Knowing God

NOTE:

This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.

Engagement

It was a time when the church was facing increasing pressure and persecution, both from within and without.

Internally false teachers were introducing destructive heresies, often acquiescing to the rampant immorality in their culture and even denying the return of Jesus. Charlatans were posing as Christian leaders and preyed on the immature disciples in their flocks, deceiving their followers by twisting the Scriptures.

Externally, the culture’s emphasis on individualism and intellectual pursuits often clashed with the more community-centered, faith-based values of the church. Christians were increasing mocked and persecuted for their adherence to Biblical truth and values.

Tension

What period of time do you think I’m referring to?

[Wait for answers]

If you said the first century in Palestine, congratulations! That is correct. But if you said the 21st century in America, you are also correct.

Truth

This morning we begin our study of the book of 2 Peter, which was written to disciples of Jesus who lived in a culture that is much like ours today - one that seems out of control and filled with chaos. But over the next six weeks we’re going to see that it is possible to live with great confidence even in the midst of that chaos.

This is the second letter that Peter wrote to a group of scattered and persecuted Christians. His first letter was written around 63 AD and this second one was penned roughly three years later.

There had been a fire in Rome in 64 AD and the Roman emperor Nero, who had probably started the fire himself in order to build his own palace and a statue of himself there, blamed the Christians. That led to a period of intense persecution. It is likely that Peter wrote this second letter from a Roman jail cell and we know from his letter that he knew he was about to die. Historians tell us that he was executed just months after writing this letter. Early church tradition holds that when he was sentenced to be crucified he requested to be crucified upside down because he was not worthy of dying in the same manner as his Lord.

As we’ll see in our study, Peter writes this letter to warn about false teachers who were claiming that Jesus would not return, and that therefore people could go ahead and live however they wanted. Unfortunately that’s not much different than what we see today. So that makes this letter particularly relevant for us.

With that background in mind, go ahead and follow along as I read today’s passage, which begins in verse 1:

2 Peter 1:1–15 ESV

1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 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, 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. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 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. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 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. 12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

There is one key word that ties this passage together for us. I’m going to enlist your help in identifying that word. I’ll give you a clue. It is found five different times in this passage - in verse 2, verse 3, verse 5, verse 6 and verse 8.

[Wait for answers]

That’s right. It’s the word “knowledge”. As I’ll explain more fully in just a moment, there are actually two different, but related underlying Greek words used by Peter that are both translated “knowledge”. But before I do that I want to give you the main idea that we’re going to develop this morning. As you may have already guessed, it has to do with knowledge:

I can rest confidently in the knowledge that the God who saved me is the God who will also keep me

The key to living confidently in the midst of this chaos is to both look back and reflect upon God’s faithfulness in saving me and to look forward and reflect on the fact that because Jesus is coming again I can be confident that God will finish the work He started. Here in this passage, Peter gives us some really practical guidance on how we can get to know God like that, so let’s jump right into how we can apply this passage to our lives here in Tucson, Arizona in the year 2024.

Application

HOW TO LIVE CONFIDENTLY IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS

Trust in Jesus alone

The first thing we need to focus on in this passage is that Jesus has already given us everything we need to know God and live confidently. I want you to read verse 3 out loud with me:

2 Peter 1:3 ESV

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,

According to that verse, what has God granted to us? That’s right - “all things that pertain to life and godliness”. Not just one thing, or even a few things. He has given us everything we need to know Him and live confidently even in the midst of a culture that is in chaos.

As you read through this passage, you can’t help but notice all the things that God has done for us:

He called us (vs. 3, 10)

He granted His great promises to us (v. 4)

He elected us (v. 10)

He richly provided an entrance into His kingdom (v. 11)

He has made all of that available to everyone as a gift, but in order to actually take hold of all those gifts, we have to receive them by putting our faith in Jesus alone. Peter makes that very clear right away in verse 1 when he writes that his audience has obtained all of these benefits the same way he did, by being clothed with the righteousness of Jesus.

Faith in Jesus alone is the only way for us to know God well enough to live confidently in this world. That’s why true biblical Christianity is the great equalizer. It puts us all on the same footing before God because none of us bring anything to the table.

