that we have everything we need to actually finish that Bible reading plan and yet it is so easy to give up in February. We have the desire to reach the goal of reading our Bible in a year and we have all that is needed to supplement that desire and reach that goal - the Bible, the ability to read, a list of passages to check off, an app on your phone, a calendar to schedule time to read each day. In order to reach that goal, we will need to do more than simply desire to reach it, we must actually do the work. We have to use the things that have been given to us by God to supplement our desire and to reach the goal of reading our Bibles in a year. If we do not, we do not reach our goal.

The stakes are much higher in the Christian life that is headed to an eternity in heaven with God. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ and it is not of our works, lest that any man should boast. We also see in Scripture that we must “strive for the holiness without which we will not see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14) How do we do that? How do we strive for that holiness? Do we have any resources at our disposal? How can we ensure that we will reach the goal of the kingdom of God?

MIL: Confirm Your Calling by Remembering the Promises of God in Christ and Pursuing Him in Holiness

Main Point: Realize what you have gained in Christ (2 Pet. 1:1-4)

The Believer’s Position (1-2)

Peter is writing to a group of believers. He even tips his hand to who believers are and how they have gained such a standing before God in verse 2, namely that believers are “those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours” and that they have received this standing, not through their own work, but “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” This is important foundational information for the rest of the letter, most immediately seen in 1:3-11, which speaks of what the believers have in their standing because of their standing in Christ (3-4) and how they can and ought to live (5-11).

The Believer’s Possession (3-4)

We also do not need to search for additional ways to live the Christian life, for God has provided us “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” (1:3) It is comforting to know that we have been given all that we need. We are not at a deficit of resources, but we have an over-abundance.

Application Question: If God has given us all things needed for life and godliness, what does that tell us about God’s character?

That he is gracious, good, and sovereign.

Application: If you feel like you have to work your way to heaven, I would plead with you today to see what Peter says and to believe that God has provided everything you need for life and godliness and he has established you by faith to stand righteous before him.

Main Point: Live out your faith by growing in these qualities (2 Pet. 1:5-7)

In faith, diligently pursue these qualities (5-7)

“For this very reason” in verse 5 creates a second point in an outline by applying what came before. The sense of the logical connection is, “because God has saved you and powerfully provided all things needed for the Christian life, strive with all your might to utilize these provisions to look like Christ, to be effective in ministry, to confirm your calling, and to take hold of the inheritance God has prepared.”

The Christian life is not passive to the point where God uses you as a puppet. The believer still has personal responsibility to respond and use what God has given for their good and his glory.

Illustration: Returning to our opening illustration, we didn’t write the Bible. We also did not create the 24-hour day. We also did not give ourselves the ability to think and reason how we might plan something like a Bible reading plan out over the course of a year. All of those things were given by God - even the desire to read the Bible in the first place. BUT - God isn’t going to read our Bible for us. We must use what he has given to reach the goal.

Application Question: What does building up your faith with these things look like? How does one do this well amidst the busyness of a career and a family?

Possible answers:

Consistent Bible reading

Consistently petition God for these things

Prioritize the Word above all things

Help your family do these things as well, which will help you in-turn

What the Qualities Bring (8-9)

The proper addition of these qualities to your life accomplishes two things:

They make you effective and fruitful (v. 8)

These qualities of faith, virtue, self-control, brotherly affection, love, and others are some of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)

To add these qualities, then, is to consciously strive to “walk in step with the Spirit,” (Gal. 5:25) and to bear fruit for God

When you bear fruit, it directly benefits the church and other believers

Thus, being effective and bearing fruit are not just speaking toward personal growth but also toward being effective and fruitful for the sake of others in ministry

They remind you of the gospel (v. 9)

Without these qualities, we are blind - why? “Because” - most likely a causal participle - because we have forgotten that we were cleansed from former sins.

Being blind here seems to be talking about believers, as he says that they have “forgotten that he was cleansed from former sins.” The lack of these qualities is a serious detriment to the Christian’s walk and will lead to them being tossed to and for by the waves (cf. Eph. 4).

In the worst cases, the individual could be proven to not be a genuine believer, which is implicit in the seriousness of Peter’s language in verse 10 about “falling.”

What does it mean if we have the qualities then? We will see because we have remembered what Christ has done for us on the cross in atoning for our sins.

If we do nothing to grow in our walk - if we don’t consciously work on adding knowledge, or adding self-control, or adding brotherly affection - then we will ultimately forget the gospel. If we do not realize and take hold of the continuing power of God’s work in our lives, then we will also fail to continue to realize the importance of God’s work in Christ for us.

Main Point: Your calling is confirmed when you live out these qualities by faith (2 Pet. 1:8-11)

Because the supplementing of these qualities brings about fruitful life, effective ministry, and keeps us from forgetting the truths of the gospel, we ought to use these qualities to persevere in the faith and take hold of the inheritance of the kingdom that God has provided.

Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election through these qualities - purposefully, consciously, work hard to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ. (Phil. 3:14; Eph. 4:1)

The Need and Goal of Confirmation (10)

You will never fall (1 Cor. 9:27; 10:12; Heb. 12:14)

The biggest threat to our inheritance is our own sinfulness. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that we must take heed lest we fall and lose our reward. (1 Cor. 10:12)

If we say we are Christians but our lives say otherwise, we prove ourselves to be liars and unbelievers. (1 John 1:6-7; James 2:14-23)

Illustration/Application: Fallen Pastor

The Goal of Confirming (11)

You will enter the kingdom of Christ (Luke 9:57-62 - a changed life is necessary for entrance into the kingdom)

Application: Do you know that you are destined for eternity in that kingdom? Be sure today. Not by looking back on a date when you said a prayer, but by looking at your present life of faithful abiding today.

Main Point: Remind yourself and others of these qualities (2 Pet. 1:12-15)

Be Constant in Reminding (12)

He is constant in his reminding of others - “I intend to always remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.”

Illustration/Application: Some of you have kids, right? How many times this week have you told your kid to clean their room? To do their chores? To brush their teeth before bed? A lot? Well, if they are a believer, how many times have you reminded them about their standing in Christ? How many times have you reminded them to supplement their faith in Christ with Christ-like love and virtue?

Application: We should never get tired of reminding people of the things that they already know. (Phil. 3:1) We should never get tired of reminding _________ of the things that _______ already knows. How can some of you fill in those blanks? What biblical truths from this passage can you remind them of this week?

Be Urgent in Reminding (13-14)

Peter is urgent in reminding - he knows that his life is short (v. 14) and therefore, “as long as he is in the body” he will stir others up by way of reminder

Be Relentless in Reminding (15)

Peter is relentless in reminding - he makes every effort to remind them while he is still alive

Application: The qualities of the Christian life are so important that we must remind one another of them constantly, urgently, and relentlessly. Let us strive not only to confirm our own calling, but to help others confirm theirs. That coworker who knows the Lord? Remind them.That teacher at school that knows the Lord? Remind them. That brother or sister at church? Remind them. Your spouse? Remind them.

Conclusion: Today, God has given you all you need to live for him. God has given you all you need to strive for holiness. God is faithful to complete the good work he started in you through what he has provided for you. Today, realize your current standing before God and the glorious possession in Christ. Supplement your lives with those qualities that God has given to you so that you might be effective and fruitful in life and ministry and that you might remember the gospel. Confirm your calling and election, be sure you are walking consistently with what you confess. And finally, remind yourself and others each day of these qualities for their sake and yours. Leave this room today and pick one quality to focus on and say, “This week, I will supplement my life with this quality for my good and God’s glory.”