Fortunately, I’m confident that at least most of you this morning have done that. And if that’s the case, I certainly don’t want to do anything to cause you to doubt your salvation. But at the same time, I also feel a tremendous burden to do everything I can to make sure that we all understand what it means to put our faith in Jesus alone.

It’s more than just praying a prayer, or “asking Jesus into our hearts” - a phrase which is not found anywhere in the Bible by the way. It is coming before God and acknowledging that I am a sinner who is completely incapable of doing anything about that on my own. It is having godly sorrow over my sin - not just being sad that I got caught, but mourning over my sin the way God does. And it means giving control of my life to Jesus with a desire to live according to His purposes, plans and ways.

I want to pause for a moment and ask everyone to bow your head and close your eyes. If you’ve already put your faith in Jesus, would you take a moment right now to thank Him for being your righteousness and for all the gifts He has made available to you. If you have not yet made that decision, will you consider doing that today? All you need to do is to just tell God in your own words that you want to quit relying on what you can do and start relying on what Jesus already did for you. If you’re making that choice this morning, please let Ryan or me know after the service today. Or if you still have some questions before you’re ready to make that decision let us know as well. We want to help you have confidence in that decision and help you take your next steps.

[Prayer time]

Knowing God in a way that allows us to live confidently always begins with faith in Jesus. But that is only a start. That’s why we still have to...

Put in the work

As we saw in our last series, we can’t transform ourselves. That work is done 100% by the Holy Spirit. However, as we also saw, we have a role to play in that process. We have to give God something to work with. That is very evident in this passage. Notice the commands that Peter writes to his audience:

…make every effort...

…be all the more diligent...

This really shouldn’t surprise us at all. Sounds a lot like what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, doesn’t it?

Philippians 2:12 ESV

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

So what work do we need to put in? You’ll notice that in verses 5-7, Peter lists seven building blocks that we need to incorporate into our lives. Those building blocks begin with our faith in Jesus and then move from personal to more community focused attributes, ending with agape love toward others. That is the kind of love that is more focused on the needs of others than my own needs and desires.

I’d encourage you to spend some time this week to evaluate how well you’re doing in each of those areas. But rather than focus on those individual attributes this morning I want to focus more on the big picture. If you can do just the two things I’m going to suggest, then I think you’ll be well on your way to developing the kind of knowledge of God that will help you live confidently.

Focus on knowing God

I mentioned to you earlier that I’d come back and talk more about what Peter means when he writes about knowing God. There are actually two different Greek words that are translated “knowledge” in our passage. When he writes specifically about knowledge of God, he uses the Greek word:

epignosis =

epi (from) + gnosis (to know) =

“fullness of knowledge”

It means more than just knowing facts. That word conveys the idea of intimate and personal knowledge that is gained through a relationship with someone.

In verses 5 and 6, in the list of building blocks I mentioned a moment ago, Peter uses the less intensive word:

gnosis =

“knowledge” or “understanding

The difference between these two type of knowledge is very apparent in this verse where Paul uses the verb form of both words:

1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know (ginosko) in part; then I shall know fully (epignosko), even as I have been fully known (epignosko).

The idea here is that when we first become disciples of Jesus, we do have some experiential knowledge of what He is like. But as we mature in our faith, that knowledge becomes more complete and full. And as we develop that fullness of knowledge we become more an more confident in God even in the midst of a chaotic world.

So how do I do that practically? We just spent seven weeks talking about the practices of Jesus that we need to incorporate into our lives in order to know God more fully and deeply and let Him transform us from the inside out. As we practice solitude, prayer, Scripture, fasting, Sabbath, community and service we allow the Holy Spirit to draw us closer to God and get to know Him better.

Be disciplined (vs. 5-7)

We will never develop the kind of knowledge of God that leads to confident living without deliberate discipline and effort.

Throughout the gospel accounts, we see a Peter who is spontaneous, impetuous and even arrogant at times. But know that he has spent roughly 30 years as a disciple of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, we now see a Peter who is much more disciplined. In verses 5-7, he gives us a very structured, disciplined approach to developing a deeper knowledge of God and love for other people. If Peter the impetuous fisherman could become a disciplined, godly man, then, empowered by the Holy Spirit we can certainly do the same.

The main reason I didn’t want to go through the seven attributes Peter lists here one by one this morning, other than keeping the sermon under an hour, is that I think there are a couple dangers to be aware of:

First, we could easily think that as we tackle these attributes one by one, we eventually get to a point where we have them all figured out and then move onto the next one, kind of like finishing a class in school or graduating from school. But just like our discipleship path on the back wall, it’s better to think of this in terms of a circle where we are constantly revisiting and working on developing these characteristics.

Second, this is certainly not a complete list of the attributes we need to develop in our lives. In addition to fruit of the Spirit we find in Galatians 5, we find other similar lists in several of Paul’s letters.

Again, this is why the practices of Jesus are so important. If we are regularly incorporating those practices into our lives in a consistent, intentional, disciplined way, the Holy Spirit will be developing these character traits into our lives in increasing measure.

Check for fruit (v. 8)

When we grow it will show.

Look at what Jesus said about that:

John 15:8 ESV

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

That is essentially what Peter is saying in verse 8. If the seven qualities that Peter lists are present and increasing in our lives then our lives will produce fruit for the kingdom of God. We will be effective in living according to God’s purposes, plans and ways even when the world around us is falling apart

But if we’re not growing in our faith, that will be apparent, too. Even though we won’t lose our salvation, because it is all God’s work in the first place, we will lose our confidence, joy and peace. We’ll constantly be worriers.

We’ve seen this morning that...

I can rest confidently in the knowledge that the God who saved me is the God who will also keep me

Before we wrap up, I do want to address a verse in this passage that has frequently been misused. Let’s look at verse 4 again for a moment:

2 Peter 1:4 ESV

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.

The question that arises here is what does Peter mean when he says that we can “become partakers of the divine nature”? It certainly does not mean, as some wrongly teach, that we can become “gods” or even “little gods”. There will always be a wide gulf between the infinite Creator and His finite creation that we can never cross.

However, at the very moment we put our faith in Jesus, we become new creatures, with God’s Holy Spirit dwelling permanently in our lives. At that moment we are set apart from the evil world that we live in temporarily. From that point forward we both belong to Jesus and we share in His nature. It’s noteworthy that every one of the seven attributes Peter lists here are also attributes of Jesus. And as we develop those attributes in our lives, little by little we become more like Him. We’ll never get there completely in this world, but the more we take on His divine nature, the more confidently we can live here.

That’s why we’ve said this morning that...

I can rest confidently in the knowledge that the God who saved me is the God who will also keep me

Action

As we close, I want to ask you to consider a few questions:

Where are you placing your trust?

I know for most of us, we’d immediately say Jesus. But for many of us the reality is that we’re really trusting in other people or things. And I think there is a pretty simple test that will reveal that.

What do you worry about? Are you worried about the election results? Then possibly your trust is in politicians or the government. Are you worried about a stock market crash or a recession? Then perhaps you are trusting in your material possessions. Do you worry about your health? Then maybe you are trusting in your physical body. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have concerns or that we shouldn’t do what we can in these areas. The Bible teaches that we are to be good citizens and good stewards of the material resources God entrusts to us and that we are to take care of our bodies.

But when we worry about those things, or anything else, that is just the outward symptom of a deeper issue. At its core, worry is a lack of trust in God. And ultimately that lack of trust in God is usually a result of the fact that you don’t really know Him well enough to trust Him in every situation. And if that’s the case in your life, then let me ask a second question:

Do you know God better today than you did a month ago? A year ago? Five years ago?

Notice that I didn’t ask “Do you know more about God?” It’s not about mere intellectual knowledge but rather about a relationship in which you increasingly understand God’s heart and your desires are transformed to be consistent with His.

If you can’t honestly answer “yes” to these questions, then I want you to prayerfully consider why. And then once you’ve done that, you need to decide what you’re going to do about that. Hopefully over the past couple months Ryan and I have given you a number of practical ideas about how to take that next step in your walk with Jesus. And there is nothing that we would love more than to sit down with you individually and help you begin to incorporate those practices into your daily life. So please let us know how we can help.

Inspiration

There is no doubt that we live in a world that is increasing full of evil and chaos. It is a world that is increasingly hostile to those who are disciples of Jesus and who attempt to hold to biblical principles and His ways.

But the good news is that we can live confidently in the midst of those circumstances knowing that the God who saved us through His Son will keep us to the very end when Jesus returns to take us home with Him. So together let’s continue to do everything we can to know God better so we can trust Him better.